leigh ellexson photography: young forever

If you are using Flickr, you might know of Leigh Ellexson. With dreamy overlays, and some very chic portraits of both her friends and herself, she might lure you in. We love the fresh feeling of experimentation, whimsy, and teenage restlessness. 

influence: lipford street 391

Found on Flickr: Lipford Street 391

Photography by James Whitmore

James Whitmore is a young photographer out of Sweden who manages to capture grittiness and beauty all in one. Sure to be in the company of the likes of Juergen Teller, who is known for photographing atypically beautiful women, Whitmore extracts sensuality, memorability, and major attitude from each of his subjects. 

fashion friends: SIR new york

SIR New York is the brain child of designer Auston Bjorkman. SIR's rendition of urban minimalism has quickly garnered press interest since it's 2011 inception, positioning the brand as a new favorite among enthusiasts of progressive street wear. We asked Auston a few questions about design and his relationship with color. Read our interview below, and check out SIR New York for Men and Women.

Sarah: This season is very sporty and we love all the mesh textures. What attracts you to that kind fabric?

Auston: In general I am attracted to the hand of a fabric, if I touch it and it feels good then I fall in love with it. I've been obsessed with mesh ever since I was a kid. Growing up I was a bit of an underground jock, so I guess that is where my love of all things athletic comes from. My fascination with technical fabrics has lead me to find unusual ways to incorporate them into wearable pieces. Texture is really important for Sir New York and I have found that by layering technical textiles over natural ones you can create new prints, patterns, optical illusions, and textures while creating wearable futuristic garments.

S: Your clothing is pretty minimalist, but in a really detailed way. What is it about monochromatic or black and white looks that you find exciting?

A: I think that when you are experimenting with creating new textures, and prints in the way that I am it is important to keep the color palate clean. If you have too much going on all at once it can become muddled. I love color and I will play more with that in the future, but for now I want that crisp, sharp subtlety.

S: How did you first get into designing? What's all this about your work with latex?

A: My first “fashion” job was in latex. I worked for Mr. S Leather in San Francisco, making latex clothing and fetish gear. I loved it! We called our floor club latex and would blast music really loud and drive the leather department upstairs crazy. It was so much fun. I eventually moved upstairs and started making leather. Hell raiser type bondage suits with D-rings all over them for suspension and my specialty was deprivation hoods. You know, those scary looking mask hoods with zipper mouths and such. I learned so much about construction and sewing there which lead me to start taking pattern making classes in order to learn how to design things that I wanted to wear. I knew that I wanted to design a menswear fashion line and found out that the Fashion Institute of Technology had one of the only Menswear Design programs in the country so I moved here to do that.

S: What is most inspiring to you right now?

A: I am really interested in and inspired by the idea of making sportswear sexy, not overtly sexual like my work at Mr. S of course. The concept behind Sir New York is athleticism with a hint of provocation. I love to combine a macho sport with something refined and elegant. It's sort of my personal commentary on masculinity.

S: Who is your fashion hero?

A: I wouldn’t say I have one in particular but right now I am loving Bernard Wilhelm. I love that raw in yourface, I don't give a fuck, I will do what I want attitude of his work.

S: Is there a "look" that you absolutely hate?

A: I think if you love your look and you own it 100%, then good for you. I might not choose it but if you can wear it with style then go for it. There are a lot of looks that don't work for me personally but I would never hate on anybody who is doing they're own unique thing.

S: Do you design for any specific crowd/ clientele? Do you have someone in mind when you are working?

A: I have this hope that Sir can cross boundaries. We all have many different sides to our style and personalities. Most of us are not content only expressing one dimension of ourselves. I love to cross reference and juxtapose styles and inspirations to come up with a whole new hybrid. Sir New York is in part street wear, in part high-end fashion, part sportswear, part club wear etc... I want dudes, sissies, trannies, jocks and everyone in between to find something relatable.

asher levine x slava mogutin

What do you get when you take two brilliant artists and put them together? Genius. These photos are the work of the ever talented Slava Mogutin. And of course there is no more interesting a subject than someone wearing Asher Levine. The images were taken at Levine's studio space in celebration of his recent installation at Popsouk.

