tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-342791822024-03-13T19:19:35.636+02:00The Sandman ChroniclesStratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.comBlogger376125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-44175631238589737482015-12-24T20:16:00.003+02:002015-12-24T20:16:51.474+02:00Best Wishes for a Great Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-umA1V3gEM/Vnw2QN6f_fI/AAAAAAAATJI/UJElXa9zHSY/s1600/CARD2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-umA1V3gEM/Vnw2QN6f_fI/AAAAAAAATJI/UJElXa9zHSY/s640/CARD2015.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-12100696553851555702015-02-23T13:44:00.003+02:002015-02-24T21:48:09.905+02:00Oscars 2015 - who won for best dressed?<div style="text-align: justify;">
The awards season always culminates in the Oscar ceremony, so the ladies keep their best bets for impressive (or disastrous) appearances for this night. Who wore whom has managed to upstage who won what, and with the choices the Academy makes each year, deservedly so. Let's check some of the best dressed ladies on the 87th Academy Awards red carpet (all photos courtesy of wwd.com and Donato Sardella, and Getty Images).<br />
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Update: The best dressed lady was not even on the red carpet (of the actual ceremony that is): Diane Kruger went to the Vanity Fair Party in a smashing Donna Karan pants/dress outfit:<br />
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Mark Seliger portrait in a special set/photo booth inside the VF party - Joshua Jackson accessory optional</div>
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Look at that train! Photo by Billy Farrell/Bfanyc.com</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8yAr99Q7la8/VOsDGWNZzvI/AAAAAAAARpg/zKiaUrLghfE/s1600/cate-blanchett.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8yAr99Q7la8/VOsDGWNZzvI/AAAAAAAARpg/zKiaUrLghfE/s1600/cate-blanchett.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PiqP0cWQC_4/VOsEpCwe_JI/AAAAAAAARps/ZPIzLIjXduA/s1600/cate-blanchett-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PiqP0cWQC_4/VOsEpCwe_JI/AAAAAAAARps/ZPIzLIjXduA/s1600/cate-blanchett-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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Cate Blanchett is the undisputed Queen of Hollywood. She probably surprised most of the nominated for Best Actress ladies in picking a simpler dress to wear (Galliano for Margiela, a first for Oscars) - you can see it in the outfits they picked, thinking of how to upstage Cate who would be giving them the award. Tough luck ladies. Cate is never upstaged. The necklace is a one of a kind piece from Tiffany's in their signature colour. It doesn't get more regal than this.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ci_e-7MWZo/VOsFjvNoX4I/AAAAAAAARp0/IJqfhKg-xhk/s1600/lupita-nyongo-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ci_e-7MWZo/VOsFjvNoX4I/AAAAAAAARp0/IJqfhKg-xhk/s1600/lupita-nyongo-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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Lupita Nyong'o is resplendent in a custom made Calvin Klein dress covered with 6000 pearls. She's becoming the heir to Cates' throne. </div>
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Margot Robbie wore a laid back Saint Laurent dress with a 30s Van Cleef and Arpels necklace that suited the plunging neckline so good. I think if she had piled some big hammered gold cuff bracelets on it would have looked even better - next time check Loulou De La Falaise on how to wear YSL.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nlpRX4B10As/VOsHHY0PzCI/AAAAAAAARqQ/H8qAH0jciMw/s1600/rosamunde-pike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nlpRX4B10As/VOsHHY0PzCI/AAAAAAAARqQ/H8qAH0jciMw/s1600/rosamunde-pike.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Thankfully Rosamund Pike did not disappoint - I was afraid it would be yet another disaster like some of her recent appearances. But she rose to the occasion with this magnificent Givenchy Couture. One of the rare occasions that red looks good on the red carpet.</div>
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When I read that Emma Stone, one of my favourites, would be wearing Elie Saab, I flinched. I do not like most, if not all, the clothes Saab makes, so it looked as a disaster in the making. Fortunately it wasn't. My only objection is the light shade of green - she would have looked so much better in a darker one.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x8VWRVaILFI/VOsMdMmTlmI/AAAAAAAARqo/cYYH3YCpT0k/s1600/marion-cotillard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x8VWRVaILFI/VOsMdMmTlmI/AAAAAAAARqo/cYYH3YCpT0k/s1600/marion-cotillard.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Marion Cotillard picked an unusual shape (at the back at least) for the red carpet - and it was a breath of fresh air. I love the texture of the (lasre cut?) fabric and she looks great in it. So beautiful and French. Dior Haute Couture.</div>
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Scarlett Johansson is the embodiment of "whoa" here. I love her short hair (although it looked as if she skipped the hairdresser this time) and the shade and shape of the dress suits her to a T. Versace Atelier with Piaget necklace.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z_puRI7uZ_g/VOsOAGWLEWI/AAAAAAAARrE/aEGal2K4uUY/s1600/sophie-hunter-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z_puRI7uZ_g/VOsOAGWLEWI/AAAAAAAARrE/aEGal2K4uUY/s1600/sophie-hunter-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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Sophie Hunter looks gorgeous in this red Lanvin - another proof that red can look great on the red carpet as long as you have an amazing dress. Cumberbatch accessory optional.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tzyH_-OQ_xs/VOsOZD732JI/AAAAAAAARrM/Qd2ryNxrljQ/s1600/patricia-arquette.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tzyH_-OQ_xs/VOsOZD732JI/AAAAAAAARrM/Qd2ryNxrljQ/s1600/patricia-arquette.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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I love Patricia Arquette and she always looks great on the red carpet. Simple, elegant, real. She's wearing Rosetta Getty who designed this especially for her.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9F75TrMztC0/VOsO0l6F4pI/AAAAAAAARrU/pmslhZsKXK8/s1600/viola-davis-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9F75TrMztC0/VOsO0l6F4pI/AAAAAAAARrU/pmslhZsKXK8/s1600/viola-davis-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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How stunning can Viola Davis look? Very. Even though a stronger colour would have suited her better (a violet?), she nails it once again. Zac Posen should research some fabrics that do not crinkle that easily.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtcreXIIZqo/VOsPKUG1MXI/AAAAAAAARrc/dszFt5DJ5z0/s1600/naomi-watts-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtcreXIIZqo/VOsPKUG1MXI/AAAAAAAARrc/dszFt5DJ5z0/s1600/naomi-watts-oscars-red-carpet-2015.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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Naomi Watts (Naomi fookin Watts) got some flack for this Armani Prive gown, but I really like it. Texture, metallics, cut, all work well on her.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yZ1twFcHBPk/VOsPkA7qbAI/AAAAAAAARrk/H2stYqbR5qY/s1600/laura-dern-red-carpet-oscars-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yZ1twFcHBPk/VOsPkA7qbAI/AAAAAAAARrk/H2stYqbR5qY/s1600/laura-dern-red-carpet-oscars-2015.jpg" height="640" width="352" /></a></div>
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A knight in shining armour. I love this encrusted metallic gown Laura Dern is wearing, like a modern Joan of Arc. Only missing a sword. Custom made Alberta Ferretti,</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9QTeWfyarHc/VOsQWNY3fWI/AAAAAAAARrs/0bPO4-WbKDs/s1600/tegan-sara.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9QTeWfyarHc/VOsQWNY3fWI/AAAAAAAARrs/0bPO4-WbKDs/s1600/tegan-sara.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Tegan and Sara, nominated for best song for the Lego movie, stayed true to themselves and their style. And won hands down. Tegan is wearing a The Kooples suit and Barbara Bui shoes, while Sara is in a Public School dress. Everything is awesome indeed.</div>
Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-20121606769139574722014-12-24T20:36:00.001+02:002014-12-24T20:36:53.563+02:00Season's Greetings!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q287wj5e-LM/VJsHWdrvD1I/AAAAAAAARfk/8XTMLSz42pg/s1600/CARD2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q287wj5e-LM/VJsHWdrvD1I/AAAAAAAARfk/8XTMLSz42pg/s1600/CARD2014.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-24729535071037155872014-10-22T01:19:00.001+03:002014-10-22T01:42:17.029+03:00Oscar De La Renta dies<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of the designers that epitomized american fashion (whichever way you look at it), <a href="http://www.oscardelarenta.com/" target="_blank">Oscar De La Renta</a> died on the 20th of October 2014 at 82. His illustrious and enduring career spanned nearly half a century. Trained by fellow Latin designers Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo (at Lanvin), before returning to the USA to launch his company. He had a stint in Balmain for whom he took the rains in the 90s to make heavenly couture. He dressed many women, making them look and feel better. He loved women, he loved designing for them, being with them, loving them. His Dominican roots were always a major part of his aesthetic and style without overwhelming it. But he was first and foremost an American fashion champion, always putting out one collection after another, making clothes the way he saw fit for his loved ladies to enjoy and cherish. Below is a small selection of his work. He will be missed.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-BflwxZpzM/VEbaY2z9ggI/AAAAAAAAQ8o/WpFQ79Dzqrk/s1600/vogue-sep86-p394-christy-turlington-bill-king-oscar-de-la-renta_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-BflwxZpzM/VEbaY2z9ggI/AAAAAAAAQ8o/WpFQ79Dzqrk/s1600/vogue-sep86-p394-christy-turlington-bill-king-oscar-de-la-renta_b.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Christy Turlington for Bill King, British Vogue, 1986</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B9NHWiugfqw/VEbX0Ix7WII/AAAAAAAAQ7E/f87_FciSErU/s1600/243j8yf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B9NHWiugfqw/VEbX0Ix7WII/AAAAAAAAQ7E/f87_FciSErU/s1600/243j8yf.jpg" height="490" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sketch by Antonio Lopez for an ad</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EkjonSn0ksg/VEbYISSdPDI/AAAAAAAAQ7M/O54MlVPaWA4/s1600/vogue%2Binspira.jpg-w%3D640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EkjonSn0ksg/VEbYISSdPDI/AAAAAAAAQ7M/O54MlVPaWA4/s1600/vogue%2Binspira.jpg-w%3D640.jpg" height="442" width="640" /></a></div>
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Balmain couture, Vogue US 1997 by Peter Lindbergh</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mmj-lfPkqGo/VEbYXuVfrZI/AAAAAAAAQ7U/R_kHmzGJTRI/s1600/9-1006-vo-fb60-06_13123932888511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mmj-lfPkqGo/VEbYXuVfrZI/AAAAAAAAQ7U/R_kHmzGJTRI/s1600/9-1006-vo-fb60-06_13123932888511.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Linda Evangelista by Arthur Elgort for Vogue US, 1991</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T5lYEFCQb-U/VEbYiLpYUnI/AAAAAAAAQ7c/5RhlV_oyBsE/s1600/tcx-04-blue-and-white-stripe-oscar-de-la-renta-dress-pink-leaves-0313-mv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T5lYEFCQb-U/VEbYiLpYUnI/AAAAAAAAQ7c/5RhlV_oyBsE/s1600/tcx-04-blue-and-white-stripe-oscar-de-la-renta-dress-pink-leaves-0313-mv.jpg" height="414" width="640" /></a></div>
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Perry Ogden for Town & Country, 2013</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4KEUsZBIZig/VEbYvBX-MwI/AAAAAAAAQ7k/uV1Cf0nAIdk/s1600/Karlie-Kloss-Oscar-de-la-Renta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4KEUsZBIZig/VEbYvBX-MwI/AAAAAAAAQ7k/uV1Cf0nAIdk/s1600/Karlie-Kloss-Oscar-de-la-Renta.jpg" height="434" width="640" /></a></div>
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Karlie Kloss, advertisment, Spring/Summer 2012</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SAtOAAGgFMA/VEbY7yrqp-I/AAAAAAAAQ7s/O5k6PSj06us/s1600/12-kate-moss-slideshow_143918381855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SAtOAAGgFMA/VEbY7yrqp-I/AAAAAAAAQ7s/O5k6PSj06us/s1600/12-kate-moss-slideshow_143918381855.jpg" height="312" width="640" /></a></div>
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Kate Moss for Annie Leibovitz, Vogue US, 2009</div>
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Bridal advertisment, Spring1/ Summer 2011, Craig Mc Dean</div>
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January Jones by Kurt Iswarienko for Edit magazine, May 2013<br />
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Amber Valetta for Steven Meisel, Vogue US 2006</div>
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Karlie Kloss, advertisement, Autumn/Winter 2011, by Craig Mc Dean</div>
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Steven Meisel for Vogue US, December 2010<br />
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Grace Mahary, Imaan Hammam, and Cindy Bruna<br />
by Craig McDean, Vogue US, January 2014</div>
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Harper's Bazaar, 2009</div>
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Christy Turlington, advertisment, 1994</div>
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Karlie Kloss for Annie Leibovitz, Vogue US, 2013</div>
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Fashion show, New York 2009, by Damon Winter/New York Times</div>
Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-20093212830975009872014-10-11T20:21:00.003+03:002014-10-11T20:21:50.900+03:00Horst: Photographer Of Style - the V&A exhibition<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of the advantages of being in a metropolis is getting to see amazing exhibitions about almost every subject. Fashion, style and design being my favourites, the <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-horst-photographer-of-style/" target="_blank">Horst: Photographer Of Style</a> exhibition mounted by the V&A museum in London, from September 2014 to January 2015, was perfectly in synch with my trip there to see Kate Bush performing live in Before The Dawn. So I visited V&A again (second time this year) for what is a fantastic exhibition about one of the best photographers that ever lived, <a href="http://www.horstphorst.com/" target="_blank">Horst P. Horst</a>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The V&A main entrance poster for the exhibition © 2014 Stratos Bacali</span>s</div>
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Born as Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann on the 14th of August 1906, in Weissenfels, Germany, the youngest son of a hardware business owner, he studied design and carpentry at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Hamburg, under the tuition of Walter Gropius. In 1930 he travelled to Paris to work as an apprentice to Le Corbusier. It as there that he met Baron George Hoyningen-Huene, a famous photographer at French Vogue. Huene became Horst’s mentor and partner, teaching him about photography and inviting him into the creative world of 1930s Paris. He then started to work for French Vogue himself, and later on for the American edition and Vanity Fair magazine, where his first portrait of a Hollywood star, Bette Davis, appeared in 1932.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bette Davis for Vanity Fair, 1932. © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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The rest is history. Horst had a long and wildly creative career, establishing a style completely his own, shooting portraits, fashion, landscapes and even branching into less well known areas of photography, working well into his mid 80s, stopping only when his eyesight failed him. He influenced many photographers and artists, while his images still stand as paragons of lighting, composition and style.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hat and coat-dress by Bergdorf Goodman, modelled by Estrella Boissevain, 1938. © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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The exhibition is designed as a timeline but also separated into sections of his work: beginning with Haute Couture, it showcases first his fashion work in France and the United States, with the brilliant black&white photohraphs that made him famous and established his personal style.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The entrance of the show. Installation image of Horst – Photographer of Style. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
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Horst was photographing with a collaborative process: that involved of course photographer and model but also the art director, fashion editor, studio assistants and set technicians. Modelling was still in its infancy in the 1930s, if existing at all, so many of those who posed for Horst were stylish friends of the magazine’s staff, often actresses or aristocrats.
