A girl can dream...

oooohhhhhhhhh




If I could, I'd have floor-to-ceilings on one wall in every room.
(when i originally wrote this post, i didn't realize that the site updates regularly, so check out the archives)

Ooooooooh shoes. There I said it.

They’re shoes. Or are they arctitecture? Or are they sculpture? I know that must seem ridiculous to most guys and the gals who don’t love shoes. How can anyone seriously elevate shoes to the realm of art? But no surprises here …I don’t really care.

My first foray into shoes as sculpture began with a shoe by Robert Clergerie that I found on sale when I was at a conference and not attending the lectures. It was sculpture. So beautiful. So simple. I had to have it.



Bad pic but they are fan-TAS-tic. The band is black suede and the heel base is brushed steel, finished with a rock hard piece of plastic heel that can withstand Manhattan streets. Question was and is, do I wear them (they are extremely well constructed and comfortable) or do I use them to separate books on my bookshelf? Plain and simple, they are sculpture.


That shoe made sure that my head was turned any time I saw something that looked like mid-century sculpture.


Then I found this at a store called United Nude, in the neighborhood that is now called NoLiTa. My heart skipped a few beats when I saw these:



It was based on the Mobius strip and someone made it into a shoe. As I sat down to write about the shoe that started my love of shoes as sculpture I found this story about the guy who designed this one.


Nephew of Rem L. Koohaas, Rem D is also an architect in his own right. I just love that he brought his design sensibility to shoes. Just look at this...

I might need these. They have a new store on Bond Street (why didn’t I know about this? Thank you NY Mag for letting me know what is going on in my own ‘hood)

Here is another Robert Clergerie shoe that I love and wear frequently. Believe it or not, they are extremely comfortable.





I think these examples distinctly put some shoes in the category of sculpture. But I don't really think of sculpture as something worn. As they have a functional purpose, does that put them in the category of architecture?

Well, the top pair of Clergeries may have to go into the more rarified category of art because I really don't want to risk destroying them. The orange Mobius shoe may go there as well because they are so poorly constructed that they tear the bloody hell out of my feet and cannot be worn without a host of ugly band-aids.(LS can attest as well. She has the same shoes)

The next shoe post will be on just plain old beautiful shoes.



Hee!

Oh Hel(vetica)

Where to start? How about not quite the beginning? A few months ago, I attended a lecture at SVA given by Gary Hustwit, the director of the documentary film: Helvetica. I wanted to see the film for quite sometime and I wish I had seen it before I heard him speak. I would have appreciated the lecture that much more.

But first let me begin with the same forward apology I did when talking about street art. I am not a graphic designer and I never studied type. So there. But even at my level of appreciation, there is a lot to say about Helvetica. Barely scratching the surface here.

Anyhoo, I have since seen the film and cannot recommend it enough because for one reason...

“The film looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which celebrated its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives.” (Go here for more)





According to the doc, “The aim of the new design was to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, no intrinsic meaning in its form.” It was meant to allow the words to house the meaning rather than the typeface making a statement.






However, there are definitely occasions when the font can and should overtake the words.












Go to callmequell for a quick history of Helvetica and a nice POV. The writer also links to a 2006 NYT article written by Douglas Coupland who points out:

"I think the most common set-decorating error in films these days can be reduced to one word: Helvetica. I’ll be watching a World War I drama, and there at a train station in the background is a sign saying ”Ypres” in 200-point Helvetica Bold. Movie over — at least for me. Once I see Helvetica in any pre-1957 movie, all I can think is that the art director was so clueless he either used Helvetica in a historical drama, or hired someone stupid enough to do so, and never double-checked the work."

Hee!



From my friend, LM (a very big deal in the world of print):

“Though I’m sure a lot of designers may consider Helvetica to be a cop out and pretty vanilla, I think of it as a fail-safe. When I don’t have time to explore different typefaces I can always count on Helvetica. It’s almost always appropriate because it’s incredibly versatile. It’s very chameleon-like. Depending on the setting and use it can look timeless and sophisticated (say, in a museum). Or it can seem very basic & utilitarian (subway signage). Or fun and friendly. Helvetica in black all caps (serious) has a very different feel than in orange upper & lowercase (playful). Tight or wide letter spacing can also change it’s personality. Plus it comes in a huge range of weights and styles; from black to ultra thin to oblique, etc...

