my second favorite. . .Brûlé (e)

A few weeks ago, I stopped by my favorite mag shop here in Montreal, MULTIMAGS on Mt. Royal Ave, and the cover of Monocle's February Issue stood out.  MONOCLE?  Where did this come from? The glossy cover immediately brought to mind the fabulous Wallpaper magazine (the good years, 1996-2002).  Well my curiosity lingered and I googled "Monocle and Wallpaper" when I got home, not really expecting a connection.  To my surprise, my instincts were right...the connection is the dandy fellow below...the CANADIAN born and founder of both Wallpaper + MONOCLE, Tyler Brûlé.  (I feel like I've arrived late to a fabulous party).


In case you are in the dark like I was about this creative entrepreneur, here are a few fast facts based on online finds...


1. Born to French-Canadian + Estonian parents. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1968.
2. His career started as a BBC reporter.
3. He launched Wallpaper in 1996.
4. He founded the creative agency, Winkreative in 1998.
5. He left Wallpaper in 2002.
6. He launched his second publication in 2007, MONOCLE (Headquartered in London, with offices in Tokyo, Zürich and New York.)

...

Images above: Tyler Brûlé portrait (photographer unknown) * Tyler Brûlé in the Monocle Weekly (photographer unknown) * logo of Monocle * the magazines shot is mine...my old Wallpapers with my first Monocle issue...


I think I want to make a poster of these 7 points (from cover above of issue 40. volume 4) 

HOW TO CHART A STEADY COURSE: 

1. KEEP FOCUSED ON WHAT LIES OVER THE HORIZON 

2. DON'T BE DISTRACTED BY TRENDS OR FADS   

3. KNOW WHAT YOUR BRAND STANDS FOR  

4. MAINTAIN A DIVERSE TALENT MIX   

5. INVEST IN SEEING THE WORLD  

6. BE TYRANNICAL WHEN IT COMES TO DETAILS  

7. CHANGE TACK THE MOMENT ITS NO LONGER FUN

. . . . . .

Monocle is not like Wallpaper, but it has similar characteristics and well Brûlé.  It is divided in five sections: affairs, business, culture, design and edit...read about them here. It is perfect for someone who likes a smart/worldly read with pictures, designed diagrams, unique ads that inspire (probably from sister company, Winkreative) and nice paper (for collages). I am all about the printed word with glamour.  NOTE: This will not replace my New Yorker, I just found it a handsome playmate.

It is a dense but brilliant read. My brain is now aware of the following thanks to the February Issue: 

1) Marisol Valles Garcia, the 20-year-old criminology student that is currently Praxedis G. Guerrero, México's chief of police (An extremely dangerous town).

2. About the film/TV dubbing industry in places like India, Italy and Germany...(hysterical)

3. Alberto Giacometti's 'Walking Man l' became the priciest sculpture and most expensive work of art ever sold at auction in Feb 2010.

I am still going through it...

Elizabeth Taylor...

There is really not much to say. . . 
It is crazy to think of a world without Elizabeth Taylor: February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011.


Images above: left: Photo by Richard Avedon, 1964  /  right: Shot from the film, Suddenly Last Summer, 1959
Images below are from the 1964 epic film, Cleopatra.

Third Wave Coffees in Montréal...and notable Cafés...

YES, I am a coffee snob. I have become a Third Wave Coffee aficionado. (Interested? Read more about the movement here.)  I am not going to lie, I caved into the Starbucks frenzy for years, mostly back when I had un trabajo fantastico (a great job).  But then, times changed.  When you go from a fantastic salary to minimum wage, well you begin to analyze your squandered habits.  One of the first things I cut from my spending routine was my daily dose of Grande cappuccinos.  The first time I rewarded my taste buds with a cappuccino from Stumptown Coffee Roasters, I wanted to scream,"Where have you been all of my life? and STARBUCKS, I want my money back." 

My short time in Portland, Oregon didn't only teach me "how to live on minimum wage" but it also enlightened my coffee palate. Moral of the story, when you have limited funds, you start thinking about quality and not banal quantity.

And so, when Mark and I relocated to Montréal, we were committed to finding a local spot that could stand up to the high-revered Stumptown Coffee Roasters.  It took us a while, but we eventually found worthy competitors. So here are my favorite finds, in no particular order. 
NOTE: I still miss Stumptown and those dedicated Portland baristas!


Picture credits: Stumptown Cold Brew Coffee + 49th Parallel + Intelligentsia + Saint Henri images: All borrowed from their official websites. Phil & Sebastian images borrowed from HERE.

