Nicholas Kirkwood

I know I'm copying vogue.com by posting this, but holy moly!

I'm a strong believer in utilitarian fashion, but I would buckle every one of those straps with joy.

FASHION AT LINCOLN CENTER

Wow! Tonight kicked off an exciting season for fashion, and began with the Fashion's Night Out Show (by Vogue) at Lincoln Center. The show was the largest fashion event in New York City's history, and was open to the public (for a small price, bien sur).

It seems as though the fashion industry is working to maintain relevance in an increasingly desperate economic time, and in some ways it succeeded. In some ways it did not; it seems as though the focus of Fall Fashion is tending towards unabashed decadence, which seems off-key in such an economic time.

Here's what I mean. So much fabric, so much (amazing) tulle. These are certainly not DIY looks. Later in the show we saw fur, another fall trend that seems tone-deaf in a time that is not only economically, but ecologically sensitive.

In a way though, it lives up to fantasies of wealth and luxury that would be performed more rigorously and religiously in times of extreme status anxiety. There was an element of costume in the show (notice the fur), and some of the pieces even alluded to 1920s/1930s fashion (a product of the Met show?), a fashion born of another depressed era.

Notice the fur here:

The wigs are right out of the Met show. The dresses are updated in the fabric and the asymmetry, but they are clearly alluding to another time, similar in many ways to our own. 

Anyway, enough of that! Here are some pretty clothes:

I know I criticized these pieces for being too decadent, but they really are beautiful.

More to come! Happy Fashion Week!

NIKKI GIOVANNI

Nikki Giovanni is one of my favorite poets, and has been among my favorites since I was young. Her poetry is so accessible and fun. One of my favorites is "My House;" enjoy.

i only want to 
be there to kiss you
as you want to be kissed
when you need to be kissed
where i want to kiss you 
cause its my house and i plan to live in it
i really need to hug you
when i want to hug you
as you like to hug me
does this sound like a silly poem
i mean its my house
and i want to fry pork chops
and bake sweet potatoes
and call them yams
cause i run the kitchen
and i can stand the heat
i spent all winter in
carpet stores gathering 
patches so i could make
a quilt
does this really sound
like a silly poem
i mean i want to keep you
warm
and my windows might be dirty
but its my house
and if i can't see out sometimes
they can't see in either
english isn't a good language
to express emotion through
mostly i imagine because people
try to speak english instead
of trying to speak through it
i don't know maybe it is
a silly poem
i'm saying it's my house
and i'll make fudge and call
it love and touch my lips
to the chocolate warmth
and smile at old men and call
it revolution cause what's real
is really real
and i still like men in tight
pants cause everybody has some
thing to give and more
important need something to take
and this is my house and you make me 
happy
so this is your poem
Photos from Le Love Image

HENRY VAN BRUNT

Here are some images of buildings by architect Henry Van Brunt. His architecture is just beautiful, I loved looking at it in Boston this summer.

Coming home to Lawrence, I was so happy to remember that our very own Spooner Hall is a Van Brunt building.

"... and I think that is kind."

Anyone else hear this on morning edition this morning:


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129001959


   Driving to work this morning, I found myself tearing up at the sweetness of this well-spoken girl.  I--a 22 year old woman--cannot express myself as well as 8 1/2 year old "Popcorn."  She has clearly been raised to be a very verbal, aware, and polite little person.  My favorite moment is when she says, "... and I think that is kind."
   Kids can be so bratty--manipulative, greedy, rude--and it's not their fault; they're being introduced to the entire world and experiencing an overload of sensory stimuli.  Nor it is the parent's.  This girl, however, from what little we glean about her in this three minute clip, speaks with the honesty of a child and the fluency of someone twice, nay, three times her age.  And that element is what makes this story so wholly touching, I believe.

JASPER JAMES

Today I stumbled upon the website of international photographer Jasper James. Primarily based in Beijing and London, James takes breathtaking portraits of people and the cities they are enveloped by. Here are a few:

MARION COTILLARD

Marion Cotillard is one of the most recognizable French actresses of the moment, along with Juliette Binoche, and Audrey Tautou. Her recent Vogue cover shoot was absolutely beautiful. Here are some images:

She is also currently the face of Dior:

HAPPY BASTILLE DAY!

In honor of Bastille Day, I thought I'd post some pictures by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson and by French artist Yves Klein. Enjoy & Vive la France!

And Yves Klein (and some IKB):

And some other wonderful things that come from la France:

Liberté, Liberté chérie!