for halloween...rural-couture?

Perhaps it is the romantic notion of mending fishing nets while waiting. . . for a lover, a husband. . . colorful fabrics to reach the Dutch ports...haha...that inspires me to dress up as a net-mender from the 1880's next year...how can I resist rural-couture?  Life is more simple in black and white.

1. Max Liebermann's painting, The Net Menders (Die Netzflickerinnen) circa 1880's.

2-3. Photographs by Bart van Damme from exhibit, 'Gone with the wind' curated by fashion designers Alexander van Slobbe and Francisco van Benthum,  
Zuiderzee Museum, 2009.
5-6. Images from the Zuiderzee Museum.

my black autumn...

Stranger Than Paradise for Ghubar Magazine.  I do not recognize the model, but doesn't she look amazing?  Fabulous hair!  
Photos by Hervé Coutin

Elle est originaire de Montréal...

Jessica Paré was introduced to us Mad Men fans as Megan Calvet this season and I think she is an entrancing addition to the series.  For one thing, I love that she is a French Canadian playing a French Canadian.  Her French is authentic and glacé.  She brings an air of sophistication to the show and to Don Draper's life.  I especially enjoy that her beauty is not perfect...she is not Barbie-Betty and this is refreshing.  Will she marry Don?. . . I am curious to see how her presence will affect the other female characters . . . especially Peggy.  
Does she really admire Peggy or will she play dirty and stomp on Peggy's career? Is it really about who you marry?


I believe Season 4 ends in the year 1965-66. . . can I wishfully predict that in the upcoming Season 5, the Mad Men writers will take the opportunity to honor the city of Montréal (and its new belle femme) by depicting the city's most spectacular event in its history. . . the World's Fair of 1967:EXPO 67?. . . ok, so I'm dreaming, maybe.  Will they film in Montréal? hmmm...


NOTES:  B/W photo of Jessica Paré from the September 16, 2010 issue of Rolling Stone.

Pollito : chicken, gallina : hen...

For a brisk autumn morning, what can be better than a warm cup of coffee and fresh eggs from my own feathery friend...


The Nogg is a result of the collaboration between furniture designer : engineer, Matthew Hayward and creative director, Nadia Turan.  .  .  It was upsetting to all of us how ugly, badly constructed and rudimentary the chicken coops were. It sparked a debate as to why we should be lumbered with an eyesore in our gardens. We decided to come up with an alternative chicken coop and a brand that would surprise and delight you just as much as those first fresh eggs will. It wasn’t long before we  thought of the shape and design details and after an arduous, stressful year the nogg (prototype 01A) hatched. Read more HERE

I want one...

I want to join the Cirkus!

Cirkus Cirkör is a contemporary circus company founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1995. I found their website by chance a few months ago and I am dying to see any of their performances...REALLY... but the pictures below of their latest show, Wear it Like a Crown hypnotize me. Brilliant costumes, fearless makeup and gorgeous body technique with a dash of horrid magic...they make Cirque du Soleil appear boring...no easy task! 


I love the message of the performance as well...
In this tragicomic and absurd performance, Tilde Björfors explores chaos and order and the transformation of risks into opportunities. It is about choosing to wear our failures, fears and shortcomings like a crown. To polish it, and wear it with pride. (www.cirkor.se)


and even more intriguing...
Wear It Like A Crown...is part of Tilde Björfors’s research at the University of Dance and Circus in Stockholm, where she explores opportunities and risks in the research project ”Contemporary circus as cross-boundary in arts and society.” The interdisciplinary research project has circus and circus performers as its starting point, and includes researchers from other fields such as economics/leadership, psychology/neurology, ethnology/pedagogy and philosophy.  (www.cirkor.se)



Director: Tilde Björfors
Costumes by Anna Bonnevier.
Music by Rebekka Karijord.
Most Photos by Mattias Edwall
Ensemble: Henrik Agger, Louise Bjurholm, David Eriksson, Jesper Nikolajeff, Fouzia "Fofo" Rakez, Anna Lagerkvist.

kvor kommer du fra?

København is a wondrous city! 
I lived in Copenhagen for a short time about 8 years ago and it was truly a magical experience.  I miss the sidewalks, the public transportation system, the bike-obsessed-sarcastically-loving Danes, the fashion, the beer...the chic 7-eleven stores...haha...I miss it all!   The only Danish I remember is...hvor kommer du fra?...Where do you come from? 


This morning I came across the site, Copenhagen: STREET STYLE and I reminisced joyfully...thank you to the creators of this site...here are a few of my favorite pics.

I guess that's why they call it the blues...

It is a rainy day in Montréal and I am feeling a bit melancholic.
I miss ME.  Do you ever ask yourself, where did I go? All three of my personalities are feeling the blues...and so I created a cathartic:pictorial assemblage to help me snap out of it.
1. The first set of pictures describe the sophisticated and fashionably-Jazzy ME.  A detail of a Miles Davis picture I discovered in Shilo Byrd's pinterest board; gold hat from McQueen's AW 2010 collection; the beautiful Julie Delpy in metallic blue.
2. The second picture represents the artistically-aloof ME.  I can relate to the entire mood of this scene...the shadows of working men in the background...hmm. Photo: MadMen's Midge Daniels in last Sunday's episode, Blowing Smoke.  
3. The last two pics illustrate the attention to detail ME.  Unadorned lightbulbs: photograph by Ambroise Tezenas and jacket from the Japanese label mina perhonen.


and I guess that's why they call it the blues...

mmm...thank you Emma Thomas.

I stumbled upon the work of designer : art director, Emma Thomas.  
Her use of color, texture, pattern and form is studied and striking.  
Her food still-lifes are my favorite. Bon Appetit! 
(Image details borrowed from Emma Thomas's website.)

oh, hello there...

I found my short haircut inspiration...is it me?  
Those of you who know me, please be honest.


I stumbled upon these pics in oh, hello there, my favorite blog-find of the week.
Brand: myPetsQuare from Sydney, Australia.
Designers: Angelique May-Bennett and Vicki Lee.