LadyLikes by Lady San Pedro

That Dutch Treat

2013-06-17T12:02:00.000+02:00

THE TITLE HAS NOTHING TO DO WHATSOEVER with the expression's actual definition. But if we must be calculating of the events that transpired during our week in Amsterdam, the following should sum up the affair: 3 hotel rooms, 1 cancelled flight, 1 wafel, 4 stroopwafels, 1 Thai dinner, 1 Peruvian dinner, 1 Japanese dinner, 2 sunny days, 2 rainy days, 4 museums, 2 Delftware souvenirs, 1 Boekenmarkt find, 24 Instagram posts, some beers and way too many coffees, aperitifs, digestifs and bottles of wine. Round that all up to one happy tourist who almost didn't miss the pets, or her laptop, too much.

When Holland released their new tourism campaign just weeks ago, I was excited to see the advertised "original coolness" for myself. From happy girls singing as they cycled side-by-side, to books perched on sills for holding up windows, to superb men's fashion, superb men's hairstyles, ever-falling leaves swirling at street corners, flowers blooming by the bedside overnight, excellent world cuisine, incredible Dutch design, Vermeer and Van Gogh -all on top of being home to over 180 nationalities, and being the first to legalize same-sex marriage- the Dutch simply know how to do things cool.

And because a week is not enough, this Dutch treat needs a part two!

Amsterdam Tulip Museum, Café de Jaren, Cafe Katoen, Boekenmarkt, De Wallen and various locations Amsterdam-Centrum.

That Delft Perception

2013-06-14T12:47:00.000+02:00

HOWEVER BUSY AMSTERDAM GOT on a sunny weekend during our stay, we had the Delftware shops to ourselves; empty blue-and-white sanctuaries from outside's bustling tourism. We visited four different shops, from a centrally-located Royal Delft gift shop, to independent boutiques along the Canal Ring, the last of which I purchased some earrings and a figurine from.

Being fond of the Delftware aesthetic, I was surprised to find little tourist interest in the Dutch craft. Dating back as early as 1512, Delftware or Delft pottery takes its name from the city of Delft in the Netherlands, and is characterized by blue and white painted motifs and tin-glazing.

Traditionally limited to tiles and household items, Delftware today has a much wider range, including jewelry, children's items, seasonal decor and various merchandise printed with patterns of blue and white. Doing away with tin-glazing, today's Delftware products are considered far more inferior and far less inspired than their earlier counterparts. On the upside, the less expensive production heightens their accessibility for a non-collecting majority.

Re-energizing the distinct blue and white style attributed to Delftware, Toronto-based artist Douglas Walker has, since 2005, painted scenes and subjects in just ultramarine and white. With a focus on brushwork and meticulously formulated paint consistencies, Walker's work shows that the craft can be art. His, unfortunately, you won't find in a Delftware shop.

Paintings by Douglas Walker, www.douglaswalker.ca

That Shift in Spirit

2013-06-05T12:59:00.000+02:00

TO BE SPIRITED IS TO BE FULL OF ENERGY. Energy to exert and energy to endure. I woke up late, languid and lazy on a hungover first of June, thinking to myself that on this month, half the year would have gone by. Sustaining the thought, I wasted the rest of the morning anyway, melding with the sheets, checking and rechecking social feeds; perhaps the worst habit I've developed in the past year.

It was time to get up, get the rest of the day, and year, going. To inspire some energy into my mid-year crisis of sorts, I turn to an art form that exists by its very spiritedness, characterized by emotional intensity, maturity and expressiveness. Only once have I been to a proper tablao -definitely not counting the choreographed tour group shows- so I travel into the inner circles of Flamenco life through Gilles Larrain's Flamenco photography series begun in 1983.

"Flamenco: Landscape of its Soul" depicts some of the genre's contemporary figures, both in Larrain's New York studio and in Seville, where the tradition-interspersed-with-daily-life first enthralled him. The gelatin silver prints are of very limited editions, printed by Larrain himself and continuously compiled for future plans of publication.

Beyond stills, however passionate, I believe no experience of Flamenco is complete without the toque, cante and baile beheld in audio-visual glory. Here, Antonio Gades and Cristina Hoyos lead my spirited, vigorous stamping through the second half of an almost sluggish year.

