Live from Butō fashion

Yesterday my friends from Ergo Sum went live for the first time at the Culture Center of Spain in Tegucigalpa (CCET) so of course I wouldn't miss the chance to shamelessly plug myself in. And you know what? Gimmeabreak. Between freelancing [read: unemployment] and general frustration my choices are either intruding other people's projects or just calling it quits, getting huge tattoos and embarking on the performative life of a self-destructive punk. And yes I know that went well for Rico Genest but I don't think Formichetti is looking for a second zombie boy to inspire Lady Gaga or another Thierry Mugler collection or whatever gimmick he's pulling now. So butting in it is. Which I did wearing this

I cut a pair of green pants because I've been wanting to wear those leather Zara moccasins with shorts for a while. I also cut a white t-shirt into a tank top and put a thrift plaid shirt on top. I've done done lots of cutting lately I think I'm going through this cray cray Britney phase. Anyways live radio is tons of fun but it's also about listening attentively as portrayed in the next graph

So about freelancing. The pros are I get to mock my friends when I'm staying over and it's late and they have to work the next day, I just stretch and yawn and go "well, I'm too pretty to work" and then I tell them their thighs are touching. My friends hate me. The cons are I depend on checks that might be signed when the boss comes back from whatever island she's over-tanning and ordering sugary drinks at. So while I keep on being poor I might as well catch up with mags and stuff. I was just surfing through some eds and found the first butō-based editorial I've ever seen, starring Sui He and Aline Weber for V magazine issue #71 Summer 2011 photographed by Glen Luchford with styling by Beat Bolliger.

It's supposed to be inspired by Kazuo Ohno who along with Tatsumi Hijikata, is the legendary Japanese dance master that initiated the butō movement. It started after World War II as a form of protest against authority and also as a reaction to the contemporary dance scene in Japan which was either westernized or too classical (called "Noh"). Butō is grotesque, playful and whimsical, absurd, hyper-controlled. The dancers wear white make up in their hands and face, messy hair, props, ragged loose clothing. Kazuo died last year at the age of 103, among his many pieces there's this beauty called "The Written Face"

The ed seems to be inspired by his slightly more dark and abstract dances like "The Dead Sea" or "Mother". It features outstanding pieces from Commes des Garçons, pants by Balenciaga and YSL and a signature Haider Ackermann silk belt, among others.

The complete editorial can be seen here. I personally think Sui He is perfect cast for this and also I'm rooting for her now. She's featured in Vogue China's next September multi-girl cover by Inez & Vinoodh, in the main page between Du Juan and Fei Fei.