The Anatomy of Desire

Una Burke pants. Photograph by Diego Indraccolo.

Harnesses and restraints have been a running trend for the past few years, and in the newly released book, Design Behind Desire, they get a lengthy examination along with other fetishistic accessories.  The stunning hardcover, part of a new series of art, fashion, and design books from Farameh Media, is a comprehensive survey of work from contemporary designers whose pieces are either overtly or covertly erotic.  Naturally, Fleet Ilya's revised Hannibal Lecter style mask makes the cut, along with Bliss Lau's leather and metal body armor, and Betany Vernon's cheeky and lux jewels.  While the focus is mainly on designers working now, recent work is juxtaposed against classic fetish pieces like Meret Oppenheim's fur coffee cup.  Gathered together in one book, all the objects explore the different facets of desire, and even if whips and bondage aren't your cup of tea, you're bound to find something between the covers that inspires serious material lust.

Fleet Ilya Mask. Photograph by Justin Borbely.

Cuff and bodychain by Bliss Lau.

Pearl Massage ring by Betany Vernon. Pearl restraints by Kiki de Montparnasse.

Gold Leaf Shakti Mirror by Mark Brazier-Jones. Divorce Ring by Gisele Ganne.

Aoi Kotsuhiroi boots.

-Tiffany

Everybody Must Get Stoned

Each season, Iosselliani gets more and more colorful. The original collection started out with intricately constructed noirish pieces encrusted with smatterings of clear and black crystals, and though the collection still presents darker undercurrents, they've infused the jewels with a vibrant jolt for a more gothic meets gypset vibe. Although that might not sound like the most appealing combination (I wonder how often those subcultural sets meet in real life), it somehow manages to work. Semi-precious stones mix with crystals, spikes, and semi-oxidized chain to form the most intricately composed swathes of rock and metal.  The true beauty of these pieces is that on first glance, they appear to be more traditional beaded necklaces, but upon closer inspection, reveal claws clutching at pearls, itty-bitty skulls attached to stone settings, and dangling dog's heads.  Nonetheless, if wearing color just isn't your thing, most jewels still come in classic black.

-Tiffany

Heutchy x Love

Heutchy (pronounced "hi-chy" rather than "hoochie" as I had previously believed) started as a men's footwear line meant to fill the gap between casual and formal shoes. Following plenty of praise from the boys, they've started to branch out into women's shoes too. For spring, designer Wells Stellberger collaborated with Richard Chai, making shoes for both his menswear line and his Love line. The adorable women's oxfords that resulted come in both shiny patent leather and striped fabric, and display the easy, informal elegance at the core of the line. They're the perfect alternative to sneakers, when you don't want to look shabby, but also refuse to sacrifice comfort--something that I find myself increasingly unwilling to do.  Pair them with the rugged-refined Heutchy backpacks, and you're ready to go!

-Tiffany

Take Me Upstate

Upstate's hand-dyed scarves and garments have a dreamy, escapist feel, and this spring's gorgeous lookbook has me fantasizing about a long weekend in the country.  Each piece is individually dyed by designers Astrid and Kalen using traditional shibori techniques, making them one of a kind, as well as infusing them with a certain wabi-sabi quality of imperfect perfection.  Structured grids and geometric patterns go fuzzy around the edges, and the cuts are simple, yet often convertible, and versatile.

-Tiffany

My Bloody Valentine

While there have been thousands of love songs written about heartache and heartbreak, there haven’t been quite as many jewelry lines that have broached the subject. After all, jewelry is more often associated with ground swellings of intense love: diamonds that say forever, lockets that are filled to burst with your lover’s hair, and, of course, wedding and engagement rings that are wrapped up in promises and vows. Nonetheless, Michelle Ng, designer of Young&ng, was up for broaching the challenge. While her Spring collection is about broken hearts, she approaches the subject with optimism, trying to look for the beauty in unrequited love, as well as finding comfort in the belief that you leave a soured relationship stronger than when you entered it. Rather than basing the resulting pieces on saccharine hearts, Ng instead was inspired by blood cells, and the fractal arrangement of cells serve as the basis for her latest series of necklaces, cuffs, and headpieces. The results are breathtaking, and I’m particularly obsessed with the laser-cut metal pieces, which become lace like lattices once the blood cell patterns are applied to them. I’m sure putting on any of these gems would take the sting out of any breakup.

-Tiffany

Good Vibrations

If I wrote down a checklist of all the things that I currently obsess over in fashion, Timo Weiland's Spring collection would somehow manage to hit a fair amount of them all at once.  It has a decidedly  feminine side, with plenty of flouncy, pretty dresses, yet also has an edgy tomboy feel that comes in the form of cropped sweaters, bandana printed jackets, and mesh tops.  Add to this a set of colorful prints, and you have a collection that I was essentially in love with at first sight.  While Weiland and his partner Alan Eckstein worked with digital prints, rather than printing sleek and photo-realistic images on fabric, they chose to do a clever reworking of classic fusty florals, spiked with a technicolor twist.  The Timo Weiland florals are giant lilypads, or coastal florals flecked with little birds, and you can almost feel the sea breeze drifting off of the garments.  On one strikingly adorable dress, a layer of printed sheer chiffon dances over cotton fabric in the same print, creating a dreamy and semi-hallucinogenic effect. I feel like Langley School's cover of Good Vibrations serves as the perfect soundtrack, encapsulating the ethereal and coastal cool that is built into these clothes.

-Tiffany