Tag Archives: wonderful

DO IT RIGHT, E.O.F. APPROVED, FASHION, INNOVATION, Life, MENSWEAR, Rebel Society, STYLE {WISE}, Vintage, WOMENSWEAR

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN…MERCURY RETROGRADE!

Leave a comment

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Well for some. If you’ve been cleansing your soul and sorting out aspects of yourself that haven’t always agreed with you and folded them up and labeled them for safe-keeping then you should be OK. Partner that essential me-time with burning some white sage and a few protective crystals then you should be doing alright…I mean nothing is ever certain.

Mercury retrograde definitely gets a bad rep. It is often blamed as the cause of many disruptions on our little blue planet.

You might experience delays in travel (unless you drive a starship equipped against such forces), your car could break down, the text you sent a few hours ago still hasn’t been received, an email got lost somewhere in the internet, or you start receiving many wrong numbers over its course. So, be well prepared for about a month of potential chaos (retrograde ends August 2).

Since the retrograde is also attributed to trouble with technology such as computer, we felt it vital to get this post up before it’s too late!

Mercury in Roman mythology is a version of the Greek god Hermes – messenger to the Gods, and a divine trickster. He loves to prank mortals when they least expect it for his own amusement. He also has influence over business, financial gains, and is described as a bringer of good luck (at least in the Illiad by Homer, anyway). Searcher of lost things,  he also served as your personal guide to Hades (the Underworld)…so not that bad right?

 

I guess the thing to take in account is there are elements in this world that are beyond our control. Like an important meeting cancelled last minute, the slideshow you prepared is faulty during presentation, or your train is experiencing a major delay, your phone breaks, miscommunications to loved ones…whatever it is; it is important to remember these events do not shape who we really are.

Where things may get messy is when Mercury, seeker of truth, speaks to you and forces you to unearth shit you maybe wanted to keep under wraps from not only the world, but yourself. During this period, you might feel these tensions escalating.

Here is your moment to look that energy in the face and tell it to fuck right off! No retrograde will get you down, especially if you stick by our motto:

CONCISIONEM STYLO, ACCURATIUS CORDE, IUDICARI VITA

Concision in style, precision in thought, decision in life.
-Victor Hugo

YOU are in control of your destiny. YOU are in control of your emotions. And most of all, YOU are in control of your life, who you are, and how the world sees YOU.  Be the best version of YOU that you could imagine, or better yet, the best version of YOU that you couldn’t even imagine!

We’ve said it before, and we will say it again: Style is more than how you dress. It’s a way of life. Here’s another motto that always struck a chord:

Style is knowing who you are, what you want, and not giving a damn!

-Gore Vidal

That being said…if anything in your life feels like it’s going out of style, now’s the time to ask yourself the hard questions. What needs to be sorted? What needs to be rearranged? What could use some nurturing? What feels missing? and most importantly: What or for many of us, WHO, should we delete?

Time for some serious “Bye Felicia!” moments, because coupled with the solar eclipse at the beginning of the month and the upcoming lunar eclipse…the choices we make within this period will be essential to the rest of 2019.

I have a feeling if you are reading this you are in tuned with your spirit, so are probably sitting pretty, looking pretty, and feeling the abundance the Universe has offered those worthy. Those who haven’t sorted their shit, are sure to experience a (or a couple) dark nights of the soul. Toxic people. Toxic energies. Toxic choices…before we even know it sometimes, our world has been polluted with so much darkness, and it feels like there is no way out.

Best to get out of the shadow and bask in the light.

I only worry for the general sense of anxiety and tension that is sure to reside in the collective for the next few weeks. . .but again, we know what’s up! So, them’s the breaks!

On top of it all it is Cancer season so emotions could also be like waves crashing on the rocks of a shore. Hopefully not too many tears…

They often say don’t make big decisions, however, sometimes life can’t wait for a Mercury retrograde to pass to put the pedal to the metal. After all, the retrograde effect Mercury seems to take three times a year is but an optical illusion based on the position we here on Earth see Mercury in the sky (approximately 48,000,000 miles away), and since the planet whips around the Sun almost three times the velocity it does Earth, three times a year we witness what looks like the tiny planet moving backward in the sky.

