by Blogbot

What Suicide Girls are putting on - and taking off…

Regardless of the season, corsets are a cinch when it comes to sexy and sensual (un)dressing.


[Faith in Faithless]


[Pihka and Korento in The Moulin Rouge]


[Nala in KISS Army]


[Noelani in Camouflage Kisses]


[Rosario in Love Letters]


[Vanessa in Red Hot]


[Morticia in Tish]


[Marmelade in Wings]


[MaiTai in The Silo]


[Ira in Silence Please]


[April in Dark Blue]

Check back for more Dirty Laundry and let SuicideGirls show you the best way to (un)dress.

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by Blogbot

A column which highlights Suicide Girls and their fave groups.


[Damsel in Bold]

This week, Damsel Suicide tells us why she gets all tied up in the Dreadlocks

 Group.

Members: 1057 / Comments: 3,640

• WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?: It offers lots of tips, methods, and advice. Every set of dreadlocks is unique, and there are so many different ways to maintain them. Some people are anti-product and choose the natty route, while others enjoy the benefits of using wax and other dreadlock products. Either way, if you see a set of locks you think are beautiful, it's nice to find out how they keep them that way!





• DISCUSSION TIP: Respect the opinions and differences of others. There is no "right" or "wrong" way to do dreadlocks, only a variety of methods that all work equally. Different strokes for different folks!




• BEST RANDOM QUOTE: "My mane is my source of power. I am able to do superhuman things that I couldn't do otherwise."






• MOST HEATED DISCUSSION THREAD: Synthetic Dreads...People who have spent years developing their dreadlocks claim synth dreads are the easy way out, while people with synth dreads argue they are still dreadheads. Either way, having synthetic dreads does NOT make you a pussy bitch.




• WHO'S WELCOME TO JOIN?: Appreciate lovely locks and natty ladies? Come on in and appreciate the nappy goodness...




***
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SuicideGirls’ Group Therapy - Ceres on Girls Only
SuicideGirls’ Group Therapy - Frolic on Celeb Worship
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Cheri on Skateboarders
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SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Exning on Weight Loss
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Aadie on Cute Overload
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Eevie, Luffy, and Praesepe on SG420
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - All on Urban Art
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Clio on Hardcore Music
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Epiic on Hirsute
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SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Rambo on Photography
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Thistle on Vamos Gigantes

by Blogbot


[Above: Hezza Suicide in Melancolia]

SG / Artist Name: Hezza Suicide a.k.a. Majo Rey

Mission Statement: Having experimented with other kinds of clothes I began my lingerie line in 2004. I was always a lingerie consumer, but couldn’t find nice things over here (I live in South América). After working in a big factorywhich made swimwear, I decide to start with my personal own line, and launched my brand Majo Rey. What I do, or want to transmit to the people who consume the brand, is the spirit of being young and sexy. It’s important to feel comfortable and sexy at the same time. The brand has a lot of myself in it; It’s for powerful, independent women with a rock & roll spirit.


[Above: Gold Label Collection 2011]



[Above: Gold Label Collection 2011]


[Above: Gold Label Collection 2011]

Medium: Laces and silk, with colorful and playful elastics and hooks.

Aesthetic: Sexy.

Notable Achievements: Being part of several catwalk fashion shows of designers in Uruguay and Belgium. Next October I’m going be participate in the fashion show at the International Brussels Tattoo Convention. My work has also been featured in several newspapers and blogs (see Blogcouture 2011, Blogcouture 2009, and Pimba).

Why We Should Care: I’ve created a designer luxury lingerie brand, made by hand, with a big team working everyday on special things - just for you. I’m dedicated to my work and care for every single detail, from the raw materials through to the finished product and packaging.

I Want Me Some: Visit MajoRey.com and/or MajoReyStore.Etsy.com/. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.


[Above: Melancholy Collection 2011]


[Above: Melancholy Collection 2011]


[Above: Melancholy Collection 2011]

***

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by Secretary

The word “genius” is bandied about a lot in the fashion world, given, as it is, to the superlative. However, I would barely hesitate to apply it in the case of one man, a fashion superstar, a man who could be said to have been licked by lightning before he got burnt. I am talking, ladies and gentlemen, about a man named John Galliano.

People who don’t know about fashion will have heard of Dior. Dominating the proud couture tradition of Paris (the most important of the four big fashion centers, although we shan’t tell London, Milan or New York about that), its eponymous founder pioneered a daring New Look, selling a tangible chic to a clientele that had survived two World Wars and longed for a suitable way to give two fingers to rationing and drawn-on stocking seams. Just to give you some idea of Christian Dior’s resounding success in this field, by 1949 Dior made up 5% of France’s total export revenue.

Fast-forward to 1997, and Anna “Nuclear” Wintour (legendary editrix of American Vogue) was playing God again. It is something she is known for. The top job in the industry was up for grabs – creative director of the House of Dior – a position that in the past had been filled by greats such as Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Bohan. Whose name does this feared powerbroker throw into the ring? Why, that would be John Galliano.

At the time, Galliano was an Englishman of Spanish decent, lost in Paris. He had been heading up the House of Givenchy (the house who famously loved, and was loved by Audrey Hepburn), and he was the first Brit to do so. Givenchy was owned by luxury goods giant LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) and LVMH’s owner, Bernard Arnault, always consulted Wintour on his appointments. Dior was also controlled by LVMH, and so it was easy to transfer Galliano across the companies, making him by default one of the most known and influential men in fashion.

What Galliano brought to Dior first and foremost was fantasy. Whilst some designers champion clean lines and no-nonsense concepts, Galliano was determined to capture the imagination of his clientele – in 2000, for example, he debuted his “Homeless” collection, the show for which featured models dressed in rags, tatters, and newspaper print – all thrown together with rough stitches into delicate dresses. It attracted a lot of negative attention, but as they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Or so Galliano began to believe.

