Heaven Can Wait

New from Beck and Charlotte Gainsbourg (Beck looks so infantile with this haircut).

Compete

Just stumbled on this, The Hearst 8x10 Photography Biennial. For all of my budding photographer friends (there are SO MANY of you!).

Political Fictions

New York magazine has started doing this little series called the Political Fictions Project, in which they invite seven writers to submit short stories featuring contemporary political figures. They're also asking for submissions from us laymen, in case anyone is interested. Filing this away in my "wish I'd come up with this" list...

Check out the latest story by Adam Haslett titled "Nightwalk": With Afghanistan on his mind, the president leaves the White House grounds and encounters a stranger...

Persane by Yves Delorme

I was walking past Pioneer Linens yesterday in downtown West Palm and saw this bedding in the window. So da-bomb.

Zac Posen's New (Cheaper) Line...

They are calling this "hipster". I call it "lunch-counter chic". And I mean that in a good way. I'm liking the looks of this stuff, specifically the one pictured below. Complete slideshow at WWD.

Me gusto mucho Almodovar

Pop-culture leaves...

Loved this little "study in leaves" in the New York Times. A fun Sunday afternoon crafts project if you ask me. See the whole series here.

Good China Bad China

Fine bone china featuring 7 deadly sins and 7 contrary virtues in prussian blue script. Set includes 12 dinner plates and two serving plates, or can be bought in pairs for $49 at Generate Design. From Remodelista.

New stuff at Coach

I've never considered myself a Coach fan, but they have some cool stuff lately (disclaimer: I'm in the market for an evening bag).


amanda metallic leather drawstring bag: $198


poppy feather crossbody: $298


poppy sparkle leather mini t-lock cross body: $138.


Amanda Satin Jewelry Roll, $98 (great gift idea, this one).

So what if it was a weave?

It was still so hot...

The Sartorialist is Nailing it

My good friend Claire gchatted me today with "I'm in a man phase. Check out the Sartorialist". (Disclaimer: I'm always in a man phase). The new Sartorialist photos make me want to belt a pair of men's corduroys, roll up my sleeves and light a cigarette...

Dori Csengeri- I'm a wannabe collector

So I returned from a recent trip to Austin with a renewed obsession with Dori Csengeri. There is a store on S. Congress called Maya and frankly, their clothes leave something to be desired but the JEWELRY! They have a great selection of Csengeri and I've decided that it's all I ever want to wear. It's high-end (but decently priced), colorful or not colorful, unique, amazing, incredible, i love it, it's awesome. Check it out.

Guilty Pleasure, So Guilty

I can't help it. It's so wrong. But I'm posting it anyways.

Campers- High and a Little Higher, Brow

What is it about campers that incite such wanderlust? I see an airstream on the side of the road and visions of a "Wonder Years" silent film footage trip cross-country ensue- me, the man of my dreams, a golden retriever, good barbeque.

Ah, dreams. In the meantime, check out this camper eye-candy.




The Teardrop trailer, by Silver Tears Campers. Courtesy of Garden and Gun.







This "wagon" as they call them in Britain can be found marooned in a Cornish meadow, where the family of 6 who owns it vacations. They bought it at a roadside sale in mint condition (the family who owned it previously had all of the upholstery covered in plastic). Courtesy of The World of Interiors.

Overexposure- Let's Talk About It

Barack Obama is getting a lot of flack for last Sunday's media blitz. The critique from most parties? The office of the President is one of prestige, and by offering himself too easily to the masses he will desensitize us to his presence, and most of all his message. Said Peggy Noonan on This Week with George Stephanopoulos,"It's boorish, and it makes people not lean towards you but lean away from you."

These are my thoughts EXACTLY when it comes to the oft-mentioned GOOP, a new online venture of Gwyneth Paltrow's with the tag line "Nourish the Inner Aspect". The company's product is a weekly newsletter geared towards easy and healthy ways of eating, exercising, dressing, and traveling, under the categories of "BE, MAKE, GO, GET, DO, SEE".