Not everything is always as it seems….Be kind to yourself. Rest, and enjoy life: after all, it’s summer!

In honour of the hilarity of this new Mercury Retrograde (July 7, 2019 – August 2, 2019) we’ve compiled a hilarious and sometimes savage collection of the ultimate retrograde memes and gis courtesy of the INTERNET.

 

So remember, back up your shit (just in case,) and reflect on everything life has shown you, and be open to receiving new information you may never have dreamed to receive. The retrograde doesn’t have to be all so bad…it’s what you do within that matters.

So let’s give it up for the A-holes, douchebags, and also the heroes and mentors in your life, and everyone in between!

Happy Mercury Retrograde!

Until next time,

{theEye}

+

 

THANKS FOR READING! Remember XIXIXI gets you 25% OFF in the {SHOP}. FREE SHIPPING in the U.S. / CANADA

 

 

 

DO IT RIGHT, E.O.F. APPROVED, MUSIC, Music Minute, Rebel Society, STYLE IDOLS AND DIVINITIES, STYLE {WISE}, Video, Vintage, {WEIRD T.V.}

Cloudbusting with Kate Bush and Bad Ass Thinker Wilhelm Reich!!!

Leave a comment

When it comes to artists like Kate Bush, they are truly few and far between, if not non-existent! Her music is a wild ride between pop, rock, experimental, and the ethereal sounds of another universe. Haunting, delicate, and slightly witchy… Bush’s music explores unusual themes that many other artists would dare no even attempt.

One of our favourite obscure references is featured in the video “Cloudbusting” which was conceived by iconic British director Terry Gilliam and Kate Bush, herself. Watching the video for the first time, you feel like you are watching a breathtaking sci-fi fantasy accompanied by Bush’s haunting music. However, this story is far from fiction, and is in fact based on the most incredible stranger than fiction true story of scientist Wilhelm Reich.

The video depicts Kate Bush as son, Peter Reich (whose memoir Book of Dreams was an immense inspiration for Bush), watching as his father (played by Donald Sutherland) develops an intricate machine the “Cloudbuster” before men in black come knocking on the door taking the father and destroying his laboratory, as well as taking many of his files for “safe keeping”. As their car drives off, the boy turns the cloud buster to the sky and unleashes a downpour of rain as his father drives off as a captive into the distance.

Strangely enough, this device was absolutely real, and even documented in local newspapers of the time. The basis of its functioning was the concept of “orgone” – an esoteric energy seen as a universal force that could be harvested. This energy was theorized to be an invisible mass of living energy that is omnipresent throughout the universe.

His research garnered a fairly strong following in the United States, with many students who congregated at the Organon Ranch Laboratory (now the Willhelm Reich Museum) located in Rangeley, Maine.

Interestingly Organon is also the formal name of Greek philosopher Aristotle’s works on logic given by his followers…

Being able to control this energy, Reich believed could help people be cured of various diseases or mental health issues (the Orgone Accumulator – a small room made from layers of metal and wood), as well as controlling the weather – hence the Cloudbuster!

The most famous incident would have to be The Maine Blueberry Experiment which took place in Bangor, Maine at 10am on July 6, 1953 after a devastating drought which was directly affecting the blueberry crops that summer. Reich and his assistants set up the cloud buster – a set of hollow tubes suspended over a small cylinder. Later that night

“Rain began to fall shortly after ten o’clock Monday evening, first as a drizzle and then by midnight as a gentle, steady rain. Rain continued throughout the night, and a rainfall of 0.24 inches was recorded in Ellsworth the following morning…The queerest looking clouds you ever saw began to form soon after they got the thing rolling.”

Eyewitness, Bangor Maine (1953)

Much like other great minds in our world, Reich was punished for his forbidden knowledge of the available resources of our universe, and was promptly punished. A salacious article written by Ms. Mildred Eddie Brady also helped to taint his reputation painting him as a sex crazed mad scientist. He was accused of being a communist (of course), and seen as a bit of a loon when he made comments about U.F.O.s (which we all know exist…).  Eventually, the U.S. Food an Drug Administration obtained a federal injunction, and seized and destroyed all orgone-related material.

