Now a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, Vivienne Westwood and Malcom McLaren spurred the thoughts of revolution, earning a forceful voice and sound to their message.

BCBGMaxAzria
BCBGMaxAzria is known for dressing the youthful, stylish and sometimes flashy woman. The same chic lady will love the brand’s watches, which are both elegant and extremely wearable. If you have the attitude and confidence that lands you in BCBG threads, you’ll love these timepieces as well.

From the VIP Glam collection, this rose gold plated watch features rhinestones, a mother of pearl face and white leather band. It’s perfect for the girl who needs a little bling in her everyday life.

How ideal for spring! From the Icon Voyage collection, this adorable green watch with flower print and snakeskin textured band will brighten your day with every glance. The gold plated case adds a luxe touch to the delightful design.

If a watch isn’t quite badass enough for you, this one will change your mind. From the Prism collection, gold and silver pyramid studs and a thick leather strap won’t cramp your style.

Kenneth Cole
If you have classic fashion sense but add an edgy, urban slant every now and then, Kenneth Cole has something for you. Its S/S 2011 watch collections use new technology and materials, turning the hands of the brand far into the future. If cosmopolitan chic is the vibe you’re going for, you will love these watches.

Can’t decide between a digital and analog watch? You don’t have to! This double watch is way to cool for words, displaying both the gears behind the automatic display and an easy-to-read digital screen with hour, minute and second spots.

Taxi cabs have touch screens and so do our cell phones, so what not snag a watch with the same advanced technology? This rose gold and silicone watch is both sporty and opulent with time, date, stopwatch, alarm and 32 city world timer touch screen functions.

Deciding between a black and brown watch can be frustrating, so why not go for the underrated and elegant navy blue? One of my favorites from the collection, it features a rose gold plated round case, transparent dial and gorgeous blue crocodile leather strap.

Breil
From one of the chicest Italian accessories brands comes the spring/summer 2011 watch collection. Breil captures the essence of today’s stylish European customer with classic materials and the highest level of quality and Italian design tradition. If you’re looking for a polished and chic time piece, this is the brand for you.

This automatic watch from the New Globe collection allows the wearer to see inside with an exposed-gear feature. A stainless steel case, mineral glass hands and genuine leather band makes it the perfect style for everyday wear.

The iconic Manta collection has some amazing new additions for spring, this blue bezel and stainless steel piece included. The timeless “diver” design is water resistant up to 10 ATM and features a safety lock. Utilitarian and sophisticated for the manly man.

Also from the Manta collection, this gorgeous women’s watch features a pearly, white patent leather strap and Swarovski crystals. Contemporary and glamorous, even the most refined, classic Italian lady would adore this piece.

D&G
The cool and contemporary side of Italian fashion comes through with these D&G watches. Young and fresh styles feature details like arcane logos, bright colors and tons of bling for accessories you won’t want to go without.

Casual, fun and perfect for summer, this fuchsia watch from the Hoop-La collection features a comfortable silicone band. The silver D&G logo is partly hidden in the strap connector, creating an artistic and mysterious edge to this energetic piece.

I almost fell over on my face when I saw this watch from the Medicine Man collection, I adore it so much. With both tons of color and that edgy, stainless steel bracelet, it is a perfect time piece for men and women on any occasion.

Small and elegant with just enough flash, this watch has a silver dial with rhinestones and white leather strap. From the feminine Flock collection, a hidden D&G logo is included in the band hardware for a little added mystique.

Freestyle
Thirty years after it became the go-to watch brand for surfers, Freestyle is branching out to fashion-forward, active individuals looking for performance timing accessories. Always supporting athletic independence and creative expression, these watches are waterproof up to 100 meters and perfect for those looking to equip themselves for spring/summer activities.

This most excellent watch from the Blush collection is a sporty breath of fresh air. The bright jelly color looks great both in and out of the water while an intricate face won’t let you get too lost in a day of summer fun.