"Flamenco: Landscape of its Soul" by Gilles Larrain, www.gilleslarrain.com Images from www.behance.net/Larrain Antonio Gades and Cristina Hoyos from Carlos Moya Danza Teatro

That Suite View

2013-05-31T12:01:00.000+02:00

PICK A VIEW, ANY VIEW. In over a year of having lived in Barcelona, plus two trips prior to that, I had not seen so much of the city from a single place, at a single time, and definitely not with a champagne flute in my hand. Now I have, frenzied by the fact that I could look here! no, look there! from Le Méridien's new 360-degree suite, designed to dizzy one with endless, sweeping views of the Catalan capital.

In a literal sense, the suite offers a new perspective; of being at level with Barcelona's emblematic structures, while the blue sky hangs above and the leafy avenues rustle below. In a figurative sense, it almost relaxes the mind for a new outlook; ample views distract from daily digital screens, two terraces encourage fresh air, statement furniture-made-to-be-stained rock the usual paradigm and curious new flavors offer subtle surprises. Chili-mango morning shots anyone?

The experience could go both ways: one way could get you refreshed and ready for whatever it is you need to be ready for, the other way could have you plunge into such a leisurely state, you feel no need to be productive. Choice is yours!

On a final note, although churros aren't a Catalan thing, who can resist this?

360º Barcelona Suite, Le Méridien Barcelona, La Rambla 111. www.lemeridienbarcelona.com

Those Transitional Tones

2013-05-20T12:21:00.000+02:00

MARCEL PROUST SAID THAT a change in the weather is sufficient to recreate the world and ourselves. Yesterday we had hail, sun and rain alternating the hours from morning to night, turning the world outside my window into an Armageddon swallowing up the spring. I can't tell whether it's my mood that is most affected, or my manner of dressing. I think it's both.

The boyfriend thinks it's hormones.

With the breezy dresses and open-toed shoes parked in the closet where they continue to spin cobwebs since October, I gaze longingly at Bimba y Lola's spring-summer lookbooks, clad in the label's quirky, colorful femininity. Orange for spring, purple for summer and aqua for high summer.

I miss the reliable warmth of the tropics and being able to wear chiffon all year long.

Bimba y Lola lookbooks primavera, verano and alta verano, www.bimbaylola.com

That Anime Impressionism

2013-05-13T12:24:00.000+02:00

THOUGH FAR FROM BEING AN ANIME FANATIC, I am not entirely removed from the culture, having spent many afternoons of my youth watching my own share of those wide-eyed favorites. By heart a lover of classics, I followed Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater series, with the melodramatic Princess Sarah as my daily after-school treat. Other shows I loosely followed include Ranma 1/2, Sailormoon, Daimos, Curious Play, and once I had a baby brother, Dragon Ball. Fun times!

Truth is, back in school at my school, anime was shunned as an interest for dorks and the socially incompetent. As with the many classifications created by the young, who knows why anything is "cool" or "dorky" really?

It was a strange, unfounded stigma to delegate to an animation style beloved the world over by sectors both highbrow and lowbrow, not to mention young and fully grown. Outside of TV series and feature films, anime has been embraced by pop-culture influencers and tastemakers alike, including electronic music duo Daft Punk, who featured in their "One More Time" music video, scenes that eventually formed part of anime film Interstella 5555, as well as Marc Jacobs, who, as creative director of Louis Vuitton, collaborated with artist Takashi Murakami for the Superflat Monogram collection and campaign.

Whatever your impression of the Japanese animation style, there's no shunning Jun Kumaori's artful incorporation of anime elements into impressionist-style scenes. The trailing cat, the humanized teddy bear and the melancholy schoolgirls amidst strokes of shifting light and color. Now how is that for dorks?

Illustration by Jun Kumaori, kumaori.info

That Arpège

2013-05-09T12:05:00.000+02:00

"A DESIGN INEVITABLY REFLECTS the artistic motifs stored in one's memory, drawing on those which are the most alive, new and fertile all at the same time." Assouline's Lanvin by Élisabeth Barillé presents Jeanne Lanvin as a traveler and aesthete who gathered immense inspiration for her various motifs. Her office alone was said to have housed "thousands of treasures" ranging from sculptures and jewels to a meticulously catalogued library of clothing and fabric.

