Purrfect Pineapples’ Pink Gingham Cupcakes Corset

image source purrfectpineapples.com

Holy cupcakes Batman! The Pink Gingham Cupcakes corset by Purrfect Pineapples is just absolutely ADORABLE! This steel boned underbust corset is a must for that cupcake lover in your life! Don’t let the $250 price tag scare you, as Purrfect Pineapples is a cruelty-free, high-quality lingerie designer, and besides this corset is custom made for you! I love that the designer, Erika Shuhendler uses lovely heavily tattooed models and embraces the kitsch factor in her choice of fabrics. You won’t find these amazingly unique designs at Victoria’s Secret!

The Pink Gingham Cupcakes Corset is available at www.purrfectpineapples.com.

- Meagan

dress by Unhinged

photographer : Ama Lea
hair stylist : Margarita Ivette
makeup artist and model : Sharon TK
fashions : Kambriel, Unhinged, Romantic Threads, and Topsy Turvy

dress by Romantic Threads

Meagan Hendrickson :
The romanticism of Victorian era fashions gives a feeling of structure, elegance, and prudish morality. It seems strange to even consider in that long past era it was disgraceful for women to show a glimpse of an ankle! From then to this modern day there are many brilliant designers still evoking the Victorian aesthetic mixed with creative non-historically accurate designs.

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Pushin Daisies’ Human Heart Lapel Pin

First of all, pushindaisies.com is a glorious mortuary shop filled with delightfully morbid tongue-in-cheek items. A one stop shop for the dark at heart, who get a kick out of death! Under the “Dressing & Caskets” category you will find the Human Heart Lapel Pin, which is anatomical and hand-cast out of pewter. Now you can really wear your heart on your sleeve, well okay, maybe placing it on your jacket, top, or collar may be a better place.

The Human Heart Lapel Pin is available at www.pushindaisies.com.

- Meagan

Visual, creative, style, fashion : inspiration.

fashion designer : Antiseptic Fashion
photographer : Zach Rose
makeup/hair : Jessica Jean
model : Nicole Vescio

Zach Rose :
Antiseptic Fashion, the brainchild of Los Angeles DIY designer Billy Vahan combines love for the fetish (leaving little to the imagination) with a unique blend of steampunk and neo-Victorian designs.  With fully customizable pieces such as asymmetrical leather posture collars, accessory belts, and underbust corsets reminiscent of fetish meets glorious rebellion.

Billy Vahan and Antiseptic Fashion’s Phrixus leather posture collar holds the head up high (and quite literally keeps your spine in alignment) while adding a regal display of bizarre.  While not an everyday item in your fashion arsenal, it adds just enough of that “kink” for those of you who prefer restraint yet not without a touch of elegance.

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The runway shows at FAT, Toronto’s alternative fashion week.

Futurstate

Toronto designer of “dark futuristic clubwear and streetwear”, Futurstate showed their latest collection at FAT this spring.  The collection proves that Futurstate is continuing down the path of sophisticated, structured cyber and military inspired designs and aiming to offer cybergoth designs that are not tacky and candyraver-like.  The collection was entirely black and void of almost any pvc.  To make the pieces stand out designer Laura X relied on subtle details such as rows of black buttons, black mesh, and crisscrossing black cords.  My personal favorites were the puffed shoulder jacket and dress shorts combo (pictured upper right) and the simple all black geisha style dress (pictured lower left).  Items from this collection would be a great purchase because they can serve as stylish streetwear, they are not just for the club, but I did feel a bit of the fun of past lines was missing.  I wouldn’t mind seeing a hot new pvc dress or outfit!

See the men’s collection in more detail in our Junk fashion editorial in the new June/July issue.

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photography & interview : Luke Copping
dress : Tess Hinterbichler
model : Nicole Maile
makeup : Rachel Mazzie
hair : Jessica Jean

In Buffalo’s Recent Runway 3.0 event there was a standout designer amongst the students involved. Tess Hinterbichler put together a chameleonic and mutable collection of garments ranging from casual separates to fully produced dress. Unique construction allows several of her garments to literally transform elements of themselves into new pieces of both artistic fashion and wearable sculpture.  The winner of the events Nancy Belfer award, Tess is slated to begin a fashion internship in Boston shortly. But while she is still in Buffalo we had the chance to produce a small shoot for Tess and conduct and interview with this young designer whose insights into fashion and design should excite Auxiliary readers about the next generation of designers we may be hearing a lot about in the future.

Your work seems to combine a unique futurist perspective with a sense of evolution and change. Where did you draw influence from for this collection?

