Boing Boing » fashion

HOWTO make glowing Converse

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:50 +0000

The good people at Adafruit have an easy way to make your Chucks glow!

Make your logo light up with this simple Converse sneaker mod. All you need is EL panel and an inverter tucked into the tongue of your shoe to get the stars in your Chuck Taylors glowing. Two styles!

Glowing Star Chuck Taylor Sneakers

Katamari Adventure Time

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:37 +0000

What better subject for a t-shirt than an Adventure Time/Katamari Damacy mashup?

Adventure Time Ball

Help make Abercrombie and Fitch synonymous with homelessness

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:18:03 +0000

As you know, Abercrombie and Fitch is a horrible shitshow of a company whose owner refuses to make large sized clothes so that "unattractive people" can't wear them, and who burns surplus clothing rather than donating it to charity to keep their clothes off poor peoples' backs. So Gkarber has set out to make the brand synonymous with homelessness, by clearing out thrift shops' supply of A&F and bringing it to skid row and giving it to homeless people. He'd like you to participate by clearing out your closets and donating any A&F to your local homeless charity..

Abercrombie & Fitch Gets a Brand Readjustment #FitchTheHomeless

Supplies for all your punk and punk-related needs

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:05:23 +0000

An undated ad for a punk store in Newcastle offers batty punk tees for a mere £4.50 -- mid-1980s punk revival?

MY GEAR FIXATION IS BACK IN FULL EFFECT. I’M LOSIN’ IT. (via Goths and Punks)

Leather bracelet from Bob Basset

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 08 May 2013 23:00:59 +0000

The Ukraine's Bob Basset is best known for its leather steampunk/fetish masks, but now the leatherworking group has turned its hand to wrist decorations. They call this a "men's bracelet," but I don't see anything gender-specific in its design.

Steampunk Mens Bracelet

When hairdryers looked like mind-control devices

Cory Doctorow — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:23:29 +0000

Every now and again, Dark Roasted Blend busts out a super-set of vintage photos of some gadget, technology, or system from yesteryear that is so surpassingly fantastic that it stops you cold.

Today is a day where such a set has been posted. The photos of Vintage Salon Hair Dryers that Avi Abrams rounded up here are nothing short of spectacular. Every single one of these demands to be dug out of the scrapheap of history, refurbished, and used as a prop in a low-budget science fiction movie. Especially the kraken-hair ones.

Sleek Vintage Salon Hair Dryers

Old ads for new underwear

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:01:56 +0000

This weekend's contest on the Vintage Ads LiveJournal is old underwear ads, and the group is filling up with some extraordinary pics. Here are some of my faves (click to go through to the original posts).

Well-dressed psychoanalyst in NYC

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:07:00 +0000

This wonderfully dressed woman comes from an early February post to the Humans of New York Tumblr, a collection of well-put-together individuals indeed.

“Artist?” “Psychoanalyst.” (via Crazy Abalone)

Japanese Star Wars poster dresses

Cory Doctorow — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:55:40 +0000

These Star Wars dresses are apparently coming to Hot Topic at some unspecified time in the future.

Her Universe Teases Star Wars Dresses, Makes Us Drool

Dresses made from old maps

Cory Doctorow — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:54:52 +0000

Elisabeth Lecourt recycles old maps and turns them into beautiful dresses and shirts. I don't imagine they're wearable, but they'd look lovely on the wall nevertheless.

Elisabeth Lecourt | Les robes géographiques: (via Crazy Abalone)

Update: An idea so nice, I blogged it twice! Here's the original from 2008.

Schwarzenegger v Predator tee (in the style of Edward Gorey)

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:27:47 +0000

Ape Lad sez, "I've got a shirt for sale on woot tonight. It depicts a former governor of California being stalked by a nine-foot-tall, fishnet clad, metal faced hunter with dreadlocks, in a style I hope comes somewhere near the cross hatched wonderfulness of Edward Gorey."

P is for Prey (Thanks, Ape Lad!)

Documentary on the Cydwoq shoe factory

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:26:08 +0000

As mentioned before, I'm a big fan of the beautiful handmade shoes from Cydwoq, who manufacture their wares to order in Los Angeles. Here's a short and beautiful documentary on their factory and manufacturing techniques.

Perler bead Haunted Mansion wallpaper/pixel-art necklace

Cory Doctorow — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:06:18 +0000

Etsy seller MigotoChou created a lovely perler bead necklace-charm that depicts an 8-bit pixel-art version of the iconic Disney Haunted Mansion wallpaper motif. $25.

Disney World Haunted Mansion Wallpaper Inspired Beaded Necklace Walt Disney World Disneyland (via A Swinging Wake)

Pac-Man hoodies

Cory Doctorow — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:39:54 +0000

From IfIndustries, an (apparently?) unavailable but rather clever line of Pac-Man hoodies (one ghost shown, all ghosts in set).

