SUPER-COOL FASHION PRESENTATIONS, COCKTAILS AND SUPRISE GUEST APPEARANCES ON WEST 4TH STREET! IN CONJUNCTION WITH NYC’S MOST PROGRESSIVE STORE, HOTOVELI!

CELEBRATING HOTOVELI: SEPT 10, 2009  7:30pm-10:00pm in the WEST VILLAGE

“In a global initiative to promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion, U.S. and international editions of Vogue are coordinating evening extravaganzas in their respective world fashion capitals.”

New Collections/Presentations from:

Rick Owens, Vivienne Westwood, Marcel, Lanvin, Stone Island, Illaria Nistri, Yohji Yamamoto, Priestess NYC

Location: 271 West 4th Street (Cross Street is Perry or West 11th)

Tel: 212 206 7722

Rsvp@hotoveli.com

www.hotoveli.com

DON’T MISS FAST FASHION ACTION, COCKTAILS AND EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATIONS AT ONE OF NYC’S COOLEST VENUES THIS THURSDAY!

RSVP (above) or contact me:

-CODY ROSS (cody@priestessnyc.com)

London-Luxuriously crafted designs with a subtle, subversive twist; a coherent synthesis of couture tradition mixed with in your face modernism; a minimalist often androgynous silhouette: these are the signatures of London-based designer, G E O R G Y  B A R A T A S H V I L I, who designs predominantly menswear but has struck a chord with London‘s ‘cool girls’ and now straddles men’s, women’s and unisex. As a designer of skill and substance, he is known for his razor sharp tailoring and exhilarating dance/theater motifs. He’s an up-and-comer in London whose slightly off-beat yet urbane streak has earned him an in vogue rep amongst editors and buyers.

Russian-born and steeped in the performing arts and classic dance, Georgy began making clothes as a teenager while pursuing ballet, classical- and jazz-dance, piano and all things wardrobe-related. He has a brilliant grasp of the intricacies of pattern cutting, combining ‘experimental’ techniques with an instinctive flair. The result: a dark, slightly uneasy romance combined with subversive austerity that is fundamentally cool, sophisticated and moving.

It’s no surprise that he’s obsessed with precision cut, craftsmanship and fit given that he’s cut his teeth at the London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins (MA‘07, Menswear). His designs are personal and emotional, as Georgy concerns himself as much with the experience of his clothes as its look (that’s him below chillin’ in his new atelier). “I was inspired by the human form, movement and dance. I designed the clothes to interact with and compliment the body. I chose very soft jerseys, silks and leather for their beautiful draping qualities. Through this new collection, I’ve tried to incorporate passion, rhythm and style into a singular aesthetic.”

For his brilliantly rendered ready-to-wear show/contemporary dance film (choreographed by Darja Reznikova), Georgy focused on a combination of dynamically draped jerseys and modern dance themes (including powerful librettos and music from Mayer/Aguayo). “Fashion and dance form a system of motion expressing a metaphysical view of life. I’m moved by strong emotion and kinetic elements-gestures, postures, style of motion and I think that fashion and choreography are inextricably linked,” says Georgy.

I met GEORGY BARATASHVILI back in 2003 as he was grinding away at his senior thesis at LCF. Over the years his capsule collections have been a constant evolution, exploring the tensions between masculine and feminine by mixing methodical tailoring with softer wrapping layers, always exuding a curious sensuality and an energetic spirit (‘darkly romantic,’ as they say). A masterful technician (and expert break-dancer, I might add!), he has collaborated with Puma and is considered a creative tour de force within London’s hyper-cool fashion scene!

Georgy will launch a pop-up in October and will sell limited and exclusive items such as luxury tee-shirts, etc.

Check out GEORGY BARATASHVILI at: www.georgybaratashvili.com

GEORGY BARATASHVILI  On|Off 18 - 22 September 09

180 The Strand London WC2R 1BL

-Cody Ross (cody@priestessnyc.com)

Blessing us with fashion that draws from goth, glam, bold, raw elements and translates into a more sophisticated look is Priestess NYC. Well designed, constructed, and fitted, Priestess NYC is the happy ideal for those of us in search of a look that’s charismatic without being overly dramatic…

Designer Cody Ross characterizes his label’s aesthetic as a blend of “transgression, kitsch and street-style.” Part ‘80s revival, part futurism with a smattering of goth-glam, Priestess NYC incorporates urban-girl cool with a contemporary take on vintage punk. Richly textured and in a range of kinetic colors and prints, the looks embody an off-beat sophistication and are polished, nuanced and highly directional.  Luckily for his male fans, the designer offers some unisex pieces as well.