Reich was put into prison where he would die at the age of 60 in 1957. Thankfully, his knowledge has not been forgotten…although you know they wish it were!!!

Reich was definitely a rebel figurehead; part of the second generation of psychoanalysts after Sigmund Freud. His most distinctive works included Character Analysis (1933), The Mass Psychology of Fascism (1933), and The Sexual Revolution (1936). We definitely always characterize the idea of a sexual revolution with the free love era of the 60s and 70s, but this guy was far beyond his times. During the 1968 student riots in Paris and Berlin, protesters even threw copies of The Mass Psychology of Fascism at the police!

He was quite the activist and fought for the abolition of laws against abortion and homosexuality, free birth control advice and contraceptives,  health protection for women and children, day cares in factories, and the abolition of laws prohibiting sex education. And this was in the 1930s, and people are still fighting for the same things!

Interestingly enough, Kate Bush may not have even known about this story if she hadn’t stumbled upon A Book of Dreams (1973) – a memoir written by Reich’s son Peter Reich by coincidence in 1976.

“I was inspired by a book that I first found on a shelf nearly nine years ago. It was just calling me from the shelf, and when I read it I was very moved by the magic of it. It’s about a special relationship between a young son and his father. The book was written from a child’s point of view. His father is everything to him; he is the magic in his life, and he teaches him everything, teaching him to be open-minded and not to build up barriers… But there’s nothing he can do about his father being taken away, he is completely helpless. But it’s very much more to do with how the son does begin to cope with the whole loneliness and pain of being without his father. It is the magic moments of a relationship through a child’s eyes, but told by a sad adult.”

-Kate Bush

Thank god she did, because when we first stumbled upon this masterpiece we were taken away to another world that is as much fantasy as it is real life…

Funny enough, she isn’t the only rebel poet to be inspired by this story. Punk icon Patti Smith, was inspired by the book’s scene where Peter is convinced a fleet of flying saucers are skimming his boarding school’s lacrosse field to reunite him with his imprisoned father in her 9 minute epic “Birdland”…

Sad that much like Nikola Tesla, or our recent {STYLE IDOL} Jack Parsons,  knowledge and powers that could greatly benefit our world as a whole have to be held captive by greedy forces…

However, if you have that rebel spirit within YOU ready to soar – let it free, and let it be!!!

Definitely if you found all this interesting, please look more into Orgone, Organon, and everything you can Wilhelm Reich!!!

<<ORGONICS>>

Until next time,

{theEye}

+

Remember XIXIXI gets you 25% OFF in the {SHOP} // Now offering FREE SHIPPING in Canada and the US!!!

click the banner below to shop! 

FASHION, MENSWEAR, Rebel Society, STYLE IDOLS AND DIVINITIES, STYLE {WISE}, Video, Vintage, WOMENSWEAR

{STYLE IDOL} Jack Parsons – The Original Rocket Man!

2 Comments

 

Scientists often go unrecognized in the realm of style, and there’s definitely no one more deserving to be added to our roster of Idols & Divinities to worship than the original rocket man- Jack Parsons.

Like we always say, style is more than the clothes you wear, its how you carry on your life with purpose and integrity, and Mr. Parsons definitely didn’t hold back! Devilishly handsome, in tuned with his own special brand of spirituality, and ridiculously intelligent – he is definitely an idol worth worshiping.

His story is a strange one that verges on being absolutely unbelievable. Often referred to as the ultimate mad scientist, Parson’s research in the field of rocketry basically gave birth to NASA, and allowed for mankind to release itself from the atmosphere and deep into space.

A true Hollywood boy, Parsons was born on Oct 2, 1914 in Los Angeles and quickly became fascinated by rockets inspired by the many pulp sci-fi magazines he would read as a young boy. It is also said that as a child he would perform rituals to manifest the devil in his bedroom…

This obsession grew and grew over time, and after graduating High School, the young man alongside his best friend Ed Forman linked up with Frank Malina, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology- forming what they would call “The Suicide Squad”…

Whilst the idea of rockets were perceived as nothing more than sci-fi fantasy, him and his peers moved forward with their experiments and research, proving that Parsons was a natural genius when it came to developing chemicals and mixing them in exactly the right amounts that these reactions could be explosive, but controllable. This knowledge was later used by NASA….

