I saw these super cute clutches from a new line called Nooni last week. I love the shape and detailing. The line launched a couple of seasons ago with the Spring 2009 collection by Vicki Vlachakis who used to design cars for Mercedez-Benz and Pontiac. A woman who designs cars AND handbags. Brilliant. www.noonibag.com
Alex Katz, Amanda, 1973 and Blue Umbrella 2, 1972, Above and Red Tie, 1979, Below
I had dinner a couple of nights ago with an artist I knew for a split second in NYC almost ten years ago. We reconnected totally out of the blue a few weeks back and it’s been amazing to have a rich and open dialogue about her work, my work and work in general. It reminds me of doing my MFA and having constant discussions about art that inspire you to think and create. While bouncing thoughts back and forth over dinner the other night it was brought up that the painter Alex Katz is 82 (American, born 1927). Although I’ve loved his work for years I’ve never met Mr. Katz and admittedly never read much about him, only connected with his paintings visually. Knowing his age suddenly changed my perspective on his work and gave new meaning to it. It put him into context of older painters like Alice Neel rather than the next generation of John Currin, Elizabeth Peyton and Lisa Yuskavage who I always categorized him with. I obsess over connecting dots between one artist and another. Unfolding the layers of work and seeing the progression and evolution over the course of years and decades. I love the sort of whispy raw melancholy figurative work they all seem to have in common. I always joke that I take photographs because I can’t paint but if I could I would. I want to stare at these paintings forever. I am fascinated by the intersection of art and fashion and its ongoing dialogue, love when the two worlds meet. There is an effortless chic and quietly seductive sexuality in all of this work that I love as well.
Lisa Yuskavage, Below
John Currin, Below
Elizabeth Peyton, Below
Alice Neel, Below
Frey Wille was originally started in Vienna, Austria in 1951 by Michaela Frey and has for years chosen a select group of fine artists to feature on their collections of enamel jewelry. People often ask if my bangles are Hermes which is a fair assumption as for many years the company was the quiet design team behind their iconic enamel bracelets. I love the design above which is inspired by the paintings of Gustav Klimt and the muted color scheme is new for Fall. I’m a big fan of the quiet color palettes that surface every few seasons, the pastels as well as muted tones. My now discontinued and hard to find olive green and brown version of the bangles have been glued to my wrist for months and I refuse to take them off.
Their one and only US flagship store in Santa Monica will soon be joined by a new store in Vancouver set to open September 9th and another US location is set for Madison Avenue in New York City in early November. The NIXE Collection, DIVA, MISS and ULTRA Bangles, Above
Valentino Fall Couture 2010, Above
Let me be the first to admit that I cannot, no matter how hard I try, keep up with every show, every season, every designer. There was a point when the cycle of seasons sped up to a near monthly pattern and every time I look at fashion shows online I am reminded that there is really no time at all to enjoy any of the collections when the seasons created by the industry pass by so quickly. From Fall to Holiday, Resort, Pre-Spring, Spring, Couture, Pre-Fall and Men’s in between and then back again. It’s too much. There are so many beautiful things being designed and lost in the shuffle of everyone trying to keep up and stay ahead and in the end people don’t have enough time to see everything let alone buy anything before it is marked down, bumped off and cleared away from the shelves to make room for the next delivery that stays a matter of weeks. There are occasional rumblings of this sort at fashion weeks every season the past few years but none of the big names will be the first to give up their Style.com or WWD write up by simply foregoing the “Pre-” collection at least. Everything is so over-saturated and I for one would like to stop and smell the fresh fabrics a minute longer. Most editors and buyers can’t keep up with the fast turn over so how can we expect consumers to? It would seem everyone loses out in this sped up time machine. The designers and their teams lose energy, sleep and creative juices. The retailers lose money. And consumers at every price point lose sight of those special pieces they may have once savored and now are happy to trade in for disposable fashion that barely lasts half a season.
Lanvin Fall 2010, Above (Lanvin just makes me giddy, I want to live, breathe and sleep in it)
Maison Martin Margiela Fall Couture 2010, Below
I know I have obsessed over Charles David before but after wearing this particular style all week I have to say for the record they are one of the most comfortable 4″ heels I have ever worn. It’s like walking on air. I remember having a similar reaction years ago when I first graduated to stilettos from kitten heels with my first pair of Prada pumps that revolutionized the way I wore high heels. The only difference is that these are $600 cheaper… I still plan on buying my Prada, though admittedly will wait until I am in Milan getting a slight discount along with the Tax Free price tag, but these are just fantastic shoes for every day. Literally. www.charlesdavid.com
When I was growing up in Baltimore The Loft store at the mall was where my mom would drag me if I had a family function to attend and she wanted to rest her weary eyes from torn fishnets and the latest goldmine I had scavenged at the Salvation Army. Even then, much to mom’s chagrin the ladylike pieces would most likely get purposefully shredded and beat up to match my beloved disheveled look. These days that look is gone but Ann Taylor’s collections have remained on the sidelines for me and have never been ones I turn to for cute fashionable clothes. Until recently. Almost two years ago Ann Taylor’s main line went through a fantastic renovation, with a young new designer at the helm and beautiful fashion forward collections that followed. Now the company has transformed their secondary line LOFT in a similar way. The Fall 2010 collection, which hit stores this month with pieces continuing to trickle in throughout September and October, is young, sexy, chic, wearable and definitely affordable without anything ‘cheap’ in the line. I love the pieces separately and together and have added several to my daily rotation. www.loftonline.com
Royksopp. One of my all time favorite bands. They don’t put out albums often but when they do they are absolutely mind blowing. Beautiful haunting video of Royksopp’s “What Else Is There?”, below. Senior, the much anticipated follow up album to last year’s Junior was scheduled to be released in late 2009 but is now supposedly coming out late 2010. Hurry please…
Any excuse to find some cool old photos. Ninety years ago today, women got the right to vote. The 19th amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. And then look what happened.. No wonder they call them the “Roaring Twenties”. We are TROUBLE. Being an emigrant I never took it for granted and have not missed an election since the time I was old enough to vote. Voting Rocks.
Elle Macphearson designs some of the best lingerie and intimates around. One can never have enough pretty, girly things especially when they are well made and well priced. I go back every season to restock my supply. The Sheer Ribbons style is one of my favorites. It fits amazingly and they keep doing it season after season so you don’t have to worry about getting hooked and having your supplier run out.