A-listers and pop-icons Bjork, M.I.A., Natalie Portman, and Katy Perry have already been spotted wearing the label which is available in progressive boutiques around the world.  Prices range from $100-$650.

For more info, check out http://www.priestessnyc.com/
Or contact Info(at)priestessnyc[dot]com

NYC - R O S S  M E N U E Z is the bad-ass creative genius behind S A L V O R   P R O J E C T S, a lifestyle label that specializes in originating avant-garde prints and textiles and applies them to the coolest, most directional accessories, footwear and apparel (and occasionally home furnishings).  Mr. Menuez’s designs are all about sleek modernism mixed with elements of high-tech industrial design. With a formal degree in Sculpture (BFA, Hunters College) and nearly two decades of hands-on experience working in product development for Habitat in London and designing furniture in Japan, Ross has set his sights on womenswear and has been producing some mesmerizing capsule collections recently.

Ross infuses his clothes with a raw and sensuous elegance—some provocative, some subdued—and he has struck a chord with major buyers, editors and celebs the world over. With his own peculiar yet precise vision (he calls it ‘portable architecture’), he is well-known for combining proprietary graphic-work with bleeding-edge shapes and silhouettes that are functional and eccentric off the catwalk as they are on it.

His favorite fabrics are modal jersey and silk gazar, which have “amazing draping properties and are amongst the most versatile and comfy materials around.” Ross has embellished his clothes with amazing silk-screen prints and visual narratives, including picturesque cloudscapes and surrealist mountains; last season he adorned many of his pieces with visceral imagery of police brandishing weaponry and riot-gear during a recent G-8 Summit. The clothes themselves are intriguing and well-crafted and adroitly meld drape, print and tailoring along with his own sci-fi tendencies. Think Bernhard Willhelm meets Yohji Yamamoto with a smattering of Zaha Hadid.

His role models and references include futurist/inventor, Buckminister Fuller, who employed synergetics and ‘ephemeralization’—essentially an industrial method of ‘doing more with less’ as well as Terrence McKenna, a pseudo-philosopher who often advocated the exploration of altered states of mind by way of psychedelic substances. Ross, who has been called the ‘sage of prints,’ is a fearless entrepreneur-designer who loves freaky imagery, bold messages and eye-popping color-ways—and his designs are pretty much the coolest things around!

No, seriously, Ross is one of NYC’s most mental, most rigorous and hard-working designers. His creations—shoes, bags, scarves, dresses, shirts, etc.—can be intellectual, sometimes challenging, but always super-cool and fanciful. With an amazing creative vision and adept facility for CAD, Ross makes stuff that is at once avant-garde, technical and classic, transcending both time and culture. His latest creations are primarily womenswear but his shoes, bags and accessories fall into the unisex camp and sidestep gender altogether embodying a mod, androgynous aesthetic.

For Ross, fashion design is conceptual art; lazy minds need not apply. Mixing kitschy/cosmopolitan references from E.T. and Ho Chi Minh to street- and pop-culture, he happily works long-hours in his mid-town studio, cranking-out artsy prototypes of everything from translucent lopsided vases to canvas shoes and jersey hoodies. He loves complexity and computer-driven designs, and has a knack for FORM-Z, a surface modeling program for manipulating complex composite objects. He applies perspectival drawings, prints and photo-techniques from paper to three-dimensional forms, mixing the virtual and real, and the spectral geometries that emerge from perplexing, enigmatic spaces and objects. Ross cites Sori Yanagi’s ‘magazine kiosks’ from the ’70’s as a major design influence and is bonkers for all things Bruno Munari and Azzedine Alaïa. Other heroes include Rick Owens, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Chris Foss.