The Hammerhead XS collection was developed out of demand for dive-style watches made to fit tiny wrists, but this accessory can be worn for any casual occasion. The sea foam/stainless steel combination gives this classic style and fashion-forward edge.

Surfers need bling too, right? This practical and chic watch from the Shark Bling collection features genuine crystal, a colored display and high gloss durable polyurethane strap.

I hope you have been getting into the watch trend as much as I have. Which of these spring styles is your favorite?

close-up of the workings of a wristwatch

“If you look at any movement… it’s people rejecting what’s just behind them and pulling something out of the past.” – Vivienne Westwood, 1986

At the beginning of her journey into the fashion world, Westwood opened a store with design and business partner, artist Malcom McLaren. Through many incarnations of names, a store called World’s End (with a 13 hour backwards moving clock over the doorway) became the breeding ground for their experiments of unisex clothing inspired by 18th-century men’s undergarments, swashbuckling Pirate-wear and other historically sound yet new-age garb. The photo below was taken in the store, Vivienne on the bottom left, Malcom on the right.

McLaren and Westwood took the anti-establishment of World’s End to the runway. The first look below is a unisex tunic and pants ensemble, which was part of the Pirates collection in 1981. The next is made of sweatshirt fleece supplemented with blouse and baby blanket material. The third look from the Buffalo collection of ’82 is an antique-looking brown satin bra top with a full cotton skirt; the show note went to the tune of Take your mother’s bra and put it over a sweater with a muddy face. The fourth look on the right is a pair of distressed pants suspended by springs “to show the movement”.

The Buffalo collection:

The influence of Vivienne Westwood and Malcom McLaren moved beyond the streets and runways of London and far past the doors of World’s End when musicians got involved. In fact, the Sex Pistols wore their designs back when their brand was still called “Let It Rock”. With the advent of MTV, celebrity fans of World’s End like Boy George and Adam and the Ants became fashion icons before the world on television, in Westwood.

Vivienne Westwood drew great influence from philosopher Bertrand Russell. It is his quote on her shirt, “Orthodoxy is the Grave of Intelligence.”

With that, in 1984 when she and McLaren parted ways due to artistic differences, she went against the grain of the eighties. Where most of the industry was creating silhouettes of power shoulders and boxy suits, she drew from the Victorian era and developed the “mini crini”; a knee length version of the crinoline understructure. She also dipped into the seventies and Japan and pulled out platforms, but gave them a pirouette; the rounded up toe allows for perfect balance on point. Even more radically, she resurrected the corset, bringing it back in a liberating manner for it was no longer required. The quote on this photo reads, “…taking tradition into the future.” – Vivienne Westwood.

Feminizing the Scottish kilt, futurizing the corset and harking menswear back to medieval times, Vivienne Westwood in the late eighties was well on her way to stamping her unique print on fashion. She ended the decade with a bang: November ’89 cover of British Vogue.

More on Vivienne Westwood and the FIT exhibit:

Photography by Tommy Mendes

*Bands. No solo acts were considered for this list. Or we all know Bowie would be up here.

#10 - NIRVANA

Kurt Cobain embodies the grunge revolution of the nineties. He synced the music to the laying low layered baggy flannel I-couldn’t-care-less look. It was an anti-fashion statement, a call to his own philosophy with reckless comfort, and thus it became fashion.

#9 – GUNS N ROSES

Of the glam metal hair bands that existed in thick of the eighties, Axel Rose and his lusciously locked bandmates were some of the most authentic in the genre. Their punk tinged solid rocker look made their shaggy manes manly. Power leather, head banging bandanas, faded shrunken graphic tees and hand cut effects complement their genuine rockstar songs.

#8 THE KILLERS

The intrinsic cool of Brandon Flowers emanates throughout The Killers. They create the kind of music that so easily sounds contrived when attempted by others, and the same goes for their look. Their polished quality with major statement, like feather shoulders or fur jackets, embodies both music and style in the best light.

