If you’re trying to figure out what to wear this weekend, you know, to that garden party of five, consider a cinched waist and a boater à la Kim Novak in Paris. I have a collared agnès b shirt that I haven’t worn in years that would work well with a full skirt. The boater may be harder to locate, but anything with a brim will do. And I’m wearing flats. Maybe it’s the change in weather, but all of a sudden, I’m ready to get dressed again.
Facade decoration of a house in Kano, Northern Nigeria from PAUL OLIVER‘s book Dwellings: the house across the world.
Hats at the Kentucky Derby, 1945.
Ornamental bells by ceramic artist, AYAME BULLOCK.
The colour rich zig zags of LARRY ZOX.
Designer INDIA MAHDAVI‘s jelly pea sofa.
A whitewashed home by Egyptian architect, HASSAN FATHY.
Picasso, Cocteau, Di Chirico and Matisse; I see all these great artists’ influence in Florence Bamberger‘s work. Let’s begin with her name, because it’s fantastic. FLORENCE BAMBERGER. And the whimsical illustrations she’s produced for fashion titans like Hermès and Givenchy. She designs rugs and wallpaper, and most recently, has discovered ceramics. Her vases are truly fabulous, and just the kind of colourful, eccentric approach I am drawn to. It’s hard to imagine that these were ever lumps of mud.
Kings of British jellies, BOMPAS & PARR.
The extraordinary home of AXEL VERVOORDT.
AGNES VARDA dressed as an ivy bush.
Summer florals by CHRISTIAN WIJNANTS.
JESSIE FRENCH’s algae based bioplasic vessels.
CECIL TOUCHON’s abstract collages.
CHARLES-ANTOINE CHAPPUIS’ vases made from reclaimed linens and yarns. (They can be turned upside down and hold water at both ends!)
“I’ve always loved redheads” wrote the flame haired Vogue veteran, Grace Coddington on the eve of her 80th Birthday this week. “Hair is my thing. I like it big. Very big and very red.” On that raw instinct that’s kept her at the top of her game for over six decades, “I’m sure the reason some of those Vogue shoots from the 1970s and ’80s still have something modern about them is that, despite the romance or fantasy in them, they are all rooted in human reality.” I’ve always loved her Alice in Wonderland themed shoot with Natalia Vodianova, and anything she creates with Tim Walker blows my mind. Shoots with her fellow red, Karen Elson are pitch perfect. “Never underestimate how much an editor loves to see herself in her photographs.” What advice would Coddington like to give: “To be patient, to be tolerant and to not fritter away your creativity by looking at a screen. A screen can open your eyes to a lot of wonderful things that you wouldn’t normally have access to, but mostly it’s not real. Look out of your window, because that is reality. When it comes to making an important photograph, reality is the greatest place to start.”
You know when you fall in love with a song, and then look up the artist, only to find that the rest of the album doesn’t speak to you at all. That’s how I felt this morning when I landed on this beautiful painting by Belgian artist, Raoul De Keyser. The shapes remind of a school of fish, or a collection of pebbles and feathers. And the palette –– rust, mustard, lapis blue –– is warm and earthy. I love all the white space and the softness of De Keyser’s brushstrokes. This was the song I loved on an album that otherwise didn’t resonate. And that’s ok. That’s brilliant. We’re not meant to love everything one artist creates. And artists who try to achieve universal likability are doomed. Come to think of it, there are very few albums I listen to in full anymore. I think our walls and wardrobes, book shelves and playlists should be a pick’n’mix, a self-curated greatest hits.
I can’t remember the last time I had an occasion to dress for. In theory, we could all be frying eggs in our fanciest frocks, but I think it’s safe to say that comfort is de rigueur. Name a big brand that isn’t doing slob chic. Mothball eaten cashmere. Elasticated waist. Socks pulled up to the shins. Oh yes, you know the look. And then I happened upon this Lanvin dress in the colour of freshly churned butter, and I was reminded of what it is to wear something beautiful, something that demands you to watch your posture, to smile, and to tread lightly on your tiny heels. Another world.
RINNE ALLEN’s ethereal light drawings.
Watch textile artist, CLAUDY JONGSTRA’S beautiful process.
KIVA MOTNYK’S gorgeous framed patchworks.
SARAH ELLISON’S Banda collection looks like striped shortbread.
A gourmet beach barbecue on Margaret River.
And below, FENELLA ELMS’ exquisite ceramic sculpture.
“I need a lot of varied projects to empty myself out creatively,” says artist, Tyler Hays. Hays paints, makes furniture, ceramics and designs clothing and homewares all under the BDDW brand that he founded back in 1995. His Duchamp inspired urinals are the most beautiful latrines I’ve ever seen. And if not for the price, I’d buy twenty of his warm and nostalgic mugs. Hays brings humour and whimsy to his paintings. There’s a good amount of weird running through all of them. Odd little legs make this table feel like its part sea creature, and I think every home should be lucky enough to own an Abel Club Chair. It’s the grandpa of chairs. Have a look around, there’s so much to see.
UMBERTO PASTI’S Moroccan hillside garden.
SERGIO SISTER’S colourful wall mounted boxes.
RIITA IKONEN’S brilliantly surreal world.
A Small Octagonal Pavilion Tent.
Audrey turns her hair into a mini pillbox.
SERENA MITNIK MILLER’S playful, geometric watercolours.
Lake Erie based master glass blower, PETER GUDRUNAS.
ALICE WAESE’S weird and ethereal jewellery.
Romantic frocks by Cecilie Bahsnen.
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