Monday, May 24, 2010

The Future Perfect

NoHo, alas, I was only able to make the tail end of your parties. However I did manage to duck into the Future Perfect at their new location on Great Jones for a short moment, and I noticed a particular and peculiar theme going on.
At first it seemed to be very animal/taxidermy heavy. But then, upon reflection I realized it may just be my tendency to lean towards the animal motif. Does that make me particular and peculiar? I can't imagine why I like it, as I'm a vegetarian, but I guess that doesn't extend to compel my interior aesthetic choices.Plus, HELLO! a Golden Elephant Head!? Thanks, I 'll take it!These lighting fixtures repulsed everyone but me. There's a small chance that I kinda totally wanted them, both, in my apartment, stat.
Kooky!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Blu Party!

Okay- so the best part of ICFF is the parties! Lots of boozing with the people that make my industry happen, the movers and the shakers, and lil' ol' me... Ever since Blu Dot moved into SoHo they have been known to throw the most baller parties in the 'hood. Their fetes always dominate the street with the well dressed design crowd overflowing to the curb outside.
Did I mention they are tons of fun?
Look! Carolyn found Alex from Rich, Brilliant, Willing!

And here's my posse. I love wearing a bedazzled turban. Really alot.
Congrats to Sight Unseen for throwing equally awesome events at the NoHo Design District. You go girls!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

National Bike to Work Day

Hey y'all-
Tomorrow is National Bike to Work Day!
Here's some ways to celebrate tomorrow. FREE FOOD!

The Javits

I spent three consecutive days in the bizzare-o glass building that somehow lets no natural light in called the Jacob Javits center, hollering at ICFF. Its safe to say I spent time with furniture. Here are my highly coveted picks, my what were you thinking critiques, and the "I can appreciate what they were going for"s.
I'm in love with the tie dyed wooden chair- and its oh so comfortable.
But this dream of a couch is the epitome of comfort. I could sit in in all day, lounge, take long luxurious naps, wear silk komono pj's, you know, the usual. I basically want this right now, its singing my song.
Its rumored that furniture made out of wood just makes me swoon. And truth be told there is no tub I would rather have than this wooden tub. Its just so cool, a tub made of wood! And look what happens when we diverge from wood-
weird ugly tables. Although I do kinda like the idea of the Theory of Relativity in a table, its not something that appeals to me aesthetically.
And there are still stranger things made of wood.
Bangin' on this bed would be an experience, no doubt, but I'm not sure I'd like to be the owner of this contraption.
I totally loved this shelving unit. Although its styled for a children's room I feel it would fit nicely in my room, or the living room. I bet it could even work in the bathroom, holding towels.
Pratt had a booth where presumably students had drawn on these plastic chairs. This one was one of my favorites.
Though I really liked the mouth chair too.
And my love for lucite meets my love for wood. And here are some lucite lamps that charmed me, and they are NOT made by Kartell, who wudda thunk it?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Penthousing

Now don't get jealous. I just happened to be able to hang out, in a penthouse, in the Plaza, for work. For a couple of days. Its not like there was a party with a cool jazz band, lots of champagne and some of my favorite people there.
Who am I kidding? This was definitely a super perk of the job! And a great way to start off ICFF week, with a posh party. It left a good taste in my mouth for the next coming days.
This being my third New York Design Week, I can now don my "old hat" and not be as excited about a week of nonstop partying. Except when PARTIES AT THE PLAZA PENTHOUSE ARE INVOLVED.
I'm sorry, was that not classy enough for my surrounding digs? I do apologize. Indeed.Here we are, our company, hanging out on the terrace (which I kept calling a Terrance) overlooking a view most people never get to see. I took a small moment to remember how lucky I was to be were I was, and then I took some more photos to make you just a little bit more envious of our super plush and luxe lifestyles.


Judy and I's favorite activity, especially during ICFF, is to take goofy photos, its our way or engaging with the space. We shared this tradition with our lovely intern and new best friend, Carolyn.
Yes, there was a yoga room.

Judy, workin' hard, or hardly workin'?

More ICFF coverage to come, perhaps less silly in tone, though no promises.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Upstate New York

My recent obsession with rock climbing has not gone away at all. Its increased, there is more or less nothing else I want to do (except be the owner of every fancy dress and fabulous shoe out there, and lets face it, that will probably never happen) (also, except for laying in grass in a park, and/or listening to live music) (and also, drinking good beer in perfect weather) and last weekend I was given the chance to jump on some real rock in the Adirondacks, or the 'dacks if you like speaking in climber lingo, which I totes don't.
So I took a two hour train ride, and a two hour car ride to somewhere near Albany, and then the weather was stupid cold and stupid raining and stupid stupid. No outdoorsing for me. We did hit up AIR, an indoor gym, where I lead climbed (or lead, or leaded, what is the past of this?) for the first time and totally got high (ha ha, I'm very punny) from that alone. They also had miles and miles (or like almost two) of indoor caves, the only gym like this in the nation, which will make any claustrophobe throw up and any kid or kid at heart pee their pants with glee. Yours truly especially liked the zip line. A playground for adults!

