skin and bones

So, camera USB chord: kind of lost! And schoolwork: kind of busy! So, old photos. A while ago the people at the MOCA shop in L.A. were kind enough to send me this book called Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices Between Fashion and Architecture. I don't know if they were being nice or if they wanted me to write about it but it's pretty so I'm posting anyway.
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(I know the cover is lame, but that's why you don't judge books!)

This sounds dangerously similar to that one George Bush quote, but while I haven't read all of the book, it has very pretty pictures! You see, these kinds of special books that I can't take to read in class call for Special Reading Time, which is, by definition, when hours are set aside to read special books that I can't take to read in class. So this summer I will take some time to, at the suggestion of Le Tigre, get off the Internet, and just read these giant books and put a "do not disturb" sign outside our treehouse. It'll be very J.D. Salinger, very secluded and mysterious. Then a few hours will pass, and I'll be like "IS #RTifYouraBelieber STILL TRENDING ON TWITTER OR HAS #UknowUrAddicted2JustinBieberWhen MADE IT TO THE TOP YET???/" and log on. Then I'll see that Bret Easton Ellis is still sexist, and more people are working to create a Stop Angelina From Dressing Shiloh Like A Boy Because Then She Will Literally Be A Murderer When She Grows Up foundation, and more triangles are on Tumblr, and I'll be like, "damn, Internet, you're boring, and you also depress me, and how can I be this grossed out at humans when school is not even in?" Then I'll watch Daria on Youtube because I won't have bought the box set yet because I procrastinate, and I'll be like, "Well, at least you have Daria."

So, this book! I just realized that I took way more pictures of the fashion pages than the architecture ones (naturally, I guess) but they really are best together when you can see an insane building immediately followed by an incredibly similar dress. There are the obvious designers -- Hussein Chalayan, Viktor & Rolf, and more that are usually considered "architectural" because their clothing tends to have more structure to it. But then there were some like Alber Elbaz or Dries van Noten, whose designs are no table dress, who I had never thought of as having much in common with architecture the same way Yohji Yamamoto does. The inclusion of Alaia surprised me, for example, but the book knew where I was going: "While his designs may appear simple, their manufacture is complex." It goes into detail about his specific techniques before showing a photo of a Shigeru Ban house. Besides the similarities in the actual construction of all the clothes or buildings, the book also discusses the cultural messages they all give out or referenced, and I found it to be very interesting to compare the way a designer executes a concept to the way an architect does.
But enough rambling! Photo time!

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How I plan to get married. No spouse necessary, I would really just like to wear a giant hat and a dress that requires assitants.
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IMG_4803IMG_4801IMG_4798IMG_4797IMG_4796IMG_4791IMG_4789IMG_4788
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More photos here. Does anyone else own this book? Aren't the photos great? Are the actual words any good?

95 comments:

Stephanie said...

I've wanted this book for a looooooong time, so thanks for telling me where I can get it!

Alizée Gaie said...

i love this book rocky ! the dess of married was very great !
Bisous, bisous, Alizée G.
http://alizee-gaie.blogspot.com
http://alizee-gaie.blogspot.com

matthew roland said...

I used to have four USB cables. Now I'm down to one. It explains how my photo posts are becoming more and more infrequent. Oh well!

Sonia said...

That book looks really good! I can imagine you wering that wedding dress!
And same, I have a big book like that, waiting to be read, but I'm to busy wasting time to read it. Oh well, Im sure procrastination is a skill ;)

Sonia // Dozen Dresses

MERMAID HAIR said...

don't have the book- but is on my 'to buy list' now. i went to the exhibition at the MOCA a few years back and it was uhmazing. they had this one room with a v&r show (which you must find). the exits were all in this blue colour but had a film screening on them to give the effect of motion and seamlessness on the garments...i think it was 2001..cant be too sure.

Moira Pineda said...

i don't have it, but i would love to own it. it looks really interesting.

also, your wedding would be GREAT, if you wore that, ;)

Leslie said...

ok this book fuses two of my greatest loves together and i am surprised it's not already chillin' out in my amazon wishlist with le corbusier's le grand and s gideon's mechanization takes command, and all those other fancy books that i can't afford but are eventually supposed to be part of my "Adult Life Book Collection", because all my favorite people have those.

anyways, is it 21st century architecture only?

Miss Molly said...

Looks like such a great book! thanks so much for sharing! have a lovely weekend and good luck with all the school work!
xoxo

Juanduh said...

I NEED IT.

Olivia Isabella. said...

