In No Particular Order

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I've been totally snowed under for the last month and a half owing to a new job, so just recently I had a chance to look at a few of the Spring 2012 shows. Some picks from the first 3 that I (somewhat) randomly selected are below – and from a 4th, which came recommended. The critics (well – the one I was reading, at least) seemed a little bored, but I feel like this bodes pretty well for the ladies' upcoming season.

Balenciaga:

Sporty.

Those hats!

I. need. these. pants.

The woman who walks down the street
in this owns the world.
Just my opinion.

Dries Van Noten. As usual, deceptively uncomplicated:

I'm obsessed recently with buttoning shirts
to the collar, can you tell?

I mean, it's almost "Mom," but ...

Dries in the new issue of Dansk:

I do two collections a year, and that's more than enough. There are too many collections, too much fashion, and too many garments in this world.

Duro Olowu; so lovely:

Theyskens' Theory:

Girbaud, anyone?

I have to say that I'm really impressed with how Olivier Theyskens came from what he was doing at Rochas, and then pulls this out so seemingly effortlessly. It's still him, but it's completely adapted and appropriate. It's not an analogy, but for some reason it makes me think of the scene in The Beautiful Fall where Karl Lagerfeld displays his particular genius by drawing (accurately) what every other designer would be showing that season ... an ability to disassociate from your own ego and see the world clearly from someone else's design viewpoint. Or maybe it just looks right because it's what I want to see right now.

via style.com

Image of the Day

Crabbing with my brother last week near Hat Island WA.
(We had two pots down for about an hour and just got three Dungeness, but it's always good times and I have high hopes for Winter crab season.)

Wall Wall

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Agnés Varda: Mur Murs (1980), a documentary on street art and culture in Los Angeles circa 1980.

I remember seeing this guy's work in a Bicycle Motocross Action magazine ad when I was a kid and thinking it was cool... I'll see if I can dig it up.

Anyway... embedding is disabled but you can watch Mur Murs in six parts on YouTube.


(hat-tip egotripland)

...

UPDATE: Here's that ad from the BMX magazine:

Murmurations

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A murmuration of starlings arriving at Gretna in the
Scottish Borders on November 1, 2011.
Photos by Owen Humphreys–PA/Landov.

From Time:

No one knows why they do it. Yet each fall, thousands of starlings dance in the twilight above Gretna, Scotland. The birds gather in magical shape-shifting flocks called murmurations, having migrated in the millions from Russia and Scandinavia to escape winter’s bite. Scientists aren’t sure how they do it, either. Even complex algorithmic models haven’t yet explained the starlings’ acrobatics, which rely on the tiny bird’s quicksilver reaction time of under 100 milliseconds to avoid aerial collisions—and predators—in the giant flock. Despite their show of force in the dusky sky, starlings have declined significantly in the UK in recent years, perhaps because of a drop in nesting sites. The birds still roost in several of Britain’s rural pastures, however, settling down to sleep (and chatter) after the evening’s ballet.

See the whole series of photos at Time LightBox.

h/t to Chris & Joel

Eternal Muse

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Loulou de la Falaise, May 4, 1948 – November 5, 2011. "A woman of enormous chic who inspired countless others."

Art & Industry

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Trailer for Eames: the Architect and the Painter, opening later this month in NYC. Click here for more info.

Imperfect Perfect

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A photograph by Hans Neumann of actress Vera Jordanova, at home in New York – from Sous Style, the newly launched website by our multi-talented friend Pippa Lord (currently Photo Director at Elle, formerly at V and VMAN). I love her manifesto for the site:

We want to make our houses into homes, but we’re not necessarily married with two kids and a mortgage.

Our “houses” might just be apartments or rooms we rent, but they are spaces we call our own.

We plan a dinner with the same attention to style and detail that goes into planning our daily outfits.

We consider ourselves fashionable, yet our diets aren’t based on coffee and cigarettes.

Our homes aren’t necessarily flawless, matching, precious, or proper.

We make mistakes, spill things, add too much salt, and sometimes eat on the run.

We love men who cook and women who eat—and vice versa!

We’re a perpetual work in progress.

We don’t know all the answers but we’re curious to find out.

We believe in the “imperfect perfect.”

Click here to browse and check back every day for updates.

Feels Like Winter

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André Kertész, Untitled, 1969.
Kertész is among the artists to be exhibited by
Bruce Silverstein Gallery at Paris Photo, November 10-13.

Image of the Day

. A Sølve Sundsbø photograph of Freja Beha Erichsen, March 2008 – featured in Harper's Bazaar: A Decade of Style, the Vince Aletti-curated ICP retrospective of photography featured in the magazine since Glenda Bailey became editor (with Stephen Gan as creative director – an important note since truthfully he probably has more to do with shaping the visuals of the magazine than Bailey. Just saying.)

The exhibition runs through January 8th – visit the International Center of Photography for more images and info.

A 300-page book, Harper's Bazaar: Greatest Hits, was also recently published. Adding it to the want list.

