snow man fashion

Let's have some fun! Shall we?! Me, I am from Switzerland and I love snow storms! We've had quiet a few here in NYC in the past decade or so, but the blizzards coming around this winter do not get better. I always go for walks, packed in my unstylish but toasty warm down coat and my moon boots. I love it! I even love that there are not so many places to go to. Suddenly the opening of that hot new club or that fancy Cuban restaurant does not sound so pressing anymore... When these storms hit, I just stay home and work a lot. And I go for lonely, fresh air walks at night or visit friends.

When this new storm hit a couple of days ago, I walked to the park and saw some people who made snow men... but these works of... - definitely not art - left a lot to be desired for. Hastily smashed together bulky creatures - if you could call them that! - Not even a carrot nose, not to mention eyes or arms...

So there I heard my Swiss heart telling me: "You know how to do this! You are from Switzerland! The home of the fabulous fairy ice sculpture landscapes and snow man land par excellence! Go show these Americans how to make a real snow man!"

Alright, so I had to proof myself that I have got it and so I started building and building.... and V O I L A! A real snow man by a Swiss woman! All photos are the explicit copyright of Carl Posey.

All photos are the copyright of Carl Posey.

I loooove my Jack Frost! I dread the day when he's melting away...

Shoot! I can't believe I spent all this time making a snow man! I've got deadlines to meet for Fashion Week and here I am, making snow men!! Once Fashion Week is over, I'll post some more wonderful snow landscapes. You stay tuned!

relax and bake

That's right, relax....... You don't have to run around like crazy during the last days of the year. Bake some cookies, enjoy your tree, listen to easy listening, go for walks in the snow or just chill!



My grandmother who was from Basel always made a variety of cookies and stored them in the dark cellar for freshness. They where there protected from the heat and the light but certainly not from our hungry children mouths! Then again, that is what cookies are here for. To be eaten.

So whenever she sent one of us down there to make a cookie plate, it was an adventure! Nicely stacked and packed into different tins covered with silk paper. Tons and tons of cookies! There were Mailänderli, Brunzli, Zimtsterne, Anisbrötli, Spitzbuebe and many more Swiss traditional cookies. Did we know that we were privileged to taste them all? No.

Nowadays with my grandmother gone, I can always call on my mother who continues the traditions of baking and knows most of those recipes by heart. I guess my favorite would be the Zimtsterne cookie - a cinnamon star cookie - it's something out of this world - You've got to try it!

Here are the ingredients you need to make 40-50 biscuits:

3 Egg whites
A pinch of salt
300g Powder sugar (0.7lb)
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 Tbs Cinnamon powder
1 - 1 1/2 Tbs Kirsch
350g Finely ground almonds (0.8lb)
3/4 Tbs Lemon zest
A bit of plain flour

1. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt until stiff and standing up in well-defined peaks.
2. Sieve the sugar and progressively incorporate it in the egg whites while continuously beating.
3. Set aside 1/2 cup of this mixture for the icing (at the end).
4. Add the cinnamon and kirsch to the leftover egg mixture.
5. Delicately incorporate the almonds and lemon zest to the mixture and "knead" very lightly.
6. Roll the pastry (1/3inch thickness) on a floured surface.
7. Cut out stars using a cookie cutter.
8. Place the cut out shapes on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
9. Brush with the leftover 1/2 cup icing mixture (see point 3) and refrigerate.
10. Cook in a preheated oven 250°C (500°F) for 3-5 minutes.
11. Detach delicately with a spatula.

I enjoy them at any time of the day (pretty healthy snack besides all the sugar) alone or with a hot chocolate, coffee or tea!

wedding in las vegas, part 1

Just so you know: What happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas. Never ha, ha! Of course not, because people talk, people take pictures and before you know it, the whole wide world knows what you did in that town!

But whatever. You are in for a treat! Let me explain. Most people dream of a wedding in Vegas. Some people are lucky enough to get married in Vegas and some just get to go along! Yessssha! - I was a chosen one! It sounds like cookies and cream to you, but it was not that easy. I took an assignment.

I was to design and tailor a wedding dress for the bride and the outfit for the groom. I got paid. And I was going to soon go on a really nice ride, but first, I had to do some work!

So what were Mimi's dreams of the dress for that most special day in her life? I flew to Switzerland for a meeting to try and find out. I showed her some ideas and we brainstormed around a bit. The same ritual, except shorter and much more focused went on with the groom, Greg. He pretty much knew what he wanted: something cool, with special details, tailored but easy, maybe with a hat. He mentioned that he wanted to wear his sneakers. O.K.!?

