Inspirational Imagery

Citroen collateral

2012-02-14T10:33:00.001-05:00

You know what's cool? Citroen brochures! Some are funny, some are cute, and some cool...and some have all of those qualities. Below are a few items from the 60's.

Right, 1961 Citroen 2CV brochure, exterior; and left, 1963 Citroen 2CV brochure, exterior

1968 Citroen brochure, cover

1967 Citroen brochure, cover

An interior spread from 1966 Citroen 2cv brochure

1966 Citroen 2cv brochure, cover

See many more examples at Citrobe.org

Erdem, Fall/Winter 2011

2012-01-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is a little late, but I wanted to make sure that I didn't leave out this collection. I see these looks as perfectly balanced between pretty and cool, and they're things that I could wear every day. Erdem really has a way with color and pattern.

Click through for full shots.

Heaven Tanudiredja Jewelry

2012-01-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable jewelry by Bali-born, Antwerp-based designer, Heaven Tanudiredja.

See details after the jump.

Etro, Spring 2012

2012-01-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Etro rocks a neon-deco-disco-flapper look for their Spring 2012 collection.

Balenciaga, Spring 2012 Footwear

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

Holy crap! Do you believe these? Now this is what I'm talking about! I need more of this in my life! Especially those little red guys in the bottom left corner.

See details after the jump

Vladimir and Georgii Stenberg

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Stenberg Brothers, Vladimir and Georgii, were Russian/Swedish designers, known for creating avant garde/constructivist theater and film posters in Moscow during the 1920's and 30's.

Clyde Bruckman's A Real Gentleman, 1928

Ivan Perestiani's Countess Shirvanskaya's Crime, 1926 (see The Sound's album Jeopardy)

Carl Froelich's High Society Wager, 1927

Hans Behrendt's Six Girls Seeking Shelter, 1927

Ivan Pravov's The Last Flight, 1929

Nikholai Okhlopkov's The Sold Appetite, 1928

See more work by the Stenberg brothers here.

Saul Leiter's Sketchbooks

2012-01-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

Saul Leiter is an American photographer, known for his striking color photography of New York in the 1940's and 50's. They are really incredible, and I will be certain to present them one day soon, but today I want to take a look at his equally fantastic sketchbooks, which he shared with This Long Century. A major retrospective of Leiter’s work will be on show at Hamburg’s Deichtorhallen Museum, from February 2 – April 22, 2012.

The B-52's: Planet Claire, Live 1983

2012-01-24T10:42:00.000-05:00

Awesome!

L'ile aux Ashby Handbags

2012-01-23T11:39:00.000-05:00

L'ile aux Ashby is a Singapore-based accessories label that loves intricate geometric graphic motifs and stand-out colors. It is known more for jewelry, but below are some of their pretty special clutches, available online through Not Just a Label.

Click through for details.

Cosmopolitan Beau Clutch, Pink, £130.00

Cosmopolitan Beau Clutch, Green, £130.00

Cosmopolitan Beau Clutch, Grey, £130.00

Cosmopolitan Beau Clutch, Grey £150.00

Cosmopolitan Beau Clutch, Navy £150.00

Cosmopolitan Beau Clutch, Orange £150.00

1980's Japanese Posters

2012-01-12T10:48:00.000-05:00

Yusaku Tomoeda, Design School, 1987

Shigeo Fukuda, Ten World Artists, 1982

Shigeo Fukuda, The Sun, 1981

Anna Taratiel

2012-01-06T08:23:00.001-05:00

I love work of Barcelona-based artist Anna Taratiel (a.k.a. Ovni). Stemming from her background as both a graphic designer and a graffiti artist, her op-art style of work carries a lot of juxtapositions: dimensional/flat, primitive/mod, geometric/organic, sharp/sweet.

Below are a few of her installations.

Orbitas, 2008, at Rojo Artspace, Barcelona, Spain

In Between, 2008, in Lisbon, Portugal

Out of Order, 2008, at Kalpany Gallery, Milan, Italy

Miscellaneous B&W Photos

2012-01-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

Patrick Hunt for Vogue UK, June 1969.

Laura Levine, Prince NYC 1981

Janette Beckman, Rude Boys, London, 1981

Kim Novak in Life Magazine for the film Bell, Book, and Candle, 1958

Andy Warhol shot by Dennis Hopper, circa 1961

Album Covers: Robert Palmer

2011-12-31T16:04:00.002-05:00

Eric tries to make fun of me because I felt a little teary-eyed when I heard that Robert Palmer died, but I don't feel ashamed. I liked his songs, and he had a whole slew of sexy album covers.

Sneakin' Sally through the Alley, Island Records, 1974

Pressure Drop, Island Records, 1975

Double Fun, Island Records, 1978

Secrets, Island Records, 1979

Riptide, Island Records, 1985

Miscellaneous Fun Jewels

2011-12-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

Noir Jewelry, Trinidad and Tobago necklace

Noir Jewelry, Keith Haring cuffs

Oscar de la Renta, resin bracelet set

By Boe, Pyramid earrings

Delfina Delettrez, Bracelet

Videos

2011-12-23T09:32:00.001-05:00

Buzzcocks, "Harmony in My Head", Top of the Pops, 1979

X-Ray Spex, "Identity", 1978

Mo-Dettes, "White Mice", 1979

Spring 2012 Shoes

2011-12-08T07:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, for the forthcoming spring season, there's a lot of footwear to look at, so I might as well get started early showing the faves!

