Recently in “Collectibles”

For those of us who grew up in the 60's, the most important "accessoration" on our polo shirt's was the embroidered Lacoste "alligator" ..... it is an iconic logo and the forerunner of penguins, bears, horses, etc, and the giant Ralph Lauren Polo Player!!!!! Lacoste is trying to breath new life into the alligator with the help of world renowned Brazilian designers Fernando & Humberto Campana. The brother's have designed 4 limited-edition shirts that were hand-made at the Coopa-Roca Women's Co-operative in Rochina, Brazil, updating a traditional "accessoration!!!"   

Available at Moss and Moss Online, the 4 shirt styles are ...... women's all-over lace-applique (edition of 12), men's all over lace-applique (edition of 12), men's "alligator pools" (edition of 125), and women's "lianes" or "vines" (edition of 125). The pattern of "alligator pools" on the mens shirts is influenced by the "anavihanas", small fluvial islands in the Amazon; and the women's shirt is influenced by the "vines" that grow in the trees in the tropical rain forests.

I think this "accessoration" project is extremely innovative and it also serves an important purpose ...... it engages the women of the co-op in a project that enables them to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of their families, and it continues the development of the traditional Brazilian hand-craft techniques. Giving back is the most important "accessoration" of all!!!!!

Milanese artist and illustrator Piero Fornasetti was the creator of over 11,000 witty and imaginative patterned decorative objects. He died in 1988 and his son Barnaba, "is perpetuating the workshop tradition, continuing the production and reviving the most popular pieces, creating new ones," keeping his Father's whimsical, humorous, and elegant designs alive. Recently, in the basement, he found a plastic form of a vase that had never been produced and he used it as the jumping off point for this imaginative and off-beat collection of objects; vases, teapots, a tale, etc.. According to the Fornasetti company, these stunning pieces, produced by licensee Bitossi Ceramiche, will "travel" from display at the Spazio Fornasetti to be shown at Barneys New York in mid-May.

Vanessa Stramboni has an "accessorator's" sensability .....  that I adore!! She mixes eccentric French vintage, with African ethnic; blending bijoux (jewelry, in our lingo!), textiles, furniture, lighting, and fantastic objects to create her store's eclectic feeling. I adored the set of four black & white, French 60's chairs, whose seats are re-upholstered in a black, white, & grey wool check fabric .... very reminiscent of Chanel!!!! The collection of black and white African masques, that have a slight hint of red, are exceptional "accessorations" ...... and of course, I love, love, love the African stool that still has touches of it's original bright colored paint!!!!! 

 

I adore books ..... reading them, as well accessorating with them!!! So, when I met Brian Wynn, owner of Middletons, I was in heaven!!!! This eco-friendly Kentucky company rescues vintage books from the public library system and turns them into studding treasures!!! Brian creates a unique library of re-claimed books, rebinding them with beautiful hand-printed papers. In addition, he also rebinds books with solid paper, and individually hand-silk screening each one. After binding, the books go through a process to soften the jackets, giving them a gently worn feeling. In addition, color or a metallic surface can be added after the binding process, creating another design element. 

I was visiting two of my "tastiest and chicest" friends this past weekend ......  and I fell madly in love with this divine chandelier!!!!! It was designed by world-famous Venetian designer Gino Sarfatti for his company Arteluce, started in the early 1940's, it became the international reference point for the "modern architectural movement" in lighting. Sarfatti designed and produced over 400 amazing lighting designs over a thirty year period. His company, the foremost of the era, was innovative in materials, production, technologies, light sources, technical lighting effects, and design aspects. Movement was an important element in his designs; standing lamps and wall mounted lights, frequently incorporated articulated metal arms, often in brass. Sarfatti designed all forms of lighting ...... chandeliers, floor lamps, wall lamps, table lamps, and sconces ....... usually including metals in his pieces. 

And, it is important to remember Sarfatti often incorporated color without fear .... the sign of a true "accessorator"!!!!!!!!!

The goal of the Selyn Socio-Economic Development Foundation is "to foster the intellectual, social, ethical, moral, spiritual, and emotional development of the less fortunate children of Sri Lanka, by assisting them in all aspects to become competent and employable and we will create sustainable and practical socio economic opportunities for rural women in order for them to achieve life long success." Created by Hamburg based designer Alexa Lixfeld (12/14/09 post) in a joint venture with Selyn, a private initiative, manufacturing and exporting handloom textiles, toys, and handicrafts, the Foundation's goal is to raise funds for a school for the children of the area, as well as provide jobs for local women, the foundation's first project was this collection of dolls.