Seriously desiring this book now! I really do want to actually read it ;)
UO x
http://www.unionolivia.blogspot.com/

Kirsty said...

this book sounds great. i'm from near birmingham england where the silver bubble building (selfridges) is, it's amazing!

kaye said...

i love the outfits here!


www.saturdaystylebykaye.blogspot.com
www.saturdaystylebykaye.blogspot.com

janina said...

i want this book!! i was looking for it in Amazon, and it costs 120$!! :(

www.laboixeta.com

Anonymous said...

they had this exhibition at somerset house in london...so good

ByRICHaRD said...

I saw this exhibition at Somerset House in London. It was amazing. Especially the Viktor and Rolf 'blue screen' dresses. <3

zoomslow said...

"I know the cover is lame, but that's why you don't judge books!"

:-)))

miau magazine said...

oooooo!!!!!!! iii realllyyy want this bookkk....

rar said...

That book hit the point when it comes to fashion. It sholud be art and fun. I'm a designer myself and in my opinion fashion is a kind of architecture. Aealosus about that book. BTW Love you Tavi

Hazard Ahead said...

Oh - I saw the Skin and Bones exhibition at Somerset House a few months back - the pieces in situ were really inspiring, especially the McQueen male bride video

SabinePsynopsis said...

Oh Tavi, you could marry the dress! As long as you get a few assistants to cater to all your needs. I do understand the inclusion of Alaia. He does seem to have a structural understanding of the body, like an architect.

ilovefashion said...

cool book! I should have gone to that exhibition!

http://fashion-in-pictures.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

wow, I seriously want that but $120 Janina/r, maybe I'll afford it when I'm rich and famous

davidikus said...

A lost chord... A camera-USB chord... How very poetic... I heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the lord, but you were not really talking about music, were you? Does it go like this: the fourth, the fifth...

Hope you find your cord & can show us more pictures!

http://davidikus.blogspot.com/

o'dary ▼ tvoronovich said...

sharp-cut.
i'm even charming.
bu-ut.
Someone. show me Junya Watanabe’s collection 2000-2001. I can't find it. can't find it. at all.

Jeanne Suica Vintage & Collectable Clothing said...

On my to buy list thanks for sharing it. It will help me to document my vintage and collectable clothing.
J

Colourgirl said...

wow! Very nice! =)

Colourgirl:
http://colourgirlsdiary.blogspot.com/

Hal E. Liebling said...

Thanks for the suggestion, the photos look amazing. xo

HALCOHOLIC.com

ספיר said...

I read your blog and I'm really amazed.
I am 13 years old fashion fan from Israel and I think it is fantastic to see how Successful you are.
Go on like this!
*English is my second language and not perfect.sorry!*

ספיר said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Frockspotter said...

preeetty pictures! I want that book!!


www.frockspot.com :D

Inside-Out (Topshop) said...

The exhibition that went alongside this book was amazing. One of the best fashion exhibitions we've seen in London for a while. Hopefully, the Margiela one opening in the same space shortly will be as good.

Emma said...

Looks like a great book. I never thought that Dries was an "architectual" designer, but whatever! Great pictures, anyhow. Glad CdG made it in there, the Lumps and Bumps collection was so wonderful.
How'd you like the fall 2010 collection?
Thanks for another great post!
-Emma

Daisy said...

i have seen some of these dresses before but i have no idea where..
Nice post.

http://daisytt.blogspot.com/
xx

Dale Berning said...

Hey tavi
i don't have the book, but it looks good... that photo of issey miyake dresses hanging from the ceiling was taken at a show of his i saw at the fondation cartier in paris, i think. that installation was amazing - the dresses were suspended on wires that would be rolled up and down by motors on timers, at different speeds, whizzing with different tunes, the dresses bouncing and hopping and then all suddenly stopping and swaying gently til they came to a standstill... and then it would all start again. oh it was beautiful. the sound and the movement were mesmerising

WendyB said...

I don't have time to read this post because i have to go tweet about Bieber RIGHT NOW!

kaile said...

I saw this exhibit in Tokyo a few years ago. One of the best and most inspiring exhibitions I've ever seen.

Need this book!

xx

http://stuffnonsense.com

Anonymous said...

it was orginially an exhibition at somerset house which i went to see a few years ago, i never knew there was a book but i think i'll amazon this now. when i went for my art college interviews a couple of months ago some of the interviewers recommended i check out the somerset house web info about if before knowing i'd seen the exhibition, so it's clearly pretty renowned around the uk.

http://1photo365days.tumblr.com/

FASHION SNAG said...

Love the images in this book. Thanks for sharing! x

www.FashionSnag.com

SEE U ON MARS said...

www.celinelellouche.com

Stray From The Mode said...

oohhh, that looks really good! I think I'll have to buy that :p http://strayfromthemode.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Jane said...

Very inspiring images!

