Monday 31 October 2011

East London- a video about fashion from the early 1900's to 2011

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JxfgId3XTs&feature=player_detailpage
I am totally in love with this video showing the evolving of fashion...I love the dresses and the dancing sooooo much. It was created by the Viral Factory, a full service viral marketing agency based in Shoreditch, London. The video was for the inauguration of Westfield, the biggest mall in London.


Sunday 30 October 2011

A break from fashion - a peek at my vegetable garden


What do I like to do when I don't work, I don't travel and I want to reconcile myself with nature? I plant seeds...and here are some pics of my vegetable garden in autumn ...it's such a great satisfaction and privilege to be able to eat vegetables you have seen growing, vegetables that have not been refrigerated and simply taste great...
Taking care of a vegetable garden is such a great adventure...you never stop learning...



 My dog loves to watch me and my father while we are at work in the garden...she lies down and supervise our work :)

Thursday 27 October 2011

Indian bangles

Since my first time in India (in 2007..OMG time flies!!) I fell in love with bangles. I love them and I think they make a woman more charming and beautiful.
Bangles are traditional ornaments worn mostly by South Asian women in India and Bangladesh, especially Hindus (their name derives from Hindi bungri (glass).Bangles are circular in shape, and, unlike bracelets, are not flexible. They are made of numerous precious as well as non-precious materials such as gold, silver, platinum, glass, wood, ferrous metals, plastic.
Look at the pics..aren't they lovely?




Wednesday 26 October 2011

Socks from Iceland

The only "negative" thing is the price (around 50$!!!) but I absolutely love this pair of wool knee high socks which are made in Iceland and are on sale at http://www.nordicstore-wool.com/hand_knitted_wool_socks_002_5128_prd1.htm

You should take a look at this website if you like hand made Nordic sweaters, vests, blankets and yes...socks!



Monday 24 October 2011

3 hours in Madrid - San Miguel Market

Yesterday I spent three hours in Madrid, just before taking my flight to Murcia and Cartagena in the south east of Spain.
Last time I was in Madrid was 10 years ago and I must say... the city has not changed much. One of the most beautiful things I have seen during my short stay in Madrid is the San Miguel Market.
San Miguel market, named after the San Miguel square where it sits, is one of the very few iron buildings preserved to date in Madrid, and the only market at that. Its construction smack in the middle of town, right next to Plaza Mayor.
See below how amazing this place is...




Thursday 20 October 2011

Shoes from the Balkans - Tea Petrovic



Tea Petrovic designed a shoe collection for her graduating project...and the results are amazing!
Designer, artist, Tea Petrovic - she was born on May 11, 1983 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina -ttended primary and secondary schools in her hometown. After finishing the Applied Arts School, she started studying at the Fire Arts Academy in Sarajevo.
Above and below you can see part of the collection... I like so much the idea that she is a talented designer from Bosnia Herzegovina who has not graduated from the mainstream, well-know, expensive fashion schools....



Wednesday 19 October 2011

Daily Imprint Blog

http://dailyimprint.blogspot.com/search/label/photography

This is a blog to keep in mind...it contains thousands of beautiful images, interesting interviews to fashion designers, editors, stylists, writers. The blogger is Natalie Walton, a journalist (most recently, deputy editor at one of Australia's best-selling interior magazines) as well as writer and stylist living in Sydney. There are 6 sessions on her blog (fashion, photography, books, design, art, homes, bondi)...and each one is an excellent source of inspiration!

I just want to post some of the pics she published in her blogs. These pics have been taken by Tony Amos, a brillant photographer, former assistant of Bruce Weber, who is now living in Sidney.



Tuesday 18 October 2011

Chizu Kobayashi in The New Artisans by Olivier Dupon


THIS  IS A BOOK NOT TO BE MISSED!!!
Olivier Dupon’s The New Artisans is a beautifully designed and divinely photographed celebration of the magic of handcrafting. He presents  the profiles of over 70 artisans who use craft techniques to create their own special brand …

And guess who is one of the artisans portrayed by Olivier?? My much beloved friend Chizu Kobayashi. She deserves to be in the book...she is such a unique, talented, inspirational person...the images below have been taken from her website


Monday 17 October 2011

Studio Seek - beautiful images of Kyrgyzstan

I recently saw on a magazine some stunning pictures from a journey to Kyrgyzstan.  These images had been taken by two great photogrphers, Sarah Cooper and Nina Gorfer. Their solo exhibition My Quiet of Gold will soon be running in Berlin.
 Kyrgyzstan is a country with a strong tradition of storytelling where folk tales are part of everyday life. Cooper and Gorfer approached the culture by allowing the people they met to stage their own stories...so basically the portraits you see below derived from the artists’ personal conversations with people. According to the photographers the time they invested in creating a picture can be likened to that of a painter in a studio.


