moments of grace

head in the clouds

2009-06-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

a new cloud variety is being proposed to the world meteorological organization, a group that classifies cloud types. it would be the first addition to the organization's cloud atlas since 1951. meet the asperatus clouds:

genius!

2009-03-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

john galliano, fall 2009

the genius himself, mr. galliano:

la la la lula...

2009-02-26T23:32:00.000-08:00

#8 is here!

iceberg lovesong

2009-02-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

this is our destiny:
you will swallow me.

frozen and stoic,
impervious to your wild thrashing currents,
i rise above your inky depths in the midnight sky, flash like a diamond.

liquid silver -
you race past,
blind to the northern lights that crown our nights with a dancing diadem.

i yearn to understand your constant churning,
the pleasure you forever find in pushing and pulling away from yourself.

oh! but i am glad you so seldom seek to rest...

your gentle grace as you glide across my face sends shivers to my core.
and when you are feeling foul, beating against me with all your might,
your rage reminds me why i am here.

ever your eternal witness,
i stopped long ago to marvel at your many moods.

now i cannot leave your cool, murky embrace.
i will stay until time melts me away,
sinking more with each new moon,
dissolving daily into your frenzied swirling.

and when at last you have completely consumed me,
i will know the secret of your ceaseless surge.

finally!

2009-02-17T14:04:00.000-08:00

i knew this was inevitable! barbara hulanicki, aka the genius behind the original biba, has just finished designing a collection for topshop. can't wait to see it! here's a brief write-up from telegraph magazine:

"Designed by Barbara Hulanicki of Biba fame, Topshop’s new designer collection includes body-con dresses and palazzo pants plastered with supersize animal prints; wide-leg catsuits with cutaway shoulders (a Hulanicki trademark), cute, printed silk chiffon blouses and three-quarter-sleeve suede jackets. Given that this is the woman behind the cult label largely considered to have defined the Swinging Sixties and louche Seventies, the collection looks set to rock the late Noughties. Barbara Hulanicki’s 20-piece collection will be available nationwide from April 20. Prices from £20-£120"

and one of the sketches:

snow fox

2009-01-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

gail sorronda a/w 2009

favorite songs of 2008

2008-12-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

these are the songs i've had on repeat all year...

11. paper route gangstaz - "alabama"
these guys are from my hometown of huntsville, alabama, and though this isn't their best track, it makes me nostalgic. and they reverse "alabama" to "i'm a balla," and that makes me smile.

10. invisible conga people - "cable dazed"
spooky dark dance track. my husband likes to dance with our cats to this one...

9. portishead - "the rip"
in my thoughts I have bled for the riddles I've been fed. another lie moves over...
i raved about the new portishead album when it first came out (click here to see that post, which includes a live version of "the rip"). this is still one of my favorite tracks from the record. and this might just be my favorite video from 2008.

8. fleet foxes - "white winter hymnal"
my other favorite song of theirs is "tiger mountain peasant song." since i already posted an amazing rendition of that one a few months back, i'll put this one here. how could you not love it? the vocal harmonies are just plain irresistible.

7. the tallest man on earth - "where do my bluebird fly"
swedish dylan? this guy is great... i highly recommend shallow grave.

6. the walkmen - "in the new year"
i've never really been a big fan of this band, and though i still haven't heard all of you & me yet, i'm impressed with the few songs i have heard. especially this one.

5. she & him - "i was made for you"
zooey rocks. so does m. ward. so does their album. especially this song!

4. goldmund - "threnody" (mp3 via raven sings the blues)
the malady of elegance is the perfect soundtrack for writing. sparse and haunting.

3. lau nau - "painovoimaa, valoa"
she's finnish, and she makes the dreamiest music out of pretty sounds.

2. beach house - "astronaut" (mp3 via nasty panda)
everything they do is perfection. this is my favorite track off their second album.

1. grouper - "heavy water/i'd rather be sleeping" (mp3 via nasty panda)
far and away my favorite song of 2008. favorite album too. shimmering, hazy, murky, and dark. like lullabies for deep sea mermaids...

fairy tale fashion

2008-12-18T07:54:00.000-08:00

i happen to know santa is bringing me the tim walker pictures book, and i can't wait til christmas morning!

used to be

2008-12-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

i realize i have a habit of posting just about every beach house video, which is why i held off posting these until now... but i keep watching them, so i might as well put them up here and be done with it.

live, at the beach:

the actual video:

bubble ladies

2008-12-17T17:11:00.001-08:00

melvin sokolsky, 1960s

pe lang + zimoun

2008-12-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

see more here

parfum pour moi!

