"Saw this in NYC and thought of you", Lacey
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Iceland? Really?
(Check back tomorrow for my Britney review!)
I never thought twice about Iceland as a vacation spot. It just seemed cold and well, cold. Plus there are volcanoes and Bjork. What an odd place. But my friends just got back from their honeymoon and after I browsed their Facebook pictures, I realized I kinda want to go! It is really beautiful and Reykjavik seems like a cool city. Apparently it’s one of the trendiest cities in the world with sort of a party atmosphere and lots of cafes. It’s also very architecturally attractive and up on technology.
The other hot spot is an actual hot spot. The Blue Lagoon is their famous geothermal pool. The steamy, warm waters rich in minerals are part of a lava formation. People relax in the 100 degree water, sometimes smearing the white mud on their faces because it’s so good for your skin.
Other attractions are waterfalls, geysers, glaciers, icebergs, volcanoes, lagoons and ocean views. You can also see the Northern Lights for nine months out of the year and you adventurers can take a glacial trek during the winter months.
Because of Iceland’s economic crisis, it’s the ideal time to go. Oh, if only I didn’t have kids…
Another upside is that it would probably be the first time I lost weight on a vacation because they eat tons and tons fish and then weird stuff like pickled sheep testicles and putrefied shark meat.
What do you think? Would you ever go to Iceland?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Toronto's "United We Sole" Event
Toronto Loves Kicks' "United We Sole" event was definitely a success. Check out my photo coverage of the event at Sneaker Freaker.
Here's the lowdown on the day via Dion of Toronto Loves Kicks:
"This sneaker convention brought in over 1200 people from around the City and abroad and created a lane that was much needed in Toronto. You had your choice of Foamposites, Wolf Grey's, Ragging Bull pack, Air Max 95's, Air Force One's customized personally for TLK courtesy of Anthony Armenta. Clothing lines included Nothin', Doinitwell, TheONE and Ambush Apparel helped along side exclusive Snap Backs to literally set the ATM on fire. That's just to name a few of the heat that you could have expected to see.
Throughout the event there were giveaways by the hour, plenty of photo's being taken by the TLK back drop as everyone was "sneakergenic". We had live performances by JRDN, Church Chizzle - MuchMusic's Rap City freestyle battle champion and Gee Wunder to name a few of the talent within the community. In addition, we had DJ Tabs and Channel Nine at the show and what a social driven sneaker party convention this turned out to be. You had collector’s young and old trading, purchasing and selling limited edition sneakers, as well as discussions of their guilty sneaker obsessions.
If you were to ask the Co-Founders of Toronto Loves Kicks what they set out to achieve with United We Sole they would say for a buy, sell and trade socially driven Sneaker Expo which will attract all walks of life, art and culture which is a direct reflection of our City uniting everyone's sole in the process. It's important to us to have everyone step with a positive sneaker forward in order for our City to grow as one.
Look out for more great social initiatives from Toronto Loves Kicks and stay tuned for more details on United We Sole’s ‘FALL' edition by visiting www.torontoloveskicks.com"
Thurs 30th June: threeASFOUR - Björk
björk: road to crystalline from Björk on Vimeo.
The Gameleste - a custom instrument for Björk from Andy McCreeth on Vimeo.
Björk's new single "Crystalline" came out this week with cover art shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin featuring threeASFOUR's incredible HARP BELT. Here is the image with a little viral film of Björk in Iceland wearing their quilted coat ........ check in at her site for more news on the imminent album ........ and video directed by Michel Gondry......
Happy Britney Spears Day!
Actually, it has been Britney week in my house. I’m going to her concert tonight and it’s going to be awesome! Look at this adorable photo Brit posted over the weekend.
Did you check out her video for I Wanna Go yet? It's so cute and campy and there are a ton of hilarious references in it.
And have you seen this video of Nicole Richie dancing to Slave? I just love her.
I have every album, remix, B-side, and unreleased track (including this gem) and I've been listening to Brit's entire catalog on repeat/random these past few days. My favorite singles are (You Drive Me) Crazy, Stronger, Boys, Me Against The Music, Gimme More, Circus and Till The World Ends. Take a listen to my other favorites.
Unusual You
And Then We Kiss
Heaven on Earth
Breathe On Me
Trouble
Gasoline
What’s your favorite Britney song?
Come on...everybody has one!
Come on...everybody has one!
Weds June 29th: My Bookshelf for Its Nice That
It’s Nice That asked me to discuss my 5 most treasured books for their Bookshelf feature which you can read over on their site in full .................. and here Ive included snaps of each individual book for some indepth background to the hardbacks that have been key in my life...........