By the middle of the decade, Horst had succeded his mentor George Hoyningen-Huene as Paris Vogue’s primary photographer. His images frequently appeared in the French, British and American editions of the magazine. Many of the photographs on display in the exhibition are vintage prints from the company’s archive.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Horst photographic prints from the 1930s © Vogue UK</span></div>
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At the end of this long gallery of photographs, there is a podium with couture dresses from the era, from designers whose clothes Horst shot for Vogue. Meticulously restored and displayed, the outfits recall the glamour and style of the decade while bringing the elusive subjects of his art a bit closer to reality and the visitor.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Custom-made mannequins dressed in original pieces from designers including Mainbocher, Lanvin, Molyneux, Maggy Rouff and Vionnet © Vogue UK</span></div>
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The exhibition then moves on to the second section: Surrealism. Surprisingly for me, one of the main images in this section is what has probably become his most iconic photograph ever: Mainbocher corset.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mainbocher Corset (pink satin corset by Detolle), Paris, 1939. © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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The Mainbocher Corset is one of the Twentieth Century's most prized portraits. The widely published copy of it is retouched (below) - the corset made to look more snug to the body while the background and other details are refined and enhanced as well. The untouched original (above), depicts the model Madame Bernon wearing a pink satin corset. It was the last photograph that Horst took before leaving Paris and his style developed. It has inspired lots of photographers since then, while Horst himself revisited the styling for a lingerie campaign in the 1980s. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Retouched version of the Mainbocher Corset © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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Most famously, it became the opening sequence for Madonna's Vogue video clip. It was not the only image of Horst referenced in the clip. "Lisa with Turban" (1940), and "Carmen Face Massage" (1946) were made into sequences too. Horst was reportedly "displeased" with Madonna's video because he never gave permission for his photographs to be used and received no acknowledgement from Madonna for doing so. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Frame from Madonna's Vogue video-clip, directed by David Fincher in 1990</span></div>
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Horst’s photographs of his surrealist period feature mysterious, whimsical and surreal elements combined with his classical aesthetic. His trompe l’oeil still lives stand side by side with photographs of the surreal-infused dresses of the designer Elsa Schiaparelli, a close friend of Horst. He also collaborated closely with Salvador Dalí, photographing him as well as his wife, while his work in turn inspired the famous painter too. His fascination with the representation of the female form, fragmenting and turning the human body into an erotic object, was a common thread with the surrealism movement.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Salvador Dalí’s costumes for Leonid Massine's ballet Bacchanale, 1939. © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span><br />
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The next section of the exhibition is named Stage and Screen: obviously it was filled with portraits of famous Hollywood stars of the era. Some of them have become iconic representations of them and defined their image and career. Even Marlene Dietrich, who infamously accused him of not being able to light her properly, was brilliantly captured by his lens. When she saw the finished photographs, she was so thrilled with them, she used one as her publicity photo Of course he did not limit himself to actors: he shot writers, politicians and royalty, soon to be replaced in the public imagination by stars of the silver screen.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CtiUiO5meWg/VDlVNpVxvII/AAAAAAAAQ3g/NrdJS5el5Tg/s1600/horst_marlene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CtiUiO5meWg/VDlVNpVxvII/AAAAAAAAQ3g/NrdJS5el5Tg/s1600/horst_marlene.jpg" height="640" width="510" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Marlene Dietrich, New York, 1942. © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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The next section features his landscapes from travels in the Middle East and also some photography from his years in the army during WW II and personal objects from that era. After the war. during the summer of 1949, Horst and his partner Valentine Lawford, then political counsellor at the British Embassy in Tehran, travelled by road from Beirut to Persepolis, where Horst was able to photograph parts of the ancient Persian city that had only recently been uncovered. Horst also visited the newly established State of Israel on a photographic assignment for Vogue. He returned the next year. spending a week at the south-eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, afterwards documenting the annual migration of the Qashqa’i clan. Horst and Lawford were invited by Malik Mansur Khan Qashqa’i to spend ten days with his tribe as they travelled by camel and horse, in search of vegetation for their flocks. Of course he photographed every moment of it.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6mRMqT8C2U/VDlYeFJF0rI/AAAAAAAAQ3s/bngZCtS3O3k/s1600/persepolis_bull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6mRMqT8C2U/VDlYeFJF0rI/AAAAAAAAQ3s/bngZCtS3O3k/s1600/persepolis_bull.jpg" height="640" width="612" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Persepolis Bull, 1949 © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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At the end of this section are two sub-sections, very different from each other, but both showcasing sides of the artist: the first is his photographs of textures found in nature. Partly inspired by photographs of plants by Karl Blossfeldt (1865–1932). Horst was struck by ‘their revelation of the similarity of vegetable forms to art forms like wrought iron and Gothic architecture.’ His interest was also linked to the technical purity of ‘photographic seeing’, a philosophy associated with the New Objectivity movement of the 1920s and ’30s. Horst’s second book, Patterns from Nature (1946), featured close-up, black and white images of plants, shells and minerals taken in New York’s Botanical Gardens, in the forests of New England, in Mexico, and along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Cut up and pasted together to form patterns to be used in fabric printing and design, they are a world away from his glamorous fashion and Hollywood photography.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VHGMI8bGpqE/VDlZq7ilFPI/AAAAAAAAQ30/DogjfC2Anm0/s1600/_77363473_patternsfromnaturephotographiccollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VHGMI8bGpqE/VDlZq7ilFPI/AAAAAAAAQ30/DogjfC2Anm0/s1600/_77363473_patternsfromnaturephotographiccollage.jpg" height="554" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Patterns from Nature Photographic Collage, about 1945. © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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Then the visitor comes near a huge glass showcase, with a set up to resemble the studio Horst used in the 1940s, accompanied by a short film projection opposite, showing him at work (see below). He worked primarily in the Condé Nast studio on the 19th floor of the Graybar Building, an Art Deco skyscraper on Manhattan’s Lexington Avenue. The studio was equipped with a variety of lights and props. In 1951 Horst found a studio of his own, the former penthouse apartment of artist Pavel Tchelitchew, with high ceilings and a spectacular view over the river. He then developed a new approach to photography in response to the abundance of daylight and for a time his famous atmospheric shadows disappeared.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Horst directing fashion shoot with Lisa Fonssagrives, 1949. Photo by Roy Stevens/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The camera and equipment case that Horst used. © Vogue UK</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: Behind the scenes at American Vogue, 1946 © HBO Archives/The March of Time. Provided by Condé Nast Archive.</span></div>
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Then came a big surprise (at least for me): Horst's work in colour! I was not familiar with his coloured photography, even though many of the iconic images, mainly the numerous Vogue covers, were etched in my mind. I just never thought they were his and only associated him with black & white photography. The first of his many Vogue cover pictures was from 1935, a photograph of the Russian Princess Nadejda Sherbatow in a red velveteen jacket. Horst’s colour photographs are rarely exhibited because few vintage prints exist. Colour capture took place on a transparency which could be reproduced on the magazine page without the need to create a photographic print. The size of the new prints displayed in this room of the exhibition echoes the large scale of a group of Horst images printed in 1938 at the Condé Nast press. "The images are of such high quality and such high resolution that we didn't need to do anything to them at all - we could have actually gone even bigger!" said curator Susanna Brown.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QhXk_DgTwDQ/VDlebk3QlGI/AAAAAAAAQ4U/--VjZDrxndE/s1600/muriel_maxwell_american_vogue_cover_1_july_1939__conde_nast_horst_estate_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QhXk_DgTwDQ/VDlebk3QlGI/AAAAAAAAQ4U/--VjZDrxndE/s1600/muriel_maxwell_american_vogue_cover_1_july_1939__conde_nast_horst_estate_0.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Portrait of model Muriel Maxwell putting on lipstick 1939, © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d3_MWhx07Lo/VDlen9NOKrI/AAAAAAAAQ4c/m76YPzGOTUE/s1600/dinnersuitandheaddressbyschiaparelli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d3_MWhx07Lo/VDlen9NOKrI/AAAAAAAAQ4c/m76YPzGOTUE/s1600/dinnersuitandheaddressbyschiaparelli.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dinner suit and headdress by Schiaparelli, 1947. © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-boW1jwQkSRo/VDlfY70fGrI/AAAAAAAAQ4k/DgieCha1aq0/s1600/summer_fashions_american_vogue_cover_15_may_1941__conde_nast_horst_estate_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-boW1jwQkSRo/VDlfY70fGrI/AAAAAAAAQ4k/DgieCha1aq0/s1600/summer_fashions_american_vogue_cover_15_may_1941__conde_nast_horst_estate_0.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Summer Fashions" shoot for American Vogue in 1941, © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Carmen Dell' Orefice in 1947, wearing a dress by Hattie Carnegie. The original chrome was faded and painstakingly restored for printing © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RYnNu7bOem0/VDlgRTH055I/AAAAAAAAQ40/TFAUgpR2I4E/s1600/horst-exhibition-vogue-20-3sep14-sk_b_592x888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RYnNu7bOem0/VDlgRTH055I/AAAAAAAAQ40/TFAUgpR2I4E/s1600/horst-exhibition-vogue-20-3sep14-sk_b_592x888.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Over 90 covers of French, British and American Vogue magazines are on display. © Vogue UK</span></div>
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After this dazzling display comes his work for US Vogue under Diana Vreeland: instead of fashion, she enlisted him and his partner to work on Vogue’s ‘Fashions in Living’ pages. Horst would shoot the photohraphs and Lawford would write the article. The homes of everyone from Jackie Onassis to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Andy Warhol and Karl Lagerfeld featured in their articles. it reflected his own settling down in a fabulous house with landscaped garden, which he built, in Oyster Bay Cove, Long Island, where he entertained friends like Greta Garbo and Noel Coward. There was a terrific interactive display where you would pick images on a touch screen and have them displayed in front of you along three walls. making them almost three-dimensional.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qgDiwTCwahg/VDlh5RZy_2I/AAAAAAAAQ48/MDFXnycPTeY/s1600/installation_image_of_horst__photographer_of_style_c_victoria_and_albert_museum_london_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qgDiwTCwahg/VDlh5RZy_2I/AAAAAAAAQ48/MDFXnycPTeY/s1600/installation_image_of_horst__photographer_of_style_c_victoria_and_albert_museum_london_0.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Interactive display. Installation image of Horst – Photographer of Style. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London</span></div>
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To relax the eyes, having been bombarded with brilliant colours and designs, the following section is about Horst's black & white nudes He produced a set of distinctive photographs in the 1950s unlike much of his previous oeuvre. These male figure studies were exhibited for the first time in Paris in 1953 and reprinted using the platinum-palladium process in the 1980s, which is how they are displayed in the museum. The bodies resemble classical sculptures, as they are partially shown, lit with characteristic style by the photographer.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RJ9joVQhPTQ/VDli9RzSi7I/AAAAAAAAQ5E/EqgwaBdjY6Q/s1600/male_nude_1952__conde_nast_horst_estate_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RJ9joVQhPTQ/VDli9RzSi7I/AAAAAAAAQ5E/EqgwaBdjY6Q/s1600/male_nude_1952__conde_nast_horst_estate_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Male Nude, 1952. © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