2008-12-01T16:35:00.001-08:00

“just a drop on each wrist and two in the bath were enough to send silver running down the walls. it set the world throbbing out of control when i wore it. i became a little weird."
- former french vogue editor joan juliet buck, on her favorite perfume

i'm officially obsessed with perfume. i suppose i've always been into fragrance (though until now i've been fairly monogamous, sticking to one scent at a time)-- when i was little i would sneak sprays of my mother's perfume (calvin klein obsession), and by the time i was a teenager i had fallen in love with lilac oil from the body shop. when tommy girl came out, i was all over it. for a couple of years i rotated tommy girl and cool water (obviously i had a serious thing for crisp, clean scents at the time), and finally retired those for marc jacobs. i quickly got bored with the mj, so my husband gave me dkny be delicious. i wasn't blown away by the simple fruity scent, but thankfully i found minnie wilde magic (a scent created by yosh). magic is a fruity floral blend of pink grapefruit, tiger lily, vanilla and egyptian tuberose. it's pretty nice, but when i finished my bottle i didn't rush out for another. since then, i've been in perfume limbo... until now.

my current craze began when i read somewhere that celia birtwell's favorite perfume is après l'ondee by guerlain. i googled the perfume and discovered a seemingly endless number of reviews and blog posts singing this fragrance's praises. the word "melancholy" was frequently used to describe it, and more than one person confessed the scent had brought them to tears. since then i've spent hours reading about perfume, entranced first by the names of these unknown perfumes (iris silver mist, black march, the unicorn spell, let me play the lion) and next by the luminous and passionate discussions entered into by the perfume-obsessed. people that are into perfume-- and i mean really, reeaaally into perfume-- consider it to be an art form on par with poetry and painting. to get a sense of the level of contemporary perfume discourse, see chandler burr's ny times perfume column scent notes or sites like basenotes and perfume posse. even brian eno has written an essay about perfume!

needless to say, i've already ordered a number of fragrances. thank god for sources like the perfumed court, a site that specializes in samples and decants of just abouty every perfume out there (commercial, niche, indie, vintage and discontinued!). the notes i'm most intrigued by (for now... i'm trying to fully explore these scent families before moving on to others) are iris, violet, tea, smoke, and earth/dirt (i'm not sure this last one is considered a true note, but i'm drawn to scents that smell of damp or frozen earth).

here are images of the fragrances i have at home or on the way:

iris silver mist

l'eau d'hiver

l'heure bleue

(from bois de jasmin: "Guerlain L’Heure Bleue parfum is a marvel. The former director of the Osmothèque, Jean Kerléo, mentions it as a fragrance that every perfumer should study for its unique sillage. Wearing it is pure joy. It clings to the skin like warm cashmere and trails like gossamer ribbons of silk. It is a fragrance with which to seduce oneself, not to mention others!")

jicky

dans tes bras

mitsouko

the unicorn spell

apres l'ondee

philosykos by diptyque

strange invisible perfumes
(these are botanical perfumes from essences that are organic, wild-crafted, pesticide-free or biodynamically cultivated... set in a base of 100 percent organic grape alcohol. the website is worth a look.)

cb i hate perfume
(this site also warrants some exploration.)

soon enough i'll have my hands on a copy of perfumes: the guide by luca turin and tania sanchez, but in the meantime i'm content with perfume videos like these on youtube:

la maison guerlain

guerlain

luca turin on "the science of scent"(his theory of smell)

and, as if this newfound interest wasn't extreme enough as is, i've already envisioned vintage guerlain ads in frames hanging on my bathroom walls...

fire from heaven

2008-11-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

the leonids are here... these videos were taken yesterday evening in canada:

election night in san francisco

2008-11-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

obama parties took over the streets!

the mission:

western addition:

union square:

the castro:

the fillmore:

thorn in my side

2008-11-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

what is the shape of that secret,
lurking lonely in the shadow of your mind?

you will remember when you are ready.

while we wait,
let's wrap every furtive glance and anxious gesture in a layer of veils
one thousand thick,
and so of each unwanted moment make a misty cocoon.

handle with care your delicate creatures of discomfort -
one day they will set you free

and show you how to see.

cave of crystals

2008-10-18T00:55:00.000-07:00

this place is real. wanna go to mexico?

girls, girls, girls

2008-10-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

here's the video for "lust for life," one of my favorite girls songs!

