Textile Swatches

Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave

I'm so inspired by the show I saw last Saturday at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. My friend and mentor, Yoshiko Wada, took me to see the terrific and inspiring exhibit, 'Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave'

Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave is a painter by training, who for more than fifteen years, has created an astonishing and original body of work. After a visit to the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the mid 90s, she was inspired to experiment with fashion design through the medium of paper. 

Painting and manipulating paper, she forms trompe l'oeil masterpieces of elaborate historical dresses. Her work spans 300 years of fashion history from Elizabeth I to Coco Chanel- encompassing the worlds of Mariano Fortuny and 19th c. Venice, the Medici costumes from the Renaissance, gowns worn by Elizabeth I and Marie-Antoinette to the creations of the grand couturiers Frederick Worth, Paul Poiret, Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, and even kaftans of ikat and suzani patterns.

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The exhibit will run till June 5th, 2011 at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco

 

Anthropologie launches new 'Decorator Concept Shops'

Anthropologie launches12 new 'Designer Concept Shops' within existing Anthro stores. They are workshop style spaces that are open to the public, offering access to sample books, magazines and decorating assistance. They will showcase an eclectic mix of curtains, rugs, wallpaper, lighting and furniture. This concept is also available online as a new feature, named 'The Decorator Shop'

The 12 lucky locations to get studios are: Beverly Hills; Corte Madera, Ca; Denver; Atlanta; Chicago; Houston; Nashville; New York; Wayne, Pa; Westport, Ct; Miami and London  (what about Boston?)

Is this the beginning of a trend we will see more of? More 'decorator'/ DIY products at retail?

Bouquets to Art

While in San Francisco this week, I visited the 'Bouquets to Art' exhibit at the architecturally stunning De Young museum (designed by Herzog and de Meuron) The exhibit featured arrangements of flowers, created by local floral designers and garden clubs, that interpret pieces of art from the museum's permanent collection.

Here are some glimpses of arrangements that caught my eye.

 

 

 

 

                    

 

 

Thoughts of Japan

Hearing the sad news and watching the horrific images of the natural disaster in Japan, helps put life into perspective. Our everyday grievances are so unimportant in the bigger picture..

My heart goes out to the people affected by this tragedy. I reminisce the wonderful times I spent in Japan in the mid-90s, enjoying the caring hospitality of my hosts and friends at NUNO Corporation. I had the fortunate opportunity of working with NUNO. It gave me my foundation in textiles and sent me down   the wonderful journey of textile explorations.

I came across this wonderful interview with one of NUNO's founders- Junichi Arai- a living textile legend! Open the link to check out the video.

 

When traveling, buy crafts to help support the local craftspeople

When visiting foreign countries, it's a great idea to purchase crafts as gifts and for yourself. You bring home something unique and support the local economies and craftspeople. As quoted in the NY Times article- Is there a Right Way to Spend Money When Traveling here, 'Crafts are the best things to buy; they have people's dreams woven into them.'

Here are some of the unique crafts we came across when recently traveling in India.

Upcoming: Sonia Delaunay exhibit at The Cooper Hewitt

I'm looking forward to seeing the exhibit-Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay  She is one of my favorite Abstract Modernist artists. Her work radiates movement and color and makes me happy! She started as a painter and was later known for her designs on fabrics and fashion. The show will feature her work from the 1920s through the 1940s when she was exploring the relationship between fabrics and contemporary art in terms of movement and color.

At the Cooper Hewitt Museum, NYC. March 18th- June 5th, 2011

I own 2 books about her work-

And have pre-ordered- the book accompanying the show at the Cooper Hewitt.