But beyond her marvelous material legacy, one encounters Jeanne Lanvin as an adoring mother whose greatest inspiration -that which seemed most alive, new and fertile to her- came from a much closer, more personal source.

Marie-Blanche, Comtesse de Polignac, Marguerite or "Ririte" as she called her, was Jeanne Lanvin's only child, who, from youth, served as her muse. For the little comtesse, the designer made exquisite dresses that rose to so much popularity, society women began not only ordering copies for their daughters but also dresses for themselves.

Beyond clothing, Marie-Blanche continued to inspire other areas of her mother's craft. The arpèges, or scales, she practiced on the piano led to the fashion house's hit scent Arpège, which also features on its bottle, the brand's trademark graphic: Jeanne Lanvin and Marie-Blanche dressing for a ball.

With Mother's Day being celebrated in many countries this week, I send out my heartfelt admiration to mothers everywhere, whose devotion to loving and doting knows no bounds. And to all of us fortunate muses, comtesses, prides, joys, apples of the eye, et al., may we always strive to be beautiful in the ways it matters most. We are, after all, our mothers' best designs.

Lanvin by Èlisabeth Barillé, Assouline Publishing.

That Green Line

2013-05-06T12:11:00.000+02:00

WHILE IT IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED to use the terms "labyrinth" and "maze" interchangeably, scholars argue over their distinction. A maze is said to be multicursal or having complex branching paths, while a labyrinth is unicursal, comprising a single unambiguous passage.

On this particular Sunday, we followed a unicursal path via the Barcelona Metro's green line. Skipping the popular stops, which lead out to La Pedrera, Casa Batlló, Plaça Catalunya and Plaça d'Espanya, amongst others, we headed for more secretive destinations; off at Liceu for the small wonder that is El Jardí, then back and off again at Mundet for the 22-acre spectacle that is Parc del Laberint d'Horta.

Housed in a courtyard in Raval, El Jardí, literally "the garden", is a lively terrace cafe serving small plates and cocktails from a kiosk-like kitchen and bar. A few bites, beers, wine and coffee and we were off to an actual garden uptown, of a highly contrasting atmosphere. Parc del Laberint d'Horta spans 9 hectares but for preservation purposes, limits its entry to 750 visitors at a time. Echoing of the lush life lived by its original creator and proprietor Joan Antoni Desvalls i d'Ardena, the manicured cluster of neoclassical and romantic gardens maintains a forest-like feeling, broken only by two ascending pavilions, a scattering of statues and a cypress hedge maze after which the park is named.

What I could not find there, or perhaps just couldn't see, was an inscription on the uppermost pavilion, supposedly reading Artis Naturaque Parit Concordia Pulchrum. "The harmony of art and nature generates beauty."

At the end of that day, I guess I didn't need to. Some things we read, some things we're lucky to see.

Terraza y Bar de tapas El Jardí, www.eljardibarcelona.es and Parc del Laberint d'Horta, Barcelona.

That Pastel Perfect

2013-05-03T12:06:00.000+02:00

EARLIER IN HER LIFE, long before she was a gothic matriarch snipping rose heads off their stems, a grand high witch turning children into mice or a Broadway producer tossing cocktails on ex-husbands' faces, Anjelica Huston was a model and it girl working with such photographers as Richard Avedon and Irving Penn.

Above is the raven-haired beauty in her modeling days, in a far less sinister look than that we've come to associate her with.

Now there's a vision to put all Smash starlets to shame. We just don't have beauties this decadent anymore.

Anjelica Huston in US Vogue, 1972. Images from www.theplace2.ru

Those Cats Unlimited

2013-04-29T12:04:00.000+02:00

THE LAST DAYS OF APRIL, WE SPENT WITH APRIL SHOWERS not-so-briefly interrupting the spectacular spring we've had lately. Instead of battling the suddenly soggy outdoors, I spent the weekend dry and cozy at home, rolling around in too much sweaters and pestering the cat with too much cuddles.

