1958 "Blowing a Kiss" photo of actress/model Barbara Mullen by photographer, Lillian Bassman
An exhibition that focuses on the social rituals of cocktail hour? Highballs and high art.
Count me in.
The upcoming exhibition "Cocktail Culture" at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach is one of the first exhibitions to explore the cocktail hour as an art form - and an American phenomenon. The exhibiton debuts on Dec. 15 - just in time for the holiday party season. I wish I were in West Palm Beach to see this exhibition which features more than 150 objets d' art. But I will just have to visualize (and hope that others capture and blog) all of the chic fashion and art on display. "Cocktail Culture" will feature everything from clothing and accessories to decorative arts, illustrations and photography from the 1920s to the present. And it relates it to modern culture by highlighting iconic moments on the big screen such as the Audrey Hepburn's party du jour on 'Breakfast at Tiffanys,' and the cocktail hour as popularized by 'Sex and the City' and most recently 'Mad Men.' Recall my Chic Style Tips Q&A with Janie Bryant? With clothing by legendary designers such as Cristobal Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Jeanne Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent, Tiffany & Co. Norman Norell, Valentino, Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior and Van Cleef & Arpel it will most certainly be a fashionable affair. Think Tiffany’s sterling silver cocktail sets and cigarette cases. And cocktail hour fashion that ranges from 1920's sequin flapper dresses to ethnic chic caftans and hostess pajamas of the '70s, Christian Lacroix’s '80s pouf skirts and minimalist looks of the early '90s. For more info, SunSentinel.com has a great indepth article or check the museum's site Norton.org
When it comes to purchasing a memorable item on my travels, I generally find myself hunting housewares. Crystal in Prague, blankets in Cozumel, art in Fiji and now, pottery in Tel Aviv. Here are my chic finds at the Nachlat Benyamin Market. I fell in love with this teapot and matching mugs by artist Ramon Mendesono. Now, when I drink a cup of tea in the morning, I will think of Tel Aviv.....
What do you do with a free day in Tel Aviv? Go shopping of course. My new friend Sara, the lovely and talented Fashion Editor of Elle Mexico, and I headed to the Nachlat Benyamin Street. The local market or shuk, which is held there every Tuesday and Friday along with the Carmel Shuk, was the perfect place to shop for arts and crafts, jewelry, clothes, furniture, housewares and souvenirs. Here are some of the colorfully chic items I spotted.
The only way to describe Jerusalem is to see the city.
While visiting Israel for Tel Aviv Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to visit Jerusalem along with the other international journalists invited there to cover the event. It's an area of the world that always seemed fascinating, but hadn't topped my list of places to visit - until now. And on Thanksgiving Day in America, it seemed almost surreal and an incredibly fitting day to be there. What I found was a city steeped in history, yet poised for modernity with its architecure, spiritual views and yes, fashion. While walking through its ancient streets, I discovered its treasures. Here are images from the day including views of the Jerusalem rooftops, the Arab shuk, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Jewish Quarter, the Wailing Wall and the Mamilla Hotel and Shopping Center. More images after the break.
One of the best parts of visiting Israel for Tel Aviv Fashion Week, was a day trip to Jerusalem coordinated by the show organizers and Ministry of Tourism. There we visited the sites including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Wailing Wall and the local market or shuk. My vintage blazer was a perfect choice to wear for the day. Its bold colors and ethnic print seemed to suit the neighborhood as captured by my new friend Gabriele Dirvanauskas's iphone. A special treat? One of the local delicacies - fresh fruit juice. Pomegranate, orange and grapefruit. Delish!
From ethnic prints to bold colors and vintage finds – it was an eclectic mix. I always enjoy visiting other countries if for no other reason than to see what people are wearing. I've never visited the Middle East before and it was quite exciting to see Israeli designers on the runway and scout the local fashion scene. Many attendees favored local designers including Nethanel Zikri, Alembika, Galit Levi and ‘70s era Maskit. Dresses, skirts and moto jackets topped the list along with artsy necklaces and colorful embellishments and plenty of shades. Here are a few of the best looks I captured at the historic HaTachana train station in Tel Aviv. For more.... go to my home base at ApparelNews.net.
Tamar Karavan in Alembika
Guest in Nethanel Zikri dress, Keren Wolf earrings and bag, Zara heels.
Model Amit Machtinger and friend. She’s in Maskit vintage and Paula Bianco necklace.
Designer/actress Dorit Bar Or in her own design.
Stylist Rony Ilan
Sami Zeibak in Juliet dress, Ruby Star necklace and Ralph Lauren sunglasses. Dana Friman wears Cynthia Vincent clothing, Nori Tamy necklace and a Maison Martin Margiela hat
Michal Shapira in Galit Levi dress, Dori Csengeri earrings and Custo Barcelona jacket
Actress Inbar Lavi in Nathanel Zikri
Gabriele Dirvanauskas and Poppy Dinsey, photo courtesy of Styleite
“Le Carrousel, the circular dance of fashion. This season at Louis Vuitton the circle has turned once more and arrived at a place of pure enjoyment, gentleness, joie de vivre and love. But this is a particular enjoyment and love: the joy of Parisian fashion.”