Of course, with this knowledge, came questions and queries of who exactly was Jack Parsons, and what the man had uncovered was shocking beyond belief.

While Parsons was pioneering rocket science, he was also an avid follower of occult circles in Hollywood. He was an attendant of the Ordo Templi Orients, and took part in meetings led by the father of modern day occultism – Aleister Crowley. He was even appointed West Coast leader of the OTO by Crowley himself.

Through the money he was making in his rocket business, he bought a mansion in Pasadena which became a party house to facilitate occult rituals and orgies.

 Frank Malina’s wife said that the mansion was “like walking into a Fellini movie. Women were walking around in diaphanous togas and weird make-up, some dressed up like animals, like a costume party.” Malina shrugged off his partner’s eccentricities, telling his wife, “Jack is into all kinds of things.”

These stories led to Parsons being a bit of liability to the government, and he was paid out his shares of Aerojet, and was cast out from the field he had himself developed!

This led to a further delve into the occult. In 1946, he would host a series of ritual rites which he called the ‘Babalon Working’ which he performed alongside Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The ritual was performed from January to March in effort to manifest a incarnation of Babalon- a divine feminine spirit described by Aleister Crowley in this 1917 novel Moonchild.

After the first series of these rituals, Parsons was introduced to Marjorie Cameron who he regarded as the manifestation they were attempting to summon. An unsuccessful attempt was made to conceive a child through sex magic (which Aleister Crowley himself regarded as foolish), but nevertheless Cameron was regarded now as the Scarlet Woman / Babylon and the two quickly married.

You can spot Marjorie in Curtis Harrington’s “The Wormwood Star” and “Night Tide” starring Dennis Hopper. She also plays a pivotal role in Kenneth Anger’s 1954 art short “The Inaugaration of the Pleasure Dome” and is renowned as an influential and groundbreaking artist of her day.

His alienation from the world of rocket science, led him to work on explosives for the film industry, while the FBI still paid close attention to his movements.

On June 1952, Parsons was killed by an unplanned detonation in his home laboratory. He was 37.

Cameron and others who knew the man doubt that this genius would ever have made such a fatal mistake. A U.F.O. sighting above Washington D.C. just after his death, led her to believe this was Parsons making communication. Unfortunately her mental state began to deteriorate, and in 1952 she gathered a small clique of practitioners to create a cult called “The Children” whose aim was to create a mixed-race society of “moon children” who would be devoted to the Egyptian god Horus. 

A new series on CBS All Access called Strange Angel starring Jack Reynor was just released last year, and attempts to bring this fascinating story to the world. We haven’t had a chance to delve into the series, but it looks like it captures Parson’s dapper charms, the mysterious underworld he treaded through, and the science he developed that changed the world!

I find it very interesting that this story is coming so strongly out of the woodwork, and being explored by a major mainstream network like CBS. Perhaps they are telling us something . . .

STRANGE ANGEL – Pictured (l-r): Bella Heathcote as Susan Parsons; Jack Reynor as Jack Parsons; Rupert Friend as Ernest Donovan. Photo Cr: Frank W. Ockenfels III/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Parson’s work in science and the occult are fascinating because they are usually regarded as in opposition of each other. However, it seems like Parsons was able to tread the line between the two, and realize the two are related, if not the same.

Parsons will be known for being a true rebel, a playboy, a genius, and one of a kind of spirit that still permeates today. If there was anyone who represented Hollywood Babylon, it is most definitely him! 

Check out these pieces from our {SHOP} to conjure the dapper and mysterious vibe of Jack Parson: the original rocket man!!!

Click here if you like what you see, and browse our other time traveled pieces!!!

+SHOP NOW+

Until next time,

{theEye}

+

FASHION, Rebel Society, STYLE {WISE}, TELEVISION, Video, Vintage, WOMENSWEAR

Here She Is . . . Miss American Vampire {1970}

Leave a comment

For our first post of 2019, we thought we’d do a classic vintage post about this most bizarre and unusual moment in time: The Miss American Vampire competition of 1970!

