to my new life coach, Mimi Weddell (1915-2009). God make me half this woman.
Category Archives: People
Leyen’s Eye
Preparing for fall, redecorating, newly joined Art Nouveau class, and I’m thinking about early twentieth century illustrators. Lately I’ve been collecting images by J.C. Leyendecker. I was shocked when I realized that today that I unwittingly to run by his magnificent old estate every morning on my loop!
As states Wikipedia, “The premier illustrator for the enormously popular Saturday Evening Post for much of the first half of the 20th century, Leyendecker’s work both reflected and helped mold many of the visual aspects of the era’s culture in America. The mainstream image of Santa Claus as a jolly fat man in a red fur-trimmed coat was popularized by Leyendecker, as was the image of the New Year Baby. The tradition of giving flowers as a gift on Mother’s Day was started by Leyendecker’s May 30, 1914 Saturday Evening Post cover depicting a young bellhop carrying hyacinths.” Who knew?
Remain Stationery!
Great piece on Refinery 29 on our little gem, Bowne & Co. Stationers.
Luv-Tifah
How can you not love this woman? Latifah is definitely my biggest girl-crush ever. Shout to Paper Magazine for getting me this close to one of my favorite women of all time – even if her very intense bodyguard shattered any possibility of a peck on the cheek…
Candid Land: BRIGITTE BARDOT AND THE ORIGINAL PAPARAZZI
Coinciding with the 75th Birthday of Brigitte Bardot on 28th September 2009, the James Hyman Gallery in London presents an exhibition of vintage photographs by some of the most famous paparazzi photographers of the 1960s. The collection of Bardot snaps is enough to make my head spin. Here’s to the grande dame of JROBS (Just-Rolled-Out-of-Bed-Sexy)
BRIGITTE BARDOT AND THE ORIGINAL PAPARAZZI.
AN EXHIBITION OF RARE ORIGINAL VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS
03.09.2009 – 03.10.2009
AT THE JAMES HYMAN GALLERY
Self Portrait: Walton Ford
Great little clip on the Taschen site about my current fave artist.
Day 6: FEZ… “WHAT WOULD MUSTAFA DO?”
Have leisurely lie-in and wake up at our beautiful riad at 9ish. After fab traditional Moroccan breakfast head into ancient Fez. The oldest living medieval city in the world, the Fez’s medina is a completely indecipherable labyrinth of covered passageways that make you feel like you’re walking around during the time of Mohammed. Turn down a slew of over-eager would-be guides (we were warned that even native Moroccans have a hard time navigating these alleyways) and decide to go it alone. Stumble into spectacular 14th century Koranic school adjacent one of the over 90 mosques in the old city.
Head deeper into the Medina and find amazing strands of tiny colored glass beads we decide to turn into necklaces. A little boy (10 or 11) attached himself to us and announces he will be our guide for the day. I shoo him off at first but he’s persistent. We decide we like his energy and let him be our little navigator. I think of my son Aidan back home – the same age – trying to escort tourists to make some cash for his family. Resolve to bring him back here and teach him a life lesson. Our guide makes his way around like only a kid who grew up running around these souks could. We’re snapping photos nonstop – this place is amazing! Then I notice something even more incredible. Out of the corner of my eye I see Cristina taking a photo of an old woman coming around a bend. As she snaps the picture I see our little Mustafa tuck a coin in her hand. Then I notice he’s been doing this the entire way, pulling coins out of his pocket and handing them out to the people we photograph. My heart dies.
Gall Stoned
Recently Matt and I were sitting in our favorite geographic location in the universe and France Gall‘s Laisse Tomber les Filles popped up on the playlist. Needless to say this is kind of an obscure song by a semi-obscure French, mid-century pop artist that I happen to love – which made me love our special place even more.
Here’s a video for her song Sole, Mare, Cielo, Amore, sung in Italian… I love that the words dont match up with her perfect mouth and how she looks like she’s had one too many red, white, or yellow pills. And the construction paper heart. It’s like Cocteau Twins if Elizabeth Fraser had been a gorgeous skinny French blond with perfect cheekbones.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1Z-eAZg3-8&hl=en&fs=1]
Red Badge of Courreges
Underrated Female #10: La Lupe
“Sex. Fire. Soul. Voodoo.” That’s how Cuba’s Soul Sister Number One was described. Couldn’t be more accurate.
Born Guadalupe Victoria Yolí Raymond in Santiago de Cuba in 1936, she was known as La Lupe or La Yiyiyi by her adoring fans. Her groundbreaking musical talent and performance style made her one of Cuba’s most brilliant exports. Unlike the well-behaved Celia Cruz, La Lupe was a wild woman, given passionately to her emotions in any moment. This was a trait that landed her in her fair share of trouble, and some say, doomed her career. But her theatrics were not a distraction to compensate for a lack of talent as is so often the case – singing prowess she had in spades. Her early career in Havana attracted devoted followers including Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Jean Paul Satre, Simone de Beauvoir and Marlon Brando.
The sixties saw La Lupe become the most acclaimed Latin singer in New York City, partly due to her partnership with salsa sensation Tito Puente. The Bronx resident was the first Latin singer to sell out a concert at Madison Square Garden. Watching her performances still gives me chills.
Sadly, her later success was dulled by an emotional instability that led to rumors of drug addiction, ill health, and a spilt with Puente. A fire made her homeless in the eighties and she was destitute throughout her late forties and early fifties. She died at 55 and is interred in Saint Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx. This clip from a documentary about her amazing life is a must-see.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVFiARqIpW8&hl=en&fs=1]
