e.g.

overlap

My dear friend and fellow artist, Beth Goolsby, and I are proud to share our upcoming show, Overlap with you. Please join us on April 12th as we celebrate our collaboration at Rare Device in San Francisco.

mwah ha ha ha

Find more Humor Chic here.

i'll tumble for ya

It's happening. I joined the tumblr generation. You can find me here. It's about my fiber art, and my daily / hourly inspiration.

 

brick house

A rather natural pairing, I've always agreed: ballet and fashion, fashion and ballet. From collaborations with designers - Rodarte for Black Swan, Isaac Mizrahi for choreographer Mark Morris, Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel have both designed for the ballet, and Narciso Rodriguez as well - the list is endless; and collaborations of dancers as muse, the worlds make for a nice pas de deux.

NOWNESS featured a video today from fashion house, Chloe, featuring New York City Ballet principal, Janie Taylor. Janie calls to mind a young Darci Kistler, with her uber long blonde hair and coltish frame. It's easy to forget that all the flying she's doing is made possible by the adorable man behind her, Justin Peck. Justin looks like he stepped out of the 1930s - brooding eyes, slicked back hair, and a somewhat barrel shaped torso; this belies his grace as he supports Janie through a whirlwind of lifts. Turns out Justin is the choreographer for the video. Hmmm, one to watch.

Between you and me, I squealed out loud as Janie's pointe shoe catches on the hem of her silk, Chloe dress. I'm a little ashamed to tell you that I squealed for fear the dress would rip.

Janie Taylor for Chloé on Nowness.com.

 

mile walk

Have you heard of Benjamin Millepied? He is a Principal dancer for NYCB, choreographer, director, and Natalie Portman's current beau. And he's not too hard on the eyes, either. 

Ahem.

Benjamin choreographed the dance sequences in Black Swan. Color me excited to see his new rendition of the Four Little Swans, a ballet classic. I was not surprised to see that he has forayed into the realm of cinema, with his short film entitled, Time Doesn't Stand Still. He starred, co-wrote, and co-directed the short. It's as mysterious and intriguing as he is. Check it out:

 

profiles

There's a very singular sensation when you discover an artist's work that speaks to your soul. I bumped into Sam Haskins' photos recently, and couldn't shake their beauty. He loves to photograph women, which is nothing new or even exciting, but his photos are incredibly delicate and intimate - it feels like you're looking through a crack in the wall of time. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

ogle

Found this eery picture on cool blog, The Killing Moon, today. Seemed very October appropriate. I also visited the link to the e-store associated with The Killing Moon's post about Tranoi. It was a really amazing e-store with collections by designers I had never heard of. Some favorites: hats by Reinhard Plank; necklaces by Katerina Psoma; polka dot blouses by Semi Couture (great name); and shoes by Kron by KronKron. Such great, fresh talent out there. It's invigorating!

tick

I like to check out The Cool Hunter because it's visually stimulating and offers up interesting posts and pictures on art, design, fashion, and culture. I ran into the post titled, It's Time To Do Your Own Thing and found it especially relevant for those of us who may be considering change but are stymied by fear, lack of confidence, competition, time, energy, or whatever it is that is holding us (me? you?) back. Check it out, and let me know if it speaks to you.

 

all images found on The Cool Hunter

numero

I like to visit the site Fashion Gone Rogue for their collection of editorials, magazine covers, and ads. Sometimes I like to geek out on a stylist, and with their search engine, I can do that. I happened upon an editorial featuring Constance Jablonski and a beautiful baby. I don't usually dig boho, but there was a warm, earthy feel to the overall art direction that I loved. I didn't even blink at the fact that Constance is posing as a mother figure with an African American baby in 50% of the photos. Constance is a white woman from France.

It wasn't until I went back to the editorial intro by FGR that I realized this was a controversial photo set. The magazine, Numero, is apparently known for pushing the envelope, but I'm wondering what it is that's pissing people off. I spent some time with the photos, trying to see what could be offensive, and here's what I have so far:

• she has an afro
• she's white, he's black

If you're really into this, you can read the always fascinating Reader Comments at the bottom of the page. Scary stuff. One reader cites that the maternal relationship (black) set in the countryside is offensive. Hmmm. I think we're stretching now. Others were concerned that Constance seemed darker in this shoot than she would be otherwise, going so far as to call the photos black face. Every model of every ethnicity undergoes a level of makeup and photoshopping that I will never understand, but are her overbronzed cheekbones reason to take a stance? Has an African American model ever been called out for looking too white?

In this editorial, I see Constance as an ambiguous mother spirit, a nurturer; I even went so far as to think of Sandra Bullock and her sweet baby Louis. If America's Sweetheart was to attend the next awards show with an afro, what would you think? Would you be offended? Why?

Magazine: Numero, Issue #117 // Model: Constance Jablonski // Photog: Greg Kadel // Stylist: Patti Wilson

missing McQ

I'm having a day of nostalgia for the genius of Alexander McQueen who took his own life on February 11, 2010. Not only was he one of my favorite designers, but he put on the most extraordinary runway shows. They were not just exhibitions for his couture, they were lavish productions. He employed choreographers, production designers, welders, lighting technicians specializing in holograms...you get the picture. He was a visionary.

The following clip is from his Spring / Summer 2004 collection. You'll see that this very dark, troubled man had visions of such great comedy and joy, and was able to channel that through his work. Maybe it speaks to me because I'm a dancer, and it all starts as a dance competition with actual dancers. Models slowly filter in, and their awkwardness is in deep contrast to the dancers' grace, but the clothes become much more elaborate and entertaining. Just when you think you can't handle another model's dip (you'll see), the scene changes. It then reminds me of an all-night rope jumping-a-thon; the kind where a group of kids get together to raise money by jumping rope until they can't anymore. These events can go on for days. But instead of jumping rope, they're running around a track. It couldn't be more comical, or love-wonderful! It's a 9+ minute video, but what a glorious bubble in time.

Rest in peace, dear Alexander McQueen.