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Finally, the last section and epilogue of the exhibition gives us a selection of his work from the 1980s but also from every decade of his career, reprinted in platinum-palladium. A complex and expensive technique, it employed metals more expensive than gold. Failing eyesight finally forced him to stop working in 1992.New books, exhibitions and television documentaries about Horst kept on appearing. He was, is and will always be an inspiration to many aspiring photographers and artists throughout the world. This magnificent exhibition showcases his whole body of work in a brilliant way and I consider myself very lucky to have witnessed it. It runs until the 4th of January 2015, so if you happen to be in London by that day, do not miss it.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0sSrf19t5ns/VDlkS7cVuHI/AAAAAAAAQ5M/a4Le2g-O_w0/s1600/horst_round.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0sSrf19t5ns/VDlkS7cVuHI/AAAAAAAAQ5M/a4Le2g-O_w0/s1600/horst_round.jpg" height="640" width="542" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Round the Clock, New York, 1987. © Condé Nast/Horst Estate</span></div>
<br />Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-61362567001242502382014-04-27T02:16:00.002+03:002014-04-27T02:16:22.415+03:00Sensing Spaces - exhibition at the Royal Academy Of Arts<div style="text-align: justify;">
My second trip to London did not leave me much time to go around and see anything as I had too much work in my hands. My last full day there though, held a special surprise. In between the opening of the fair where I'd successfully supervised the stand building for one of our clients and a business meeting, I managed to see an exhibition I wanted to catch since the previous trip here, <a href="https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/4" target="_blank">Sensing Spaces at the Royal Academy of Arts</a>. The exhibition ended on the 6th of April 2014. All photos were taken from me except the Kengo Kuma one which is from the exhibition website.</div>
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The main galleries of the Royal Academy were transformed by installations created by seven architectural practises from around the world: <a href="http://www.graftonarchitects.ie/" target="_blank">Grafton Architects</a>, <a href="http://www.kerearchitecture.com/" target="_blank">Diébédo Francis Kéré</a>, <a href="http://kkaa.co.jp/" target="_blank">Kengo Kuma</a>, <a href="http://www.lixiaodong.net/en_home.asp" target="_blank">Li Xiaodong</a>, <a href="http://pezo.cl/" target="_blank">Pezo von Ellrichshausen</a>, <a href="http://alvarosizavieira.com/" target="_blank">Álvaro Siza</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Souto_de_Moura" target="_blank">Eduardo Souto de Moura</a> (in no particular order). These installations set out to evoke the experience and power of architecture within a traditional gallery environment. As our daily activities of working, sleeping, being entertained, usually happen withing architecture, sometimes even interacting with it. Buildings are an ever-present background to our lives.</div>
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The visitor of this exhibition now has an architectural experience in a specifically built space - inhabiting it in a new way instead of the functional or visual way of everyday life might be. Upon entering the gallery and seeing the magnificent wooden structure by Pezo von Ellrichshausen (see photos above) with the four huge columns and it's robust upper balcony, it felt like being Alice the architect in the wonderland of Architecture. Pity there was no Mad Hatter to serve us tea!<br />
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Architectural exhibition usually display drawings, photographs and models of the works produced by the participating architects. In that way, the visitor is distanced from the direct contact with the buildings. The physical exploration of them though is usually the key to understanding them. In the real world, one sees buildings, enters them, move inside them, inhabit them. Appreciating their qualities takes time, sometimes changing in the process. The sounds, smells, materials, views and volumes of the buildings tackle our senses and become part of the whole process.</div>
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In this exhibition, instead of models and photos and drawings, we got to see the real thing: the "buildings"themselves. We got to experience the nature of the physical spaces, interact with them. The curator said that in the heart of the exhibition is the interaction with three factors: the nature of physical spaces, our perception of them and their evocative power. The installations we experienced (because we did not simply see them) highlighted different aspects of architecture: from manipulating light, mass and structure, to transformations brought about by use, movement and interaction.</div>
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The selection of the architects was made based on their engagement with how architecture might move beyond the practical and functional to address the human spirit. They consider how people will inhabit their buildings, how human body and its senses responds to their spaces. They use their appreciation of history to create buildings that acknowledge the past but also are highly meaningful within the present. Their works are strongly anchored in their contexts: from the urban or natural landscapes in which they are located to the cultures and traditions that surround them. The architects' different geographical, generational and cultural sensibilities enrich the array of perspectives and encourage a broader understanding of what architecture can offer us.</div>
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Kate Goodwin, the curator of the show, conceived the exhibition in a spirit of enquiry, having had discussions with the architects and developed it through the process of design. Each architect worked with an open brief: to explore the potential of architecture, its relevance to people, the connections it evokes, and how these might be conveyed using architectural constructions within the Neoclassical galleries of the Royal Academy. Each one proposed initial ideas which then found homes in particular places and evolved in response to their location, setting up dialogues with each other and the existing spaces. This resulted in installations that individually and collectively suggest the potential of "architecture reimagined", which is used as the subtitle of the show. The exhibition might be likened to a city, gaining its vitality and character from the ensemble as much as from its individual elements. And of course, like all cities, it needed people to bring it to life.</div>
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The curator writes that the architects were invited to create the spaces but this in no way implies that architecture is the sole territory for them. Our responses to buildings or spaces are neither determined by the architect nor inherent in the architecture itself. Although the exhibition demonstrates each architect's intentions, it is equally concerned with what visitors discover exploring the installations and responding to them.</div>
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This was perfectly clear in the installation of Diébédo Francis Kéré: Made of a base consisting of honeycombed plastic panels (1867 pieces!) forming a tunnel of sorts, it accommodated a myriad of coloured plastic straws of various lengths, that visitors were free to put onto the structure in any way they wanted. The result was a living structure that changed every moment of the exhibition, from the beginning till the end. I am happy to have been a part (albeit small) of this!</div>
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One can see that the higher parts of this particular structure are left empty as people cannot reach them. Maybe they should have provided a scaffolding of some kind to help use them too.</div>
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As well as enabling the visitors to find greater pleasure in the spaces they inhabit, the exhibition helped heighten their awareness of the sensory realm of architecture and thereby encouraged perhaps the creation of a more rewarding built environment. After the tunnel, one came up to a portal made by Eduardo Souto de Moura that echoed the frame of the entrance it was installed in. It gave me the impression of an added dimension to the space and building.</div>
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Right next to it, was the entrance to perhaps the nicest environment of the exhibition: the gate of Li Xiaodong's installation, a labyrinthine "hose"complete with courtyard/garden. Going through it, with the brightly lit floor and wooden walls was an incredible experience.</div>
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In this one can really "get" the connection between traditional and modern, local (Chinese) and international, while at the same time have all their senses alert to fully experience the installation.<br />
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And of course I tried getting a decent shot of the courtyard but the light was low and my iPhone could not get a good photo there:<br />
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After the Chinese architect's installation, we came upon the most photogenic and probably most posted on social media installation: the Grafton Architects space. A play with volumes and light, it consisted of various forms that looked like concrete slabs (but surely weren't that heavy), alternating in height and dimensions. Simply brilliant.</div>
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Then it was out to the exhibition's reception area, passing beforehand through a projection space cocooned in gauze.</div>
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There were projections of snippets from the architect's views and quotes on the gauzy fabric surrounding the reception. One could get the quotes on printed cards for free, which was a nice detail.</div>
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What we managed to miss, due to the fact that we were in a hurry and a bit dazed after a whole day of work, was the Kengo Kuma installation, in the gallery right next to the Pezo von Ellrichshausen installation. I am really sorry to have missed it, not only because Kuma is a favourite, but because it used the sense of smell to enrich your experience. Below is a photo of it from the exhibition website:</div>
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In the real courtyard of the Academy, one could also see the installation of Álvaro Siza. It was another fantastic exhibition I managed to see in London and one I will remember forever.</div>
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<i>Parts of the text analysing the exhibition were taken from the leaflet accompanying it ,written by the curator, Kate Goodwin.</i>Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-58049396629360575582014-04-05T13:59:00.002+03:002014-04-05T13:59:29.769+03:00From Club to Catwalk: 80s Fashion<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another exhibition I was very lucky to see in London this past January was one in <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/" target="_blank">V&A</a> (it ended in February), dedicated to 80s Fashion.<a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-from-club-to-catwalk-london-fashion-in-the-80s/" target="_blank"> From Club To Catwalk: London Fashion</a> in the 1980s explored the creative explosion of London fashion in that decade. Through more than 85 outfits, the exhibition showcased the bold and exciting new looks by the most experimental (and then young) designers of the decade, including Betty Jackson, Katharine Hamnett, Wendy Dagworthy and John Galliano.
The exhibition traced the emerging theatricality in British fashion as the capital’s vibrant and eclectic club scene influenced a new generation of designers. Also celebrating iconic styles such as New Romantic and High Camp, and featuring outfits worn by Adam Ant and Leigh Bowery, the exhibition explored how the creative relationship between catwalk and club wear helped reinvent fashion, as reflected in magazines such as i-D and Blitz and venues including Heaven and Taboo.</div>
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For me it was like travelling back in time, re-living my teens, remembering things I had completely forgotten, identifying stuff I used to pore over in 80s magazines, seeing amazing clothes and remembering songs and events that marked my adolescence. Then it suddenly dawned on me: my teen years were encapsulated in a museum exhibition! I felt really old and odd at the same time. Luckily that feeling passed by quickly as I thoroughly enjoyed the outfits and photos, the texts and layout of the exhibition, which was minimal but thoroughly into the spirit of the decade with the bold graphics and colours. One of the best parts was a dark room with small screens all over, playing a slide show of photos from the clubs of that era, accompanied by the appropriate soundtrack. One could recognise all the famous (and not so famous) people of 80s London, even seeing together people one would not imagine had met. Below you can read about the concept of the exhibition. </div>
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The ’80s saw the explosion of the London club scene. Specialist club ‘nights’ offered opportunities for dressing up in the company of a like-minded crowd. Stevie Stewart of Body Map explained that ‘each group of people, whether they were fashion designers, musicians or dancers, filmmakers, living together and going out together had a passion for creating something new that was almost infectious’.