Who can resist? As far back as Egypt's Bastet, and as recently as the latest lolcat, cats have proven their peculiarities worthy of confusion, fascination, obsession and comical gratification. Ancient religions were said to have exalted the little felines as all-knowing souls made mute, so as to not influence human decisions. Today's "kitteh" on the other hand, invades human idle time with more than just "speech". For the past 7 years, she's developed her own distinct lolspeaking lingo.

Throw in classic cat icons Felix, Garfield, Heathcliff, Puss in Boots, Hello Kitty, Tom and Sylvester, along with real-life cat celebrities Grumpy Cat and Karl Lagerfeld's Choupette, to name a few, fondness for felines has come to be so well celebrated, so that being a cat lover no longer commercially equates to being odd and obscure.

My current favorite: the artsy cool cats of Kaori Mitsushima's Cats I Know blog. Featuring kitties performing human activities in chic outfits, the coffee-drinking, sailor-stripe-wearing felines also appear on the illustrator's Cats I Know postcards, calendar and zine, as well as in her newly-launched Book of House Cats.

Purr!

Cats I Know illustrations by Kaori Mitsushima, www.catsiknow.com and kaorimitsushima.com

Those Other Stories

2013-04-25T14:07:00.000+02:00

GOLDEN STEPS. FOLD-SHOP-FOLD. BUTTONED-UP SEA WAVES. The setting, characters, conflicts and resolutions are yours to fill in as H&M's newest venture & Other Stories provides the rest of the elements for telling your very own fashion story. Lingerie, nail color, fragrance, eyewear and skincare, on top of shoes, bags and ready to wear, encompass personal style beyond clothing, serving to inspire new expressions and interpretations of a theme.

With creative ateliers in Stockholm and Paris, the line's products and pieces are nothing short of charming, inscribed with a clean Swedish aesthetic while punctuated by French joie de vivre. On a personal note, I find the items very wearable. Nothing too over or underdressed, and nothing I can't take the metro in.

Free from overpowering silhouettes and intricacies, the focus goes back to the wearer; their inherent movement, bearing and manner of dressing. As the brand asserts, "Personal style tells a story."

& Other Stories begins a new chapter for Barcelona's storytellers-to-be, with a first shop in Spain opening this Saturday, April 27, at Passeig de Gràcia 8.

& Other Stories on www.stories.com

That Spring Break

2013-04-22T12:05:00.000+02:00

PERHAPS NOT THE IMAGE OF COLLEGIATE ACTION AND STIMULATION you'd expect from such a title, but this is the sort of break we too seldom take and could more often use.

There is a certain beauty in being amongst quietly growing things, rooted firmly on the ground while gently touching the sky. They do not move, only occasionally sway, and make no sound save for a delightful rustling when a breeze blows by. In their hearts they know patience, sitting through life's winters until they could spring back into vitality, and like Schwartz's Pippin, they recognize that "Everything has its season, everything has its time."

Having grown up a city girl and mall child, park culture is new and foreign to me. Leisure time has always been spent at chairs and tables, appropriated for a meal and drinks or a keyboard and screen. For the indoorsy type like myself, what's there to do at a park? The Ajuntament de Barcelona describes some of their 67 green spaces to "not have services or facilities with purposes other than their conservation and contemplation. They are above all places for strolling and being." Philosophical!

Wandering through Turó Parc before lunch the other day made my restless mind feel so sterile and small. Thoughts always going ten different directions at once, I'm still never sure what direction I want to go really. On the other hand, these trees, they have stayed put and grown peacefully for millennia. They must be doing something right.

Perhaps, instead of running restlessly about, it's worth a try taking the time to root, wait out inevitable winters and gradually, peacefully grow. It must feel so nice to touch the sky.

And not in the Minaj "Starships" sort of way.

Turó Parc, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Barcelona.

That Pink Parade

2013-04-08T12:21:00.000+02:00

DOTTING CHERRY TREES AND LITTLE BOYS' CHEEKS, pink fills my environment this time of year, which feels very much like spring on some weeks and winter all over again on others. Not limited to outdoor sightings, the color also finds itself on our 5-year-old dog's nose, which has turned a soft rosy shade over the years, and on the pink elephants I've been seeing lately, after one too many Easter holiday drinks.

