FASHION FRIENDS: BOND HARDWARE

Dana Hurwitz and Vincent Barile were two fashion lovers with a penchant for the hard stuff. After they met and bonded over their love for deviance and high fashion they came together and founded Bond Hardware. BH is a line full of transformable and statement making jewelry that works in unique tandem with clothing. Read our interview with Dana and Vincent below, and SHOP MENS and WOMENS just in! 

SARAH: Hey Guys! Your stuff is really amazing and so versatile! Its unisex and can really suit a wide range of people. Another thing we love about your pieces is that they're totally bad ass but really polished, how do you straddle that line so effortlessly?

We try to balance the edgy-ness of our pieces with minimalism. This helps them maintain a refined quality that helps appeal to a broader market.

What kind of clothing do you see your hardware being worn with? What are your favorite designers? looks? or inspirations?

VINCENT: Ideally, our collection is to be worn with a collared shirt, but the great thing about it is that you are able to wear it however you prefer. Currently, my favorite fashion designers are Acne and Raun LaRose. Also, Gaspard Yurkievich has been an huge inspiration of mine.
DANA:  Some of the pieces look great as necklaces too. When I don’t feel like being buttoned up I’ll grab a Hitch ring, or the chain lock, the double clip and even the male window lock. My favorite designers currently are Haider Ackerman – Tilda Swinton looked amazing in his look at the Golden Globes, and always Iris Apfel is a flawless style icon of mine.

Is there anything that you can't stand as far as trends? Any pet peeves?

VINCENT: Well this is easy! Northface. Leggings. Uggs. Especially, Northface + Leggings + Uggs = Not cute.
DANA: I’ll just add that leggings aren’t a substitute for pants. No matter how amazing your legs are or if you just came from yoga.

Do you guys have any major fashion crushes? Who would be the dream person to wear BH?

VINCENT: Definitely, Jacob Coupe.
DANA: Lady Fag, or Obama, Mrs. or Mr..

Your tumblr is so great. Do you take a lot of fashion inspiration from the internet? Do you find it useful that way?

Yes, social networking is a huge part of our work. Tumblr is a great platform for collecting and curating our daily inspirations. It allows us to be inspired by people and places that we normally wouldn’t be able to be affected by and constantly share that with our creative network.

Did you guys meet in fashion school? Were you instant style soul-mates? How did you go about beginning to design together?

We met through mutual friends. We had an intimate moment in a taxi cab… and then started playing dress up together. Dana goes to Pratt for fashion Design and Vince goes to The Art Institute for graphic Design.

Where did the name Bond Hardware come from?

Our name is inspired by bondage wear, so we started playing with the words bond and bound. The name in that context also alludes to a bond between two people.

Okay time for a POP QUIZ! 
Coke or Pepsi? Torn, Interview or i-D Mag? i-D Mag, Mary Kate or Ashley? Mary Kate, Nicki Minaj or Lady Gaga? Neither- but props to their creative teams., Ying-yang or Peace sign? Ying yang, Skulls or Flowers? Floral Skulls sound ideal, John Waters or David Lynch? Lynch.

INTERNET FRIENDS: MOLLY SODA

Molly Soda is an internet artist and an effective provocateur. Without writing anything, Molly's stream of tumblr images conjures up ideas of feminism, perversion, culture, and identity. She causes discussion. Her style and persona are hidden behind a veil of mystery, and that got us asking questions.


Sarah: So, Molly...photos of you seem to solicit a lot of commentary. People are super fascinated by your appearance (e.g. your comment chain video above). What do you think it is about your hair color, under arms, clothes, or whatever that has people so worked up? What is your favorite color for your hair to be?

Molly: I have no idea what gets people so worked up. People spend a lot of time worrying about others instead of improving their attitudes. I've enjoyed all of my hair colors. I think yellow and lime green were the most fun because they are a bit more unusual. I'm hoping to do a grey color maybe with some pastel pink or seafoam green soon.


S: Back to the topic of your videos. Several of the films on your vimeo function a lot like art. There is an aspect of duration and they are strangely disturbing. Can you speak a bit about your intentions with those?

M: I would say that any video I put on the internet functions as art. I don't have any particular intention that I am 100 percent aware of or that I would like to reveal at least. I think now that I've graduated art school I'd like to forget about having some grand intent with my work completely and just focus on making/putting out work.


S: Some guy decided to register the domain name Mollysoda.com. What the fuck is up with that? Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery? Who is that guy?

M: I was not aware of this until I read this question. I vaguely know him. I'm sure mollysoda.com gets a lot more hits than his blog would normally.

S: A lot of people in their 20's have come to feel a renewed love for a 90's raver aesthetic. The kind of technicolor/choker wearing/platform sneaker/glittering low-fi imagery that was big when we were kids. What is your contemporary connection to that world?

M: I think people generally like feeling nostalgic. The funny thing is, as much as I can feel nostalgic over 90s cartoon shows I had no real connection to raver/club kid/art culture that was going on in the 90s seeing as i was too young to be a part of that crowd. I think that interest comes from a want to be a part of an era you missed out on only by a few years.


S: Your style is constantly evolving, which I love. Do you get bored easily? What is your fashion constant?

M: Honestly, I don't have a fashion constant. My style changes from month to month. I'm the kind of person that gets really obsessed with wearing a certain item of clothing or a certain style for short periods of time and then I'll move on to whatever seems fun and new at the moment.


S: Who are your artistic/cinematic inspirations?

