I have a Woody

Newsom, Judd, Mollino, Alto and Edra.

The Great Baba

You have to sit back and adore Catherine Baba: super-stylist to pretty much any major fashion mag the world has to offer and resident of Paris. She just oozes IT and she did it ever so long before the word "stylist" became commonplace. Just let me at her bangle collection alone. Can you believe she is Australian? So proud.

Minimalisma!

Who thought minimalism would have such a long life? “Mountain Retreat” designed by my favourite New Zealand architects, Fearon Hay is completely perfect isn’t it? Minimalism and earthiness is pretty much the ultimate combination and hey, we all know, it is not easy to achieve something that seems somehow borne of the earth, as opposed to contrived.

This firm has produced some of the most notable homes for some time now (see, for example, their current spread in Vogue Living and the "Shark Alley" House). They always stand out. Check out some of their other divine homes in and around Auckland via their website: http://www.fearonhay.com/.

Hospitalised

Fresh from his collaboration with Louis Vuitton (remember, the dirty, psycho nurses that opened the Spring 2008 show as pictured?), American artist Richard Prince goes all furniture/art fusion this time in his current show at Galerie Patrick Seguin, Paris.

Prince’s extensive book collection needed storage and hey, why not do it stylishly? As the Gagosian website says Prince “expanded the idea to include daybeds and sofas as a means of presentation. Pairing mid-century modern furniture with books, his own double-sided "Publicities" and other printed and literary material, Prince has created unified sculpture out of disparate objects.” Neat.

The "Nurse Hat Chair" pictured has been produced in an edition of 7. Ouch. Wonder how much this baby costs? More than a Vuitton handbag I assume?

Prince is truly a man of style ... geez, I just noticed he is featured in the Olsen Twins' new tome, "Influence".

Twin Palms, Twin Palms

If you are a serious American modernism fan ... get a load of Sinatra's Palm Springs pad commissioned in 1947 and designed by E Stuart Williams. Sinatra is essentially credited with putting Palm Springs on the map with his sexed up and alcoholic ways ... all played out in "Twin Palms".

It has recently been refurbished by an American executive who, as an alternate to the often favoured minimalism, brilliantly adhered to the style of the times: think chintz and shag pile.

Unbelievably, "Twin Palms" can be rented. Go to http://www.sinatrahouse.com/.

Lick It Up

There is no denying she is hotter than hot. Juliette Lewis. Why isn't she focused on more? In an era of sanitised, "weak as piss" female starlets (think: Blake Lively, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton et al) Juliette provides a welcome alternative for those of us who have zero interest in red carpet normality.

There is always something a little wrong about what she dons ... which of course, makes her so right.

See her at the next rock festivo (with her band "Juliette & the Licks") or in an indie flick ... if she feels like it.

Greige

Still one of my favourite collections from the master, Martin Margiela (Fall 2008, RTW). Is it sculpture, architecture or fashion?

Holy Mollino

Images from "Casa Mollino", Po River, Turin, as styled by the one and only Carlo Mollino, he of the divine furniture and soft porn polaroids. A timeless aesthetic.

Heady Stuff

Dior Men's greatest loss - the great Hedi Slimane. Where is he, what is he up to?

If you are ever in the mood for some super slick black and white imagery that captures the current youth/rock zeitgiest, log in to Hedi's website: http://www.hedislimane.com/ and drink in the beauty.

Slimane is a hyper-diarist with categories such as: rock, parties, video, fashion, exhibitions, press.

Scrolling through the imagery, it reminds me of what Bruce Webber did in the early 90's for wasp families in The Hamptons and homoerotica, but this is much, much cooler and has a cruel, cold edge.

[Pictured: Sasha Pivovarova as shot for Paris Vogue this year]

Krispy Kreme Anyone?

I'm talking about “Optimism” now on at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. This show has been talked up to the max and now for the verdict - well ..... it's all very happy, colourful and pristine.