Model holds the Spine Bag

Model wears mesh overlay, custom on IDLM exclusive Basketball Shorts 

Model wears the Transformable Jumpsuit 

Model wears the Zoidberg Jacket

I WANT YOU HERE

Richa wears Straight Tip Zip Boot by Caminando 

Zippora wears Star Shorts by Samantha Pleet 

PHOTOGRAPHY ANOUK MORGAN
STYLING CHRISSIE GUGGEMOS 
HAIR JAMAL HODGES
MAKE UP FAYE LAUREN
WARDROBE IDONTLIKEMONDAYS
MODELS ZIPPORA SEVEN (ELITE NEW YORK), RICHA (DNA MODELS)

INTRODUCING: billy-kidd

Billy Kidd is a New York based fashion photographer and neck wear designer. His photography includes portraits of celebrities like Pharrell and ethereal intimate photos of models and friends. His line of billy-kidd bow ties are the perfect way to add a bit of artfulness to an ensemble. Both through his photography and his designs, Kidd expresses a chic and effortless sense of style. Browse his stylish bowtie line in the IDLM Shop, exclusive to I Dont Like Mondays.

FASHION FRIENDS: METALEPSIS PROJECTS

Metalepsis Projects is a collaborative effort - a true harmony of tastes. Victoria Cho and Astrid Chastka, previously employed as architects, took their language of design and structure and created something new. Taking inspirations from some fine art giants, the collection seeks to take jewelry to another level. 

SARAH: You are very inspired by heavy fine art and architectural influences (e.g. Sol LeWitt). Is there anything happening in contemporary culture that you find really significant and
motivating in that same way?

ASTRID CHASTKA: I am inspired by pretty much everything on the art blog But Does It Float. I’ve recently been seeing a lot of generative artworks there that are interesting; the computer is such a powerful tool. Although Victoria and I are both really interested in the balance between technology and handcraft, I’m equally impressed by extremes at both ends of that spectrum. Also, I think that the way musical artists like Nicolas Jaar and James Blake are chopping and distorting and pacing their music in new ways inspires me to try to think about wearable items differently.

VICTORIA CHO: Urban fabrics, such as New York City, Berlin, Mumbai, etc. are really inspiring to me. They are the greatest and most complex living organisms. Especially now I find the Occupiers around the country inspiring, not only because of the ideals that bring them together but also by how they physically inhabit and transform public spaces.

S: You work in bronze, a very sculptural metal. It makes your jewelry seem like little monuments. Tell us about that.

VC: We came across bronze in a more accidental way. We just fell in love with the material the first time we had a test sample made. Bronze is also a very common material for architectural hardware such as door knobs and knocks, and we have always been intrigued by these beautiful but utilitarian objects.

S: All the shapes of your pendants are related but different, like the way we were told to think of snowflakes as children. Whats the significance to each shape? Or their relationship?

AC: Some of the pieces have a direct relationship in that a negative space in one shape equals the positive geometry of another shape. They fit together like puzzle pieces but can’t be assembled as a necklace in that way. We then designed more detailed versions of the smaller, removed shapes that played on their geometries.

VC: The basis of the collection is more about the whole than the individual pieces. We designed for the possibility of relationships that the pieces are able to create.

S: When you guys are dressing, do you work around jewelry? Are you minimalists?

VC: Definitely!! All about accessories. More so lately, my wardrobe has gotten simpler and cleaner, but I love unique fabrics, textures and prints.

AC: I am a natural born maximalist who has undergone years of architectural training in an attempt to eradicate this tendency. It didn’t work, but at least now I am able to appreciate both ends of the spectrum. Some of the pieces in this collection are very minimal and others not so much; I like that.

S: Who are some of your favorite designers?

AC: I usually like to see what Maria Cornejo and Rodarte are up to. More often I’m inspired by people on the periphery of architecture like Do Ho Suh [the detail with which he manipulates fabric in 3 dimensions is mind-blowing] and Rachel Whiteread. I also think Confetti Systems is an awesome creative brand.

VC: Some of my friends. Their talents inspire me. Right now, I love everything from Tisci at Givenchy and I also really admire Hussein Chalayan.

S: If you could befriend anyone in the world who would it be?

AC: Buckminster Fuller! What an exciting man! He thought about so many things in so many different ways. He never stopped analyzing the universe and inventing things for a better life in it. He was interested in practicality and efficiency yet created some of the most beautiful designs of his time. I also hope he would take me for a ride in his Dymaxion car.

VC: James Turrell. He’s this old white-bearded man (and obviously a very well-respected and renown artist) with the most unpretentious attitude. I saw him once at a lecture and I was just imagining how awesome it would be to hear all his stories about the art scene in the 60s in LA. But i also find extraordinary his vision and ability to use light/space with such malleability. And if the famous Roden crater ever gets finished, I’d like a private tour.