When thinking pink, what better way to do so than by chassé-ing around the room with Kay Thompson, backed up by a squadron of spins, swings, smiles and salmon-colored outfits in 50s fabulosity. Written by George and Ira Gershwin, the tandem behind old favorites "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Embraceable You", Funny Face's "Think Pink" sings of turning the color into the latest trend, spanning everything from "summer clothes" to "the kitchen sink."

The song is performed by Kay Thompson, who plays a fashion editor loosely based on then-Bazaar-editor Diana Vreeland. Bright and bubbly as pink champagne, the cheerful combo of chorus and choreography was said to have left the fashion figure less than amused.

Perhaps the musical number leans towards parody, but oh what fun nonetheless. With light-hearted lyrics, delightful 50s fashion and Kay Thompson's fabulous vocal timbre, "Think Pink" literally leaves me, well, tickled pink.

"Think Pink" by George and Ira Gershwin. From Funny Face, 1957. Directed by Stanley Donen. Video on Fashionistas Daily

That Butterfly Effect

2013-03-29T12:12:00.000+01:00

SPRING HAS SPRUNG, at least in our part of Southern Europe, and Flutterby greets the season in vibrant sandal versions designed by Alberto Guardiani. Satin and snakeskin straps come in a rainbow of both vibrant and neutral hues for enveloping pretty feet. Adding a 4-inch lift are the iconic butterfly heels, each hand-painted and reinforced with a central steel rod for stability.

To this day I haven't had an occasion to wear the original Flutterby pump to and yet I am already wanting to slink my feet into these!

Flutterby sandals by Alberto Guardiani, www.albertoguardiani.com

That Return to Paradis

2013-03-25T12:39:00.000+01:00

WITH THE RECENTLY RELEASED "LOVE SONG" coming as a close second, "Dès que j'te vois" still holds the top spot as my favorite track of the gap-toothed beauty adorning H&M billboards this season. Released as the second single of the artist's 2007 album Divinidylle, the song sings of what? No clue, I can't seem to get a decent translation.

Better known as the long-term ex of Johnny Depp, as well as the face of various Chanel campaigns, Vanessa Paradis comes into popular consciousness this spring for the budget-friendly fashion giant promoting its sustainable efforts. For the Conscious Collection campaign film, the singer-actress wanders through an overgrown paradise of sorts, sprouting Jumanji-like from an acorn dropped in the basement. In true fantastic style, her outfit changes in each room, featuring clothing from the eco-conscious line.

See the H&M Conscious Collection film at the hennesandmauritz channel on YouTube and the M/M-Paris-directed "Love Song" on VanessaParadisVEVO

And if anyone can help me know what "Dès que j'te vois" is about, that would be very much appreciated. Merci!

"Dès que j'te vois" from Divinidylle by Vanessa Paradis. Video on VanessaParadisVEVO

That Rewind

2013-03-18T12:15:00.000+01:00

FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST TEN YEARS of my life, music came in the form of cassette tapes: a chore to rewind, a pain to untangle, but such a joy with their tactility, compact size, the mechanical thrum they make when winding forward or back, that conclusive snap you hear when they reach the very start. Or the very end.

Originally designed for dictation machines, Compact Cassettes eventually gained popularity as the commercial format for prerecorded music. Madonna's Like a Prayer was the first tape I ever owned, followed by Disney feature film soundtracks The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, the Broadway cast recording of My Fair Lady, the London cast recording of The Phantom of the Opera and random instrumental compilations I used for school projects.

I didn't have many of my own tapes, listening mainly to what my parents had in their own library, and before I knew it, CDs came around as the new cool thing, and cassettes with their corresponding players were no more.

Neil Stevens brings back the memory with wall prints inspired by cassette inlays. A call out to babies of the 70s and the 80s: the artist may just make the prints available in his shop if they receive good feedback. I sure would love one of these!