Early clubs such as Billy’s, Blitz and the Club for Heroes were small and attracted a selective crowd. As the decade progressed, venues such as the Camden Palace and one-off warehouse parties began to attract much larger audiences. Although less intimate, they perpetuated the creative link between music, club and catwalk. This symbiotic relationship remained the defining characteristic of 1980s style.</div>
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In the early ’80s, London fashion began to create a stir internationally. Fashion shows took place in New York and Japan. One breakthrough event, titled ‘London Goes to Tokyo’, included many of the designers featured here and in the upstairs gallery.
The inventiveness of London design owed much to the excellence of the city’s arts education. Colleges such as St Martin’s, the Royal College of Art and Hornsey College of Art offered advanced training in the fundamentals of fashion design, while also encouraging individuality.
At night, young designers’ imaginations were sparked by a vibrant London club scene. John Galliano recalled, ‘Thursday and Friday at St Martin’s, the college was almost deserted. Everybody was at home working on their costumes for the weekend’. Designer Georgina Godley remembers, 'Young London was all about taking risks and creating something out of nothing through passion and ambition'.</div>
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Amidst the colourful extravagance of 1980s fashion, one label in particular stood out thanks to their pioneering approach to making and showing their creations: Body Map. The exhibition looked back at the DIY origins of the label with its two founders, Stevie Stewart and David Holah, and of collaborations with a young Mario Testino, Michael Clark and David LaChapelle, among others.</div>
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In July 1986, era-defining style magazine BLITZ published an issue featuring images of 22 Levi’s denim jackets that had been customised by some of the world’s most lauded designers – Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and Katherine Hamnett among them. The jackets went on to be worn during a special evening of performance, and were displayed at the V&A. Apart from some of the outfits, there was a video of the show presenting the fashions, with each ensemble presented by a model and a group/singer. Patsy Kensit was one of the models! Below is Leigh Bowery's entry.</div>
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The variety of styles exhibited are credit to the diverse background and aesthetic of the designers back then and it also chronicles the transformation of British fashion from small, local and self-centred to large, international and global.</div>
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I am sorry for the quality of my photos but they were taken with my iPhone without flash and in a hurry until a kind lady from the museum stopped me! <a href="http://www.vandashop.com/80s-Fashion-From-Catwalk-Paperback/dp/1851777253?field_availability=-1&field_browse=2906935031&id=80s+Fashion+From+Catwalk+Paperback&ie=UTF8&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Cgeneric_text_9-bin%2Cgeneric_text_1-bin%2Cprice&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cgeneric_text_9-bin%2Cgeneric_text_1-bin%2Cprice&searchNodeID=2906935031&searchPage=1&searchRank=relevancerank&searchSize=12" target="_blank">The catalogue accompanying the exhibition</a> is a must for every fashion enthusiast and designer, with rare material inside.</div>
Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-8246330737237661182014-03-25T21:05:00.003+02:002014-03-25T21:05:52.432+02:00Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore: a very emotional exhibition<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last January I had the immense pleasure of seeing the <a href="http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/about/press/press-releases/isabella-blow-fashion-galore-" target="_blank">Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore</a> exhibition at Somerset House in London. Since the moment my trip to England's capital was finalized, I set my eyes upon seeing this unique show, to have the chance to be intimate with the scores of her amazing clothes by famous designers such as Alexander McQueen or Housseing Chalayan or Prada. But that was not the only reason. Blow was a unique creature, a woman who had managed to infuse the fashion world with her singular sense of style and aesthetics, her vision and her love for up and coming talented designers.</div>
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Isabella Blow by Mario Testino, 1997. Image used as the show's poster.</div>
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Who was she? One of the scores of British aristocracy offspring, born into an infamous family (her grandfather was involved in the White Mischief scandal), she eventually had to work to make ends meet despite her lineage. Born Isabella Delves Broughton in 1950’s post-war Britain, with a family
seat at Doddington Hall in Cheshire, her family history can be traced
back to the 14th Century – a factor which played an important part in
Isabella’s life. Having been brought up in a rarified world of aristocracy, she said in an interview that it was trying on her mother's pink hat that sowed the seed of her love for fashion. The remnant turret of Doddington Castle where she played as a child, incorporated into the ancestral seat of Doddington Hall designed by Wyatt, was also instrumental to her love of medieval aesthetic.</div>
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Isabella Blow wearing Philip Treacy's Castle Hat, 1999, photo by <a href="http://pascalchevallier.com/" target="_blank">Pascal Chevalier </a></div>
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Isabella’s thirty year career began in the early 80s as Anna Wintour’s assistant at US Vogue. On her return to London in 1986 she worked at Tatler followed by British Vogue. In 1997 she became the Fashion Director of the Sunday Times Style after which she returned to Tatler as Fashion Director. Driven by a passion for creativity, Isabella is credited for having nurtured and inspired numerous artists and designers. And her amazing collection of clothes really reflects that.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cu40UrqedvE/UzHOYMsr96I/AAAAAAAAOWg/-JtudCeWRAs/s1600/Sean-Ellis-Isabella-Blow-designer-Philip-Treacy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cu40UrqedvE/UzHOYMsr96I/AAAAAAAAOWg/-JtudCeWRAs/s1600/Sean-Ellis-Isabella-Blow-designer-Philip-Treacy.jpg" height="640" width="422" /> </a></div>
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Isabella Blow with Philip Tracey hat, photo by Sean Ellis </div>
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The exhibition showcased over a hundred pieces from her incredibly rich collection, one of the most important private collections of late 20th Century/early 21st Century British fashion design, now owned by Daphne Guinness. This includes garments from the many designer talents she discovered and launched, such as Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, Hussein Chalayan and Julien Macdonald amongst others. </div>
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Exhibition entrance, photo by Stratos Bacalis </div>
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From the moment one arrived on the Somerset House Embankment Galleries entrance from the Thames, you got the sense this was no ordinary exhibition. A sense that was confirmed upon seeing the first room, in darkness interrupted by spotlighst focusing on select details of her personal life. The first section of the exhibition explored Isabella’s background, and her British aristocratic ancestral roots. Highlights included family photographs and the sculpture entitled ‘Isabella Blow’ by Tim Noble and Sue Webster, made of various artifacts of her that shaped, when properly lit, her portrait on the back wall.</div>
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The second section featured pieces from Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy’s graduate MA collections from Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art respectively, including Isabella’s wedding headdress. Exploring the way in which both designers used whatever they could get their hands on to make their garments and hats, this section celebrated the beginnings of their careers and the talent Isabella saw in them and her eye for discovering young talent. </div>
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The next section, to which one had to walk up a flight of stairs,
exhibited key items from McQueen and Treacy’s AW 1996 collections.
McQueen dedicated his AW 1996 collection, entitled Dante, to Isabella
and this was his first season to receive international critical acclaim.
There was a screen where one could watch the video of the show,
an indelible moment in fashion history. The set up of the outfits was
really impressive, most of all the outfit with the antler headdress that
loomed ominously over the visitors. I got goosebumps seeing all this and
they never left me till I exited the show. This same year Isabella
styled Philip Treacy’s AW 1996 collection, key items of which were
exhibited. Again the exhibit incorporated a video of Isabella talking
about Philip. It really showcased these two very important collections,
significant not only for the respective designers but also for
establishing Isabella as a fashion authority. Some of her personal items
were also exhibited here: her notebook, letters, faxes, lipstick and
worn shoes. </div>
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Adjacent to the previous section was a huge hedge installation, inspired by Isabella’s love of the English countryside that displayed groups of clothing from her collection presented in four themes conjuring the fantastical world Isabella inhabited and drew inspiration from, reflecting her love of birds, flowers and the surreal. Works in this section showed off a number of Isabella’s favourite designers, including clothing by Jeremy Scott, Comme des Garçons, Julien Macdonald, Viktor and Rolf and Undercover alongside accessories by Philip Treacy and Erik Halley. The sets, either on pedestals or showcases, were incredible, with Tracey's famous ship hat (the one that was on her casket for the funeral) and Halley's lobsters most prominent.</div>
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A small flight of stairs on the left was the next room, where Shona Heath created bespoke Isabella Blow mannequins wearing full outfits worn by her, built by referencing archival documentary images. These were displayed on a high pedestal so one had to look up to see them, like worshipping Isabella on an altar. These demonstrated her distinctive, eclectic style and mixing of designer pieces. She was quoted as saying "Fashion is a vampiric thing, it's the hoover on your brain. That's why I wear the hats, to keep everyone away from me”, demonstrating the way in which Isabella wore her clothing as a form of armour. Pieces here included McQueen for Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, Fendi, Philip Treacy, Escada, Teerabul Songvich, Dior, Prada, Jeremy Scott, Benoit Meleard for Jeremy Scott, Viktor and Rolf, John Galliano for Dior, Manolo Blahnik and Marni.</div>
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Right next to this section was a room dedicated to one of Isabella’s most famous and successful shoots with Steven Meisel for British Vogue December 1993 entitled ‘Anglo Saxon Attitudes’, featuring Stella Tennant, Honor Fraser, Plum Sykes, Bella Freud and Lady Louise Campbell, the first time any of them had graced the pages of a magazine, showcasing Isabella’s eye for spotting talent.</div>
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Next up was the last section with her own clothes. Taken from Isabella’s owns words: “Tip: Always accentuate the head and the feet”, this part of the exhibition looked at the importance that hats and shoes played in her life- she was rarely seen without a McQueen outfit, Treacy hat and Manolo Blahnik shoes. Representing Isabella’s work and urban London life installations by Shona Heath were created to exhibit hats and shoes from her collection.</div>
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For the final section in the exhibition you had to walk down a flight of stairs again and enter a black space where La Dame Bleue was displayed: the S/S 2008 Alexander McQueen collection that Lee and Philip Treacy collaborated on and dedicated to Isabella after her death. The collection was inspired by Isabella and to end on this note evoked both her legacy and her importance.The selection of outfits shown here was impressive, especially the masterpiece long gown made of small feathers. And if that was not enough to bring tears to my eyes, there was a room at the far end where the video of the show was projected on a wall, so one had the feeling of being there and watching it live. I sat through all of it and was moved profoundly of how much the love that Lee (who would follow her to death a few years later) and Treacy infused the collection.</div>
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Daphne Guinness said: “This exhibition is, to me, a bittersweet event. Isabella Blow made our world more vivid, trailing colour with every pace she took. It is a sorrier place for her absence. When I visited her beloved clothes in a storage room in South Kensington, it seemed quite clear the collection would be of immense value to a great many people. I do believe that in choosing to exhibit them we’ve done the right thing – and that it is what she would have wanted. I am doing this in memory of a dear friend, in the hope that her legacy may continue to aid and inspire generations of designers to come”.</div>
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The show was curated by Alistair O’Neill with Shonagh Marshall and designed by award-winning architectural firm Carmody Groarke, with installations by celebrated set designer Shona Heath. Graphic design was by Graphic Thought Facility and exhibition production by Richard Greenwood Partnership. To accompany the exhibition,<a href="http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/isabella-blow-fashion-galore/the-book" target="_blank"> there was a catalogue</a> with new, commissioned photography by Nick Knight of the Isabella Blow Collection, edited by Alistair O’Neil with essays by Alistair O’Neil, Professor Caroline Evans, Alexander Fury and Shonagh Marshall, designed by Graphic Thought Facility and published by Rizzoli, which of course I acquired, both as a memento of this incredible experience and as a fashion reference and great addition to my library.</div>
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<i>All photos by <a href="http://www.petermacdiarmid.com/" target="_blank">Peter Macdiarmid</a>/Getty Images for Somerset House unless otherwise credited.</i>Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-226084435119238722014-03-20T20:35:00.004+02:002014-03-20T20:35:45.317+02:00White Island Works rings - art becomes wearable<div style="text-align: justify;">
Konstantinos Papamichalopoulos and Artemis Lydl are a creative couple that I have come to known for a few years now and happy to call friends. They are extraordinary people, smart and artistic, always ready to engage into thoughtful conversation. Constantinos is an accomplished artist that not only paints but also illustrates (has been published numerous times in Greek newspapers and magazines) and draws comics. They both create books , apps, videogames and art. Their most recent venture (apart from making their family bigger) is their extraordinary biomorphic black rings.</div>
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The design of the rings derives from Konstantinos' artwork, namely the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/whiteislandworks" target="_blank">White Island Works</a> series. They translated fragments of it into small pieces, set as precious gems on rings, ready to be worn by everyone.</div>
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They come in various shapes and sizes and new designs are added to the mix. I love the graphic feel of the artwork and the layered edges.</div>
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The detail of design and quality of construction is amazing. Even the box they come in looks very fetching. </div>
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You can buy them (and other stuff from the series as well) <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/WhiteIslandWorks?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">from their Etsy shop</a>. The prices are amazing. So what are you waiting for?</div>
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Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-79535953323427197262014-03-08T14:05:00.004+02:002014-03-08T14:05:57.844+02:00Christian Tagliavini - a fantasy world of paper and cardboard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are some creative people that stand out in your mind, above all else, with their ability to make something that speaks directly to your inner self. One artist like this is <a href="http://www.christiantagliavini.com/" target="_blank">Christian Tagliavini</a>, a graphic designer and photographer. I had seen Tagliavini's work many times in the past on-line, marvelling at what he does using cardboard an paper to create elaborate costumes that dress up his models accordng to the concept he is working on at the time. A recent encounter with some of his work up close, remined me of his extraoidrinary talent again, and I thought I would share it with you.</div>
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He is Swiss-Italian, educated in Italy and Switzerland, where he lives and works as a photographer.
