Tattoos On Cloth

What does Carmen Electra, Chris Brown, Jessica Alba, and Madonna all have in common?

They all got caught by the paparazzi sporting Ed Hardy clothing.

The fashion line has expanded from being clothing for tattoo enthusiasts to apparel for everyone. This growth in popularity only furthers the idea that tattoo culture and art is becoming more mainstream then ever. It’s known that in previous decades, tattoos were for sailors and convicts. With the negative stigma now becoming faded, tattoo culture is more accepted.

Tattoo inspired apparel gives the customer a way to wear designs that they like without having to get them permanently inked on their body. Ed Hardy was inspired greatly by Sailor Jerry Collins when Hardy began his tattooing career. Not until 2004 did Ed Hardy’s art become a clothing line when French designer Christian Audigier became licensed to produce the line. On top of his shirts, jeans, hats, wallets, and other apparel, Hardy has also started his own fragrance line for both men and women. Some of his products have extended to what could be seen as an extreme way to sell his products with air fresheners, shower curtains, and even candy.

As with any clothing line that gains popularity, there has been a string of counterfeit websites and brands appearing. Some people are critics to just how mainstream Ed Hardy has made tattoo inspired apparel, and that due to his success his prices seem to run higher then other companies. Some of his long sleeved men’s T-shirts can run from $45 to $150; purses from $70 to $160. Ed Hardy is one of the most popular tattoo inspired clothing lines but definitely not the only one.

Other tattoo artists have tried to reach the success that Hardy has created. Small clothing lines started by artists have emerged like Paul Berkey’s line Warped Clothing. Like many other artists, he does not rely solely on his clothing line but also works in graphic design, fine art, and obviously, tattooing.

Smaller lines are also catering to different styles of tattoo designs and different audiences. While most seem to prefer old school designs, new lines are appearing such as Fly Fresh that target more urban buyers. Even they have to disclaimer on the website that they are not Ed Hardy knock offs, but an authentic brand.

Another trend in tattoo apparel comes from the rise in pin up clothing. Many lines have been started to support women who want to embody that image of being a pin up. Hanah Reed, who started The Rockit Roost, dedicates a whole section of her website to tattoo culture Of course the main purpose of the website is to view and purchase her 1950’s inspired pin up clothing, but it has taken on a life of its own. What used to be just a sexy idea for a Halloween costume is now another type of tattoo inspired apparel.

Though not all pin up outfits sport tattoo designs like a skull or swallow, they still seem to embody that retro feeling of old school tattoo flash. The trend coincides with a rise in this style of tattoos, which includes pin ups, while skate clothing brands have been using tattoo designs since the 1990's. Companies like Etnies have moved from just printing their logo on their shoes and clothing to adding tattoo like designs (with skulls seeming to be the most popular).

Tattoo apparel not only sports designs inspired by tattoo art, but also considers the locations of the images. A standard T-shirt has a print on the center of the front or the back, while some tattoo inspired apparel has changed the location of the image based on where a tattoo might go. For example, shirts will have the image going up the side, forming to fit where a rib tattoo would lay. The same is true for some having small designs on the lower back like the infamous ‘tramp stamp’ or designs on chest and shoulders.

There are critics who oppose this rise in tattoo culture, and place some blame on the popularity of apparel. However many feel that this rise only further supports what artists have been pushing for since the 1950's, and that is that tattoos really are art.

Article: Brittney Herz

britd1562@yahoo.com

Facebook: Brittney Dianne

Eyebrow Shaving

Would You Shave Off Your Eyebrows in the Name of Fashion?

According to the author of this article, Courtney Dunlop, bleaching or waxing the eyebrows is becoming a new trend, the result of which is "a very bizarre, androgynous alien creature completely void of expression."

This look was featured on the Fall 2009 runways of Balenciaga and Prada, where beauty and fashion editors were apparently shocked that the top models had been convinced to bleach their brows. As Dunlop put it, "then came Brazillian bombshell Adriana Lima as a brow-free Marilyn Manson-lookalike for the latest Givenchy campaign." The August issue of Italian Vouge features model Kristen McMenamy, who also sports the browless look, and has apparently been doing so on and off since the late 90's.

"A great question was posed in this article from the Daily Mail about whether or not the non-conformist trend will trickle down to the masses, like punk did in the 1970s.

I'm sure a few lovers of the avant garde will give it a go, but I don't see how anyone else in their right mind would want to embrace the look," Dunlop says.

