Archive for the ‘Featured Articles’ Category
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 13
photo by John Curley
This is one of my favorite outfits, and some of my favorite photos by one of Burning Man’s most-loved photographers, John Curley.
We took this shot on top of the 3-story structure that forms the base on which the Burning Man stands. This year, the structure was designed to look like a city tower, befitting the 2010 theme, “Metropolis”.
photo by John Curley
I’m wearing the little black dress as an accessory in this outfit, over one of my most beloved articles of clothing: a Comme des Garçons / Rei Kawakubo dress that I’ve had since the late 1980s.
I was lucky enough to have a mother who was into fashion, and who would occasionally give in to my pleas. She bought me this dress, and I’ve always treasured it.
Last year, I went to a show at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, dedicated to female Japanese fashion designers. I wore this dress as a tribute. When I walked in, they had ten or so mannequins wearing iconic fashion pieces; this dress was on the second mannequin.
photo by Rei Dishon
Amber Clisura of Doedel Design did the styling for this outfit, and I love what she did with the dress. She tucked it under my wide black belt, letting it hang down in back like a sort of tailed jacket. She also added that pretty red scarf, and a dusty felt hat to top it all off. I think it fits the architectural background perfectly. Again, this is definitely one of my favorite shoots.
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See more of John Curley’s photos and read his recaps of this year’s Burning Man on the Burning Blog.
Also find Rei Dishon’s photos on Flickr!
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 12
Dust storms are an integral part of the Burning Man experience. That’s not necessarily a good thing, but it’s something you learn to deal with for the sake of art.
photo by Tracy Bugni
We drove out to this caduceus sculpture with photographer Tracy Bugni, and had just started shooting when the dust hit. Fearing for our eyes, our lungs and her camera, we retreated to a safer spot…
photo by Tracy Bugni
The Cafe, where a selection of artists create paintings on plywood walls for temporary display. I don’t know who painted this (don’t know who built the caduceus, either), but it made a great backdrop.
For this outfit, I’m wearing that little black straw hat again. What can I say, I love it. I’ve got my awesome KISS belt on again, too. The skirt, however, is totally original. It’s a hand-woven piece by Lynne Bruning, which she lent me for this ensemble.
As I run out of clothes, I’ve been borrowing from friends and designers, of which there are many out here. People are generous in this community, and there are some beautiful pieces to come (once I wash the dust off my little black dress!)
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See more of Tracy Bugni’s photos on Flickr or tracybugniphotography.com.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 11
photo by Tracy Bugni
This is the Narwhal, another legend of Burning Man art. Created in 2002 by Pepe Ozan, it was restored this year and made a triumphant return to Black Rock City. In honor of its majestic beauty, I put together this romantic ensemble.
photo by Tracy Bugni
The hat is a favorite of mine, a straw piece that I’ve had for years. Though I wear it all the time, I’ve only had to re-spray-paint it once.
On my ears, I’m wearing big beautiful Chanel earrings (which I’ve also had for years and years). The corset was loaned to me by a friend, and I fastened it over the dress like a bodice.
photo by Tracy Bugni
Under the dress, I’m wearing two skirts. The first is a crinoline loaned to me by Lynne Bruning. The crinoline opens in the front, so I added my cute little tutu–a Silver Lucy original.
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See more of Tracy Bugni’s photos on Flickr or tracybugniphotography.com.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 10
photo by Feral Kid
There’s an endless supply of art out here in Black Rock City, enough that you can never feel like you saw everything the city had to offer. One artist who brings back amazing sculptures year after year is Michael Christian. This is his 2010 contribution, a spinning steel globe called “Home”.
For this gunmetal backdrop, I picked my vintage 1970s gunmetal pantsuit. This was a gift from a woman who really wore it during the 70s, and made me promise I’d wear it too. It’s made some sort of stretchy poly/Lycra, with a one-shoulder, draped, sequined top.
photo by Feral Kid
I wore the dress over my shoulders, and buttoned it in the back to make a cape of sorts. I added another thrift store belt–a wide elastic band with patent leather enclosure–and my black fingerless gloves. Just like yesterday’s white gloves, these are by Yohji Yamamoto / Y-3.
Big hair completes the look. Make no mistake: we’re at Burning Man now!
