Sep
27
Red Hook
Apologies for the lack of posting everyone! Now that the new blog is up I will be able to post more regularly.
Anyhow, Why Red Hook? I used to live in Red Hook (brooklyn) for a short time and it signified a major low point in my life. For those of you who have actually ventured out to Red Hook to eat at Hope and Anchor or to drink at Bait and Tackle, you know that this place is gentrified but does not look it. It looks like a dilapidated town filled with empty warehouses and factories. Strangely enough there are pockets of wealth in this town, with some gorgeous townhouses near Fairway but basically it is two blocks away from crack dens and the projects. During this time I was miserable, had the worst relationships with people, had to take a year off school, and basically did not know what the hell I was doing or where I was “going”. Red Hook is like an alternate universe to me. But coming back three years later to the same place where my life started spiraling out of control is definitely very strange. Somehow, through some sort of sick twist of fate, I got my life back in order.
Im wearing a Missoni Cardigan and a Margiela Blazer. Oh, and before I forget….Check out my friends’ blog, MODELIZING. She has been blogging for a while now but decided to reinvigorate it with exciting, behind the scenes fashion week pictures, exclusive party pics, and runway. To all of you who have been patiently reading my blog, waiting for posts, and leaving the sweetest comments…Thank you so much! I feel lucky to have people come back day in and day out and I promise to try and post more regularly. I know its annoying to come to a blog to only see the person randomly disappear for days; the whole point of “blogging” is to give constant updates, although you must forgive me if I am not as diligent as Susie of Stylebubble!
dark. brooding. haunting. beautiful. love the new site. good to see you (sort of) again
yuss, love the new site.
i for one love BOTH your food and fashion posts (and your photography aesthetic). two (three?) aspects of your unique crazy awesome singular fascinating point of view!
Your blog is actually one of the only ‘American’ ones i can stand, I enjoy navigating it, it’s a bit like a magazine. And the food, oh my god… I’m always hungry after I had a look at your food posts.
Great pictures by the way.
x
Your new blog layout has, my friend, gone above an beyond other blogs to date- what a wiz! The scenes above at red hook are powerful, eerie and so dramatic, really what it’d be like to be approached by a Margiela blazer in dark empty streets.
the food commentator/bloggers are funny
I absolutely love the new layout, it is beautiful and great when it comes to easiness in navigating. So I hope Angela reads this – thank you for a fantastic layout! If not, I hope it will be passed on.
I’ve read this blog ever since it was started and it’s been fantastic following it and seeing how Luxirare has evolved. This is more a professional internet-based hyperinspiring magazine than anything else, and it’s amazing that we readers can access this for free.
I seldom use to word “surreal” but it’s the only one that can describe your work, Ji. It’s truly breathtaking.
And now to the point: these are awesome photos.
Interesting about the sour food lovers. Your fashion just adds an extra dimension to the food posts, it’s sad that some people can’t appreciate that.
Magnificent photo shoot. It reminds me vampire movies.
Oh no I love all of your posts.
Be it fashion or food.
I live for both.
They’re the best things in life!
I <3 you and not just for the shout out. The images are so beautiful and I hate that you have to explain yourself and justify your vision to your readers. Hopefully now people will calm down and enjoy your talent.
You’re welcome! I hope people stick onto your blog.
I’m very happy to see your blog gain so much popularity. Each post is more sophisticated and thought-out than the last. I patiently await the day I am able to stop by your shop here in the city and buy some some of your creations.
-Victoria (the mobeard girl, if you remember)
i love your site precisely for the food && the fashion cos i love both so much! loved this shoot its so epic and dark and nice (: alsoalso your fabulous food shots make me hungry in the middle of the night so i suppose that is epic too.
You can’t possibly be from the planet Earth, you are simply too cool (in lack of a better word). Your photographs are beautiful, your food looks so delicious I’m pretty sure it tastes like Paradise, your clothes is… stunning. And, apparently, I’m having a hard time expressing myself, so I’ll stop.
I first found this blog looking for fashion with no interest at all in food but now (although I adore all of your posts) I actually enjoy the food posts more! I even have been teaching myself how to cook! You are such an inspiration to me, If you ever write a self help book I will totally buy it. haha! what kind of camera are you using?
