I’ve been following Kinfolk, the website and quarterly print magazine, for a while now. I love the Kinfolk vibe and content and especially the always fantastic photography contained therein. The Kinfolk Table, published last fall, is part cookbook, part lifestyle manifesto, in the absolute best way. And it is lovely to look at. I really think author and Kinfolk founding editor Nathan Williams summed it all up when he wrote, “I can’t help being excited to introduce you to all the people in this book because they seem to understand that good food and community are just as important as the careers in which they work, that the rituals and traditions that bring us together are essential to balanced lives.” So very true. The Kinfolk Table: Recipes for Small Gatherings by Nathan Williams(Artisan, 2013) www.kinfolk.com
It’s no secret that we love a great wedding, and a great wedding dress. So you can imagine how excited we are about Wedding Dresses 1775-2014, a gorgeous exhibition that just opened last month at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This chronological survey of the development of the wedding dress presents over 80 ensembles from both the outstanding V&A collection and loans, such as Gwen Stefani’s iconic Dior gown worn for her 2002 wedding to Gavin Rossdale, in addition to accessories, sketches and photographs spanning more than 200 years. And we loved the three videos created for the exhibition featuring designers Pam Hogg, Philip Treacy and Gareth Pugh. The great news is that Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 is on view through March 15, 2015 — we might just get there! www.vam.ac.uk
This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. Commemorative events are being planned in numerous countries over a four year period, representing the length of the war itself. I was so interested to learn that the English National Ballet commissioned works from three choreographers around the theme of the first world war for their program Lest We Forget that premiered in April at the Barbican Theatre in London. Included were Akram Khan’s Dust, Russell Maliphant’s Second Breath and Liam Scarlett’s No Man’s Land. A friend who saw it thought it was absolutely stunning, so did a host of critics. Described as “very strong and very smart”, I can only hope it finds its way here in the next few seasons. Take a look at the trailer for Lest We Forgethere.
We’re so excited that Chinese Puzzle, the third film in Cédric Klapisch’s trilogy has just recently been released here. Set in New York City, Chinese Puzzle revisits Klapisch’s fantastically quirky characters, all from the original cast, twelve years later. It’s actually hard to believe so much time has passed! If you loved L’Auberge Espagnole and Russian Dolls (we did), you most definitely won’t be disappointed.
I think the best part of Jody Williams’ gorgeous new book, Buvette: the pleasure of good food, is how seamlessly the spirit of her very special West Village gastrothèque is translated on the page. This book, like Buvette itself, has great integrity. Thoughtful design on perfect weight paper, exquisite photographs, lovely and personal narrative and of course, the most simple and beautiful recipes. And if you hadn’t heard, Buvette now has an outpost in Paris! Buvette: the pleasure of good food by Jody Williams (Grand Central Life & Style, 2014) www.buvettegastrotheque.com
I adore the work of Maira Kalman, ADORE. It speaks to me like no other, always smart, deeply human, full of cultural and historical references, humorous beyond compare and sometimes even heartbreaking. Her newest book published just this month, Girls Standing on Lawns, is a fantastic collaboration with the writer Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) and the Museum of Modern Art. A selection of over forty early to mid 20th-century photographs (by unknown photographers) of girls quite literally standing on lawns from the MoMA collection mingle with Kalman’s marvelous illustrations of said photographs and Handler’s poetic verse. You must read it. Girls Standing on Lawns by Maira Kalman and Daniel Handler (MoMA, 2014) www.mairakalman.comwww.moma.org
I love a great pantsuit and I’m swooning over this one from the Louis Vuitton Resort 2015 Collection presented in Monaco on May 17. Available in not one but six fabrics, I consider this pantsuit rather perfect.
Maria Lassnig, (1919-2014). Selbstporträt unter Plastik. 1972. Oil on canvas. Collection de Bruin-Heijn. The exhibition Maria Lassnig runs through May 25 at MoMA PS1. www.momaps1.org