S: How did you two meet and begin to work together?

VC: We worked at the same architectural firm in New York. Interestingly, we didn’t really became friends until after leaving.

AC: Our first idea for a collection was to laser cut patterns of Victorian lace into stainless steel. We learned a lot about how NOT to make jewelry doing that collection. Victoria moved to LA this fall so now Metalepsis Projects is a way for us to keep in touch and continue creating together over a great distance.

S: What is the relationship between art and fashion?

VC: I think fashion is art! Much of contemporary art/fashion is informed and shaped by new technologies, culture, craftsmanship and above all, a need for artistic expression.

Metalepsis necklaces are available for purchase in the IDLM store.

THIS FRIDAY: TELFAR's GIFs at SANTOS PARTY HOUSE

As brought to you by Spencer's Gifs:

TELFAR's GIFS with DIS MAGAZINE/ Akeem Smith

Featuring DJs: TELFAR/ SHAYNE OLIVER/ GRAYSON REVIOR+McFERREN

at Santos Party House 96 Lafayette Street, February 10th  Doors 11pm

INTERNET FRIENDS: COMMONCHANT TUMBLR

Julie Eckert is an audio and visual artist from Vancouver Island, BC. Her work is based in creating other dimensions in which to store memory and manipulate both image and sound. In her free time she is the curator of commonchant tumblr. She currently is living in Montreal, Quebec.

SARAH: Commonchant is a very interesting tumblr, it takes on a lot of topics (art, fashion, food, culture, craft, and time), what was your original inspiration for the project?

JULIE: My friend Mel (who had started her tumblr UUIUU a few months earlier) was encouraging me to start one as well. The direction of commonchant was formed within the idea of image hoarding. I wanted a place where I could collect images and then reflect upon them, like a sticker album. It became a good space to organize thought and express feeling without being weighed down by possession. It also became an effective way to unclutter my mind and transplant my thoughts into another space/dimension. Over the years commonchant has become a kind friend, my pet and passion. I like the idea of having it all catalogued, tucked away but still not quite tangible. It has grown a world in itself, like a polly pocket, a geode.

S: CC shows a lot of attention to detail and color, what kind of fashion do you graviatate towards in your day to day wardrobe?

J: Aesthetically I really enjoy experimenting with color, texture and pattern. My closet contains a pretty big mass of black and white print fabric, bright colors and pastels. I've grew up in Victoria BC and now live in Montreal QC, both climates require a lot of layering and I have fun playing off of that. I'm visually attracted to things that shouldn't go together but just feel right. Lately I've been wearing a lot sweatshirts/pants mixed into my wardrobe. There is something wonderful to me about wearing grey sweatpants and doc's together (it's self-satisfying to cringe at the distaste of it).

S: There are also a lot of references to childhood/domestic and "kid stuff", are you inspired by the objects you grew up with?

J: My mind runs in and out of a childlike/whimsical headspace, that is of course reflected on my tumblr. My personal experience as a child isn't something I am intentionally attempting to draw from. It is more embracing that head space and a continuance of thought. I have a tragic and delightful weakness for anthropomorphism. Often I experience a longing for certain color combinations, shapes or prints that were prominent in my childhood. I've been experiencing a similar longing for objects/images/sounds that have never been a physical part of my life. I think the internet has a lot to attribute to that, it is sort of a learned/implanted nostalgia.

S: What do you think about tumblr culture, its very social, but no one really knows anyone. Do you have any "tumblr crushes"?

J: I love tumblr culture and at the same time find it slightly problematic. As tumblr is an image based subculture in which people are creating image based archetypes, those archetypes can sometimes come off as shallow and juvenile. I'm sure my tumblr is vulnerable to that as well. Within the culture I find a certain respect for origin is being lost and that the context of an image can become warped. I also think that images being taken out of their original context can be really interesting. I am primarily drawn to tumblr blogs that allow me to read into the personality behind the blog. I think my blog has become its own entity. I have constructed it a life of it's own. <<<virtual reality>> The idea of communicating through images is second nature to me. It is an outlet in my life where I can express myself without the debilitating anxiety that the outside world causes for me. I think that is the same for a lot of people who have tumblrs. I love that it draws so many creative minds inside one space to converse. I have some met some lovely friends on tumblr, Shelbi who curates chromefoam and Ann who curates kwassakwassa (both who I have yet to meet irl). My close friend of years Mel curates UUIUU, now that we live at opposite sides of the country tumblr has become a place for us to share ideas and interact on a day to day basis. As for a tumblr crush, that would have to be my partner Jesse who is the mind behind eternalwinter. I find myself often wishing eternalwinter was my own blog, as is it is an accurate reflection of my other half (visually, my darker half).