A nikon D90. I suggest this camera for anyone who has not had proper photography experience but wants to take professional looking images.
Ah! So I see that there is photos where I can recognize you. You write more personal. I was wondering where you were going to go – I have been adoring your site, BTW. I personally loved the mixed in food posts with the fashion – just as meticulous with food as with fashion I thought – actually THAT was GENIUS and I don’t quiet get those foodies, the heck with ‘em! Because I thought the mix made your blog extra special besides the extra special content of course. Anyway I know that sometimes we got to make compromises, sadly! I mean I was wondering why you were bold enough to not go the monetized route: your clothes were not for sale and no one saw how many people are reading this blog – they knew somehow there were many but how many? – there were no ads – fantastic! Like I said, it was nice as long as it lasted and I am not holding a grudge. You deserve any money you can make with this amazing zine, now and in the future, more than anyone else! I am a faithful reader ow and forever. idil vice
I actually do understand the confusion coming from the foodies (Fashion is the lowest form of design on the design ladder with architecture and fine arts coming at the top and RIGHTLY so- it isn’t the most intellectual or challenging field and it doesn’t really improve the status of humanity).
I wish they could enjoy the fashion but people who live and die for fashion are a separate breed apart from the rest of the world. It is strange to see people spend any more than $200 for what is basically a piece of fabric stitched together with seams but still I do love to collect amazing clothes whenever I can afford it, even if people do question my sanity.
My friend first showed me this blog because of the way you created and presented your food. Later, I would come back and find that you posted something related to fashion. I didn’t mind, I quite like it! One day it’s food, the other, fashion.
And I hope I am not offending you by saying that I love the vampiric theme you portrayed.
Your reply to Idil Vice just made my day. I couldn’t agree more, even though I enjoy fashion very much.
These photos are breathtaking…
lovely!
I actually like that you talk about fashion and food as I am interested in both worlds.
I also forgot to mention… you are fabulous and don’t change a thing!
I think this is the first time that i’ve actually been obsessed with a blog. The clothes that you made, the photoshoots. I’m hooked. I even almost shoved my laptop in my dads face to show him your gorgeously crafted food! hahah. You’re extremely inspiring to me and I’m actually going to use one of your images with an accompanying text in my “Inspiration Book” for school (Amsterdam Fashion Institute). Weel, I just wanted to express my love for your blog! -Suzanne
I really dig the new layout, lol I guess people who like food really wouldn’t necessarily like fashion. Those are some beautiful outfit shots!
Yay! You’re back! Been loving the Image Feed updates, but it’s not the same XD
What you’ve told us about Red Hook might be a little dark, but I really enjoy details like that, personal stories that don’t appear often here, like the kind of guys you like in your Japanese food post!
I guess the Image Feed does that now, but only in the peripherals of fashion and food tastes.
Anyway, you look great in the post above, Ji!
The site looks fantastic, you look fantastic, and you should totally buy Mackenzie Phillips’ memoir, it is so many different kinds of fucked up.
Yea I heard about her relationship with her dad…pretty weird stuff….
The new user interface makes it seem more like a website destination rather than a blog, and I still love it.
The jacket is crazy! It would have been even hotter if you styled it with a huge red flower, with strings that look like the its bleeding, over your heart. Just my thoughts though.
Love you Maison jacket. And also, your blog
YOU ARE GOING TO BE THE NEXT CHANEL!!!! I SEE IT!! KEEP YOU THE AMAZING WORK!!! I hope LVMH is smart enough to invest in you!!!!
The stars’ secret to always looking perfectly put together is now available to everyone. Desiree Fashion
I just wanna tell you that I absolutely love your blog. I keep coming here everyday hoping you’ve posted something new. and all the time there is it is a great surprise. keep up the good work!! I think you are a genius, specially in the food part.