A lot of faces have only one personality. For example Trajan looks reserved and classic. You just can’t make it look otherwise.

Typefaces come & go. Some are incredibly popular for a while then fizzle out. Look at Tiffany and Cooper Black, two typefaces that were very popular in the 70s, but they’re both so distinctive that you can rarely use them today without seeming retro. Whereas Helvetica just keeps going...and going...and going.... throughout the decades.”


I also love that the font elicits reactions from people who otherwise wouldn't be concerned with such things.

For a while Helvetica was the default font in the email systems of many corporations. Fine with me. But I noticed that as people were able to personalize their messages, quite a few of them (mostly outside of the creative services departments) rebelled and chose another type face to show that they




thought about type,







had a creative spirit and




















were rebellious enough to reject the corporate font.




They were (perhaps unbeknownst to them) participating in the anti-Helvetica movement. Most of them chose Arial or Verdana. Which both seem to be slightly derivative of Helvetica. (now is the time to remember that I did not study type)


Maybe we all choose a type that we feel reflects us in the same way we choose what we wear.

Helvetica Neue has been my font for, oh let’s see, maybe 15+ years. To me it is Helvetica Refined. Oh yeah and I am all that. Hee!

On the receiving end

Ah the “hostess gift”. It is a wonderful tradition but the term is so damn archaic, so Neanderthal (“Here’s a lovely pink spike for your club, Noomby.”) that it does a great disservice to the act and to the article given. Historically, the gift is presented to the hostess by a female guest. Therefore single men get off the hook and hosts get screwed. It was meant as an advance “thank you” for all the hard work she put into the event. Guys, you get squat.

I really hope that times have changed enough that we can all, boys and girls alike, lose the “ess” in “host” and give a gift to the person(s) having the party without the act being a chick thing. Ok? Ok.

That said, there is an incredible range of useful and fun gifts you can bring. In this climate, I especially emphasize useful. There are a number of things to keep in mind when considering what to bring. Always best is to consider the hosts. Do they like car wax? How about light bulbs?
Please keep in mind the relative clutter in the person’s home. Do they really need more stuff? If not, stick to perishables such as good olive oil or items that will deplete in time. Be sure, if you choose items like soap or candles, that they are of fairly good quality. Irish Spring is probably not the best choice. Santa Maria Novella has really great stuff for both men and women.


I know I can always use paper cocktail napkins (hmmmmm what does that say about me? Shut Up!)



Now let’s get down to some fun (and useful) stuff.




This $35 juicer from the MOMA Design Store is one of my absolute favs. In addition to all the wonderful qualities that I ranted about in an earlier post, it is the perfect size gift for those whose kitchens are spatially challenged.






If they have room, a 2-cup Saki set is nice or this set of 3 brilliant lamp shades ($15 MOMA DS) I recommend going to Crate and Barrel and buying 3 very inexpensive wine glasses with a broad bowl base which can comfortably house the tea lights. While you are there you can also pick up a bag of tea lights so that the gift is complete.





The Rabbit wine cooler is wonderful because it folds flat and will store well in the freezer.



And finally who doesn’t need one of these?




Fantastico!

Don't fence me in

This is fantastic.

(thanks go to The Daily What)

Tag, you're it

Banksy's in NYC now.

Update (BTW i don't think it's a dis. i think these guys are talkin' to him) hee!

The Birds and the Bees

I have a superhero in my backyard. I also have a spy and a thief.

My superhero wears a black cape with white epaulets at the shoulder and a black mask. His unitard is a bright orange and the boots are yellow. He sometimes hovers upside-down. He is very brave.

My spy nervously hovers and glances furtively. He stays close to my left shoulder. They say he is waiting for a female. Not sure what she looks like but I am sure he will when he sees her.



























My thief is the best of them all. He has a rakish black mask that is shaped like the boy wonder, brown hair that spills out behind where the mask is tied. His cape is grey and his unitard is a white that spills into a light yellow. He usually hangs out with a gang (Mr. White,Mr. Orange and Mr. Brown) but today he is just hanging with the Mrs. Nice man.



We also have a fierce hunter and some ugly hangers-on.



























We do have the requisite robins, sparrows, swallows, seagulls, cardinals and other birds I can’t yet identify (perhaps another bloody Mary will help and yes I am writing this on Sunday for a Monday post)

It is a pretty action packed backyard. Or maybe the bloodies are just working their magic. Fantastico!