August | 2012 | THE HARLOW

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SHE’S MY HEROINE

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Teresa Cannata'

One of my first bag memories is a mystery – a brown bag sitting on the top shelf of my mother’s closet. She never used it, yet I fantasized about it every time I saw her closet open. Finally, when I was a teenager, she allowed me to use it and I felt so grown-up! It was a frame bag from the late Sixties, totally out of place in the Nineties, and I loved it for being a jarring note in my grunge-y outfits. That must be the one and only structured bag I’ve ever carried, but now I wouldn’t mind have something similar in my collection. The new Heroine bag by Alexander McQueen could be a good option.
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PAINT IT WHITE! BRAND SPIRIT

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Isabella Cecconi

Logos, brands, everywhere, every time. We are surrounded. Last spring, Andrew Miller has started a project called Brand Spirit. For 100 days, he has been painting objects in white, taking a picture of it and removing the visual brand. Objects were all under $10 of value. The white reduces items to their pure form and eliminates the corporate bombing that we unconsciously receive every day. The result makes us ponder on society, culture and photography too. I love the shapes of objects and the way they are portrayed. Images and neat and the result is totally clean.

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PLANTINI

Posted on August 31, 2012 by admin

Plantini is a growing kit that emulates the ornate steelwork of Victorian hothouses and comes from a collaboration between Another Studio for Design and Finch & Fouracre. An opulent vase for your favourite plant? This is the solution. With seeds included and a 15 minutes required process for construction, this Plantini is suitable for people in search of that Victorian touch.
http://www.finchandfouracre.co.uk

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MY TOM FORD FOR YSL TOP

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Clara G

I can remember the impact of Yves Saint Laurent fall/winter 2003 collection. It was a real shock, a clear breaking point in the history of such an iconic Fashion House. It was a real war announcement between Tom Ford and Yves Saitn Laurent. Somehow the revolutionary an shy Yves became a grey designer, quite correct, but no more, very little else to say for someone that had said almost everything in fashion. And then the irruption of the king of porn chic: the marketing expert arriving in Paris with all those impossible collections and models nearly nude in transparent-minimum dresses. Too much for the genius of Saint Laurent who started to hate Ford and began a personal war against the new designer of “his” Maison. Clearly, after some time, Yves had never been losing a battle, not even this one.

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ADVENTURE AWAITS 5 – THE END

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Isabella Cecconi

‘One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things’ said Henry Miller once. After 8667 kms and more or less 113 hours of traveling I can admit he was right. It has been my adventure, my traveling, rambling through summer days. Now that adventure is over and my clothes are rolling in the washing machine at home again, I can scream out loud PEOPLE, I MADE IT! My eyes are wrapped up in images and my heart is beating regularly high. Summer is nearly to its end but summer actually never ends. To me, adventure will always await. My last note from the AdventureAwait’s book was taken from a book of Italian writer Cesare Pavese and I’d like to fare thee well with it: ‘Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.”

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ONCE UPON A TIME, BLACKSHEEP

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Selvaggia Greco

Introduction to this new column by Selvaggia Greco:

Let me introduce these stories: I’m not going to tell you about brave knights and princess, not about dragons or witches… I’m just going to tell you about magic things of these days, our modern fairy tales. Some things might be real some other might be fly of fancy.What I’m sure about is that I won’t let you down.Let your imagination run wild and remember what happened once upon a time..

SIR BOB CORNELIUS RIFO – BLACK SHEEP

Once upon a time there was a guy called Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo. He was charming and elegant, but this is not the point of our story…The exceptionality of this tale is that this guy had no face.He loved music and believed in the infinite power of sound and rhythm. That’s why closed in his castle in Boredom, between his voice and his instruments, Sir Rifo made music from night to night. One day he decided he wouldn’t care of his lack, he had a lot to create and too much to say to close himself into that palace. That day a new idea was born in his mind: he wouldn’t need to let people know he didn’t have a face if he was wearing a mask! And that’s exactly what he did. Cloaking himself with the name of The Bloody Beetroots he started playing his music everywhere. He travelled around the world month after month and kept creating and kept playing, getting to reach a great success and popularity. Nobody care of his façade, nobody ever asked to see how he really looked, they were just fascinated of his image and totally absorbed by his music. Sir Rifo knew he should feel complete and satisfied, but he couldn’t: still something was missing! Could it be cause of his lack, could it be for his infinite wits, what’s sure is that he was nearly obsessed with human being faces…Relying himself to photography he started immortalizing people’s features with the eye of the brilliant artist and of the hungry lover.The result, a series of black and white portraits, hanged up one close to the other, finally made him completely happy. He pleasantly called them his Black Sheep. He lastly had his personal collection of… faces!

