If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

April showers bring May flowers. And what do May flowers bring? The Annual Tulips and Pansies Headdress Affair.

Fashion designers and florists, 17 duos in total, teamed up for the 8th VCNY event, The Tulips And Pansies Headdress Affair. The annual event showcases amazing floral millinery by fashion and floral designers and benefits Village Care of New York, an organization that provides care for New York citizens living with AIDS/HIV. This year it took place on Thursday, May 14, 2009, at the Edison Ballroom in New York.

The event is fabulous eye candy. Drag queens, pirates, giant birds' nests, stunning models.... some of the wildest flower arrangements you've ever seen, which are secondarily followed by beautiful fashions. And yes, I've got all the photos for you here.

I blogged about the 7th one last year, and this year you'll be hard pressed to find a better image gallery than here. The event was hosted by James Aguiar (again) from E! Entertainment, Full Frontal Fashion and the Style Network and featured apparel designers including Tory Burch, Thierry Mugler, Lily Pulitzer, Pamella Rowland, Ralph Rucci and Cynthia Steffe.

All the participating designers:

Hosted by James Aguiar:

The runway show:

Pamella Roland, in collaboration with Jorge Cazzorla:

Hunter Dixon, in collaboration with Rachel Cho:

Lilly Pulitzer, in collaboration with Aristocratic Design Co. by Tammy Polatsek:

Form New York, in collaboration with Preston Bailey:

Cynthia Steffe, in collaboration with Event Design Incorporated:

Tory Burch, in collaboration with Linda Ferrando Floral Design:

Jordi Scott, in collaboration with Verde Custom Flowers, Inc:

Imperial Court of New York, in collaboration with Brian Fischer for Morningside Greenhouse:

Alvin Valley, in collaboration with Gotham Gardens:

Thierry Mugler, in collaboration with Michael Gaffney for NY School of Flower Design:

Michael Volbracht Designs, in collaboration with L'Olivier:

Chado Ralph Rucci, in collaboration with Zeze Flowers:

Imperial Court of New York, in collaboration with Tara Fischer McInerney for Morningside Greenhouse:

Zang Toi, in collaboration with Golf Srithamrong of Tantawan Bloom:

Sara Claire & Esther, in collaboration with Fleurs New York:

b. Michael, in collaboration with Cote Fleurie Studio:

Bridget Vizoso for The Designer's Co-op:

Here's a few 'behind the scenes' images for you:

special thanks to VCNY, Matthew Peyton and Randy Brooke for Getty Images and Keith Lew and Guest of a Guest for the wonderful images.

Village Care of New York
154 Christopher Street
New York, NY 10014
212.337.5600

Be sure to check out the last year's Tulips and Pansies Headdress Affair here.

Brass Knuckles, also referred to as Knucks or Knuckle dusters are weapons originally designed for use in hand to hand combat. Some derivations of them go as far back as ancient Rome. In World War I and World War II, they were incorporated into knife handles and blades. If you didn't know, the possession of and use of these are illegal in all 50 states in the US as well as in several other countries.

above: Knucks Tatt by Justin Bolonski, Integrity Tattoo/ Wizards One, Royersford, Pa

But that hasn't stopped them from serving as inspiration for many a designer. Cast as belt buckles and fine jewelry, as ornamentation on furnishings, incorporated into mugs, umbrellas, purse handles, paintball guns and as heels for shoes-- various designers and artists can't get enough of the classic weapon. See for yourself.

The Umbuster: Umbrella with Brass Knuckles handle:

buy it here.

Knuckle Duster Mugs:

buy it here.

Want a 24k gold plated one? Then check out the Gold Knuckles Mug:

Available in black, red or white with 24k gold plated knuckle handle
buy it here.

KNUCKLED custom brass knuckle stiletto heels from Tattoo Apparel:

buy them here.

Saddle shoes with brass knuckle heels from HowCool:

buy these here.

Howcool.com also carries brass knuckle hair bobbles (ponytail holders), brass knuckle scarves, earrings, bandanas, belt buckles, hats and more. See them all here.

Rihanna AND Beyonce rocked the same pair of killer brass knuckle boots by DSquared:

The above boots by Dsquared have been lusted after by many, but were either or custom design or are no longer available.

Need some accessories to go with those Brass Knuckle Heels and shoes? Then how about these handbags.

The Peacekeeper 300 is a leather purse with Brass Knuckle handles by James Piatt:

buy it here.

The Punch Bag by Freedom Of Creation is a laser sintered polymide mesh bag with a Brass Knuckle handle that comes in 2 sizes and is available in black or white as well:

buy it here.

Looking for a dressier bag? Ther Knuckle clutch by Akademiks may be just the thing:

no longer available.

Felon Clothing brand makes everything from Zippo lighters, belt buckles, patch wallets and shirts with their Knuckle Duster "Drink, Fight Fuck" logo:

buy the lighter and buckles here.

buy the wallet and work shirt here.

Brass Knuckles Wine opener by Vest Collective:

I can't seem to find the Vest Collective bottle opener anywhere anymore... good thing a reader brought the one below to my attention-- The Bourgeois Brass Knuckles by Ministry of the Interior in Canada (thanks Warren!):

purchase info at the end of this post.

Clean up and kick ass at the same time with the glycerin soap in the shape of Brass Knuckles:

Buy it here.

Bad Boy designer Ted Nemeth uses brass knuckles as accessories on many of his wicked furniture designs:

learn all about Ted Nemeth here.

Fist Fire makes a Brass Knuckle metal chair available in 2 finishes:

learn more here.

There are many brass knuckle pendants, earrings and more, but these solid 18k and 14k yellow gold brass knuckle pendants by Pnut are my favorites:

They also have sterling silver and blackened knuckle pendants too:

buy them here.

For those who don't have the coin to drop on real gold brass knuckles jewelry, here's an alternative. Good Wood NYC makes a bunch of fun affordable wooden knuckle duster rings:

buy them here.

Doja clothiers of Santa Cruz makes and sells T-shirts black or white with their Brass Knuckle logo on it:

buy it here.

Cute and Cozy Brass Knuckles? You bet.
Brass Knuckle Bob and Silver Knuckle Sally are even Plush Toy Brass Knuckles!Made by Michelle Valigura and produced by switcheroo.

You can buy them here (if still available).

The Knuckle Comb designed by Ewa Bochen and Maciej Jelski of Poland was an entry into Designboom's Beyond Silver competition:

learn more about it here.

For you paintballers, there's even a Brass knuckles knob for your Halo rip drive:

buy them here.

The FatJab is a handheld graffiti paint sprayer based on the brass knuckle design by Vincent Leclerc. The FatJab allows artists to print patterns and stories on any surface in the physical space. You simply hold it on your fist, point it against a surface, select a pattern with the thumb joystick and spray away.

learn more about it here.

Zazzle has over 263 items featuring brass knuckle art including skate decks, ties, aprons, hats, ties and tees:

See them all here.

Last minute addition! (thanks to reader Warren)
The Bourgeois Brass Knuckles are a cross between two iconic objects whose cultural and socio-economic associations lie at opposite ends of the spectrum. Originally designed by Jonathan Sabine, the BBK is being produced in a numbered limited edition of 50 by the Chromoly studio in Toronto. Chromoly is a collaboration between designer Jonathan Sabine and art director Adam Pickard.

Each chrome plated Bourgeois Brass Knuckle comes in a laser etched handmade walnut box. They'll be released at Ministry of the Interior, Friday May 20th 2009. They can be picked up for $120.00 CAD. learn more here.

Amd there you have it. Tons of items that kick butt.