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See more of Feral Kid’s photos on Flickr/NomadPhotos.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 9
photo by Feral Kid
This year’s Burning Man theme is “Metropolis”, and many of the artpieces explore city life. This one is great: an “urban stoop” like you’ll find in any city in the world. Only difference is, it’s surrounded by desert (and made of plywood). The Stoop is a calm and quiet spot to catch some shade in our busy city.
photo by Feral Kid
For this outfit, my friend Tara Jean Reilly loaned me a pink sundress with a print of anime characters. I turned the dress into a sort of corset/bustier, and tied it in the back with the dress strings.
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See more of Feral Kid’s photos on Flickr/NomadPhotos.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 8
photo by Feral Kid
Burning Man is filled with hundreds of “mutant vehicles”, or art cars. They range from yesterday’s giant yacht, to luminescent articulated flora and fauna, to this fabulous rocket ship. This particular vehicle is fitted out with lights, a sound system and a few giant flame throwers.
photo by Feral Kid
Today, I tucked the dress underneath a skin tight Valentino leather pencil skirt. I added my “KISS belt”. A white ruched leather strap with a fantastic black/brass triangular clasp that I found it at a thrift store years ago.
My fingerless gloves are by Yohji Yamamoto / Y-3. On my head I pinned a headpiece of sorts, not exactly a hat, woven in straw with a floral motif. The sunglasses are $5 pieces of plastic from a gas station somewhere, lent to me by The Hun of LoveandTrash…
And guess what? The same black boots are still going strong. Maybe I should do a 30-day boot wearathon someday… Nah.
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See more of Feral Kid’s photos on Flickr/NomadPhotos.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 7
One of the greatest things about Burning Man is its wealth of crazy “art cars”. When we saw this one–a giant yacht driving across the desert–we flagged it down immediately. The owners were nice enough to stop the boat and let us take photos, and they let me blow the air horn too.
photos by Feral Kid
Yes, I am wearing the dress as a head scarf! I wrapped it around my hair and fastened it with my belt. It seemed like a crazy idea at first, but after trying it, I think I would wear a head scarf again.
The view from on top of the yacht was amazing, and people started gathering on the ground to watch us shoot. This was definitely the most fun I’ve had on any photo shoot so far. And it could only have happened at Burning Man.
photo by Feral Kid
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See more of Feral Kid’s photos on Flickr/NomadPhotos.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 6
photo by Feral Kid
This beautiful structure is called MUSE. It’s a three-story pagoda overlooking the city and the Burning Man. MUSE was created by Kawika Campbell and Happenstance Clan out of San Francisco. In fact, some of my friends worked on the piece!
photo by Feral Kid
For this outfit, I pinned the dress skirt into a sort of bustle, and fastened a corset over the top. I added a yellow camisole underneath for contrast. On my legs and arms I’m wearing designer Lynne Bruning‘s leggies with matching “armies”, which she gifted me for this project.
Out here at Burning Man, everyday fashion is fabulous and much less Puritan than you see in the “default world”; this is probably twice as much clothing as anyone around me was wearing as we took the photo. But you have to love an outfit that covers your extremities and leaves other areas unclad…
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See more of Feral Kid’s photos on Flickr/NomadPhotos.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 5
photo by Feral Kid
After a month of building Black Rock City, the work crew turns it over to the 50,000 participants who come from around the world to fill the city streets with art and revelry. To celebrate the completion of the city infrastructure, we build the “4:20 spire”. Each of the work crews contributes, and the only real goal is to Do It Wrong. After all the work we’ve done, it’s pretty fun to build this messy, crooked structure and nail a bunch of beer cans to it. Job well done!
In honor of the Department of Public Works, I’m in full work regalia. I turned the dress inside out so it could get totally dusty. The hard hat and accessories all come from DPW Power, one of the crews I work with. The work gloves, belt and trusty boots are part of my daily garb. And, I never go anywhere without my radio–our method of communication out here.
