Stella McCartney's Spring 2022 Collection Inspires a World of Fungi Research

Stella McCartney's Spring 2022 Collection Inspires a World of Fungi Research AOC Muse

Designer Stella McCartney’s Spring 2022 fashion show was inspired by mushrooms. Quite frankly, life on Anne of Carversville has not been the same since I watched on Netflix the 2019 ‘Fantastic Fungi’ documentary that prompted McCartney’s deep dive into the world of mushrooms.

Mushrooms are the visible part of an organism called mycelium, and they are not plants, even though they have a plantlike form. Even more important, until recently, fungi have been part of the botanist’s domain, and they were classified — incorrectly — as plants, writes the American Society For Microbiology in an article Three Reasons Fungi Are Not Plants.

Fungi and Africans: Both Misclassified and Misunderstood by Carl Linnaeus

Fungi were classified as plants for centuries due to an axiom attributed to Carl Linnaeus: “Plants grow and live; Animals grow, live and feel.”

Linnaeus’ delineation of plant activity seems inadequate and overly simplistic, given scientific research on the way in which plants experience sentient activity. We know that plants sense danger and then communicate their information to other plants, seeming to contradict Linnaeus’ assertions around plant life. NOT knowing his connection to racial categorization — I muttered to myself “Oh, right. In the same way some white dudes classified people of color as lesser-quality humans, they managed to ignore the profound distinctive attributes of fungi and mushrooms by calling them plants.”

Eureka! Linnaeus was deeply involved in the science of racial categorization. Rather than taking a sharp right turn in this post, AOC will stay with the fact that fungi can’t produce oxygen via photosynthesis, a core attribute of the plant kingdom.

It’s interesting when fashion, mushrooms and the civil rights movement come together in a single, cohesive thought pattern. Then again, the world of fungi is so primordial and pervasive in our biosphere that mycelium — the network of fungal threads or hyphae that produces the mushrooms we eat — strikes us as the very root of existence.

Stella McCartney is leading the way in working on the development of luxury leather made from mushrooms. The designer wants all of us to become curious about mushrooms, and I am now her dedicated disciple at AOC.

Megan Fox, MGK by Daniella Midenge Talk Demon Sex in British GQ Style AW21

Megan Fox and MGK (Machine Gun Kelly) made many headlines this week, and it was perhaps exactly as planned. AOC’s friend photographer Daniella Midenge [IG] called her images ‘provocative’. Indeed they are, as Fox is wearing nothing but a harness and pointing a gun at MGK’s crotch in the one below Fashion director Nicola Formichetti works on the shoot with styling by Hunter Clem for the British GQ Style AW21 issue.

Fox described their state of being in the time of the GQ UK interview on her Instagram as: “The tale of two outcasts and star-crossed lovers caught in the throes of a torrid, solar flare of a romance featuring: feverish obsession, guns, addiction, shamans, lots of blood, general mayhem, therapy, tantric night terrors, binding rituals, chakra sound baths, psychedelic hallucinations, organic smoothies, and the kind of sex that would make Lucifer clutch his rosary.”

That’s a lot of information, but I will say that those who condemn the couple’s first kiss as a bust, don’t know what they are talking about. As MGK explained: “We just put our lips right in front of each other and breathed each other’s breath, and then she just left.”

My suggestion is “Don’t damn a tantric kiss if you’ve never experienced one. “

All weekend starting Friday, WaPo’s article Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are trying to be Hollywood’s hottest new couple, but instead are the most cringeworthy by Emily Yahr was in the top five reads. It’s also the lead right now in a Google search.

Positioned ahead of the actual GQUK interview “True romance: Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are Hollywood’s new power couple “is not ideal. But there’s no doubt that all the controversy over these two lovebirds will not hurt anyone’s careers, especially their own — and, hopefully, Daniella’s.

GQ Writer Molly Lambert asserts that Megan Fox is the “ideal cool babe consort for a burgeoning superstar like MGK, a rapper rocker whose new album, ‘Born With Horns, is executive-produced by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.”

If you don’t know Travis Barker, he’s Kourtney Kardashian’s betrothed. Lambert writes that Fox believes she and her spiritual love MGK share what she calls the ‘combustible element’ of all celebrities like Kurt and Courtney or Mick and Marianne — except that she and MGK are “trying their damndest to make sure things don’t blow up.”