Click on the image to see everything larger.

Left to right, top to bottom:

Hervé Van der Straeten, Spring 2012

2011-12-06T08:01:00.000-05:00

Below are gorgeous necklaces from Hervé Van der Straeten, a Paris-based designer noted for creating luxurious modern furniture and accessories with superior craftsmanship. The New York Times ran a feature on him in 2005.

BMW Art Cars

2011-12-05T07:52:00.000-05:00

You know what's cool? BMW Art Cars.

Top Row:

Esther Mahlangu, BMW 525i, 1991
David Hockney, BMW 850 CSi, 1995
Robert Rauschenberg, BMW 635 CSi, 1986

Middle Row:

Andy Warhol, BMW M1 Group 4 Race Version, 1979

Frank Stella, BMW 3.0 CSL, 1976

Alexander Calder, BMW 3.0 CSL, 1975

Bottom Row:

Ernst Fuchs, BMW 635 CSi, 1982

Roy Lichtenstein, BMW 320i Group 5 Race Version, 1977

Jeff Koons, BMW M3 GT2, 2010

My faves are the Warhol, the Lichtenstein, and the Stella.

Click through for full photos

Jeff Koons, BMW M3 GT2, 2010

Roy Lichtenstein, BMW 320i Group 5 Race Version, 1977

Robert Rauschenberg, BMW 635 CSi, 1986

Frank Stella, BMW 3.0 CSL, 1976

Esther Mahlangu, BMW 525i, 1991

Andy Warhol, BMW M1 Group 4 Race Version, 1979

Alexander Calder, BMW 3.0 CSL, 1975

Ernst Fuchs, BMW 635 CSi, 1982

David Hockney, BMW 850 CSi, 1995

Peter Schlesinger

2011-12-04T08:54:00.001-05:00

Peter Schlesinger is an artist and photographer, who probably had loads of fun in the 70's taking pictures of all of the favorite artsy-avant-disco champions. The photos below come from his book Checkered Past, A Visual Diary Of The 60's And 70's.

Amanda Lear, Colville Terrace, 1973

When I was in Barcelona, there was an exhibition about Amanda Lear at the Salvador Dali museum. I curse myself for missing it, because she is a fascinating character. She was Dali's muse and lover, a disco queen in Europe, engaged to Bryan Ferry (she was on the cover of Roxy Music's For Your Pleasure,) she dated the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, had an affair with David Bowie after appearing in his live performance, and in addition to being a model, she was known as Paris' greatest stripper, and was possibly a transsexual. Wiki for more details.

Vivienne Westwood's Shop, London, 1975

La Piscine Deligny, Paris, 1975

La Piscine Deligny was a floating swimming pool in the Seine, built originally in 1801, and then renovated in 1840. It was known as a great place to people-watch. It sank in 1993, and was replaced in 2006 with the Piscine Joséphine-Baker.

David Hockney and Cecil Beaton, Raddish House, 1975

Schlesinger and Hockney were a couple in the 60's and 70's.

David Hockney

2011-11-30T21:13:00.001-05:00

David Hockney is a British artist, with a long career most firmly segmented into the Pop-Art category. This collection of work was inspired by his move to California in the mid-60's: Lawns, swimming pools, naked dudes.

Nick Wilder, 1966

A Lawn Being Sprinkled, 1967

Portrait of an Artist (Pool with two figures), 1972.

The figure on the right is Peter Schlesinger, an ex of Hockney's.

A Bigger Splash, 1967

Vlisco

2011-11-26T10:14:00.001-05:00

I love the colors and patterns of West and Central African wax-block textiles, and Vlisco is the gold standard. Vlisco is a Dutch textile house that has been designing and producing them since 1846. In Africa, their fabrics are considered to be the highest of luxury, akin to driving a Rolls Royce while wearing a Rolex (...and I know that possibly means different things for different people, but I think you get the gist.)

Gorgeous!

7-Inch Sleeves

2011-11-25T15:00:00.001-05:00

XTC, Respectable Street, Virgin, UK 7-inch, 1981

Front above, Back below

Pet Shop Boys, West End Girls, EMI America, US 7-inch, 1985.

Front above, Back below

There are over 75 versions of this single that have been pressed between 1984 and 1985.

David Bowie, Up the Hill Backwards, RCA, UK 7-inch, 1981

Front above, Back below

Old Friends

2011-11-20T15:14:00.001-05:00

Joan Jett

John Cusack

Tina Weymouth and Grandmaster Flash, by Laura Levine

David Bowie, by Denis O'Reagan, 1983

The Go-Go's

MTV Party to Go, Vol. 1 & 2

2011-10-31T11:28:00.000-04:00

I have been intrigued by the graphic design of the early 90's lately, and the MTV Party to Go comps are a pretty good representation of what I'm referring to. See also stuff like promotional materials and album covers by Technotronic and C+C Music Factory.

What are we seeing in this kind of work?

Tons of high-energy neon jewel tones, contrasted with each other and with black
Bold, (perhaps artificially) condensed or expanded typefaces like Impact
Saturated photography
Circular badge-like graphics

YES!

If you're interested in listening to these gems, they're obtainable online: Volume 1 / Volume 2

Jenny Howarth for Claude Montana

2011-10-25T14:43:00.000-04:00

This is a 1988 campaign for Claude Montana starring one of my favorite models, the beautiful Jenny Howarth. It was shot by Paolo Roversi. I would be perfectly happy to be the wearer of any of those outfits.