Simply put, Ross’ stuff is polymorphous and functional, and his prints and graphics are seriously dope—not to mention his shapes and silhouettes. What really makes him distinct is his ‘anything goes as long as it’s cool/original’ approach: his collections and creations have manifested themselves in the form of everything from florescent zebra pillows, silk-screen tapestries, hand-made knits and silk-jersey scarves, wall-size posters, high-top Velcro shoes, etc. Ross is incredibly prolific, has tons of passion and often loses himself in the product development and design process. “When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good, leaving no trace of yourself,” he says

Having cut his teeth in all things design related, he launched Salvor Projects in 2003 and is enjoying considerable momentum. His range includes pretty much everything and embodies a cutting-edge eclecticism that is all about quality, craftsmanship and the coolest graphics ever! Customers and collaborators include Bjork, Bruce Weber, Mariko Mori and Marianne Aulie. Ross has collaborated with other labels, including Rogan, and sells at the world’s most progressive boutiques and department stores: Seven NY, Dover Street Market and Oak.

NYC—M A R I A N N E   A U L I E (above) has been making a ‘big splash’ lately—literally! She is one artist who flourishes in the ‘abstract art’ aesthetic, producing some rather psychedelic paintings, drawings and montages that have sweet yet Dionysian qualities.  She paints in the ‘Abstract Expressionist’ and ‘Pop-Surrealist’ genres and has a soft spot for sinusoidal curvature, visceral colors and, yes, clowns. A ravishing Norwegian beauty, devoted single mom, prolific painter and former fashion model, she has recently set up shop on West 4th Street, NYC showcasing her creative output along with a few of her Norwegian compatriots.

Her exuberant paintings are sometimes too campy and cute and may, at first glance, seem puerile to viewers who don’t have a susceptibility for the sweetness of colorful clowns amidst kaleidoscopic rainbow swirls, but they’re also undeniably alive and affable and strike a heartwarming emotional chord.

Most are saccharine ‘high-low mutations’ of vibrantly painted clown faces done in acrylic or dramatic pastels on oversized canvases. Marianne has a rigorous eye for form and appreciates old masters; she deftly analyzes ‘high art,’ as she was mentored by Vebjørn Sand, a famous Norwegian classical painter/sculptor. But she is also versed in the Post-Modernist canon, such as Ron Kitaj and Robert Rauschenberg, and is inspired by their pluralistic media (for instance, their use of mixing non-traditional materials with objects, etc.). Few other paintings resemble Marianne’s work - she is a kind of ‘pop sublime’ sui generis and her paintings are stupendously outrageous and radiate warmth and overwhelmingly positive vibes.

Marianne’s taste for the outlandish visual character of Expressionism and Pop-Surrealism developed early in life. She grew up in a working-class family near Oslo, one unattached to the art world, and many of her childhood memories are of cartoons, comics, the circus and yes, MTV, Madonna and all things Pop. Her paintings echo this childhood imagery and she argues that they are a form of symbolic escapism and nostalgia for her girlhood. She also spent much of her time riding horses in the suburbs contemplating the idyllic setting of the sea and countryside and experiencing various types of automatism in an effort to suspend conscious control. “For me, riding horses was a state of freedom which helped me to think about the world as a whole, our relationship to nature, and it helped me to ‘stylize my Consciousness’ which later came out in my paintings.”

As a young painter, however, she fell under the spell of the accomplished Post-Impressionist painter, Oivind Sand who, along with his twin sons, Aune (a multi-media artist and film maker) and Vebjørn, instructed her in the techniques of ‘classical figurative painting.’ She intently studied Cézanne, Picasso, de Kooning and Edvard Munch, among others—to understand their conceptual and technical methods—and responded with affinity to the Surrealists and Abstract Expressionists, whose colorful and incongruous works appealed to her off-beat sensibilities. For a time Marianne also flirted with the ideas of Arne Naess, a radical Norwegian philosopher who was once part of the Vienna Circle. Marianne says she shares his empirical approach to understanding the world and that ‘all living beings have intrinsic value and purpose’—a central tenet of Naess’ work.

Unlike many of her artist peers in conservative Norway, she experimented with montage and pastiche compositions in 2003, creating a series entitled Victory Dance of the Optimistic which celebrated the ‘triumph of the individual over the group’ and served as a polemic against “collectivism, complacency and herd mentality”, says Marianne (a controversial view in egalitarian Norway) —yet her work never appeared conceptually absurd, political or disrespectful in spirit or style. Rather, they were made with a tender, child-like goofiness that were candid, colorful and heartwarming.

