CATS AND RABBITS

Suffragettes circa 1918; Image via Tumblr

I voted tonight, for the first time in my 20 years of living. It was something that I was very eager in wanting to partake in and was well worth missing my History of Costume class tonight. (And let me tell you, I'll take punching holes in a piece of paper that will impact my life than sitting on my mcnuggies looking at endless Powerpoint lectures) And I must say, I had all of the lovely ladies, whom I admire dearly, in the back of my head while voting.
Ever since I was a kid, my mother took it upon herself to make it a prominent thing that I respect every single female I encounter in my life. At the time, it was just the girlies in my classroom and the playground but the way my mother worded it, made that respect leak onto every girl and woman I've encountered since. And since discovering Tavi's blog and reading what she's had to say on the behalf of women in fashion and life, I've been able to expand on that respect and learn more. Though I am having a bit of trouble transferring everything I'm feeling into words and in a way, end this post without sounding like a chump, all I can say is, that at the end of day, if Romney can't respect your rights as a woman and your lady bits, then I sure as hell can.
-Karl

IT'S OCTOBER

Duh.

FALLING

 All images via Ananasamiami

Ideally, I feel like Fall is the 'GPOY' season of my life. I mean, I partially blame being alone as a kid around most of October, due to getting it off (hooray for pre-fucked up school systems,) and actually being able to enjoy the weather change from hot as hell to hot as balls; which isn't much of a difference but living in LA, it sure as hell is. I can truly say that I love the Fall (espesh windy weather and Hollaween) and find it's the best season to dress up for.

Combined these two looks for my outfit

So, for the past three years, I've basically let McQ's Fall.2010 collection dictate the direction of my wardrobe for the season. Like, it totally hits the nail on head with my Fall vibes and since first falling in love with the collection, my wardrobe has expanded and has room for layering. I can say I'm partially fond of this collection in particular because it does the whole ~grunge trend~ but it does it in a tasteful way that seams to be more of a homage and not a back-handed compliment.

*COUGH*PASTEL GRUNGE*COUGH*TUMBLR*COUGH*SOFT RUNGE*COUGH*
So when the weather goes from 90 degrees to 70 degrees, you know half of LA will be dusting n' busting out some cute chilly shit. Even if it means dabbing your forehead every once in a while so people wont notice you're actually over-heating but instead see this fly little bitty in a cute ass jumper getting their Fall on a.k.a, me.
-Karl

 Cheap sunnies-thrifted jumper-Old torn up shirt-H&M skinnies-Vintage boots-Chain turned necklace

  I used my iPhone for these so excuse the graininess and cheesy posing
I know this isn't exactly GRUNGE but hey, I was inspired to fuse it into my everyday garb so ESCUSE ME.

J.W. ANDERSON X TOPSHOP

Ever since I first laid eyes on J.W. Anderson's autumn.winter 2010 collection, I knew I had found what was missing in my life. I know that makes me sound like one of Lady Gaga's Little Monsters but honestly, at the time, I was barely starting my first semester at some shitty community college instead of the fashion design school I was supposed to have attended and I even went as far as taking some pottery class to fill in that creative void. So I guess, in some ways, I had fallen into something of a depression because of it. Especially since I spent most of my senior waiting in anticipation to attend this design school, only to have the economy rape me (without lube, might I add) of that privilege. So when I found out about this mythical designer, who specialized in menswear, I knew I had found the light.

I find that since dropping out and attending a new college that offers a fashion design program, my love for Jonathan's work has grown and developed. His work is something of a fire starter that ignites some inspiration for my course work. Season after season, I see growth and can't help but find something new to admire about him or his aesthetic. I have said before that menswear is the last frontier in fashion and I find that Jonathan is truly one of the few designers breaking molds and introducing new shapes, fabrics, and silhouettes into the mundane world that, unfortunately, is menswear. That, in it's self, is what I love. That is what keeps me going through school.
So when I found out about this collaboration, I knew it was going to be good. What I love about this collaboration is seeing how Jonathan's past collections inspired the pieces in the collaboration. It's a bit of fun making out which collection stands behind which piece because it's really cool how, in a way, you're able to own something from a collection you might be fond of. Though for me, that might be hard. So I took it upon myself to find the collections that stand behind pieces from the collaboration that I love. Enjoy.
-Karl

Autumn.Winter 2010
The one that started it all.