Don't Forget the Cassette by Neil Stevens, www.crayonfire.co.uk

That Flashback

2013-03-12T12:18:00.000+01:00

WHILE WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE DECOR STANDS OUT, there is more to the retro tortilleria than the paparazzi adorning its walls. Conceived by photographer-architect tandem Alfonso Milá and Leopoldo Pomés some 40 years ago, Flash Flash was primarily spurred by a love for tortillas, a desire to eat well and an aversion to the noise resulting from poor restaurant acoustics. Neither of the two were professional restaurateurs, bringing their idea to life with only their shared passion and four eccentric conditions for the tortilleria: conditions for improved sound, schedule, servicios and staff.

Good soundproofing was the first condition for the restaurant, which allowed comfortable conversations even at fully-packed mealtimes. To this day, Flash Flash boasts its soundproofing as the best in the city, at least where restaurants are concerned.

The second condition deals with schedules and fiestas. Any resident of Spain knows what it's like to head out to a restaurant, only to find it closed on that day, if not for the rest of the month. Flash Flash overcame this custom, employing double headcounts to ensure that the tortilleria stays open all year round, save for Christmas day.

Third condition was to change the concept of servicios, or bathrooms, as they knew it back then. In the era of the tortilleria's conception, lavatories amounted to no more than dark and dismal compartments. Milá and Pomés aimed to differentiate from the norm, designing for Flash Flash what was considered the first attractive lavatories in Barcelona. Flush Flush?

Fourth and last, was to keep service retro. Retro in a sense that the staff maintained kindness and warmth; qualities hailing from a more ancient time where waiting tables was deemed a most dignified profession. Noteworthy service, I attest to that!

Two friends, four conditions, one tortilleria. Sustaining the restaurant's success for over four decades now, the four conditions are perhaps too much of a mouthful for recommending that fabulously mod tortilleria in Sant Gervasi. At the end of the day, it's the one with the Twiggy-esque paparazzi on the walls. See the rest for yourself!

Flash Flash Tortilleria, C/ La Granada del Penedès 25, Barcelona. www.flashflashbarcelona.com

That Advancement

2013-03-08T12:51:00.000+01:00

I NEVER QUITE UNDERSTOOD women who idolize females younger than themselves. To me it feels backward. Retrograde. That said, I adore these portraits of Joyce Carpati, Lynn Dell, Linda Rodin and Ilona Royce Smithkin for Karen Walker, which perhaps epitomize my adoration for women who had lived through styles and times we could only read or dream about.

The glamorous elderly have always been to me so striking, that since moving to this little barrio of mine, I had secretly taken both style cues from, and stolen shots of, the señoras that walk by. I told myself I'd eventually start a blog or Instagram account featuring these wonderful women, but the Karen Walker Forever campaign makes known to me via its photographer, a blog that already does exactly that! Well, not the women from my sleepy barrio in particular, but on the contrary: women from the city that doesn't sleep.

The four ladies above are all New Yorkers, sporting the current Karen Walker Eyewear collection. Perfectly appropriate for capturing the portraits is Ari Seth Cohen, who is creator of the fabulous Advanced Style blog, and is also completing a documentary of the same name, coming this 2013.

So marvelous. I say the best role models for style, or for life, are those with experience to flaunt.

Joyce Carpati, Lynn Dell, Linda Rodin and Ilona Royce Smithkin for Karen Walker Forever. www.karenwalkereyewear.com Photographed by Ari Seth Cohen, advancedstyle.blogspot.com

That Natural Filter

2013-03-04T12:10:00.000+01:00

THIS WEEKEND I TURNED 29, a good 24 years older than the little angel photographed above, in a pink ensemble complemented by a naturally-aged, un-Instagrammed rosy hue. I wish I could spot some similarity between her and myself this weekend, but let's not expound! It's the last year of my 20s and well, we do what we do, hardly ever prepared for the ailments we need to nurse in the days that follow.

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful greetings, even on this non-leap year. However many actual birthdays I lack never quite feel so lacking, with all the well wishes that come my way. Many thanks! ¡Muchas gracias! Maraming salamat!

Now, allow me to do a quick look back at the year that was since I last turned a year older. Unlike the above photo unfortunately, these ones are not naturally vintage.

