Lately I've been thinking a lot about the everyday, and what we consider "the mundane." Probably because of my thesis on Surrealism, but also because I've always been drawn to designers and artists who take something familiar and make it new and exciting again. I don't understand why we often toss aside the normal, the everyday, as "banal" when those simple things are what make our lives what they are.
That being said, I was tickled when I came across this Cast of Vices collection on A+R Store's website. I was led here by my Daily Candy email, which is kind of unusual because I generally get angry at all daily email newsletters I subscribe to, spend a very short amount of time actually reading them, and eventually unsubscribe to them. They were interested in this bracelet, a cheeky take on the wristband:
But not all of the designs are so pretty and chic as this one, and I rather like them better. Take this leather bag for instance, which looks like what last night's take out came in:
Or this porcelain Percocet pill:
Or any number of the rather grotesque fly or cockroach baubles the designers have provided us with. I feel like the general fashion public would describe these pieces as "whimsical," but I think that is perhaps the worst word for them. They are slapping us in the fact with our addictions to consumption and medication, as well as all the things we throw away, like the plastic bag or the entry wristband. My favorite piece may perhaps be the simplest they offer, and maybe the least telling:
I would certainly wear it as an ode to all of those pens and pen caps I have lost, especially of my beloved round stic bics (color blue, medium thick). And probably also as a reminder of how small I am, like the pen caps I lose.
