seriously, all you need is love

John Lennon Tunic Dress from the Fashion Rocks collection by IdilVice, photo by Carl Posey.

You know all you need is love but if you absolutely have to have something else, then maybe, how about this cool John Lennon tunic dress? An exclusive limited edition. More John Lennon clothing designs! Peace & Love.

dressing for cold weather

...photo/digital art by carl posey...

The temperatures have been at their lowest that I recall the past few weeks. Arctic air such as I don't even remember ever having felt in Switzerland, except maybe way high up on the ski slopes in the St. Moritz mountain region, while in downhill motion. Maybe. For these weathers I have my goose down duvet style coat which - let's be honest - is a bit ugly. Warm but ugly. At the least it's not flattering. So instead of wearing it out on a chilly Friday night, I will pile on layers, layers and layers instead to make warm my stylish Marithé François Girbaud nylon coat which I bought for $2000 a couple of years back.

...idilvice in front of new wall art in the meat packing district, photo by carl posey...

It's not a solution, I know. I guess I will have to invest in a beautiful goose down coat next time around, it's the only thing I would consider weatherproof in this type of weather. There is a warm parka from North Face for $299 - which I considered - but there are way too many people that choose it and I can't simply ride the same wave as all of them. My eclectic fashion designer heart can't cope with such mass and simply won't allow it. Yeap. That's the kind of stuff I wrangle with.

Your sharp eye has detected it. I am standing in front of the same wall we recently shot some Madonna fashion at. Yes. It's the same wall - Madonna is still peeking out from underneath - except that new art has taken over the Madonna Celebrations advertising. And you guessed right, we took some more photos in front of this John Lennon themed piece. It's coming up in one of the next posts, so stay tuned and warm!

rock 'n' royalty

Readers of a recent article with the title "Rock Royalty Meets Authentic Royalty" were appalled by the fact that the New York Times readily included Lady Gaga in the exclusive league of rock royalty. In a comment the question was asked 'Which one of them is Lady Gaga?", which I thought was hilarious. Indeed, hard to tell. Both, the authentic royalty Queen Elisabeth II of England and the - O.K. - "not-just-yet-rock-royalty" Miss Germanotta from New York, widely know as Lady Gaga, seem to have applied the exact same shade of foundation and they both sport their hair white, straight and puffed up on the top and curly at the ends... also both favor a little glitter in their lives... even the red shade of their lipstick is a match!

So, can Lady Gaga be called rock royalty or not? Maybe today's rock stars have but 15 minutes of fame, so they have to become rock royalty faster?!

Lady Gaga was among the artists who were invited to entertain the queen at the Royal Variety Performance and she attended the event at Blackpool’s Opera House wearing a red PVC outfit and played her song “Speechless” on a piano supported by stilts.

If Lady Gaga is not rock royalty yet, then she sure is familiar with rock royalty's history, because she began her performance by telling the crowd: “Good evening Blackpool. Let me hear you rattle your jewelry.” A line originally invented by John Lennon.

Build your own opinion: Read my post Lady Gaga Raw.

round sunglasses

You all must have seen the John Lennon Poster (Mr. Lennon’s image, in round sunglasses) allover the NYC town, peering at us from subway walls and billboards since May, publicizing a Lennon exhibition at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex in SoHo. That show ignited requests for round sunglasses at stores around the city.

...john lennon and yoko ono...

The hot eyewear look of 2008 was pretty much defined by plastic Wayfarer knockoffs, garish neon trapezoids often seen color-coordinated with a plaid shirt and sneakers. Or else it was “shutter shades,” those ventilated blinders popularized by Kanye West (that was really too much).

It's 2009 and sunglasses must be round! Why? Only last year round sunglasses were considered square?

...a pair from the linda farrow collection...

Round frames last appeared as a fashion trend about two decades ago. In 1989, when Alain Mikli introduced a thick-rimmed version. One of my very first were Mikli's!

Before that, they were a defining element of hippie style during the 1960s counterculture movement — just about the only time that round glasses could be described as an unqualified fashion hit. Throughout the last century, round glasses have been associated with celebrated architects, literary stars and intellectual thinkers — Philip Johnson, Le Corbusier, Dominick Dunne, Gandhi — almost all of them men and rarely a figure noted for his cutting-edge personal style.

...hippie...

And yet something about the style, as uncommercial as it may seem, has clicked with designers. Or, as it turns out, several things happened at roughly the same time, in 2007 and 2008, that help explain why you are seeing round sunglasses again.

The story of round would not be complete without a nod to the hippies. This year’s Broadway revival of “Hair,” while not exactly fashion friendly, had its first performances last summer at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. At a preview last May, its cast performed at the Costume Institute gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before an audience that included a spectrum of international fashion designers.

...photograph by Mr. Sidibé...

Remember the black-and-white portraits taken in the 1950s and ’60s by the Malian photographer Malick Sidibé, who was given a lifetime achievement award at the Venice Biennale art fair two years ago? That was when Mr. Sidibé, now in his 70s, began to have an unexpected fashion moment. Designers sought out monographs of his work, notably a 2004 edition published by Steidl that conveyed the exuberance of postcolonial West Africa with images of stylish young men and women, many of them wearing incredible sunglasses.

...another Sidibé photograph...

But it was not Mr. Sidibé’s influence alone that set off the trend. John Lennon deserves some credit, too. In July 2007, Mr. Lennon’s name was again in the news when a pair of his wire-rimmed round glasses were sold at auction, drawing bids of more than $1.5 million, the BBC reported, though the final sale price, which was never disclosed, was believed to be far less.

But it also just makes plain sense that round glasses would return because they mesh with other eyewear themes occurring at the moment, like vintage, geek-chic and Hollywood.

This round shape is the most natural shape for designers to embrace and maybe, another signature Lennon style — an upside-down pear shape — would be the next big thing after that?

perfect summer dress

Now maybe you have just like me been on the lookout for the perfect summer dress..?? Something for when I am not in the mood for the trendy shorts... Ummmh,.... I found it! It will be perfect for all the outdoor concerts this Summer, not to mention the hot, humid and sweaty days in the city... of course I'll bring it to the beach too... P.E.R.F.E.C.T.!

John Lennon & Yoko Ono 'Bed-In' peace & love scene, hippie, anti-war protest, photo printed dress by Fashion Rocks.