Ada

After seeing the Alex Katz exhibit at The Jewish Museum, I now consider myself a fan. I love his paintings of his wife, Ada, and I love that she is a subject that he has continued to paint over the years. So, when I spotted this beach towel in a magazine, I knew I had to have it. Then, today, as I was walking to lay out by the river, I passed a shop with the towels in the window! It was a sign that I needed one. The towel is extra wide and is gives laying out a new sophistication. You can buy your own at Works On Whatever for about $50.

Read Full Post »

Art of Living

“I was interested in the arts but more in the art of living. Which left fashion, which in the broadest sense is our oldest art.” -Oleg Cassini

I picked up Oleg Cassini’s biography today in a used bookstore. Reading things like this help me remember why I chose fashion not only as a career, but as my life.

When I think of Oleg, I know him as the man who dressed Jacqueline Kennedy for her White House years. However, reading this book helps you to understand what a fashion master he is. Some of the most glamorous women let him dress them because he would become a confidant and friend who really understood style. Considered the Dr.Feelgood of culture, Oleg would analyze their assets and give advice on how the woman should present herself to the world. Besides learning of the history he made (not looking at the designs in Paris and becoming the first American Designer to gain inspiration from America, being the first to name clothing girl’s names instead of numbers, being a celebrity designer, and being one of the first to use black models) the book tells great tales of what an extraordinary life Oleg lived. Being born as a count and rubbing elbows in Hollywood during its most glamorous years, Oleg breathed style, as well as fun and dedication, into every aspect of his life. Besides being a fashion genius, I also consider him a brilliant person for understanding life and the behaviors of people. You can take a crash course of Oleg’s appeal at www.olegcassini.com or pick up your own copy of his autobiography for less than a dollar on Amazon.

Every few pages, Oleg writes something that makes so much sense, it takes my breath away. Here are a few of my favorites:

“I was dealing with a form of knowledge that most men don’t even know exists. I had the power to envision women as they wanted to be seen; to help them create fantasies about themselves.”

This quote was said by Prince Matchabelli, who created a fragrance empire. Oleg started his own line with this thought in mind: “When the customer comes to you in a Rolls-Royce, you go home in the subway; but when the customer comes to you in the subway, you go home in the Rolls-Royce.”

“Indeed, this-I have always believed-was the essence, the definition of style: feeling that no effort at all had been expended in selecting the paisley tie and checkered jacket that just happened to go together perfectly….an attitude of je ne sais quoi, of casual abandon, of effortless grace.”

Read Full Post »

My Kind Of Couture

 

Since I first read about Natalie Chanin and her Project Alabama line in Vogue a few years ago, I have been a fan. I loved how sophisticated women were wearing garments that little old ladies had helped make. Living in nearby Mississippi, where the culture is very similar to that of Alabama’s, I felt like our culture was finally getting some good press. I think the true joy of owning couture is knowing that it was made with love, pride, and attention, not just that it has a high price tag.

 

Now, Natalie has a new company, called Alabama Chanin, which can be found at www.alabamachanin.com. These pictures are just a sampling of the beauty that can be found on the site. The site already has projects, and with new catagories in the works, it looks like there will be more information to come that will help make this a site worthy of visiting regularly.

Read Full Post »

Kara Walker

At a visit to the High Museum in Atlanta, I couldn’t help but notice Kara Walker’s silhouettes. Using this familiar Victorian-style, the subject matter was very alarming and creates an image that is very shocking and interesting. Her work will be at the Whitney starting October 9, 2007.

Read Full Post »

Scrapbooking Life & Art

I thought about visiting the Met today, but settled on an on-line visit instead. Sometimes uptown feels too far away, which is ironic because for most of my life, I had lived over a thousand miles away from there and now a few dozen blocks seems far.

 

However, during my on-line “visit” today, I discovered that everyday, a work of art is featured. You can even make an on-line gallery of your favorite pieces. Although this is not the same as seeing it in person, I think it is a great way to learn something new.

 

Today’s work happens to be a scrapbook that “contains a collection of newspaper and magazine clippings, calling cards, sketches, photographs of paintings, designs for silverware, and sale catalogs relating to William Harnett (1848–1892), the Irish-born American still-life painter who was a master of trompe-l’oeil.”

 

I was especially drawn to this because I like to think that Vintage Muffy is very similar to Harnett’s scrapbook. I was curious as to when “scrapbooking” became an art form. I am sure that as an artist, Mr. Harnett did everything with taste and style, including in the way he presented and organized his scrapbook.

 

Searching for the history of scrapbooking, I came across http://www.scrapbook-widower.blogspot.com. In this scrapper’s blog, they discuss early scrappers from 600 A.D. in Peru. The blogger points out that early societies used different medias than today’s paper, photographs, and, now, blogs, but they were trying to do the same thing: record a moment in history. While trying to get my life a little more organized, I have vowed to follow in the footsteps of ancient cultures and keep my moments safe by scrapbooking them as soon as they happen. A great site that gives me inspiration is www.twopeasinabucket.com. The ideas of other scrappers on this site never ceases to inspire me and viewing their works feels like it is an on-line museum.

Read Full Post »