I LOVE witnessing your evolution..the new layout looks amazing as well as your new post. I look forward to seeing more AS USUAL GIRL!!
yay you updated! and idk how weird this is but reading your entries can sort of create the notion that youre rather eccentric and cold and what not. reading this post confirms youre just human, a genius nonetheless. interesting. [:
There are seriously too many things I love about this post. The photos are both incredibly beautiful and fucking creepy at the same time. Weird, but I love how you carry yourself, clearly I haven’t seen you in real life, but the images tell a good enough story. Also, thanks, I really want a cigarette now haha x
i visit your blog for the food + the fashion. i appreciate the time + care you put into each post and the intricacy + beauty with which you display your posts.
however i must disagree with part of what you said here: “Fashion is the lowest form of design on the design ladder with architecture and fine arts coming at the top and RIGHTLY so- it isn’t the most intellectual or challenging field and it doesn’t really improve the status of humanity.”
I agree that the world perceives fashion to be the things you said, and perhaps in terms of the fashion industry itself there are many negative connotations.
but in terms of design: fashion IS intellectual, it IS challenging. mathematically, building a garment is often similar to building a skyscraper.
and i believe that it does improve humanity. fashion … elevates us. it visually creates + alters a level of symbolism that is forever in our landscape, no matter how periphery. so i don’t think we can be so quick as to rule it out as a valid form of design, worthy of the same accolades we would give to any breathtaking or mind-altering piece of art or design.
Just don’t disappear again….It was tooooo long
I really love your details!!!!.. always different and your own LUXIRARE pieces look great too !!!
++ that’s great Margiela coat, too. I see one in khaki here –but the black looks more compelling
luxi: fuck da haterz. you’re a genius and a doll. keep up the good work.
you/the person taking photos have amazing photographing skills.
Yeah, Angela’s great!
I love the new format, as i’ve said. And i don’t think its a bad thing to take something personal and beautiful and push it to the next level of professionalism. Blogs are such an incredible resource, but people shouldn’t be so resistant when they grow and change and evolve.
The picture of you lighting the cigarette and the way the glow of the fire is lighting up a little corner of the world makes me want to write a story. Very inspiring post. It looks like a journey into the dark…maybe an exploration of things one does not want to think about. All with kickass clothing and lots of attitude haha
I love both your food and your fashion blogs. I find them both irresistibly creative and inspiring. You are delightful and have an amazing eye for the art of food/fashion/photography.
I find it kind of funny that the other foodies don’t like the fashion posts. Originally I started looking at your blog for fashion (after I had heard about it) and was delighted to find food posts also (I was a culinary student in HS and still love to cook). I personally find both to be equally enjoyable, but to each his own.
Lovely post as usual, and the imagefeed is SERIOUSLY addictive and amazing.
Thanks Raven! I was hoping people would be into the feed part so they can get more updates.
I think its funny too but I think foodies are strictly here for the food and thats fine. Foodies are also a special breed and they are very much into their own world.
luxirare,
i’d love to meet you someday. You are so inspirational, creative, and mysterious. Your pictures really spoke to me in the sense that I could relate to them.
p.s. such a beautiful jacket! you wore it well!
hey, i was wondering when you’d be back! =) well, gotta say i love both the fashion n the food, and u do both so well. the pictures came out sooo well…as always, everything looks like it was well thought out…the darkness, the clothing, the location, the movement in the night…angela’s a great photographer
These photos are really wonderful! They make me miss Brooklyn!!
Sigh… I really really wish I owned this jacket and by that I mean I wish I had purchased it when I had the chance to!
Jealy of your garb big time…
You’re a poem
I also love the fashion / food combination on this blog, and I think they fit together beautifully. Thanks so much for this.
So excited you’ve posted! These photos are gorgeous and I love the Margiela blazer.
http://fashionroadkill-halifax.blogspot.com
i love you but quit smoking
I dislike your shoes and your gothic-esque look even tough you’re nice(great legs,amazing hair)…but that’s ok because I’m fond of your fine cuisine posts.Surprise us with some chocolate cheesecake lollipops
ahhahha who the hell is scott? I love your shoes and actually bought a pair for myself.
Why do you care Tom? That is why she made the sidebar, so you don’t have to deal with the fashion part. Didn’t you read the post?
hi luxirare. i like that you don’t update every other second, it gives time for yr posts to settle & ferment & take root in my head. p.s. the way you obscure yr face is haunting, like a noppera bo.
Ji, images 3 & 4 are absolutely breathtaking! But the 11th photo made my heart stop. That looks like something I’d want to hang on my wall.