Galliano was a couture wizard. Couture is another world within fashion; dresses almost beyond imagination, with price-tags so fabulous that they are discussed only behind closed doors (if you have to ask, you can’t afford it!). Couture is collected like art; the pieces are custom made by the most skilled needleworkers. In fact, the spectacle of couture is so costly that few fashion houses now even bother with it; for most it is not a profit-making exercise. However, you could guarantee that a dress from a Dior couture show would grace the front page of newspapers across the world, and while most of those who see these images could not dream of affording such things, they aspire to, so instead buy into the dream and the brand, purchasing perfumes, make-up, socks, bags, and jewelry instead – a way to own a little piece of the fantasy.

These little mass-market pieces of Dior made fabulous profits, and Galliano was the goose that laid the golden fantasy egg. He was, by fashion industry standards, somewhat spoiled by LVMH. While other up-and-coming British designers such as Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney struggled as any other business start-up might, Galliano (whose original own-name company went into administration in the early 1990s) was relatively unburdened by financial concerns.

This did not mean that he was without pressure. The creative demands of his position were enormous, and he had been manning the most prominent job in fashion (with possibly the exception of Anna Wintour’s) for nearly fifteen years when, it seems, the burden of being Dior’s figurehead became too much.

In February of this year, Galliano broke the collective heart of the fashion industry (if it has one), when rumors started to surface that he had been caught making vile, offensive, alcohol-fuelled comments to people peacefully enjoying their evening in a Parisian bar. The fashion world was quick to jump to the defense of its superstar, but then a video emerged online of the unmistakable man slurring his way through a barrage of hate, which included the line: “I love Hitler. People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers would all be fucking gassed.”

The fashion world reeled. It is extremely unlikely that Galliano does indeed love Hitler, especially as an openly gay man of Spanish decent. With several glasses of wine impairing his judgment, was it his need to shock, to provoke a reaction, his need for theatre that compelled him to say such things? Or was it some sort of cry for help? He later blamed his outburst on drink and drug addictions, things that he only admitted to about three months after the incident. Whatever was going through his head, he was dropped by Dior on March 1 of this year, after a controversial five-day suspension in which the company seemed to wait to see how things played out in the media. Galliano subsequently checked into rehab, and face criminal proceedings in France over the remarks in June (making such anti-semitic statements is outlawed there). He is due to be sentenced in September.

In the meantime, the high throne of fashion remains empty, and there is much speculation as to who will fill it. Sidney Toledano, Dior’s chief executive was coy when asked who might replace Galliano, saying, "You know when you ask young girls all the time when they are going to get married, they reply, 'When I find the right man.’” He then said that the company was willing to take its time finding the right person for the job. In the meantime, a few names have persistently been linked to the coveted gig.

Sarah Burton, head designer at Alexander McQueen and designer of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress was a favorite of the papers, but it seems unlikely that she’ll want to leave the brand she has worked for over the past sixteen years – her loyalty to its’ late namesake is incredibly strong. The smart money had been on Riccardo Tisci, current head designer at Givenchy (just as Galliano was), but as more time passes it seems more unlikely – this particular appointment would practically be in-house, so why wait?

It seems LVMH might be looking outside their box, which is an unusual move for the company. A surprise announcement from designer Azzedine Alaïa (who has a long-standing feud with Anna Wintour, the woman who advised Galliano’s appointment) that he had been approached about the position (he claims to have turned it down) has thrown the game wide open. Alaia is most famous for his fashion independence; In 2007 he bought back his own-name label from the Prada group. Michelle Obama is a big fan of the designer, who rather than being strictly seasonal like most fashion houses, only produces a collection of clothes when he feels that he has something he is happy to share. If it is indeed true (Dior have not denied it) then it could say a lot about the future direction of the brand; they would have known from the outset that Alaia would have them working on a compromise of his terms and not the other way around. 


It’s an interesting time, as dedicated followers of fashion speculate about what Dior will do next...

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Dedicated Follower of Fashion: It’s Official – Sometimes Geek Can Be Chic

by Blogbot

When temperatures rise, here's what Suicide Girls are putting on - and taking off - at the beach and by the pool to stay cool.


[Carrina in Te Extrano]


[Arq in OMG]


[VioletRose in Upon The Hills]


[Ajilee in Summer Shower]


[Krito in Steel Cold]


[Vice in The Color of Living]


[Tristyn in Time Travel]


[Radeo and friends in Ohio Summer]


[Porphyria in SPF 5000]


[Denie in Drop Your Pants]


[Sash in Sunset Beach]


[Iluvenis in Summer Girl]

Fashion Notes
SGs are rockin' three main swimwear looks this summer: solid black, stripey, and metallic 2-pieces.

Lovin’ H&M’s super mini black string bikini with gold skull and tassle details ($14.95 for the top / $12.95 for the bottom). Target’s Xhilaration Juniors black sequined 2-piece also hits the spot ($14.99 each for the top and bottom).

If you're in the mood to get your stripe on, Target/Xhilaration also have a couple of pretty damn cheap separates sets. The first is a reversible one in green/pink that's on sale right now ($7.48 each for the top and bottom), and the second is in a semi-punk multicolor stripe ($14.99 each for the top and bottom).

And if you want to get all-out reflective this summer, Zappos have the perfect metallic 2-piece set that comes in silver or gold ($51 total for top and bottom).

Check back for more Dirty Laundry and let SuicideGirls show you the best way to (un)dress.

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by Secretary

The Webbies (the Oscars for all things internet) are particularly famous for their award-acceptance speeches. Perhaps mindful that they recognise contributions to the media that spawned such ADD-friendly abbreviations as 'LOL', they carefully avoid any embarrassing, Halle Berry-esque blabbering by enforcing a strict five-word speech policy.