Move over Miss Universe (as amazing as that Lava walk was, Ms Catriona Gray), these ladies came to slay in their most imaginative  Vampire-esque looks, coupled with their charm, poise, and stage presence, as well as their videogenic quality; contestants were all hoping to take the grand prize of  a role in House of Dark Shadows! 

There aren’t many photos of the competition, or archival imagery available but these are some photos from the New Jersey regional competition in which Ms. Christine Domaniecki was crowned by Barnabas Collins himself (played by actor Jonathan Frid; who is also definitely deserved of a {STYLE IDOL} moment)!

The competition was held in several cities including Miami, Dallas, Philadelphia, with the finalists competing for the title in Los Angeles on September 10, 1970.

According to one of the judges:

“It was fun for the first five minutes. After that it got terribly depressing. Some of the girls came in bikinis. Some of them came dressed as witches or vampires or dead bodies. One girl stood in front of me and just stared.”

In a strange turn of events, the eventual winner of the National Competition actually never followed through with any of the rewards of her title choosing instead to stay in Los Angeles (House of Dark Shadows was shot in New York).

The full reasons are unclear, however, you may recognize the original Miss American Vampire, actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather {AKA Marie Louise Cruz),  from her perhaps her most famous role: accepting Marlon Brando’s Academy Award for “The Godfather” in  1973!

Brando was boycotting the Academy Awards in reaction to Hollywood’s portrayal of Indigenous Americans in the movies, as well as the recent incidents at Wounded Knee, and so Ms. Littlefeather took the stage to speak on behalf of the legendary actor.

Whilst her message was powerful, it was not so well received, garnering boos and jeers from the audience. Also, two days after the ceremony, while visiting Mr. Brando at his house bullets were fired into his front door. Scrupulous media slander also followed, and she claims that this also led to her being blacklisted in Hollywood.

 

So, in the end, the title of Miss American Vampire and the prize of appearing on House of Dark Shadows eventually went to New Jersey Regional Winner, Christine Domaniecki, who appeared on the show in the highly coveted role of . . .  Bar Maid.

I guess, any opportunity is an opportunity!

Funny enough, even with all the dramas and confusion, the Dark Shadows crew was ready to do it again with new pageant: Miss Ghost America in promotion of their new show Night of Dark Shadows! 

Granted, the prize was not as exciting as a cameo appearance (Dark Shadows was technically off the air), however, the winner did receive an appearance on The Dating Game , as well as a $250 savings bond. The winner was 18 year old Kate Sarchet.

I’d kill to find some video footage of either pageant, so if you know a source, please let us know!!!

So what do you think? Should we be bringing back these ghouly pageants??? Tell us in the comments sections below!

Until next time,

{theEye}

+

ART, E.O.F. SNAPSHOT OF THE DAY, Hamilton, Rebel Society, Vintage

E.O.F. SNAPSHOT OF THE DAY {AUGUST 17, 2018}

Leave a comment

+

T.G.I.F.

{circa. 1950s}

Athletic Modelling Guild

+

 

Have a sweet weekend friends . . . hope you get a chance to chill!

Not sure if we will, but we will definitely try to make time to let loose and rest our brains for a brief moment.

Remember if you are in Hamilton, Ontario, to visit the SUPERCRAWL POP UP SHOP in Jackson Square where we are selling some of our original pieces made from vintage materials for the very first time! And on top of that, we are amongst 7 of the city’s best brands and designers.

Its been very exciting thus far, and we are set up until the 25th , so please, if you can … .CHECK IT OUT!

Stay tuned for exciting things abound for us. FOLLOW US on INSTAGRAM, and LIKE US on FACEBOOK to keep in touch.

Until next time,

{theEye}

+

 

Remember XIXIXI gets you 25% OFF in the {SHOP}! Don’t miss out on some wicked time traveled finds to make you stand out in the crowd!

+SHOP NOW+

 

 

E.O.F. APPROVED, FASHION, FILMS, STYLE {WISE}, Video, Vintage

Lizzie Borden Lies!!! ‘LIZZIE’ Starring Chloë Sevigny + Kristen Stewart

Leave a comment

What is our fascination with Lizzie Borden? Is it that she possibly got away with the grisly murders of her father and step mother back in 1892? Oh yes, most definitely a major reason, and its this mystery that keeps fascinating new generations everyday.