Spring.Summer 2011
The Devoured and I


Autumn.Winter 2011
The Fear of Naturalism


Spring.Summer 2012
Craft Goes Machine

Images via Fashonista.com and Style.com

WITCHEZ AIN'T BITCHEZ

I have really cute friends :)
Saturday night, me and my sister went out to celebrate my friend Teresa's birthday at the bar she works at. Truthfully, I love any event where I get to look cute and that evening, I especially felt like channeling Kate Moss and the colour black. I've just been on this Kate-high and feel like I should channel her old ways into my youthful ways of living. So, I dawned on my thrifted fishnet-mohair-esque jumper, spiked collar, and new little wool hat. I also dawned on my patented pleather witchy boots for an elevated level of, "hey, I sacrifice virgins and stuff."

This is bascially what the night consisted of, ha!

I had a pretty rad time. I even ran into a few familiar faces from class whom I always saw but never had the chance to meet. Though I think the highlight of my night was getting to meet Teresa's sister who was this little ball of funzilla, even if she was a tad bit drunky. Ha, good times. Though I can't talk too much shit considering after our Irish car-bombs, both my sister and I were pretty much gone.
-Karl

Me and my sister are ~super kawaii~

BOY GET BUSY

When in doubt, bust a Dr. Frankenstein and transform your garb from ratchet to bitchin'. Here are two of most recent experiments that had me screaming, IT'S ALIVE and damn, I look gewd.
-I seam ripped the collar off an old Lacoste button down I thrifted a while back and made a new collar off of some starry ribbon my grandma gave me. I think it came out amazing and thank Jaysus I can sew or else it just would have looked horrid!

-For this one, I brought together a pleather jacket and vest that had both been sitting in my closet just taking up room. I liked them both but really didn't wear them much so I brought them together by sewing on the sleeves from the pleather jacket onto the vest. I then studded the bad boy once I finished and bam, your boy now has a snazzy new jacket for the Fall.

STRUTTING FOR THE GOLD

I needed to blog this out of my system and discuss how amazingly-amazing Team Supermodel was tonight at the Olympics' closing ceremony. Hot damn, they lit that shit up and my main boos were their repping harder than your average chicks.
I truly loved how every garment the models wore represented them, to a certain degree. Karen Elson looked gorgeous in the classic Hollywood glamor number, Lily Cole looked dashing like a mini housewife from some cute film, Naomi Campbell, of course, was dressed like a Goddess with a trail longer than hell keeping every basic b at a distance, and my main boo, Kate Moss, looked every ounce of easy-breezy flawless in that gold number. It's like, she had that sitting in her closet and was like, meh, and just served it up. Ugh, it was so good.

Though of course, people just had something to say about Kate's shady past with drugs and Naomi's notorious phone throwing incident and how it's ultimately wrong to have had them up on that stage because of it. It's upsetting when having them up there was meant to be a positive thing since their both from Britain and they're both representing their country and what they've brought to it. It wasn't meant to be frowned upon and at the end of the day, they're models not athletes and what happened in their past should stay there. It was an amazing moment that should be applauded at, not dismissed. Though ultimately, it brought a smile to my face and that's all that matters.
-Karl

All images via Tumblr

GIRL POWER

My accidental shrine to Rookie on my closet door featuring a Petra Collins postcard, two photographs with Meadham Kirchhoff's viels, and a Strange Magic ad I stole
This past week was pretty awesome with Space15Twenty, here in Hollywood, housing Tavi and Petra's installation, Strange Magic. For me, it was the epitome of a Goodwill's knick-knack wall meets vintage Avon catalogs meets your grandmothers' bedroom getting blended together to create this pastel concoction that made my synesthesia kick in. I immediately got the flavor of Thrifty's rainbow sherbet ice cream in my mouth and the scent of roses in my nose. It was perfect. Though Friday's event, which had fellow Rookie writers reading aloud some of their work, including my boo, Marie of Agent Lover, was absolutely magical.

