A Short History Of The Comic Strip In Popular Culture XV

1. Jamian Juliano-Villani Me,Myself And Jah-Jah, 2013
2. Marlie Mul Cigarette Ends Here (Do-Gooders), 2012
3. Tilt Alix Sofa, 2013
4. Roy Lichtenstein Atomic Landscape,1966

The cloud. The blow. The fart. While bubble and star shapes contain and visualize auditory events, the cloud represents the invisible and nonvocal. It is the most complex form, yet carries no meaning. Just air. The oral, anal and apocalyptic nothingness of meaningfulness.
/HORST

See also The Explosion Star and The Speech Bubble

News Alert: Missing Sunset Re-Appears

1. Beijing Televised Sunrise, 2014
2. Calvin Klein Spring/Summer 2014

Red sun, black frame. What has been cut away on the sweatshirt artworks of Italo Zucchelli's army of 'menkind' now emerges amidst the grey clouds of smog and pollution. Dramatic scenes, shockingly beautiful and ironic, are rising when the world is about to end.
/HORST

Anti-Me Society

Junya Watanabe Spring/Summer 2014

Revolting against oneself and a new-found appreciation of the 'ugly' were the core motifs of the Paris Spring/Summer 2014 collections - at least the stronger ones, namely those of Comme des Garcçons, Yohji Yamamoto and Junya Watanabe. Those who know will wear spiked boots next season.
/HORST

Couples IV

1. Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2014
2. Claire Barrow Spring/Summer 2014

When menswear and womenswear go hand in hand, and - unknowingly - reflect each other. For Spring/Summer 2014, Claire Barrow and Marc Jacobs created a genderless, enhanced fashion experience. Fearless and transgressive, postwar power couples.
/HORST

A Short History Of The Grid In Popular Culture VIII

1. Bruno Zhu Untitled, 2013
2. Chloé Fall/Winter 2013
3. Raf Simons Fall/Winter 1998
4. LG Lundberg Stängsel, 1973-1979

The chain linked fence, once again: Somehow, it carries the subliminal attitude of Steampunk - the sub-genre that features machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized civilization. Put shortly, the fence motif in fashion introduces a pre-post-apocalyptic future.
/HORST

Post London VI

A 'False Encyclopaedia' double feature with Taj Ragland, discussing:
Xander Zhou Spring/Summer 2014

For Spring/Summer 2014 Xander Zhou has created a post-apocalyptic cyber uniform. Zhou's customer doesn't exist in this dimension. He's clearly designing for the technology-crazed avatars of the internet. Zhou pushed full force into uncharted territory of the Web, presenting cold, clinical, deconstructed suiting with a focus on experimentation with strong contrasts. The silhouettes were flat, straight and unisex and Zhou's use of an array of tones, fabrics and references made for an otherworldly effect. The details and accessories add an extra plane to the Xander Zhou man's story, the super-long sleeves, silver chokers and PVC patches on black loafers add personality to the looks, no matter how disaffected and aloof.

Zhou's piece de resistance came in the form of a group of photo-collaged car coats, slathered in screen grabs of internet search engines, social media, error messages and Asian horror films. A complete wardrobe for a desensitized, analytic internet-dwelling youth. Count me in.
/TAJ

As dishevelled study of post-apocalyptic rent boys, Xander Zhou crosses Prada's futurism with bittersweet cosplay. Throwing in various artefacts ranging from the 'cute' and 'horrible' to the 'naive' and 'unrighteous'. Eventually, these forces end tangled up in gallimaufry - just like the misplaced collars and 'wrong' sleeve lengths.
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1. Xander Zhou Spring/Summer 2014
2. Google 1998-2013
3. Jeremy Scott Fall/Winter 2012
4. Columbine High School massacre 1999
5. Battle Royale 2000
6. Prada Fall/Winter 2008
7. Robert Mapplethorpe Dominick And Elliot, 1979
8. Xander Zhou Spring/Summer 2014

All about Taj Ragland

Black Hole Sun

Patrik Ervell Spring/Summer 2013

Back on track. Better and darker. Patrik Ervell, the man who introduced the plastic raincoat as consistent part of a classic wardrobe, explores protective suiting against the apocalyptic sun.
/HORST

Image credits Style.com

International Herald Tribune

1. Damir Doma Spring/Summer 2013
2. Jil Sander Fall/Winter 2012

The IHT is the self-proclaimed global edition of the New York Times. In the semantic context of 'global', the use of an IHT newspaper functions as a symbol for survival and therefore absolute accessory for human mankind threatened by the apocalypse of global crimes.
/HORST