Render your fave fam members on each one, starting with the top dog, or simply leave blank to send a strange, possibly extistential message. via Stylehive.com.

- Lesley Scott

fashiontribes.

This art mural is made up of 17 arches which gradually change from day to night, and from a cityscape to a rural landscape. Sigh...of course they can't boast a subway system in which the underground population of rats dwarfs the two-legged population a few 100 million times over, food wrappers strewn everywhere, trash on the tracks, and the infernal, earsplitting screeching of train wheels. So take that. via PSFK.

- Lesley Scott

fashiontribes.

(Hussein Chalayan Spring 2002; Issey Miyake 1994 heat-set polyester pleats)

When Marc Jacobs speaks, everyone in the fashion world tends to listen. And the message for fall 2006 is big – literally. Jacobs showed a pumped-up silhouette comprised of layer upon layer of leggings, skirts, dresses, sweaters, vests, scarves, jackets, caps, hats & voluminous great coats.

Costume historians also heeded the call. This fall, from September 17th through January 7th, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will put up a new exhibit which looks at changes in the last 25 years in silhouette, fabric surface treatment, and the evolution of sewing & construction techniques. "Construction techniques and materials have changed quite a bit since the Eighties," Kaye D. Spilker, one of the curators of Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion From the Permanent Collection told WWD. "Things that were radical back in 1980 are quite commonplace today, and many of the pieces in the exhibit show this."

130 pieces from 40 designers will showcase the evolution of construction techniques and fabric treatments. Vintage Christian Dior, Gilbert Adrian, and Charles James will be displayed next to modern A-listers such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Martin Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, Azzedine Alaïa, Hussein Chalayan, Christian Lacroix, Hervé Léger, Alexander McQueen, Burberry’s Christopher Bailey & Vivienne Westwood. Famed Fortuny pleated frocks will be positioned next to Issey Miyake's pleated plissé garments, while a jacket by deconstruction maestro Martin Margiela jacket is placed by a fully boned & padded 50s Christian Dior.

Advances in fabric technology have spurred innovations in construction, upending many traditional sewing techniques and guidelines. For example, stretch in fabric can eliminate the need for fitting darts, dramatically altering the look of a garment. And avant garde designers like Miyake (and his ubiquitious pleats) tend to push the envelope, sending statement pieces instead of mere clothes down the runway. "Designers are not just making pretty things," Sharon S. Takeda, Costume and Textiles Department senior curator explains. "They have ideas and have learned to create the very inventive forms."

• To hear the Fashiontribes Podcast, visit the Fashiontribes Daily 5-Minute Podcast Show at PodcasterNews.com.

- Lesley Scott

fashiontribes.

(photos from WWD)

(left to right: 1985 Carbon Chair by Martin Szekely; Fishnet Chair by Marcel Wanders)

While the strong 80s trend in fashion is yesterday's news, what's interesting is how the favored hue of the era - black - has spilled over into other areas of taste & design.

In September 2005, Apple launched a black iPod nano, followed by their first-ever black MacBook. A popular show at NYC's Museum of Modern Art, featuring Swiss architects Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron, is taking place amongst inky black walls and murky lighting. L'Oreal USA recently introduced their latest Polo fragrance, Polo Double Black, and at a summer auction in Paris at the Hotel Dassault, over 250 pieces of art, photography, jewelry & furniture - all black - went on the block. Even the hipster nightclub scene can't resist the lure of the dark side: fashion PR empresario Alexandre de Betak made black the color of choice for the design of his new Paris nightclub, Black Calavados.

Part reaction to the all-white minimalism of the 90s and part reflection of our increasingly conservative social values - encouraged by factors such as having a Christian-Right Republican in the US White House - black is very telling about the times in which we live. "Black periods always represent radical departures," Loic Bigot, owner of Tools Gallerie in Paris, a trendy design object emporium, told WWD. (via WWD)

• To hear the Fashiontribes Podcast, visit the Fashiontribes Daily 5-Minute Podcast Show at PodcasterNews.com.

