Zuleika also wears Eckhaus Latta

The designers Zoe Latta and Michael Eckhaus presented their first collection during New York Fashion Week. They want to offer clothes that people identify with and un-derstand as „part of their own vocabulary of self-expression“. Read on page 58

EckhausLatta new, hot, now, and from New York

15

Mash up

FrAgrances

mini BarPhotographer Peter langer username: peterlanger from Berlin, dishes out some fragrances.

Don’t drink this at home: Eternity Summer and Sheer Beauty by Calvin Klein, CK One Summer, Chanel No. 19, Jersey by Chanel, Davidoff Cool Water Pure Pacific, Sweet Delicious Creamy Meringue by DKNY, L’Eau de Chloé;, Peony & Moss by Jo Malone;, No. 2 from The Big Pony Collection by Ralph Lauren, and No. 7 White Patchouli & Cedar Wood by Rituals

Dressing Room Piracy Spring/Summer ‘12

It’s always difficult to imagine who you want to be in the upcoming season, or what you’d like to wear—which are basically one and the same. Users of ilikemystyle.net honed their SS 12 personae in seriously stunning pieces. (To be continued in the next issue. Feel free to send your piracy pictures to magazine@ilikemystyle.net)

MaSh up

right: Marzia Aloisi (username: marzia) from New York wears sequinned striped cocktail dress and feather collar worn as wig, both by Louis Vuitton.

opposite page: Berit von Enoch (user-name: Berit) from Berlin wears sleeve-less mini-dress by Victoria Beckham, and turquoise leather bag with golden studs by Valentino.

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above:Alison Mazur (username: alisonmazur) wears crepe blouse and sequin skirt, both by Diane Von Furstenberg.

right: Alison wears

metallic cardigan by Marc by Marc Jacobs; electric blue pleated skirt by Diane Von Furstenberg.

below: Alison wears paisley dress and safari jacket, both Marc by Marc Jacobs.

above: Marzia wears lace wrap dress and silk slip by Miu Miu.

top right: Marzia wears mink fur, black silk, and lace top and ecru lace skirt by Miu Miu.

right: Marzia wears gold metal-lic sequinned top, leather skirt, and patent leather high heel sandals by Gucci.

Marzia wears asymmetrical gold bathing suit with belt by Lanvin.

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35

top: Lucie wears map printed dress by Carven, black jeans by Acne; Max wears tweed blazer by Marc by Marc Jacobs, sweat-er by Alexander McQueen, burnt siena jeans by Corporal; loafers by Burberry, and scarf by Larogy.

top right: Lucie wears neon silk top by A.L.C., tribal jacket by Thu Thu, and emerald green dress pants by A.L.C.; Max wears coral cashmere sweater and checkered swimming trunks by Acne, loafers by Burberry, and black watch by Casio.

bottom: Lucie wears tribal patchwork jacket by Thu Thu and pale animal print jeans by Current/Elliott; Max wears striped polo shirt by Bottega Veneta and patterned pajama pants by Burberry Prorsum.

top: Max Krumm (username: Maxx) from Berlin wears orange cardigan by Malo, electric orange cashmere sweater by Ralph Lauren, and black jeans by Acne; Lucie Tamborini (username: lucielua) from Berlin wears leather and fur jacket by A.L.C., pale animal print jeans by Current/Elliott, coral cashmere sweater by Acne, and her own vintage necklace.

left: Max wears uniform-inspired jacket by Pinky Laing, and black jeans by Acne; Lucie wears olive men’s T-shirt by Valentino, and jeans by Acne.

MaSh up

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fashion

Rita wears a tulle shirt under a lace cape and lace shorts, all by Valentino

Altered states

Models: rita Violentij @ Elite NY and annabelle tsaboukas @ Women NY Make up: William Murphy @ Joe Management using Machair: tiffani patchett @ Bumble&Bumblephotography assistant: drew Vickersstylist assistants: abdoul diallo and Ellen pandea big thank you to: alex Beck, david schulze,James tinnely @ Women and trecey cunningham @ Elite

fashion goes four-dimensional (at least): artist Jasmine golestaneh and James Valeri did a mind-augmenting round of cut & paste with some of their favorite looks of the season.

art work: JasMiNE golEstaNEh (username: jasmineg)photography and fashion director: JaMEs ValEri (username: jv)

Annabelle wears a silk jersey, white evening dress with “diamante” belt, all by Ralph Lauren

fashion Altered states

45

55

fashion Altered states

Rita wears a black shorts suit, hat with veil, and patent leather ankle boots, all by Jil

Sander by Raf Simons

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FaShion

Willy C. @ Re:Quest

Urban Wizardry

When fashion director JameS Valeri accepted an invitation to see Zoe latta (username: princelattal) and michael eckhauS’ (username: toothofangel) first collection of their label eckhauSlatta, he discovered something truly otherworldly: the inventiveness of tokyo, a Paris elegance, an antwerp deconstructive vibe, and london’s deadpan humor.photography: andre herrerostyling: JameS Valeri (username: jv)text: eVa munZ (username: evvaa)hair: Brittany mroczekshoes: made in collaboration with ian horowitzbags: made in collaboration with elise mcmahon

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Shane @ MarilynRafael P. @ Re-Quest

FaShion Urban Wizardry

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Proof in process

A bunch of fashion arbiters check out what really works this season: fit, silhouette, quality, fun factor, and philosophy. These gentle-women behind the website sTyleproofed.com took on new collections and crash- and crush-tested the precious pieces.

fashion

photography: cAThleen Wolf (username: cathleenwolf)styling and production: JuliA freiTAg (username: freakyfriday)hair and make-up: AbrA Kennedy (username: abrakennedy) and lenA schleWeisstyling assistant: ellA Josephine ebsen (username: josi)and clAudiA becKer

Julia wears neon print dress by Mary Katrantzou from Apropos—The Concept Store and platform lace-ups by Carven for Robert

Clergerie. Tini wears dress by Mary Katrantzou from

mytheresa.com, neon printed sandals by Carven for

Robert Clergerie, and ring by Alexis Bittar from

mytheresa.com

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Juli (front) wears “Lucky” print overall by LaissezPasser and

flower boots by Miu Miu. Josi (back) wears silk paisley tunic by Etro via maendler.com, pink

wide-legged trousers by Rika, belt by Kaviar Gauche, and necklace

by Akkessoir.

fashion

85

Julia wears skirt and top by Issever Bahri and shoes by Bally. Pia

wears red dress by Liebig, python pumps by Missoni, and jewellery by Alexis Bittar from mytheresa.

com. Tini wears green dress, white shoes, and beanie, all by Jil Sander, and pearl bracelet by Prada. Alexa wears dress by See by Chloé from stylebob.com, leggings by H&M, and green sandals by Ballin from

luisaviaroma.com.

models: Tini Solms (username: tschinni1) @ModelwerkJulia Freitag, Styleproofed founder and publisher

Pia Sundermann (username: PiaS), Styleproofed editorAlexa von Heyden (username: alexapeng), Styleproofed editor

Ella Josephine Ebsen (username: Josi), intern Julia Riedel (username: JuliYeah), intern

and Silke Wichert’s mask (Silke, founder and publisher of Styleproofed was gone for fashion week)

fashion

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They say the right footwear makes up for even the worst wardrobe

mistakes. Sounds easy, so it might be wrong. But who needs a

philosophy when a simple pair of Louboutins will do? Here’s what

users of ilikemystyle.net wear down there these days.

new shoes

FaShion

I don’t have these shoes and that’s the story. I want them but they don’t exist for men, so they’ve been my screensaver for five years! They are the perfect match between classical form and crazy color.

These shoes are the pedestal of style.

ETienne DeScloux / username: etienne from Berlin

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new shoes

My friend Yves from Boysboysboys called today and said if I wanted these Rick Owens shoes, I’d have to be very, very quick; he sold most of them at lightning speed.

I think they’re extremely cool.

RoBin KRanz / username: robin from Hamburg

BrooK Banham / username: brook from Detroit

This pic shows a brand new pair of Nike Air Jordan 1s in front of a red horse. The reason why I love these shoes is because Dave White (davewhiteart.com), a UK artist, created the graphics. When you

see his graphic art style, you will know what I mean. The horse is a piece from Aylin Langreuther.The original Nike price was $195, but, as they were limited, the price quickly skyrocketed

shortly following their release. I paid $350 from Bob’s Classic Kicks, a sneaker boutique at 4717 Woodward Ave. in Detroit. I saw these shoes on a blog and instantly realized that I needed

a pair, so I went to Bob’s, THE local street dealer, who I knew would stock such a rarity. These shoes fit into my style, as I normally wear sneakers, and normally Nikes. I usually go for

the ones with artwork from interesting artists.

FaShion

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MElina PopP / username: girlfromparis from Paris

Since I work in fashion as a journalist and stylist, I always pick my favorite pairs of shoes for the next season during fashion week in Paris. The main criteria are look and comfort. After a ten-hour day, I don’t want to go home with bleeding or hurting

feet. A high-fashion pair of shoes can make a cheap, secondhand outfit

glamorous. Great when you live in a city like Paris, where rent and life costs an arm and a leg. Shoes carry you through the day like a princess, even when you

feel like shit!

clockwise from top left: Black plaform

shoes by Céline, dress by Marc Ja-

cobs; white high-heel boots with flower

print by Walter Stei-ger, jacket by Manish Arora; plateau heels, kristalls by Christian

Louboutin; green dress vintage D&G,

high heels, Sex by Christian Louboutin

clockwise from top left: Pink shiny sandals by Paule Ka;

multi-colored heels by Pierre Hardy, leather jacket by Louis

Vuitton; high heels with pants, two-in-one by Manish

Arora, pullover by Kenzo

new shoes

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FaShion

School of Fashion

Vol. IV: Maison Martin Margiela

All photos were taken by Charli Lung at the Maison Martin Margiela show in Paris for spring/summer 2012.

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FaShion School of Fashion

Since its launch in 1989, the highly influential fashion house has followed one rule, and one rule only: Break every rule. Despite its founder leaving some years ago the label is still a powerhouse of creative rebellion. When asked to answer Ilikemystyle’s questions in the ongoing series School of Fashion,* the design team kindly accepted—or so it seemed. Whatever the message might be, one thing is for sure: the mystery of Martin Margiela remains untouched.

*previously taught by Luis Venegas, Dries van Noten, Rodarte

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FaShion

Nothing makes you feel more naked than the gaze of a fortune teller into the lines of your hands. A slightly supersticious accessory story, Berlin-based sorceress PAtriciA Woerler-HorzoN (username: Patricia21) deciphers what these hands reveal.

wild Palms

Preston wears jacket with pearl beading and pinstripes by Thom Browne, ebony signet ring with large white mabe pearl (on left hand) by Patricia von Musulin, pearl and gold ring by Ambergris (on right). Rosalie wears pink lam and black cotton cowl-neck dresses by Electric Feathers, black resin and rhinestone camellia cuff by Chanel, and her own diamond ring.

photography: Alex JoHN Beck (username: ajb) styling: AveNA GAllAGHerconcept: JAmeS vAleri (username: jv)styling assistant: Amdanda kingmanicurist: kelly B. @ Defacto for kiSS

Bailey wears (left to right) 24-karat gold and enamel ring by Jen Kao; double-finger ring, and all following rings made of maple-wood and deer antler by Sticks and Stones; all painted ceramic bracelets by Jordan Aiello, silicone BRB bracelet by Gerlan Jeans, white G-Shock Baby-G G8900 by Casio, and off-white cuff by Alexis Bittar. You have an unpredictable temperament, even moody. You have a lot of imagination and strong vision. You are driven by your brain and prefer facts over feelings, but will excel in the arts. You’re seeking stable relationships based on strong intellectual exchange. You occa-sionally drift into daydreaming.

Amanda wears elongated lady ring in brass by Arielle de Pinto, a gold watch by Salvatore Ferragamo and a pink resin bracelet and ring, both by Dinosaur Design.

You are a friendly person with a sunny disposition. Your health is stable because you receive love and support from your community, and will for the rest of your life. There is a strong indication for substan-tial wealth and professional success on the horizon. You reach your goals easily, but you know that you can only count on yourself. You know that relying on luck gets you nowhere, and that only your capabilities count. You do not necessarily seek self-expres-sion in your career, but you do in other areas. You’re willful at times and very reliable.

FaShion wilDPAlms

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stOries

Introducing Olga IwOgO (username: MissO) from Paris, a girl with multiple faces and outfits, yet a single desire: to express herself though art. That means costume changes, lots of props, and an occasional culinary performance with rainbow horses. Meet Olga Iwogo, Cindy sherman’s fierce baby sister. a self-portrait ghost-written by nIka sCheIDeManDel (username: nikabianca) from Cadiz.

I’m Every Woman*

*this headline might seem a little random. But it is a tribute to Whitney Houston.

photo and styling by Jonathan Icher (username: JoIcher) and make-up by Anastasia Make Up Pro. Olga wears

epaulettes by Pauline Peyronnel

stOries stOries

I’m Olga. The talented, innovative, eccentric, and crazy Olga—though if you met me as a child, you’d think I was boring. My parents are from Gabon, and I was born in Paris, where I grew up in St. Germain with a grey cat named Gribouille and a black dog named Ralph. I was ugly—it was the rather large teeth—and extremely shy. I was the only black kid at school (more on this later), and it was horrible. My break came when I was 8, visiting my Uncle Gaston, a painter, philosopher, and a great man. I became fascinated by one of his paintings—it was of a pregnant black cat sitting on a chair. Looking back, I’d say that was what triggered my early obsession and foray into drawing and painting.

I became fascinated and began to study art. At first the Surrealism, then sculpture, art history, applied arts, performance art, modern art, and advertising. I studied and then I started making. In the beginning I painted like a cursed artist, like life was very difficult and complicated, and I wanted to find solace in art. Very pretentious. I haven’t completely changed my mind about it, but I’ve moved away from painting, into video and performance art, branching out in many artistic directions.

I’ve exhibited paintings and drawings, done radio and TV work, and done performances. Lately, I’ve been writing films and collaborating on projects with other artists, some friends, others not, and sometimes just for fun. Art is what I know. In the morning, when I wake up, and at night, when I lie down—even in the middle of the night—I think about making art. Life without it would be boring and impossible to imagine.

Because of this, I could never love someone who doesn’t like my work. It’s a part of me, like my soul, and my body, and my tattoos. Of course, sometimes I hate my art because making it is anything but simple, and the path of a project—bringing it to completion—can be extremely difficult. Then again, it’s always worth it. Making things happen is a natural extension of myself. That’s what I like to think.

I surround myself with artists, filmmakers, actors, bands, fashion designers, painters, sound designers, filmmakers, dancers, and performers. I love art movies, those small French films nobody has heard of, and especially Gregg Araki’s work. It’s so pop art: surreal, decadent, disturbing, funny, colorful, and insane. I want to live it. A friend from Spain asked me today about some crazy photos I had posted on Facebook, wanting to know if I actually went shopping nude, wearing weird masks.

photo by Jonathan Icher styling by Laurence Camachomake-up by Julien Jaunasse

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The view from BroderickTower, down WoodwardAvenue. Canada is on theother side of the Detroit River.

StOries

There is new hope in the spectacularly rundown megapolis. Achille BiAnchi (username: achille) is a Detroit thoroughbred. Together with JOnAThAn RyAn RAJewSki (username: jonathanr) and photographer kARpOv The wReckeD TRAin, he interviewed friends, acquaintances, and other locals to end the lame recession narrative and write an ode to Detroit.

Citizen Can

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larita TRiplett, server, guitarist, fashion blogger

I work as a server, practice my guitar, go to local shows, and hit the streets in search of people to profile for my fashion blog. I like being busy. This week has been crazy: meet-ings, appointments, packing, moving out of my place, moving into my new place, helping organize an event, practice and rehearsal, and performing two shows (my own acoustic set & backup for Housephone at the Metro Times Blowout). Whoa! I do wish there was more style and originality in Detroit, but the fashion that I have seen here is amazing. There is fashion here, it’s just not every which way you turn, like in a larger city such as Chicago. It’s part of Detroit’s underground, gritty appeal. thislovenote.blogspot.com

ivan GAmboa, musician, poet, artist

I work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. The city has really offered me a lot inthe last year: lots of new friends, a great job, new perspectives, and good times. I have been really lucky to get so deeply involved in the arts here. I’ve been getting my hands into music, painting, and poetry in ways I never imagined possible. When I lived in Los Angeles, everything seemed slightly out of reach; things were already happening and I was just a spectator. I try to look slightly professional for work. Otherwise, I like wearing beat-up, torn, and stained clothing. northendstudiosdetroit.com

citizen cAn

“i see a lot of women who’ve been here for a while. These ladies are badass. i think they’re amazing.” lindsay SeBold, works at MOCAD

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RoB SMith, musician, carpenter

Well, my roommate and I built this place which is why it’s different than other places. [The heating pipes are] loud as fuck down here. Dude, if you’re watch-ing something super-baked, you just hear CLANG! And it will scare the shit out of you. It can be so loud. I’m like, “What the fuck is going on?” There are other problems here though. There’s the green pipe that goes through my roommate’s room and whenever it rains it starts to leak. One time it flooded our whole place because we weren’t here. We walked in and the floor was all shiny … It ruined some stuff, some records on the floor—it sucked. There’s nothing that can be done afterwards, so what are you going to do? I do floors mostly. Carpentry —mainly floors. It’s my specialty. I also do concrete countertops. More fancy high-end stuff when it comes to countertops: it’s the highest turnover rate for materials and the money. I just scored another flooring gig in East Village—some dude hooked me up. I was like, “Cha-ching!” Mainly what I like to do is music —hence all this shit in here. I’m doing a band called Dark Red and I do another band called Feif. The girl from that band Jill is coming over; we’re going to work on some harmonies. It’s the first time I’ve been in a band with male and female harmonies—basically it’s matching your vowels, that’s harmonizing. We’ll play something at MOCAD or something. It’s like Fleetwood Mac; it’s weird shit. We’re kicking around some different ideas, trying to come up with a slow way to do “Boys Don’t Cry” and have her sing it and call it “Girls Don’t Cry.” I liked the mod thing in the mid ‘90s: three-button suits. I used to press my hair in a mop top. I have some pictures of that. That was my jam for a minute. “This is kind of awesome.” I started dressing like I did when I was little, and it worked out. My dad was a pretty hip dude, he dressed tight and I just remember things—like when I skated, I’d always wear big clothes and stuff—and my dad was like, “Why don’t you wear clothes that fit? If you’re not doing anything athletic why are you wearing tennis shoes?” Things like that. That’s when I started wear-ing boots and stuff like that. It’s the truth…to press your hair all the time is a big pain in the ass, and I remembered being on tour for two months when I was in Paik—you can’t maintain that shit on the road if you don’t have your own bathroom. I let all the chemicals wash out and I picked my hair out and people were like, “Holy shit!” Turns out everyone loves afros—because of the size or whatever, people just like afros. Especially old black dudes. They’re like, “I used to have my hair just like that!” I’m like, “Thanks man!” I just started rocking an afro. My dad was a cool dude – he’s a painter. I think style in Detroit is awe-some. We have some of the best-dressed kids anywhere. An ex-girlfriend of mine was up for the summer, and she lives in Frisco, and she came and said, “I totally forgot what a unique hipster thing Detroit is.” So many kids get it half right. Even in New York.

In the ‘90s I used to press my hair in a

mop top. That was my jam for a minute.

citizen cAn

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Brazilliant

StOries

JuniOr, 20, future stuntman

Junior works as a waiter at Fashion Rio and couldn’t care less about the scene. His ele-ment is the beach, where pullups on a city bus stop is his daily routine. Junior doesn’t speak any English, or know much about US pop-culture, but he does know who Oprah is and dreams of becoming a stuntman.

Cultural critic Suleman anaya (username: vertiz136) went to Fashion Rio in January this year. eschewing runway shows, private dinners, and parties he hit the street and the beach to find people who are gifted with talent, enthusiasm, and sheer hotness. Here are his Rio favorites. photography: ROSaRiO mORabitO (username: mrmorabito)

niCholas, 22, model from Chile

Nicholas ended up at Fashion Rio because a girl on the beach liked him and left an invita-tion to a show for him at her hotel reception

desk. He used to be a flamenco dancer before he gave it up to become a model. From his

dancing years he retained a discipline that’s borderline manic: he wakes up at 5 A.M. every-

day to meditate, practice Ashtanga yoga, and train for endurance. He has a thing for classic

Russian literature too, and his favorite book is Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, a critique of Muscovite society of the 1930s.

RaFa borgeS, 25, photographer

Rafa Borges didn’t have much to say, other than that he’s a photographer from Belo Horizonte.

StOries braZilliant

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StOries

For SARAH HESS (username: Lordhenri) home is outside and ideally by the ocean, so what better stage for this New York

actress to try on her many characters than Far Rockaway?

With photographer KATHARINA POBLOTZKI Sara writes her

story in six wildly different acts.

who i am

and how many

Sarah wears golden swim-suit by American Apparel, pants by Sparkle & Fade, vintage bolero, and shoes by Jeffrey Campbell.

185

One stays at home and doesn’t need much else. Home is anywhere—ideally out-side, by the ocean or in a forest, and hopefully warm. One does yoga to seek quiet, goes running to seek calm, and swims just to contemplate. One draws for clar-ity, hems her skirts shorter to practice self-love. One loves to study and read, and wishes to speak every language. One calls another One on the phone because she is her good friend. She is doing exactly what she loves: is an artist, is successful, is good at being alone, and therefore One admires her.

Oh Two, you little party animal. Were you the last girl standing at the club again this morning? Did you move to a new country again? Did you dance in the middle of the restaurant? Did you laugh on the subway when everyone else knew to be quiet at 7 A.M.? You have no boundaries, Two—physical nor personal. A real fence-jumper, you are!

Two can be hell if you are afraid, but don’t be! Two is a rollercoaster, and people pay good money to ride those. Take Two out to karaoke. Watch as Two disappears and you can’t find her for weeks. Two makes animal noises when she walks. Two is excitable. Two eats like an orphan, licks the bowl clean. Two isn’t the best driver, but will take the radio’s reins if you let her ride shotgun.

Three can’t decide which hat to wear today. Her collection surpasses 100, and she lives for the fantasy of being whomever she wants. Three knows which skirt she’ll wear though: the same one she always does!

Four looks in the bathroom mirror, and sees a Chuck Close painting staring back at her. Pretending she has something in her teeth, she leans in closer inspecting each frame. There is an actor’s headshot, a sewing machine, a martini on a tray (up, with a twist). Behind each face is a story. There is the a salesgirl at the Gap. She helps a man choose a Christmas sweater for his wife, but clearly cares more about the chocolate chip cookie sandwich waiting for her lunch break than what color sweater any woman who’d marry this man would want. The man will later go to jail for embezzlement—he’s the first of many white-collar criminals she’ll meet. There is the receptionist at a Japanese salon. Twirling her orange hair, she moshi-moshi’s into the phone, trying not to giggle at the anguished scream erupting from the wax-ing room. Too busy checking out the Belgian cycling team that just walked through the door is the bartender who spills beer on the counter of a Dutch youth hostel, while, somewhere in North Carolina, a pet store clerk steals the most expensive dog food she can find from her anti-Semitic boss. A video store employee, barely legal, checks-in the Chicks with Dicks DVD for the third time that week, but it will take her years to understand the video’s psychosexual appeal. A radio station DJ

Sarah wears mermaid dress by California Costume Collections.

who i am and how many

StOries

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Kulturkritik

Paris-based musician YAsmine HAmdAn couldn’t care less if tamil m.i.A. hijacks an Arab aesthetic in pop. the energetic firecracker-on-legs coos in her Beiruti mother tongue instead of english. insh’Allah, her upcoming album with nouvelle Vague’s producer marc Collin, will make us find a way to sing along.

YasmineHamdan

Yasmine wears knitted sweater by Stella McCartney, flame sandals by Prada, necklace by Ca & Lou, and stockings by Falke.

interview: miCHAel lAdner (username: appolinaris) photography: AdriAn CrisPin styling: Ann-KAtHrin OBermeYer

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Michael Ladner: Tell me about the new album. It’s the first album since Arabology?Yasmine Hamdan: Yes, Arabology came out in 2009. While promoting that album I met dif-ferent artists and, eventually, a year ago, I found two people I wanted to collaborate with: Marc [Collin] and the guitarist Kevin [Seddiki]. I wanted this project to be song-centered; I wanted the instrumental to surround the lyrics, and the melodies, and the voice, and to give me the space to be in the center.

What’s it called?It’s under my name; it’s called Yasmine Hamdan.

How did you originally get into music?In school in Beirut I started singing rock music. I was in love with artists like Nick Cave and PJ Harvey at that time, and then I discovered Björk and Radiohead and stuff like that...Nina Simone… At first I was into singing in English, but then I started listening to very old Arabic music. At that time, old recordings were rare, and I immediately fell in love with one singer, Asmahan. In a way, this started my career because it made me want to become a singer, an Arabic singer, but to do Arabic music in an indie, alternative way.

Then what happened?I initiated a project with my musical partner, Zeid Hamdan, a friend [not a relative]. We formed the underground band Soap Kills and started touring in the region and in Europe. It was all very thrilling because we were a pioneer band, in a way. We were doing a new sound. There had never been any space or structure for independent, or alternative, or underground Arabic music, so we had to do a lot of funky events, play concerts in weird places—in churches, in old houses. We used to do a lot of on-the-spot events in bars in Damascus or Jordan. There was a different energy at that time. We’re talking ’98 and Beirut was still very tired after sixteen years of war. Half of it was still destroyed. Now it’s more of a sexy city; everyone wants to go there. But then there was still an underground-ish vibe. There was a feeling that there’s space for things to be done. There was a feeling of change in the air.

Soap Kills has more of an indie sound, and YAS sounds more electro. What’s the sound of the new album?I think it’s in the middle. There are two tendencies: one is electro, where we used vintage synthesizers, and then there are more folky songs, or ballads. There is also this ethnic, but decontextualized sound. You know the band Cocteau Twins? With the singer, you could never tell if she was singing in English, Arabic, Indian, or what. I use Arabic the same way. I don’t care very much about localizing. After YAS, I wanted to come back to something more roots, and create a sound that revolved around the voice, something that resembles me. YAS was a collaboration with Mirwais [Ahmadzaï] and he was driving the whole project, so my role in it was very contextual. With this project, I’m the one driving it.

How did you pick the songs?I tried to have a balance and I picked the songs very carefully. Some songs are in Egyptian dialect, some in Lebanese, some Kuwaiti, a little bit of Palestinian. It makes an incredible difference if you say the word with one accent or the other. The dynamic of the word and the way it interacts with the melody is completely different. So, according to where I wanted to go, I would choose which dialect would work with the melody.

The album is definitely vocally driven.

Yasmine wears dress by Stella McCartney, bracelet by Elise Dray, and stockings by Falke.

YasmineHamdan

Kulturkritik

201

Aesthetic authorities from around the globe cast a sharp eye on ilikemystyle.net’s sparkling fashion diaspora.

clOSe- upS

maXx from Berlin

Dear Maxx,Thank you so much for sending your pic.You seem to be a fan of Grace Jones, a Nan Goldin “collector,” and a BUTT reader. You must

be a well-read and well-traveled guy. Your left eyebrow, when raised in that mildly arrogant way, is very endearing; and those calves that are gently beginning to show from under your tight jeans are certainly quite arousing. Unfortunately, none of this is telling me anything about your sexual preferences or fetishes. Are you a top? A bottom? Are you into feet? Sneakers? Rubber? Leather? Bondage? Watersports?

I’m not a time waster and certainly do not want to waste yours, so forgive me if, before send-ing my own picture, I would like to know a little bit more about what you’re into.

Yours, FV

Are yOu into feet? by Francesco Vezzoli

Francesco Vezzoli is an artist who works with different media. He has collaborated with Veruschka von Lehndorff, Natalie Portman, Roman Polanski, and Miuccia Prada, among many others.

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Nika ScheidemaNdel (username: nikabianca) from cadiz and adriaNo Sack (username: adriano) from New York discuss stylistic hits and misses during childhood, adolescence, and whatever people say comes after (growing up? having children? behaving?). Talking points: the soothing effect of knitting, General Franco, girls as boys and vice versa, and a baby giraffe on a dress.

Is good Taste a bad Habit?

Nika at age 19 at a disco bar on Rhodos, Greece.

opposite page: Adriano at age 28, shot by Ralph Mecke and styled by Klaus Stockhausen

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I’ve known Nika more or less all my life, which means I was 25 when we met. Everything before that was a mess. We spent days at the pool and nights inebriated together (no sex, no fights). We share a lot of friends, yet we never really were close friends. Once in a while, we catch up—at a birthday party in Ibiza (mine) or with a beautiful little girl named Carlotta (hers)—but somehow there is always too much to do and too many people around to ever talk in-depth and at-length. When the idea came up to discuss fashion sins though, Nika seemed like the perfect partner: witty, smart and absolutely not afraid to deliver punchlines, confessions, and odd observations. We chat-ted on a rather busy Friday—Carlotta was sick and I had various deadlines to juggle. Yet gabbing back and forth with Nika, it seemed like an early summer evening with lots of vino rosado in the south of Spain. Animated, a trifle melancholic and, in a funny way, full of hope.

adriaNo: Let’s start super stupid. What is the first article of clothing you remember and why?Nika: My first piece of clothing was a blanket that I used to call “blanket.” I refused to let any

other garment on my naked body. It was baby blue and yellow and I still slept with it (naked) when I was 22 years old.

adriaNo: Where is it now?Nika: It got lost on an airplane one day, and I had terrible withdrawals. I could not sleep for a week

and had the shivers... no kiddin’! I still dream of it.adriaNo: Was it made of cotton? Does your daughter Carlotta have anything equally crucial to

her well-being in terms of wardrobe? And how did you replace “blanket” (what was the Ger-man word or did you grow up speaking English?)?

Nika: I grew up in Florida. That’s why it was called “blanket.”adriaNo: Does one actually need a blanket in Florida? It’s so hot and humid, even in December

as far as I remember from my visits to Art Basel Miami. And did you have an alligator pet toy?

Nika: No, Carlotta does not experience this attachment to one piece of clothing—but I guess par-ents today are able to give more love. And yes it was hot, but I put it in the refrigerator—kind of sick, I know... In any case, it was acrylic for sure.

adriaNo: Acrylic for a German girl? Are you kidding?Nika: No! And as for the alligator, I had a real turtle, one of the huge ones, in the swimming pool.

My favorite dress was orange with a yellow giraffe on it. I still have it —Carlotta wore it last year. And I had a lot of dirndls in Florida. A Bavarian look for the beach.

“i had a lot of drindls in Florida. a Bavarian look for the beach”Nika Scheidemandel

Nika jumping out of a cardboard cake celebrat-ing her 23rd birthday

Is good Taste a bad Habit?

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BackStage

Vivienne Westwood

Kathrin Bierling (username: TanteMJ) from Munich is a fashion journalist (How to Spend It; Fivetonine; and InStyle) and blogs as modejournalistin at modepilot.com

Martin Cho, username: bucnam from new york is a designer working for Marc Jacobs in new york.

Clark Parkin (username: clark) from Jachenau, writes about fashion, food, and wine. occasionally, he goes nordic skiing in the Bavarian valley, where he re-sides with his wife.

Karo Brandi (username: karo) is a freelance fashion illustrator and stylist based in new york.

Perret Schaad (username: perret-schaad) is a Berlin-based fashion label founded in 2009 by Johanna Perret and Tutia Schaad. Their style has oft been described as neo-minimalist.

emily Segal, username: RIPyourself from new york is a cultural critic. She works for Wolff olins in brand development.

eka yu (username: eka) from Shang-hai is the Creative director of Modern Weekly China and produces art projects for artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans and Michael lin.

olrik Kleiner (username: olrik) from Berlin is an executive producer for commercial films. His walk-in closet is the size of an nyC two-bedroom.

The Fashion CriticsIlikemystyle recruited some of the sharpest tongues in its community. Writers, critics, and designers loved, loathed, and laughed at this Spring Summer season’s runways. If you can’t keep your mouth shut about fashion’s fantastic blunders, and terrible successes, sharpen your pencils for next issue’s backstage.

Joachim Bessing (user-name: jbessing) is a writer. He lives in Berlin.

Vivienne is my queen but this is way too explicit. I also love crap but I don’t

need my clutch doing the talking. username: RIPyourself

Can she read? does she speak english? username: clark

I don’t like crap, but I like the bag. username: olrik

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Jil Sander

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Alexander McQueen

Wow! Madness gone elegant. username: eka

Great on skinny people with wet hair, hence not on me. username: olrik

The PVC fourth sex!! Raf observes and portrays the restless territory of adolescent extremes. The way he decontextualizes complex constellations of meaning sparks a series of emotional fires in me. username: eka

Taking sleek to its absurd conclusion. I love anything in plasticshrink-wrap: amazing. username: RIPyourself

I become my own dream, I am mysterious and live in a trunk in my grandmother’s attic. I am spider web and wedding gown, dusty and beautiful. username: karo

Below the waistline comes 2012’s most popular detail. It’s getting even bigger in fall/winter, so invest in McQueen! username: TanteMJ

Releases a stream of confusing and uneasy associations in me: spider webs, camembert, butterflies’ chrysalides, and, well, unfortunately the designer himself at the very last stage. But that’s just me. username: jbessing

Prada

oooh dirty, naughty lolita! username: eka

The Prada proposal of a time-traveling ’60s housewife is, from head to crotch, a collage of feral sweetheart: the sweaty, fugitive, post-coital bangs that scream long Island Railroad southbound coupling; the 20s swimsuit under Good Christian Belles floral daywear, all jazzed up in Sour Patch colors and an indecent number of beads. Miuccia is giving Rei Kawakubo a toe-to-toe run for lording my world! username: bucnam

What a great party outfit! Just take grannie’s old bathing suit, add some baubles, and off you go! username: clark

The only way to drown in this suit is at the pool bar. username: olrik

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For NY Fashion Week Ilikemystyle and the Tribeca Grand Hotel teamed up for the “This Is New York” party. photography: BaIleY ReBecca RoBeRTs (username: baileyrebecca)

Remember where you lost it

Matthew Mazur and Ilikemystyle host Cyril Duval. more on page 248

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Rememberwhere You lost it

“I drank water and sucked on ice”. luisa opaleski more on page 249

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Rememberwhere You lost it

by candice lake from london

onlY ever champagne and dirty Martinis

Who? From? Candice Lake from Australia. I live in London.What/who made you come here? This party is one of my favorites during fashion

month. Also, I’m the host, so lots of friends were coming.Most important people? Tommy Saleh, for always making our party dreams come true. Also, Tommy put on my first NY exhibition here six months ago, so I have

lots of respect for him for believing in my work.Topics? The “Shit Fashion Girls Say...at NYFW!” parody, because EVERY line is true, and everyone here has used at least one of those lines sometime this week.

What are you wearing? Rue du Mail fur coat, Topshop jumper and skirt, Preen heels, lots of mascara to distract from my tired, red eyes, and Tom Ford Black

Orchid perfume to distract from my lack of sleep.Best outfit besides your own? Bryanboy. Fur-tastic and always super fabulous.

Worst wardrobe? I spotted no malfunctions in the building tonight. I did see some suspect getups along Canal Street though.

What was special? I’m at a party in my favorite NY hotel, hosting it with some great friends. Pretty amazing.

Sound track of the night? “Somebody That I Used to Know.” Actually, anything by Gotye. I love him, and he’s Australian, so I love him more.

Other people? I know all the hosts: Rumi, Susie, Tommy, Phil and Bryan, because we see each other so much during fashion month. Also, my awesome best friends

who live in NY, whom I rarely see since I left and moved to London.Transportation (how did you get here and away)? I walked out of my room, got in the

elevator, and rode down to the party. Best form of transportation, EVER.Drink/Stimulation? Champagne. Only ever champagne and dirty martinis.

Highlight? Taking over the photo booth downstairs with Peony Lim.Who was missing? Bo Diddley. Because I love him and always want to dance to

Diddley’s music.Sex? No action that night; my love was on the other side of world.

Sleep? My thoughts at 3:30 A.M.: “Oh shit. I have to get up in three hours. Where are my melatonin pills?”

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