Satisfied talking to himself he said: “Why having just one face when you can have a complete crew’s?!?”

The End

An Exhibition of Black-Sheep will be held at Padova Vintage Festival
from September 14th to 16th, 2012 – http://www.vintagefestival.org/

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WILD NOTHING – NOCTURNE

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Maxim Deluxe

After Gemini, their debut album , Wild Nothing return with the brand new Nocturne. The band composed by Jack Tatum, Jeff Haley, Chuck Violand and Michael Skattum is proving that they still have a lot to say in the field of music. Maybe one of the Best Albums Of The Year, this band is already on my personal top ten.
Follow Wild Nothing

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2, GARY HUME

Posted on August 29, 2012 by admin

Sprüth Magers Berlin will present Gary Hume’s second solo show in Berlin. From the 8th September, the gallery will showcase an intimate series of never-seenbefore works on paper, completed by the addition of gloss paint upon the glass of the frame.These multi-layered compositions will be shown alongside three recent paintings on aluminium. Hume is part of the group named under ‘Young British Artists’ who emerged from London’s Goldsmiths College in the late 1980s and is renowned for his large-scale paintings which use high gloss paint to create planes of industrial colour. Thematics round colour and light, formal and ambiguity, while his subject matter ranges from friends, family and celebrities, to motifs drawn from nature and childhood.

2 by Gary Hume

September 08 – October 20 2012

http://spruethmagers.com/home

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THE PLEASURE OF…

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Luca Andriani

What happens when you return from your vacation? Simply, there’s no minute you do not think back to those moments that were spent in total relax. Often, what we remember are all those little things that have made the holiday so special: those small daily gestures (the awakening, the coffee in the morning etc.). Filmmaker Virtùc recognizes the importance of these small moments and has collected several dozen of them in his new short video called ‘ The Pleasure Of ‘ shot in part with an iPhone 4s. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet did something similar with the movie Amélie as he introduced a number of quirky pleasures enjoyed by Audrey Tautou’s character. I personally find this film by Vitùc just charming.

http://vimeo.com/48236494

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KOKORICO

Posted on August 29, 2012 by admin

The head of this new perfume by Jean Paul Gaultier is leaf of fig tree. It gives energy, like its name. Kokorico was Mademoiselle Chanel sparkling nickname when she was a cabarette singer, no suprise that Gaultier adopted it for his last fragrance which birng inside raw broad bins of cocoa and wood to make of it an aphrodisiac elisir, a powerful and virile fragrance. Gaultier returns again to tell the story of a man that wants to exhibit his sensuality and charisma. This time, the enfant terrible of fashion, proposes the image of a winning and sexy man. Virile, bold and stylish! To my notice, surely one of the dominator fragrances of this autumn.

http://www.jeanpaulgaultier.com

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IN A WORLD FULL OF NOTHING

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Teresa Cannata'

Oh, the predictable and boring world of fashionistas! Most of them just go with the fashion flow: they don’t really choose their objects of desire but focus on what others say and act accordingly. No one can deny that many so-called “it” shoes are objectively ugly, yet lots of girls around the world buy them because they make someone else look cool. I know talking about personal taste is like walking on quicksand, but relying on someone else’s taste is not always a good idea. As for me, I have very few firm points: some of them are questionable but I’m sure one is not.
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ESTATE ITALIANA

Posted on August 28, 2012 by admin

Trains departing for the seaside. Stazione Termini, Roma. August 1957.

