Coupling Fashion Methods

Once upon a time, roughly thirteen years ago, I lived in Finland for about one month. I loved the Finns' sense of humor, their views of friends and family as priority, and their inclination toward the unusual...especially in fashion. I remember walking around in Helsinki in awe with the "anything goes" mentality. No fashion rules. And having no fashion rules allows creativity. It wasn't until 2006 that I discovered Hel Looks. Think Satorialist and Fruits, but documented strictly in Finland.

I couldn't help but take interest in the lovebirds on Hel Looks. The guy/gal pairings were different...yet similar. Couples in love, Finnish style. Does fashion play a role in the laws of attraction?

(All images via www.hel-looks.com)

What's Their Motif?

My significant guy and I were galavanting around Austin, TX recently where some vacant buildings that were once bare had seen a reawakening by the use of stencil art decoupaged to the exterior.

(images via Art & Facts)

Stencil grafitti (non gang-related )is a huge hit in my book--I enjoy gawking at stencil art as much I do with architecture while traveling. It is exterior, outdoor art. Most of it has immense meaning behind it. Street stencil art has been around since the late 1960s as a means of social activism and protesting....It is eye-catching and it reaches a pretty large audience. Quite effective.

I'd love to have all four of Tristan Manco's books sitting atop of my coffee table someday. Utter inspiration. It got me thinking about pulling the street art into interior decorating. Looks like others have beat me to it! Here are some ideas that are reminiscent of street stencil graffiti, though not rampant.

Ape Stencil incorporated onto a hallway wall from the Ed Roth collection (image via www.apartmenttherapy.com)

The amazing UK-based Stencil Library trio has shared some of their own work (image via http://designinspiration.typepad.com)

Comparable to the stencil-printed decoupage graffiti, Lark homeowners had the same idea with combining differing patterns of wallpaper (image via www.apartmenttherapy.com)

Bringing the "street" inside the home lightens the mood and brings a little humor into your life. I'm already thinking up new methods for my home...