It’s great that you have a photographer that seems to very in-tune with your aesthetics. A great pairing indeed!
Ah, I remember seeing Julia around school. Her take on the fashion blog is interesting..Did you go to Parsons as well?
The new layout is really user-friendly and I think it’s nice that you humored the ignorant foodies that visit your page haha. So thoughtful!
WOW! You’re so pretty…Anyway, I’m a ghost reader, but I decided to comment! I LOVE your blog, you are really creative. Hahaha…I know, I like to state the obvious.
I’ve been a fan of your blog since the first day I found out. The photography is what drew me in. The food and your work of art are equally astounding and admirable.
I sometimes wonder what goes in inside the minds of those who are talented (in any and all ways that I am not…). I wish I could pick at such minds.
I think this has been your most personable post, which, of course, I really appreciate. It’s nice to see a ‘person’ behind the words…through more words.
I was a bit confused with the layout when but it’s different than any other blog I read. After 3 visits, I think I got it?
I cannot wait to grow my hair back out again, you look beautiful in picture #12.
Quelle beau shoot, complètement effrayant de beautée. La veste Margiela a trouvée sa juste place entre les lumières tamisées de Brooklyn.
Un ange Noir viens de s’abbatre sur New-York.
Quand je serais à New York j’irais faire un tour.
Et vôtre amie est très talentueuse, les effets de lumières sont splendides…
xxx
Leslie
Absolutely gorgeous photos. Now tell me true — are those shoes difficult to walk in?
Glad your trip back to Red Hook finds you in a better place.
No not at all. They are like sneakers and the most comfortable shoes I own. I also don’t understand why people think they are so “weird” or “challenging”. I mean half of the fashion population is wearing chunky platforms wedge type shoes like the ones Acne designed, its basically the same shoe but less “designer-y”.
Your fashion and food creations and styles are both outrageously brilliant. Great new site set up, merveilleuse! Thank you for your wonderfully-stellar posts and to your friend, Angela, for the site.
I am still reeling (in the best way possible) from your:
1) potato chips made on the baguette loafers and said packaging
2) the visuals from the Flushing excursion
3) the finishing on ALL your clothing (please tell me you have it sent out and that you don’t do it ALL BY YOURSELF bc that would be just too incredible)
Sorry I don’t comment more, too shy, but wanted to say your site is one I visit religiously and I hate the computer. Seriously. Your site is magnificently inspirational and the photos of the food especially are just spectacularly clean and professional. Your fashion is the stuff of dreams and to boot, you have the perfect frame for couture…gosh, la bonne chance must be inherent in everything you set your eyes on.
Next time you are in the outer-realms of NYC and want some suggestions on other cuisine-raw-indredient-suppliers, I’d be happy to suggest a few. You probably know all the best ones for food and fashion in the city
It’s too bad that the “foodies” need to run their mouths on the fashion and the “fashionistas” need to return in kind, ignorance and rudeness is so pervasive in everything, malheureusement
so ignore the luddites and please post when you can, whatever you can because most of us are just so grateful for your generosity of spirit to take the time to share your creations.
Merci infinement.
Ah, besides that one jacket I sampled for Susie of Stylebubble I do all my own production. It takes very long to do the finishing of garments which is why I take so long to post.There is also very little luck involved in the things I do, like most things its trial and error and 90% is work. Sometimes some of the things I plan fail miserably but Failing is my middle name! It is the only way I learn.I source 90% of my food supplies from internet based stores, it is hard to find things I need even around here, you’d be surprised but still I’d love to hear your suggestions.
i love food, i love fashion.
ergo, i love you.
and that lighting up a fag pic with the leather gloves is evil is sexy.
Congrats on the “new” blog! Originally I came for the food, but stayed for both food AND fashion. As a former fashionista… I get it, I really do. Now I’m at a different point in my life, and it’s hard to keep up with fashion when you have three little peanuts running around the house. That said, I love to see the beautiful and crazy creations you come up with… and the food! My God, the food. Love it.
Where you smoking a black cigarette? if so whats the name of it,is it black bat? thanks! nice new layout btw..
Hey love the new layout. I guess I’m one of the minority because I come here for the food blogs but the fashion is fascinating (strange too but not in a bad way)! The image of you standing on those big cement blocks is very striking.