The Daily Mail article explains "how eyebrows are linked to sex appeal and pretty much every expression a human face can make, which is why people look so alien when brows are taken away."

First and foremost, I would like to address the quipping insults that I felt were not needed. Certainly there is going to be a shock when someone decides to remove eyebrows, and of course I can agree that the result is somewhat alien-like. However, I feel that the look suits some people, as they have other elements to the over all appearance where the lack of brows fit in. Mr. Manson is also definitely not the innovator of shaved eyebrows. Anyone remember when David Bowie rocked the whole Ziggy Stardust persona? In that sense, I can totally see the alien connection, but he just happened to be playing that type of character so it worked.

The first time I even touched my eyebrows with a pair of tweezers was possibly in eight grade. Being a student of a Catholic school, we were not allowed to wear make-up or what they deemed 'unacceptable' hair accessories [they did not like my single braid with plastic beads], but for some reason I felt compulsion to pluck a few hairs from my brows. That eventually led to more preening, to get them a bit thinner since I felt they sat too close for my eyes.

Then the razor came out and my eyebrows were completely gone by the time I was a junior in high school. If memory serves me correct, I did it for Halloween to wear these stick-on rhinestone jewels that were meant for the eyes, but I felt they looked better as replacement brows. After that, there was much face doodling of different shapes, designs and colors. Make-up was definitely another art form to me then [as much as it is now], so I enjoyed experimenting with different things and making the administration uncomfortable.

Drawing on brows with eyeliner

With much practice and patience, the shape eventually became one I felt fit my face and did my best to replicate this when applying make-up. For special events or nites out at the club, I would get a bit more artistic and pretty much do whatever I felt like. Obviously there were many reactions by the public, with plenty of laughs and rude comments slung my way. However, there were also people who gave compliments, the best one being if my eyebrows were actually tattooed on. To me, that just meant I was doing such a good job that people could not tell if it was make-up or permanent ink.

Using make-up to give the effect of brows.

To be completely honest, it took some time for me to get used to seeing my reflection in the mirror and not have eyebrows. However, at some point, it no longer seemed like something out of the ordinary, and shaving them off became routine. There were a set of eyebrow and anti-eyebrow piercings I received in '02 I want to say, but not being happy with their symmetry, they were subsequently removed. While the scars are minimal, I still would like to have them done again in the future.

Subtle make-up and no brows.

My thoughts have turned to having permanent eyebrows, which is something I have been considering for about five or six years now. The first idea was to have cosmetic tattooing, so that the shape I wanted would always be there to serve as guide, and I could adjust color and shape as I desired. Then I met a few people who had what I like to call 'tribal dots', which are pretty much what they sound like; bold black circles that serve as replacement for the hairy eyebrows. Again I feel that this suits some people and not others, but of course it's all personal choice and do what makes you happy.

If curiosity leads one to wonder as to why I have not taken the plunge, I give you the honest truth. Tattooing my face is something I take very seriously. While I have facial piercings, they are usually kept at a small gague out of personal preference. My large ear lobes, neck tattoo and hand tattoo are most likely the things that get attention from the general public, and I cannot tell you how many times I hear whispers about how big the lobes are and other assorted nonsense. It's as tho I am somehow completely unaware of the things I have done to my body and people feel the need to point this out. Oddly enough, it is never to my face, but they sure talk loud enough for me to hear them. In any event, I have sat on the idea of facial tattoos for as long as I have to be absolutely sure it is what I want.

The trademark 'face dots'.

Memory fails as to the first time I ever made 'dots' on my face and looked in the mirror, wondering if they were something I wanted to see there on a daily basis. They started out small, more as accents to the blended colors of whatever make-up I had applied, and then evolved into more defined shapes as exampled by the image above. For the most part, the 'top dots' match whatever my hair color happens to be [it is currently black and will likely stay this way for a long time], while the 'bottom dots' either coordinated with the eyeshadow or color of whatever outfit I am wearing. Once again, I have had many people ask me if they are tattoos, and I have managed to even fool some of my friends.

Going back to Dunlop's article, I would like to say with much pride that I am in fact somone of sound mind who readily embraces being eyebrowless. There are plenty of women out there, mainly in subcutlures, who either tweeze thier brows or shave them off completely and draw them on in a variety of ways. As far as I know, this practice is not some widespread lunacy, but rather a concious choice made to please personal aesthetics. If people do not like it, they can simply direct their attention elsewhere and leave us expressionless aliens to be happy in our lack of brows.