(don't you love christopher's sherbert-colored curtains?)

vintage ossie on the runway!

2008-10-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

what a rare treat! click ahead to the 0:55 mark to see quorum designs from ossie clark and alice pollock, modelled by the lovely patty boyd no less!

some more ossie (and celia birtwell too!) eye candy, while i'm on the subject:

here's the contemporary celia birtwell version of the above original, currently for sale at topshop:

this is actually an alice pollock blouse with celia birtwell print... the same print showcased in the quorom show seen in the video clip above:

images taken from c20 vintage and vintage-a-peel, two great online sources for vintage ossie!

long time no post...

2008-10-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

i'm sure by now i've lost whatever teeny tiny audience i may have had once upon a time, but for what it's worth, this time i promise i'm back for good!

apparently, for me, blogging is like other aspects of my life-- relationships, personal growth, etc-- in that it is characterized by "hills and valleys" (borrowing that phrase from my good friend jessica... i love it!). clearly, for the past several months my blog has been stuck in a valley. but that's okay, because during the time that i've sorely neglected this space, i've also taken on a new job, moved into a new house, and had a fabulous wedding in vegas.

i've been missing the habit i once had of faithfully sharing my favorite "moments of grace" with whoever happens to stop by my litte corner of the interweb... so, from this moment forward expect to see a lot more from me!

dear shadow, alive and well...

2008-09-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

(i am)

vegas wedding!

2008-08-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

i'm still in vegas, but i thought i'd take a moment to post some pics. thanks to christina for these lovely shots! i'm sure i'll be posting more as i get copies of other people's as well. bet you wish you were here! xoxo.

julia margaret cameron

2008-08-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

new girls!

2008-07-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

new video that is... and for one of my favorite songs of theirs. yay!

awesome video for today...

2008-07-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

"kim & jessie," m83

einstein's dreams

2008-07-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

for some reason, this book suddenly came to mind the other day... it's been over a decade since i read it, but i remember i really enjoyed it. it's a series of thirty vignettes, presented as albert einstein's dreams from april 4, 1905 through june 28, 1905 (einstein famously completed his new theory of time on june 29, 1905). reminiscent of italo calvino's invisible cities, a favorite of mine, each of these stories depicts a unique world shaped by different textures of time. here's a little taste:

11 June 1905

On the corner of Kramgasse and Theaterplatz there is a small outdoor cafe with six blue tables and a row of blue petunias in the chef's window box, and from this cafe one can see and hear the whole of Berne. People drift through the arcades on Kramgasse, talking and stopping to buy linen or wristwatches or cinnamon; a group of eight-year-old boys, let out for morning recess from the grammar scshool on Kochergasse, follow their teacher in single file through the streets to the banks of the Aare; smoke rises lazily from a mill just over the river; water gurgles from the spouts of the Zahringer Fountain; the giant clock tower on Kramgasse strikes the quarter hour.

If, for the moment, one ignores the sounds and the smells of the city, a remarkable sight will be seen. Two men at the corner of Kochergasse are trying to part but cannot, as if they would never see each other again. They say goodbye, start to walk in opposite directions, then hurry back together and embrace. Nearby, a middle-aged woman sits on the stone rim of a fountain, weeping quietly. She grips the stone with her yellow stained hands, grips it so hard that the blood rushes from her hands, and she stares in despair at the ground. Her loneliness has the permanence of a person who believes she will never see other people again. Two women in sweaters stroll down Kramgasse, arm in arm, laughing with such abandon that they could be thinking no thought of the future.

In fact, this is a world without future. In this world, time is a line that terminates at the present, both in reality and in the mind. In this world, no person can imagine the future. Imagine the future is no more possible than seeing colors beyond violet: the senses cannot conceive what may lie past the visible end of the spectrum. In a world without future, each parting of friends is a death. In a world without future, each laugh is the last laugh. In a world without future, beyond the present lies nothingness, and people cling to the present as if hanging from a cliff.

