Gilt Trip

Model Cydney Hedgpeth

Photographed at KKProjects/Life is Art Foundation, 2448 North Villere St., 218-8701. Kirsha Kaechele’s block of six derelict  structures in her 8th Ward neighborhood of St. Roch are living gallery spaces. The project hosts site-specific installations for three-month exhibition periods. Featured in The New York Times T Magazine Design Fall 2008, visit www.kkprojects.org for more information on this remarkable avant-garde outpost of outsider art.
About the Set: Chicago-based sculptor/painter Jeffrey Forsythe applied a pristine gold leaf surface to an entire bargeboard room and an electric stove: “to challenge the way our culture defines value. Intrinsically costly, the gold leaf is left untreated, allowing its initial pristine surface to slowly dematerialize, its short shelf life symbolizing its loss of value over time as a product of its environment.” 
Fashion follows Art: Despite its notoriously short shelf life, this
vanity-driven commodity is something we absolutely cannot do
without, particularly since style is driven by change. One universal trend: Everywhere you look, the shiny sheath dress feels right at home.

Gilt Trip
Gray flannel sleeveless dress by Nicole Miller at Azby’s; brushed gold hoop earrings at Perlis; Valentino tote and Portolana Collection leather gloves at Saks Fifth Avenue; Valentino stretch suede boots at Victoria’s Uptown.

Gilt Trip
Dennis Basso olive-drab sheared mink coat with dyed sable standup collar and sleeves at the Fur Salon at Saks Fifth Avenue; Missoni chocolate belted brown knit dress with bell sleeves at Rubensteins; Draugswald drop earrings at Victoria’s Uptown.

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Gilt Trip
Nicole Miller iridescent gold stretch satin dress at Ballin’s; Kenneth Jay Lane reversible gold resin link necklace and Fendi “Ricami” embroidered and beaded bag at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Gilt Trip
Cynthia Rose black leather dress at Mimi; AdrinAdrina one-shoulder honeycomb snap tunic at www.kkprojects.org; Colette Malouf silk flower and cord wrap at Victoria’s Uptown.

Gilt Trip
JF+Son stretch twill Spy Dress and Barbara Bui leather cuff at Shoefty Garb; Etro
challis scarf at Rubensteins; Draugswald drop earrings at Victoria’s Uptown.

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Gilt Trip
Blue jersey La Rok dress at Snap; gold sparkle evening clutch at Town & Country; Kenneth Jay Lane couture collection necklace at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Gilt Trip
Foley beaded tunic at Em’s; Kova & T liquid leather spandex leggings and Gucci “Babouska” heels with brass studs at Saks Fifth Avenue; Etro gold lurex scarf at Rubensteins; Jeffrey Forsythe’s gilded stove at www.kkprojects.org.

Retail Shopping Guide
Azby’s, 5531 Magazine St., 895-1311; Ballin’s LTD., 721 Dante St., 866-4367, www.ballinsltd.com; Em’s Clothing and Accessories, 246 Metairie Road, 834-2795; KKProjects, 2248 North Villere St., 218-8701, www.kkprojects.org; Mimi, 5500 Magazine St., 269-6464, www.miminola.com; Perlis, 6070 Magazine St., 895-8661, www.perlis.com; Rubensteins, 102 St. Charles Ave., 581-6666, www.rubensteinsneworleans.com; Saks Fifth Avenue, 301 Canal St., 524-2200, www.saksfifthavenue.com; Shoefty and Shoefty Garb, 6010 Magazine St., 896-8737, www.shopshoefty.com; Snap, 617 Metairie Road, 849-9988; Town and Country, 1514 St. Charles Ave., 523-7027, www.townandcountrybridal.com; Victoria’s Uptown, 7725 Maple St., 861-8861

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