Vampire Hypebeast Attire + Vibey Y2K Nostalgia 'Fits
Hand-bleached double denim, nostalgic Playboy bunny loafers, OTT embellished New Balance sneakers and more
Welcome to ICYMI, an ad hoc edition of the Fashion Tingz newsletter that's part curated product guide, part events you need to know about, part fashion places you should visit… but mostly it's a place to delve into good ol’ fashion lore.
As an ex-fashion editor and personal stylist, I see a lot of cool fashion shit floating around the digital depths of the Internet.
Now, this stuff may seem kind of out there, kind of obscure, or kind of boring — it all depends on who you ask.
This isn’t your typical fashion listicle encouraging you to buy stuff you don’t need. I see this as a curated guide of products, places or events I genuinely feel drawn to whether mainstream fashion peeps like it or not.
Welcome to ICYMI.
The mood of these curated guides will ebb and flow depending on whatever’s going on in the fashion realm, and whatever I’m vibing with. Either way, it’s all that good good.
On today's agenda:
Spikey spine-tingling jewellery that'll have you flexing on the haters
Cartoonish bedazzled belts for all the Y2K-loving girlies and guys
Skeleton kimonos for the streetwear hypebeasts and heritage fashion lovers
Blinged-out grill fangs that'll make Dracula and his vampire cronies jealous
And a ton more.
This 2023 bleached denim set by A-Cold-Wall* is very, very nice. For this collection, the bleaching was all done by hand making each set unique to the wearer, and I kind of feel like this is what I'd wear if I were a rapper on stage at Coachella. No shade, it just gives off that vibe you know?
I've said it already, dental artistry is in its bad bitch era. And if you want to jump on the bandwagon, then I suggest you get yourself a WTAPS x Supreme Grillz from the AW21 collection (available on StockX for a ludicrous price I'm sure). If Dracula was a hypebeast then I know he'd be all over this — minus the garlic munching obviously.
There's handmade clothing that borders on being artistic, and then there's anatomical rib cage patchwork kimonos and hats made by Mutsu at Prospective Flow that takes it to a whole other level. The three brothers behind this LA-based clothing brand combine streetwear with Japanese folk sensibilities, and the result is an incredible mixture of craft and heritage reworked for the sartorially street wise.
This metal and resin crystal spine choker from Berlin-based artist Anastasia Pilepchuk is what spine-tingling dreams are made of. It reminds me of Alexander McQueen's "Spine" corset from his Spring/Summer 1998 show, and it gives me the chills in the best way possible. Next-level prom attire or a fashionable Halloween accessory, perhaps?
Duke & Dexter recently dropped their third Playboy collab and it is nothing short of iconic. To celebrate 70 years of the magazine the London shoemakers delved into the Playboy archives and revamped the Wilde Penny loafer with some of the magazine's most memorable cover shoots, and I've got my eye on the dissected bunny motif pair. Loafer lovers unite. This is your time.
Supreme may be going through a bit of a shaky phase, especially with so many newcomers on the market that are better tapped into the culture they're trying to serve, but still, they came in all guns blazing with their FW23 drop. And who starred in their latest campaign? Well, that'd be none other than Clint, the mastermind behind Corteiz - an interesting and unlikely pairing to say the least. Full circle moment.
These distorted sunglasses were part of Virgil Abloh's Louis Vuitton era, and you can see how he brought an Andy Warhol style pop art feel to a luxe fashion crowd. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone wear something so hyper-realistic out there in the wild, but this is exactly what I imagine Willy Wonka would wear if he was sitting FROW at fashion week.
Bows are cool and everything, but Adidas shorts decked out with bows by @fidannovruzovastudio? Mind blown. I remember seeing a Twitter thread about a guy who completely lost it over a similar design, but all it did was make the fashion girlies buy them in abundance. And that's that on that.
Sometimes you come across a fashion gem you can't stop thinking about that haunts your waking hours (that may be a tad dramatic but you catch my drift). And for me, it's this Diesel AW23 dress. It's giving slicked back Mermaidcore, it's giving I wear this to your wedding and all eyes are on me. Sorry not sorry.
Pink Panther has always been THE guy. The swagger + the attitude + the sashaying = major main character energy. Ukraine-based artist PODVALSLAYER makes hand-painted custom orders, and these Pink Panther jeans have shot straight to the top of my wish list - and yours now that you've seem them.
When in doubt, go heavy on the embellishment. Embellish everything everywhere, including your sneakers. Now, as a self-confessed sneakerhead, this customised New Balance 530 pair by footwear designer Agata Panucci spoke to me, but they are so beautiful I think I'd be too scared to wear them. But they could sit at the top of my closet looking pretty, and I’d be cool with that.
This is a drop that takes me back to my childhood and growing up in the noughties. Pink diamantés? Yes. Large belt buckles made to draw attention to the crotch? Yes again. B.B Simon teamed up with underground artist 730Carolina on a range of Kirby-inspired “Star Baby” belts that make wearable art fun, and, you know, actually wearable.
You should stop by…
London: a new exhibition at the Somerset House makes space for exploring the influence Black culture has had on British fashion, and it's about time. 'The Missing Thread: Untold Stories of Black British Fashion' will run from 21 September 2023 — 07 January 2024, and I suggest you get your ass down there if you want to know more about Britain's Black fashion icons.
Leeds: as part of a new exhibition, The Weight of Words, at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, Shanzhai Lyric’s latest installation of branded t-shirts are strewn across the space as they find meaning in the meaningless, changing the way we think about fashion knock-offs.
London: JW Anderson has curated a new exhibition titled "ON FOOT" that opens from September 18 to October 28 at Offer Waterman in London. Another installation that gets into the life of a Londoner, the works on show from contemporary artists explore and celebrate London for all that she is.
Beijing: Stüssy has opened a store in Beijing conceptualised by Perron-Roettinger and it's the latest venue to join the brand’s worldwide network, with the stripped back aesthetics, upcyled materials and woodwork complimenting a local design style.
If you're vibing with this newsletter, let me know. Or better yet, you can subscribe to get weekly doses of fashion goodness straight in your inbox — the choice is yours.