Beach Bucket Bingo

Trend Watch: Okay, I am no fashion writer here but here is a n accessorie that seems to have replaced the baseball cap namely the bucket. Dont have to say much else, a few pictures tell it.

From Left: Burberry, Dsquared, Paul Smith

The Other Show at ICP: David Seidner

You've no doubt heard about the Avedon show. In 1944, the war-battered French couture industry decided to revive its international reputation by conceiving a small exhibition entitled Théâtre de la Mode. The exhibition organizer enlisted the major fashion designers of the day, including Jeanne Lanvin, Lucien Lelong, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Pierre Balmain to create outfits for small wire-frame dolls just over two feet tall.

The exhibition of over 230 dolls, displayed in artist-designed sets, opened in Paris on March 27, 1945 at the Museum of Decorative Arts. It was an instant sensation, and traveled to London, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Vienna, New York, and San Francisco. With the return of the French fashion industry, the dolls had completed their work and were donated to the Maryhill Museum near Portland, Oregon, where they disappeared from view.

Under an extraordinary set of circumstances in 1990, the dolls were rediscovered and returned to Paris, recoiffed and restyled for an exhibition at the Musée de la Mode. Because of his pioneering work with French fashion and historical gowns, David Seidner was asked to photograph the little dolls. Working in the rough interior of an abandoned theatre set, Seidner captured the essence of French style in dolls dressed in designs made on the eve of Christian Dior's New Look, which radically changed fashion in 1947. ICP will exhibit fifteen of Seidner's color photographs from the David Seidner Archive in the Permanent Collection, along with one of the original dolls.

This exhibition was organized by Cynthia Young, ICP Assistant Curator.

A New Museum for Tamayo

Mexico's Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum (Spanish: Museo Tamayo de Arte Contemporáneo), located on Paseo de la Reforma, inMexico City, was opened in 1981 as a repository for the collection that Rufino Tamayo and his wife Olga acquired during their lifetimes and ultimately gifted to the nation. The architect was Teodoro González de León, a renowned Mexican architect.

There are plans to create a new building for the museum. In 2009 an architecture competition was won by Bjarke Ingels Group in colaboration with Rojkind Arquitectos. The cross-shaped building will occupy a steep hillsidein Atizapan , overlooking the city, and incorporate a large viewing platform on the roof.^[1]

Dwell on Design: LA

'kitchen ecology: recipes for good design',
this curated group show will express subjects and details of our kitchen 
environment by analyzing the ongoing conflict of ecology and consumerism.
it will feature works from the freshest young and upcoming international 
designers, exploring ways to tweak the basic ingredients to produce the 
most eco-friendly, energy efficient models possible.

Remembering Richard Amsel

I was in Philadelphia on Friday and had a chance to check out a Richard Amsel exhibit at The University of the Arts. Amsel is responsible for the design and illustration of many famous movie posters, including those done for Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. He also did many TV Guide cover portraits for people such as Elvis and Katharine Hepburn, and CD package design for stars such as Bette Midler. It was amazing to see some of the original sketches behind these great works. It's definitely worth checking out if you're in Philly. You can also learn more about Amsel on Wikipedia or... just Google him and check out some image results.

Outerspace Art

With the 40th aniversary of the Moon landing coming up this summer, fill in the text here with a lot of stuff about but did you know you can buy phototgraphs directly from NASA?
Go to the website and browse through the different space programs and pick your favorite for about $75.00

Holy Toledo!

Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out
June 17 through September 26, 2009

The Cuban-born fashion designer Isabel Toledo is often described as "a designer's designer." Although she is little known to the general public, her work is greatly admired by members of the fashion community. As the late fashion journalist Amy Spindler once wrote, "Only great designers can dispense with themes and theatrics and let the work speak instead. Ms. Toledo does just that, letting fashion itself be the theme."

Isabel's focus on technique, her willingness to experiment, and her strong personal vision make her work stand out. But other aspects of her career — her early rise to fame and subsequent years of struggle, her brush with organized crime, and her rollercoaster ride at a big fashion company — will be familiar to many in the modern fashion system.

Isabel works closely with her husband, the illustrator Ruben Toledo. As she begins to construct her visions, Isabel engages in intense discussions with Ruben, gesturing to show, for example, how the fabric should drape. "I think of it as fashion from the inside out," she explains. "I can describe an idea or even a feeling to Ruben, and he'll sketch it." Officially, Isabel is the fashion designer, or as she says, "the seamstress," and Ruben is the artist/illustrator, but the reality is much more complicated. "We're so meshed, it's impossible to separate what we do," says Ruben.

Isabel Toledo told Dr. Valerie Steele in a 1989 interview, "I really love the technique of sewing more than anything else…the seamstress is the one who knows fashion from the inside! That's the art form really, not fashion design, but the technique of how it's done." Isabel has said that she doesn't "want to be radical," and she insists that "weird is not smart." But her clothes are undeniably different. None of them have traditional construction. Her patterns, silhouettes, use of materials, and methods of draping are all highly experimental.

Open Classic

Visiting the INTERIOR of the Eames House is available ONCE A YEAR in June to Foundation members only.
You can, however, visit the grounds and the exterior of the House, but you do need to make an appointment by calling at least 48 hours in advance of your visit. An appointment to visit the exterior of the House and the grounds is necessary because the Eames House is fragile and the grounds are limited in size. Please call 310.459.9663 to schedule an appointment. The House is located at 203 Chautauqua Blvd. in Pacific Palisades CA 90272. Please note: there is NO PARKING at the Eames House.

EXTERIOR SELF-GUIDED TOUR
Monday through Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday:10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
CLOSED: Sundays, celebrated holidays and holiday weekends.

FOR EAMES FOUNDATION MEMBERS ONLY: INTERIOR GUIDED TOUR
An interior guided tour is given ONCE a year on or near June 20th and is restricted exclusively for Eames Foundation Members only. To become a member, please click here.

The Solution

I have an idea to fix some of Americas biggest problems. Really, I do.

Big Problems:
• Unemployment
• Dependence on foreign oil
• Urban sprawl
• Carbon Emissions
• Detroit

Ancillary Problems:
• Social Isolation
• Road Rage
• Drunk Driving

My proposal is this: turn all the derelict car factories in Detroit into Train-car factories. If we reconnect all the dismantled railroad lines (they're mostly still there), we have a much better country in every way.

Hello and Welcome.

That's what Louise Hay always says (well yeah, always, because I listen over and over to the same recording) and I always feel welcome and I want you to feel welcome, too.

The name of this blog comes from a meeting I had years ago with a woman who came to consult with me about customizing my closets. It was a big step for me, one I had put off for years. A no-nonsense woman easily in her 60s, she was utterly helpful. A real pro. When we sat down to discuss the project, she noticed I had a few copies of Real Simple magazine nearby (I was working at Real Simple at the time) and she mentioned she was a big fan. I had swiped a few closet-story tearsheets and laid them out for her. "Oh these are very nice, but noone's closet looks like that. Not unless you have a Japanese houseman."