It's tough to start Fashion Week with news about a great designer's death. I was passing by the Alexander McQueen flagship in New York's Meatpacking District and was struck by a pile of flowers by a small sign in the window that reads: "On behalf of Lee McQueen's family, Alexander McQueen announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand passed away..." RIP Alexander McQueen.

Related Links:
Alexander Mcqueen : http://alexandermcqueen.com/

Heroes of the Underground
Posted 11 February 2010 | by Tim Eastman  

DIY baby! Back in the 1980's, before the internet got made, comic book authors who weren't on the big inprints had to find an alternative paper-based method of disseminating their genius. Many of them turned to low-budget self-publishing, a.k.a. the Xerox machine. What followed was a boom in the underground comics scene and widespread creativity on an unprecedented level. Newave! "The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s" is a new book from Fantagraphics Publishing that reprints much of the best of this work. At half the size this would be an insane value for the dollar, but at 900 pages (!!) this collection is literally the deal of a lifetime. Get it and your brain will thank you.

Related Links:
$16.49 At Amazon! : http://www.amazon.com/Newave-Underground-Mini-Comix-1980s/dp/1606993135/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265662518&sr=1-1

The Circle of Light
Posted 11 February 2010 | by Tim Eastman  

Artist Chester Nielsen came to his current exhibition of drawings in a roundabout way. He started by driving through suburban California, photographing the arrangements of Christmas lights on people's homes: "The only time where conservative tract homes have a life and let loose," he says. Nielsen then created cardboard models of the homes, based on the photographs. After that he photographed the models in the same manner as he had photographed the original houses. Then he drew the cardboard models, focusing on "detail and the shadow that the bizarre and familiar objects created." Then he drew the cardboard models again, but this time from the photographs. Then he drew the houses from the original photographs. Finally, he made drawings that moved back and forth between the original photos and the pictures of the cardboard models. Got it? Cool. You can see drawings from each stage of the project in the exhibition, through Feb. 28 at Art 101, 101 Grand st., Brooklyn.

Related Links:
Art 101 : http://www.art101brooklyn.com/home.html

Breaking into Fashion (Week)
Posted 09 February 2010 | by Tim Eastman  

Well folks it's that magical time of year again, when the air around Bryant Park smells of chardonnay and Chanel and around every corner there lurks a photographer. That's right, the biannual ritual of Fashion Week is upon us once more. While some take the occasion as a good reason to get to know Brooklyn a little better, others jealously covet those hard-to-get invitations with the intensity of a cat escaping the bathtub. If you're part of the latter group (and who isn't, even just a little?) then Tokion has the answer for your dirty deed-doing self. We've searched the internets and collected what we deem to be the best guides to crashing New York Fashion Week. Whether you're a hardcore fashion junkie or trying to impress a date, if you want in then this is the info you need. You're welcome.

Related Links:
Blackbook: The Amateur's Guide To Sneaking Into Fashion Week : http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/tent-tearing-the-amateurs-guide-to-sneaking-into-fashion-week/6296
Time: How To Crash A Fashion Show : http://fashionweek.blogs.time.com/2008/09/11/how_to_crash_a_fashion_show/
Meaningful Distraction: Your Ultimate Guide To Nyc Fashion Week Party Crash : http://meaningfuldistractions.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/news_new_york_fashion_week_parties_97697/
Timeout: Video Tips On Sneaking Into Fashion Week : http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/fashion-week/58631/video-tips-on-sneaking-into-fashion-week
Associated Content: How To Get In To New York Fashion Week : http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/641231/how_to_get_in_to_new_york_fashion_week.html
Fashionindie: Top Ten Tips For Crashing New York Fashion Week : http://fashionindie.com/top-ten-tips-for-crashing-new-york-fashion-week/

Flickr Discovery: Lydia Hansen
Posted 09 February 2010 | by Tim Eastman  

Lydia Hansen's fashion-tinged pictures have a maniacal quality to them: In the best images something disturbed and beautiful boils in the surface. Check her out now and say you were into her before she was famous.

Related Links:
Lydia Hansen On Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/lydiahansen/