Beauty: Gothic Facial Palettes

For beauty, music and art lovers, it’s been an interesting few months. All three have merged to form a trend that reared it’s head in early March. We labeled it expressive story telling and it’s managed to evolve from the art and photography worlds to the beauty, music and marketing arenas.

These images of Enya Bakunova, Lady Gaga, the goth models walking Vivienne Westwoods’s weekend fashion show, and Shu Umera’s recent print campaign all pay homage to Mario Testino’s 2001 portrait of Kate Moss.

This wave feels a bit more gothic though, more geisha, more painterly. The emphasis on the eyes, the lips and the cheekbones provide a sculpture-like interpretation to compliment Guim Tió Zarraluki’s abstract and piercing renditions. As we’ve said before, portraiture represents more than a moment- it’s the culmination of a mood, an outfit, a setting and a style. What do you think of this artistic execusion, is it effective?

September 16, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Friday Quick Links!

1. Amazing comparison series with Delpozo’s Spring 2014 collection via Miss Moss
2. Bringing plaid indoors for the fall via design*sponge
3. Create a bold linear wall design out of felt via design-milk
4. Lara Merrett’s stunning art via The Design Files
5. A fan of these hand painted bicycle helmets via swissmiss
6. Word hairpins made with alphabet pasta via Whimsey Box
7. DIY your duvet cover with a little paint via Poppytalk
8. Digging this abstract backdrop via Design Love Fest
9. Lovely layered rugs via Honestly WTF
10. Julie Mehretu’s architectural lines via Patternbank
11. Art by Elad Assry via Trendland
12. Striking collages from Jesse Draxler via The Artful Desperado

Contributed by Emily Gup

September 13, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Graphic Storytelling & Color Accents

Bold contrasts make incredible statements when striped down to the basics. Just as camoflauge, florals and animal prints are staples, so are colorless patterns. When you add a singular hue to the mix though, you’re setting the mood – red/black/white screams news(!) while a canary yellow conveys alert(!) Eggplant still has a regal feel to it and kelly green feels playful and unexpected.

Last night, while paying bills, canceling memberships, and catching up on articles saved, I also paged through piles of product from Bergdorf Goodman, Madewell, LandsEnd, J.Crew and Anthropologie. These three images sold a story to me: Manolo Blahnik’s houndstooth, polka dotted and striped heels, Proenza Schouler’s textured clutches and Anthropologie’s cotton upholstered Astrid Chair. All loose, lyrical, rigid and of the moment.

September 12, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Color & Pattern: Apple's iPhone5 C

The anticipation’s over and even Apple’s in back-to-school mode with their latest iPhone C product launch. Combining matte and shiny surfaces, gridded netted covers, and a very bright color palette, these phones have a decidedly childish twist- taking a 180 diversion from the stark monochromatic days of the past.

The palette feels very American in a naive, almost unglamorous way. The playfulness of the colors are rather commercial and we suspect will have a good deal of influence over the coming years. When you’re a brand like Apple, you have serious sway. You set the mass market trends in the world of tech and product design.

I’m assuming the male market will veer towards the white C or any of the S phones, while the female buyers will be more varied (hello, coral), though it’ll be interesting to see how this palette plays out and inserts itself into our subconscious vernacular. If you’re planning to buy one, which color will win?

September 10, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Tuesday's Gallery Picks

The fine line between chaos and order reign in this week’s gallery picks.

* * *

1. Pavilion of the Blind is a freestanding structure that contains a colorful array of window blinds, panels and shades. Movement is triggered by a motion detector and controlled by a PLC (programmable logic controller) housed within the structure at Tierney Gardarin
2. Charline von Heyl’s paintings are not abstractions of objects or figures; rather, she is interested in creating abstract images that stand for themselves at Petzel
3. By physically and metaphorically cutting and bringing together disparate items and ideas in her paintings, drawings, and sculptures, Iva Gueorguieva’s works can be seen as assemblages of chaos and order, personal concerns and global issues at Acme Los Angeles
4. Growing up in Spain, with the hybridized eclectic sensibilities of Antoni Gaudi as a visual force in her early life, led to the collision in Susan Chrysler White’s work of nature, spiritual tendencies, and 3D form. The exploration of light, space, transparency, bilateral symmetry, and calligraphic drawing all play a part in her recent sculpture at Kim Foster Gallery
5. Omar Chacon’s most recent body of work continues to be influenced by the intricate patterns and weavings mirrored in the traditional folk art of South America at Fouladi Projects
6. Rosemarie Fiore uses the brightly colored smoke of live fireworks to create vibrant and bold abstract compositions. In this new body of work, Fiore introduces the use of rolling devices of her own creation to distribute the tinted smoke onto heavy paper.at Von Lintel Gallery

September 10, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Rebus Puzzles & Hong Kong Emoticons

If you’re a bonafided texter, you’ve probably downloaded the extensive emoji library on your phone and are commenting via instagram, facebook and twitter with banana bunches, dancing girls, hearts, flames, waves and planes.

I recently was caught red-handed, texting pools, thumbs, suns and rainbows to my niece in California…confirming my oldest brother’s assumption- that I’m the eccentric sibling in the family (something I’ve always gotten a kick out of considering how organized and calculated I am in relation to my otherwise nontraditional profession).

So, let’s talk emoticons and rebus puzzles. When I’m scrolling through pictures and commentary, it’s almost a battle of the wits, wading through hilarious pictorial subs. The west has finally caught on that cartoons and illustrations are as funny, awkward and amusing as words are- particularly when coming from an untraditional (adult-like) source.

Today’s post highlights a package of stickers I got in the Hong Kong airport last month. They’re hand drawn, glow-in-the-dark and encompass a wider variety of emotion- in the most adorable way possible. What do you think? Are you in your 20’s and 30’s and an avid emoji user? Would you plaster these all over your walls and ceilings instead of the constellation stars we all grew up with? Do share…

September 9, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik