I came across the art of Mitsy Avila Ovalles via the wonderful world of MySpace a few years back and I’ve been wanting to do a feature on her ever since.

Before I get into her art, I want to let you all know that this lady seriously has one of the most amazing MySpace pages in the history of MySpace pages. If you have yet to see it, check it out. I guarantee you’re never seen anything like it before (and if you have they’re probably biting her style!).

Mitsy’s fine art pieces are amazing end products of growing up in a Mexican household cemented in California soil. Her work, is layered with elements of Mexican pop culture, with references to JuanGa [the Mexican Elton John—only a lot more talented], pan dulce, Menudo, the LA Dodgers and numerous icons from novelas.

Viewed online, Mitsy’s work appears grimy in texture yet feminine in essence—a nice balance for a M.I.S.S. girl’s taste!

In her digital work, Mitsy’s female subjects are portrayed in bold colors and they are heels & kicks, bamboos, lips and a whole lotta hips yet she can flip it and draw a hard lookin’ E-40 or Eazy-E.

Here’s what Mitsy had to say, in a recent email exchange we had, about her plans for the near future:

I’ll be spending some winter months in Mexicali to paint for a group show come next March at FIFTY24SF, catch some baseball Caribbean series games and Mexicali “Soles” basketball games, spoil my ahijados [godsons] and eat some delicious Chinese food and Mariscos [Mexican seafood...yum!]. Oh! A friend and rad artist Shizu Saldamando recently hit me up about designing a Poketo wallet. She was asked to curate a series from various artists. I’m psyched about that because I’m not very resourceful so I’ve never had ANYTHING mass produced (not even like prints…oh I did have buttons once) anyway…yeah, so buy one once they come out so I don’t end up in the sad clearance rack (I don’t know when they’ll be printed up).

In the past, Poketo’s artist series of wallets have featured the art of Hannah Stouffer, Andrew Jeffrey Wright and Greg Lamarche, just to name a few, so this is a pretty exciting step for Mitsy and fans of her work! We’ll have her keep us posted about when those drop.

For now, check out Mitsy’s hand-written interview below and take a step into this artist’s world, after the jump!

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Photo by Rafael Rios

New York Based Artist and “It Girl”, Va$htie, has been known in the entertainment and underground scene for years. She’s achieved success as a Music Video Director, Artist, Creative Director and Party Promoter while being featured for her work in notable publications such as; The New York Times, Daily News, i-D, Trace, Paper, etc. This time she’s embarked in the fashion world, finally debuting a line she’s been perfecting since 2000, called Violette.  M.I.S.S. had a chance to chat with Va$htie about Violette, her inspirations and her love of fashion.  Va$htie is a woman who truly is following her dreams, is an inspiration to women everywhere, and is a “woman making history.”

How did you come up with the name Violette?  What does it mean to you?

It came out of years of indecision. Coming up with the name was the hardest and I went through a few. I’m a perfectionist and it limits me sometimes. I started designing and silkscreening tees in 2000, but didn’t come out with a brand until now because I wanted it to be right…right down to the name.

I’m not sure when or how, but it came up in 2005 and stuck. The whole time I had been thinking too hard about a name. I wanted to stay away from anything feminine and typical.  As a tom-boy who only really chills with boys, I wanted the brand to be equal to a boys brand and not seen as “a girl brand”. Then VIOLETTE came out, and it was slightly feminine and not at the same time. I wanted the name to represent prestige, royalty, and opulence without having an obvious name.  It’s a color, but it represents so much more in so many cultures…harmony, balance, clairvoyance.

Also, I have an old photograph of my mother when she was young that has a violet hue from ageing. In it, shes posed in a studio wearing a pink Sari. The photo is, framed, and sits next to my computer so I can see it everyday. My mother (and father) represent the “American Dream” to me. Working class immigrants who came to this country for a better life. My mother and I are so different, and the opportunites I have were never options for her. I think about that from time to time and it drives me.

Since the brand was to have a tomboy edge, VIOLETTE worked well to balance the masculinity of the line. It was just perfect and I decided not to waste time anymore and just go with my vision.

Read the rest of the interview and see more of Violette after the jump!

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Image by G Gallerie

I had the pleasure of meeting Ruby Veridiano Ching earlier this year and I was instantly impressed by her. She’s a co-founder, and only female member or spoken word collective ill-Literacy and she just published her first book of collected poems called Miss Universe. Her book is out of this world (pun intended) and you can read the review here and get the book here.  She also released an “intergalactic soundtrack” to go with the release of Miss Universe that you can listen to here.  We took some time to chat with Ruby about her writing and inspiration and this lady just does not stop!  Check out the full interview after the jump.

