Sugary, Buttery, Twinkies (that doesn't sound dirty, right?)

So, we've (we, meaning America, naturally...) pretty much been one step behind Japan and Korea this whole time. What am I saying? The whole world is behind. (But especially us, as in, U.S.) I couldn't help but notice the uncanny similarities between the costuming in Rihanna's new music video for "Who's That Chick?" (as well as other videos that have recently come out) and what was done quite a while ago (i.e. 2K9) in a Korean pop song done by the oh-so- amazing and fashionable, 2NE1 and the hottest-freaking-oh-my-good-lord-i'm-going-to-move-to-Korea-just-for-that band, Big Bang. Let's play a matching game:




Sure, Rihanna's got a few more flowers and boo-tay shakin' but, you have to admit the Koreans are too damn cute to resist. Someone who no-speaky-good-engrish (I promise i'm not racist...) made an interesting observation on the comment list by saying, "If this song in English, it blow up in America!" Basically, if a song isn't in English, we don't have the patience to listen to it? It sounds almost the same as Rihanna's...just saying.
I suppose we will never catch up to their brilliant minds.
But really?? Who do they have on their side??? Is it really just their brilliant minds or, do they have some sort of secret weapon that they are hogging all to themselves?? THE JAPANESE CREATED NINTENDO FOR PETE'S DRAGON. And where would I be without that? (I would have hung out with friends that aren't pixels a lot more, thats's for sure, but besides the point.)
They must have some sort of divine connection to the Fashion Gods (if those exist, and if they do, that means there is a Fashion Heaven and if thats true, I hope they still let me eat Twinkies, otherwise i'd rather not go.)
But, I mean really. Just look at where they were in 2009 and how slow we were to catch up.

And this is just such obvious evidence it hurts: Japanese and Korean Vogue. I love how each Vogue represents the style and fashions of the country it was printed in: (verbal detour here)
France: Sassy. Always keeps their connection to Miss Coco by being sophistocated and timeless yet, incredibly original and whimsy. Their style is innocent and pretty while at the same time has a power behind it. Kind of like the French in general; beautiful, talented, seemingly sweet but at the same time, they will turn that all around and verbally (excuse my...French) bitch slap you...or for reals bitch slap you if you don't follow their rules.
Italy: Sex appeal and always room for food. Sophistocated, like the French, yet a little more life to it. Almost anything you see in Italian fashion can be kept in your wardrobe for years and years.
America: Mod Podge. It's basically just a collage of everything because America is a melting pot anyways. But, they always come back to the same old, red, white, and blue pride; the American housewife, the American buisness woman, the American beauty queen etc etc...

But, the Japanese and Korean Vogues are always the ones I go to first at Barnes and Noble. They are like Twinkies and Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles sitting right next to those things in the grocery store called vegatables. It's the same voice in the grocery store that's in Barnes and Noble. This voice is like one of my wiser friends telling me it's a bad thing that one of my top life goals is to eat a whole stick of butter dipped in sugar rather than go to college. I like to tell these voices they are wrong and will never understand. It always comes back to bite me in the butt...or in the thighs if it involves food. Just like vegatables, the more sophistocated, "grown up" Vogues if you will, are better for you in the long run. Screw it, you know where i'll be found tomorrow, at Barnes and Noble behind a neon colored magazine the size of the Bible, ruining it's silky, pretty pages with my buttery, sugary fingers.
Japan: It's like Japan takes something it was inspired by, and puts it on hallucinogenic drugs or better yet, steroids. What I mean is, they take something amazing, and pump it up to a deafening volume that we can't seem to get enough of. It's kind of a sick and twisted obsession, really. They are so up to date, it could be considered a crime.
Korea: All that was said above applies here. Both cultures have this endless desire engrained in them to constantly chase perfection (although it is said to be impossible, they are as close as I have ever seen, which is frightening to me that you can get that close) almost to the point of killing themselves. They have such a strong drive for this, they have to beat the rest of the world at everything and way ahead of schedule at that. It makes me sad, but, like I said, I have this sick obsession with what they do, thereby reinforcing the madness.
Plus, they did the hipster, asian bun, with bangs, way before anyone else did.

It makes me scared to think of what they have up their little Yohji Yamamoto sleeves next.
You know there's more where this came from,
-Olive


p.s. I want every outfit in this video. I know it would look good on me too, even my Hobbit legs. I'm sure of it. They are Asian afterall. Promise i'm not racist.

This post is thanks to a certain sassy Korean girl who supplies me with more reasons everyday to envy her and the rest of her country.

Dude, That's So Legendary (or Fork)

Here's a bit of pen vomit that seems to explain it self and a bit of the inside of my brain nicely. It's kind of like a splatter of my creative juice and soul on a piece of paper. I apologize for the crapsie quality, seeing as I don't have acsess to a scanner, we gotsta do it the gito' way.



I like the sneaky look on her face.


Thoughts.

Free Time.

My New Years Resolutions. The bottom part, written in Japanese says "happy" and "little god" if i'm not mistaken.

