When Fashion and Art Collide

Shirt by Loo Gray. Jeans by Madewell. Belt by J. Crew.

Fashion is always art, correct? One could compare the tedious process of creating the frescos in the Sistine Chapel to the difficult task of creating a FW16 collection, and it's also quite clear that many people dress the way they do for self expression, which is basically the core of art. This is one of the thousands of reasons I love fashion, probably the main one, because art comes in so many different forms and it can even fall into the way one dresses. Usually, designers start with their fashion senses, then they incorporate the art into their creations later. But when it's the opposite, when an artist decides to put their artistic talent into clothing, that's a whole other story.

That's how the small online store of Loo Gray began -- an artist with talent who decided to expand his talent from paper to clothing. I couldn't get the chance to actually speak with him, but he's only about my age (17, if you forgot) and he created the store not solely for profit, but as a tribute to his mom, and I think that we should all start appreciating our mothers more often. I'm not sure if he wants to make it big, but he's simply doing what he loves, and I kind of see that same attitude in what I've been doing for the past year. But to get to the actual clothing -- all of his pieces are unique in some way because he does everything by hand (he screen-prints all of his shirts, but he individually paints his jackets). This individuality really shows through his work, and that's probably why I felt compelled to buy one of his shirts.

I'm not really sure why I'm squinting so much or why I'm in that terrible stance in the first photo (thigh gap??), but it's about the shirt in the outfit, because that's where the art is. I'm not one to wear t-shirts in a fashionable manner but I think the really cool art on it is enough to call it fashion, so I created the simplest look with it -- black jeans and black shoes, but also some fun accessories like my black bandana (the neck scarf trend is only just beginning) and gold belt to complement the top, not take away from it. I felt extremely comfortable today, almost too comfortable, but then I looked down at the print on my shirt and remembered how this is going to be on the blog, so I quickly added a layer of NARS to my lips. After wearing this shirt, I would like to buy every other article of clothing he sells on his website. I'll have one of each, please.

Jacket by Loo Gray. Shirt from Record Store Day at Criminal Records (I was there when she got it!). Shoes by Adidas.

Here we have another example of one of his products, worn by my very close friend who decided to move across the country (read about her here!) and actually be the one to tell me about Loo Gray. Instead of following a simple path like me and buying a tee, she ordered a camo jacket with an acrylic-paint face, and surprisingly it is one of the rare moments when camo pattern does not exude racism but instead exudes cool. This is the one I wanted to order but of course, it sold out, and the minute they restock (if they ever do), I'll get one for myself. Until now, I've never wanted to get near camo but that eccentric art attracts me to the military-esque print, and I'm anti-war. Here's evidence that literal art will make anything better than it already is, thanks to Loo Gray.

I have a slight feeling that he currently has two fans of his work, including me, that do not include the people he already knows, but that fan-count should, and will, start rising. Or maybe it won't, because it's obvious that his main goal is not fame, but it's to showcase his talent on a more commercial level. Plus, who wouldn't want to up their jean-jacket game by wearing one embellished with actual art?

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