This provides him the perfect frame and background to invent, create and totally produce images that blend fine arts and craftsmanship.
Christian Tagliavini loves designing stories with open endings (requiring the observer’s complicity) on unexplored themes or unusual concepts, featuring uncommon people with their lives and their thoughts made visible. This rich and exciting collision of circumstances results in his exquisite photos. he has received numerous international awards and has exhibited his work all over the world. his latest show was in Berlin in 2013.</div>
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I love the photographs he creates as well as the incredible costumes. He makes them himself using mainly paper and cardboard, printed, cut and glued in intricate ways, bringing to life fairytales and forgotten worlds. I'd love to have one precent of his creativity to make stuff like this for my fashion dolls.</div>
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Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-30654910785045283122014-03-03T15:01:00.001+02:002014-03-03T15:01:38.123+02:00So who won the Oscar for best-dressed?<div style="text-align: justify;">
The red carpet has become a major advertising opportunity for fashion brands, who will do anyhting possible to get their stuff on the most famous and likel to be awarded people attending. It is a battle field strewn with the "corpses"of stylists, hairdressers, make up artists and personal assistants, who wage the war behind the scenes. Let's see who won this year (all photos courtesy of wwd.com and Donato Sardella).</div>
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For me the first place is a tie - Two amazing women ruled the red carpet. First up it's Lupita Nyong'o in custom made Prada (she said she helped design the dress with a concept of bubbly champagne and the blue she was surrounded with growing up in Kenya) and Fred Leighton jewelry. Absolutely stunning. The way she moved with it showed an amazing command of the dress. She's an Audrey Hepburn in the making.</div>
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The second lady up up up there at the top of the best dressed is Charlize Theron. Wearing black Dior Haute Couture and Harry Winston jewelry, she is pure Hollywood royalty.</div>
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Naomi Watts in Calvin Klein Collection by Francisco Costa and Bulgari jewelry is a vision in white. Elegant, stunning, gorgeous.</div>
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Usually her fashion choices leave a lot to be desired but last night she was a winner in the fashion category. Sandra Bullock nailed in Alexander McQueen and Lorraine Schwarz jewelry. Her hair looks great too. I think it needed a cuff instead of a bracelet though.</div>
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This one combines a 70s vibe with that old Hollywood glamour of the 30s we know and love so much. Kate Hudson is breathtaking in Versace and Neil Lane jewelry. It looked equally good without the cape.</div>
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Wonder how she got to wear Chanel Couture while not being nominated - maybe just presenting an award clinched the deal. Ethereal. Her hair looked better on TV. Her jewellery is by Tiffany & Co. Pity she did not have her best accessory with her (Justin is on tour).</div>
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Amy Adams looks stunning in blue Gucci Premiere Couture and Tiffany & Co. Blue was the colour of choice this year, particularly in navy or ultramarine shades. Darren Le Gallo looks dashing too. More elegant gents at the end of the post (ladies first always!).</div>
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I really love Karen O and she did not dissapoint me at her first Oscar ceremony - her performance was great, singing The Moon Song from the film Her gown is by Camilla Stærk, with Forevermark jewelry. She looks like coming out of an old Holywood film, very Art Deco-late 20s-early 30s. Her red gown during the performance was great too. </div>
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Speaking of the 20s, Jennifer Garner's Oscar de la Renta dress has that flapper vibe but her hair-don't misses the point completely. Otherwise it looks fantastic.</div>
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I love Jennifer Lawrence and this Dior Haute Couture dress with Neil Lane jewellery (back necklace again, feels so last year). looks good on her but I think she needed something better for the ceremony. Her Hillary Clinton (thanks Peter Davis for the comment!) hair does not help either. </div>
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Emma Watson's Vera Wang dress, with Chanel jewllery, is one of those dresses that look great in movement and on film but not in photos. She looked absolutely stunning walking down the Oscars stage to present an award. Love the bold red lipstick too.</div>
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Cate Blanchett's Armani Privé dress would have been perfect if it did not have those weird things embroidered on it - there is such a variety of things ot pick when embroidering a couture dress. Her giant opal drop earrings from Chopard are stunning. Amazing hair and make up too. Divine.</div>
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Kerry Washington was one of two gorgeous pregnent ladies attending (I know there was a third but the dress was a disaster). She is in a custom made Jason Wu dress (his first Oscar dress) and Jennifer Meyer jewelry.</div>
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The second beautiful and elegant pregnatn lady was Olivia Wilde with a dashing Jason Sudeikis bu her side (in Prada). Olivia is in Valentino and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.</div>
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On with the gents now - Ewan McGregor wins hands down, with his sharp tux. Could not find where it's from. Wouldn't mind seeing him in a kilt on the red carpet too. His lovely wife Eve Mavrakis is wearing Marni.</div>
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Joseph Gordon Levitt is elegant and sharp in Calvin Klein Collection.</div>
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You can do no wrong with Tom Ford. Yes Bradley Cooper, you got it right this time. </div>
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Oscar winner (much deserved) Jared Leto looks dashing (if only he'd cut that hair) in Saint Laurent.</div>
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Kevin Spacey was a bit drunk but looked smart (and a bit retro, reminding me of his Bobby Darrin role) in Burberry.</div>
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Most handsome actor ever (they should give him that award at least) is always Michael Fassbender. Wearing a Tom Ford tuxedo does not hurt either. With him is his mother (we thank you Ms. Adele Fassbender for giving us Michael).</div>
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Last, but not least, Benedict Cumberbatch in Spencer Hart. Of course a Brit would wear a Saville Row suit and look dapper, wouldn't he? </div>
Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-45656682656157333772014-02-22T12:05:00.000+02:002014-02-22T12:05:03.949+02:00Design at auction<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is not unusual for famous designers to collaborate on designing a collection or on a single product. But having the notoriously reclusive Jony Ive of Apple and the multifaceted Marc Newson curating a collection of one-of-a-kind coveted design objects to be auctioned off from Sotheby’s for the) Product (RED charity project of Bono was surely the design event of 2013.</div>
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No one can say that either Ive or Newson are household names. Yet they are famous for designing coveted products that are mass-produced although each one does it in a very unique and different way from the other. Ive is responsible for some of the most iconic products that came out of Apple since its re-invention by Steve Jobs on his second term there. The iPod iMac, iPhone, MacBook etc. all have his stamp on them. Now he even oversees the software division’s design.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dGoSB9pe4AY/Uwh0PGhlYlI/AAAAAAAAOJY/6VNHVqUQDgE/s1600/130819RD_macpro_back_263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dGoSB9pe4AY/Uwh0PGhlYlI/AAAAAAAAOJY/6VNHVqUQDgE/s1600/130819RD_macpro_back_263.jpg" height="640" width="430" /></a></div>
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Newson on the other hand is his own man, working as a freelancer for various companies and has designed products that range from the extremely exclusive (the Lockheed Lounge chair was an edition of ten) to the mass produced (for example his G-Star Raw collection). Both are fascinated by materials and the manufacturing process: it is the way of making the objects that infuses their design philosophies.
It might come as a surprise to some, but the two men are close friends for some years now, having been introduced in Japan in the late 90s; They share a love of cars that leads them to spend time together visiting antique car fairs.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExUl0bmflRs/Uwh0ZAxUqRI/AAAAAAAAOJg/yXT5EATZu_c/s1600/130813RD_newson_table_top_057_key_and_chamfer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExUl0bmflRs/Uwh0ZAxUqRI/AAAAAAAAOJg/yXT5EATZu_c/s1600/130813RD_newson_table_top_057_key_and_chamfer.jpg" height="296" width="640" /></a></div>
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Bono, who knew Ive for years (they met when Apple released the U2 iPod in 2004), first asked Newson to design something for Product (RED) in 2007. Eventually, and after the successful art auction Damien Hirst organized for the charity, Bono decided to bring the two men together to curate a similar project on design.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lFpvg4qGWTY/Uwh0m_AYfMI/AAAAAAAAOJo/6DZSJixhsF0/s1600/130813RD_alaia_dress_019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lFpvg4qGWTY/Uwh0m_AYfMI/AAAAAAAAOJo/6DZSJixhsF0/s1600/130813RD_alaia_dress_019.jpg" height="640" width="330" /></a></div>
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Simply amassing a collection of favourite design objects was not an option: too much, too easy. Instead, they focused on a core group of about 40 objects re-imagined in one-of-a-kind versions from the design duo, some unique finds (a space shuttle glass window made by Corning), plus a pair of items they designed especially for the event: a desk produced by Neal Feay Studio that reminds one of the latest iMac model with its ultra-thin edges (but the top looks more Newson than Ive) and a camera based on the Leica Digital Rangefinder, made by the revered company as a custom object. Even an Alaia dress was added.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRux09j09aI/Uwh0wLiN1QI/AAAAAAAAOJw/tOFEDS9e0Rs/s1600/130613RD_Leica_219_alt_angle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRux09j09aI/Uwh0wLiN1QI/AAAAAAAAOJw/tOFEDS9e0Rs/s1600/130613RD_Leica_219_alt_angle.jpg" height="492" width="640" /></a></div>
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The whole process took almost a year and a half to finish, mostly because manufacturing most of these unique items takes such a long time – no one can hurry the making of a Hermes saddle. After all, time is the ultimate luxury and luxury objects need time to be hand-crafted carefully to their exalting standards. The collection was auctioned on November 23 at <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2013/null-n09014.html#&i=0&fs=salePrice-desc" target="_blank">Sotheby’s in New York</a>. The auction amassed 12,883,000$, with the Steinway piano fetching the largest price, a staggering 1,925,000$, the Leica camera in 2nd place with 1,805,000$ and the Ive/Newson table third with 1,685,000$.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bLslNQqN_Lk/Uwh1xg350II/AAAAAAAAOJ8/wE-PRY8Qz7g/s1600/130612RD_steinway_piano_052_key.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bLslNQqN_Lk/Uwh1xg350II/AAAAAAAAOJ8/wE-PRY8Qz7g/s1600/130612RD_steinway_piano_052_key.jpg" height="630" width="640" /></a></div>
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Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-28490924293102603152014-01-26T14:41:00.001+02:002014-01-26T14:41:17.615+02:0030 years of Apple's Mackintosh computer<div style="text-align: justify;">
30 years ago, Apple released what would be a life-changing device for many people - the Mackintosh computer. Presented in a now iconic way, with a commercial that is still one of the best ever created, it brought a new way of using computers, making it more user-friendly, innovative, inspirational and unique. It brought creativity on everyone's fingertips.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GgFO7iBeYCI/UuT9yRokIcI/AAAAAAAAN4c/MbaOey7xwj4/s1600/hero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GgFO7iBeYCI/UuT9yRokIcI/AAAAAAAAN4c/MbaOey7xwj4/s1600/hero.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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The one that started it all — the original Macintosh — wasn’t just a computer. It was a declaration that the power of the computer now belonged to everyone. At the time, most people didn’t even know how to use one. But thanks to the simple graphical interface of the Macintosh, they didn’t have to. It was approachable and friendly, starting with the smiley face that greeted you. There were folders that looked like file folders and a trash can for throwing things away. And with the click of a mouse, you could suddenly do the unimaginable. You could move things around on the screen, change the way they looked, combine words with images and sounds, and create like never before. A new era had begun.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1H5PLj3bm4/UuT-YgD0wWI/AAAAAAAAN4k/G7hEnFTAL9Y/s1600/product.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1H5PLj3bm4/UuT-YgD0wWI/AAAAAAAAN4k/G7hEnFTAL9Y/s1600/product.jpg" height="538" width="640" /></a></div>
