Follow-up: Butterfly Beauties

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Butterflies have a way of stopping time. Be it their delicate flutter or over-sensualized aura, nearly everyone stops to notice this insect’s vibrant wings during the summer months. As we noted back in early June, Butterflies signify many things, and their attachment to human personalities appears to be impacting fashion, print and photography as of late. This quick snap shot was taken in Chelsea Market of a European couple. The man is wearing a butterfly-clad sweatshirt. The collection of women in the TV poster, She’s Got the Look, feminizes this insect to the greatest degree, while this portrait from Justin Blyth’s inspiration blog adds a new dimension to Heidi Klum’s LG advertising concept.

July 14, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Homegoods: Tactile Topography

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In our modern times, filled with GPS and GoogleMaps, it’s no wonder that we seem to have developed a fascination for knowing where we are at all times. It’s reached a new level of poignancy to be able to locate yourself as well as peer over your neighborhood from above, observing it’s grid-like form. This sentiment is popping up in various textile projects and is most successfully executed by Emily Fischer of Haptic Labs and Marcello Campa and Stefano Avesani of the Instant Hutong Project. While Fischer references the borough of Brooklyn, quilting on silk dupioni, Campa and Avesani explore the Hutong districts throughout downtown Beijing. Regardless of the landscape, both works bring a permanency to topography that has become nearly extinct with technology’s latest advances. Nowadays lines are blurred so easily perhaps there is a certain comfort in being able to see and feel the things that don’t change so easily.

Compiled by: Emily Gup

July 13, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Budget: Taping Spaces

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Budget slashing has forced artists, retailers and marketers across the globe to get creative in finding lower-cost solutions to advertise their wares. Be it a rummage in the craft bin or a simple play on words, trend-setters such as Anthropologie and Barneys have proven less can be more when the concepts are strong. Today we’ve chosen to focus on tape as a decorative way to enhance a creative message. Earlier this summer the malleable nature of this medium was incorporated in the Color Forms layout featured in the New York Times Magazine where the photographer chose to compliment this Matryoshka table with vibrant colored floor striping. Applying similar energy and stiff color blocking, this repuposed Umbro t-shirt from 2006 reveals that DIY done right can update any brand. Using color, function and a healthy dose of sexy, Marc Jacobs has created one of the simplest and most striking window displays on New York’s Bleeker Street, proving that duct tape can work for even the most innovative designers.

July 8, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Measuring Up

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Tape measures can be used for more than just sizing up material — in some cases they are the material. Fusing pop art vibrancy with everyday functionality, the tool responsible for measuring our daily lives is stepping out from behind the scenes to claim a bit of creative recognition. We first noticed ruler art on the streets of Palermo Soho, where brightly colored suspenders popped up at a local craft fair. Inside the walls of Tienda Palacio, a trendy Buenos Aires boutique, folded flower pendants and resin keychain accessories reclaim the traditional notion of a tchotchke.

The fine art world hasn’t been exempt from the trend. In 2008, Debbie Smyth of Ireland, combined black and white tape measures to form magnificent geometric woven prisms. Using less malleable materials, a unique wall hanging featured at this year’s ArteBA was composed of several purposely-misaligned wooden rulers to create striped texture. Combining photography with witty art direction, “Space Time,” by Kevin Van Aelst explores multiple dimensions while simultaneously conveying wit through it’s “variable” measurement title.

Compiled by: Rebecca Silver

July 7, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

July 4th: Patterns Getting Patriotic

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After spending the week moseying around Fire Island and absorbing 4th of July festivities, we found it only fit to provide a brief wrap up of quirky, inspirational, red, white and blue imagery that speaks to the patriotic side of patterns. Be it indifferent hipsters styled in caricature body-builder gear, Budweiser’s subtle marketing displays, or this uniquely camouflaged fish, all hints of the American flag are welcome when it comes to ushering in summer, sand and barbecue.

Additional contributions by: Emily Gup

July 6, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Quick Links: Weekly Notables

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1. You’ve never seen wetsuits like this, via Cakehead Lovers Evil.

2. Brilliant display of MoMA’s TwistTogether LED blocks, via Inhabitots.

3. Lacoste’s iconic crocodile runs amoc for their fourth Holiday Collector’s series collaboration with Fernando and Humberto Campana, via Yatzer.

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4. Pendleton is celebrating their 100th birthday by pairing their signature patterns with Opening Ceremony’s chic modern cuts, via The Fashionisto.

5. Charming fruit shaped sticky notes, via Moco Loco.

6. Sparkling textured wallcoverings from Silven, via Trendir.

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7. Vera Neumann’s expansive collection of work, some of which is presently on display at New York City’s midtown location of Anthropologie, via Design*Sponge.

8. Playing with paper inspired this lighting series by kjellgren kaminsky architecture, via Design Boom.

9. Floor made of pennies, via Not Cot.

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10. Stunning artist designed DeLonghi espresso machines up for auction, via If It’s Hip It’s Here.

11. Collapsible textile honeycomb inspired helmut, via Yanko Design.

12. A collection of lovely 3D typography, via Abduzeedo.