We may never know, but that’s the beauty in a good mystery! The spaces between not solidified can be filled with many possibilities, and that’s what the new film “Lizzie” starring Kristen Stewart and Chloë Sevigny seems to explore.

If you know us well, and I hope you do, you know that Chloë Sevigny is just one of those people on the top tiers of everything. Goddess of style, art, a muse to many, and obviously one of the coolest women of all time…so needless to say, we are psyched for this film!

Check out the trailer, and you will see why!

Spicy stuff! Looks like a real nail biter, and the period details are absolutely on-point! Have a little bit of a feel where they are going with the story, but excited to see it play out in real life!

Glad to see Kristen Stewart staying dedicated to unique artful films since her return to the screen.

Two modern muses! SIDENOTE: Can huge Edwardian sleeves just take over the scene, already!!! Can’t wait for more inspiration to come…

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Until next time,

{theEye}

+

 

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE {SHOP}! DON’T MISS OUT!

XIXIXI gets you 25% OFF!

+SHOP NOW+

+

 

FASHION, MENSWEAR, MUSIC, Music Minute, Rebel Society, STYLE {WISE}, Video, Vintage

{MUSIC MINUTE} “Devil Woman” by Cliff Richard

Leave a comment

We’ve been rocking out to this jam like crazy this summer! Ever since it caught the attention of our ear drums while watching the epic film “I, Tonya”, we just can’t get enough!

Hopefully you won’t be able to either.

Lets help give Sir Cliff Richard the resurgence he deserves!

Until next time,

{theEye}

+

 

Don’t forget XIXIXI gets you 25% OFF in the {SHOP} with FREE SHIPPING in Canada.

+SHOP NOW for time traveled timeless cool+

+

E.O.F. APPROVED, FASHION, STYLE {WISE}, Video, Vintage, WOMENSWEAR

{DIVA WARS} Raquel Welch vs. Mae West

Leave a comment

 

We’ve been getting thoroughly entertained by these “Diva on Diva” videos by Clippety on YouTube, and this one is a real interesting treat.

Two icons of sex and beauty brought together for 1970s camp classic “Myra Breckinridge” based on the controversial novel by the iconic Gore Vidal.

The film, like the novel, broke many boundaries tackling transexuality and machismo attidues in Hollywood, but was pretty much panned universally, and some consider it the worst film ever made.  But, you have to give Raquel Welch much credit for taking on such a cutting edge role, and it really makes us love her so much more!

Myra Breckenridge is the antithesis of sex symbol. She’s revolutionary; she’s a warrior.
-Raquel Welch

The themes and tone the film exhibit would never fly today, so it really is a treat to watch!

So, take a look at what Raquel Welch had to say about working with Mae West, an icon of sex from the 1930s! 40 years between their stardom, you’re only bound for a little drama!

Divas be divas . . . but they have the right, don’t they?

Until next time,

{theEye}

+

 

 

DO IT RIGHT, E.O.F. APPROVED, E.O.F. SNAPSHOT OF THE DAY, FASHION, MENSWEAR, Rebel Society, STYLE {WISE}, Vintage

E.O.F. SNAPSHOT OF THE DAY {MAY 10, 2018}

Leave a comment

{c. 1939}
+ Dapper Dudes Rule +
+
+Basic Style Drools+
+

Your grandpa could handle it . . .why can’t we?

Visit our {SHOP} for inspiration

XIXIXI gets you 25% OFF

Free Shipping in Canada

Until next time,

{theEye}

+

 

DO IT RIGHT, E.O.F. SNAPSHOT OF THE DAY, FASHION, FAVOURITE FIND, MENSWEAR, Rebel Society, STYLE {WISE}, Vintage

E.O.F. SNAPSHOT OF THE DAY {MAY 7, 2018}

Leave a comment

{subject unknown, 1940s}

Photographs are moments of time captured through light and silver.

This cool dude knows whats up.

Style never fades, it is eternal and is summoned from within.

Don’t fade away…

As we always say,

CONCISIONEM STYLO, ACCURATIUS CORDE, IUDICARI VITA

Concision in style, Precision in Thought, Decision in Life

–Victor Hugo

 

+UNTIL NEXT TIME+

{theEye}

+