It's a really cool idea. And no one would care about the recipes, the exercise regimens, the travel tips if Gwyneth wasn't the one dishing them out. Alas, my critique of GOOP is not GOOP itself, but of Gwyneth and her new role in my life (an overly dramatic statement but hear me out).

I used to worship Gwyneth in the ways that we all idolize move stars that we hope to emulate in looks, demeanor, lifestyle, you name it. She lived the dream-life. Part of the attraction was that her lifestyle was essentially non-attainable to little ol' me.

Now that the distance between us is so short, and I read weekly about the realities of how she stays thin, her detox regimen, how much she loves wheat-grass, and her favorite maternity outfits (which, actually would still be way out of my reach financially), I'm sort of getting sick of her? And frankly, the health food things is bordering on obsessive.

I don't want Gwyneth to be the new Oprah, or god-forbid the new Tyra (I think just vomited in my mouth). And she wouldn't, her style is too different, too subtle, which is probably why she's doing her thing online, and not on daytime T.V.

All I'm saying is that, now that I've got her secrets for a life well-lived, I'm less interested in her life. I just want her to be the fairy tale again. And while I'm at it, can someone just rewind the tapes back to "Change has come to America"? The podium has a way of giving me goosebumps that the chair next to David Letterman can't.

Babycakes

So, I was turned onto this video by Gwyneth's newsletter, GOOP. I don't know how I feel about that. I plan to get back to you on my love/hate relationship with this new venture of hers. It's like, I kind of liked Gwyneth more when she wasn't trying to be my homegirl, you know? I go back and forth. ANYWAYS, check out this video of Erin Mckenna of Babycakes, the vegan/gluten-free bakery SENSATION (blah blah blah). An Andy Samberg take on icing cupcakes. Funny.

BabyCakes NYC: Frosting Party! from BabyCakes NYC on Vimeo.

The Season for Mad Men

I'm writing a little piece on Mad Men/50's fashion for a paper here in West Palm called The Coastal Star. The perk was that I got my hair and makeup done and got to dress up all house-wifey. It was DA-BOMB. Check 'er out.

Aretha's Inauguration Hat

It was friggin' awesome and now they're making a t-shirt with a picture of her wearing it. It's an alternative way to commemorate the occasion. Get 'em while they last.

Casamidy

Stumbled upon some promotional postcards that the design firm Casamidy sent out to promote their unique vacation rentals in San Miguel de Allende and Paris, to name a few (pictures above. The settings and interiors are simply stunning.

The company, based in Mexico, was started in 1998 by a woman named Ann-Marie Midy and her partner Jorge Almada, fueled by their desire to combine native artisan talent in Mexico with the design concepts that they both studied in school. The result is a product line and design aesthetic that is a rustic, provincial approach to high style. Everything they produce seems worn and cozy and worth keeping, like an old woman with good stories and lots of wrinkles.

Check out their website to learn more: www.casamidy.com

Artist Profile: Adam Stennett

Paregoric and Three Poppies. 2008. Acrylic on paper 22 x 22 inches.

I came across Adam Stennett's work after seeing his piece "Paregoric and Three Poppies" in an email newsletter from Irvine Contemporary, in my opinion THE best contemporary art gallery in Washington, D.C. I love this series of still life drawings that revolves around strange drugs. Says Irvine,

Adam Stennett has been working with photorealist styles for several years as ways to present provocative scenes that challenge the way we read an image. In recent paintings, he presents what appear to be still-life genre paintings of drug ingredients and over-the-counter medicines. The paintings have an eerie, almost documentary quality, as if an Old Master set up common plants and medical implements in a studio.

To learn more about Adam, go to www.adamstennett.com

Gudrun Sjoden: Scandinavian Inspired

Autumn 2009

I discovered Gudrun Sjoden after seeing an ad for the company in Telegraph magazine on my recent trip to London. My first reaction was that it looked like the European equivalent to Anthropologie. Similar styles, the difference being that Gudrun Sjoden is both the producer and purveyor of all of its eco-friendly clothing and home goods, and the story of the company's rise is more heart-warming than that of the Urban Outfitters conglomerate.