A Bit Of Rough – Julie Verhoeven
Julie is one of my favourite artists of all time for 3 reasons – her work is identifiably unique in its purity, her style cultivates and celebrates colour, she embraces humour and executes it with a nuance, which translates with a sophisticated sheen. “A bit of rough” has imagery of all her mixed media disciplines as a really neat monograph of adventures in illustration, sculpture, fashion design and film. The introduction by Francesca Gavin is a succinct and brilliant explanation of the mind behind the inexplicably prolific talent. My copy is particularly precious because I received it in the post, painted in neon coral acrylic and signed as a present - which was a very exciting surprise!
Jungle Fever – Jean Paul Goude
I discovered Jean Paul Goude’s humorous genius vision via his art direction for Grace Jones records and this book catalogues his early career showing everything that led up to this time. It’s almost like a sketchbook with scans of exquisite early naive illustration and crude cut-n-paste collage which all led to his eventual highly polished and epic photographs. My favourite section of the monograph is the subcultural photographs of 1970’s New York where he captured the vibrant and radical styles of Latin teenagers. I found this book in the public library when I lived in Harlem, and now I’ve managed to find a copy for myself! It’s my most considered and treasured investment!
Skinhead – Nick Knight
Nick Knight is an artist very important to me not only for his inspirational pioneering photography but also his altruistic approach to nurturing new creatives with his platform SHOWstudio. To see his very first publication from 1980 (the year I was born) is a fascinating insight into where he started off with his journey in producing iconic visuals. This ode to a subculture is his own subjective vision of skinheads rather than a factual historical documentation, which makes it of more significance and importance in my mind. He has an innate gift of connecting with his subjects to reveal and expose a personality, which you see perfectly in these engaging portraits of an otherwise wary, marginalised genre.
Leigh Bowery – Violette Editions
I got this book at a crucial time in my life when I was 18 and I knew instinctively what made me happy but wasn’t sure if it actually elsewhere in the world. Thankfully the legacy of Leigh Bowery answered my hopes that there were other freaks out there, and in this instance dedicated their life to bravely creating and communicating an exceptional vision. This is the ultimate collection of photography that documented his complete works, collated from his friends and collaborators personal collections. If I ever have a day of self-doubt or disillusionment this is a steadfast and reliable antidote to ignite the flame of following my dreams.
A Chequered Past – Peter Schlesinger
This is Peter Schlesinger’s visual diary of the 60’s and 70’s, which depicts his days spent with partner David Hockney and close friends Ossie Clark, Celia Birtwell, Manolo Blahnik and Paloma Picasso etc. It just so happens that he was at the epicentre of a group of soulmates who were each of outstanding creative influence. This period of proximity to intimate passages in time results in beautifully relaxed, atmospheric and honest snapshots. The vivid hues of his film literally seize the sparkling settings of the azure swimming pool waters that we know so well from Hockney’s paintings. It’s so lucky that Peter was there to conscientiously record each majical moment from Cecil Beaton at Reddish House to Robert Mapplethorpe in Paris, to Andy Warhol in Monte Carlo. The scenes and scenarios are enchanting and his particular eye for proportion in positioning the people and places makes this a captivating classic.
A Bit Of Rough – Julie Verhoeven
Julie is one of my favourite artists of all time for 3 reasons – her work is identifiably unique in its purity, her style cultivates and celebrates colour, she embraces humour and executes it with a nuance, which translates with a sophisticated sheen. “A bit of rough” has imagery of all her mixed media disciplines as a really neat monograph of adventures in illustration, sculpture, fashion design and film. The introduction by Francesca Gavin is a succinct and brilliant explanation of the mind behind the inexplicably prolific talent. My copy is particularly precious because I received it in the post, painted in neon coral acrylic and signed as a present - which was a very exciting surprise!
Jungle Fever – Jean Paul Goude
I discovered Jean Paul Goude’s humorous genius vision via his art direction for Grace Jones records and this book catalogues his early career showing everything that led up to this time. It’s almost like a sketchbook with scans of exquisite early naive illustration and crude cut-n-paste collage which all led to his eventual highly polished and epic photographs. My favourite section of the monograph is the subcultural photographs of 1970’s New York where he captured the vibrant and radical styles of Latin teenagers. I found this book in the public library when I lived in Harlem, and now I’ve managed to find a copy for myself! It’s my most considered and treasured investment!