- Lesley Scott

(photos from WWD; Szekely's Carbon Chair photo credit: Wilfred Gremillet)

Entirely hand-carved by a small group of artisans in the Hebei Province of northern China, so no two are exactly the same. The bottom side of the neck is smoothed and leveled, allowing the Buddha Head to stand upright on any flat surface. Available at Overstock.com

- Lesley Scott

Fashiontribes Overstock.com Low-priced Sale Handcarved Buddha Head Buddha Head Buddha Statue Fashion Expert

Puzzles are fun, but after all the excitement of putting it together, the picture is always the same. Which is why the Mirror Puzzle is so cool: instead of an unchanging static image, it displays an image of whatever happens to be reflected at the moment. A great idea for a centerpiece.  Available at UncommonGoods.com

- Lesley Scott

Fashiontribes Fashion Presents Gifts Tobias Wong Mirror Puzzle Art Fashion Expert

For a previous Fashiontribes blog about these stamps...plus a fun riff on how stamps provide a peek into society's psyche, CLICK HERE. via Stylehive.com

- Lesley Scott

Fashiontribes Pop Culture Culture Fashion Stylehive Personalized Stamps Customized Stamps Photo Stamps Fashion Expert

So many posts, so little time. So we sorted through them all for you & here's our Fashiontribes Finds picks for the coolest stuff with a Global Chic vibe.

GLOBAL CHIC WEEKLY FASHIONTRIBES FINDS:

YSL suede "Emma" wedge

Sleek clutch

Fab housewarming or hostess gift

Killer knee-high boot

Make new friends or find amore in Italy.

  Devil Wears Prada train case

Ask the Chief: A Global Chic wardrobe dilemma solved.

Hand-crocheted cashmere capelet

Original art on a postcard-sized canvas

  Stunning brass leaf necklace

- Lesley Scott

Fashiontribes Fashiontribes Finds Global Chic Tribe Global Chic Beauty Pop Culture Fashion Accessories Shoes Art Boots YSL Emma Wedges Marc Jacobs Tote Lunch Lady Action Figure Styleaholics Fashion Trend Clutch Fashion Top 10 Fashion Picks Train Case The Devil Wears Prada Necklace Italy Travel Guide Recipe Jewelry Home Decor Gift Eco-Friendly Paint Fashion Expert

Owned, created and run by architect Yalcin Saglikova, whose 40 years of architectural creations include the Istanbul World Trade Center and Istanbul Chamber of Commerce building renovation, the all-suites Gallery Residence offers features and services that make it a unique alternative to hotels, apart-hotels and serviced apartments. "We merged the best qualities of various accommodation concepts, while avoiding negative characteristics of each," explains Saglikova about the non-stodgy digs. "Gallery Residence demonstrates that a luxury hotel does not have to feel stodgy, a hip hotel does not have to feel detached and an apart-hotel does not have to feel cheap."

Each of the 21 well-appointed 45 m2 (450 sq. ft.) suites at the Gallery Residence is named for a famous painter, with prints and posters of their work in each, and features:

• an open kitchen with a full-size refrigerator, electric stove-top, microwave/grill combination oven, & compact dishwasher
• LCD TV, DVD/CD Player, Printer/Scanner/Copier/Fax machine.

The lobby, roof lounge and stairwells are also decorated with various prints, posters and sculptures, and grocery shopping and laundry services are available for extended stays. There is 24 hour a day delivery of baby diapers, CDs, and any other must-haves - and rentals from the hotel’s DVD collection, wired/wireless internet access, sauna, jacuzzi and fitness room are all complimentary.

For more info, visit GalleryResidence.com.

- Lesley Scott

Fashiontribes Fashion Travel Vacation Gallery Residence Istanbul Boutique Hotel Fashion Expert

Pint-sized art for those in need of elegance while in cramped quarters. Available at A Painting a Day.

- Emily Wall

Fashiontribes A Painting a Day Art Fashion Painting Fashion Expert