The fashion world has always been oddly cool towards certain new and exciting technologies; whilst any fashiontasia worth their Prada would probably be touting the latest iPhone, it wasn't until Alexander McQueen's 2010 'Atlantis' catwalk show that anyone thought to stream any such thing live on the internet. It remains a closeted, secretive industry, and with good reason; what they sell is exclusivity, a chance to buy into their club. It's what makes paying hundreds extra for a designer name seem like a good idea when you can pick up items of a similar quality at the pricier (but still not THAT pricey) end of the high street.

Once the designer name enters this arena, they can make millions from their new-found desirability by putting their name on make up, perfumes, accessories and other such bits that the dirty masses can get their grubby mitts on in department stores. Technology brings things to the masses; but the designer fashion world thrives on maintaining an air of mystery and exclusivity before they can start truly selling out.



So, when the website for the legendary Vogue magazine won a Webbie in the fashion category, its infamous editrix-in-chief, Anna 'Nuclear' Wintour accepted it with the customary five words. And how exactly did she chose to bless this unlikely wedding? "Sometimes," she said in her tiny but deadly voice, "geek can be chic."

And she quickly strode from the stage, looking annoyingly pleased with herself.

It's always been an unlucky coincidence that the words "geek" and "chic" rhyme; some bright spark long ago cobbled them together in a sentence and volia! The "geek chic" revolution was spawned. A thousand lazy articles and a truly awful slice of '90s pop later, and I, for one, am bored, bored, bored of it.

Allow me to explain. To be a geek is to be a part of alternative culture. I've heard many arguments about what alternative culture is exactly, but I think the most sensible option is to define it by what it is not; alternative culture is not mainstream or popular culture. It covers everything else. In this way, the straight edge kids must co-exist inside the alt culture category with the stoners; the punks must share this common ground with the hippies. And since the geeks have yet to inherit the earth, they too must lay their heads here.

And so to the crux of the matter. Fashion must change in order to keep fresh and current and generate sales. A designer will usually produce a Spring/Summer and a Fall/Winter collection, although the big fashion houses will have many more in the form of cruise and ski collections, diffusion lines, menswear, womanswear, childrenswear, couture and anything else that might prove profitable enough whilst keeping them on the pages of the fashion magazines. And where do they find the constant inspiration for this onslaught? Why, they borrow from alternative culture of course!

If you name a subculture, I could name a fashion collection based upon it. Goth? A thousand times over. Punk? Don't make me laugh. Rave culture, drug culture, bohemian, S&M...Galliano while he was at Dior controversially even produced a collection based on homeless people, featuring tattered clothing and more than a dash of total shamelessness.

Geek culture doesn't escape either. Stripped down and bastardized into a few defining symbols, you get your thick-framed glasses, braces, slogan T-shirts, blazers, Argyle jumper vests, bow ties, knitted beanies -- I've seen them all artfully arranged on decidedly ungeeky models as they pose their gamine, geeked-up limbs across a suitably academic background in glossy editorials for a plethora of magazines including Vogue.

As if the wholesale plunder of the culture wasn't enough, unsung geeks are also propping up the fashion industry. From the technical teams constructing fabulous garments that practically require a degree in engineering to create (I'm looking at you Gareth Pugh and Viktor & Rolf) to the technical teams who produce the runway shows, as with so much in life, the industry relies on geek power to make it magical and fantastical.

For a few years now, the geeks have also been infiltrating the fashion industry as designers. London-based Hussein Chalayan makes dresses that turn into coffee tables or transform into hats as the models wearing them walk the runway. He has made clothing so light it could be hung from a helium balloon, clothes that use fiberglass, LEDS and lasers, and he's certainly been name-checked in Vogue.

I'm still waiting for geeks to inherit the earth, but in the meantime I'd like to be the one to break it to Anna Wintour that they already rule the fashion industry. Just don't expect to see the headline 'Geek Makes Chic' in Vogue anytime soon.


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Dedicated Follower of Fashion: Eurovision Special

by Secretary

This last weekend Europe united for the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual event which a whole continent loves to hate, and, like a car crash, is compelled to watch. For anyone who hasn't had their lives touched by the force of nature that is Eurovision, allow me to explain. Founded in 1956, it was supposed to bring post-war Europe together in the spirit of friendly competition, but has since become a leviathan of campery, one-upmanship, tactical/political/block voting, ludicrous gimmicks, and people taking themselves far, far too seriously. It's a yearly televisual event which serves as an excuse for the whole of Europe to sit down in front of the TV for one colossal drinking game (see rules), and is probably the best indicator of contemporary European politics we have.

Forty-three countries entered this year, and were whittled down to 25 finalists during two semi-final rounds ahead of Saturday night's main competition. The winners were selected using a combination of televotes and jury votes. Ostentatiously, people were voting for the best song in Europe, but the entrants tend to be remembered for the spectacle rather than for their musical chops. From Britain's Buck's Fizz, who memorably ripped the skirts off their female members in 1981, to 2006 when Finnish rock band Lordi managed to temporarily unite the whole of Europe behind latex monster costumes, it's the visuals that make Eurovision. I had planned to write this as the show was broadcast, but the mandatory Eurovision drinking game was particularly brutal this year, and all I'd managed to type by the next morning was "bbbbbbbbRRRRRRRRRRRRRR," which I'm sure made a lot of sense at the time.

Anyway, now my hangover has finally subsided, I give you the Dedicated Follower of Fashion's guide to the critical style moments of Eurovision 2011.



Paradise Oskar, Finland - Into the spotlight steps a kid with all the worldliness of a newborn fawn, blinking his way through his very own attempt at a Michel Jackson-like "Earth Song." Oh, the earnestness of it! Having been bestowed myself with a slightly unfortunate real-life name, I was judging his mother harshly for calling her son Paradise, but then I found out that it was his stage name, and he actually quite liked it. Prior to this knowledge, I assumed that his mother had also chosen his disgusting shirt. Now I'm not so sure. Nil points.