The next step here would be the drawing table and it was. Many sketches later I snatched the O.K. to go ahead. Sourcing the actual material from an idea (mirrored sequence?! White on white embroidered silk?!) can be tricky but in NYC's Garment District you can find pretty much anything. And so I did!

Before I go further, I would like to ask this question: Why is one of the most important parts of fashion, it's process needed to exist and come to life, its production so invisible? Who do you think makes these outrageous looking Haute Couture creations??! The good Samaritans? A Magician? No, you can't just shove all the ingredients into an oven and expect them to come out done... they have to be assembled. Meticulously, patiently, stitch by stitch, with a lot of sweat and sometimes even injuries, like small cuts and strains, etc. but let's not go there!

Let's for once, very unglamorously put a spotlight on how these garments and yes, even pretty wedding gowns are made:


My Bernina Artista sewing machine helps!

...all photos by Carl Posey...

O.K. so let this marinate for a while and soon, in one of the very next posts, I will reveal the finished product! And guess what? You are going to go on for the ride with me: A Wedding In Las Vegas! Stay put!

best look of the week

Although the week is not finished just yet - sorry - here's the best look of the week for you: Yet another Kiss look! I spotted this tiny girl with long bleached tresses who managed to twist and tie an old Kiss T-Shirt to fit her small chest and had to give it to her. I thought she paid a nice tribute to the band with this look!

no photographer - no problem

Sorry my love (my photographer hubby) but when you are not here and I got to have my picture taken and it is Spring time, I go to the K-Mart's mobil photo studio and get an instant portrait. All I got to do is do my own hair, make-up and styling.... et voila!

the good old doc's

...cassandra (the fire red haired jersey punk girl) wearing her own combat boots, photo carl posey...

I don't know how you feel about this but I am just not the kind of girl anymore who can wear high heels for prolonged periods of time (we are not the glam girls we pretend to be, we actually got though jobs). Don't tell me these high heels were made for walking! Sure, I could and I do, if a look requires a longer/slimmer silhouette (that's what it's about, on photo shoots and the runway they are still a must), but only then. For every day, there are plenty of other great looking, less testing options.

I can assure you, the days when I put the heels on my feet and pack the comfy sneakers in the my purse are counted. And so are the times when I bring band aids in case I get a blister. I just don't feel that it's necessary to go through that organization every time. And the lord knows I got enough stuff to carry 'round!

Besides, have you not heard that we are heading back to high boots (over the knee) and flats and Creepers and Doc Martens boots? Well, get with it girl and if you are one of the lucky ones who got a perfectly worn in pair in the closet: PULL 'EM OUT!!?!

...cassandra again with her own perfectly worn in originals, wearing the ramones punk tribute dress, photography by carl posey...

Now, you may want to polish those dusty suckers up a bit with some DIY styling:

Be inspired! Or - if you are not the crafty type - how about this rubber version from Ilse Jacobsen? They come in navy, red or black. They rock!


...so don't tell me you didn't have any options, 'cause you have!

broadcast yourself

"Broadcast Yourself", an new exhibition at Pratt Manhattan Gallery (April 1st - May 2nd), will address the issues of power and control extended by traditional media outlets in contrast with the do-it-yourself attitude pervasive in the tech-savvy younger generation. Symposium panelists will also speak to the impact that radio and television can have in shaping the events of our time; how artists can directly engage, challenge, or subvert the structure and authority of broadcast media; and how our culture is shaped by the actions of individuals and artists.

...sweet independence..

This is a first of it's kind show and goes for anyone. In my profession and most others, Internet-savvy kids or young adults can completely surpass any traditional methods of marketing themselves and their art or their commercial business. Do you grasp what that means?! You finally get to do and say exactly what you want and you can show and say it directly to consumers worldwide via laptop, cell phone, TV, etc.

I am waaaayyy pumped about this development because it will and has already changed the whole geography of what will be consumed and how. The younger generation is on the steering wheel and it becomes more squeaky clear every day.

Why is Barack Obama president now? Because he is a part of that new generation and he had the knowledge and the desire to change the world and he was able to be elected with the help of some of the tech geniuses of our time. It doesn't get any better than that. It shows what is possible now - let that recession end and pay back that debt (Obama still has to get it right. Why not start a whole new banking system, instead of fixing this toroughly broken one?) and this new reality will be prominent - but it is already going on no matter what. It's 2009 do you know what Analytics is??

We finally can decide our own future and become (I guess more or less) independent of the mob. So watcha wait'n for??