Working with local children, Alexa helped to create a collection of dolls adapted from the children's drawings. Designed by students from Grades 1,2, and 3 of the Royal International school in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka, the drawings were transfered exactly drawn, onto 100% natural hand dyed, hand woven fabric and sewn by the women of the collective. "All dolls are truly unique and has the name of he child who made it or a name that was given to it by the child." These fabulous dolls are available at Rossana Orlandi, Milan; Mint, London; and TOUCH, Los Angeles. 

According to Alexa, "the design of this project is a project design, rather than only a product design. It involves all aspects of the social and cultural facts found in Sri Lanka and involves all aspects of the manufacturing methods of the company, as well as the dreams and visions these people have."

This project is spectacular and it is imperative that we support this project and continue to empower these women and children.

"The accessorator's" Christmas tree requires a Barbie doll under it and this limited edition Barbie, launched last week in Tokyo, is the chicest choice!!! Dressed for Christmas in "Jingle Flowers" by fashion designer Rei Kawakubo, of Comme des Garçons, Barbie is available at all Comme des Garçons stores world wide!!!!!

Artist Gabriel Dishaw recycles old circuit boards, copper wires, and a variety of "useless, old junk" to create his favorite classic sneaker silhouettes in his newest series of Junk Art. The collection is called "Pentium" after Intel's chips.

"Using found objects from typewriters, adding machines and old computers, I take the items people no longer have use for and I carefully disassemble these items and then reassemble these together using metal wire creating my Junk Art.I begin each sculpture with an idea of how I can take these found pieces of useless metal and insignificant objects and create something that everyone can understand and relate to." Gabriel Dishaw

These wild and wacky "sneakers"  are perfect for the man who really has everything ..... and truly needs nothing!!!!

                                  Tejo Remy Chest of Drawers XS at Droog                

                                Kwangho Lee at Johnson Trading Company

                           Pedro Friedeberg at Sebastian + Barquet Gallery     

                                            Studio Job at VIVID Gallery

                                               Julien Carretero at Moss

Design Miami 2009 has a wide selection of galleries, focusing on a variety of designers. I was thrilled to see the mix of iconic pieces, including the Hand Chairs from Pedro Friedeberg and the Drawer Chest from Tejo Remy ....... mixed with the work of newer designers, such as Julien Carretero and Kwangho Lee. Included within this range of design is a wide selection of process, technique, materials and silhouette. All of the work is unique, exciting and interesting ...... a delicious feast for the "accessorator's" eye!!!!!!!!!!!

Irish artist, Orla O'Brien created this collection of magical, unique "lassies" by combining wire, wool, clay, vintage paper, pain, hair, and a variety of textiles. She hand dyed, molded, coiled, hand embroidered, distressed, and manipulated various materials to create different personality for each of her "friends." Their papier mache faces express their individuality, while the stance of their string wrapped bodies and limbs show their strength and gumption!!! In addition, each doll is accompanied by their own "passport," ..... listing their name, nationality, and date of birth .... making them ready for a quick jaunt around the world.....starting at Mint, Lina Kanafani's fantastic store in London, where they were found!!! 

"In creating my own collection of dolls, I have attempted to recapture my magical childlike state of mind. From my treasured memories I have crafted tangible figures which tell the viewer a story about the written past and my present self. Each doll was designed by establishing the characters of unique and individual people involved in my world. In developing the doll characters I focused on giving each figure a personality while reinforcing an identity by creating a passport for each doll." Orla O'Brien

I am enamored by Orla's natural instinct for creating art from reclaimed "bits and pieces." The dolls are reminiscent of the simplicity of another era. Their good "vibrations" are wonderful "accessorations" for all of us!!!!!!

This is the 2010 Fornasetti Calendar Plate, available from my friends Allison and Louis at Maison 24, in Bridgehampton. Piero Fiornasetti began creating and producing calendar plates in 1968, and Barnaba Fornasetti has continue the tradition since 1989. The theme of the years plate is snakes, taken from the Fornasetti archives. The black, white, and gold porcelain plate retails at $210 and will be available for shipment in December. I would suggest you order early as the the plate is a limited edition of 700 and bound to be a sell out!!!!

My friend, NY Times writer Penelope Green,  wrote an article several months ago about the latest design trend .... The New Antiquarians. Revolving around a revival of interest in anti-modern or fantasy vintage furniture and accessories  ..... or as Penelope says "the accouterments of the turn-of-the-19th-century leisure class," a number of 20-&-30-somethings are creating spaces that are designed to resemble parlors of the Edwardian Era. Over-stuffed rooms are often filled with ancestor portraits; antlers from a variety of species; taxidermy animals and birds; medical cabinets filled with potions, petrified bone, skulls, and other small trinkets; old tufted leather seating; candlesticks and candelabras; and a variety of other ephemera of that age ...... all in all, a look worth thinking about!!!!

