Shyam

Snakeskin belt Comme des Garçons Spring/Summer 2011

Better late than never. I really don't know where it suddenly came from. But the Comme poison has pervaded my veins. The result is unresistance. And the hindsight that sometimes it's love at second sight.
/HORST

Blow Job

1. Mikael Jansson Lara Stone for Interview Magazine May 2011
2. Jeff Koons Caterpillar & Acrobat, 2003

The quote of a quote. When woman ride inflatable dinosaurs. When lobsters do a handstand. When pop becomes post-pop. And everything is done in a consciously obvious manner.
/HORST

Contortionists

1. Missoni Fall/Winter 2011
2. Playgirl Man for March

It's a delicate topic. Snakes and the texture of their skin are of rare beauty. And therefore must be protected. Therefore, we can either fake it. Or do it like Salma.
/HORST

Ink Survey

Photos Unknown, Hedi Slimane, Ignazio Lozano

As long as I don't hear any protest, the promotion of war painted bodies will proceed. I am curious: Who really is tattooed? Whose skin is showing indigenous artworks? Whose back is decorated by a slag tag?
/HORST

Medusa: Main Corpus

Top Raf Simons Spring/Summer 2010

Medusa's snakes have chosen me. An eternal spell engraved onto my skin. Tattooed by a thin frayed layer of organza. The prophecy of our precedent prequel has fulfilled itself. And I devote myself.
/HORST

Medusa: Second Prequel

1. Raf Simons Spring/Summer 2010 by Satoshi Saikusa
2. Li, H.R. Giger 1974

Facing the condemned and seemingly unaesthetic. The ugly and hated. To finally establish a version of beauty and fascination that is constituted of one's very own fears and preconceptions.
/HORST

Medusa: Prequel

1. Versace campaign, 1990s
2. Head of Medusa, Peter Paul Rubens 1618

The Medusa head as an iconographic legend of both ancient and modern history. A supernatural, crude and mesmerizing symbol associated with immortal myth and contemporary consumerism.
/HORST

Meander

Raf Simons Spring/Summer 2010

It's mine. It's tacky. It has snakes on it. It's definitely borderline. Yes, it's actually kitsch. But it's Raf. And it's mine. Mine. Mine! How nice it feels, this fulfilled shopping enthusiasm.
/HORST

Longing

Photos Bruno Staub
Styling Klaus Stockhausen

The infamous transparent printed Raf Simons snake top paired with massive motocross boots. If I could just lay my hands on these precious items of unspent masculinity.
/HORST

Now & Then

Above Raf Simons 2010
Below Rocco Barroco 1996

Twin eroticism in transparent snake shirts. Undeniable similarities from 1996 to 2010. Looking back, looking forward.
/HORST

Appendix

Raf Simons Spring/Summer 2010

Always been a connoisseur of the Raf aesthetics although I have to admit of not finding access to his latest creations. The details and snake symbolism seem reasoned but leave me with venomous indifference.
/HORST

Image credits Catwalking

New! Buy Now!

Photos Hedi Slimane

Fresh eyecandy material from Mister Hedi. This time we go a bit more trashy.
/HORST