.hoot.

We've Moved!

2010-10-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

.hoot. looks and feels so much better over at http://hootvintage.tumblr.com and because of that, posting will be much more frequent. Please adjust your readers and feed subscriptions!

.hoot.'s blogspot will stay intact only for old posts, but apologies for the layout and design disaster that happened.

Earth Day

2010-04-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day! I fully embrace the idea of upcycling - taking existing materials generally deemed as worthless and giving them new life. I love the movement that is in full swing right now that seeks to reimagine things in a new context. So I thought I would celebrate Earth Day by showing some of my favorite recent appreciations.

First, a fantastic window dressing that Anthropologie near Rockefeller Center had displayed a few months ago. Back in February spring seemed far, far away but thankfully it has arrived here in New York. These great fixtures are made from colorful bits of plastic and arranged to appear like a flowering plant.

They remind me of the junk chandeliers I saw all over Europe last summer. Stuart Haygarth created the most well-known of these types with his Tide piece back in 2004, which was created from material that showed up on the beach near his home in England. He also made a chandelier made completely of eyeglasses.

These are great DIY projects that can make use of junk around the house or pretty much any item you can get your hands on. I love this one that was shown at the Stockholm Design fair a few years back.

The display at Anthropogie also featured a chair made out of an old radiator and trees with roots made of large plastic bottles filled with soil.

The former chairman of the Dutch Architects Union, Wassenaar Kees van der Hoeven, is creating a living space out of a shipping container with a flower pot facade. I saw this flower pot thing done in a few magazines a while back, but I think it is such a great design element.

It was featured on Superuse, a mecca for all things upcycled. The site inspires so many amazing projects I don't even know where to start.

So go... be inspired!

Animals on the Runway

2010-03-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

Paris sent out a few more furry friends to add to the pack.

Fall 2010: Chanel, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Topshop Unique

Add those to a few flying friends and we have a whole zoo!

Spring 2010: Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. Fall 2010 (middle): Ann Demeulemeester

Now play nice. They can bite.

...off to find my antlers.

London Calling

2010-03-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

London is my favorite place on earth. And I've been a lot of places. It makes sense it is usually my favorite fashion week. I love the funky, colorful looks the Brits pump out and show in totally entertaining and creative ways. I realize that according to most in the fashion world London is not generally the most respected, but I always dig their vibe.

Here are some of my favorites from Paul Smith. I love his proportions and eye-popping color and accents. Plus who doesn't love wearing a 70's-style knit blanket?

Twenty8Twelve's collection featured a brilliant use of velour and velvet. I am pleased with these fabrics' return to fashion limelight. I also appreciate the youthfulness of these looks in a season where changing silhouettes seem to be adding 15 years. They do the maxi length dress well with great layers.

But I think my favorite out of London so far is Vivienne Westwood's Red Label. I am absolutely in love with her wacky print mixing.

Fall 2010 Loves: Milly, Jeremy Scott and Topshop

2010-02-22T18:44:00.000-08:00

Looking at this season's collections, I am not finding a ton that I am absolutely in love with as compared to this last spring/summer. There seems to be a very dark, gothy vamp look that features tons of oddly draped fabric, as well as silhouettes that are stumpifying and with lengths not made for anyone less than six foot tall. There is also a lot of sheer circa mid-nineties. Nothing seems as crazy or whimsical (and wearable!) as I generally prefer.

Of course I am still browsing the collections and do find exceptions. The first being Jeremy Scott. This man is known for crazy and I love how he infuses elements of pop culture into his designs. Everything looks like a costume, yet oddly wearable (in specific circumstances of course) and I love costumes. I also love bedazzle.

Milly by Michelle Smith is another collection I am totally giddy about. Whereas most of the collections were very dark or muted colors, Milly spiced it up with eye-popping accents and fantastic styling through hosiery, hats and gloves. I can pretty much hear Chuck Bass whispering sweet nothings in my ear in these clothes.

Last but certainly not least is Topshop Unique's collection, which was sent down the runway today at London Fashion Week. Fulfilling my secret desires to have a barnyard theme party, Topshop created some unbelievable looks that could outfit my whole guestlist. Hooves anyone?

photos by Imaxtree via NYmag

Where My Girls At?

2010-02-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

Most of my fashion week photos are dudes, mainly because I feel like I generally focus on women's style. But every once and a while I found some ladies I thought were unique.

This last girl might be a fashion disaster, but I liked the hat.

Man Bags and Mandazzling

2010-02-20T19:21:00.001-08:00

All fashion week long it seemed that the men were dressed better than the women. That could just be because I saw more men around the menswear shows and all. However, the magic of men's clothing is clearly in the accessorizing. Here are some that dazzled me with either their brightness or love of a great bag.

The zipper detail on this jacket is sorta amazing

Trend Watch: Long Coats

2010-02-20T19:13:00.000-08:00

New York fashion is a far cry from LA style with the main difference being the existence of winterwear/outerwear. So for me, all of these trends are new, but one particularly eye-catching one is ultra-long, floor length coats. Particularly made of fur or accented with some sort of furry friend.