Pac-man & Ghosts Hoddies (via Geeks Are Sexy)

Wolf Motorcycle Helmet

Rob Beschizza — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:37:41 +0000

This DOT-certified bucket is marketed as the "Wolf Helmet", but I think it looks like an angry womble. [via Uncrate]

Bras useless, says science

Rob Beschizza — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:46:59 +0000

"A little-known French sports doctor who spent 16 years studying the busts of about 300 women sent a scare through a country known for its love of lingerie this week when he suggested bras were useless." [Reuters]

Insane tees - Kickstarted, full-shirt printing with indie artist designs

Cory Doctorow — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:03:40 +0000

Jordan sez, "Our t-shirt company was just successfully funded through Kickstarter, now at $46,000+ with 4 days to go. We take insane art from independent artists and throw them on shirts using a new type of printing called Sublimation. It allows us to print ALL OVER the shirt in extremely vibrant colors."

Not all this stuff is up my street, but some of it is pretty fawesome.

RaveNectar: This isn't clothing - it's an EXPERIENCE. (Thanks, Jordan)

Sokolsky's surreal girl-in-a-bubble Paris fashion photos, 1963

David Pescovitz — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:52:09 +0000

For the 1963 spring collection fashion editorial in Harper's Bazaar, Melvin Sokolsky photographed model Simone d'Aillencourt in a bubble, dreamily floating around Paris. All of the stunning images have been collected in a limited-edition art book packaged in a die-cut lucite slipcase.

"Harper's Bazaar 'Bubble' Spring Collection"

Paris 1963: A Limited Edition Art Book

SkullKerchief!

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:40:29 +0000

Here's Telma Costa's beautiful, knit skullkerchief -- perfect for staying warm, attending Misfits concerts, or everyday use.

The SkullKerchief (via Make)

Wrist-straps for pocket-watches

Cory Doctorow — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:03:53 +0000

Polish leatherworker MK makes some very nice wrist-straps for pocket-watches and car-watches. He's not the only one making these, but I find them particularly handsome, and rather nice retro-modern take on the massive wristwatch phenomenon.

Wristbands for pocket watches. (Thanks, Nic!)

Attacks on punks and goths are now hate crimes in Manchester

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:58:22 +0000

Manchester, England has expanded its hate-crime laws to include attacks on the basis of dress or an "alternative sub-culture identity." The expansion follows on the fatal 2007 attack on Sophie Lancaster, whose attackers chose her because of her goth identity.

"People who wish to express their alternative sub-culture identity freely should not have to tolerate hate crime," Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said.
Manchester police said the change would enable officers to give more support to victims of anti-punk or anti-Goth crime. But it won't necessarily mean tougher sentences.
Although British judicial guidelines call for people convicted of hate crimes to receive tougher sentences, the Manchester decision has not been recognised nationally.

Manchester police to record attacks on goths and punks as hate crimes [Guardian/AP]

(Image: Lancashire Police)

Curiosity rover dresses

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:56:04 +0000

Etsy seller Shenova (who also does some nice-looking, science-y leggings), makes these $135 Mars Curiosity rover dresses to order:

This super special space chic fashion forward dress has a real NASA image from the Mars Curiosity Rover, also with a rover "track" print on the other side. It it made from custom printed non-fading, durable Lycra stretch fabric with a cotton stretch black backing for a lovely slimming effect. There is also a cute silver strap detail at the top. Very comfortable fabric, easy fitting.
The Curiosity lettering is hand studded with crystals for extra fanciness. You'll surely impress your friends with this one! Hem is 32" but can be adjusted if you add a note.

NASA Mars Curiosity Print Rover Dress Space Chic (via IO9)

Little Mermaid tights

Cory Doctorow — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:53:00 +0000

Hot Topic seems to have borrowed a trick from Australian pop-culture leggings favorite Black Milk with a line of Disney-licensed Little Mermaid full-print tights. Hot Topic's version costs about 75 percent less than the Black Milk stuff (and no shipping or duty for US buyers) -- though I have no idea whether they're comparable in terms of wear, fit, or the labor conditions in their manufacture (Black Milk makes its wares in Australia; Hot Topic doesn't say where its stuff is made on the site, which almost certainly means Pacific Rim/subcontinental sweatshop).

Ariel leggings

Ursula leggings

(via The Mary Sue)

Disneyland Dapper Day: when Disney fans dress up

Cory Doctorow — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 03:28:30 +0000

Disneyland fans have created many of their own theme days, some of which I've been lucky enough to happen upon or attend -- Bats Day (goths); Gay Days, and more. But I didn't know about Dapper Day, where 10,000+ people descend on Disneyland and Walt Disney World in natty outfits and style their way through the fun park. Just looking at the official gallery makes me want to mark this in my calendar for next year.