Marianne’s signature style developed in the last ten years, when her eccentric and abstract globs of radiant colors eventually metamorphosed into audacious yet beneficent ‘clown formations.’ In The Triumph of the Outcast series, from 2007, she channeled her emotions onto the canvases in a dynamic and impulsive way, applying paint with energetic gestural movements by spontaneously dribbling and splashing with no preconceived idea of the result. In time they took on a ‘clown form’ which she continually nurtured and refined—and has since become a recurring motif denoting happiness, pleasure and decency. Marianne says “the images represent happiness transcending sadness, good overcoming bad, hope over despair.”

She also developed a propensity for boisterous and sometimes disagreeable palettes, like the garish rave-y neon-lights of a cheap techno-club in China or Russia. At the time, her Norwegian peers were making drab landscape paintings in muted hues that she found uninteresting; she began doing performance and ‘action art’ that was a kind of revolt against the status quo and found deep fulfillment in the improvisational and abstract nature of the activity.

After her daughter, Alba, was born, her work took on mild Freudian connotations evoking bodies and birth; some of her paintings subsumed anatomical structures, sperm/phallic shapes and sexual innuendo (“this is open to interpretation,” says Marianne. Some have even called her work ‘soft-porn.’). Critics like to point-out Marianne’s gender, identifying a woman’s preoccupations in her creations. They’re right, of course, but only to a degree: numerous men have also painted colorful ‘Freudian symbols,’ and the Surrealists, in particular, loved everything pertaining to human anatomy and reproductive organs (—even the non-human varieties).

Marianne employs a host of deliberate tactics and optical tricks in her paintings, straddling illusion and reality and placing the viewer right at the interface between the conscious and unconscious. Until you examine the work up close, for instance, you might not discern that a line is straight or curve-linear or that the image is in fact intelligible or just an abstract glob. Technical tricks of this sort give her paintings visual vagueness, acting as a foil or cloak to their wacky, visceral vim. She avoids the kitschier traits of the style and, despite the Surrealists’ nihilistic tendencies, she makes images that, for the most part, respect traditional values.

Her compositional approach does something similar. Despite the non-linearity and extreme color juxtapositions, the images always strike an equilibrium—even neat in the way they are stylized (a kind of ‘order amidst chaos’ effect). In the macro sense, Marianne’s art is at once stochastic and orderly. At the perceptual level, it looks like a torrent of unfathomable colors, randomly distributed without visual clarity. With a little conceptual effort, the images are discernable and take on a concrete identity that is charming, welcoming and heartfelt.

I always think affectionately about her life-affirming clowns (not the nefarious, creepy clowns that used to haunt my dreams but the sweet ones that make one feel at ease). She also leaves me probing for parallels and analogies, particularly with regard to transition dynamics and inflection points—that very moment when something at rest begins to stir (like a baby awakening or a mime’s sudden jerking movement).

In the traditional Surrealist vein, inanimate objects would spontaneously morph and mutate into living, pulsating creatures; clocks would melt and time/space would stretch and tear. Is Marianne questioning the metaphysical nature of awareness? Of Reality? Is she providing a ‘representational recreation’ of Consciousness/Existence? She says her work represents a “fundamentally positive—Dionysian— affirmation of existence and a celebration of the individual spirit.”

M A R I A N N E   A U L I E has all of the cool attributes of the Pop artists and Abstract Expressionists such as Lichtenstein, Warhol or Kline; she‘s also got rakish good looks, tons of verve and an impressive grasp of metaphysics. She’s all about warm, cozy Pop-Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, however. She helps viewers embrace the bizarre wacky and whimsical through her rainbow of enthusiasms—and in some cases even helps to allay symptoms related to coulrophobia (fear of clowns).

Go check out Marianne’s work in the West Village at 277 West 4th Street (cross street is Perry or West 11th). You can also peep her stuff online at:

www.gallerisand.com
www.hippiemus.com
www.marianneaulie.com

-Cody Ross

Last Thursday at Christie’s, i-D Magazine and Gucci combined forces to celebrate the debut of  “SOUL i-D,” a super-cool 600-page visual anthology full of racy pics and progressive editorializing. Fashion’s indisputable anti-glossy, i-D and its iconoclastic founders, Terry and Tricia Jones, were once again pushing social change with a hefty dollop of old-fashioned family values.