- Louis Vuitton program
How apropo to be in Paris this season and be invited to attend the Louis Vuitton show. Truly it was an honor to receive the invitation and take part in sharing the message of the brand. We each seemed to have a singular goal in mind - to celebrate Parisian fashion. And what a joy it was. A magical carousel, a whimsical fairytale with girls in fabulously feminine clothes - a vision of delicacy in beautiful lace, icy pastels, transparent flowers and and feather trimmed loveliness – and then there was Kate Moss on the runway (exclamation point!). All of this Parisian splendor harkened from a history of fine craftsmanship. And to top it off Louis Vuitton, one of the most prestigious luxury brands in the world, is also on the forefront of fashion and technology. I find it so compelling that Louis Vuitton, like Burberry, is leading the charge into the future and the digital world. Think of its recent “The Art of Travel by Louis Vuitton” campaign. For the Spring 2012 show, it created a complete digital experience to give fans an inside look at Louis Vuitton and Parisian fashion.
“The romance of Parisian fashion is a joy in the emotional exchange between the craftsman and wearer. Fashion is a spectacle, but this is an intimate relationship as well; it is not just about the joy of looking but the joy of feeling,” explained the show program. Clothes can be enjoyed because of their beauty, but the pleasure of luxury is also in knowing the craftsmanship of the garment and its exquisite design by a Parisian atelier. Case in point: the “Coquilee D’Oeuf” minaudiere, the collections’ piece de résistance. The evening bag, which took over 300 hours and 12,500 pieces of “mosaicked” eggshells to make, sums up the extreme delicacy and emotional exchange in the crafting the collection.
Just as the clothes can be appreciated from the inside out, so too can the runway show and the brand's message - by understanding what goes on behind-the-scenes. To give fans an inside look this season Louis Vuitton live-streamed the show and created a series of videos about the brand, the runway show and Paris itself. “Social media is very interesting and brings opposite personalities together,” said Kamel Ouadi, global digital director at Louis Vuitton, Paris. “There’s this idea of openness and of community [that] lets consumers connect and share…. [Social media] emphasizes the emotional aspects of a luxury industry [that] is sometimes perceived as arrogant and distant,” he said. Not only was the show was broadcast live via iPhone and iPad and on the Louis Vuitton Facebook Page, but a mini-site dedicated to the show was also launched. Fans could tune it to find out how the beautiful carousel and runway show was created and watch the building of the show tent. And designer Marc Jacobs created exclusive videos to discuss his vision of the Louis Vuitton Woman, the creative process involved in building a collection and putting on a Louis Vuitton fashion show.
In celebration of all things Parisian and chic, Louis Vuitton called on an influential five to share their multi-faceted views of Paris Fashion Week. Emmanuelle Alt (editor in chief of Vogue Paris), Derek Blasberg (fashion journalist), Jean-Philippe Delhomme (artist/illustrator), Camille Bidault-Waddington (stylist), Magda Danysz (art dealer) and Emily Weiss (blogger – Into the gloss) share their personal Fashion Week experiences at fashionshow.louisvuitton.com. Each of these trendsetters share their favorite Parisian hotspots using Amble, Louis Vuitton’s first iPhone Application. It builds on the brand's "The Art of Travel" initiative and takes travel to the next level. On the website and using Amble itself, fans can follow their favorite personalities on a stroll through Paris, record travel memories, visit a celebrity's local hot spot and find inspiration for their next trip. A virtual dream for any fashionista wanting to learn more about some of the chicest cities in the world. Also to be noted, Louis Vuitton just launched its City Guides book series on Oct. 15 (see photo below). Louis Vuitton Perspectives will continue to be updated with more exclusive content from contributors, as well as special behind-the-scenes coverage from the fashion show.
Louis Vuitton City Guides
“The merry-go-round of Parisian fashion might continue to turn, but its love affair with and ultimate commitment to craftsmanship remains timeless. Once more…with feeling.”
Five bands, good friends and a birthday celebration - all added up to Boozacarooza! It was an amazing two hour cruise out of Santa Barbara enjoying the sounds of Chris Schiflett (Foo Fighters' lead guitarist) and his band The Dead Peasants as well as Retrodemon, The Spreewells and The Playing Favorites! Oh, and Santa Barbara's very own The Lost Kittens!!! Happy Birthday to Luke Tierney and thank you to Erika for the invite - it was a blast!! What was the dress code? Rock n' roll cool meets nautical chic. Guests wore everything from leather jackets, fringed purses and head scarves to clean white suits, stripes and sailor caps!! What did I wear? Rocker girl gear obvi - Black leather jacket, black dress, plaid shirt, leggings and boots. Check out the pics below!!
