Yet another tool I use to measure New Mexico's "coolness" deficit: The number of boutiques that carry: Acne and/or Hudson Jeans and Mike and Chris and/or Zero Maria Cornejo. Basically, New Mexico gets a rating of negative 100 here. Actually, I believe I can count the total number of "boutiques" period in New Mexico on one hand.
Finally, the number of design/music/culture blogs written out of New Mexico. I have yet to find ONE, so HELP ME PLEASE, Interweb world, if there is such a blog, PLEASE send me the link. Also, if there are boutiques ANYWHERE in New Mexico, tell me!!
How can I move home if no one will understand my genius? If no one is willing to pay $200 for jeans? They're designer people! If no one understands my avant-garde fashion shows? If no one eats caviar and striped figs? If no one has the money to buy my beautiful clothes or even worse, no occasion to wear them to?
Here is what New Mexico needs: more clever start-ups headed by hip young people, more connections to the outside world (San Francisco turns itself inside OUT trying to emulate New York! Why is no one in New Mexico furiously subscribing to San Francisco magazine in the hopes of becoming cooler?? Everyone in New Mexico needs to get shipped off to NY/SF (okay, even Chicago) for a good month or two), more galas, fancy parties, record releases, independent theaters, black-tie events, more skyscrapers full of people who HAVE TO wear a full suit to work, which brings me to: a more stringent dress code. Wranglers and sneakers will no longer make the cut, UNLESS you look tragically hip wearing them.
SO New Mexico, you need to get your COOL ON, you need to put on your COOL BOOTS, your COOL HAT and start CARING ABOUT DESIGN!!!! ABOUT FASHION!!!! Please, go throw yourself in a big pool of cool!! Sob.
This is what I am talking about: OAK. This is a boutique in NY. They are so cool, they are too cool for school. Here is a random selection some of their painfully cool designers:
Alice Ritter:
You CANNOT get sleeves that weird or dresses that short at Wal-mart. You just can't.
Alexander Herchcovich:
Look at the DESIGN. These people radiate coolness.
Hussein Chalayan:
Coolness IS drapey shapeless blackness and boots. PERIOD.
Humanoid:
The Fedora. I have been borrowing D's as of late. The Fedora is COOL.
The afore-mentioned Acne Jeans:
These are COOL jeans. Cool jeans are grey and cool jeans are worn rolled with high heels. THIS IS COOL.
NM: I have shown you the way. Go! Go and be COOL!
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3 comments:
Hmm. I think part of it is economics... the average salary here is so much lower than in San Francisco or New York. Have you looked into Santa Fe Boutiques? What about all the boutique-y type places in ABQ?
I dunno. If you had a boutique, I'd shop there. =)
Hey, I was behind a few days on your blog, you should help me find good clothes the next time you're in town. =)
P - what boutique-y type places in ABQ? The ones in Nob Hill? Are there more? And Santa Fe - is it a lost cause? Will conchos and turquoise always be the bottom line?
Taos?
I think it's two-fold: the salary is lower (but so is the cost of living) but it's also lifestyle. People just aren't accustomed to a huge design presence.
BTW- coming home in Sept. We need to have a "meeting". With your significant prowess in the arts community I feel we can begin to address this.
We also need start-ups. Any ideas? I know- who started Duke City Fix?
Chantal Foster started DCF, M knows her. She's really nice. I think Santa Fe wants to be more than turquoise (even though they might not know it yet). I guess Nob Hill... there might be some mature lady boutiques in the Heights... and there were a couple of things downtown, but they may be gone now.
I've never actually spent much time in the Nob Hill ones I anticipate high prices and run in the other direction. =)
I'll be in Seattle Sept 2-5, hopefully you'll be here not on those days...
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