Unknown said...

how could you say the cover is lame! it is absolutely gorgous, just as much as the inside is, and reflects the architecture inside.
i love this book!

naomi.

UshiSato said...

Oh my TAVI...I so lurv the book...
Surely I will hunt this to have my own!!!!

I want one of that!!!!


waaaaahhhhh........

UshiSato said...

Oh my TAVI...I so lurv the book...
Surely I will hunt this to have my own!!!!

I want one of that!!!!


waaaaahhhhh........

UshiSato said...

Oh my TAVI...I so lurv the book...
Surely I will hunt this to have my own!!!!

I want one of that!!!!


waaaaahhhhh........

Cheryl Cambras said...

looks awesome. i would get divorced and remarried just to wear that dress.

The Vegaran said...

That really seems like an interesting book, and if MOCA wanted you to advertise the book, you did a good job! And I never read books if there are loads of photos... Psshhht reading...

LASHER said...

i live where the 9th picture is, the selfridges birmingham bubble, its amazing, amazing book

Sterling said...

Looks like a pretty awesome book. (':
Love the blog.

Emma Rose said...

I have not read this particular book, but anything with beautiful pictures that captures the blend between fashion and architecture is bound to be good.

And can you really watch full Daria episodes on YouTube?!

www.emmasroses.blogspot.com

Emmy said...

Hi Tavi, ive been following your blog for a while now, and i just created my own (literally an hour ago) im not really sure what i should do, as per usual!! do you have any tips?

http://littlemissmagpie-emmy.blogspot.com

Marianne said...

Was just reading this book the other day. How WEIRD. Mainly concerned with how the two lasses with the pointy hair are stealing one of my friend's style. But in all seriousness, we enjoyed the pictures greatly but haven't yet tried out the words. I imagine them to contain the term "post-modern" quite a lot.

Sheik said...

I actually like the cover... Sometimes I like catchy, colorful, oh my god it poked my eye out...covers but SOMETIMES I like very simplistic covers who make you think "Okay, lets see what's inside, it can't be worse than the cover." kind of thing...

Anyway, the book looks great. I'd like to get my hands on one..~ I live near LA...I should check out the MOCA shop~

walrus said...

skni and bones= when the models die of starvation fashion designers sell their bones to architects who use them to make building materials.
true story....what did you think the powdery stuff in sheetrock was?
;P

Cora said...

Special reading time. Love it, do it all the time....

Cora x

Little Miss Violet said...

I have a picture of that big puffy pink dress on my wall. It's kinda wonderful.

Anonymous said...

I NEED THIS BOOK IN MY LIFE!

firefly said...

It looks good, with decent-sized photographs but I haven't seen it around yet.

Yes, let's all watch Daria on Youtube (I'm saving money for graduation)!

agent 0017/shay said...

love the bubble building! great looking book......:)

Becky said...

i don't think the cover is that bad. I guess a little unoriginal and minimal though.

Unknown said...

Hi Tavi,

Wow! Thanks for the shout out on Skin +Bones! I was the curator of the show, which opened at MOCA in Fall 2006. I loved working on the project and the book and am hoping to do a part 2 OR a prequel.

Sadly, the book is out of print now but there are still some copies floating around and the best place to find one may be the MOCA bookstore. We'll make sure that the publisher sees all of your readers' comments.

Glad that you like the book and if you ever want an explanation about the concept behind the cover, let me know!

Brooke Hodg

Unknown said...

oh, just found that missing 'e'

Brooke Hodge

denada said...

Amazing that the curator of the show is posting!! Ahhh!!

It's cheaper at the MOCA store than on Amazon. And they supposedly give discounts to members...

http://www.mocastore.org/collections/exhibition-catalogues?page=2

Unknown said...

you holding the pages of the book while you photograph the pictures is very "bruce mau." and is similar to what he did while shooting rem koolhaas's monograph s,m,l,xl of which mau shared authorship.

brilliant!

[originally from toronto, canada, mau maintains a 2nd studio in chicago now. small world, eh?]

xobolaji

www.ithinkyoushould.com

Sally Gordon said...

this is so bizarre, my blog is called skin and bones, now i just feel stupid

POPPY FRENCH said...

Oh no not Birmingham. The Selfridges building is one of the only good things in the entire place and is it not a very salubrious area.The 'Taboo' cinema on one side and the roughest pub in the world on the other. Someday I think the building will just pick up its feet and move somewhere better.
p.s. I do actually love BirMINGham really. Promise.

L I D A said...

I study architecture, but I'm more into fashion right now, so thanks for this post-it makes me feel like I haven't done a big mistake(choosing to study arch) after all...
love your blog
kisess from slovenia

Pretty Provocative said...

