Here’s hoping this holiday season’s a seamless balance of tradition, family, friends and special treats. For all of you last minute multi-taskers (ahem…), this week will be devoted to holiday gift guides. I’ll be taking off on a 10 day trip to Asia- Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo (!) early tomorrow morning, and in lieu of regular scheduled programming, you’ll be getting gift guides all week. Enjoy!
When flipping through the January 2012 Vogue, it took us about half a second to notice something familiar about the Lexus ad (as seen on the left). Immediately, we called to mind the meticulously dissembled works of Todd McLellan (example on the right) that we spotted last February whose images were quickly disseminated throughout the blogosphere with glee. Could Lexus have gotten their inspiration from Todd who incidentally also photographs cars and advertisements?
A little digging finds that this photograph from Lexus was only the beginning of a project in which four fashion designers – Moss Lipow, Eddie Borgo, John Patrick and Alejandro Ingelmo – were challenged to “rethink their notions of automotive design” for an ad campaign slated to appear in Vogue.
A Lexus CT 200h hybrid car was taken apart and from the pieces the designers created clothing and accessories. The results of the project were on display at the recent Art Basel Miami Beach.
We think the approach is interesting and certainly touches on a number of markets. Of course, fans of Todd’s work (and probably the mechanically inclined, too) will appreciate the peculiar beauty of seeing a machine taken apart and laid out piece by piece. Enthusiasts of repurposing goods, especially the parts of gadgets (example: watch parts) to make accessories will also likely take note. Intent on showing off both their goals for sustainability and their innovative engineering – and likewise an apparent appreciation for creative thinking – Lexus also might make you think about the cycle of inspiration and of the lines in which art, advertising and design blend, merge and where, if any, are there boundaries.
Here are a few photos from last night’s Zinke Swim launch at the New Musuem’s Sky Room. Keeping in tune with the soft, sophisticated vibe we’re used to seeing from their well-known intimates line, they’ve incorporated neon stripes, pastel solids and sixties shapes for a seamless product leap. The painted driftwood was a beautiful touch and added a man-made meets organic mood to the room.
I added a few photos of the crowd, only because it was personally exciting to have so many friends convened in a single room. That rarely happens. Enjoy!
While perusing one of my favorite sites, CMYBacon, I crossed paths with one of the most elegant cutlery sets I’ve seen in a while. Not surprisingly it’s from Cibone of Japan.
Every once in a while I’m tasked with designing baby patterns. While the American market predictably likes it’s pinks, blues, yellows and browns, categorized as barn animals, hearts or stars, it’s refreshing to see another take on the topic. Ratzer, a Danish home goods company’s recently sold out of their plaid baby line. The layout’s ethereal and soft in a very modern kind of way. I love the asymmetrical patchwork. What do you think?
On my last trip to Paris, I snapped a tremendous reel of photos. The most prevalent theme throughout was leopard. From accessory overload to a visit to the Museum of Hunting and Nature, the accents were cool and accessible while still timeless. I added one of my favorite skirts as well, just to show how the pattern can transcend traditional styles.