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VISITOR

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Maxim Deluxe

VISITOR plays Electronic music from London via Melbourne, Australia. Recently gaining support from Jacques Lu Cont who featured VISITOR in his mini mix for Annie Mac, and regularly featuring in the sets of Lifelike & Madeon amongst others, VISITOR are back with an EP called COMING HOME // RNB, ahead of their highly anticipated album launch.
COMING HOME // RNB will be released on the 10th of September.
VISITOR

On SoundCloud

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A LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE: THE SURF SLING BY BAGGU

Posted on August 28, 2012 by admin

We heart Baggu. We love colors, summer, easy and basic items that, at the same time are high on quality and good on prices. We heart surfing too. Surf sling was invented out of necessity by surfers for surfers because of its functionality and practicality. The Surf sling usually can carry short boards, long boards, boogie boards, skim boards and wake boards. When wrapped up it becomes a neat tote bag. Easy to say: it’s a useful device. Emily Sugihara, founder of the chic reusable bag company Baggu, took up surfing and bought a longboard, only to encounter a problem of how to get the thing from her car to the water. The Baggu’s surf sling design is combines skills and beautiful shapes. The strategical way to pure success where aesthetics, utility, and sustainability are all kept in attentive eyes. Baggu’s surf sling is an item that all surfers should have. Hang loose!

http://baggubag.com/

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DAVID DOWNTON – A MASTER OF FASHION ILLUSTRATION

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Anna Torossi

We all know the masters of fashion photography, we can see their pictures in many magazines every month, but what about fashion illustration? Maybe because when I was younger I was kind of artistic, I was attracted by a big book called “100 Years of Fashion Illustration” and I was so lucky to have a friend giving it to me for Christmas. That’s how I discovered the art of David Downton. This illustrator work caught my attention with just one look at the book cover, and then, once I got to know his drawings, he conquered my heart. What makes his work very special to me it’s that with a very minimalistic style he is able to catch and reproduce all the details that make a dress or one of his muses so special. In few words, he captures the essence of his subject. His drawings are always elegant and sophisticated, whether it’s a portrait or a fashion show report. I just can’t get enough of David Downton.

You can find his work at:

http://www.daviddownton.com/

He also runs a blog for Vogue UK with his shows’ reports and some interviews:

http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/david-downton

Drawing above, Lily Cole.

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BEING AGYNESS

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Marco Maggetto

To be a good model, you have to be beautiful. And sometimes is not even that. Who knows what it takes to be a goddess. It’s in the bones they say, it’s not even that I think. To emerge in a sea of no name fishes it’s difficult, sometimes impossible. For us, sons of the supermodels era, there were faces and bodies with a name. LindaNaiomiTatianaClaudiand on. For new generations, there is nothing more than untitled canvas. The few exceptions can be counted using the fingers of your hand. It’s not bad nor good, it’s just different. Agyness Deyn, marvellous Brit from Manchester, can be counted: people remember her name, people admire her “funny” looks and follow her. She is not only a mannequin but a real IT girl, a clever one, someone who choose freely her lifestyle. She is a whole “personaggio Pirandelliano”, a complete world, a person that can play with her hair and globally raise sells of peroxide. No surprise then when Aggy teamed up with DrMarten’s for a capsule collection. She has all the expertise and travelled eye to do it. The result is enjoyable, ironic, unpretentious (like her). Do you like daisies? Do you like the 90ies? Did you miss those impossible DrMartens with platform that were sold at CadmenLock in 1994? Have a look, you’re going to love it.

http://store.drmartens.co.uk/c-274-agyness-deyn.aspx

USA. Arizona. Phoenix. Classmate of Harry Goldwater's. 1964.

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FOR PRESIDENT!

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Isabella Cecconi

It happens every four years and it is followed like a real race, with tension and feelings. Although it is a purely American event, the presidential election is the political event which influences the economical fate of the rest of the world. The American election campaigns are theatrical, full of strong emotions, and based on strategy.JFK was,for instance, the first president to reach worldwide presence through television. For President,is an exhibition that retraces the history of different election campaigns relied on photojournalism, contemporary art and advertising for the various candidates.The exhibition also shows the colorful and fascinating world of propaganda including political demonstrations and everything from the attempts to promote one’s image to the attempts to destroy that of his or her adversary. A good chance, to dedicate some time to every aspect of what’s behind and beyond American elections.

For President, 19 Sept 2012 – 6 Jan 2013

Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo

http://www.fsrr.org/home/

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THE PUPPY BUMPERSTOP

Posted on August 23, 2012 by admin

You are old enough. You are afraid of buying plush toys. You need a pet and you don’t have the money for a dogsitter. Or, you need to cuddle something between a relationship and another. The Bark Leather Puppy from Wish, is the toy for you. This totally handmade doorstop is a funny, yet stylish, option and addition to any home. Filled with hollowfibre, the little puppy comes with a charmed collar and, for sure, is very well trained. It doesn’t even bark when they ring the door. Almost perfect.

http://www.wishoriginal.com/

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ALUNAGEORGE

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Maxim Deluxe

The London duo AlunaGeorge, Aluna Francis and George Reid, use R&B tropes and techniques to create pop music bright enough to light up the charts. Rising stars.

AlunaGeorge

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ADVENTURE AWAITS 4

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Isabella Cecconi

The ship arrives at dawn in the port of Vathy. The old aristocratic houses along the sea front glow under the first rays of sun. The sea glitters as it greets the new day that is arriving. The town gradually changes its colors and begins to wake up. I can hear voices from the harbor and the smell of Baclava from pastries. It is another hot summer day. I’ve migrated from north to the south east. I, as awed traveler in this remote island look at the Aegean sea for the fourth time in my life with a smile on my face. I’ll never have enough. I’ve traveled 3000 kms so far this very month. This green-covered island has my heart from the very first time. I will visit from one side to the other of the island, climbing up mountains and swimming in crystal-clear sea. Phytaghoras and Goddess Hera were born here. Samos. I’ll worship the sacred caves and smell the monasteries atmosphere and I’ll cherish every single moment as if it is the last. Adventure awaits.

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HYPARHEDRA

Posted on August 22, 2012 by admin

Giuliana Mancinelli Bonafaccia discovered her interest in jewellery while she was working and studying architecture and interior-design. A passion that is the result of a strong commitment and knowledge, that soon leads her to attend some gemology classes at the IGI institute of Antwerp, specializing in “Colored Stones Identification,” “Colored Stones Grading and Evaluation” and “Pearls Grading and Evaluation.” Her jewelry line was born in 2007 while Presqu*ile was open in March 2010 in Rome. It’s an eclectic and multifunctional space, it displays singular creations, unique or limited edition pieces that exemplify the ideals of meticulous research balanced between tradition and innovation. A place where art, design, fashion and jewellery coexist in the spirit of exclusivity. Giuliana’s approach is far away from any classification or stereotype. Her work becomes unique thanks to her continuous exploring and experimenting with different materials. Each particular piece is characterized by an unconventional and unique choice which is revealed with the use of fine materials such as galuchat, stingray leather, typical of the Louis XV era. Continue Reading →

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ESTATE ITALIANA

Posted on August 22, 2012 by admin

Dorino and Graziella back from a fishing journey. Sardinia, September 1968.

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LILAC

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Maxim Deluxe

Recently relocated from San Franciso to LA, Lilac’s core members Will Ivy (formerly of Hunx and His Punx and Girls) and Kristen Knick (an LA-based stylist and model) took a cleaner pop direction for the new LP, again recording with the wonderful Patrick Brown at Different Fur Studios. Last week they premiered their very awesome new single “Go Your Own Way” on Spinner and it’s been getting a lot of love. The track is the first from their forthcoming second effort No Exit. A fantastic listen for rounding out the summer that you can listen @Lilac Music on SoundCloud.

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dOCUMENTA (13)

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Emilia Garcia Romeu

I had heard that dOCUMENTA (13) was gigantic, confusing, and megalomaniac; that it was full of grief and suffering; and that it was the most commercial edition ever, for most works were financed by major international galleries. Although these statements might be partially true (the presence of big galleries is pervasive; the show certainly huge; and trauma ubiquitous), I just loved it. To me, this edition is an exciting, profound, and consistent reflection on the role of object in memory and history. And it works quite well. Despite its multiple venues, in Kassel, dOCUMENTA (13)‘s main exhibitions are held at the Friedricianum and the Hauptbahnhof (the old railway station).

Friedricianum

The show at the Friedricianum focuses on the presence and materiality of the (art) object, stressing qualities such as tactility, surface, and process, while propitiating an intimate relation vis á vis the beholder. The circumstances and conditions of creation of these objects are often quite extreme, so that they appear to have functioned (and maybe still do) as talismans or vehicles for processing unbearable experiences. Continue Reading →

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CHOC BROWNIES

Posted on August 20, 2012 by admin

Ingredients

Serves: 16

375g butter
375g of the best dark chocolate you can afford
225g plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
500g caster sugar
300g walnuts (optional)

Preparation method

Prep: 5 mins | Cook: 40 mins

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C and lightly grease or line a 20cm square casserole or baking tray. Place butter and chocolate in a heat resistant bowl in microwave. Melt for 1 or 2 minutes, checking regularly until melted. (You could also do this in a bowl over hot water). Mix together flour and salt. Then beat the eggs and vanilla together and add the sugar. Add the chocolate mixture to the rest of the ingredients. If you adding walnuts, fold them into the mixture also. Pour into the baking tray. Pop in the centre of the oven and cook for 40 minutes. Once cooked leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving with ice cream. For a fudgy texture, leave it in the fridge overnight. You can eat the brownies on their own or serve with vanilla ice cream and berries. Second option is “heaven”.

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MY MARY KATRANTZOU MILITARY PRINT VEST

Posted on August 20, 2012 by admin

After some years following the fashion shows, you start to see the connections, the influences. Off course you like outfits, you even fall desperately in love with some of them, but it is no easy to find really surprising clothes that have a conceptual point of view. Although sometimes it happens, that’s the magic of fashion: suddenly something changes your perception and it is able to open a window to another aesthetical world. That is exactly what I felt on 2010 when I first saw Mary Katrantzou collection for that winter. It was so dramatic, so excessive, so beautiful. The colourful and unforgettable trompe l’oeil prints making garments very difficult to wear, models that seemed to be ornamental vases, the new baroc were evident and so modern. A real statement for a young designer being a woman herself. I’ve been very interested in her work after that collection, and finally, this summer the vest, from that 2010 collection, came to me. The real pieces are more intense than they seem to be on the catwalk or on the fashion editorials, they are beyond fashion, they are powerful. Mary Katrantzou is therefore, one of my favourites designers.

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ADVENTURE AWAITS 3

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Isabella Cecconi

I wouldn’t go so far to call Finland a paradise, it’s too damn cold and too damn expensive for my standards. But to be brutally honest, its sublime features and its paradisiac landscapes have made me feel acquainted with it. Leaving Finland will be like departing from a beautiful travel. I always leave small pieces of my heart. The pulse of Finland lays in its Nordic essence, where beer is never enough and salmon is delicious and everywhere. I will miss wild berries and its design, the silence that accompanied my endless thoughts. I will miss Helsinki or Tampere, or Kuopio where I swam in lakes. King Wasa, his castles and the Swedish flavour of Turku’s pepper cookies. I won’t miss heavy metal music at all. Finland has been above my expectations, so I’m glad I’ve visited it and breathed its pure air. Oy Oy Oy! Time to leave on this plane and head East, where beaches meet oriental gods and my skin will get cinnamon tan. I can feel vanilla and spices coming my way..adventure awaits!

GIMMIE FIVE FRESH BITS

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Marco Maggetto

Fall Winter 2012, it’s all there waiting for you. New displays, latest in, shop fever. New, new, new. New season, new loves. Here are some pieces that stand out. Black had never been so black and colour had never been so crispy. Boys, there is some fun in stores!

1-The Religion Clash Fleece. Black, metal, super comfortable. Tried for you. @asos

2-The Paul Smith Jelly Fish Trousers. A masterpiece, poetry. Much more ironic than any “arty” Prada. Selling out @oki-ni

3-The Fifth Avenue S.R. Gyre Boots. To wear every day! @vave-shoerepair

4- G-Shock, GA-110DR. Created in collaboration with Dee & Ricky, the infamous New York based fashion design duo. Try and find one.

5- Grass is greener: fine leather belt by 72SmallDive (stockists click here).

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ESTATE ITALIANA

Posted on August 16, 2012 by admin

“Processione” of the Madonna. Calabria, Summer 1956.

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LITTLE CONTROL FREAK, DANCE

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Anna Torossi

Despite what peope think, I’m kind of a messy girl and my mother is always complaining since I’m not able to be more disciplinate. But inside myself, lies a little control freak that showed herself when I began dancing. It was quite a shock to me finding out that by following rules and having discipline I could be able to be as graceful as dancers I always envied.
I really miss dancing, so when I found Chelsea P. Rowe dance photographs my heart skipped a beat. Far away from the stereotyped images often offered to us when we search for dance photos, full of pretty ballerinas and dancing couples, her shots convey all the power and the grace that dancers have. Also in these images we can see all the tension in the bodies and the hard work that must be behind such graceful and plastic poses. Chelsea is a dancer herself and that gives us a privileged view on dancing and movement, a view we would probably never get from photos taken by a profane.
If you want to see what dance is made of, take a look here:

http://www.cprowe.com/

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DON’T WANNA BE TAUGHT TO BE NO FOOL

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Teresa Cannata'

Are you ready for next autumn? Have you started packing your books and buying new stationery for the upcoming school year? Even if you finished attending school many years ago, that feeling of starting something new in September has always been with you, I bet. For me it’s different: school has never ended for me, I’ve just changed point of view – from student to teacher – so the second half of August carries a special and thrilling atmosphere of expectation. The arrival of autumn will bring a change in your outfits and on your nails, too. I like wearing neon nail polishes all year round, but if you feel like sporting something more season-appropriate, you will surely appreciate Stylenomics by Essie, the fall 2012 collection which features a beautiful palette of rich colours perfect for chilly months.
Continue Reading →

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ADVENTURE AWAITS 2

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Isabella Cecconi

Notes from my thoughts book: Jyväskylä . It’s cold and rainy but I smile and I cheer to the woods. The lake region is marvellous, and canoing has never been so sweet. I’ve realized that Finnish people swallow gallons of good coffee and nice Pullah, cinnamon bread with cardamon. The sugary pastry melts in my brain as I think of Alvar Aalto, his wife Aino, their home in Muratsalo that surrounds me now. A tiny and cozy nest on a lake, where they used to have sauna, ride their wood boat or drink tea and put down some sketches amd of course experiment. This house is a total architectural experiment. Every room, every corner. Alto’s kids still live in this house and I, was fortunate to pay a visit. Alvar Aalto, one of my favourite architect and designers. A master of contemporary. The house is surrounded by a small wood and while I stroll in the property I eat wild blueberries. I didn’t put the right shoes on so I’m wet and my feet are drenched with water but seeing Alto’s chair or first project on paper makes my day. Finland is at the moment a tranquil place, as I said before, silence is sovereign but good hearts seems really easy to find. Adventure awaits, still going up north.

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ECHO LAKE

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Maxim Deluxe

Ethereal voices, dark dreams for the debut album ‘Wild Peace’ by Echo Lake
Watch The video Breathe Deep on
Echo Lake

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BEESNEESS, HOST A BEE

Posted on August 9, 2012 by admin

Small little things, oh they count: like hosting some bees in your garden. Treat them well and make them comfortable, try these three bee houses to encourage solitary bees into your garden to pollenate trees and flowers. Can’t afford a cat or a dog? Bees are the perfect pet for you. The houses are made from machined oak and rusty steel, sold as a pack of three and measures 35 x 35 x 100mm each. Design by Ester Comunello.

http://www.alllovelystuff.com

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MY CHRISTIAN DIOR VINTAGE BALL GOWN

Posted on August 9, 2012 by admin

The dress, designed by Marc Bohan in the late sixties, belonged to the daughter of a French ambassador of United States that, probably, wore it in some kind of “debutante ball”. It was found in a dusty storage of New York City and put up for auction 9 years ago.
It was dirty, damaged, too big for me – more than two sizes -and too short. It was designed to touch the floor but when I wear it my shoes and ankles can be perfectly seen. For sure she was a tiny lady. I knew that dress had to be mine and it wasn’t difficult at all. I won it for a really low price, I was the only bidder, everything went really smooth but there was one thing to do, the cleaning. No laundry in Madrid took that risk and I had to do it myself with soap and water and a lot of patience. That Christian Dior is more than my best dress, it is the most important one, because it was my bridal gown. When I bought it I wasn’t even engaged but I was sure that if I once decided to get married I had to do it wearing that dress. Continue Reading →

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CALL PARADE FOR A COOL PHONE

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Luca Andriani

Why carry a mobile phone when you can call from these phone booths scattered throughout Sao Paulo? Start entering for the coolest installation. Call Parade is an ongoing public art project in São Paulo sponsored by Brazilian telecommunications firm Vivo. 100 artists transformed 100 street-side phone booths with peculiar hooded fixtures into anything imaginable. The exhibition has proven to be extremely popular and Brazilian photographer set out to capture the arty side of an useful-vintage object. Hit link below for a panoramic view of the project.