You look like a prettier Devon Aoki….. That margiela? ….stuns. Your boots make me regret not getting a pair of Westwood rocking horse I saw on ebay before……..
Hi Luxirare-
. All the photos are beautiful !!!
How are you? Loc and I both love your new layout. The jacket is beautiful. Is it Margiela??
I think space aliens are hot
xoxo
Nini
Well I just have to tell you that I usually come here for the food but I also adore the fashion!
I think you have played a big part in making me start to cook, because I have never been so inspired to cook before. So please keep it up <3
amazing, i love the shot with your arms outstretched. and i always think your posts are so amazing and so detailed that they are worth the wait and probably much more time-consuming to put together than the posts we mere mortals make!
you’re so unbelievably talented. these shots are amazing. do you take them yourself with a tripod and a remote control?! i just got my first dslr for my birthday last month. i’ve never really been that into photography, but now that i have a decent camera, i’m naturally 10000 times more interested in it now.
http://www.musingofsorts.com
Hi ely,
I wish I took these photos, but no my friend Angela did. Taking photos outside with a remote control is nearly impossible so I suggest you take someone with you who has decent skills. What kind of DSLR do you have?
Amazing shots. Your friend is a phenomenal photographer. Her perspective is surprisingly unique and delightfully refreshing.
This is so haunting. You remind me of Fever Ray but better. x
Love the new website.
These pictures are really beautiful x
I love the new design! I’ve always loved that your blog is about two seperate but intertwined and amazing things. I happen to read a lot of food blogs AND fashion blogs, so, augh, it’s like YAY HAPPY MEDIUM. That said, this post is lovely. It’s strange going back to places and it’s strange what significance just a street or a part of town can have on a person. That’s one of my passions, the affect of place on people. This post, with it’s lovely images and wonderful story, has made my day.
They are indeed intertwined! More so than any other combinations of fields. Yes this red hook place had a horrible affect on me but I love the area for its ghost like vibe. Its all old buildings from when the dutch first arrived in NYC and there are some AMAZING restaurants here…But again, it was nice to come back and see how much things change while places just remain the same.
did you make the boots yourself?
Archipelago (very interesting name you have there). No, They are by Demonia. I did resculpt the rubber platform portion. It was really really clunky and wide and I shaved it down with an electronic sander to give it more compact look.
girl…red hook is my new home base. I love it. The market is like two blocks away as is hope and anchor. The best kept secret…maybe.
nice to see your face for once too…
Hope and Anchor has the best burgers known to man. They also have the BEST cilantro/chorizo hash on for brunch. I equally love Baked..I used to freeze my butt off waiting for the b61 outside and then eventually crawl into Baked, only the MISS the bus again…
It’s so cool to finally see your face (from a distance, but still)!
Love the new layout.
Love the new layout!
These photos are gorgeous man! xx
lot about you
Damn… that “jennifer” girl has a stick up her ass. I’ve got a perfect solution for you jennifer-dont come back. Its like she can’t even have an opinion. Everyones classist whether they admit it or not, and YOU are the most classist of all, the way you talk about folks who are well-off. Shit happens, deal with it. You gotta adapt.
ooOooh, that series of pictures gave me the creeps. awesome.
ps. that jacket makes you look like a vampire. in a good way.
cool blog
Accccchhhh that 13th picture (yeuh I counted from the top…) so good. you re-write the book on nighttime shots for a blog.
Always no regret procrastinating in your blog, my dissertation can go shove itself up someone else’s rear.
You even have a black cigarette! I really really love that jacket. I want to see more of your face!
I don’t like to use the word “love” very often because I feel like people overuse it… but I seriously LOVE some of these shots. Maybe it’s because we’ve never seen you actually in this setting? Whatever it is, these are pretty awesome!
Where are those amazing shoes from?
Demonia.
wow the new site looks cool but I’m super confused how to use it…
X
karla
I know…Some people have said that. You just have to think of this blog as one post per page. Its not a continuous scrolling blog like most blogs…
oh my god you are gorgeous!!!!! wish you would show us what your full face looks like!! that jacket is simply wonderful!! xx
this is so beautfiul i can barely bare to look! you are so amazing
Beautiful. <3
The 7th photo makes me think of Michael Jackson. SUCH A HAPPY MEMORY (I am listening to his song "Cry", right now!)