Skinhead – Nick Knight
Nick Knight is an artist very important to me not only for his inspirational pioneering photography but also his altruistic approach to nurturing new creatives with his platform SHOWstudio. To see his very first publication from 1980 (the year I was born) is a fascinating insight into where he started off with his journey in producing iconic visuals. This ode to a subculture is his own subjective vision of skinheads rather than a factual historical documentation, which makes it of more significance and importance in my mind. He has an innate gift of connecting with his subjects to reveal and expose a personality, which you see perfectly in these engaging portraits of an otherwise wary, marginalised genre.
Leigh Bowery – Violette Editions
I got this book at a crucial time in my life when I was 18 and I knew instinctively what made me happy but wasn’t sure if it actually elsewhere in the world. Thankfully the legacy of Leigh Bowery answered my hopes that there were other freaks out there, and in this instance dedicated their life to bravely creating and communicating an exceptional vision. This is the ultimate collection of photography that documented his complete works, collated from his friends and collaborators personal collections. If I ever have a day of self-doubt or disillusionment this is a steadfast and reliable antidote to ignite the flame of following my dreams.
A Chequered Past – Peter Schlesinger
This is Peter Schlesinger’s visual diary of the 60’s and 70’s, which depicts his days spent with partner David Hockney and close friends Ossie Clark, Celia Birtwell, Manolo Blahnik and Paloma Picasso etc. It just so happens that he was at the epicentre of a group of soulmates who were each of outstanding creative influence. This period of proximity to intimate passages in time results in beautifully relaxed, atmospheric and honest snapshots. The vivid hues of his film literally seize the sparkling settings of the azure swimming pool waters that we know so well from Hockney’s paintings. It’s so lucky that Peter was there to conscientiously record each majical moment from Cecil Beaton at Reddish House to Robert Mapplethorpe in Paris, to Andy Warhol in Monte Carlo. The scenes and scenarios are enchanting and his particular eye for proportion in positioning the people and places makes this a captivating classic.
Weds June 29th: House of Organza - Muse - Preperation
House of Organza, now in it’s third season, is the brainchild of my studio mate / stylist Kim Howells and designer Lyall Hakaraia. Tomorrow evening will be the private view of the latest exhibition which will be the most extravagant event to date! The Yves Klein inspired Blue concept is going to be Kim's heaven on earth with a completely blue themed party, complete with blue drinks.
The exhibition is going to preview the incredible fashion film of Roy (our muse) shot by Daniel Sannwald taking the collection to a new and cosmic dimension. Here is Piers Atkinson's piece as a little taster of what to expect from Daniel's sensitive and sensual moving images ............. along with a shot of Kim's desk whilst she preps the presentation.......... and a portrait of Alun who came by for a meeting yesterday dressed in a Lu Flux blue bow-tie Tshirt for the occasion!
To find out more details about the exhibition times open to the public to see the pieces and the film - go to the Red Bull Studios website.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Tues 28th June: Shingai's NTC Challenge - studio visit
The 4th installment of Grace LaDoja's film following Shingai Shoniwa's Nike NTC challenge for which I designed a bespoke bike for her sponsored ride. Here is an excerpt when she visited my studio to check in with the progress of my collaboration with bicycle whizz kid - Super Ted ....... and a trip to his workshop on Brick Lane to see the finished article!
Tues 28th June: Havaianas Hats for Ascot - Final Footage
All the way from the raw materials of the cardboard boxes and rubber thongs to the final finished hats worn at Ascot.......... here is a little film clip recorded to document the day!
Target Tuesday
I'm linking up with Tara at Fabulous But Evil today for Target Tuesday!
Summer may be here, but in Seattle it’s hardly hitting 70 degrees. That doesn’t stop a girl from dreaming about all the fun we’ll be having outside this summer. We live in an awesome neighborhood, but there are woods right outside our back gate, so we have a lot of fun hanging out in our backyard. We plan on having some barbecues, an ice cream social and Nolan’s third birthday party out there within the next few months. Although we already have a grill, backyard furniture, an outdoor dining set and a fire pit, I’ve been looking at new stuff lately to spruce up the place. Here’s what I’ve got my eye on at Target.
A new gas grill so Jacob can continue making his amazing shish kabobs.
A nice double lounger so we can chill while the kids run around like mad men.
A new dining set for outdoor diners.
A gazebo so we can get some shade on the hottest days. Gotta protect my fair-skinned babies!
Outdoor Patio Rolston Gazebo
I really want a hammock, but we don’t have any trees. How awesome is this?
Outdoor Patio Caribbean Lounger Chair With Canopy
And throw in a playground for the kids. As long as it comes with someone to install it!
Swing-N-Slide Winchester Play Set Kit
Yeah, I think all that will work.
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