Beautiful! Fusing architecture and fashion is genius.

Anne♥ said...

wow intresting and beautiful..

http://coutureandsoon.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Hussein Chalayan is in every art book about fashion. Still can't get enough of the robotic dress.

-Tforia, a fashion blog
tforia.com

Dahlia said...

looks like a cool book.

stephanie. said...

i love this book, i've seen it before didnt buy it but yeah.
fashion is architecture.

Mathilda said...

This book is fantastic. I love it.
A wise publisher should make a book of pictures of you, since the beginning of this blog, with your writings and everything as well.

Erik said...

Wow! This book looks like my kind of book! All of the pictures are brilliant, I don't even think I care about the words. Thanks for sharing! :)

Anne♥ said...

Good?
I think u cant say words for this *♥*



WANT IT !

http://coutureandsoon.blogspot.com/

xoxo♥Amy


http://coutureandsoon.blogspot.com/

Alex said...

this is one of my favorite fashion books!!!

Kelly said...

Have the book, went to the exhibit. I thought it was effing amazing... mostly as one who has grown up with an enormous passion for fashion, it was so disconcerting to enter a study such as Architecture where it was mostly considered fluff. I think we are at an amazing time period where there is respect between different arts...less judging and more research and curiosity in how the others do IT. I find that inspiring and encouraging.

Anonymous said...

i work at the top of that big bubble building! it's not as good inside as it looks from the outside. and that bridge is a death bridge. absolutely terrifying!

Ms. Wedgie said...

It's great to see a picture of the Selfridges store at the Bullring in my hometown Birmingham, England (the big futuristic alien looking building)! I go there every week! :)
x

cancercowboy said...

quite interesting but darn expensive. i hope Taschen does have something similar.

Vintage Pattern Vault said...

I'm soo glad you posted about this Tavi! I actually own this book, bought back right around the time the exhibition ended.

Anonymous said...

Amo tu blog tavi, sos genial soy de argentina, sigo todos tus post, te mando muchos saludos, nunca cambies, elisa

consume her said...

"How I plan to get married. No spouse necessary, I would really just like to wear a giant hat and a dress that requires assistants."



exactly.

Shawn said...

Looks interesting, will check it out!

http://www.iamaltamoda.com/

dani d. said...

i don't own this book but i saw the exhibit at Somerset House in London a few years back! it was pretty phenom.

Renee said...

Shigeru Ban's Curtain Wall House? My friend just used that, and a bunch of Viktor & Rolf, mixed with Lady Gaga for her Master of Architecture thesis. You should check out the work of Heather Roberge out of UCLA - I took a studio with her this fall, and she is really interested in how fashion construction affects building construction. www.murmur-la.com.

--Renee

Anonymous said...

What a cool book! I just love stuff like that. I have a great book that is about body painting, it features Demi Moore on the cover (painted to look like she is wearing a double breasted ;) pinstripe suit) and inside it features really cool body painting and fashion combined. Its definately a conversation starter!

The Teenage Years said...

Wow. Birmingham Bullring is an amazing thing to behold. A piece of art from the outside, an amazing heavenly shop inside. Its a must-see if you visit Birmingham. Luckily for me, I live there! mwhahaha!

Katrina said...

I have had this book for about two years, but have only read the first few chapters. It is the kind of book that I feel will always be interesting, so I am in no rush. Another great book on this subject is 'The Fashion of Architecture' which I believe is out of print now - this I have read.

Unknown said...

This was actually an exhibit at MOCA a few years ago. I attended (being a fashion design student at the time) and was absolutely floored. To this day I have never seen such a great analytical exhibit.. one that brought two completely separate industries together in a brilliantly cohesive and exciting way. Glad to see you are a fan.

Rebecca ❤ said...

thi blog it's beautiful! please pass here http://dearmebecks.blogspot.com/

misstutu said...

"How I plan to get married. No spouse necessary, I would really just like to wear a giant hat and a dress that requires assitants."

WOW. u just explained to me the possibilities in the impossible region when it comes to soulmates! YOU ARE GREAT IN WHAT YOU DO & THE THINGS YOU OFFER US IN FASHION & STYLE. <3 !

misstutu said...

"How I plan to get married. No spouse necessary, I would really just like to wear a giant hat and a dress that requires assitants."

WOW. u just explained to me the possibilities in the impossible region when it comes to soulmates! YOU ARE GREAT IN WHAT YOU DO & THE THINGS YOU OFFER US IN FASHION & STYLE. <3 !

Pamil said...

Oonly switched over to bloggers as opposed to editors/critics. I don't think there IS a select group because now everyone can have an opinion. If that makes sense Loxapine.

Oykuhaliyikama said...

Very nice model.I Like it
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