. . . . . . .

1. Delicious almond croissants from olive + gourmando.   


2. olive + gourmando has become a huge Old Montréal tourist attraction. However, during the non-touristy months, O+G is strongly supported by local enthusiasts, such as myself.  The décor is inviting and toasty despite its crowded ambiance. It serves fabulous culinary delights, (a little expensive for my current budget) and their almond croissants are to sinfully good.  O+G brews coffee from the Barrington Coffee Roasting Company.


3. Café Rico is a cozy coffee stop and the service is always jovial.  They are located close to one of my favorite parks in Montréal, Parc La Fontaine on Rachel Street.  They roast their own 100% fair trade coffee.  FYI, it is a cash only establishment.


4. Café in Gamba is incredible.  It is located on Avenue du Parc, which is about a 40 minute Metro/Bus ride from where Mark and I live, but we always make the trip. The décor is a bit all-over-the-place yet cozy and their service + brewing is impeccable.  The foam on my cappuccino is always silky; I am often tempted to order a big bowl of just foam.  
The owner, JF Leduc, is a passionate coffee lover who is very committed to the Third Wave Coffee movement.  At Gamba, he serves the third wave brands, Intelligentsia from Chicago, 49th Parallel from Vancouver, BC,  Zoka from Seattle, WA, Novo from Denver, CO... among others.  I favor Intelligentsia, created by two San Francisco visionaries when they moved to Chicago in 1995. Today, Intelligentsia has two additional homes, L.A. and New York.

I love Cluny ArtBar.  It is part of the Darling Foundry located on the west end of Old Montréal.  I read somewhere that is it ran by the residency artists that house the Darling Foundry, but I have yet to confirm this fact.  It is a culinary attraction for many locals and the service is fantastic.  The design of this space is heavenly for my taste.  It is raw and the vintage-hand-crafted-furniture is inspiring.  FYI, it has funny hours depending on the season, so call first. By the way, you are served a perfect espresso (w/a shot of bubbly water) on a silver tray...and their desserts are mmm! (NOTE: Cluny serves Café Union's expresso elite.)

Saint Henri is a new coffee spot close to Atwater Market on Notre Dame street.  It is Café in Gamba's, JF Leduc's new baby.  He has chosen to allocate his Third Wave Coffee smarts towards roasting his own coffee brand. I have to admit, his coffee is not perfect YET, but I smell success here.  The décor of this spot houses innovative details, although there is something odd about the layout. I am not sure what to think of the church benches. + + 

1. Café Myriade is a tiny student hangout near Concordia University, but it is pretty phenomenal.  Informative review HERE.  (IMAGE: Mark's espresso in red cup: I believe that day they were brewing 49th Parallel's Epic expresso.) They also brew and sell, Phil & Sebastian from Calgary-AB, Canada.  


2. Café Myriade: I strongly recommend their sweet options.


3. La Montée de Lait - Café facade. Mark and I found this spot recently.  The owners run a pretty $$$$$ restaurant also called La Montée de Lait, not too far from the Café location along St. Laurent street.  I hear it is a worth every penny. 
The Café is a small locale, but what attracts Mark and me to this jewel is their barista Manuela and their fabulous coffee consultant, Chris. Manuela brews a peerless espresso thanks to Chris's expert-coaching.  They brew 49th Parallel coffee.  
NOTE: The Café also offers some of the culinary delights offered at the restaurant, including their divine wine list. 


4. La Montée de Lait-Café interior shot borrowed from HERE.

Other Cafés worth mentioning: Café Olimpico (Italian Style) + Caffè Art Java: It brews JJ Bean Coffee Roasters from Vancouver, BC.


+++

QUICK UPDATE, October 2012:
* Cluny Bar is unfortunately no longer open, but I hear that the owners's first restaurant, Titanic is a must. I have yet to visit, I will find out what coffee if any is served here and report back.
**For the latest Montreal coffee news I strongly recommend you visit The Coffee Project, AdBeus.

Cada Mañana...

I have been watching the news everyday for the past 10 days and the tragic phenomenon in Japan has me emotionally paralyzed.  I am frustrated because it is impossible to relate.  I mean, how does one identify with overnight homelessness & loss in addition to the continuing madness?  I began to wonder, how often do we allow our mornings to transpire without recognition? Well to those in northeastern Japan, the phrase 'every morning' has a different meaning these days. 