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Released on March 2nd, 1987, the Macintosh II featured a new modular design that could support a much broader range of displays — including some that offered colour. With the simple addition of a video card, the Macintosh II could display 256 glorious colours from a palette of 16.7 million.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LIPH1YBikgY/UuT-2F9fhdI/AAAAAAAAN4s/p3uoa81QvZw/s1600/product+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LIPH1YBikgY/UuT-2F9fhdI/AAAAAAAAN4s/p3uoa81QvZw/s1600/product+(1).jpg" height="552" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Macintosh Portable was Apple’s first battery-powered computer and it came out in 1989. Weighing almost 16 pounds, it wasn’t nearly as portable as today’s notebooks. But that didn’t stop it from being the first off-the-shelf notebook to be taken into space, aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in 1991. Among other things, it was used to send the very first email from space.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OjSGx1N1c4k/UuT_aXbIlZI/AAAAAAAAN40/vlqsJu-K8fE/s1600/product+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OjSGx1N1c4k/UuT_aXbIlZI/AAAAAAAAN40/vlqsJu-K8fE/s1600/product+(2).jpg" height="496" width="640" /></a></div>
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The original iMac (1998) marked the beginning of a new chapter for Apple and computers. The lowercase i in its name signaled something new and important — the Internet — and showed that the iMac was built for the next age of communication. It was the first computer to do away with floppy disks and popularize the USB port. Its egg-shaped, all-in-one design wasn’t like anything anyone had seen before. The translucent shell came in an eye-catching Bondi Blue, with other colours added later. But the most beautiful part of iMac was its simplicity: You just plugged it in and turned it on.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2u086j5SkUY/UuT_8eEaC-I/AAAAAAAAN48/13tNTIUqwMA/s1600/product+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2u086j5SkUY/UuT_8eEaC-I/AAAAAAAAN48/13tNTIUqwMA/s1600/product+(3).jpg" height="544" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Power Mac G4 (1999) was heralded as the world’s first personal supercomputer. It was so powerful it was even classified as a weapon by the U.S. government. Paired with Final Cut Pro, which also debuted this year, it brought Hollywood-quality editing capabilities to a desktop computer.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yEKS-1U0Lms/UuUAZiqsMRI/AAAAAAAAN5E/o-c9bhoFAmU/s1600/product+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yEKS-1U0Lms/UuUAZiqsMRI/AAAAAAAAN5E/o-c9bhoFAmU/s1600/product+(4).jpg" height="640" width="462" /></a></div>
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The Power Mac G5 (2004) was the first desktop computer with 64-bit architecture. It also introduced the tower design that would define pro computing in the years to come. Inside its beautiful anodized aluminium chassis was amazing power and expandability and the engine that would propel a decade of creativity.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TRppN347Nx0/UuUBw6KOnZI/AAAAAAAAN5Q/xmYTBQPP0uk/s1600/mac-pro-step1-hero-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TRppN347Nx0/UuUBw6KOnZI/AAAAAAAAN5Q/xmYTBQPP0uk/s1600/mac-pro-step1-hero-2013.jpg" height="640" width="352" /></a></div>
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The new Mac Pro (2014) isn’t just a big leap forward, it’s a huge change in direction. It takes the most advanced technologies available today and puts them together like no computer before it. With two workstation-class graphics processors, incredibly fast flash storage, and unprecedented expansion capabilities, it’s designed to create on an epic scale. And we can’t wait to see what you’ll do with it.</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.apple.com/30-years/#mac30" target="_blank">Check out a video about Mackintosh computers from Apple.</a>Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-62346211919796391292014-01-20T20:30:00.000+02:002014-01-20T20:30:11.136+02:00Adidas Stan Smiths are back! And so is this blog!<div style="text-align: justify;">
It has been a while since I have written anything in this blog. Quite a while in fact. Late last year I decided I had to start writing here again, as this is my first blog and it used to be my main one, a place currently occupied by The Fashion Doll Chronicles. But hopefully The Sandman Chronicles can return back with a heart. And what better start then the return of my favourite shoes: <a href="http://www.adidas.com/" target="_blank">Adidas</a>, after a two year hiatus, is bringing Stan Smiths back.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b712cPfUSC0/Ut1k2ABhy2I/AAAAAAAAN34/zVt6FC5GjNI/s1600/originals-ss14-stan-smith-hp_68-30482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b712cPfUSC0/Ut1k2ABhy2I/AAAAAAAAN34/zVt6FC5GjNI/s1600/originals-ss14-stan-smith-hp_68-30482.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I do not know the reasons behind them being out of stock for so long, probably just a way to make demand stronger. After all it is an all time classic shoe and one of their Originals, so it would make no sense not selling a design that is still popular after all these years; in fact it has sold 40 million pairs since 1971, apparently making it the most popular sports shoe ever.. I had not noticed the absence until last month a salesperson in an athletics chain store informed me that they were out of stock for the last two years but would return in 2014. And return they did.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r9nt9KA1Ct0/Ut1l1WlPIcI/AAAAAAAAN4E/f3u2jh9_lZU/s1600/D67361_LSL_B2CCat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r9nt9KA1Ct0/Ut1l1WlPIcI/AAAAAAAAN4E/f3u2jh9_lZU/s1600/D67361_LSL_B2CCat.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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So what is new with the re-issue? While the main design is the same, some details have been changed. The Stan Smith shoe is now using sustainable leather and other re-purposed materials to give it a premium eco-friendly make-over. It features a soft leather lining, the classic perforated 3-Stripes, and an off-white rubber out-sole. And it seems the Stan Smith face is now printed on the tongue (the pairs I have owned through the years never had it, just his name). The back tab is also now available in red (I think only the classic green and blue were available before). Plus a line of bright suede versions will be available from March 2014.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uZVLQ_1Jv6w/Ut1oberIHuI/AAAAAAAAN4M/KEdPemGbekY/s1600/D67361_TPP_B2CCat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uZVLQ_1Jv6w/Ut1oberIHuI/AAAAAAAAN4M/KEdPemGbekY/s1600/D67361_TPP_B2CCat.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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The promotion of the relaunch is employing a variety of media and manners - even a pop up store designed like a shoe box was erected for a couple of weeks in East London. There is also a twitter campaign that invites people to post their photos on twitter with the hope of being <a href="http://www.global.adidas.com/Stan-Smith-Twitter/help-topics-tnc-STAN-Twitter,en_NG,pg.html?cm_mmc=AdiSocialMedia_twitter-_-gr_brand-_-adi_originals_tweet-_-20140110_other&cm_mmca1=gr" target="_blank">"Stan'd"</a>- i.e. get their name and photo printed on the tongue of a personalised pair of Stan Smiths for them. Years ago I had written a post here about why this design is my favourite one and it's history and background, which includes a neat association with the film Blade Runner.<a href="http://sandman-chronicles.blogspot.gr/2008/04/blogger-game-favourite-pair-of-shoes.html" target="_blank"> You can read all of it here</a>.</div>
Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-78379911139612510492013-12-24T22:02:00.002+02:002013-12-24T22:02:50.370+02:00Happy Holidays to all!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4MlZjfOrjg/UrnoRRT_atI/AAAAAAAAN10/_QChVwXFFD8/s1600/CARD2013_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4MlZjfOrjg/UrnoRRT_atI/AAAAAAAAN10/_QChVwXFFD8/s640/CARD2013_s.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>
<br />Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-71337769501381235722012-12-24T16:10:00.002+02:002012-12-24T16:10:47.941+02:00'Tis The Season!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mi_cx9BhqDM/UNd7407DhmI/AAAAAAAALMI/g5YKf-JO_II/s1600/CARD2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mi_cx9BhqDM/UNd7407DhmI/AAAAAAAALMI/g5YKf-JO_II/s640/CARD2012.jpg" width="508" /></a></div>
<br />Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-1294940523708591642012-11-23T16:48:00.000+02:002012-11-23T16:48:05.169+02:00OpenHouse Thessaloniki - 24th & 25th of November 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R350WSmLPLM/UK-JmHVQ1lI/AAAAAAAAK6Y/VkwizMQKSa0/s1600/13527487501197769073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="363" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R350WSmLPLM/UK-JmHVQ1lI/AAAAAAAAK6Y/VkwizMQKSa0/s640/13527487501197769073.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In 2012 Thessaloniki joined the <a href="http://www.openhouseworldwide.org/" target="_blank">Open House</a> family and started organizing an event that will celebrate the city’s architecture and design.
Open House is a simple but powerful concept: showcasing outstanding architecture for all to experience, completely for free. Open House initiatives invite everyone to explore and understand the value of a well-designed built environment.
The Open House event started in London in 1992, gaining in the past 20 years a lot of appreciation and support. Today 21 cities are members of the Open House Worldwide family and host annually this event, including New York, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Helsinki, Melbourne, Barcelona, Chicago, Rome, Lisbon etc.
The first Open House event in Greece is taking place on 24th and 25th of November in Thessaloniki. Selected architectural sites will be open to the public during this weekend.
The event is organised by the non-governmental and non-profit organisation Open House Greece, founded in 2012.
<a href="http://www.openhousethessaloniki.gr/en/" target="_blank">Open House Thessaloniki</a> aspires to expose the architectural treasures of this dynamic city, and make architecture accessible to all. Its aim is to contribute to the deeper understanding of urban design and public space, and enable all citizens and visitors to explore and understand the value of a well-designed built environment.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/52974206?badge=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/52974206">Open House Thessaloniki</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/senselens">senselens</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Visits to buildings will take place in the following way:
1. Select from <a href="http://www.openhousethessaloniki.gr/en/program/" target="_blank">the program </a>which buildings you are interested to visit
2. Check the opening hours
3. Visit the building
4. Entrance to the building is done regularly when group of people with specific number is formed
5. No pre-booking is needed
6. Admission is free to all</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fe2yJcb12Xo/UK-KR0NKSFI/AAAAAAAAK6g/mVZ_xW3Q4zA/s1600/1353427401831988706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fe2yJcb12Xo/UK-KR0NKSFI/AAAAAAAAK6g/mVZ_xW3Q4zA/s640/1353427401831988706.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The visitors who will walk around the center of the city on 24 & 25 of November will meet the colored boxes that WHYNOT designed as a parallel project for Open House Thessaloniki, in order to mark the buildings that take part in Open House Thessaloniki event. Inside the first 12 boxes you will find a map with information about the buildings (address and visiting hours) and about the way to reach the next spot. A surprise is waiting for you inside the 13th box!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F17JblcPhq0/UK-LiJH5NvI/AAAAAAAAK6o/07v6WevedgQ/s1600/OHT2012_xartis_ktiriwn_layer2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F17JblcPhq0/UK-LiJH5NvI/AAAAAAAAK6o/07v6WevedgQ/s640/OHT2012_xartis_ktiriwn_layer2.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
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Above is the map of Thessaloniki showing the buildings included in the program. </div>
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Check out the changes that have been made on the visiting hours of the original program:
Latomou Monastery (Osios David) New visiting hours for Saturday: 10.00-12.00
Saint Sophia Church New visiting hours for Saturday: 10.00-12.30
National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation Tours at 10.00, 11.30 and 13.00
New Waterfront of Thessaloniki New visiting hours for Saturday and Sunday: 10.00-19.00
B' Concert Hall New visiting hours for Saturday: 17.00-20.00
Residence building in Argonafton New visiting hours for Sunday: 11.00-13.00
"Aliki Perroti: student residence New visiting hours for Saturday: 10.00-17.00
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Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-68870416553728068292012-08-22T13:53:00.000+03:002013-01-24T21:07:37.785+02:00Information Centre for Lake Pamvotis, Nissi, Ioannina<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Information Centre for Lake Pamvotis opened last May in the Nissi village on the sole island of the lake, near Ioannina in Greece. It is housed in a traditional old building that was renovated for the purpose. The Centre is providing visitors with information about the lake and the surrounding area. Its design, the museological and museographic planning is by <a href="http://www.tetragon.gr/" target="_blank">Tetragon Ltd</a>. (the company I work for). Official contractors for this project are <a href="http://www.tetragon.gr/" target="_blank">Tetragon Ltd</a>, <a href="http://www.oikom.gr/index-en.html" target="_blank">OIKOM Environmental Studies</a> and <a href="http://www.oikos-nature.gr/eng/index.htm" target="_blank">OIKOS Nature Management</a>, with the invaluable cooperation of the <a href="http://www.lakepamvotis.gr/" target="_blank">Management Authority of Lake Pamvotis</a>.</div>
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When going through the main entrance, one can see the reception area while on the right is the room dedicated to traditional fishing. The permanent exhibition about the lake is located on the first floor. Going up the stairs and exactly opposite them is a segment that has extensive information about lake Pamvotis - the environment, the area in which it lies, its long geological history.