M: Movies...Clueless, She's all that, 10 things i hate about you, Wayne's world, Josie and the pussycats, Nowhere, The Craft… I could go on forever. For artists - Francesca Woodman, Ryan Trecartin, Ana Mendieta, and Nina hagen. With tv shows - Popular, Tim and Eric.


S: Is there any celebrity that you wish you could personally assassinate? Or any style?

M: No, I do not wish death upon anyone or anything, even ugg boots :)

The Haute Kiddie: Ridicule-or-Relevant

When you were a kid, were you obsessed with wearing a million friendship bracelets? Did your punk friends wear safety pins in their ears in high school? Well now those things are available at a much higher price point. It seemed fine jewelry designers had a nostalgic summer. Proenza Schouler did a high-end surfer style neon friendship bracelet? And we are seeing diamond smiley face pendants (above) from Ileana Makri. This is an optimistic trend, quite chipper, even uplifting, but is it sage to invest in a diamond safety pin? Something to think about...Maybe you piled em' on this summer, but what is your fall forecast? Will you be over it?

images above: Ileana Makri, Poillotstatus, Aurelie Bidermann, Delfina Delettrez, Venessa Arizaga

The Platform Sneaker: Ridicule-or-Relevant

Although a platform has become commonplace, and most heels now sport some sort of lift in front...is it possible to take it too far? The platform oxford is subversive but legitimate, creepers are no longer for people who like "Ska" music, and boys in chunk heels are totally reasonable. The question is, is a platform sneaker a little too "Spice World"/cyber punk? YOU tell us!

FASHION FRIEND: The legendary Miss Vaginal Davis

Miss Vaginal Davis needs no introduction. She is a performance artist, painter, film actress and fashion icon. She has been a part of several bands, made tons of zines and participated in shows all over the world. She recently did a performance at MoCA. She is a creative powerhouse and a glamour girl. We had a chat about fashion...

S: Miss Davis, you've had so many iconic looks over the years, is there one you feel is your signature?
VD:I don´t really have a signature look. When I first started doing drag as a teenager I wanted to differentiate myself from the olde school of drag and be more androgynous in my appearance. Now that I am older I have reverted to a more classical approach in look and style. Some looks that have gone over really well are my Bricktop look of a rust colored bob haircut and 1920s or Tin Pan Alley clothing. The Edwardian era and the Jazz Age are a fantastic period for my body type. During the run of Bricktops at the Parlour Club in Los Angeles from 2002-2005 I became closely identified with a new movement of heritage dressing. Also my look on the cover of Jose Munoz´s book Disidentifications where I am parodying Ciccolini aka: Ilona Staller the former Italian Parliament member, porn model and wife of art star Jeff Koons.

S: One thing that is amazing about your style is how you are able to wear ANYTHING, you take stripper shoes, a designer caftan, broken earrings, whatever...and you truly put your own spin on it. How do you integrate things so well?
VD:My general style comes from the concept of availabism, making good use of what is readily available. I have also copied my late mother who was very fashion forward wearing underwear as outerwear decades before Gaultier.
I also love mixing inexpensive items with haute couture. Of course I am fortunate to have been the muse of many talented designers like Rick Owens, Marc Jacobs, Jill Sander, Gaultier, Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana so i have a nice collection of specialty pieces to play with.

S: You've lived in LA, spent time in NY, but now you live in Berlin. What would you say about the fashion there as compared to LA/NY?
VD:Berlin fashion is complicated. I love how its the city that every youth culture fashion movement from WWI to the present has never died. You´ll see someone dressed as a flapper and they aren´t trying to be retro. Its just their natural mode of dressing. Some people dress really conservatively like its the answer to everything, then there are others who are rave damaged. Don´t let me get started about the bad crazy colored hair, dumb tats and unflattering lip piercings.My collegue in the CHEAP art kollective Susanne Sachsse is very glamorous. She takes a lot of fashion risks and has an edgy personal style that is quite intoxicating. Berlin is best when it doesnt try to copy the boutique cities and is just itself warts and all.

S: Your blog is so amazing, and you give us so much info about your life. It reminds me of how specific and meticulous warhol kept his diary, its amazing. What do you like in a blog? Do you read blogs?
VD:I approach blogging like I am still a teenage girl writing in her diary. I credit my webmaster Larry Bob Roberts. If it wasn´t for Larry I wouldn´´t be known as one of the first bloggers. I am completely technically challenged so thank god for Larry. I couldnt have joined the 21st century without his devotion and support. I have a quarter of a million subscribers to my blog, but most of that traffic came to me accidentally because I have a sexualized name. I really don´t have a lot of time to read other blogs but the few I am able to peek at from time to time are Lady Bunny´s, Justin Bond, Ernest Hardy and fashion scribe Glenn Belverio.

S: Who are your style icons?
VD: I worship Diane Vreeland and her famous quote "There is elegance in refusal" Its the mantra I chant everyday. I also adore Donyale Luna, Grace Jones, Dovima, Verushka, Bibbe Hansen and Beth Ditto.

S: What is one trend, new or old, that you simply cannot stand?
VD: If you are going to work a Nazi youth haircut, make sure that you are first and foremost a youth. Also dying ones hair jett black or blondine when you have gnarly skin isn´t a very good idea.

INTERVENTION FOR A TRAGIC TREND:

The overuse and abuse of the cork wedge has become a problem. This already mediocre trend is gaining momentum, please help us stop the insanity. If you know someone who is experiencing cork/bulletin board shoe distress and would like to help, please refer them to the shop immediately.