A person who cannot imagine the future is a person who cannot contemplate the results of his actions. Some are thus paralyzed into inaction. They lie in their beds through the day, wide awake but afraid to put on their clothes. They drink coffee and look at photographs. Others leap out of bed in the morning, unconcerned that each action leads into nothingness, unconcerned that they cannot plan out their lives. They live moment to moment, and each moment is full. Still others substitute the past for the future. They recount each memory, each action taken, each cause and effect, and are fascinated by how events have delivered them to this moment, the last moment of the world, the termination of the line that is time.

In the little cafe with the six outdoor tables and the row of petunias, a young man sits with his coffee and pastry. He has been idly observing the street. He has seen the two laughing women in sweaters, the middle-aged woman at the fountain, the two friends who keep repeating goodbyes. As he sits, a dark rain cloud makes its way over the city. But the young man remains at his table. He can imagine only the present, and at this moment the present is a blackening sky but no rain. As he sips the coffee and eats the pastry, he marvels at how the end of the world is so dark. Still there is no rain, and he squints at his paper in the dwindling light, trying to read the last sentence that he will read in his life. Then, rain. The young man goes inside, takes off his wet jacket, marvels at how the world ends in rain. He discusses food with the chef, but he is not waiting for the rain to stop because he is not waiting for anything. In a world without future, each moment is the end of the world. After twenty minutes, the storm cloud passes, the rain stops, and the sky brightens. The young man returns to his table, marvels that the world ends in sunshine.

(from einstein's dreams by alan lightman)

my wedding blog!

2008-07-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

check it out: a-n-t-elope

ooh la la

2008-07-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

just a few of my favorite looks from the couture shows...

gaultier

lacroix

dior

chanel

summer weddings are the best!

2008-07-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

congrats to andrew and jessica!!!

hello again...

2008-06-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

sorry for my prolonged absence, but i've spent the past few weeks packing, moving, unpacking, and beginning a new job... i've been so busy i've hardly had time to glance at anything on the internet, much less update my own blog. but things are finally beginning to settle down around here, so hopefully i can go ahead and get back to this blogging thing with a little more consistency.

in case you haven't already heard about it, let me be the one to share with you the exciting news of the world's first known unicorn deer! isn't he cute?

morning light

2008-05-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

new video from my favorite san francisco band, girls. features lots of jumping on beds, pot smoking, hair shaking, and christopher making out with himself in the mirror. these guys rule!

heirloom wedding necklace

2008-05-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

i sent some jewelry and charms that belonged to my mother to madame fortuna, and look what she did with it! it's amazing, right?

and since we're on the subject of the wildly talented madame fortuna, i may as well take this opportunity to share some pics of my finished "deluxe" magical charm necklace.

get your own piece of madame fortuna here!

drawing inspiration...

2008-05-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

in wonderland (2005), photographer yeondoo jung brings children's drawings to life. pretty awesome.

love bomb

2008-05-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

the new collection from lover.

"nobody understands anything"

2008-05-13T14:22:00.001-07:00

i finally got around to watching daisies, and all i can say is... it's official: i'm totally in love with czech new wave cinema. first i saw valerie and her week of wonders, then a bunch of jan svankmajer (check out alice for the darkest version of alice in wonderland you've ever seen), and now this... all of them are favorites forever.

this spanish trailer only hints at daisies' stunning visual effects (filmed in 1966!):

i cannot recommend it more highly! see it!!!

i'm pleasantly surprised...

2008-04-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

... by third, the new album from portishead.

if you only have the inkling to check out one tune, it's this one, trust me! listen to "small" here, via the pop view. starts off sparse and then busts into a blast of droney psychedelic rock awesomeness. super rad.

and if you want more, here are some videos from a recent televised live performance...

"hunter"

"the rip"

"we carry on" (think they've been listening to silver apples?)

hair flair

2008-04-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

turbans, tiaras, headbands, headpieces, hats, caps and clips galore!

i found my wedding dress!

2008-04-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

i've always loved the wrap dresses from butter by nadia, so for my august wedding i've decided to go with the maxi length satin version in antique white. the dress can be styled in a number of different ways (it can be twisted and stretched to achieve a multitude of looks-- strapless, halter, kimono sleeves, butterfly sleeves, one shoulder...) and it fits sizes 2-16!

see more images here (click on "satin ball gown" at the top).

now i just need to find the perfect accessories! something with feathers for my head... like this?