Kati Wolf, Hungary - Cheap blue rutched satin, it looks like the sort of thing I'd wear to a party on a yacht paid for by a drug cartel. Nil points.



Jedward, Ireland - Although they were officially Ireland's entry, Jedward occupy an interesting place in the British psyche (England being my own country of residence). As entrants on Simon Cowell's taste-defying reality TV juggernaut X Factor (coming to an unfortunate American audience soon!), twins John and Edward Grimes stole newspaper headlines by inexplicably managing to stay in the contest week after week through the sheer force of their combined ADHD, despite having no discernable musical ability, while more tuneful, boring acts were sent packing. They didn't win the contest, but have gone on to make a career out of being poster children for Ritalin and rocking quiffs that many people would happily see die in a fire. Their identical Eurovision costumes evidently took inspiration from a deep and meaningful conversation they had about what would happen if Transformers started questioning their sexuality; The striking result involved structured red-sequined jackets with stacked shoulder pads up to their ears. Dix points.



Getter Jaani, Estonia - Fashion, who cares? Anyone have her number? She does magic, her dress is adorable, and I think I've just fallen in love. Douze points.



Blue, United Kingdom - It must have seemed so obvious at the time. "I know guys, we're called Blue, and to reinforce the point, we'll wear blue! Shiny, shiny blue suits. And because our fanbase are mostly females and gay males, let's make our suits super tight, and rip some sleeves off so you can see how bulky our arms are! What could possibly go wrong?" In unrelated news, the Japanese government later announced that they're incentivizing their salarymen to ditch suits in the workplace, and instead embrace Hawaiian shirts. How's that for a coincidence? Deux points (only because my GBF would kill me if I gave them nothing).



Zdob si Zdub, Moldova - this is where my text-vote went. Just when you thought the whole show was in danger of being a bit tame by Eurovision standards, along come Moldova. Their entry consisted of a handful of guys who rocked a gnome-like look, complete with colorful waistcoats, strange pants, and meter-tall pointy cone hats perched upon their clearly addled bonces. Then, just as you thought you couldn't marvel any more, onto the stage rode a unicycling angel, who also sported a pointy hat, and was rather randomly playing the horn. Douze points.



Lena, Germany - Whilst stone-cold fox Lena wore a simple black jumpsuit (and hair a la Cheryl Cole), her backing dancers featured this year's first use of silver lycra bodysuits, a la Hole in the Wall (which is what happens when the BBC try to beat the Japanese at their own gameshows). As far as Eurovision is concerned, tin foil getups are as classic as a Chanel little black dress. Cinq points.



Mika Newton, Ukraine - This woman looked like she's ransacked the 'Kate Moss for Topshop' range. Nevertheless, she actually put together an outfit that was quite pretty without being entirely unmemorable. What the hell was she thinking? This is Eurovision woman, not the back pages of Vanity Fair! Deux points.



Nina, Serbia - Taking inspiration from the '60s with a song to match, the Serbian entry actually managed to come across as being cutesy sweet without making me want to throw up. Ok, I wouldn't wear the backing singer's all-over color schemes myself (the tights might be a little too much), but this is performance with merit so screw it. Dix points.



Eldrine, Georgia - Oh Jesus, it's hypnocrotch. The mind-bending dress had a structure all of its own. It was worn by a lady who wanted us to understand that she was very, very angry (although, surprisingly, not with her costume designer). The fact that we were all mesmerized by the good lady's happy place didn't ensure a victory though, so I'm sure she must be even angrier now. Coming to a low-budget grindhouse release near you soon: The Terror of Hypnocrotch - This Time, it's Personal. Cinq points.


Even though I was watching when they announced the results of the actual song competition, it took me three more days, and some serious post game YouTube studying/memory jogging to figure out who'd won the style contest. Ultimately, it was a dead heat between Moldova's man-sized gnomes, Zdob si Zdub, and my new GF Estonia's Getter Jaani.

***


In the spirit of the occasion, here's a photo of my Eurovision party crew: (left to right, top to bottom) SG members ObviousPrime, DrewBeckett, CreamyGoodness, LaurenZombie, Wilona and yours truly. Why the hats? Who knows? At least this year I didn't wake up naked in a pile of crisps (trans: potato chips) with a moustache.

by Secretary



Alexander McQueen, 'l'enfant terrible' of British fashion, is having a truly global moment.

As some of the most famous people in the world gathered in outlandish creations for the Met Gala, which this year celebrated the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's McQueen retrospective (Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, which has attracted 46,000 visitors in its opening week - a Met record), it was hard for a dedicated follower of fashion not to wonder what its namesake would have felt about all this attention.

A few days prior to the Met event, an estimated two billion people watched worldwide as plain old Kate Middleton walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey, and walked back up it again as Princess Catherine. The million-dollar question: who designed the dress? The answer? A private woman that very little is known about: Sarah Burton, who's served as the creative director at Alexander McQueen ever since the tragic suicide of her boss over a year ago.

Burton has worked for the house of McQueen for sixteen years now, starting in 1996 when the eponymous designer was outraging Britain's Daily Mail readers the land over with his Spring/Summer '95 "Bumster" jeans (they didn't leave much to the imagination) and his Autumn/Winter '95 "Highland Rape" collection. Fondly remembered for having all the contextual subtly of Tracey Emin's high school art projects, the dresses looked like they'd been clawed from the bodies of the models - and tampons did make an appearance. The publicity was immediate and it was insatiable.