(sorry about the blurriness of this last one but that coat was too good to let go.)

NY Fashion Week: Y-3 and Perry Ellis

2010-02-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

This was my first NY Fashion Week and I had invitations to a few shows, which made it that more exciting. I learned very quickly that it is pointless to even try and photograph anything that happens in them - everything is so dark, so far and moving so fast. Fashion shows take longer to seat everyone than to present the show, but the most fun part is certainly checking out everyone's outfits.

Regardless, I had to document the outings. The Y-3 show was amazing. Not a whole lot I would personally wear, but Yohji Yamamoto's collections are always very daring and present things I've never seen before. He is the man responsible for the hammer pant in the 80s... Plus it brought out a few big names and the photogs went nuts when Ciara came in.

Check out Y3's full collection to see some actual details.

I also went to Perry Ellis, which was a really interesting collection full of looks with a richly warm color palate featuring loads of velvet and patchwork leather and styled nicely with lots of scarves, suspenders and bow ties. Very steampunk, yet wearable.

Check out all of the Perry Ellis looks or check out this runway video, which they streamed live during the show.

NY Fashion Week: Day 1

2010-02-11T19:28:00.001-08:00

The blizzard that buried the city in snow the last 48 hours did not stop any of New York's fashion elite from donning their best for the opening day of New York Fashion Week. Bryant Park was covered in ice, and although I witnessed a few near spills from girls in towering heels, most people sucked it up and braved the conditions, albeit on a beautifully sunny day. Many saw it as an opportunity to display innovative outwear combos accented surprisingly often by mid-calf or knee-high Timberlands, which are clearly making a huge comeback and Russian fur hats. The inner-woods(wo)man exposed.

I did not stay out for long, mainly because this California girl is not equipped to handle the chilly New York air unless she is running laps or spending less than 15 minutes outside. Regardless, I caught a few good ones of some jazzy men outside the tents.

v

Guess all those ladies who have been carrying their big "it" bags for the past few seasons have passed them on to their male-friends. It clearly is the must-have accessory for men. However, I am very intrigued with what they put inside these giant things. Without makeup, changes of clothes, beauty products and other such things women shove into their purses, what's left to carry? Thoughts welcome.

.hoot. Is Out of Hibernation

2010-02-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

.hoot. has been hiding for the past few months readjusting to the USA (still hasn't happened), moving to New York and working on various projects, most significantly .hoot. hair flair. Please visit the brand new .hoot. Etsy shop to check out some hair accessory fun.

Some of my favorites:

There are plenty more up so check them out and spread the .hoot. love.

The goal is to post nearly everyday and based in such an inspiring city like NY, there will undoubtedly be plenty of material to choose from. Fashion week is coming up so stay tuned for some thoughts and photos.

Trend Watch: Fluorescent Footwear

2009-07-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Holland is a treasure trove of up and coming fashion trends, the most striking being high top sneakers with fluorescent or neon accents. Both guys and gals were wearing these staples of the 80's. Just as plentiful were vintage Nike trainers and high top or lace up gold Nike shoes for women.

RIP MJ

2009-07-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

In memory of the man who made me love music... and plaster my closet with pictures of him and his siblings. RIP MJ.

Hoot on the Street: Amsterdam

2009-07-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

Trend Watch: Rain Boots

2009-07-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

Yellow and green rainboots are all over Amsterdam. Girls are wearing them with cute vintage dresses or boots whether its wet out or not.

On the Street: Ljubljana Street Art

2009-07-02T09:55:00.001-07:00

And a special find for Hoot!

Urban Gem: Metelkova

2009-07-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

A bit off the main tourist square in Ljubljana is one of the most interesting reuses and redefinitions of abandoned space: Metelkova. Housed in an abandoned army barracks formerly used as the headquarters of the Yugoslavian National Army, the space was squatted by a group of artists in 1993 to become Metelkova, which is now a social artisan center. If its artsy and creative, you can find it here - from alternative music to public graffiti and mosaic art to treehouses made out of recycled material. At first if you do not have pink hair or dreads you might feel a bit out of place, but the community is incredibly welcoming and friendly to the random wanderer.
Perhaps the most interesting facet of Metelkova is the Skratova Library, an anarchist library housed in a bus. That should not scare anyone away, for it actually features literature not only on anarchism and politics, but on subjects such as media, women's studies, ecology, gay and lesbian studies and globalism. There are even a good amount of comics lying around. The library is funded through grants and public city funding and is connected to an NGO that focuses on alternative learning methods for children.

Hoot on the Street: Venice

2009-07-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

A brilliant use of bold, primary colors.

Let the Hoots Begin!

2009-06-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Hoot! Hoot is a collection of ideas growing and evolving in the mind of a 25-year-old style-chaser searching for uniqueness across the world in whatever form it is presented. You are right at the nest, Hoot: style + urban culture blog, which will document findings across the globe. Forgive the rough layout, graphics and design as Hoot is in its beginning stages, but please enjoy and spread the word!

In the meantime, follow Hoot on Twitter! http://twitter.com/HootVintage