Which Image to Paint

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Whitechapel chief curator Achim Borchardt-Hume introduces the London gallery's exhibition of work by Poland-born contemporary artist Wilhelm Sasnal.




The show runs through January 1 - click here for info.

Image of the Day

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Visionaire 61: LARGER THAN LIFE, the biggest magazine ever produced ever. The cover image is Lady Gaga by Inez & Vinoodh but I'm mainly posting it because I love the type. Click here for a preview video and if you're in NY, stop by 11 Mercer to look through the issue in person.

Best Foot Forward

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Behind the scenes of the Barneys window display celebrating 20 years of Christian Louboutin and the launch of his new book.

(video by Michelle Chu)

You Should Let This Song Love You

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Mario (produced by Scott Storch) "You Should Let Me Love You" from Turning Point (2004, J Records). At the end of my last day in New York last month my brother and I went to Christian Louboutin (present for Emily), White Columns, then to Myers of Keswick for a quick pasty, and back to the Jane Hotel to get my luggage, and as we walked in a car went by playing this song really loud, and I was reminded that this is a great song. Quit lying, you love it. Play it loud. Do it.

I Hate My Collection

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Trailer for I Hate My Collection – a new documentary on Central Saint Martins, arguably the most influential fashion school in the world (I mean, tied with Parsons, of course). More info here.

Image of the Day

Dan Attoe: Desert Cave, 2011 (Oil on Canvas, 48 x 36 inches) from the solo exhibition Lights Flickering In The Dark at Peres Projects Berlin through November 5. Click here for more images from the show.

(Side note: Attoe is from Bremerton, WA)

Social Adaptability

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Dogs and polar bears are friends – from the TV show "Jailed Polar Bear." In Churchill, Manitoba ("the polar bear capital of the world"), bears who wander too close to town are kept in a safe holding area until Hudson Bay freezes over and they can be released back into the wild.

(Thanks to Jessica for the link)

Where Angels Fear To Tread

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Opening sequence of Kenneth Anger's 1964 short film Scorpio Rising, which we projected on the wall this past weekend during a big party in the studio.

I picked up the current issue of Purple Magazine yesterday and it features a great interview with Kenneth Anger – worth checking out if you get a chance.

The Here And Now

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Trailer for Carnage, a new film by Roman Polanski

Image of the Day

Strath Blue Ribbon – a totally amazing birthday present by Joey Veltkamp! I feel truly honored to be surrounded by so many great and talented people.

Evolving

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Dennis Coffey & the Detroit Guitar Band "Scorpio" (45 version) from Evolution (1971, Sussex Records)

[Completely unrelated photo: my dad, my brother (with giant Shogun warrior locked and loaded) and me prepare to eat lobster under the grape arbor on our patio for my dad's birthday circa 1983? Photo by my mom]

Image of the Day

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Bianca Jagger rides into Studio 54 on a white horse for her birthday, 1977 – on view in the new exhibition Incomparable Women of Style: Selections from the Rose Hartman Photography Archives, 1977–2011, November 4th through January 20th at F.I.T.'s Gladys Marcus Library.

Best Foot Forward

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Jil Sander leather wedge ankle boots,
$1395 at net-a-porter.

Delighting

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Trailer for The Look – a documentary featuring Paul Auster, Peter Lindbergh, Juergen Teller, and others, on the great Charlotte Rampling.

"If you are to give anything worth while of your self you have to feel completely exposed."

Image of the Day

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Gertrud Hegelund in Chloé (ring by Tom Binns), styled by Ondine Azoulay and photographed by Theo Wenner for the excellent new issue of Self Service magazine. I worked with Gertrud several years ago on an Adidas campaign shot by Mario Testino – good to see her getting some light again over the past few seasons.

Something That Can't Be Ignored

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Excerpt from Les Blank's film Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers (1980), which will be screened November 10th at the dinner/benefit/release party in San Francisco for First Person Magazine no.5: Radical Foods. Blank suggested that garlic be toasted during screenings of the movie, so the aroma would fill the theater as the audience watched. Presumably in lieu of that, here's the menu for this dinner:

Crispy Swanton Farm artichokes with yuzu kosho, Abura miso, and cherry smoked salt

Deep-fried Monterey sardines with lime pickled shallot and pounded East Asian herbs

Braised Watson lamb shoulders with ras al hanout, candy cap mushrooms, cipollini onions, and stinging nettles

Tartine Bakery country loaves

Annabelle's chicories with roasted Chiogga beets, walnuts, Point Reyes blue, heirloom apples, chervil, and flowers

David Little's potatoes and sunchokes smashed up with horseradish root and brown butter

Roasted County Line broccoli di ciccio with chiles, sweet peppers, and fennel pollen

Caramelized Confection Kabocha and Annabelle's haricot vert with garlic and ginger

And with that, it's lunch time. More info on the dinner and the excellent magazine that is First Person here.