Tomorrow, this’ll all look totally different. The work is done, now it’s time to play. Tomorrow, I’ll be at Burning Man!
photo by Feral Kid
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See more of Feral Kid’s photos on Flickr/NomadPhotos.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 4
photo by Rei Dishon
Most of us who work for Burning Man started out as “participants” or event attendees. We’re here to work, but we also like to have fun. This Plymouth Volare belongs to Tony Coyote, who’s been a Department of Public Works member for over a decade. It used to be his personal car, but after years out here it got a little beat up… now it’s Burning Man’s only official Historical Vehicle. It still runs, and you can usually find it covered in punks, cruising the desert in search of good art.
photo by Rei Dishon
In honor of the Volare’s retro cool, I pulled out a vintage Jean-Paul Gaultier cardigan. I believe it’s from the late 80s, around the time Madonna was rockin’ her cone bra. I added aviator shades and a couple of chunky gold bangles, and tucked a few flowers in my hair for an evening-cruise ensemble. Now if I can just figure out how to start this car, I’m ready to roll…
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Photos by Rei Dishon, aka CameraBoy.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 3
photo by Rei Dishon
This incredible sculpture, The Bone Tree, is one of the iconic artpieces of Burning Man history. It was created in 1999 by Dana Albany, who works with reclaimed materials for her sculptures. The Bone Tree is made from cow bones that she gathered from the rangeland surrounding the desert.
photo by Rei Dishon
A lot of people think Burning Man fashion is all about faux fur, but it really has more to do with playfulness and unabashed creativity. For this outfit, I mixed it up for a look that’s cute and polished at the same time.
My Minnie Mouse ears are actually a vintage hat that I’ve had since the late ’80s. The necklace is Chanel costume jewelry. The vest was designed by my brother Zaldy. It’s a light nude mesh fabric with hand-sewn red ruffles and sequins. Over it, I added a red belt to tie everything together.
See those bracelets on my wrist? Like the boots, you’ll see them again. Those wristbands mean that I’m a Burning Man staff member, and I’ll wear them for the next couple of weeks at least.
photo by Rei Dishon
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Photo by Rei Dishon, aka CameraBoy.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 2
photo by Rei Dishon
As I write this, Burning Man has already started. However, my wear-a-thon has already been going on for over a week. This photo was taken the day after the artists arrived. All the massive art pieces come in a few days before the event, to start setting up. Once that starts, the crew loves to go out on “art tours” to see what’s being erected.
This piece is called the Spire of Fire. It’s a 41-foot steel tower that explodes into flame, created by “Propaniac”.
photo by Rei Dishon
On the night this photo was taken, there was a full moon rise directly after sunset. The dress is folded down to make a skirt, leaving the sleeves hanging to add shape. I added a satin chemise for an elegant evening look, perfect for the warm night.
Once you find a good pair of shoes out here, you wear them constantly. I’ve got two pairs of boots: they’re dusty as hell, but they get me around.
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Photos by Rei Dishon, aka CameraBoy.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Anne-Marie Goco, Day 1
Day One
photo by Rei Dishon
Long before Burning Man starts, the work crew builds what will become Black Rock City. We work and live in the barren desert, gradually creating the infrastructure for a temporary city of 50,000. This crew, composed of volunteers and paid workers, calls itself the Black Rock City Department of Public Works, or DPW.
Burning Man fashion is fabulous, but during the work season it also needs to be functional. This is an outfit I can wear to work every day, even if I’m doing construction.
This desert isn’t full of sand–instead it’s a fine white dust that gets absolutely everywhere. To protect yourself from the dust, you need good boots and a big pair of sunglasses. When you’re wearing a dress, you also need a good belt to carry all the necessities: water, work gloves, sunscreen, and whatever else it takes to do your job.
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Photo by Rei Dishon, aka CameraBoy.
This wear-a-thon is a collaboration with Love&Trash, a DIY blog for people who do things differently.
Bright Young Thing Wear-a-thon, Anne-Marie Goco
Each year for one month, over 50,000 people go out to the middle of the desert with only that which they can carry to work with, to build a 5 mile wide community of artists, crafters, performers, idealists, and performers to come together in a huge creative melting pot they call Burning Man. This group of people do not use or take money with them, but rather trade their skills, crafts, or items that they have brought for survival. When our friends over at Love & Trash first approached us about doing a Burning Man Wear-a-thon/style off, we were so thrilled. Where else could we get daily inside coverage on the world’s biggest “gifting” and sustainable trade community in the world? This is how Anne-Marie Goco, a.k.a. Sgt. Slaughter, got enlisted as our first Burning Man wear-a-thon. We wanted to know a little more about her before she started her challenge…
Lily Day 30
Time flies and summer is at the tail end. I have done so much, but there are months worth of adventures still to be had.