"People are looking for an excuse to dress up," said Justin Jorgensen, who started Dapper Day in 2011 and has organized five of the events, all at Disneyland. The latest Dapper Day — the same Sunday as the Oscars, Hollywood’s own dress-up day — drew an estimated crowd of 10,000 to the Anaheim park and about 1,000 more at Florida's Disney World.
"Everything, including the workplace, pushes this idea of being casual," said Jorgensen, 38, of Burbank. "When do I get to wear my great stuff?"
Most of those in attendance that day were in their 20s and 30s. They had come of age in a time of shoulder-padded power suits, windbreakers in neon colors and frizzy hair — not exactly a time that will be remembered for its classic elegance.
"I think people like history, people love nostalgia," said Heather A. Vaughan, a historian studying 20th century fashions. "People love imagining a time they didn’t live in."

Dapper Day at Disneyland, the nattiest place on Earth [LA Times/Rick Rojas]

(Photo: Christina House)

Science at Fashion Week

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:52:30 +0000

From bodices made of green beetle wings to a skirt studded with embroidered-on bits of meteorite, the clothing of designer Mathieu Mirano draws inspiration from the natural world and the obsessions of science. Popular Science's Susannah Locke went to the designer's show and has a gallery of photos that you should really check out.

Gigeresque corset: "Spine"

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:33:00 +0000

Spine, an amazing, gigeresque corset, is a Shaun Leane design that was displayed at NY MOMA in the 2011 show Alexander McQueen show Savage Beauty.

Shaun Leane: He was always fascinated by the spine. So he asked me to create a corset, which was the spine with the rib cage, so that the girl could actually wear this as a corset on the outside of her body, so we would see the beauty of these bone structures on the outside, attached to the dress.
And as we were doing it, Alexander came to me and said, “Will you put a tail on this?” And where he got that idea was out of the film The Omen. When the mother of the omen was discovered—her skeleton—she was half-raven and half-dog, and he was quite inspired by this.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (via Kadrey)

Lululemon recalls see-through pants

David Pescovitz — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:17:15 +0000

Lululemon Athletica has recalled 17% of the women's yoga pants in its stores because the latest batch were apparently too sheer. The quality control problem forced the company to cut its revenue forecast by $12-17 million and its stock price took it on the chin.

"The ingredients, weight and longevity qualities of the pants remain the same, but the coverage does not, resulting in a level of sheerness in some of our women's black Luon bottoms that falls short of our very high standards," the company stated. "We want you to Down Dog and Crow with confidence and we felt these pants didn't measure up."

"See-through pants problem causes Lululemon recall" (CNN, thanks Jess Hemerly!)

Song about Torontonians' dismal obsession with Canada Goose parkas

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 01:00:12 +0000

Torontonians are actually pretty well-dressed, but not in winter. In winter, everyone wears awful, identical Canada Goose parkas. This has made John R. so mentally distressed that he's actually made a rap video about the dismal state of affairs, with a video illustrating the problem:

Everyone in T-Dot wears the same damn coat
Is it cheap? Nope!
800 bucks, it’s Canuck
Goose Goose Goose Goose Goose Goose Duck
It’s a shopping spree
on the TTC
newscasters on TV
Why you asking me
if this coat was free?
I need it for extreme conditions in my SUV
Heat only goes to 3
This setting takes forever to warm my knees.

Everyone in Toronto Wears the Same Damn Coat

RIP, John Paul Miller, a genius goldsmith and creator of many lovely gold crustaceans

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 01:24:24 +0000

David sez, "A quiet genius, jeweler John Paul Miller, recently passed away and a memorial service was held this past weekend in Cleveland. His jewelery is beautifully detailed and I thought the Boing Boing audience would enjoy his take [Google Image Search] on crustaceans and insects."

Yet the relative paucity of attention given to Miller during his lifetime should not belie the intrinsic importance of his spectacular achievements as a designer and maker of gold jewelry.
Decorative arts curator Stephen Harrison of the Cleveland museum, who organized the smallish but extremely important show in 2010, compared Miller to Rene Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany, two giants of late-19th-century decorative art in France and America, respectively.

Goldsmith John Paul Miller, a national treasure, will go down in history as one of Cleveland's greatest artists [Steven Litt/The Plain Dealer]

(Thanks, David!)

Puritanical ice-cream clothes

Cory Doctorow — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:49:46 +0000

My goodness, but the Ice Cream Colors in this 1949 Puritan Sportswear ad look sytlishly delicious. Not entirely puritanical, either.

Dairy Contest