Sourpuss Clothing’s Bat Barrette

image source sourpussclothing.com

One of my personal mottos is, “Everyday is Halloween”, quoted from the industrial godfathers Ministry.  So wearing adornments such as bats, spiders, and the general spooky accessory is a year round occasion.  I have purchased several Bat Barrettes by Sourpuss Clothing and absolutely LOVE THEM.  The little bats are made of lightweight metal and attach to your hair with a beefy metal clip, which makes them stay in place and not fly off your head (no pun intended!).  The metal Bat Barrettes are painted and come in lime green, red, and black, and I’ve even seen them lurking around in purple!  This barrette is a perfect compliment to a sleek straight bob cut or can rest in a glorious rat’s nest.  Every gal needs to get a little batty every once in a while.

The Bat Barrette is available online at www.sourpussclothing.com.

- Meagan

fashion designer : All Saints
photographer : Steve Prue
model : Arden Leigh
hair and makeup : Arden Leigh

All Saints is the embodiment of accessible everyday fashions for women and men of all genres. With a mixture of simple well-designed tops, classic jeans, and flowing daytime dresses this brand is like comfort food for fashion.  Organic beauty with a synthetic bite, the quality of the clothes evokes a feeling of movement created by the layers of cottons, and slimming lines, which create naturally feminine silhouettes. The flowing fabrics draw the eye down the body in a soft seduction extenuating the suggestion of the subtle curves of the body. These elements create a muted simplicity and understated disheveled elegance. The meditative shades of earth tones, and grayscale touching the extremes create a poetic ambiance in which the clothes are able to speak for themselves without the need of being overdesigned. The utilization of calming textures, allows the fabric to be shown as cozy and chic. Something you would definitely want to wear to an easy Sunday brunch.

- Molly Maureen Hoeltke

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The Veil
written by El Torres
illustration by Gabriel Hernandez

reviewd by : EJTower

As the old proverb has it: in the land of the blind, the one eyed woman is queen.  But in a detective noir world tainted by the unseen presence of a viscous, Lovecraft-inspired zoology, actually seeing is a serious problem.  Christine Luna has many problems as a private investigator, she works for the dead, taking her living from the forgotten savings accounts and death throws of her clients’ remaining credit cards, but she has finally reached rock bottom, bank broke.  Returning to her home town in Maine, she plans to sell off the old family property, but instead unearths ghosts from her past that answer questions she never dared to ask.  Ghosts that force her to remember: the accident that gave her the power to see beyond the veil, the world that lurks beyond, and the one who is waiting there to come through.

In The Veil, El Torres writes a story worthy of the Lovecraft mythos that is fused perfectly with the frenetic, atmospheric art of Gabriel Hernandez.  The art manages the impossible perfectly, by illustrating moments of indescribable horror, while maintaining the noir feel in moments of apparent normalcy.  The singular failure of the work is the rapid conclusion, which might have benefited from a more gradual turn around and fewer hasty transitions from place to place, but this does not seriously detract from the whole.  This graphic novel is a fitting choice for anyone who can properly speak the name Cthulhu, although the great old one does not appear in this work.  Originally released in four single issues, it is now available in a single book from IDW Publishing.

overall 8 . story 7 . art 8

more info at www.idwpublishing.com

De/Visions newest album Popgefahr was a pleasant surprise, after I felt their last album, Noob, was average at best. This video “Rage” is the single of the newest album and being one of the stronger songs on the album this should give you a good feel for what the rest of it is all about.

Enjoy.

also check out Auxiliary Magazines review of Popgefahr in the April/May 2010 Issue

- Mike

Fluevog’s Hi Choice Vanny Heel

image source fluevog.com

It’s hard to believe that John Fluevog is celebrating his 40^th anniversary! In celebration, he is re-issuing his favorite shoe style’s from each decade. The Hi Choice Vanny heel was a favorite in early 2000s and is available again for our shopping pleasure.