Yes, it's a copy of another piece, but, I like mine better and I wanted to try my hand at it. Plus, it resembled my inner mischievious

The results of low blood sugar and no decent sushi to be found. Plus monsters with crowns.

This reminds me of the puppet show house my parents bought for my sister and I when we were little.

My inner super woman.


I want to make the dress on the right when I get home. Go to the D.I.: find little dolls. Then sew little dolls to a dress. A perfect dress for skipping on down to the asian market on a hot summer day to get some shrimp chips and a cold Ramune.

Second version of the first. Inspired by: Italy, My Hair, Sage, LIGHTS, Dreams and of course Glitter.

First version.

Inspired by The Gorillaz and how Italians lungs are all probably on the blackish side but, their hearts and souls are beautiful. Also, I wanted to draw a heart the proper way. Don't ask me why I did it. I know Italy isn't the only country that smokes but, my pink lungs cant handle it much longer.

Inspiration comes from being sick of being too poor for Anthropology and Free People so i'll just make my own damn cool clothes and wanting to make a winter dress out of a dusty velvet color.

Yet, another Koi. Perhaps they are my patron saint animals or, my dark side...who knows.

Pretending I don't understand enough to follow along in History of Arte, gets me this.

Inspired by sitting on the back of a boat my first day in Italy watching the giant jellyfish that look like the ones from Jabu Jabu's belly in The Ocarina of Time.

Since last year when I discovered via modern technology i.e. internet you could order studs, spikes and all manner of supplies to keep any biker chick or angsty punk happy for an incredibly low price, I started designing more stuff featuring them. Let's just say the next bit of sewing i'll be doing will involve more heavy duty tools from the garage and bloody fingers. Sorry if I get your tools dirty, Dad.

This program was sponsered in part by:
The Gorillaz
La Roux
Madonna
The Shiny Toy Guns
Styx
Deltron 3030
The Mighty Boosh
Lily Allen
Blink 182

Con mucho gusto!
-Olive

An Edgumacation

I have finally started my fashion course at school! I kept having to chase down the "prof" and somehow sincerely ask in Italian if I could join the ranks of the oh so grand and mighty 5th years and mantain my dignity at the same time. But, I have officially started and had my first class! We are 6 students in total but, I like it that way. The professor started by giving me a lesson on how to split up a model figure into segments, but then told me that it wasn't all that important seeing as we don't really care what the model looks like as much as the actual garment and basically just let me go on my own after she saw my sketchbook. I have never actually designed in a class room setting and was surprised at how hard it was to spark something up as if I had stage fright and I think the professor could see it because by the end of the hour I hadn't done anything to be that proud of so she told me I could work on it at home in case "something came to me there." It's always good to have an art teacher with an artist's mind.
Let's hope for the best but, how could it go wrong? Fashion design class in Italy?? I even have books and everything! Yeseriee...
-Olive

Let's Be Six Again And Make A Creative Mess

This was my reply to a question of how to brighten up a dark and dreadful winter on one of my friends blog posts. I was so astounded at how my brain's bladder was obviously bursting to get all this out into existence.
Kick Winter's Ass With A Much Needed Creative Mess
(But this time, the Creative Mess will be revered)

-I like taking really hot baths in the winter (like so hot the whole bathroom steams up and you cant see anything) and put all my toys in the bath like when I was little and then pretend im a tree frog living in the jungle. It warms me up and makes me think i'm somewhere else for a while. You can even pretend youre other animals so you have a whole jungle joobalee (that is not how you spell it but, it looks better that way:))
-Make a destination heart attack A La Mode i.e. A most wonderous concoction thought up one boring winter day while watching Gilmore Girls, (don't make fun of me, I didn't have control over the remote...)it is quite simply a pile of Twinkies, Nutella, bananas, cookie dough, and vanilla ice cream. Best idea I ever had.
-Play dress ups naturally
-Make a zoo tycoon on your bedroom floor out of origami animals and stuff you find around the house
-PUT FOOD COLORING IN THE JUNGLE JOOBALEE BATH
-Make a big ass, over the top, sparkly, pink, Glinda the Good Witch gown and wear it to school with a crown
-Paint good ideas and thoughts all over your ceiling when they happen to come to you in the middle of the night
-Make your room in to a Japanese tea garden complete with TONS origami flowers, real flowers if you can get them, feathers, christmas lights, pillows, some sort of sitar/ (again not how you spell it)Bjork/Donavan/Beethoven playing in the background, dress up of course, if you can, put a humidifier in there somewhere and sip tea to your hearts content. Also include fortune cookies.
-Make a butt load of masks like the ones on Mirror Mask
-Get some old shoes at the D.I. and glue cool objects to them. Wear.
-Make peasant stew and hand it out to people on the street dressed as a peasant saying encouraging things to get people through the winter. (maybe you shouldn't do this actually....)
-Make sushi
-Have a pants off-dance off

-Play Calico Critters

-Dress up your cat in drag.....Or dog

A Little Babushka-Nonna works as well.

Lovliest Bro, rest in peace my dear old friend:)) You were indeed the best that ever graced the planet.

One of these ideas are bound to make your winter less gray and more pink...plus glitter.

Con mucho gusto,
-Olive