ART AND FASHION

When I met E.P. Cutler at a Fashion and Street Culture symposium in 2011, I was blown away by her knowledge of everything fashion related and sharp wit.  We've stayed in touch over the past few years, and I've watched her accomplish marvelous things as a writer (she published PANTONE on Fashion: A Century of Color in Design in 2014), and I couldn't be more excited to announce the release of her newest book, Art + Fashion: Collaborations and Connections Between Icons.  Combining my two favorite topics, the book covers every important fashion and art collaboration; from Cecil Beaton and Jackson Pollock, to Mary Katrantzou and John Chamberlain, to Prada and Elmgren + Dragset.  I can't think of another volume that better reflects my interests.  It brings me great joy just to leaf through the glossy pages at a compilation of so many beautiful and significant creations from the intersection of the two worlds I most love.

Congratulations to my dear friend Elizabeth.  You can buy the book here.

COCO CHANEL + JOAN MIRO

You may wonder what these two individuals have in common; one a legendary fashion designer and icon, and the other a Surrealist artist.  Apart from their fame, both worked directly with Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev.  Founder of the Ballets Russes, Diaghilev recruited artists to work with him on all aspects of his ballets, from the set design to the choreography, to the costumes. In addition to Miró and Chanel, Diaghilev also worked with Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, and Jean Cocteau; this group reads like a list of who's who in the culture of late 19th and early 20th century France.  Click here to read more info about Diaghilev's artist collaborations.

The vintage skirt I'm wearing in this post features a Miró print which corresponds directly to some of his Surrealist paintings of the time period.  The Chanel shoes are a new addition to my collection and help to round out the subtle nod to Diaghilev's genius through a modern outfit that stands for more than the sum of its parts.

Skirt: Vintage, Uncommon Objects in Austin, Texas

Crop Top: Vintage, Beacon's Closet in Brooklyn, New York

Leather Block-Heel Shoes: Chanel

Clutch: Felix Rey

Bangles: Roberta Roller Rabbit

Photos by Kathy Paciello; Miró images from wikiart.org and pavlinachakarova.com.

JOURNEY OF A DRESS

I've long considered Diane von Furstenberg a role model, and an exhibition currently on view in Los Angeles establishes her as even more: a national treasure.  Including an extensive collection of artwork featuring her designs and Diane herself, Journey of a Dress also showcases the history of her timeless wrap dresses, which debuted in 1974 and completely changed the womenswear industry with the mantra "Feel like a woman, wear a dress!"  Diane is not only a fashion mainstay, but is also dedicated to several philanthropic causes and a fixture in the New York social scene.  Ms. Furstenberg continues to inspire me with both a desire to succeed and to give back, and with a lust for more of her flattering, feminine designs.

See another DVF wrap dress, featured lovingly on my blog last year.

The Journey of a Dress exhibition closes today, but you can find more information about it here.

Dress: Diane von Furstenberg Andy Warhol collection

Shoes: Belle by Sigerson Morrison Abra

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Photos by Jayne Clark.

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

"I think the way people dress today is a form of artistic expression… Art lies in the way the whole outfit is put together.  Take Jean Paul Gaultier.  What he does is really art." --Andy Warhol, 1984

Today is your last chance to see The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the Brooklyn Museum.  It was one of the best fashion exhibitions I have ever seen, from the interactive mannequins to the gorgeous array of avant garde and ready-to-wear designs spanning Gaultier's illustrious career.  Did you have a chance to see the exhibition?  What did you think?

Dress: Jean Paul Gaultier

Boots: Dr. Martens

Necklace: Vintage

See my other Gaultier posts here and here.

Photo of me by Kathy Paciello; other photos by me.

ARTFULLY AWEAR X WAVERLY WORKSHOP

I'm extremely excited to share photos from the first ever Artfully Awear workshop!  A Saturday class through the Waverly program, this particular session was geared toward girls ages 9 - 11, and was hosted by the boutique Torly Kid.  We had a fantastic afternoon learning about inspiration and making our own masterpieces!  If you're interested in attending or hosting an Artfully Awear workshop, email artfullyawear@gmail.com.

Thank you to our wonderfully creative inaugural group of budding artists & designers, to Molly Wills, director of Waverly, and to Torly Kid for providing a space!

We started off by talking about inspiration and our favorite colors.  Each girl got to choose an accessory in her favorite hue and don it in a creative way throughout the class.

To get warmed up, the girls were given blank fashion design templates and asked to draw an outfit inspired by a work of art that we discussed. 

Their creations were completely fabulous, and clearly captured the artistic inspiration!

Waverly program founder Molly Wills models my pom pom jacket, used as inspiration for the big project.

After discussing the artwork that inspired my pom pom jacket, the girls got to work, adorning a purse, a hat, a dress, and sunglasses with colorful pom poms in striking patterns.

After the collection was complete, they posed for photos with their masterpieces!

The pom pom jacket finds another enthusiastic wearer.

They were so proud of their creations, and we had so much fun with this photo shoot! 

All in all,  I was so impressed by the girls' willingness to listen and learn, and they taught me so much more about inspiration and helped me to see things in new ways.  I look forward to the next Artfully Awear workshop!

Photos by Kathy Paciello and myself.

LADY GAGA'S ARTRAVE

I had the pleasure of attending Lady Gaga + Jeff Koons' ARTRAVE last night, the launch party for Gaga's new album, Artpop.  I have mixed feelings about Koons' work -- on the one hand, I can appreciate its accessibility and its Warholian kitsch, but it doesn't really appeal to me aesthetically.  I feel similarly about Gaga's music; I acknowledge her importance as a popular culture and fashion icon, but I wasn't exactly counting down the days until her album's release.  ARTRAVE, however, was a true spectacle in every sense of the word, appealing to all five senses at once, and the excitement of all the "little monsters"at the Brooklyn Navy Yard was palpable.  But the real highlight for me was enjoying the concert alongside some of the industry's most revered (and notorious) players, such as Tony Bennett, Terry Richardson, Christian Siriano, and my most revered performance artist, Marina Abramovic, who was the perfect addition to our group of friends.

WEARING: Imran Qureshi at the Met.

Over the weekend, I finally had an opportunity to visit The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  When I first read about this year's rooftop commission, I was surprised to find that this was much more introspective than the usual summertime sculpture shows that take place at the top of the Met.

Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi's And How Many Rains Must Fall Before the Stains Are Washed Clean is in no way obtrusive, essentially becoming an aspect of the surroundings.  Handpainted in the color of dried blood, the work, which resembles Pollock's splatter paintings adorned with organic floral-type forms, calls to mind both the record of a battle scene and new life.

Though Ken Johnson's review in the Times criticized the work as not taking into account its site-specificity with relation to terrorism and the September 11 attacks, he still described the work thus: "A dreamlike carpet underfoot, bound to be scuffed and soiled by thousands of shoes and beaten by sun and rain, it remains generously open to meditative reflection."

I agree with Johnson's assertion that the work illicits reflection, and add that its violence is an ever present reminder of the struggles faced by our own and other cultures.  The rooftop exhibition is open through November 3.

Dress: Vintage, via Beacon's Closet Park Slope

Sandals: Madison Harding

Handbag: Vintage, via Goodwill

Sunglasses: Dolce and Gabbana

Necklace: Belonged to my mother

Photos by Kathy Paciello and myself.