I love the classy shape of this sexy secretary inspired shoe with a heart shaped heel! The o-ring detail gives the shoe a harder edge, but the over all design makes these heels a very versatile asset in your closet. The Hi Choice Vanny can be paired up with a classic suit for work or dressed up with an A-line mini dress for an evening of martinis. Fluevog makes quality pieces that are worth every penny and many people have exclaimed that they are unbelievably comfortable!

The Hi Choice Vanny Heel is available online at www.fluevog.com.

- Meagan

Ever since the promo of Goldfrapp’s new album Headfirst came in, it has mysteriously always ended up in my CD player. The first single off the album is “Rocket”, not my personal favorite off the album but it is the single and here is a video.

Enjoy.

also check out Auxiliary Magazine’s review of Headfirst in the April/May 2010 issue

- Mike

tomorrowland jacket w/draped collar, lambskin & recycled leather, $1,245, by custom order
ruffle skirt, rayon jersey w/recycled vintage lace slip, $210, by custom order
tribal fusion pendant necklace, $95, by custom order

What is your background in fashion and accessory design?

When I was about 14, I became inspired to learn how to sew. My mom pulled out her old 1970s mint green Singer, taught me how to thread the bobbin, patted me on the ass, and said, “have fun.” I started making really unique, but very badly sewn clothes, and continued to do so throughout high school. I credit much of my creative path to the teenage years I spent in the rave scene, in Buffalo and Toronto. I was inspired not only by the music, but by the people I met from all different walks of life who came to revel until the wee hours of the morning in the most fantastic and ridiculous outfits I have ever laid eyes on. I fell in love with this unapologetic self-expression, and thus began my affair with adornment. My “official” education came from Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, NY) where I studied fashion design, costume, and cultural studies. During my time at Pratt I interned with NYC accessory designer, Kelly Horrigan, to whom I credit my leather-working skills.

Do you find yourself influenced by other designers or past movements in fashion and costuming? Or do you find that more of your influence comes from outside fashion culture, looking more into ethnic influences, mass media, naturalism etc.?

I find that I’m most inspired by groups of people, tribes, I guess you could say, both ancient and modern. Native people in this country, in Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. And also the nomadic wanderers and spiritual seekers who make their pilgrimages each year to places like Goa, Burning Man, and Bali. This emerging modern tribal culture is one that offers a different approach to fashion and adornment – one that is entwined with conscious evolution.

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After the ultimately disappointing version of Alice by Tim Burton, and the near unanimous panning it received amongst the Auxiliary staff, perhaps it would be best if we recommended an alternative. The British Malice in Wonderland, out now on DVD if you can track down a copy and playing as of this weekend in some US theaters, is an energetic and dark romp through a twisted a unique underworld that is part dark fantasy and part British gangster film. Unique takes and reinterpretations of several of the classic characters of Alice in Wonderland abound here, packaged in that sort of grimy/cool wrapping that fans of early Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn crime flicks can easily relate too. Perhaps what we needed wasn’t an over commercialized pastiche laden film, but a total re-imagining of the source material to breath new life into the Lewis Carol fix that some of us need.

- Luke

Auxiliary Magazine will be at the upcoming Transmission Dance Party in Buffalo, NY! Transmission is a bi-monthly dance party thrown at Mohawk Place by Bill Page and Jason Draper. Lovingly known as an evening of synthpop, alternative, and indie dance music, it has been operating since February of 2004. So if you’re in the area be sure to come out and dance the night away with us.  Stop by our table and say hi, check out print copies of the magazine, get the scope on all things Auxiliary, and all that fun stuff.

more info here

An upcoming event you don’t want to miss is Toronto’s Alternative Art’s and Fashion Week also known as FAT. It is taking place this week from April 21st to 25th in Toronto, ON.

Here’s a little info about FAT…

The fifth year anniversary edition of FAT titled “Made with Love” approaches fashion from the intelligence of the heart, surveying a different emotion each night.

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