Burton was known in fashion circles as being a consistent and calmer counterbalance to McQueen's intense, somewhat maniacal genius. The brand became synonymous with theatricality. The fashion shows became one of the hottest tickets during Paris fashion week, turning into the kind of events that people who had little interest in fashion would have loved to have been at, just to say they'd seen for themselves. It really kicked off in 1999, when prominent model Shalom Harlow, wearing a billowing, knee-length white dress secured at the bust with a belt, was spray-painted before the audience by two mechanical arms as she rotated on a specially-built platform.

There was also the "Asylum" collection, during the show for which the models prowled around the inside of a box, constructed of two-way mirrors so that the audience could see in, but the models couldn't see out. For the finale, a box within the box opened up which contained a naked, plus-size women reclining on a chaise langue, covered in moths, her face obscured by sinister gas-mask-like breathing apparatus. The show for Spring/Summer '05 had the models facing off across a giant chessboard, each dressed in some way to emulate a piece of the game but somehow each feeling like a pawn.

As the years went on, the spectacle grew. Soon after Kate Moss's cocaine scandal, McQueen finished his show by projecting a hologram of her, floating above the runway in an ethereal dress. His Autumn/Winter '09 show, entitled "Horn of Plenty" featured models with their mouths garishly painted to the point that they became grotesque. They wore discarded trash on their heads, thanks to legendary hat maker Philip Tracey, and the message was ominous, pandering to a futuristic dystopia that lurks somewhere beyond what you hope is possible.

Then there was the leather, the bondage, the S&M influences, the Armadillo shoes that the models refused to walk in for fear that they'd break their necks (you know, the shoes that Lady Gaga wears in her "Bad Romance" video? Yes, those). Somewhere it was evident that McQueen was a fully paid up member of the "pain is beauty" school of thought. But what beauty he created. For every dark moment, he gave us a place to escape to; Russian-inspired dresses as beautiful and delicate as a Faberge egg, a dress that could well have been a sculpture. Inspired by the artist Sam Taylor-Wood, the elaborate creation had living blooms stitched into it, which then shed as the model walked down the runway.

Perhaps it was unsurprising then that McQueen, whose mind dwelt in such dark places and yearned for such beautiful ones, would eventually stop finding catharsis in putting the twisted results of his rabid imaginings onto the catwalk for us to delight in. It was front-page news when, on the 11th February 2010, he was found hanged in his wardrobe. His suicide note simply said he was sorry, and asked that his dogs would be looked after. The Autumn/Winter 2010 collection he left behind, extremely unfinished, spoke much more eloquently for him; it featured religious imagery and one particular coat, made from golden feathers, looked as though he had some sort of angelic being in mind whilst he was designing it. It seemed that McQueen had been intent on conceptualizing the afterlife, with all its romanticism, wanting to bring a bit of heaven down to earth via his clothing.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York until July 31.

by Blogbot

Artist, SG photographer and Coilhouse Magazine founding editor Zoetica Ebb has designed a super stylish series of iPhone and iPod Touch cases for indie arthouse Apple accessory company Izozzi.

Those wanting to add intrigue to their small Apple objects of desire, can order Zoetica's functional art via the Izozzi wesbite. The FormFit cases are made from impact resistant Thermoplastic Urethane, and come in a variety of designs for the iPhone 4 ($34.95) and iPod Touch 4G ($29.95).

by Blogbot

A column which highlights Suicide Girls and their fave groups.


[Epiic in Squidcats]

Epiic Suicide doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to her fave SG hang out, which is Hirsute, a group "for those who love hair...all over."

Members: 1429 / Comments: 9,219

• WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?: It's nice to be accepted. The different women and their prefered styles are inspiring. For me, it's a sort of artistic fashion statement. And, of course, I get to perv on all the hot photos submitted by members and SGs.


• DISCUSSION TIP: Don't hate or we'll burn you at the stake.


• BEST RANDOM QUOTE: "Show us your warm and fuzzies."


• MOST HEATED DISCUSSION THREAD: Not much, maybe fights over which SG has the perfect bush lol. Suri our sexy fur leader keeps us in check."


• WHO'S WELCOME TO JOIN?: Those who appreciate and love hair.

Related Posts:
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Tarion on Atheists
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Rambo on Photography
SuicideGirls' Group Therapy - Thistle on Vamos Gigantes

by Blogbot

What Suicide Girls are putting on – and taking off…

Badass boots, steampunk shitkickers, and fuck-off footwear for those who don’t give a crap about convention.





[Tini in Wasteland]



[Drave in Spooky]



[Tarion in Kiss The Machine]



[Reina in Cazzo Vuoi]



[Myrtle in Boot Camp Burn]



[Moxi in Revenge]



[Mimmi in Industrial]



[Jetta in Tank]



[Flux in Dune]



[Apathy in Dirty Girl]



[Alexis in Turtles]

Fashion Notes

Traditionalists may wanna stick with Dr. Martens (and there’s no shame in that), however nu wave steampunks will be kicking the apocalypse’s ass wearing footwear from New Rock and Demonia. Are you prepared?

Check back for more Dirty Laundry and let SuicideGirls show you the best way to (un)dress.

by Blogbot



These silicone f/stop dial bracelets – which carry a design based on the markings from old-school Nikkor lenses – are the perfect way to express your inner photo geek. Better yet, they’re just a buck each (or less if ordered in quantity), with 20 cents per bracelet going to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and the ASPCA. Order from http://photographic.ly/.

by Shotgun Suicide

Shotgun Suicide takes you through the basics of getting poked – and shows you how to stay clean afterwards.



Thanks to Epiic Suicide (for getting poked on camera) and Jon from West Coast Tattooing (for doing it).

Music: “Hot Zombie F**k” by ThunderDikk and “Decaying” by Despite These Words.