Image of the Day

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The cover of Jop van Bennekom's Fantastic Man issue no.2, 2005, featuring Giles Deacon – featured in the vast new exhibition Graphic Design: Now In Production, presented jointly by the Walker Arts Center and the Cooper-Hewitt.

This major international exhibition explores how graphic design has broadened its reach dramatically over the past decade, expanding from a specialized profession to a widely deployed tool. With the rise of user-generated content and new creative software, along with innovations in publishing and distribution systems, people outside the field are mobilizing the techniques and processes of design to create and publish visual media. At the same time, designers are becoming producers: authors, publishers, instigators, and entrepreneurs employing their creative skills as makers of content and shapers of experiences.
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Graphic Design: Now in Production is the largest museum exhibition on the subject since the Walker’s seminal 1989 exhibition Graphic Design in America: A Visual Language History, and the Cooper-Hewitt’s 1996 comprehensive survey, Mixing Messages: Graphic Design in Contemporary Culture. Appropriately, this exhibition is being developed jointly with the Cooper-Hewitt.

The exhibition is at the Walker through January 12, and then I believe it will travel to New York and worldwide. Click here for more info.

Vest Season

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Andrew Bird. Photo by Cameron Wittig

Spencer Manio (a/k/a DJ Suspence), someone who I've known forever and a regular stealth-contributor of material that ends up on this blog, has put together an excellent fall mix for the Lucid music blog, featuring (fully downloadable) cuts from Real Estate, A Classic Education, Andrew Bird, Lykke Li, Dam Funk, and many more – click here to check it out and start your week off right.

And Now

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Anna Selezneva in Santa Sangre by Axel Lindahl, via Nowness.
Watch it full-screen.

NSFW, depending on where you W.

I Don't Need Psychology To SeeThe Dichotomy In Me

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Saafir "Light Sleeper" from Boxcar Sessions (1994, Qwest)

I was looking at Man Mad Lakes today and saw that Jesse posted some cuts from Saafir's debut album, Boxcar Sessions... and now I've been listening to it all afternoon. I was never lucky enough to get the LP on vinyl but I have the 12"s and have been rocking the tape since I first got it (thank you Cellophane Square, Bellingham).


Saafir "Player Hater"

It might be dated to people now, but to me it's the kind of album where I get something new from it every time.


Saafir "Can You Feel Me?"

I remember being at the Gavin festival in San Francisco with Jake One, Supreme, Shelli, Sureshot, and Beni-B in about 1996 (?). We saw Saafir perform – just a quick set, and he completely wrecked it.


Saafir "Tha Bullshit" from Casual's debut album Fear Itself (1994, Jive)

The great thing to me about Saafir's flow is that he always seems to have intense control – but so much so that he can be really free with it, like a hip-hop Eric Dolphy.


Eric Dolphy "Epistrophy" from Last Date (1964, Limelight)

Image of the Day

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Lisa Yuskavage: Triptych, 2011 (Oil on linen, 77.25 x 70.125" each. YUSLI0395) at David Zwirner Gallery in New York through November 5th.

One of the best shows I saw in NY a couple weeks ago – conceptually fascinating, but also the color reminded me of the intensity of seeing Richard Prince's Nurse paintings for the first time. Here's a great review by Ken Johnson at the New York Times:

At the center of a triptych more than 18 feet wide, a naked femme lolls on a wooden bench with her nether parts facing the viewer in an invitation to enter the archaic feminine, both literally and metaphorically. Romantic yearning for immersion in beneficent nature, however, collides with satiric hilarity as Ms. Yuskavage toys outrageously with conventions of soft pornography. She dares viewers to admit to elemental desires and fantasies that the ideologically enlightened would deny.

Ms. Yuskavage’s Edenic, sexualized landscapes really are battlegrounds of moral and spiritual war between judgmental mind and polymorphous id. In the triptych’s middle distance stand about a half dozen severe-looking women in long dresses and buttoned-up blouses, forming, it seems, a chorus of disapprobation.

They might stand for those who would disavow sensual hedonism and the infantile consumerism it leads to — those who would put art to the service of critical intellect and political rectitude. But it is the tension in the paintings themselves between the elevated beauty of fine art and the debased, yet often hard-to-resist beauty of kitsch that gives Ms. Yuskavage’s work its comical, uncannily seductive allure.

See more images from the exhibition at David Zwirner Gallery.

Call It Blazing

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A Classic Education "Work It Out" from Call It Blazing
(Forthcoming 10.25.2011, Lefse Records)

Looking forward to this album.

Best Foot Forward

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[+] Céline SS2012 runway.
Awesome boldness.

Metropolitan Transit Authority

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Images from Bruce Davidson's classic Subway series, first published in 1986.

The book has recently been re-released with 25 previously unpublished images, and next Wednesday night at Aperture Gallery in New York, Davidson will be discussing his work and signing copies of Subway.


Click here for info.

Image of the Day

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Marc Dennis: Dragonslayer, 2011 (Oil on canvas 24 x 38"). On view at Hasted Kraeutler in New York City through December 3rd. More info and images here.