On the left you can see a large model of the lake that attracts the attention of visitors. Near it, and following from the previous section, the visitor can discover, through text and a smaller model, information about how the system of the lake operates: the origin of the water, how it was created and the movement of water into the lake.</div>
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On the far left wall are three bright diagrams showing the shape of the lake in its long life.
The large and impressive model of the lake reflects its current form. Pressing the buttons light up lights for points of interest. Right next to the window is a table shaped like a water-lilly leave with a pair of headphones. Wearing them, the visitor can hear various myths and old stories about the lake and the surrounding area (the voice doing the English narrative is by yours truly). And right after this is the section dedicated to the lake ecosystems. Here the influence of water on vegetation in the area is examined. The section continues to the other side of the stairs, where plexiglass lecterns emerge from brightly lit blue floor. Each of these provides information about the main lake plants, reeds and water lilies, but also how they form peatlands.
Above the desks and at eye level is a large screen, which displays a slideshow about Pamvotis. It is extremely interesting and does not last long (I made this!). </div>
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To the left of the screen and into the blue lit floor that resembles the water of the lake, visitors can see the types of fish that live in it. Carp, Eels, butterfly fish, cut in natural size, are "swimming" in the blue-green "water," while on the back plate you can read more about them. On the floor, you can see the grypos fishing tool and hung from the ceiling is another one named pezovolos: two traditional ways of fishing here.
At the back of the room, one can observe different species of birds and animals that live in the lake and around it. The impressive composition suspended from the roof, makes it easy to identify the characteristics of the local fauna species: crayfish, ducks, egrets, frogs etc.</div>
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At the end of the hall there is a large section informing the visitor about the human impact on the lake and the ecosystem. Also you can see how locals live from the Ioannina lake - fishermen, craftsmen, merchants and all people are affected directly or indirectly from it, while in turn they affect it too.
Towards the end of the exhibition, the visitor can read the corresponding panels about how the lake has been a refuge since prehistoric times for humans and animals, something that continues to the present day. The lake was also a natural crossroads for shepherds, armies, merchants.</div>
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In the last section you read that the future of the lake is in our hands and how its management affects the surrounding area.
Just before the staircase is a beautiful structure with a screen where you can see suggested routes for small excursions, to get a more complete picture of the lake and its surrounding area. If you happen to visit Ioannina, do not miss it!</div>
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<a href="http://www.360cities.net/image/information-centre-lake-pamvotis" title="panorama photos of Information Centre for Lake Pamvotis on 360cities.net">Information Centre for Lake Pamvotis</a> in <a href="http://www.360cities.net/area/greece" title="panoramic images from Greece">Greece</a> panorama by Kostas Vassis<br />
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Photos by Dinos Michail, courtesy of Tetragon Ltd except the last one by Alexios Pissaridis.Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-54242712241652409012012-06-13T21:34:00.001+03:002012-06-13T21:34:09.207+03:00Museo Ferrari in Modena, Italy by Future Systems/Shiro Studio<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mention Ferrari to anyone and they get dreamy eyed, mention their favourite model immediately and usually comment on the latest travails of their Formula One team. Even though it is a rarefied brand with cars made in very limited numbers and for a very specific clientele, everyone in the world knows who they are, what they do and feels it is a special kind of car. Enzo Ferrari surely did not even think that the firm he started way back in 1929 in Modena, Italy, would become such a prominent global brand.</div>
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Such a storied and legendary car (and fantasy) maker could not stay long without a museum. A place where the visitor could embrace the brand’s story and ethos, admire the exquisite cars that make up it’s glorious history and maybe get a piece of it for himself. Built around an existing building in Modena, an early 19th century house restored to its original condition, the building reminds one of a classic Ferrari engine hood, with the curved shape, the vents and the bright Ferrari yellow (contrary to what most people believe, the brand’s colour is yellow as you can see in their logo, and is also Modena’s).</div>
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The building was not finished without trouble. Future Systems, the architectural practice that won the 2004 competition for the museum was dissolved in 2009, as the construction was about to start, due to the demise of Jan Kaplicky, the head architect. Andrea Morgante, his former associate and director of this project, was appointed by Ferrari to finish the task. With the help of his new studio, Shiro, he made it.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qs0-d_CZsL8/T9jbJ0-MqcI/AAAAAAAAJ3Q/JcwYaGxvM5E/s1600/enzo_ferrari_museum_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qs0-d_CZsL8/T9jbJ0-MqcI/AAAAAAAAJ3Q/JcwYaGxvM5E/s640/enzo_ferrari_museum_4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The total area encompassed by the museum is 5,000 square meters for both buildings. The old one, build in 1830, having been the house and workshop of Enzo Ferrari, now houses the history of the firm, in an interior construction designed by Andrea Morgante, to remind one of a book’s pages, fluttering open to give a glimpse of its contents. Te construction, which keeps each further chapter a secret until the visitor advances to it, runs the whole length of the 40m workshop, while the house encompasses two smaller exhibitions and administrative offices.</div>
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The new building, sloping gently to embrace the old, much like the new technology of Ferrari embraces it’s long history, has on display the main exhibition of Ferrari cars, including the most prestigious ones: about 40 models, selected on a rotating basis from amongst all of Ferrari cars ever, based on the company’s own specimens and the collaboration with many Italian and international car museums and collectors around the world.</div>
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Apart from the impressive curved aluminium roof, the building has a double curved structural glass facade that filters sunlight in the vast, almost continuous interior.
Thermo sensors, photovoltaic technology, water recycling and the use of geothermal energy (a very sensible move since half the permanent exhibition space is below ground level), make the building almost unique in Italy for employing energy saving systems that are environmentally friendly in a museum.
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zlJXER9FE4/T9jb3jENeBI/AAAAAAAAJ4A/s1c3kyimaD4/s1600/ferrari_04_photo+Morgante.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zlJXER9FE4/T9jb3jENeBI/AAAAAAAAJ4A/s1c3kyimaD4/s640/ferrari_04_photo+Morgante.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMpAkmDbabI/T9jb_e3Pt8I/AAAAAAAAJ4Y/AyMjEONDd60/s1600/hp_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMpAkmDbabI/T9jb_e3Pt8I/AAAAAAAAJ4Y/AyMjEONDd60/s640/hp_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Article written by Stratos Bacalis for <a href="http://the6milliondollarstory.com/" target="_blank">The 6 Million Dollar Story</a></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photos courtesy of Cento29 and Andrea Morgante</span></i>Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-78332225440022152032012-05-27T17:24:00.000+03:002012-05-27T17:24:14.074+03:00Prostho Museum Research Centre by Kengo Kuma<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://kkaa.co.jp/" target="_blank">Kengo Kuma</a> - with offices in both Japan and Paris - is not your regular architect. His work with wood is very idiosyncratic and gives a particular architectural identity that makes his buildings stand out. He has a unique way of designing and constructing with wood, honouring the Japanese tradition, but with his look firmly turned to the future.</div>
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Prostho Museum Research is a characteristic sample of Kuma's oeuvre. The inspiration for its design was an old Japanese game called cidori. In it, one puts together wooden sticks with joints of a unique shape. The shapes you achieve just change by rotating the wood, without any nails or other metal. This game's tradition passes from one generation to the next in the small mountain city of Hida Takayama, where there are still many skilled craftsmen.</div>
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The building is in Aichi of central Japan and was designed by Kuma, while it was constructed with the help of engineer Jun Sato and craftsmen from Hida Takayama, applying the cidori principles. The game has as it's basic element a wooden stick with a cross section side of 12 mm. That was translated with a variety of sizes into the building, with a cross section side of 60mm and basic lengths of 2 or 4 meters. The grid of the structure is 50 cm. The same grid is also used inside the museum for its permanent exhibition.</div>
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The wooden structure of the building is not only a decorative element, but also makes up its basic structural frame. The architect believes that modern buildings with shells that simply cover their structural frame are useless. For him, there is no element of the building that is simply decorative - all play a major part in its construction.</div>
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The core of the structure, behind the exhibition space, supports all the wooden construction. By placing sheets of glass to fill the grid, the architect managed to give the impression of a wooden grid running through the building in all its length, uniting the interior with the exterior space. The museum is basically a showroom for the GC dental hygiene company and was first presented in the Milano Salone in 2007. Visitors are probably in a dilemma between the permanent exhibition with the history of artificial dentures and the building that houses it.</div>
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The architect likens a walk inside the building with a walk in a deciduous tree forest, where one can enjoy the sunlight through the branches. His repulsion towards the use of concrete and metal led him to redefine the use of wood through a traditional Japanese game. Building with wood from the surrounding area, with the cidori system, he also suggests an alternative solution to modern architecture: the building as a result of human labour instead of mechanical perfection. A look to the future with the feet firmly planted in a centuries old tradition.</div>
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<a href="http://the6milliondollarstory.com/index.php/architecture/352-prostho-museum-in-japan-by-kengo-kuma-" target="_blank">Article first published in The Six Million Dollar Story</a>Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-71873054950460669112012-03-05T01:10:00.000+02:002012-03-05T01:10:32.561+02:00A tale of a fin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RenjUB6bogo/T1P1qeJsEgI/AAAAAAAAIJI/CwXazc_F1bI/s1600/tail_fin-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RenjUB6bogo/T1P1qeJsEgI/AAAAAAAAIJI/CwXazc_F1bI/s640/tail_fin-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's wonderful to see how things can translate into design: from the now classic 60s Cadillac tail fin to the 80s Thierry Mugler car corset to the 2012 Prada "car" shoe. Just imagine an inspired actress wearing corset and shoe, getting out of a 60s Cadillac to arrive at the Oscar's ceremony. How pale the rest of the pack would instantly look. </div>Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-42285848234001843952012-01-26T15:56:00.000+02:002012-01-26T15:56:40.825+02:00Zaha indeed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ayJ97w1M55A/TyFY7iydzpI/AAAAAAAAH4E/836jI5dX8F8/s1600/glasgow_riverside_museum_k220611_keithhunter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ayJ97w1M55A/TyFY7iydzpI/AAAAAAAAH4E/836jI5dX8F8/s640/glasgow_riverside_museum_k220611_keithhunter2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Iranian architect <a href="http://www.zaha-hadid.com/" target="_blank">Zaha Hadid</a> is an infamous figure, talked about both for her innovative, uncompromising work, and the fact that she is the only famous woman architect in an art still dominated by men. Her buildings are symbols of both talent and technological developments, causing both positive and negative comments. Which makes one realise that she has never gone for a typical project.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CKvXWGUlAK0/TyFZBzHd8mI/AAAAAAAAH4M/5-yjMqNyEsY/s1600/McAteer_riversidemuseum00590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CKvXWGUlAK0/TyFZBzHd8mI/AAAAAAAAH4M/5-yjMqNyEsY/s640/McAteer_riversidemuseum00590.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/our-museums/riverside-museum/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">The Riverside Museum in Glasgow</a> would not be an exception. Built to replace the old Museum of Transport on the banks of the city's river, Clive, it attracts the passers-by with the lines, the zigzag roof and its incredible curves. The metal construction lined with sheets of zinc, was designed to resemble sheds that house trains, buses, planes - namely those which it will host inside. The wavy curves allow the frame to support the whole structure without many internal columns, leaving plenty of space for exhibits.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qztjmcSjPm4/TyFZopn-x_I/AAAAAAAAH4U/YKz61o6__ls/s1600/hawkeyeaerialphotography_glasg_phot_0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qztjmcSjPm4/TyFZopn-x_I/AAAAAAAAH4U/YKz61o6__ls/s640/hawkeyeaerialphotography_glasg_phot_0118.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>