Related Posts:

Body Mods 101 with Shotgun Suicide: Part 1 – Getting a Tattoo

by Darrah de jour

With the hypocritical and oppressive ‘beauty machine’ of America in full-swing, girls are getting “thinspiration” off food blogs and Pro-Ana sites; detouring off the deep end instead of finding their way into recovery. Even Portia de Rossi’s memoir Unbearable Lightness and the stick figures of Black Swan can serve as a “how to” for low self esteem. And this begs the question. Women – aren’t we just too dang valuable to level our self-worth by countable ribs?



America The Beautiful

A smart, candid documentary America the Beautiful has hit Amazon and Netflix with a profound message. It features 12 year old model Gerren Taylor and the adventures of her high fashion modeling career, against the backdrop of “normal” kids her age – and the advertisers targeting them.

Playwright Eve Ensler, The Vagina Monologues mastermind (whose work to end violence against women in Congo is admirable, to say the least) appears in ATB, with some powerful words. “Stop fixing your body. It was never broken.” She’s right. We, as Americans, as women, are absolutely obsessed with fixing shit that was never broken. Our “flabby” arms, our “cottage cheese” thighs, our “thin” or (depending on your ethnicity) “puffy” lips, our “sheet white” or (depending on what Cosmo says) “leathery” skin, or our “poochy” stomachs (we hold babies in there for Chrissakes!). If we so choose.

If we so choose, we can run governments, give breath and life, stop traffic, and start wars and end wars. Make men come and make men breathless, make women beg, make children laugh, make poems leap. We weaken the smug with a disarming smile and turn the defeated into victors. We are great mediators and yet our diplomacy fails us when we need it most. In the face of the “ideal woman” in our head, we stand before the bathroom mirror, and feel ugly and torn. And yes, those freckles are cute. Not ugly.

Manifesto aside. Seriously ladies, if we don’t stop badmouthing ourselves, our daughters, nieces and girls everywhere who emulate us, will do the same and then we’ll all have to suffer from the endless reign of the prevailing truths behind those Dove campaigns. (I’m a Caress gal myself.)

Pretty Thin

In 1920 American women were gifted the right to stand inside a 36″ x 12″ voting booth, slide closed a curtain and choose the next president. Eerily, one year later, the primero beauty pageant Inter-City Beauty Contest (now Miss America) was founded. Taking women’s minds conveniently off the politics of… well… politics and onto the politics of the supreme bathing suit contest. Go figure. Skip to 1963′s feminist classic The Feminine Mystique and Betty Friedan will tell ya, the staggering amount of at-home moms mixing highballs and Valium – with their psychiatrist’s go-ahead, was nearing 50%. Fifty-percent. Whoa. That’s a lot of hammered hysterical housewives crying over their Easy-Bake Ovens.

As American women, we may no longer be confined to mind-numbing housework and bouts of daytime isolation, but has the 1950s-style “desperate housewife” mentality only morphed? “By adjusting to this ‘comfortable concentration camp,’” Friedan wrote, a woman “stunts her intelligence to become childlike, turns away from individual identity to become an anonymous biological robot in a docile mass. She becomes less than human, preyed upon by outside pressures.” Sound familiar?

Fast forward to vivacious Gerren Taylor, the star of this striking documentary, who at 12 thought – along with Marc Jacobs – that she was the next Naomi Campbell. By film’s end; a mere three years and endless rejections later, at 15, unequipped to handle the cocktail of shitty modeling industry standards and nature’s universal curveball puberty, she loses her confidence in a final proclamation: “I’m ugly. Period.”

Mad Women Detour ->

Mad Men television star, firecracker Christina Hendricks was recently named Esquire’s “Sexiest Woman Alive.” Despite this, she stated that she couldn’t get a designer to make a dress for her 5’8″ size 14 bombshell of a body. “I’m still struggling for someone to give me a darn dress,” she said before the 2010 Emmys. “I would take my clothes off in front of the mirror and be like, ‘Oh, I look like a woman.’ And I felt beautiful, and I never tried to lose it, ’cause I loved it.”

Another power player is 22-year old Florida native Whitney Thompson, who took a hand-held hammer to television’s glass ceiling when she won season 10 of America’s Next Top Model – the first (barf -pun intended – I hate this term) “plus-sized” model to win. She is now a cover girl for “Love Your Body Day” and a spokesperson for the National Eating Disorder Association.

Thompson admits, “People don’t realize that we have a billion-dollar diet industry working against our self-esteem. There is always a new product out selling us happiness if we ‘finally’ shed those pounds,” she says on her blog.

Last, 24-year old model Crystal Renn beat anorexia and is now trying to beat the modeling system – from the inside. She says, “I have made it my life to speak about feeling completely beautiful no matter what size you are.” From her book Hungry:

My self-acceptance led to a return of the intellectual curiosity I’d had as a child, before I got on the weight-loss express. It led to a better career. It led to romance. I’m proof that life doesn’t have to wait until you’re skinny.

(Hungry maps Renn’s appetite and those who tried to squander it.) Sing it sister.

->Back on Track

I caught up with America The Beautiful filmmaker Darryl Roberts. He had some cool enlightening stuff to say about Revlon and their pesky phthalates and the sometimes death-defying tricks chicks use to stay youthful, beautiful and thin.

Darrah de jour: You’ve created a marvelous film and won many awards for your social commentary. Congratulations! What were your initial goals when you began and what did you set out to capture?

Darryl Roberts: I initially set out to make a film that was therapeutic and examine why we’re so obsessed with beauty, but I ended up tackling a much larger social issue.

Ddj: What inspired your work?

DR: I was in a 4 year relationship with a woman that was awesome and very good to me. When it came time to commit to her, I passed, thinking I could find someone just as wonderful but more attractive. One day I was sitting in a McDonald’s thinking about this unfortunate tale when I thought it would be great to do a documentary exploring why we’re so obsessed with beauty.