S: You do a great job of maintaining flow, what is that stream of thought like? Is there a constant?

J: The flow is directed by whatever has peaked my interest at the moment. If there is a constant, it is sound. I think sound effects how I am feeling about shape and color, it makes it easy to sew images together. The idea of space/time/inter-dimensional travel is always weaving its way through my consciousness. I also have a great interest in botany, so the ideas of growth, change and evolution are always at the forefront of my mind. Somedays I feel I have little energy to direct to expressing myself online, other times it is almost compulsive. I easily become immersed in the act of orchestrating a picture plane, creating flux.

S: Who are some of your favorite designers? favorite blogs? and favorite films?

J: I have a never-ending love for fashion and film, but they escape me. I consume it and then it trickles through my fingers. Although a constant source of inspiration, I don't have set favourites. There is too many... too much. I suppose my taste in film runs anywhere through from science fiction to japanese animation. There is a lot of great content available on ubuweb. I draw most of my artistic vision from music. Sound is such a vast space that I will spare you endless listing and forward you to my last.fm profile. As for my winter soundscapes, I've been spending my days alongside ambient/electronic music, black metal and amiga/atari games soundtracks. For the past few years I've also curated a music blog that shares the commonchant namesake. Though I've lost interest in keeping up acquaintances with it during the past year, it's content still speaks considerably on my personal tastes.

S: Is there any "look" that you just can't stand?

J: For sure. I cannot understand why oh why there are still so many people who participate in cultural appropriation in the way that they express themselves. Indigenous appropriation in fashion is something that is so prominent in western culture and I find it so disturbing. The most recent trend that I find problematic and can't stand is the use of a bindi as a fashion adornment. Aesthetically I can appreciate it's beauty but I can't overlook how offensive it is. Sadly it has made me lose some respect for several other people on tumblr, who I've been a fan of in the past. **For more insight, this is great a piece on colonialism and popular culture by Ananya Mukherjea, which can be read (here).

S: What does commonchant mean?

J: In a general sense it is a reference to meeting of the minds, a celebration of the hive mind. It doesn't delve much deeper than that, the process of naming thecommonchant was really quite arbitrary. :3

HEATHER HUEY Couture Milliner

Designer Heather Huey has taken an old craft and revolutionized it. Under the umbrella of milliner Heather creates body braids, wearable sculptures, conceptual head pieces, and a truly new perspective on accessories. Her work has been so successful in an editorial setting because of its natural drama and ease, but it also functions amazingly in day to day life. The versatility and range of HH's pieces have gained her notice with features in publications like Numero, Vogue, Interview Magazine, Garage, and Purple Fashion. She has worked with many fashion heavy hittters such as Steven Meisel, Masha Orlov, Terry Richardson, Irena Lazarneanu, and Patti Wilson. 

+Check out HEATHER HUEY pieces in the IDLM SHOP. 

+READ our exclusive interview with the designer in the GALLERY.

Hailey Clauson (above left) wears The Outrider, Men's styles available HERE. 

THE HANGOVER: GOOD KIDS DON'T LIKE MONDAYS

If you didn't make it out last Monday, here is a little post-party report. Enjoy some snaps of the young and liquored up.

 Jordan and Drew of Corpse Corps

Alberto of GOOD KIDS present

photographer Antwan Duncan 

IDLM's Chrissie G

Haley Wollens in the booth

FASHION FRIENDS: ΔΔ Xavier Valentine ΔΔ

NAME: XAVIER VALENTINEΔΔ
AGE: 24
ZODIAC : LIBRA / SCORPIO
LOCATION: PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, USA
OCCUPATION: ARTIST, MUSICIAN

SARAH: Describe your personal style in 5 words, please.
XAVIER: Braid, perforate, length, reflect, chiffon.