Tackling the socio-political issues of the day such as war, the environment, racism, poverty and globalization, Terry and Tricia used Gallery 6 to showcase select imagery from i-D’s pages over the past few years to “offer a prism window into the heavenly heart and soul of modern society.” With a strong moral impulse and lively wall-sized photos, the exhibition included thought-provoking anecdotes and excerpts from the likes of Bono, M.I.A., David LaChapelle, Martin Margiela and the Dalai Lama.

Attendees such as Caryn Franklin, Shawn Lisle, Philip Sallon, Pam Hogg, Simon Foxton, Jules Wood and Sarah Fones, etc. mingled over champagne and mint-lemonades while discussing the insights and aphorisms from sages like Terry Richardson (‘Just say no!’) and Stephen Jones (“it helps to be eccentric, homosexual, ugly, thick, suburban and egomaniacal.”).

Whether you are a right-winger or a fashionable Fabian, i-D Mag represents the coolest anti-establishment attitude of our age! Terry and Tricia have spent 25 years pioneering the hippest indie trends and incubating the best talents from designers and photographers to musicians and models (Gisele and Naomi did their first cover shoots with i-D!).

Check out “Soul i-D” presented in collaboration with i-D magazine and Gucci. On now til July 30; Gallery 6, Christie’s, Rockefeller Center, 20 Rockefeller Plaza.

-Cody Ross (cody@priestessnyc.com)

NYC - Polish-born  K A R O L I N A   Z M A R L A K takes the view that fashion is not a firm absolute, but a fluid, plastic indeterminate realm which can be altered, either partially or wholly, by the consciousness of the perceiver. Her fashion is a fascinating play on subjective speculation while her design approach is unequivocally that of a masterful technician.

Employing haute couture concepts of the fold, precise draping and disciplined calculation, Karolina’s technique reflects something she calls “recombinant design.” With a background in pattern-construction and an obsession with all things Cristobal Balenciaga, she has been an apt student of the Master’s austere tailoring and divine proportionality. Her intriguing garments exhibit non-linear patterns and skewed-geometrics made precisely for dynamic and interpretative wearability. The result: a cerebral, architectural style that is at once romantic and cool - with intense transitional qualities.

Her most recent collection (Fall ‘09) is entitled ‘Fluid Foundations’ and is all about extreme metamorphosis. The range includes a reversible Oviedo Jacket fashioned from organic and synthetic blends that can be worn as a simple wrap-trench or can be transformed into a drapey, cocoon-like frock with asymmetric dimensions. With conceptual and intellectual rigor, her numerous pieces challenge conventional notions of silhouette, as such, and express alternative deciphering of the body.

Another enthralling piece is the Lugo Trouser that is inspired by active wear and incorporates the latest in material engineering. The casual yet glam pants (above) are made from sleek and stretchy micro-fiber and lined with power net seams to retain shape and structure. These looks are sculptural, feminine and versatile and can be layered beneath or brandished as outerwear - and are perfect for impromptu mixing and matching. The color palettes and finishes are wide ranging and Karolina brilliantly combines neutrals and darks with exuberant polychromy.

Karolina’s clothes allow for variegated combinations and alterations. The designer argues that the collection’s underpinnings are fundamentally about “polymorphism, plurality and free-style eclecticism.” There are trappings of post-modernity here in which the body, categories, and time/space are broken into ‘subjective’ pieces and recombined elements. This is her intention - to express a conception of the female body as unfinished and de-centered in time and space, and signifies the ambiguity of subjects by resisting distinct categories of identity. Karolina’s clothes refuse a ‘motif of permanence’ and are indeed fluid, beautiful and highly intellectual.

The body enveloped in Karolina’s recombinant pieces expresses neither individualism nor collective identity, but something in between. Her work is a type of non-conformist polemic against orthodox ready-to-wear. In contradistinction to mainstream design, her aesthetic reflects a subjectivity that grasps itself as a unique and singular combination of chance events, rather than a proscribed and predictable ‘fixed style.’ Without being trite, Karolina Zmarlak’s pieces are timeless, heterodox and open-ended (the clothes are made to fit one size, by the way!). Her craftsmanship is flawless and each piece is meticulously constructed with gorgeous finishes giving rise to a kind of ‘perpetual novelty.’