Me being a creepy face with cute lil' Tavi
It was about ten minutes before the readings took off that I ran into Marie and exchanged hellos and a few words that she led me to meet my little goddess, Tavi. If you only knew what that did to me; I shit myself all over the entire place! I barely had enough time to collect my thoughts and get myself together before I realized that I was shaking hands with her!
She was seriously the best! So poised and straight forward that she abolished any nerves I had. We had a brief conversation before she had to go get ready but before she left, I gave her a note and burger brooche I made for her. (Which, by the way, matched her striped shirt perfectly!)

Being ~cRaZy n' rAnDoM~ with Marie
It was such a lovely evening full laughter and flower crowns that ended grubbing with Marie and her friends and meeting the lady boo of the lead singer to a favorite band of mine. Kinda freaky but rather amazing. There must have been some ~strange magic~ in the air.
See what I did there? HA
-Karl

P.S.
My Instagram screename is Chologoth

BRUJA BOOTS

Ever since my sister managed to snag a pair of patent leather Docs from Ross some six years ago like a damn hipster, I've always wanted a pair to call my own. Though living in the world we do where companies insist on shoving redundant basic shit for dudes to wear, Docs never made a patent leather boot for men. At least, not that I'm aware of. Though after making a late night run to Target the other night and aimlessly walking towards the shoe department with my sister, I found these babies.

The lining of the boots are what did me in. I love plaid!
Obviously they were meant for girls because the guys shoe selection there SUCKS, (seriously, Target is like a lower-lower end Urban Outfitters when it comes to whats for sale for dudes) the biggest size fit me like a glove! I secretly would love to meet a chick with a foot as big as mine but until then, you can admire mine in these bewts! Which are sturdy as fuck, considering their knockoff Docs. They honestly don't even need the zippers on the sides but I guess it "adds character."
-Karl

CHOLO GOTH

I'd post more images but it's too good not to view it all
Ok, you know that amazing feeling you get when you meet someone for the first time and you hit it off so well that at the end of the night you're just like, "where the hell have you been all my life?!" Yeah, that's basically how I felt after watching Frankie Morello's menswear collection for Spring 2013. It's so me right now that it's tripping me out when I think about it. Especially since I changed my URL to Chologoth on Tumblr not too long ago and this collection is like, the perfect combo of both subcultures; cholos and goths.
The accessories are also perfect here with the gold chains and the caps, preferably the one with the gold chains on it. UGH, perfection! Though not too complicated like his past collections, it's just the perfect amount of moody and tough while still bringing in ~feminine~ attributes like the copper sweat pants. It's perfect.
-Karl

Image via Tumblr

HOLY ROLLERS

Riccardo Tisci has been making me shed precious man tears for the past few seasons. His mesnwear collections have really been speaking to me like, it's kind of amazing. He has the ability to make leggings and skirts and nose rings look amazing on the manliest of men without a single bat of anyone's lashes. I mean, even I have taken inspiration for my personal wardrobe.
MAKING MAN-LEGGINGS A THING IN L.A. 2K12
Though seriously, this collection was just a continuation of what we've all been eating up yet has been condensed with neutral colors, airy fabrics, bold religious imagery, and the best looking sandals we'll be seeing for quite some time. Though did you seriously think I would shed precious man tears? Psh.
-Karl



All images via Style.com

GLITTER AND FUZZ

Daphne Groeneveld and Bette Franke for Ssquared Fall.12 via Tumblr

Dsquared has kind of hit the nail on the head with my bubbling up vibes for the Fall. Cute, no?
-Karl

THE DREAMING DEAD

My mood board for the Summer. Last year's was a bit angsty but I think with getting sick over finals, I've been indulging in a dream like state that I used to get as a kid come the end of the school year. So perhaps, this year, I'm being driven by nostalgia and Petra Collins' photographs for Rookie. So I present, the Dreaming Dead.











All images found on Tumblr