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Open from two sides, towards the river and the city, it manages to attract the public and emphasises the relationship of the building with the city and the environment. It unites the river with the city, forming a link that, depending on the configuration of internal partitions, may be more open or closed. The zigzag of the plan forces the showroom to be clearer towards the visitor. The unusual lime green colour of the interior walls helps achieve this, selected by Hadid in collaboration with the company Event Communication Ltd. who developed and studied the museum's permanent exhibition.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qerVZBX_gco/TyFaKCC9EBI/AAAAAAAAH4c/Jg4Q9REXCl8/s1600/cp_McAteer_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qerVZBX_gco/TyFaKCC9EBI/AAAAAAAAH4c/Jg4Q9REXCl8/s640/cp_McAteer_n.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Beyond its 7500 sq.m. exhibition space, the museum also has a real sailing ship moored at a special pier in front of it: the Tall Ship Glenlee. The cafe of the museum has excellent views over the River Clyde and the Kelvin, which joins the Clyde just below the site. Thus Glasgow acquires a museum that is expected to attract numerous visitors from around the world for its architectural value - the wonderful exhibits (trains, planes, cars etc.) are the icing on the proverbial cake.</div>
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Article<a href="http://the6milliondollarstory.com/architecture/77-zaha-indeed" target="_blank"> originally written in Greek</a> for <a href="http://the6milliondollarstory.com/" target="_blank">The 6 Million Dollar Story</a> magazine.</div>Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-29063482708330313362012-01-07T18:43:00.000+02:002012-01-18T15:05:21.659+02:00Interior design workshop in Athens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0fIGNUKnnA/Twhyb6uKL4I/AAAAAAAAH3o/R6sWXzVR4lM/s1600/008348-09-Lobby-night-sea-view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0fIGNUKnnA/Twhyb6uKL4I/AAAAAAAAH3o/R6sWXzVR4lM/s640/008348-09-Lobby-night-sea-view.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's humanity's nature not only using and shaping it's surrounding space but also fill it with beauty and meaning. By using the term interior design we describe that group of projects that are about transforming an interior space into an effective environment for the spectrum of human activities taking place there. </div>
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Designers and interior architects have defined the relationship of humans and their environment based on psychological and natural parameters, with the purpose of improving their quality of life. This procedure delivers economic, functional, aesthetic and social advantages and in that way provides strategic thought, which aims into the multifaceted performance of an investment. </div>
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The first ESO, a workshop dedicated to interior design, wants to gather the creative society of these designers so as to introduce their work to us and also their dynamic, their thoughts and perspectives. We will be able to see the way in which it develops and draw conclusions about its place in Greek reality.</div>
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The speakers panel for ESO, which will take place at the Onassis Cultural Centre on the 7th of February is:<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">- Maria Vafeiadis (</span><a href="http://www.mkvdesign.com/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;" target="_blank">mkv design</a><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">) Key Note Speaker </span><br style="line-height: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">- Zeppos - Georgiadi (</span><a href="http://www.zege.gr/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;" target="_blank">zege</a><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">)</span><br style="line-height: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">- Babis Ioannou (</span><a href="http://www.isv.gr/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;" target="_blank">ISV</a><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">)</span><br style="line-height: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">- Dimitris Karampatakis (</span><a href="http://www.k-studio.gr/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;" target="_blank">k-studio</a><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">)</span><br style="line-height: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">- Memos Philippidis (</span><a href="http://www.mplusm.gr/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;" target="_blank">mplusm</a><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">)</span><br style="line-height: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;"> </span><br style="line-height: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Presenting: </span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=49637757&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=kW_M&locale=en_US&srchid=cf8d8acb-9dfe-4bc4-abd5-47e169ecd00d-0&srchindex=1&srchtotal=36&goback=.fps_PBCK_douridas_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*2_*1_Y_*1_*1_*1_false_1_R_*1_*51_*1_*51_true_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2&pvs=ps&trk=pp_profile_name_link" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;" target="_blank">Giannis Douridas, Architect</a><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;"> | </span><a href="http://www.pechakucha-athens.gr/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;" target="_blank">Pecha Kucha Athens</a></span><br />
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Distinguished graphic designers will take part in the workshop with short intervening presentations. They will examine the relationship between graphic and interior design.</div>
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The art direction and design of the ESO communication is by <a href="http://www.stagedesignoffice.com/">Stage Design Office</a>. Soon there will be more information. Due to the limited number of seats, please reserve your seat soon <a href="http://www.designerstribe.com/">here</a>.</div>
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The workshop is organized by the magazine <a href="http://www.designmag.gr/">+design</a> in collaboration with <a href="http://www.archisearch.gr/">ARCHISEARCH.gr</a></div>
</span>Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-21577466744839193022011-12-24T18:56:00.000+02:002011-12-24T18:56:52.544+02:00Best wishes for a happy holiday season!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NknP1uie3Ig/TvYD5oy7M0I/AAAAAAAAH28/jJFeF_G8PIU/s1600/CARD2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NknP1uie3Ig/TvYD5oy7M0I/AAAAAAAAH28/jJFeF_G8PIU/s640/CARD2011.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34279182.post-9207158206557520442011-12-01T20:49:00.001+02:002011-12-08T11:03:51.100+02:00Adieu Monsieur Lesage<div style="text-align: justify;">
Francois Lesage is one of the people that influenced my taste in fashion very much. When one hears the word "embroidery" it usually conjures images of tacky wedding outfits or traditional household items our grandmothers made ages ago. On the other end of the style spectrum, it is one of the cornerstones of Haute Couture and its creativity.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MN22MRSo8XM/TtfTj5Tx6EI/AAAAAAAAHyg/dDLJUOo7_CY/s1600/88-04-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MN22MRSo8XM/TtfTj5Tx6EI/AAAAAAAAHyg/dDLJUOo7_CY/s640/88-04-02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Christy Turlington in YSL Braque hommage, 1988</div>
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The house Lesage (for not only fashion designers have "houses") was created by Lesage's father, when he bought the Michonet embroidery house in 1924, suppliers of the court of Napoleon III and the first couturier Charles Worth. It went on to become a cornerstone of Paris fashion making, having clients such as Madeleine Vionnet or Elsa Schiaparelli. Coco Chanel was herself avoiding them, mainly because her main opponent, Schiaparelli, was their client. Later on, with Monsieur Lagerfeld at the helm, that would change to the point that Chanel as a company acquired the Lesage firm to help it maintain the high standards of their craft and continue an almost lost art into the 21st century.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u7ZNTBIZPLY/TtfUYTKMhoI/AAAAAAAAHyo/yote2_9tWGw/s1600/90-10-20%252B21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u7ZNTBIZPLY/TtfUYTKMhoI/AAAAAAAAHyo/yote2_9tWGw/s640/90-10-20%252B21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Christy Turlington in Chanel 1990</div>
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Francois Lesage was born in 1929 and he said, "never had any doubt as to what I was to do in life, given I was born into a pile of beads and sequins" . When he took over the atelier, he became one of the icons of the Parisian Couture pantheon. Always elegant in dark impeccably tailored suits, one could see him sitting at the front row of the fashion shows of esteemed couture houses he had worked for. He later was awarded the Chevalier D'Honneur distinction from the Legion D'Honneur.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-muK0Z6pS7Dg/TtfV8G0ciLI/AAAAAAAAHyw/BtOK3m0WI3U/s1600/90-10-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-muK0Z6pS7Dg/TtfV8G0ciLI/AAAAAAAAHyw/BtOK3m0WI3U/s640/90-10-25.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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Christy Turlington in Christian Lacroix 1990</div>
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During the 20th century, the number of experts in embroidery kept declining in Paris, but Lesage, with their exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail kept on the forefront of couture. When Francois took over, he managed to lure clients such as Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Yves Saint-Laurent and Christian Lacroix. He did not just translate into embroidery the designs but helped the fashion designers find inspiration. Some just had to utter a word like "India" "peacock" or "Byzantium" to get Lesage to procure samples of intricate work for them to transform into ethereal creations. he was a creator like them indeed.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X-c9zZIGlsU/TtfXbuYyZpI/AAAAAAAAHy4/ioTPhFSTjbI/s1600/168014_10150105462159120_374816794119_7411747_4927281_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X-c9zZIGlsU/TtfXbuYyZpI/AAAAAAAAHy4/ioTPhFSTjbI/s640/168014_10150105462159120_374816794119_7411747_4927281_n.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>
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Linda Evangelista in Lanvin by Montana, 1993</div>
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The house keeps an incredible archive of the work they have done for fashion designers over the years. Monsieur Lesage was always worried about the continuation of the craft, of educating young people to keep the tradition alive and evolve it alongside haute couture, keeping the same high standards. Quite a difficult task, one which seems to have been secured with the Chanel take-over and the foundation of the<a href="http://www.lesage-paris.com/"> Lesage Embroidery School</a> inside the atelier in Paris' 12th arrondissement.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2u8hfiz_4jI/TtfYs3Otc8I/AAAAAAAAHzA/7utZ67YLGrc/s1600/153_xl_AC09227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2u8hfiz_4jI/TtfYs3Otc8I/AAAAAAAAHzA/7utZ67YLGrc/s640/153_xl_AC09227.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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Schiaparelli, 1938</div>
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The atelier employees around a dozen people, with reinforcements added during overload periods such as the couture seasons. It can take from 20 hours up to 500 hours to painstakingly make the embroidery for a fashion outfit, depending on the design and the materials used. It is an art that speaks of a long lost era of hand-crafted beauty, elegance and flourish that tries to find its way into the modern era. Let us hope his demise does not signal the end of it all. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZ6zzLmuo0Q/TtfZvs561kI/AAAAAAAAHzI/8mgGqEQeeN4/s1600/VanGoghjackets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZ6zzLmuo0Q/TtfZvs561kI/AAAAAAAAHzI/8mgGqEQeeN4/s640/VanGoghjackets.jpg" width="496" /></a></div>
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YSL - the famous Van Gogh jackets, 1988</div>
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The book dedicate to Lesage by Editions Assouline</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WYBePACPikM/Ttfd9COFboI/AAAAAAAAHzY/ESaM5UbVrew/s1600/robepeaudepanthere.jpg1998photoquentinbertroux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WYBePACPikM/Ttfd9COFboI/AAAAAAAAHzY/ESaM5UbVrew/s640/robepeaudepanthere.jpg1998photoquentinbertroux.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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The famous embroidery imitation of a leopard skin, for Gaultier Couture, 1998</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6clx5sPszGs/TtfeUFqSttI/AAAAAAAAHzg/x8F1IRve2X4/s1600/jeancocteauvestelin1937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6clx5sPszGs/TtfeUFqSttI/AAAAAAAAHzg/x8F1IRve2X4/s640/jeancocteauvestelin1937.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Schiaparelli, 1937</div>
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Katoucha wearing one of the Braque 1988 gowns, from the 2002 final YSL show</div>
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Elena Kountoura in YSL Van Gogh jacket, 1988</div>
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Detail of the YSL Van Gogh jacket</div>
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Francois Lesage in his atelier</div>Stratos Bacalishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361857109786763942noreply@blogger.com0