One night last week, I was in a taxi going down Chrystie Street, and as I was passing Sammy's Roumanian Restaurant (thinking of chicken fat & my old friend Bernie Ozer), I noticed an unusual and intriguing store next door!!! I went back several days later and learned that it was owned by Ryan Matthew, one of "The New Antiquarians" that Penelope had written about!!! Ryan, a silversmith, is transfixed by this "new vintage" and his  apartment in Brooklyn is accessorized with "mummified hunting dogs, wax figures and Black Forest taxidermy"!!!  Several weeks ago, he opened Against Nature on Chrystie Street, as an "homage" to this new visual.  The men's store is stocked with tailored and be-spoke suits by Doyle Mueser, custom denim by Simon Jacobs and a selection of jewelry and leather accessories by Ryan. I find the interior design of the store and its "fantastical" antique furniture and accessories fabulous!!! The furniture includes vintage cabinets, a divine blood-red tufted leather sofa, turn-legged tables, and antique showcases. The accessories are true "period," including mummified skulls under glass, a pair of taxidermy albino peacocks, vintage leather bound books, silver candelabras. The concept, from store design to clothing, is a feast for the eye, it appears to have been on Chrystie Street since the 19th Century!!!!!

Against Nature is an "inspirational must see"!!!!! Whoever says there is "nothing new under the sun" hasn't taken a trip to Chrystie Street ....... everything old looks new here!!!!

Leave it to the French to come up with an amazing way to say "thank you," and create a wonderful shopping experience as well!!!! Marie-France & Bernard Cohen, founders of the French cult children's brand Bonpoint, opened Merci this past spring in the Marais district of Paris, "combining fashion with philanthropy, vintage with contemporary design and bespoke creations with mainstream brands." Housed in a 16,000 sq. foot former wallpaper factory, this industrial space features an innovative and interesting treasure trove of "everything" from fashion to furnishing!!!!  Merci, created by the Cohen's as their personal "thank you," donates 100% of its profits to a charity that helps deprived children in India and Madagascar. Having traveled extensively in that area of the world, Madame Cohen was extremely touched by the lack of education for these children and she made herself promise to help them. To achieve this goal, the Cohen's used their retail talents and vision to create this unique shopping experience. "Merci is accessible to anyone with an eye for the unusual and the bespoke."

This extraordinary philanthropic endeavor has gotten an incredible response from the designers, artists, musicians, actors, authors, stylists, and famous friends that the Cohen's went to for help. In addition to donations and the specially designed merchandise that is found only at the store, there is a continuously changing selection of eclectic, well designed product from French companies and various interesting flea market finds. Joining the Cohen's in their generosity, many of the designers and companies involved are also forgoing their profits, resulting in the price of the merchandise being 30% below traditional retail. In addition to gifts, clothing, accessories, and furnishing...... there is "Merci Fleur,'' a flower shop featuring florist Christian Tortu and the "Used Book Cafe" with a 130 foot rolling book wall of donated second hand books. Another wonderful feature is a selection of six scents from perfumeur Annick Goutal (Annick is Mdme. Cohen's late sister)  that are being sold in simple glass or aluminum containers like those used by perfumemakers in Grasse, rather than their classical decorative flasks, and aptly called "Merci Annick."

"Christmas at Merci" features a well curated holiday collection of accessories and apparel; as well as gifts from international designers such as Tom Dixon, Patricia Urquiola, Atelier, and Droog; plus a wide selection of one-off pieces, vintage items, and unique holiday creations designed exclusively for the store. An intriguing  selection of vintage Christmas ornaments and decorations completes the eclectic holiday assortment. 

I do believe that New York City is really a village and that everyone is connected......and here's more proof!!! 

I always enjoy the various illustrations that are designed for the Op-Ed pages of the Sunday edition of The New York Times; saving & filing them for reference, but never thinking about who designed them. In addition, I collect the work of artist Corin Hewitt and supported his  show at The Whitney Museum, as well as the book that catalogued the show.

Shopping at John Derian's eponymous store always results in finding deliciously unusual accessories and last week was no disappointment ..... I found these wonderful  wooden "book sculptures," created by artist Leanne Shapton!!!! Leanne is an illustrator, painter, textile designer, author, and publisher. She has designed book jackets, magazines, DVD's, and film titles ..... and she is the art director of The NY Times Op-Ed pages!!! I assume Leanne has no interest in free time ...... because, in addition, she is also co-founder of the non-profit publishing company J&L  Books!!! This well respected imprint, specializing in publishing books about the work of young contemporary artists, published the book cataloguing Corin's work at The Whitney!!!! Small world!!!