Gudrun Sjoden, the woman behind the clothing, started the company in 1976 and has stores in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. You can also order her goods online. The aesthetic is very Scandinavian chic - peasant blouses, witch like booties, hand-embroidered dress coats and the like. But she also has a great jersey line in solids, stripes and polka-dots. The best part is you can wear her things with a good conscience- Gudrun has a no child-labor policy and uses no chemicals in the manufacturing process- and her clothes are relatively inexpensive.


Home 2008


Winter 2008

Paris Shopping: Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

I was given a tip from a friend that if I wanted to have the ultimate antiquing/vintage shopping experience on my recent trip to Paris, then I MUST wade through the crappy street vendors at Port de Clingancourt and make my way to Les Puces de Saint Ouen- a maze of wonderful vintage clothing, furniture, art, and the like.

Unfortunately, I found myself in Paris when the dollar wasn't worth crap (a week ago) so all I could afford was this (wonderful) 1950's photograph of an Ingrid Bergman look-alike with her beautiful spaniel and his kill.

If you'd like to check this place out, take the 4 line all the way to Port de Clingancourt and ask for Les Puces. It's only a few blocks away from the metro stop. It's open 9am to 6pm, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Little French Girls

Here's a tribute- inspired by the little girl I watched for almost half an hour outside of Shakespeare and Co. in Paris (above). The little one below KILLS ME.

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Quote in Dossier

I liked this quote in the latest issue of Dossier:

There are those who love to get dirty and fix things. They drink coffee at dawn. Beer after work. And those who stay clean just appreciate things. At breakfast they have milk and juice at night. There are those who do both. They drink tea.

-Gary Snyder

The Home of Albert Maysles

There is nothing like the authenticity of a well-loved and historied home.

The New Antiquarians

Story about the popularity of taxidermy and other turn-of-the-century upper crust trinkets. Stuffing dogs is not okay, for the record.

StevenSclaroff.com

Saw and ad for this website in the summer edition of The Paris Review (ho hum)- very cool furniture, art, lighting, etc. He seems to specialize in "collections" of things, like the desk accessories selection below, sold together for $50.

Exciting Book Purchases

I'm on an architecture kick and can't get my nose out of these two books:



(Above) It's just a good thing to have and I hope it will one day greatly inform my real estate purchases.



This book is by the renowned architect Christopher Alexander, who teaches at Berkeley. Apartmenttherapy.com has referenced this book several times in regards to "making sense of your surroundings". So far, it reads like the "interiors" version of Jane Jacob's The Death and Life of Great American Cities (sweet original cover below).

Abandonned Drive-In

Came across this abandonned drive-in theatre on our way to Martinsville, VA from Charlotte, NC for a wedding this past weekend.

Bed Sheets

Whenever I want nice white sheets, or towels, or the right kind of paint, etc I always blank or where to look to get the 411 on the best at the best prices. Which is why I am posting this from Remodelista, about white sheets and which ones are awesome.

Bedroom: Before and After

My bedroom was previously this deep mustard yellow/doo doo brown color and you know, I didn't HATE it but I wanted to lighten up the room a little bit, so I painted it white. Here are some before and after shots. I'm also experimenting with the clothes pin system for pinning up clothes that would otherwise be in piles on the floor, photos, hats, laundry that needs air-drying, etc. Any suggestions?

Before:





After:

New Eileen Fisher Ad Campaign

...And the smart award goes to......Eileen Fisher!

Did anyone else see this on the back inside cover of today's NYTimes Magazine? My friend Claire and I have been saying, in secret, how we kind of LOVE Eileen Fisher and now it seems, Eileen Fisher has caught on. I guess over-sized linen dresses and sweaters used to be a middle-aged woman thing, which would explain EF's decades old ad-campaign targeted to the woman whose has "confidently gone gray", so to speak.

This new ad campaign indicates that they are changing their market. For example, I don't know a single middle-aged Eileen Fisher-ish woman who would sit all thugged out in black ankle boots and a hoodie like above...