Ddj: What was most striking to you about women’s relationships to their bodies, and how do they differ from what most men find attractive about women?

DR: I had no idea that the vast, vast majority of women wished they had a “better” body. Advertisers have pulled the wool over women’s eyes regarding what’s beautiful in the female form. This differs greatly from what I’ve found that men like in a woman’s body. Most men don’t like the stick thin women that advertisers believe is beautiful. One day I polled 100 men and 74% said they preferred women of an average size as opposed to models in the magazines. I believe the attraction to models that men have has more to do with perceived status than an actual beauty preference.

Ddj: The meat-heads you interviewed had me laughing (and crying) with pity. Do you find Chris Keefe to be a product of society or simply somebody who chooses to under-value the smart, beautiful women around him? What type of women do you think are attracted to arrogant men?

DR: I think that Chris Keefe undervalues smart, beautiful women because he is a product of this society. When you think about it, if advertisers have women thinking that they have to look a certain way to be beautiful and then they have men believing that the women that they date should look a certain way the both are victims. Just different sides of the coin. From what I’ve noticed mainly women with low-self esteem are attracted to really arrogant men.

Ddj: Have you found love again?

DR: Well not yet, though I will say I have been dating some awesome women over the last 3 years. And it’s only a matter of time before I meet the right woman and walk down the aisle. I can feel it.

Ddj: What do you think advertisers and magazine editors can do to help women, as opposed to target them? Aren’t they just doing their job?

DR: I believe magazine editors can stand up to advertisers and convince them that women want to see a wider range of body types and standards of beauty. Imagine if a magazine put an average size woman on the cover with articles featuring average sized women then went back to the advertisers and told them how much positive feedback they’d gotten. The editors are on the front lines with the consumer. They stand the best chance of getting advertisers to realize that they’re alienating a large percentage of women by promoting a monolithic standard of beauty. Yes, I suppose they’re just doing their jobs, but I believe social responsibility should be infused with the requirements of capitalism.

Ddj: What was the strangest thing you found women did to “improve” their bodies?

DR: While making the film, I saw a woman go into a plastic surgeon’s office and ask him to make her vagina look like a woman in Playboy. That was the strangest thing I saw. BY FAR!

Ddj: You tackled parts of a big, consumeristic, hedonistic, capitalistic issue of retail products that kill women slowly. Have any companies stopped using phthalates since ATB came out?

DR: I believe two companies have stopped using phthalates since the film came out. The rest of the companies keep harmful ingredients in their products because we haven’t voiced a loud enough concern about it. Remember – the entire economy of the beauty industry is driven by our dollars.

Ddj: First impressions: How did you find Gerren Taylor and what was most notable to you about her upon meeting? What were the positive and negative aspects of her involvement in the modeling industry, starting so young, at 12 years old?

DR: I met Gerren at a fashion show in Los Angeles. I think the negative aspect is developing one’s self esteem from something so transient. Just the concept that an industry could tell you that you’re hot and beautiful then change the standard is scary. That’s what happened to Gerren. When the industry decided that she was no longer what they craved, it was all downhill from there. And I don’t see anything positive about someone modeling in runway shows half-naked at 12. I’m sorry.

Ddj: Did you find Gerren’s relationship with her mother to be healthy?

DR: Well it depends on how you define healthy. I’m sorry I can’t answer this question, it’s way too controversial.

Ddj: Technical Question: How long did the documentary take to film, start to finish and what kind of camera did you use?

DR: The documentary took a total of 5 years from start to finish. I used the Panasonic DVX-100a camera.

Ddj: Did you find the red carpet – backstage fashion show – E! Entertainment world you crashed, with questions about social consciousness, to be intimidating?

DR: I’ve done two feature films and I’ve been to several of those kind of functions. And at the end of the day, Paris Hilton brushes her teeth just like I do. Just with a more expensive toothbrush.

Ddj: I loved the moment when you talked with Anthony Kiedis. He’s a hero of mine. What did you take away from that?

DR: Anthony Kiedis got me to realize that every one living has something unique and beautiful about them.

Ddj: What are your future projects and please tell our readers – both women and men, anything else you’d like to share about life, liberty and the pursuit of the perfect nose:

DR: My next project is a documentary dealing with health that shatters the whole BMI myth. The film is called America the Beautiful: Health for Sale. As far as life, liberty and the pursuit of the perfect nose, don’t do it. The nose that you have is just fine!

To learn more about America The Beautiful doc, visit: AmericaTheBeautifulDoc.com/.

If you or somebody you like a lot suffers from disordered eating contact: National Eating Disorder Association or Monte Nido Treatment Center.

***

Darrah de jour is a freelance journalist who lives in LA with her dog Oscar Wilde. Her writing has appeared in Marie Claire, Esquire and W. In her Red, White and Femme: Strapped With A Brain – And A Vagina columns for SuicideGirls, Darrah will be taking a fresh look at females in America.

by Blogbot

With the likes of Katy Perry, Nicole Scherzinger, and Anjelina Jolie rockin’ latex on the red carpet in recent times, the look has lost some of its shock value. That said, latex is always worthy of a second glance if worn well – especially down your local supermarket.

However, true latex fetishists love it for more than its look or shock value. The tactile material has a unique feel, smell, and luster (when polished), and clings to the body like a second skin – making it truly sense-ual wear.

Here’s a selection of latex outerwear looks that Suicide Girls are putting on – and taking off.





[Sawa in Skin Tight Pink]



[Moxi in Bed Behavior]



[Vivid in All Is Full Of Love]



[Discordia in Beam Me Up]



[Sid in Sidtronic]



[Satya in The Rack]



[Truffles in Rain Reloaded]



[Jackie in Faster Pussycat]



[Fetish in Biohazard]



[Machiko in Roar]



[Apnea in Butterflys]

Fashion Notes

Latex is a delicate fabric that can catch and tear easily, so it’s important to wear with care. When putting on latex clothing, lightly talcum powder the inside or apply a silicone-based lube. Wash after wearing with mild soap and water, and hang to dry. Store in a cool, dry, and dark place. If storing for any length of time, lightly power before putting your clothes away. And, as every Latex fashionista knows, never leave home without a stash of Armoral Ultra Shine Wipes, so you can keep your look polished on the go.

Want to know more about latex, or meet people that do? Join SG’s Latex Fiends

Group, which is dedicated to those of us who love latex. Share latex tips (wearing, buying, creating), preferences, and photos. Please.

Check back for more Dirty Laundry and let SuicideGirls show you the best way to (un)dress.

by Blogbot

Radeo Suicide is a self-identifying underwear addict. We challenged her to make a video showcasing her best purchases from 2010. This is the result:

by Blogbot

“If I were to pick just one trend of lingerie to highlight, it would be, without question, the vintage sensation,” says SG member and lingerie expert Sauda. “High waisted knickers, longline bras, and basques are in very high demand. Retro and vintage lingerie flatters all body types; less hour-glass figured women get a significant boost from the accentuating fit and seam details, and curvy girls are showcased just as Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Sophoia Loren, and Brigitte Bardot were in their prime. ”

Here’s a selection of the best vintage style lingerie that Suicide Girls are putting on – and taking off – this season.





[Chunni in Illumi Naughty]



[Radeo in Nocturna Artificiala]



[Levee in 1932 Lincoln]



[Benten in Miss Taylor]



[GoGo in Lisbon Girl]



[Rambo in Petite Plume]



[Calamity in Within and Without]



[Luscious in Afternoon Delight]

[Bettina in Return to Black Pleather Lagoon]

Fashion Notes

“The ultra feminine styles and fabrics are reminiscent of an era of high glamour,” says Sauda. “This is underscored in the to-die-for styling of period TV shows such as Mad Men. Less revealing designs can be more flirtatious and teasing than tiny stripper thongs. The market is taking notice too. Frederick’s of Hollywood launched their ICON collection this year, which is based directly on their original designs from the 1950s. On the indie end of the spectrum, ToadLillie offer stunning examples of handcrafted lingerie.”

Are you an intimate apparel aficionado? Then join our Lingerie Addicts Group (for SG Members only).

Aside from being the owner of SG’s Lingerie Addicts and Burlesque and Vaudeville groups, Sauda is a burlesque dancer who’s also worked in the lingerie industry since 2005. She launched her own Etsy store for pasties, Suadela Intimates, this year.

Check back for more Dirty Laundry and let SuicideGirls show you the best way to (un)dress.

by Blogbot

2010 was without doubt the year of the striped sock. Stockings were put to bed in favor off these warm and fuzzy alternatives that say you’re sexy without trying unfashionably hard.

Here’s a selection of the best striped leg wear that Suicide Girls were putting on – and taking off – this year.





[Luscious in Grime]



[Salliss in Take Two]



[Rambo in Dancing]



[Vesta in Feeling This]



[Squeak in I Am]



[Kaelyn in Good Fortune]



[Phecda in Game Cube]



[Sash in Angeles]

Fashion Notes

“I love socks because I love how an often overlooked article of clothing can make a person feel so much more powerful,” says Khoos, SG’s resident soxpert who runs the site’s Rock My Socks Group. “And when it comes time to get down and dirty, there’s no fussing over clasps or buttons with socks. You can leave them on or rip them off!”

Looking to sox up your life? Try these American Apparel knee and thigh highs, which come in a variety of colors and contrasting stripe combos. And if your sock fetish goes beyond the realm of what AA can assomodate, try Sockdreams.com which has a vast selection of leg wear, including specialty ranges such as toe socks, super-high “dream sock” stockings, and ones which are exclusively made in the USA (all of which are available with stripes).

Check back for more Dirty Laundry and let SuicideGirls show you the best way to (un)dress.

by SuicideGirls Radio Host Sam Doumit (SG Member: Samia)



TRY: Getting hooked on my shopping addiction – Gilt.com.

WHY: They offer items from the most coveted designers, such as Alexander McQueen (yes they REALLY do!), Christian Louboutin, Rock & Republic, and everyday brands like American Apparel and Converse. The best part is that everything is at least 50% to 70% off. Yes, EVERYTHING!

They’re not just moving merchandise from last season that nobody else wants either. I’ve found items two months BEFORE they hit the regular stores. For example, I saw a pair of Henry Duarte for J Brand waxed denim jeans in a magazine and searched everywhere for them before discovering that the $400 leather-look jeans wouldn’t be available for two months. Then I saw them on Gilt for $98! I freaked out and bought a pair immediately. My other fave purchase is my to-die-for black studded, metal spike heeled Rock & Republic boots. They originally cost $498, but I got them for $110.



HOW TO: The sales start at 9 AM and only last for 3 days, so you have to be on the ball and act quick. I’m up at 9 every morning checking for new items on the site. Also, because of super limited inventory, you can only keep items in your cart for 10 minutes. Once the countdown clock stops, items are released for someone else to snatch up – essential to know if you find a one of a kind vintage Chanel piece on Gilt.

And, as if super hot designer items at unbelievably cheap prices weren’t good enough, it gets even better. Their return policy rocks: they pay for return shipping. Gilt is totally free to join. Their customer service is very classy, with no annoying emails, and there’s a chic little app for your iPhone which is seriously dangerous!

by Shotgun

TRY: A punk rock DIY spin on the classic French manicure – done the easy way with the help of a little sticky tape.

WHY: Everything is better when done French style.





Things You’ll Need:

• 2 different color nail polishes (one for a base color and the other for the tips)


• Clear nail polish


• Tape


• Cotton swabs (optional)

HOW TO: