#AArtxFashion: Miljan Suknovic and Artfully Awear

Last week, I celebrated the launch of my first capsule collection of clothing in collaboration with artist Miljan Suknovic.  

Even as I type these words, it seems a bit surreal that Artfully Awear has taken the form of an actual clothing collection!  It's an understatement to say that I'm excited.

Miljan and I have been friends for about a year and a half, during which time I've visited his studio on numerous occasions and always gleaned inspiration.  When Dreams on Air asked him to do an installation of work in their SoHo store, we knew it was the perfect time and venue for us to do something amazing together.  I got to work making a collection of garments inspired by his work.

Ahead of the event, Miljan installed a number of his large-scale pieces throughout the boutique, and created an awesome window display featuring his paintings as well as one of my garments.  On the evening of the event, we hosted over 200 people for champagne and a viewing of the work, including a photo booth (with hand-painted wearables) and a live painting demonstration by yours truly.

We were surrounded by all of our friends and received such an overwhelmingly positive response to our work together.  All of my hand-painted garments sold out!  It was truly one of the best and most memorable nights of my life!

Photos by Peter Sealy Art & Photography and Dezfitmedia

Model: Luiza Farber

WARM UP 2014

Even though the weather is already cooling down, you still have a few more chances to Warm Up at MoMA PS1.  The gravel courtyard of the Museum of Modern Art's contemporary outpost in Long Island City swarms with trendy folks on Saturday afternoons, grooving to one of many DJ sets and posing for photos.  You'll also get to explore The Living's installation in the courtyard, the winner of this year's Young Architects Program.  The installation is called Hy-Fi and is made of 100% organic materials, all self-contained and produced.  You can read more about it here or just head over to PS1 on Saturday.

Check out my outfit from last year's Warm Up here.

Tunic: Mara Hoffman
Chambray pants: J. Crew
Shoes: Belle by Sigerson Morrison
Sunglasses: Duane Reade

My dear friend Katie, founder of the dating website Clycked, kindly shot these photos & facilitated mingling.  Thanks to Hannah Kauffman for providing gratis tickets!

LADY GAGA'S ARTRAVE

I had the pleasure of attending Lady Gaga + Jeff Koons' ARTRAVE last night, the launch party for Gaga's new album, Artpop.  I have mixed feelings about Koons' work -- on the one hand, I can appreciate its accessibility and its Warholian kitsch, but it doesn't really appeal to me aesthetically.  I feel similarly about Gaga's music; I acknowledge her importance as a popular culture and fashion icon, but I wasn't exactly counting down the days until her album's release.  ARTRAVE, however, was a true spectacle in every sense of the word, appealing to all five senses at once, and the excitement of all the "little monsters"at the Brooklyn Navy Yard was palpable.  But the real highlight for me was enjoying the concert alongside some of the industry's most revered (and notorious) players, such as Tony Bennett, Terry Richardson, Christian Siriano, and my most revered performance artist, Marina Abramovic, who was the perfect addition to our group of friends.

RAIN ROOM

Have you ever wanted to control the rain?  Random International's installation/environment at the Museum of Modern Art gives its audience a sense of what it would be like to have that power.

Part of the the MoMA PS1 Expo 1: New York exhibition, Rain Room utilizes digital technology to keep guests dry within a constant downpour.

Lit only by one spotlight, attendees are admitted into a controlled rainstorm, which clears a path as they navigate through the space.

It is a sensory experience, heightened by the sound of the deluge, which calls to mind issues of our control of the environment through scientific means.

Rain Room is open through July 28.  Photos by Meri Feir and myself.