http://callparade.com.br/galeria-de-fotos/

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CEDRIC CHARLIER

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Marco Maggetto

I like when the “process” makes sense. I like when a young designer step out from the crowd after working half of his life for a Maison without being credited nor, in some cases, well payed. I don’t like when designers are big and works under others name, or have 20 lines, or do the “I’m an artist” game and then, smelling bling blings, get back in a “je le change tout” mood. There are precise processes: you cannot go and say fashion sucks- art is what I want to do- and then go back to make rags. Anyway, nothing of that happened to Cedric Charlier. His story is quite classical, he is a boy devoted to what he was meant to. Fashion. Born in Belgium, Charlier graduated from the school of Visual Arts of Brusslels winning the Moêt Hennessy Fashion Award in 1998. Two years at Céline in Paris and other two at Jean Paul Knott’s studio were just a prelude. Afterwards he joined Alber Elbaz’s team at Lanvin where he spent six years. Continue Reading →

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ADVENTURE AWAITS 1

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Isabella Cecconi

So here I am, jumping like a frog from hot sauna into a icy-cold lake, feeling the skin at ease and the blood pumping. Seeing the light twenty for seven, feeling that summer is really endless here (while it’s on, of course, if not it’s twenty four seven of dark). Mother Russia is few kilometers away and you can feel it in all the weird accent Finnish people have when they speak or the perfect flavoured vodka they drink. This is Finland, the land of Santa Claus and of Sauna, as you wish, the land of lakes and deers, Nokia and Alvar Alto. Design is everywhere, so neat and precise like a Scandinavian nation. Meatballs looks like those at Ikea but are delicious and true in their taste. It’s hard wearing a jumper and jacket in summer, but this Nordic sun is a pleasure to stare at. Kids swim in giant lakes with their bikes left with no locks. Nobody steals here. And then, the best thing: silence is sovereign. The less you speak the more Finnish you are. Heading north today, up on those marvellous roads. Adventure awaits. My Saab too.

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RUNNING THROUGH THE FOREST, JENNIFER PERLMUTTER

Posted on August 8, 2012 by admin

Cero Space, a gallery in the Brewery Arts Complex of downtown Los Angeles, is presenting abstract artist Jennifer Perlmutter. The series, “Running Through the Forest, Trails of Uncertainty” by Jennifer Perlmutter, explores the artist’s emotional and psychological challenges as filtered through the colors, energy and subtle impressions of the natural world. Varying in size from medium to large format, these works utilize mixed media collage or acrylic paint in deep, layered work that has come to signify Perlmutter’s work.
In the words of the artist, “The forest is all-encompassing. Once inside you are in another world. And painting is like a forest path, filled with uncertainty and unknown destination. This work is about using an inner compass of memories and feelings to decide how to proceed. Who knows where those decisions may lead? Ultimately, we’re in charge but out of control.” Perlmutter’s work was most recently seen at the San Francisco Fine Art Fair. She has shown in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Kansas. The artist has large pieces on display in Seoul, Korea’s Traum Haus, the Mirage and the Hilton in Las Vegas and New York’s Casino Niagara.

The show will run September 15 – October 14, with an opening reception on September 15 from 6 to 9 pm.

“Running Through The Forest, Trails Of Uncertainty” is presented by Cero Space, located at 676 S. Avenue 21, Unit 33 (2nd floor), Los Angeles, CA 90031.

http://www.cerospace.com/

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THE ASPEN TOP, TATTY BROWN

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Anna Torossi

A couple of months ago I was asked why I seem to privilege peculiar garments, when usually, in “social” situations, I am the kind of girl that stays on the background. The answer is very simple: I like to be one of a kind and when it comes to clothing it is very easy to be dressed as thousands of others. What prompted the question was the fact that I wore an Aspen top by Tatty Brown, and that is a very particular item. I literally bumped in Miranda, Tatty Brown’s designer, when I was in London this Spring, at Spitalfields Market and I was enchanted by her tops, embellished with tulle petals on the shoulders, of many different colours. I literally fell in love with my top and my only concern is that I can’t wear it as much as I would like to. Brown’s creations are handmade and she decided to keep her business small. Every garment actually is one of a kind .Featured in many magazines and worn by celebrities, the demand is so high that she’s now focusing on a new collection to be launched in 2013. If you want to feel unique and are not afraid to wear something quirky, I suggest you take a look at her website and, if you can’t wait until next year, maybe plan a trip to London!

http://www.tattybrown.com/