I’m not sure that they are Hollywood’s new power couple. We’re in a different moment, although eating mushrooms together on a January walk in Bora Bora is sublime. Then again, the Kardashians are in a much better position to confirm the probability of the Fox and MGK as Hollywood’s newest power couple than AOC. ~ Anne

Daria Strokous by Ned Rogers in Smashing Fashion Images for Puss Puss Magazine 14

Daria Strokous by Ned Rogers in Smashing Fashion Images for Puss Puss Magazine 14 AOC Fashion

WOW! Just WOW! Russian model Daria Strokous covers Puss Puss Magazine 14, FW 2021. Andy Polanco styles Strokous in striking, fashion royalty vibe images by Ned Rogers and Andy Polanco. LOVE! / Hair by Ilker Akyol; makeup by Miguel Ramos

Marilhéa Peillard Chills in Lingerie Loves for Fall 2021 Madame Figaro by Matias Indjic

Marilhéa Peillard Chills in Lingerie Loves for Fall 2021 Madame Figaro by Matias Indjic AOC Fashion

Model Marilhéa Peillard shares her sensual vibe, styled by by Cécile Martin in sexy lingerie from Etam, Fendi, Intimissimi, Sans Complexe Lingerie, Simone Pérèle and more lensed by Matias Indjic [IG] for Madame Figaro Oct. 22, 2021./ Hair by Martyn Foss Calder; makeup by Maria Olsson

Andrew Gn's Spring 2022 Collection Teams Up With Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Designer Andrew Gn releases images for his Spring-Summer 2022 Campaign, lifted from his fashion show video. The imagery by Bon Parinya Wongwannawat {IG] arrests our senses — including the lavish use of a coral pattern and coral motifs in jewelry., and not for the first time.

Corals have been a recurring theme in Gn’s collections since 2005, and this time he partnered with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to raise awareness about the TRULY DESPERATE reality of the future of the world’s coral reefs.

The event took place at an Art-Deco palace in Paris, Palais de la Porte Dorée, located in the 12th arrondissement, home to the National Museum of the History of Immigration. There is an intersection between art deco style and colonialism, and we will just park that factoid in this moment — so as not to divert attention from the perilous future of the world’s coral reefs.

The location was perfect for Andrew GN, with his mixed Chinese and Japanese ancestry, his upbringing in Singapore, education at Central Saint Martins in London and Domus Academy in Milan and then working as assistant to M. Emmanuel Ungaro. In his own words, Andrew GN considers himself to be a citizen of the world.

Andrew Gn’s spring 2022 collection was inspired by the memorable wardrobe worn by Elizabeth Taylor in the classic ‘Boom!’, filmed in Sardinia. Working with the Italian label Tiziani, Karl Lagerfeld had a hand in designing Taylor’s on-screen power-woman elegance.

Writing for the NYT in 2001, Amy Spindler called Taylor’s wardrobe in the obscure 1968 film “an irresistible Kabuki Kitschfest”.

As for the state of our coral reefs, it’s no laughing matter. Published in early October, as ‘The Sixth Statue of Corals of the World: 2020 Report, the world has lost 14 percent of our coral reefs since 2009.

Karmen Pedaru's Style Artistry for Harper's Bazaar Czech 25th Anniversary by Kristian Schuller

Karmen Pedaru's Style Artistry for Harper's Bazaar Czech 25th Anniversary by Kristian Schuller AOC Fashion

Top model Karmen Pedaru wears Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Dries Van Noten, Erdem, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu and more styled by Peggy Schuller. Photographer Kristian Schuller captures Pedaru in ‘Babylon Berlin’ for the 25th anniversary September 2021 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic.

Federico Sorrentino Captures Etro's Fall 2021 Manly Side for The Greatest Magazine

Federico Sorrentino Captures Etro's Fall 2021 Manly Side for The Greatest Magazine AOC Fashion

Models Brian Whitby and DameLo are styled by Matteo Greco in this Etro fashion story, with art direction by Sara Ferraris. Photographer Federico Sorrentino [IG] is behind the lens for The Greatest Magazine #20, 10th Anniversary Issue Fall 2021.

