dutch talent.

i visited amsterdam last spring to see madonna. i'm not a huge fan, but she is an icon and the sticky and sweet tour may be her last one. judging from the lack of activity on stage -- who wants to see madonna stand half of her concert playing a guitar rather than dance, i ask -- she's definitely getting old regardless of her age-defying appearance.

while in amsterdam, i took a day trip to the nearby town of utrecht where a friend had graduated with a master's in fashion design. his graduating class had a thesis show there and, naturally, i wanted to see his work, and there was one particular designer who made an impact on me: renske versluijs. her thesis is an exploration into muslim women as objects of the male gaze (which theoretically strikes me as rather uninventive and simplistic, but the main point are the clothes, anyway...) and a collection of beautifully crafted garments (not necessarily practicing muslim approved, i'd say). i was especially struck with the dress in the middle (you can see close-ups of the technique on her site) which was constructed of ribbons which created an interesting surface: the dress looked finished and unfinished simultaneously. one to watch, she is.