From top: Manila, 1989. Semana Santa procession in Hospitalet de Llobregat, i-D Royalty Issue, ESADE Business School, Teatre Coliseum, Escuela Superior de Diseño y Moda Felicidad Duce, Distrito de Gracia, Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, Le Miroir d'Eau, Andernos-les-Bains, Parc Güell, Piazza del Campo, Monte Carlo Casino, Sitges, Me Hotel Madrid, Borough Market, Her Majesty's Theatre, Restaurante El Velodromo, Passeig de Gràcia, Avinguda Diagonal. Images from instagram.com/ladysanpedro

That Show of Hands

2013-02-26T12:34:00.000+01:00

A SIMILAR SENTIMENT. I'd been in love with Gildo Medina's photography + illustration mashup for the Maison Fabre catalogue since, well, since I first saw it years ago. Reminiscent of the treatment, Delfina Delettrez's spring/summer campaign by Philippe Jarrigeon highlights colorful products by setting them against washed-out greys and isolated body parts.

In all areas of visual art and design, similarities are bound to exist between completely unrelated materials, developed by entirely unrelated teams. Blatant copying aside, the key, I think, is in execution. Something done well, however many times, by however many individuals, is still a welcome sight.

I've seen this before. I think to myself. But if it's interesting, I don't mind seeing it again.

Maison Fabre catalogue by Gildo Medina www.gildomedina.net Delfina Delettrez s/s 2013 campaign by Philippe Jarrigeon, philippejarrigeon.com

That Sweetheart in the City

2013-02-24T12:24:00.000+01:00

ON THE SHOW SHE WAS SWEET, LOYAL, POLITE, TRADITIONAL. Not a hair out of place, not a word out of spite. "Park Avenue Pollyanna" Carrie nicknamed her. The prom queen, teen model and equestrienne who was, as well, the most supportive of friends, who filled the world with optimism and apologized with home-baked muffins.

Off-character, Kristin Davis shares a few obvious similarities with her character, herself currently an adoptive mother and, back in school, a straight A student. But unlike the picture-perfect Charlotte York, Kristin in real life displays far more contradiction than the role she has come to be known by. An openly recovering alcoholic who is a Wyler Awardee for advocating elephant protection, she is also, to date, the only one of the Sex and the City girls to have never been married; a clear contrast to the lovelorn single who "really wanted to get married so she asked Daddy and Daddy said 'All righty.'"

Nevertheless, at least for my generation of girls coveting the love and life affairs of four fashionable Manhattan galpals, today's birthday girl remains to us the ultimate elegant darling. Happy birthday Kristin Davis!

Above, the actress in 1995, pre-SATC. Below, my favorite Kristin Davis off-screen snaps.

Kristin Davis at home 1995, at Michael Kors 2004, with Cynthia Nixon at the Emmy Awards 2004, at Michael Kors 2005, with Stella McCartney at Alexander McQueen 2004, with Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker at the Emmy Awards 2004 and with Patricia Field at Narciso Rodriguez 2004. All images from www.gettyimages.com

Those Top Finds

2013-02-18T12:58:00.000+01:00

ON THE TOP SHELF OF MY WARDROBE, high above where my outstretched arms could reach, I keep a stash of trash and treasures accumulated from youth, work and travel. Those from youth are aged and fragile, those from work provide me valuable documentation, and those from travel are usually still fresh in their unopened packaging. It feels almost symbolic, their being up there; precious despite disarray and far from accessibility. I need a purpose, and a stool, to reach them.

But when I do look up there, it's always an inspiring rediscovery. This book is one such, which I picked up some time ago. I can't remember exactly where, but the currency on the price tag serves as a clue, and fortunately for this wild guesser, it's not in Euros.

Fashion, illustration and theatrics on crisp, pocket-sized pages, the Yves Saint Laurent Colouring Book features previously unpublished sketches by the French designer. Browsing its selection of cultural and theatrical costumes couldn't be anymore timely right now, with my city still on Carnival mode and my mid-winter well of inspiration feeling somewhat frozen.

Spotlight-stealing fabulosity, this one's sure to inspire:

Yves Saint Laurent Colouring Book by Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent.