Karolina, who was educated at FIT and apprenticed under Carolina Herrera, lives full-time in NYC and works out of her Chelsea atelier. She recently showed her collection in NYC‘s Chelsea Gallery District.

Her Fall ‘09 RTW collections are available in NYC at Debut, Takashimayaand Eva. Price range: $200-$2000

For enquiries, contact Ms. Zmarlak at: info@karolinazmarlak.com

www.karolinazmarlak.com

-Cody Ross (cody@priestessnyc.com)

NYC - If there’s a single thing that media and fashion forecasters can agree on, it’s that print publications are a dying breed. The interesting and unanswered question is what will the future look like for digital fashion? Although there’s been a proliferation of amazing cyber mags (like Worship Worthy, of course - and a few posts ago I wrote on Contributing Editor, etc.), we’re still in the nascent phases of the evolution of digi content, and it remains to be seen which creatures will emerge from the primordial ooze adapted to survive in a hyper-competitive online ecology. But like previous episodes of economic volatility that caused the diminution of so many print mags (and other stuff), the ongoing contraction is winnowing the media space and making it possible to create a spanking-new online taxonomy for the artistically-obsessed.

R Y A N   D Y E (above) needs to be considered here. Mr. Dye, the creator of the supremely cool and avant-garde digi mag, Spiral Magazine, is a tenacious man of achievement and a relentless social climber (he‘s only 25). An obsessive and passionate creature in this new taxonomy, he went from living in a trailer park near Cleveland (no, seriously!) to stocking shelves at American Apparel in Brooklyn to editing and directing some of the coolest publications around. Now he has taken the first steps toward his own calling.

By day, he works in Soho as the Online Design and Production Editor at V andV Man; by night, Ryan retreats to Bed Stuy to channel his creative-spirit into his fledgling and superb online organ, Spiral. Previously he worked freelance gigs, designing content and managing websites (for photographer Maciek Kobielski, amongst others) where he was able to cement a modicum of useful connects in NYC’s somewhat impervious fashion and art circles. He was also a personal-assistant to hipster-emcee-cum-lyricist, Princess Superstar, an experience that afforded him the opportunity to finesse the City’s off-beat music nexus and club scenes.

Armed with an editorial acumen, a strong grasp of multi-media/graphic design and boat-loads of charm, Ryan is hypnotizing the art/fashion scene with his ‘experimental’ online magazine - which has been gaining tons of traction lately. Here, Ryan does an outstanding job essentially curating an online gallery that, no doubt, has the power to shock, blush and arouse.

Part blog, part magazine project and all-out visual razzmatazz, Spiral not only aggregates the best and the hottest fashion stories, spreads, photo-montages, etc. but also integrates eccentric art and design projects - everything from architecture and interior objects to installation pieces, videos, nudes and tons of ‘post-modern weirdness.’

Ryan cites numerous people and publications as his inspiration. He has a penchant for French Vogue, The Imagist (by Wayne Sterling), Hercules, A, Electric Youth and i-D and clearly hangs with the in-crowd. But what really gets him out of bed every morning is his desire to learn from ‘visionaries’ like Stephen Gan (creative director of Harper‘s Bazaar) and the rest of the editorial staff at Visionaire, who are “true risk-takers and creative-entrepreneurs,” says Ryan.

Ryan is friends with NYC’s ‘movers-and-shakers’ and frequently collaborates with talented photographers and all manner of the City’s creative ilk. Not long ago he shot with acclaimed, bad-ass photography duo (and former university classmates) Reed+Rader, using garb fashioned by Rad Hourani and Sandra Backlund.

Spiral ’s image-heavy content is gushing eye candy for visual fanatics (think Self Service Magazine or POP, i.e., shots of sexually-charged frenetic youth, surrealist/vivid color-compositions and outrageous fashion and art). The scope of Ryan’s imagery is both prolific and impressive and he clearly has a knack for risky and salacious stories: colorfully painted flesh, protruding nipples, super-imposed florescent graphics, murderously-hot silhouettes and fantastical fashion all fill the pages of his publication.

In college Ryan studied graphic design and learned how to build websites; he got addicted to fashion zines and edgy art and developed a passion for illustration and ‘haute raunch.’ He adores models Naomi Campbell and Raquell Zimmerman, who, he says, “represent longevity,  undeniable sex-appeal and timeless beauty.”