This morning, I recalled the beautiful photographic narratives titled [every morning] by Nanako Koyama from Tokyo, Japan. I first came across her work through the fabulous blog, oh hello there a few weeks ago. They are simple images of 'mornings' in different parts of the world. I find them very cathartic.  
If you look at each shot carefully, you will begin to notice those tiny identifiable details...the iMac in the background, the curious black feline, the empty bottles of wine, the delicious fruit bowl for breakfast, the tiny but fabulous dining table...We are really not that different from Midori, Cristina, Asia or Stefan, are we?

TODAY. TOMORROW, THE NEXT DAY...make sure you enjoy your mornings to the fullest.  We owe it to those, who for the moment, do not have the same luxury. After all, today it's Japan, but someday it might be closer to home...

The photographs below are my favorite, but I encourage you to check out Nanako's entire series.

Midori, Japan

Cristina, Portugal

Asia & Stefan, Poland

Can one separate THE brilliance from the MAN?

Most of you are probably already aware of the incomprehensible news regarding John Galliano's libated Hitler rants (?) on film. I mean even CNN and Jon Stewart had their say on this matter a couple of weeks ago. If you have browsed through my fashion posts, then you know that I am a fan of Mr. Galliano's brilliance, which is why this situation has me so perplexed.  I am not aware of what triggered the diatribe against the Parisian women filming his rants. I want to believe that his theatrical persona was momentarily devoured by a dark, pissed-off, and irritated force.  So. . .I am left with one question, Can one separate THE brilliance from THE man? . . . Dior answered by firing him. I am not sure where I stand. Perhaps I will simply put my admiration on hold for now.  Google the story if you want to know the details.


Photo from Paris Fashion Week, "Backstage John Galliano" 2010 borrowed from Jak & Jil.

for Philippine Bausch...

I was just thinking about Pina Bausch yesterday and today I stumbled upon the trailer for the film, pina by director Wim Wenders.  It was unveiled last month in Berlin's 61st International Film Festival and it will be touring throughout Europe this Spring.  Read more HERE.  I can't wait to see this film!


Images were borrowed from the film's official site.

"PINA is a film for Pina Bausch by Wim Wenders. The feature-length dance film was shot in 3D with the ensemble of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch and shows the exhilarating and inimitable art of the great German choreographer who died in the summer of 2009, inviting the viewer on a sensual, visually stunning journey of discovery into a new dimension: right onto the stage of the legendary ensemble and together with the dancers beyond the theater, into the city and the surrounding industrial landscape of Wuppertal – the place that was the home and center of Pina Bausch's creative life for more than 35 years."

For no particular reason...

Image above: Pina Bausch, 1966 by deSingel International Arts Campus

Images: 1.by flickr account: Mars Hsu  2.Original source unknown  3.Pina performing "Café Müller"original source unknown.  4.Original source unknown  5.Pina "arrangement" by flickr account yufisher  6.from notmyshoot  7.Pina poster, image from flickr account Even  8.Pina performing "Café Müller"original source unknown.

For no particular reason, I just felt like remembering Pina Bausch today.
Do you ever find yourself missing someone you've never met? Sometimes all it takes is a moment, an unexplained connection with someone's art, performance, style, etcetera, and your life is just not the same again.  
  
I fell in love with this amazing German choreographer/dancer while watching Pedro Almodóvar's 2002 film, Hable Con Ella (experienced for the first time in Copenhagen's Dagmar Teatret).  The opening scene is Pina Bausch performing her 1978 piece,  Café Müller. After I read the word FIN, I smiled and realized that Pina's intro to the story is simply a necessary and unforgettable component to this penetrating film. 

Hammer & Hand

Hammer & Hand is a design-build shop who fosters a collaborative environment with sustainable craftsmanship. And a what a shop!...Let's all take a moment to salivate over these shots taken by bright design lab.  I want one, don't you?  Thank you Zack for allowing me to share your workspace with my readers.  I hope to get an official tour one day.  You should be featured in Grain & Gram.  

Hammer & Hand, another reason why Portland, OR is simply a peerless city.

Well done Grain & Gram...YES I am jealous.  My friend Kelly wrote a great piece about this exclusive journal...read HERE.

Grain & Gram: Blair Sligar, Woodworker from Grain & Gram on Vimeo.

Do you collage?

These whimsical yet thought provoking illustrations are by the Colombian artist, Samuel Castaño.  I came across Samuel's work in NOT-PAPER, a fabulous blog.  Every time I see collage work that inspires me, I think of a professor in arch school who use to make his students create collages for homework.  I never had the pleasure of taking his class...a moment of silence.  I hope Prof. Fowler still demands this ritual. We should all do at least one collage a day...it could be very therapeutic. More of Samuel's work HERE.