SARAH: Your work is both performative and sculptural, and you have a show up now. If you could be the curator of an exhibition with your dream artists (your friends and people you have never met), who would you include? What kind of work interests you most right now?
XAVIER: I'm not much of a curator, I've attempted (it), and had a one-day apartment show with a friend of mine in September that was a lot of fun, but that really proved for me it is maybe too stressful to be responsible for other people's work and how it is going to be represented. However, there are a good handful of people that I would love to collaborate with. I'll just list them in no particular order. 1. Will Reeves, who is an amazing sculptor and did some of the most beautiful metalwork I have ever seen. 2. Matt Underwood, who's installation and video work is lighthearted on the surface, but ends up really seeming like a Dennis Cooper book. 3. Gottfried Helnwein, though there is no way I can produce work as amazing as his just yet. 4. Stellarc because the marriage of performance and technology and the body is 100 percent fascinating and I would love to help develop programs and technologies that act as parasites with him. The sort of work that interests me right now is firmly squared in interdisciplinary site-specific installation. I aim to create environments, spaces, and ambiences that do not or can not exist otherwise, so I like to see things like this as well.

SARAH: Tell us about your current installation.
XAVIER: Currently, I have a show up called ATLAS at the Granoff Centre at Brown University. The gallery that represents me, RK PROJECTS, was approached a little over a year ago to propose a project that would utilize the main gallery space in the building (which is super beautiful). At the time, I had been reading Roland Barthe's lecture on neutrality, which was really having a lot of impact on me, so it ended up being the start point for a year's worth of discussions and experiments in various media to explore those concepts of the neuter and precipice and what that might look like. The collaboration and production that resulted was a large wall mural of a gradient from black to white (vertically oriented), four plaster pillars dip-dyed by hand to be a gradient horizontally, a digital print on silk chiffon, and a 42 minute long collection of videos. It was probably the hardest and most gargantuan project I've ever been a part of, and so, the most rewarding, also.

SARAH: So I know you have a fondness for vintage clothes, whats your strategy when navigating the decades?
XAVIER: I'm not so sure I have a strategy, I am lucky enough to be slender and fairly tall, so I can wear most things so long as they are long enough. I have a particular fondess for women's clothes from the 40's, the cut of these garments are very striking. Especially underpinnings. What I usually end up wearing, in terms of decades: 70s platform boots (except I just got a pair of Jeffrey Campbell shermans with the mirror covered heel that I am in love with, and a pair of Miistas that I similarly fawn over), a pair of baggy black silk trousers that are cropped and tapered, a cropped black chiffon shirt (I have a pretty large collection), and a beautiful Calvin Klein collection lambskin jacket that feels like butter. When it gets cold out, I have a very favourite black cable knit 1980s United Colors of Benetton sweater that I live in. I also have a beautiful mustard floor length wool overcoat with very exaggerated shoulders from Amsterdam that is pretty stunning. So 70s and 80s, I live in that.

SARAH: You are musician/ artist; how do music and fashion connect for you? or music and art?
XAVIER: Music and fashion have always had a very close relationship, as the two dictate each other. It's been a long time now since fashion followed function instead of aesthetics. For me, when I perform live, the costume is just as important as the music, it's a wasted opportunity otherwise, and the audience can feel it. Music and art are basically inseperable as well, for the same reasons.

SARAH: You often use a symbol to represent yourself. What's its origin?
XAVIER: When I first started truly working with installations, I primarily used lasers refracted and aimed to create shapes and spaces within spaces and shapes. These pieces were about genderless creation of new locales, and my music reflected this similar idea. The symbol came from a diagram I had drawn of a beam of light hitting a mirror installed on a ceiling. It created an arc of light under which smoke lazily drifted up. This seemed fitting for all of my artist endeavors and thus it was born.

SARAH: When I first met you, I pretty much died at your beautiful ombre hair! How is that going?
XAVIER: Thanks! My hair is no longer ombre, though soon after I met you, I died it a nice grey-pink that has since washed out. Now it is just blonde and long and wavy (and seriously damaged).

SARAH: Lastly, what is your ultimate fashion no-no?
XAVIER: I have a few: no tall boots on short people, velcro sandals with crew socks, cap-sleeve solid jerseys, and i do not like stilletos on women, only on men. Oh, but everyone should wear heels, all the time.

POWER ANIMALS IN THE WINDOWS

JASON MARTIN - POWER ANIMAL SYSTEMS

East 10th and Broadway/ 80 Washington Sqaure East

A solo show on view 24/7, presented by 80WSE Galleries. Works in: photography, video, sculpture, and teleportation.

[Power Animal Systems asks you to assist in transmission. There are creatures beyond our perception that we have technologies to evoke. Join inter-dimensional, species-queer, human hybrids in a collective reality. What do they want? To live! Your participation can make them come alive. Please assist us in transmission]
STAY TUNED FOR POWER ANIMALS NEAR YOU