Since this was my senior project for Buffalo State College, all of the designers were told the theme of the runway show (Technology: progression obsession) and told to run with it.  I must admit that when I first heard the theme, I was a little turned off because my design aesthetic is more ready-to-wear than futuristic or technological; I want my clothing to be beautiful yet functional.  After months of brainstorming and working on ideas for my concept board, I was finally able to translate the technology theme to my perspective as a designer.

I was inspired by the architecture of the Musée du Louvre in Paris, which is both modern and traditional. Functionality and innovation are two key terms that come to my mind when dealing with technology. The function or purpose of my technology is transformation.  I incorporated wire into certain seam-lines of my garments so that they can be morphed into a different look.

What is your background in design, how did you come to fashion as a field of study?

I had known that I wanted to be a designer for as long as I’ve remembered. I still have my second grade, college-ruled science notebook that I would draw designs in instead of taking notes; needless to say, science was never my subject.  The thing that eventually lead me to the decision to study fashion design in college was when I attended the senior fashion show at Syracuse College.  My godmother’s daughter, Molly studied fashion design there and the show was amazing!  The show was held in one of the auditoriums, there was loud music and lots of people.  It was the most exciting this I had ever been to.  On the four hour drive back to Buffalo from Syracuse I started to draw my our fashion sketches.  I knew from that point on that I wanted to be a designer.

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Heavy Red’s Love’s Devastation Floral Cape

image source heavyred.com

I’m not normally a cape girl, in fact I am prone to turning up my nose at the idea of even contemplating admiring a cape at all! Heavy Red’s Love’s Devastation Floral Cape has made my fashion taste buds salivate! The black and red rose design makes this piece scream romance and can be paired perfectly with any of Heavy Red’s gorgeous corsets. I see elegant ladies wearing this cape to keep their bare shoulders warm on cool summer nights and can be worn as an alternative to a shrug. I really enjoy the versatility of this piece as a functioning piece of protective clothing, a statement piece in a wardrobe, and infusing old world romance once again in the modern world of alternative fashion.

The Love’s Devastation Floral Cape is available at www.heaveyred.com.

- Meagan

Highlights from Runway 3.0, a Buffalo, NY based celebration of student fashion, local designers, and style. This year’s iteration of Runway 3.0 was an amazing achievement for all involved, most notably show coordinator Erin Habes. A wonderful collection of eclectic fashions from the student designers was accompanied by a noted selection of inspiring local designers including Buffalo born fashion superstar Adam Lippes. Runway photographer Cheryl Gorski provided Auxiliary Magazine with a collection of images handpicked by her and myself, Luke Copping, to appeal to the quirky and fashion forward tastes of Auxiliary’s readers. Standouts from the show included Morgen Love, who has been featured by Auxiliary before, as well as Tess Hinterbichler who was recently interviewed by Auxiliary, stay tuned in the coming days for Tess’ interview and more images of her collection.

left Anthony Scaparo
right Morgen Love

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Retro-a-go-g0’s Gas Mask Heart Compact

image source retroagogo.com

Every gal needs to check her face while she’s out at the bar, but since it’s an age old fopaux to put makeup on in public, this adorable Gas Mask Heart Compact by Retro-a-go-go contains a mirror and no cosmetics! Not only will you be saving face (yes, pun intended!) in public, you will be able to catch a glimpse of your quaffer and makeup in style. This adorable compact also has a picture frame on the other side of the mirror, so you can keep a portrait of your sweetie or maybe even your kitty! So it’s okay to be a little vain, heaven knows you don’t want to be walking around with pieces of your lunch on your face!

The Gas Mask Heart Compact is available at www.retroagogo.com.

- Meagan

The runway shows at FAT, Toronto’s alternative fashion week.

Pippa

Latex, I get excited anytime I see it used in ways one would not expect.  Pippa’s collection at FAT consisted of country club sports inspired latex outfits in a range of pastels.  I have always loved latex in pastels and I love the idea of a seaform green, latex tennis outfit with the texture of a cable knit sweater.  I am very curious to see one of the knit textured waist cinchers from this collection up close and see how that effect is achieved.  There are a handful of designers out there currently using latex in creative and new ways, from the look of this show, Pippa is one of those up and coming latex designers.  The stand out piece of the show was definitely the pink ruffled bikini (shown in bottom right photo).  Latex is a great material for a swimsuit and this piece is the perfect suit for an intimate, risque pool party with friends.  Pippa’s collection shown at FAT was fun and sexy, looking forward to seeing more from them.

image source flickr.com/photos/alternativeartsandfashionweek

- Jennifer