Blue Shola



Sunday 16 October 2011

Frieze Art Fair, 2011

A must see event for anyone interested in finding out what's what and what's to be in contemporary art, Frieze Art Fair is one of the world’s biggest and most influential contemporary art fairs and brings with it an international focus to London's dynamic art scene. It took place from the 13th to the 16th of October in Regent’s Park and1000s of artists and 175 galleries were there.Last year it was estimated that the fair housed about £235 million worth of art.
This year’s commissions include a living “scoreboard” of rotating quotes and phrases operated by assistants to Dutch duo Bik Van der Pol, an aquarium that’s the stage for a “performance” by an ecosystem of sea creatures by Pierre Huyghe and a luxury yacht that can be purchased as an original Christian Jankowski “artwork.” Other participants in the program were Oliver Laric, the London multimedia collective LuckyPDF, Peles Empire, Laure Prouvost and Cara Tolmie.

I haven't been there...but a friend of mine said the parties and side events were better than Frieze itself...

Sculptur by Kiki Smith, Seer (Alice II)




Sculptures by Tom Friedman, Circle Dance, 2010



Jonathan Monk - Do Not Pay More Than $60,000

Saturday 15 October 2011

Getting older

I am getting older and I don't really like it.
Anyway, since there is nothing I can do to stop time,  I decided to celebrate it with my husband in Rome (for 18 hours).
I also received beautiful gifts from my girlfriends like a nail kit by Seasecret (mineral cosmetics from Israel), body creams, deodorant sticks and a book of photographs by Georges Simenon.
I could not ask for more...



Monday 10 October 2011

Bologna - a Sunday morning walk



It has been a while since the last time I posted some pics of my home town, Bologna. The last months have been very busyand actually I had little time to go around and take nice pics. Yesterday it was a sunny and beautiful day ...so I decided to take my bike and visit the antiques market that takes place every second Saturday/Sunday every month...here are some of the pics I took there...it is definitely one of my favourite places and yesterday it was packed with people!


and then I took a pic of the sun hiding under the arcades in Via D'Azeglio...



and of the arcades and some fruit and veg shop in Strada Maggiore




so...who cares if after such a nice morning..I spent the whole afternoon at home working??

GLIMPT- Swedish design



These two guys are Mattias Rask and Tor Palm, a Swedish design duo, who work with artisans from around the globe, creating objects with a deeper story in the encounter between design and crafts.
Glimpt of South Africa was their first project: as a joint venture with Furntech and The Potters Workshop in Cape Town, they created a series of products meant for the European market but with a feeling of South Africa. The outcome was a stool and a sideboard, which are knockdown.
And also the ceiling lamps Forbidden Fruit and the floorlamp Last Fruit Standing. The lamps combine ceramics and turned wooden pearls.

Called Forbidden Fruit, the collection of lights feature ceramic shades that have been painted with tiny details representing strawberry pips.

Forbidden Fruit by Glimpt

After South Africa they felt inspired to continue working and cooperating with craftsmen in other countries. They established contact with UMA, a Vietnamese furniture company. Via UMA they got into contact with seagrass and plastic weavers in Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam.
And the Superhero series (below) stared taking shape.

I love their concept of design..for more info www.glimpt.se

Friday 7 October 2011

Rubber necklaces - duegiart




I love this rubber necklaces made by two young Italian stylists, Giulia Calisi and Giovanna Pace (their company name Duegiart www.duegiart.it  comes from their names) . They create unique pieces from different recycled materials...take a look at their collection and you will be enchanted by it!

Thursday 6 October 2011

Atelier dei Pesci Pneumatici - such an enchanting place in the heart of Bologna







If these pics make you think of a magic place, an atelier in an old building in the city center of Bologna....you are right! Atelier dei Pesci Pneumatici (such a nice name) is a place where creativity, fashion, innovation, young and talented designers and brands from Marseille, Berlin, Lisbon and Bologna come together....a place where you can order the dress you like, in the size you like, with the patterns you like.
If you are interested in visiting it, the only chance is to call tel.:+39 333 44 05 692
and make an appointment. The Atelier is open from Thursday to Saturday from 15.00 to 19.00

You can visit the website http://www.pescipneumatici.it/
Some of these pics come from their website!