#7 – OUTKAST

Big Boi keeps it hood. André 3000 blasts it into the future while tossing around a twenties vibe. He raised his waistline when no one else did and created mayhem with his look in “Hey Ya!” Their music is as smooth and superfast-paced as their appearance.

#6 – THE CLASH

As key players in the original wave of British punk, their shredded, zipped and right tight aesthetic weighed heavily in the formation of the genre. Their politically driven lyrics are backed by their F-you look and general badassery.

#5 – MGMT

This psych rock group from the here and now is a major reason that American Apparel stocked its shelves with blinding neon. Their exceptional style leads Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser to experimentation and wild inspiration. For instance, on their website a fan asks, “What inspired the fashion choice for Lolla[palooza] in Grant Park? You looked pretty hot in those jackets. (In every sense of the word.) Amazing.” Andrew’s answer? Quite amazing indeed.

#4 – LED ZEPPELIN

Gah, it’s effortless. The unbuttoned bare chested sexiness of Robert Plant is only upped by the fur collared leather trench of John Bohnam, complemented by the multi-tonal jacket on John Paul Jones and completed by Jimmy Page‘s slick tweed. Their ever present style had the same air as their music; the loudest, most soulful wails and riffs and rips always rode the chillest undercurrent.

#3 – JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE

Jimi Hendrix dressed like the psychedelic royalty he was. Purple and mind altering patterns enwrapped him as he lit guitars on fire, shredded it with his teeth, and as LSD dripped down from the scarf tied around his head (allegedly). The Experience was a spectacle; heady music enhanced tenfold by the showmanship of Hendrix.

#2 – THE ROLLING STONES

The Stones are the greatest vaudeville act of all time, never ceasing. Clothing slings on their rockstar bodies with ease, as does some of the greatest rock and roll ever performed pour out of them. They started out, much like The Beatles and every early British Invasion band thereafter in straight suits and matching haircuts. With time and money they evolved into wearing spectacle-worthy designer pieces like Mick Jagger’s Prada cock feather fedora or these pants. Keith Richards sparked the eyeliner earringed look that Johnny Depp so famously adopted for Captain Jack Sparrow. Undeniable sex appeal lies as much in their music as in style of larger than life, gender bending (yet deeply masculine) cool. And they’re still at it now.

#1 – THE BEATLES

The boys who brought rock and roll to the masses went through a series of evolutions in their seven years as a band. They began clean cut and mop topped, singing sweet yet earth shaking songs of holding hands, sharing secrets, twisting and shouting above the echoing shrieks and screams of crazed fans across the globe.  Always the epitome of class, they experimented with the finest suiting in the world, and it was Pierre Cardin who introduced them to the Indian Nehru jacket. Once they receded from the touring spotlight, they blossomed further as style icons. Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour brought psychedelia to the forefront with neon military regalia, wild paisleys, beads, thin chains, moustaches and acid. Onto The White Album, which they wrote most of while practicing transcendental meditation in an ashram, they developed further spiritually and grew into newer versions of themselves. John Lennon was looking more like Jesus every day, and solidifying his round spectacle staple. Paul McCartney kept charmingly classy, now paring back the brights. George Harrison grew ever more spiritual, keeping a relaxed finery about him. Ringo was actually the most fashionably daring of the four, hamming up the giant rings and divinely accessorizing. The Beatles were indisputable trendsetters as their image and sound transformed through time, transforming the world around them.

If your looking for unique cocktail dresses and gowns, you’ll find yourself in one next fall with GUiSHEM’s collection. The GUiSHEM Fall 2011 garments were structured and form-fitting, hugging the female figure just right. Patterns focused on the torso and hips by making exaggerated cross patterns to bring the eye right towards the curves of a woman’s body. These cross patterns were detailed, made of leather and added hints of color like purple and gold to mostly black dresses. Not only were the dresses structured, but the shoes were also. Chunky heels were more like blocks, wedge heels that were missing the back of the heel. They reminded me of Balenciaga’s Fall 2010 lego-like colorful shoes.