Today Ryan helps to edit the pages of V where he carefully selects high-impact photos of everything from the hippest runway looks to candid behind-the-scenes snaps (recall that gorgeous pic of a Rodarte model wearing shredded-leather leggings and Nicholas Kirkwood heels in V. “That was one of my picks,” says Ryan, “and it was really well received”). But in addition to his perspicacious pics at V, the Ohio-born wunderkind’s work and current cogitations bring us something fresh and forward-looking - and a tad bit controversial.

Ryan likes to characterize his vision for Spiral as “a magazine that aims to be timeless, to mix the historical with the contemporary, and to embody a highly risky aesthetic while staying relevant and cultured.” He delights in delivering shock-and-awe images of pop-, celeb- and fetish-culture through the prism of the most cutting-edge fashion, art, illustration and photo-montage. Often straddling a tightrope between art and all things erotic and crass, Ryan says, “I’m not scared to publish bondage shots or freaky taboo stuff and sexual innuendo. Those things are visceral and it gets viewers interested, provoked and inspired, especially within the context of art.”

Ryan’s jaunty editorializing is immediately obvious in a recent post, ‘Remember the Time‘ by Bele Borsodi, which is about a serenely weird foot fetish. This particular montage depicts a partial naked female body embedded in high-heeled shoes, pointing to a ‘freakishness’ of human sexuality - to notions of contortion and sexual disfigurement. While some critics would dismiss Ryan’s productions as empty and kitschy, others see complexity beneath the absurd surface of the imagery as well as a rousing depth.

Ryan’s images are not merely about cool design objects and fetish-y model girls and boys, but strum cultural and political chords as well. In a story entitled ‘Cutters’ by the anonymous London-based art collective CUTUP, Ryan gives us a visual account of London’s politically disenfranchised youth taking their grievances to the streets in disruptive protest. Another story called ‘Aww’ by Alexandra Falagaras explores the topic of young love. The colorful illustration is a sweet celebration of idealized romance and ‘togetherness’ and embodies the tension between the naive and the obscene.

Ryan’s gallery gives way to one flawless, rakish shot after another - including tons of eye-popping, lascivious nudes, cool animation and even shots of food that bare resemblance to human anatomy. Standouts include the divine ‘Sticky’ (courtesy of Ashley Rudder) and cool short-length fashion videos - for instance, Nick Knight‘s amazing footage of Gareth Pugh‘s F/W ‘09 collection.

Progressive, brash and slightly subversive, Ryan’s site and imagery have a trademark coolness and shock-value that make his stuff a paragon of virtue among those of us who are into the audacious and outre.

In this media-saturated, image-obsessed era, few magazine editors are more worship-worthy than Mr. Ryan Dye. As volatility continues to explode all around us and our culture seems to be rising to a boil, Ryan chronicles, integrates and channels it all through his baby, Spiral Mag, bringing us vivid chaos and dazzling narratives - “a luscious digital expose of life’s non-linear exigencies,” says Ryan. As more print mags fall victim to the slump, I’d bet money that Ryan’s stuff is as tenacious and long-lasting as he is.

Peep-out Sprial Magazine at www.hoponthespiralbitch.com

Ryan Dye and Cody Ross (above)

-Cody Ross (cody@priestessnyc.com)

  

He’s a curious anomaly in an industry that thrives on visibility, image and self-aggrandizement. Margiela seldom attends his own runway shows or presentations and refuses to do interviews (except by fax machine). His evasiveness demonstrates an unbridled commitment to creativity, and highlights two important things: first, the clothes/accessories speak for themselves; and, second, Margiela’s work, as perplexing as it may be, embodies the collective efforts of a talented design team - not simply a singular designer. His absence at his own events makes this powerful point, and all correspondence from his atelier in Paris is always written in the plural form with the signature “Maison Martin Margiela.”  

Margiela is the master of ‘deconstruction’ and all things nonpareil. He has made frayed jackets refashioned with a sock at the elbow and a frontal sleeve, coats made of synthetic hair, bodysuits that fuse parts of trench coats and tuxedo jackets, and mirror tights and bags made to look like disco balls. At his Greenwich Street shop in NYC the walls are strewn with egg containers and everything is painted in an off-white tone.   

   

  

-Cody Ross (cody@priestessnyc.com)