XO
If you have to do it, you might as well do it right., Preppie Killer, Jandy Rayvac, Diveoptx, Westminister Kennel Club,
you get a million comments eh
haha, anyway
i wanted to ask you what u did in school, aka after highschool, did u go to culinary school to learn this shit or did it run in your family? talent maybe?
No I did not go to culinary school, but I did go to design school…
hi there, i started coming here about two months ago when a friend told how amazing you were and now i am absolutely addicted, you have me hooked and i find myself visiting your site even at work, patiently waiting for your next update!
Now, im just wondering how you got the sperical look in some of these photos, have they been manipulated by computer or some setting on your camera? Im no wizkid when it comes to things like this and envy could be among the many reasons i adore you and your site, anywho youre awesome.
lily
These were not manipulated in photoshop much, We increased the exposure a bit but that was it. This is what the effect of photos looks like when you shoot with minimal light, we only had the street bulb lights and that light reflected off buildings, some we shot with flash. If you shoot with no flash, you get that sepia-ish tone that you see here in the photos, very yellow/orangey light and moody.
My friend used a 1.8 aperture if it helps.
You remind me of Bang Bang from ‘The Brothers Bloom’ (great film from 2008). She’s ridiculously cool and mysterious, and she wears the most brilliant outfits. The whole styling on that film is really good, actually; I think you’d enjoy it.
I don’t know if bloggers are interested in the demographics of their readers but I imagine I’m the last type of person you would expect to be a loyal reader. But I am. Your blog is one of the few portals of creativity in my world right now (yes, that sounds pretentious and no, I’m not in prison.) But, for what is worth, “Well done you.”
I am extremely interested in who my readers are. Its hard because its not like I can say “hey guys can all my readers gather up in room 403? I need to know who you all are….
You can’t parse much info from google analytics, all it tells you is how many visits you get and etc…but I do know that out of other fashion blogs, I have attracted a straight male audience..Exactly how they put up with the crazy, inappropriate, gothic, bdsm/punk undertones is beyond me! But again, I am sure they come here for the food and not the fashion.
Hi. I really love your blog…
mademoiselle luxirare,
I enjoy your blog much…and yet, even with the explanation above and navigating through it, I’m still confused by the new layout. I’m not exactly sure what it is that feels puzzling but I’m trying to figure it out. one thing, for me, is that when I click the “clothes” or “cuisine” tab, the page I’m on doesn’t shift, only the sidebar does. for me, for whatever reason, that’s confusing–I’m not sure where I am sometimes.
I thought some about the food and fashion thing. Part of it is what you’ve already figured out about wanting to see the process of creating something. but I also think there are other pieces that are playing in. Food is temporal, you make it and it’s consumed, gone. Fashion sticks around. I can see how people who were into food would say something like, “Why would she make a pink chiffon cardigan, that thing is gonna be around FOREVER.” Mind you I do not agree with this mindset. I can just see how it would happen.
I also suspect that part of it is relationship. Food implies relationship between the maker and consumer of the food in an intimate way, eating. Fashion is more to be admired and abstracted like visual art. I’m not saying that there is no relationship between creator and consumer in fashion. Just that it’s very different and quite possible that those who are passionate about food find fashion more than a little cold.
Just my .02
wily
Your blog is amazing. My two friends and I are hooked! The food, the fashion, and the way it is presented is to die for. You are gorgeous and so unbelievably talented, keep up the good work, keep posting, and know that you are really inspiring some of us out here. OK I did actually have a question but praise always comes first ^_~ So just to clarify those shoes you are wearing are Demonia and you used and electronic wood sander to sculpt them?
I came for the bento box, stayed for the parfait, and now I’ve ventured into your fashion posts. Your stuff is incredible!
I even went on to Amazon looking for Luxirare products and was disappointed that there weren’t any. If you’re interested in commercializing some of your stuff, I can put you in touch…
no.3 hauntingly sublime
VORREI ESSERE IL DITO CHE SI INFILA NELLA TUA BERNARDA … E BERE I TUOI UMORI!mmmmmmmmmmm