Part of this challenge
(people have been adding digital-art touches to these photos, which I also love) |
Quick-fixes and cutting corners, like the linoleum floors that bubble and peel away over time. The reason why the pictures below fascinate me is because I know what they will look like in a year. Chunks of tiles broken off like missing teeth, the smell of plastic and mildew.
Optimism.
And then there's "creative" furniture. Trying to put some personality, but again cutting corners with pressboard and some glossy white paint. Anything can be fabulous with glossy white paint.
For some reason they always remind me of a porn set.
My mom's prized dresser fits in this aesthetic:
In fact most things in my childhood remind me of this. Our house was a split-level cookie-cutter home, with linoleum floors and wallpaper that looked like something else--wood, straw, mirrors (yes, it was creepily reflective). Cheap vertical blinds that thundered to the ground when a strong wind blue. I'm pretty sure the soundtrack to my childhood is vertical blinds slapping against each other.
yeah the mirror has a blue light. I always thought this was cool and still do! |
With everything being more "authentic" and "artisan" these days, it's almost rebellious and strange to see this sort of look. It's cheap and trashy like a creepy motel, and it's no wonder that the photoshoots have sexual undertones:
lol excuse my cell phone shot of this magazine...couldn't find a photo online |
from the now-defunct tar magazine |
Terry Richardson, the real-deal sexual slimeball, is pretty much the most popular photographer in this aesthetic.
What to wear? all the tack you'd find at the lingerie section at the mall. Satin (the cheaper silk), plastic (the cheaper patent leather/wood), malibu (the cheaper fur). Sequins to catch the flash of the camera. Sheers for sexiness. Gold and silver paint.
tacky interior design featuring a white dress
fabutrashy featuring prada glasses
linoleum goth featuring a black dress