The opening night crowd matched the gloss. Many went “theme dress” which is hardly a surprise as Brisbane gallery-goers seem to take their openings seriously (think Neo-Goth at UAM - all black and taxidermy).

Fellow peacocks on the night were: Amelia Gundelach in her fuchsia pink “Mr K” prom dress, black opaques and Proenza Schouler platforms. Ellie Buttrose did edgy brilliantly in her divine shell pink ball gown, fascinator and sequinned sneakers. Anna Schwartz was a black sculptural vision in her Junya Wattanabe black platforms and hyper-collar dress, as was Pam Easton in a sequinned Easton Pearson kaftan (she never looks bad). Was Sarah Cottier wearing floral Marni or van Noten?

The gallery put on a great opening night party (Judith Lucy, Paul Mac and lots of lychee martinis and champagne cocktails) and the evening continued on to Lychee Lounge. Last standing at The Wickham: Angela (QAG) and Hamish (Milani Gallery).

If you like your art pretty, catch “Optimism” before it closes early 2009.

Henson v Bava

Is it just me, or do Mexican cult horror director Mario Bava and acclaimed Australian photographer Bill Henson have a lot in common? I do love an art/fashion/film parallel. I love this quote from Bava:

"My fantasies are always horrible. For example, I love my young daughter more than anything else in the world, but when I dream of her its always frightening. Do you want to know what character is haunting my subconscious? A violinist who serenades the woman he loves by playing on the tendons of his arms.”

Wonder if Bill has similar nightmares?

Alien Life Forms

Patricia Piccinini continues her investigation into natural v digital/bio-technical intervention. For the record, I am not a Piccinini fan, however, this piece, "The Uprising", from her latest show at Roslyn Oxley 9, "Related Individuals" appeals. It is like Alien ate a panel van. Isn't she far more interesting, when less literal?

June, July, August?

She was responsible for the heartbreaking film of 2005, "Me and You and Everyone We Know". Miranda July is a performance artist, writer and director who straddles a unique world of the quirky and the profound.

Her work at the recent Yokohama Biennale maintains this unique position.

In the "Swan Tool", she combines video, performance, live music and helium to tell the story of a woman who cannot decide whether to live or die. Rather than choose, she digs a hole in her backyard and buries herself. Following the self-burial she attempts to continue living and working, but the thing in the hole will not die and she is unable to forget about it.

In this performance July stands on a narrow catwalk between two screens, one behind her top half, and one in front of her bottom half.

Far from the Maddening Crowd

While recently in Auckland, I attended an opening of Peter Madden's work at Michael Lett Gallery (on until December). His work truly is of another universe. He wields his scalpel and tweezers to create fantastical imagery that astounds. I have stolen some of John Hurrell's writing which parallels the beauty and whimsy of this work:

"Madden’s fragile, intricate constructions draw you into microcosms, intimate kingdoms often thick with flying forms, miniature paper images hovering on wires or pins within dense but shallow spaces. Each of his delicately extricated shapes floats with many neighbours in close proximity. Individual components lose their particularity as universal commonalities take precedence.

"His reassembled image clusters bring a vibrant complexity, one that allows a formal exploration of spatial ambiguity, shape and edge. The plethora of isolated and combined shapes that he delights in is a celebration of plenitude, a cornucopia that glories in the abundance of earth’s life forms. He exults in the teeming congregations of species we co-exist with - flocks, shoals, swarms of quivering animal energy - and mixes them into wondrously new, hybrid image combinations."

Madden is a modern day Vasco da Gama, minus the boat.

The Read Baron

Anyone who cares remotely about style and art direction, needs to buy a copy of "Interview" now! Superstar art director Fabien Baron has taken hold and the results are astonishingly beautiful. Very minimal, with velvety black and white images and great typeset make this mag totally covetable once again. Of particular note are the amazingly sculptural images of Stefano Pilati's recent work for YSL. It's so good it needs a frame.