I also want to make so many more things before the heat of school burns away my free time. This painted silk shirt I am wearing with some loose black UNIQLO pants and under the LBD is inspiring me to batik some clothing. Hopefully I will have some time before school starts…
Eliza Starbuck and Coco Chanel Celebrate 128 Years of Style with The Little Black Dress
It’s Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s Birthday. And the Bright Young Things would like to pay tribute to her. So for one week only, starting on her birthday, Thursday, August 19th, we’re offering our little black dress to all for $150.
To celebrate, I thought I’d give her a ring. She doesn’t get out much these days, and most people seem to think she’s dead, but like Tupac and Elvis, she’s virtually immortal. She stays in and generally avoids society with the exception of only the closest of friends. She also has a rule to never celebrate birthdays, but I somehow convinced her to let me over for low key afternoon tea and some reminiscing about her 128 years of impeccable style. Naturally, I wanted to pick her brain on style, fashion, love, and her life philosophy. Her answers were uncannily current for someone who stays at home all the time. And once you get her going, she’s hard to stop. By the end of the visit we were playing dress up in her closet and posing for the camera. You should have seen her impersonation of today’s runway models! She had me cracking up while she coached me on how to pose for the camera to avoid regrettably bad angles for my face. She said knowing how to pose is a key skill to have if you are planning on being any sort of legend. Apparently no one gets famous if they don’t photograph well. Shortly after that Coco and I tried to vogue, but in the end I think we just looked rather smirky. I suppose we let our vanity get the best of us. However, I think we may have uncovered one of the greatest mysteries of the fashion world; why everyone in fashion photos always looks so catty. Chin insecurity… Read on>>
Lily Day 29
I got girly today in the LBD, and tied in a bow over a homemade cotton jean skirt and striped pink tank with matching striped shoes. I made a bow in the center of the dress by twisting the two sides and then buttoning them together.
Stripes may be considered a stylish, hip, and cute detail in today’s fashion, but their history hasn’t always been so positive. They originated in the medieval times as a way to identify sociatal outcasts (prostitutes, jugglers, etc) and otherwise it was illegal to wear the “devil’s stripes”. Stripes became assoociated with the lower classes and were worn during the French Revolution.
Inmates were made to wear them and sailors adopted this tough look and brought it to the mainstream as a seaside favorite pattern.
It has been adapted and reused over and over so, I am curious about how we will view the stripe in a few years.
Lily Day 28
Ethiopian food is my favorite food to eat; it is delicious, you get to use your hands, and the plate always stays clean so you don’t need to do dishes.
Today I wore the LBD over a homemade aqua crop tank and a pair of altered grandmother curtain shorts. As I ate my lunch next to a man eating a bagel, a little boy eating an ice-cream, a woman eating sushi, and a lady eating a box of Italian cookies- I was reminded of the diversity of the city.
Apparently when Ethiopian restaurants started in New York, they didn’t have the correct ingredients to make Injara(the sourdough bread) and used Aunt Jemima Pancake mix.
Now the correct ingredients are available and there are twelve Ethiopian restaurants in the city. It is a shame how few people have tried this amazing cuisine, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to spice things up.
Lily Day 27
I usually don’t like to spend anytime inside but a rainy day calls for a trip to the movies. When it isn’t raining there are a series of free rooftop screenings that I have been meaning to check out.
There are such a range of theaters and a slew of highly acclaimed movies just came out so it is a hard decision(especially given that they cost $13 a pop).
I wore my LBD over a homemade black halter shirt and an altered tassel knit and spandex skirt from Salvation Army. The sequined hat is borrowed from a friend who inherited it from her great aunt in Poland.
Ready for a rainy day of movies and hot tea!
Lily Day 26
Prospect Park is such a wonderful summer hangout spot. It hosts concerts, baseball games, lovers, camps, and anyone looking for a place to relax.
The rolling hills are surprisingly picturesque and allow privacy for intimate moments.
I wore the LBD as a vest over an altered 99 cent T and a pair of homemade short shorts. These pictures were taken in front of the grandiose Marquis De Lafayette Memorial on edge of the park
On the way back from the Park I saw this cute dog being driven around on a bike. Living the high life.