That Affair to Remember

2013-02-14T12:18:00.000+01:00

OVER WATER, they drift in and out of elegant exchanges, two stars so stellar, the scenes almost dip when they're apart. Up on a cliff they share their highs. On land, a separate groundedness. And you know the holiday's over, but you watch and wait anyway until they are together again.

At one point a favorite film, I watched the movie many times as a child, marveling at its share of that old world glamor I could never get enough of. Today, the movie is much simpler than I remember. Much less sensational, much more refined. Where I would fixate on Nickie's fashionable fiancée, I now possess little interest in her lack of dimension. Where I'd swoon over scenes of Mediterranean ports, I now feel more moved by its resident widow, than by its idyllic views. Where I'd be frustrated with Terry's concealment of crucial events, I now recognize her reasons.

And yet some things remain unchanged. Cary Grant still charms me. The ending still makes me cry. In giving that same feeling after two, ten, twenty or thirty times, lies the magic of our favorite romantic movies. However evolved our taste in romance, those feelings, they mark affinity. And on chilly days, in February or otherwise, they succeed in warming the heart.

An Affair to Remember, 1957. Directed by Leo McCarey.

That Meaty Masquerading

2013-02-07T12:25:00.000+01:00

WHEN IT COMES TO CARNIVAL SEASON, masks tend to steal the spotlight. From the eerie Venetian balls, to the savage Brazilian parades, Carnival masquerading has been popularized the world over in both its religious and secular forms.

Traditionally a season of festivities occurring right before lent, Carnival holds Christianity-linked etymology with greater reference to meat-eating than masquerading. From Latin carne vale or "farewell to meat" to Italian carne levare "to remove meat", the celebrations prompt the beginning of fasting and abstinence from carnivorous and other rich foods until Easter.

Other etymology point to Carnival's links with carrus navalis, "car" or "ship" hailing from pagan pageantry. Denmark's Aalborg Carnival, for example, closely maintains this link, with Carrus Navalis as a parade boat ushered in by masked dancers, and succeeded by a symbolic sowing of seeds.

Whether in reference to pagan or Christian religion, with masks or with soon-to-be-disposed-of meat, Carnival is celebrated with revelry just the same. While I'm personally accustomed to masquerading later on in Halloween, and to regularly trading meat for healthier options anyway, with all this meat on my mind, I sure wouldn't mind a steak tartare this weekend.

Meat charts from fr.wikipedia.org www.gutenberg.org www.diarioelatlantico.com vintageprintable.com www.allposters.com

This Barrio Lass

2013-02-04T12:15:00.000+01:00

THIS FEBRUARY MARKS OUR FIRST YEAR in Barrio Sant Gervasi. Usually referred to in conjunction with neighboring Sarrià, the two make up a considerable part of the hilly Zona Alta and one of the largest districts in Barcelona.

With lower commercial activity compared to other barrios in the city, Sant Gervasi seldom sees tourists and maintains a more local neighborhood atmosphere. Upon arriving last winter, we felt every bit the new kids in town, with everyone seeming to have already known each other for years, even decades. But the folk are friendly; quick to know us by name and eager to chat despite language barriers. If you're amicable, they tend to be too.

There aren't too many large or chain establishments in Sant Gervasi, as many of the stores are locally owned and run. As such, day-to-day shopping feels quaint, with individual trips to, or plotted routes covering, what I call the "ías": the panadería (bakery), frutería (fruit and vegetable stand), charcutería (deli), carnicería (butcher), tintorería (dry cleaners), papelería (office supplies shop), perfumería (cosmetics shop), ferretería (hardware shop), floristería (florist) and lampistería (electrical shop), listed here in order of my personal frequenting.

Of course, the old-fashioned way is not always the most convenient. Supermarkets offer one-stop shopping, loyalty points and store hours uninterrupted by the 2:00-4:30 lunch and siesta break. I vouch for its benefits, having gained my primary and premium loyalty cards within mere months.

But when the sun is shining and there's a morning to spare, there's nothing quite like meandering the "ías" of the barrio. Cultural nuances, glamorous grandmas, random conversations with leisurely retirees. I vouch for its charm.

Parc de Monterols, Plaça d'Adrià and Carrer de Muntaner, Sant Gervasi, Barcelona.