UNTIL MONDAY…
Jan
24
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| Dior Homme Fall/Winter 2014/15 Photograph www.gq.com |
threeASFOUR: MER KA BA
Jan
24
In the midst of the world’s fashion weeks — Paris Couture ended yesterday, New York starts February 6 — I have been thinking about a particular fashion show, MER KA BA. The fashion and design collective threeASFOUR has presented their spring/summer 2014 collection as a beautiful, almost hypnotic exhibition at The Jewish Museum. On view since September and closing on February 2, MER KA BA, both the dresses and the sublime installation, was inspired by sacred geometry and tile patterns in synagogues, mosques and churches all over the world. The quite sculptural designs were created from 3D-printed textiles, laser-cut lace and origami pleating, very clearly reflecting these elements. And the show’s name was derived from a number of ancient and contemporary spiritual concepts and beliefs, one of which refers to transcendence. MER KA BA and the work of threeASFOUR is most certainly an intersection of fashion and art, and this museum, a perfect place in which to experience it.
LUXE CITY GUIDES
Jan
22
I’m getting ready for a trip to Paris and Rome in March. One of my favorite go-to travel resources is LUXE City Guides. These tiny, fold-out guides are the perfect quick reference. Modern, stylish and spot-on they brilliantly lack superflous text and are void of photographs. LUXE City Guides also has mobile apps, online updates and a really great blog. Have I already checked the LUXE Rome guide for the best gelato in the city? Of course.
www.luxecityguides.com
UNTIL MONDAY…
Jan
17
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| Lincoln Kirstein (1907-1996), Photograph by Walker Evans ca. 1930 Kirstein, co-founder with George Balanchine of the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet (of which he was General Director from 1946-1989), is widely considered one of the most important American cultural figures of the 20th century. He served in World War II from 1943-1945, initially on a project identifying and documenting works of art by enlisted soldiers, and soon after as a member of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section. |
CHOCOLATE BROWNIE COOKIES
Jan
17
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| Photograph by Ditte Isager, Recipe by Alison Roman |
We are not really in the habit of sharing recipes here on THE BATON, but sometimes a single cookie can change everything. That cookie for us can be found in the January 2014 issue of bon appétit, page 94 or right here. Savory, rich and chewy, they actually look exactly like this gorgeous photograph when baked. Yum!
THE CRASH REEL
Jan
16
When the Academy Award nominations were announced this morning I was really hoping The Crash Reel would be included for Best Documentary Feature. And although it wasn’t nominated, it most definitely is, in my opinion, one of the finest documentaries of 2013. Twice Oscar-nominated director Lucy Walker tells the story of champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce (son of glass artist Simon Pearce) and the half-pipe crash on New Year’s Eve 2009 that resulted in a traumatic brain injury that forever altered his life. This intimate, powerful, intelligent, beautifully edited film is remarkably multidimensional and reaches far beyond snowboarding and the risks inherent to extreme sports. And the soundtrack is genius.
www.thecrashreel.com
THE MONUMENTS MEN
Jan
15
I just finished reading The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel, in anticipation of the soon-to-be-released film of the same name. It is the story of the allied force of quite notable art professionals including museum curators and directors, conservators, architects, artists and art historians that volunteered to risk their lives to protect, save and recover Europe’s most important buildings and landmarks and stolen works of art, cultural objects and personal property during and immediately following World War II. It is completely fascinating. The Rape of Europa, both the book by Lynn H. Nicholas and the subsequent documentary, is a brilliant telling of this most tragic moment in history and one whose aftermath still exists to this day. Edsel, actually a co-producer on the documentary, later focused his own tremendous research specifically on those men in the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives unit (MFAA) and their remarkable and heroic efforts to preserve the artistic heritage of Europe. I can’t wait to see the film and I can’t wait to read Edsel’s new book, Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation’s Treasures from the Nazis, published last spring.
The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter (Center Street, 2009)
www.monumentsmen.com
UNTIL MONDAY…
Jan
10
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| Gerald and Sara Murphy on La Garoupe beach, Antibes, Summer 1926. The Murphys are credited with the idea of living year round on the French Riviera. Before the Murphys arrived, a summer season seemingly did not exist on the Riviera. Photograph Gerald and Sara Murphy Papers, Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. © Estate of Honoria Murphy Donnelly/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. x220 |
LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN
Jan
8
London Collections: Men is wrapping up today after three days of great looking shows. I love men’s fashion and my two favorite places to follow this London fashion week are, not surprisingly, London Collections’ own website, and also the T Magazine Blog, one of my several times daily reads. In fact, just this morning I watched the live stream of the Burberry Prorsum Autumn/Winter 2014 show. Held in Kensington Gardens, Christopher Bailey presented a stunning collection, amazing coats and jackets. It looks indeed like an exciting year for men’s fashion.
www.londoncollections.co.uk www.tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com
FRENCH RIVIERA: LIVING WELL WAS THE BEST REVENGE
Jan
7
With temperatures below zero, I am happy to have the chance to escape to warmer waters. My good friend and owner of the extraordinary store of the same name, Jung Lee has discovered a new treasure of a book, FRENCH RIVIERA: Living Well Was The Best Revenge. The description on the store website describes the book best by saying: there has never been any place on earth quite like the French Riviera in the 1920s and early 30s. Artists and writers from all over the world—including Picasso, Man Ray, Stravinsky, Coco Chanel, Cocteau, Edith Wharton, Diaghilev, and Hemingway—came to invent a new way of life. It’s no surprise that such a delightful book would be chosen to be among the exquisitely curated objects of Jung’s store.
available at jungleeny.com