GUiSHEM’s fall collection is nothing but fashion-forward. When walking into the presentation, 80s Michael Jackson was blasting and you got a feel for 80s punk goth, but it goes way beyond that. It’s sort of futuristic in a science fiction type of way. These pieces are for bold ladies that aren’t intimidated to look fashion-forward and are willing to take a leap.

Photo Credits: Flypaper

DAFT PUNK LEGO

via thisislavie.com

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The reason that Akira is such a killer nominee for this Friday feature is that it’s probably the most detailed animated film ever made.  It literally puts anything Disney has ever done to shame.  Factor in that the movie takes place on such a massive scale (a re-imagining of post-World War III Tokyo) that there’s a helluva lot of detail.

Based on Ôtomo’s as of then yet-unfinished manga (it just gets nerdier and nerdier, doesn’t it?) the film starts off extremely strong focusing on a group of teenage reprobates and secret military experiments but soon loses its way.  Fortunately for those of us who like looking at beautiful things, however, it never loses its style.  So, with that, on to the outfits!

As stated above: super-macro.  The outfit that pops out most is the man in the yellow chinos.  It’s getting towards the end of pastel season (i.e. Spring is being burned to death) but it’s always a good/super-preppy look when someone gets all Nantucket on their own ass with a basic blue oxford and some colored slacks.  Then there’s Mr. Punk I and Mr. Punk II to the left with looks reminiscent of the most recent Balmain men’s collection.  Leather jackets with a little bit of prep mixed in (a button down and olive green slouch neck sweater).  Who knew cartoons could dress so damn well?

But Ôtomo can go super-micro too.  If you want to look like a teenage derelict/leader of a futuristic bike gang, here’s how you do it, from head to toe.  Check the fit on all the items: slightly oversized polo to let the cool breeze in, cropped just-slim-enough chinos, killer mid-top white sneaks.

Second from the left, and the guy all the way towards the right.  Neither of these characters plays a major role in the film.  In fact, the rightmost character might not even have a line.  Nevertheless, both of these guys have got it going on.  Hello Joe Strummer, and hello sweet shearling collar overcoat.  We’ll refrain from commenting on the cutoff graphic tee on the left.

The girls get in on the action too, of course.  From left to right, some real-world finds.  Honestly, this movie’s like a schizophrenic sketchbook come to life mixed with a lot of Mad Max, Max’s Kansas City, and, uh…Max Fischer.  It’s totally max, basically.

Check the gallery and see if you can match the following with their pictures.  It’s like one of those quizzes on children’s placemats at roadside diners.  Or, you know, don’t.  Whatever you do, pick up Akira (or watch it on YouTube).  Enjoy all the pretty pictures, pretend to soak up the philosophy and the Kubrick-ian 2001-style ending.  When else can you say you’re-a-learnin’ while watchin’ car-toons?

A. Burberry Prorsum Felted Military Coat

B. J. Crew Aldridge Suit

C. Marc Jacobs Gladiator Sandals

D. Mr. Hare Fitzgerald Shoe

E. Kitsuné Espadrille

F. Patrik Ervell Collegiate Jacket

Answers (pics numbered L-R): A-12, B-11, C-8, D-9, E-9, F-15

Retail mogul and Kate Moss BFF Sir Philip Green traipsed around on his Barbados vacation with a Sex Pistols T-shirt that would give Avril AND Paris a run for their money (if Avril has any left, that is). The faces of Green himself, Simon Cowell, and Sylvester Stallone, top the bodies of the rockers.

Oh, Grandpa. You own TOPSHOP. You can’t get a decent beach cover-up?

The Daily Mail.

Images from “Individual Fashion Expo.IV”, a gothic, lolita and punk fashion event, in Tokyo. How cute are all these outfits?

Thanks Reuters for the pics