So- upstate is nothing like the city, and its kind of boring, and you have to take cars everywhere, a personal annoyance of mine. And yet I had SO much fun on my break from the city (even though I was away I insisted we watch New York, I Love You) I only took this one photo of Brendan with his dog, Cooper. I was too busy drinking at bizarre bars, eating delish veggie food, and pulling plastic.
I love dogs, and Brendan's were really special and you should go and holler at them if you like handsome dogs.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Ok Go!

Babs invited me to see Ok Go with her last week at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Since I was totally in love with their first album, and pretty much liked their second album too, I was like "totes!" Plus I've seen them live before (a few times), and if all else fails the lead singer is pretty to watch. Really pretty.
This time they had really neat-o stage tricks, like CONFETTI! Tons of it! For their encore I can only imagine it was inspired by Daft Punk, it was full of LED lights and lasers. Very cool/Burning Man-ish.
There was a beautiful part when the lead singer came into the audience and it was just him and his guitar, and us, and the mike. It was a nice attempt at intimacy.
Overall Ok Go might not make the most mind blowing songs, but they are really incredible, innovative, and catchy pop musicians. They took viral video to the next level several years ago with their dancing on treadmills music video, and they continue to shift a little left of center making work that is interesting on several levels, weather its a new jam with a cool beat, a video with the largest Rube Goldberg machine, or a fun and interactive stage performance. They are the full package, phenomenal entertainers. Plus they are really well dressed.

Below is part of a song they did totally with bells, which I thought was innovative and you can tell they took time to figure it out perfectly.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Bubble weekend

A whole bunch of my bubble friends came to Brooklyn for a delish dinner (thank you Olive Vine Cafe!) and good times. It felt so natural to be all together in the same place again. As though we had never left our bubble bus to pursue real world activities again. As though we were in a dream land where bubbles never popped but just floated back to each other in bubble time...Alas, it was just a wonderful break to the real world. But during this fantasy evening I was able to, for the first time, ride a tandem bike. How fitting to realize a dream during such a fantastical night!
AND IT WAS EVERYTHING I DREAMED IT WOULD BE!
There is alot of trust one must put in their front driver, and it was nerve racking to ride without that kind of control, but it was also a kind of lovely. Perfect for a warm, springtime Brooklyn night.
These two amazing neighbors and I suggested we hit up Soda Bar afterward. We ordered a round of drinks but the booze must have gone to everyone's head. The bubbles were drifting off into various states of sleep, and so the night ended young. Dreams found their beginnings in the sleepy heads of my friends, and my tandem bike dream came true in the humble boro of Brooklyn.

Wake up my bubbles, gently, softly. I may just love you, a little bit.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

HAIR

OH YES! I know I just posted, but how AWESOME would this look? Or this?
It has to happen. Like now. Anyone know how to do awesome hair?
For the whole shoot go here.

OBEY!

Look! Shepard Fairey wall paper at the Music Hall of Willamsburg!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Scott Campbell

So- who doesn't love emails that start like this?

"This will be an extremely hip scene. Like, extremely. Want to be my date? I was told to bring my hot and fashionable friends. Come! Plus we haven't hung out in eternity.

xx

Julie"

Basically she was a beautiful siren and I was a lost traveler pulled into her fold of the super schamzcy, ultra-scene-y art world. And I'm not even gonna front, I loved it all.This is what I walked into when I turned onto Crosby street. A street whose cup absolutely over floweth with hip art kids. It was filled with movers and shakers, art lovers, and just those who want some of that to rub off. And of course a grody dude or two who were hoping to get a rub off themselves. There was no way for cars to go through, and there was no way to find the gallery. It was just a black hole in a wall, disappeared by the tangled masses of well dressed people.
And once I found my way to the hole in the wall, and pushed my way into the space (a total fire hazard, with only one way in or out, and a total humid gross zone) there was no way to engage with the art. It was just so crowded (with the likes of Kate Lanphear, Oliver Zham, Terry Richardson, Kaws, and Waris Ahluwalia, to name a few. It was like that night at the Met) but really, isn't that the point of a gallery opening? Obviously to people watch, judge ensembles, network, and pick up attractive people. Otherwise you might as well go look at the art another time. Julie and I wandered back into the gallery space near the end of the night, and finally it had cleared out enough to spend some time with the work.
The work was by Scott Campbell, and made of dollar dollar bills, y'all. The bills were stacked in hundreds and then cut down to create intricate designs. I'm pretty sure much of the work was done with a lazer cutter, the edges has small burns. This one reads "Sweet" "Sour."


OHWOW is hosting the exhibition titled "If You Don't Belong, Don't Be Long," and did a really excellent job designing the space. The lighting framed only the pieces, and nothing else, creating an moody atmosphere for the whole gallery, forcing your focus to where it should be, with the art.

Some of the work was, well, a bit cheesy/cutesy, like this darling butterfly. Like this should be a tramp stamp for a stupid girl, but for whatever reason the butterfly didn't bother me. In fact, I kinda like it. I think I was totally hypnotized by the details. And that is a rarity for me, to let the workmanship sing over the content. I guess this butterfly just seemed to make sense within the context of the show.
"All That Glitters Is Not Gold." A really special piece, the only one in these dimensions. And someone commented on how it also looks like a NYC subway. Very clever, very subtle. I wonder if that was intentional, or a happy outcome?

And this was made out of dollar sheets, before they were cut, straight outta the mint. I liked these ones the best because I like large scaled pieces, they demand attention!