1. When did you start writing?

I started writing at 12, writing “nursery rhyme” type poems for my boy crushes- I remember writing one for the guy that played Rocky in “3 Ninjas.” Does anyone else remember that movie? Oh, and the Green Ranger too.
Then I took it a little more seriously during my senior year in high school, when I discovered Langston Hughes. I didn’t know until then the power of language, and the art of crafting words to look and sound beautiful; creating legacy in prose. Special thanks to my English teacher, Ms. Londahl! She’s my hero. She let me explore Langston Hughes in the back of the classroom while everyone else was doing their vocab exercises.

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Last Friday, I attended the opening of Westwood Gallery’s exhibition of Douglas Kirkland’s intimate and never before seen photos of Coco Chanel at work taken over 3 weeks in 1962. At the young age of 27, Douglas Kirkland, at the time a staff photographer for Look Magazine, and who is best known for his famous photographs of Marilyn Monroe, spent an unprecedented amount of time behind the scenes with Mademoiselle Chanel capturing her intense daily routine of designing, fitting models, seeing clients and meeting friends.

This exhibition will be open until November 29th, 2008, and I highly recommend seeing it in person if you would like to experience the passionate inner workings of the process of the one and only Coco Chanel.

The photos are also available in this book by Douglas Kirkland, Coco Chanel: Three Weeks 1962.

All photos are copywritten in 1962 by Douglas Kirkland, and printed in 2008. Most of the following photo descriptions came from the gallery, when I could capture them.

Westwood Gallery
568 Broadway, NYC
212-925-5700

Coco Chanel at her private apartment at the House of Chanel

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I stumbled upon Mackage because of their Hope coat, a limited-edition coat created to raise breast cancer awareness.  One of the designers of Mackage, Elisa Dahan, wanted to honor her mother and create something that would raise funds to support breast cancer research.  The Hope coat features a white lining with pink bows on it and pink piping on the outside.  Aside from being a fabulous coat, what struck me was how refreshing it is that they didn’t just create a pink coat.  They added pink in small details without sacrificing their aesthetic.  $100 from the sale of each coat is donated to the Breast Cancer Research Fund.

If you like the Hope coat, you must check out the rest of the pictures from Mackage’s Fall/Winter ‘08 Collection.  The photos are stunning and perfectly highlight the dramatic wool and leather coats with upturned collars and large fur hats.  It’s very Julie Christie in Dr. Zhivago and I thought I’d never say this, but I want it to be cold so I could wear those coats!  More pictures after the jump.

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I couldn’t think of a more deserving lady to be selected as ‘Worship Worthy‘. This lady works so many hustle’s and does each one likes it’s her only one. She’s one of the most real and down-to-earth people I have had the pleasure of meeting in the fashion industry and one of the very important people I always look forward to seeing when I get out to NYC. EXTRA, EXTRA read allllllll about her HERE! Congrats Radio Rose, Heeeeeeeeey!

This upcoming election may be the most important one in our lifetime, with  issues such as equal pay and Roe vs. Wade at the forefront of national discussion.  And with Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin running for office, women are beginning to confuse her as an icon of feminism, which is defined as “”the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.” Contradictory, no?

Well the real icon of feminism, Gloria Steinem, sits down with writer Suheir Hammad and talks about the misconceptions of feminism, not being a breeder, women in the workplace, and of course, Sarah “the Flintstones were real” Palin.

“Having someone who looks like you and behaves like them — who looks like a friend but behaves like an adversary—is worse than having no one.”

Make sure you read up an all the issues that are being discussed this election that can affect our rights as women, as well as our daughters and granddaughters!

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Being away from home for eleven days for New York Fashion Week was an incredibly exciting time had on a very demanding schedule. I’m a definite creature of habit, so to feel as calm as possible through the hustle and bustle of it all, I made sure to pack the the following products; comfortable reminders of home, and perfect ways to end the day, relax for a few, and yes, this week’s beauty picks for you too!

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Sketchy Pad caught up with artist Kylan Larson. I am loving the below piece!!! Read the full interview here.

Hey ladies,

Check out my interviews with EyeASage and Hopie Spitshard about their upcoming performance at MILK SF this Friday!