Karen Elson Brings Model Mastery to ELLE Russia November 2021 by Kat Irlin

Karen Elson Brings Model Mastery to ELLE Russia November 2021 by Kat Irlin AOC Fashion

Supermodel Karen Elson joins forces with Dostoyevsky in a studio lesson around the creative talents employed by the most talented models in our fashion industry. Lilya Simonyan styles Elson in period-elegance lensed by Kat Irlin [IG] for the November 2021 issue of ELLE Russia.

Irene Blanch's Pastoral Reverie Lensed by Ana Abril for Mujer Hoy October 2021

Irene Blanch's Pastoral Reverie Lensed by Ana Abril for Mujer Hoy October 2021 AOC Fashion

Model Irene Blanch is styled by Caterina Ospina Buitrago in ‘Land of the Dreams’, bucolic country style lensed by Ana Abril [IG] for Mujer Hoy October 2021./ Hair & makeup by Antonio Romero

Kiki Willems, Awar Odhiang Front Saint Laurent Winter 2021/22 Campaign by Juergen Teller

Kiki Willems, Awar Odhiang Front Saint Laurent Winter 2021/22 Campaign by Juergen Teller AOC Fashion

Models Kiki Willems and Awar Odhiang front Saint Laurent’s [IG] Winter 2021 advertising campaign, lensed by Juergen Teller with art direction by YSL designer and creative director Anthony Vaccarello. The campaign was shot at Reynisfjara beach in Iceland, which was the site for the Saint Laurent fall-winter fashion show the luxury brand presented via video link.

Beegee Margenyte Prepares to Party by William Ferchichi for ELLE Arabia

Beegee Margenyte Prepares to Party by William Ferchichi for ELLE Arabia AOC Fashion

Lithuanian model Beegee Margenyte gets her mermaid dance on in the pages of ELLE Arabia September 2021. Fashion and beauty editor Dina Kabbani chooses the frothy, garden party clothes lensed by William Ferchichi [IG].

Will American Bees Survive Pesticides, Government Dysfunction and Other Killers?

Will American Bees Survive Pesticides, Government Dysfunction and Other Killers? AOC Fashion

American [species] Bumble Bees Could Gain ESA Protection

AOC has followed the problem of dwindling bee populations for almost a decade. But we were shocked to learn this week that the American bumble bee population has dropped nearly 90 percent. These vital pollinators for wildflowers and crops have vanished completely in eight states: Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming.

Presently American bumble bees have no protection. But an August 2021 petition for protecting the American bumble bee under the Endangered Species Act [ESA] was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Bombus Pollinator Association of Law Students, an Albany Law School student group.

Sounds great you say. Finally we’re taking action to protect our bees. Yet the plight of another bee species shows us just how complicated it is to protect these precious pollinators. Passing a law or writing a new policy does not guarantee any improvement in bee deaths.

We must create spaces — land with controlled uses of pesticides — in which bees can thrive and regenerate their population. However, America still can’t agree on the science of pesticides. Any mandate meets countless political headwinds, as Democrats and Republicans generally loathe each other on plans — or no plans — to protect our environment.

Federico Sorrentino Captures Etro's Fall 2021 Manly Side for The Greatest Magazine

Federico Sorrentino Captures Etro's Fall 2021 Manly Side for The Greatest Magazine AOC Fashion

Models Brian Whitby and DameLo are styled by Matteo Greco in this Etro fashion story, with art direction by Sara Ferraris. Photographer Federico Sorrentino [IG] is behind the lens for The Greatest Magazine #20, 10th Anniversary Issue Fall 2021.

Aube Jolicoeur in 'Nocturnal Lights' by Lindsay Adler for Numero Russia September 2021

Aube Jolicoeur in 'Nocturnal Lights' by Lindsay Adler for Numero Russia September 2021 AOC Fashion

Model Aube Jolicoeur dazzles like a disco queen in ‘Nocturnal Lights’, styled by Cannon. Lindsay Adler [IG] flashes Jolicoeur for Numero Russia September 2021./ Hair by Gonn Kinoshita; makeup by Joanne Gair

This is the same team sans models that produced the exquisite Valery Kaufman ‘Sanctuary’ fashion story for Harper’s Bazaar Kazakhstan’s October issue. Espresso Productions’ Daniele Carettoni is carving out a strong offering of entrepreneurial, creative fashion and style content.