(image courtesy of kime buzzelli from the moldy doily)

so... any ideas for shoes?

a dreamy wander

2008-04-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

sorry for the lack of posts over the past couple weeks, but i went back south to visit family and my super cute nieces and nephews left me without any spare time to spend in front of a computer!

it seems that while i was away the full clip of erin fetherston's latest "lookbook" film finally surfaced on the internet. magic mushrooms, pretty chiffon dresses, and dance parties in sun-drenched woods... works for me-- i want these threads!

charming

2008-04-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

madame fortuna (aka allison nowlin ward) is one of my favorite jewelry designers, and thankfully for me she maintains a bountiful etsy shop. this is jewelry that, in her own words, "is made up of bits and baubles that have been hunted, unearthed, reinvented, repurposed, recycled, revived, salvaged, discovered, celebrated, forgotten and remembered. usually they have had a past life and so they have a history, which only makes them more interesting. each piece has a story to tell..."

after lovingly collecting hordes of antique and vintage findings, ward assembles them into beautiful collages meant to be worn. in addition to the many one of a kind pieces that populate her shop, she also has several "collections" worth checking out.

each of her "storyville" necklaces is named after a famous lady of the night from new orleans' legendary storyville district, and a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of one of these antique lockets goes to two new orleans charities.

her "relic" necklaces are simple, elegant glass bubbles that may contain anything from a peacock feather to a lock of hair-- you can buy one ready-made from her shop, or request your very own custom relic and hold something special of yours close to your heart.

and for the mother of all custom designed jewelry pieces, madame fortuna offers custom "magical charm" necklaces, designed after the client responds to several questions from the madame herself. the result is a totally unique piece tailor-made to reflect the wearer's personality and goals. these are truly stunning talismans, loaded heavy with antique charms and unexpected surprises like vintage combs, perfume bottles, and padlocks.

after ogling her shop for a good six months, i finally caved in and placed an order for a "deluxe" magical charm necklace. and after a wonderful in-depth exchange with the charming (ha!) designer, i've finally received the preview pics. apparently there are a couple more charms still to be added, but i'm absolutely thrilled with the outcome so far!

my custom magical charm necklace (i'll post more pics later, when it's finished):

(that's alabama soil in the glass globe! ward currently resides in my home state, so this particular charm was a lucky break...)

some of the beauties currently for sale in her shop:

bold soul sister

marvelous mandala

relic sacred feather necklace

bakelite buckle bracelet

and some of my favorites from the "sold" gallery:

flapper necklace

crescent moon lariat

any which way compass chandelier bracelet

raising the bar bracelet

to see more madame fortuna, visit her website here.

abbe sings the smiths

2008-04-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

this is abbe. her bedtime lullaby is "asleep" by the smiths.

the original, in case you don't know it.

good things

2008-03-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

i'm reposting these two genius david lynch clips from borrowed, bought, stolen:

i can't think of david lynch without thinking of twin peaks, so just for fun here's a video of one of my favorite scenes from the series:

actually, the preceding episode of twin peaks was directed by caleb deschanel. caleb is father to the lovely zooey deschanel, one of the stars of this wonderful short film by the belles of the black diamond field:

lay down lean was styled by leith clark, the woman behind lula magazine.

from lynch to lula. i love finding the connections between all my favorite things.

see a little more zooey (tapdancing again) here, in a clip from a dreamy wander, the film presentation of erin fetherston's (another favorite!) fall 2008 collection.

orlando

2008-03-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

i just missed a local stage production of virginia woolf's orlando, which, though unfortunate, did remind me of a couple important things. i need to be a little more on top of the local theater scene, and i need to netflix sally potter's film adaptation of orlando.

i first saw the film in the 90s, and it's proven to be one of the rare films i can endlessly watch over and over again. it's gorgeous and moody and funny, and it stars tilda swinton (one of my favorite actresses). i don't usually like the film version of a beloved book, but this one is definitely an exception.

if you're not familiar with the story, orlando is an ageless character who occasionally wakes up from naps in a new century and a different gender. i highly recommend you read the book and see the film-- both are brilliant.

the dirty kidd

2008-03-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

aka mike brodie.

get ready for a mammoth post... i can't help myself.

this guy is an amazing photographer. check out these incredible shots of his hobo punk friends, their families, homes and travels.

(for some reason, i hear neutral milk hotel songs in my head when i look at these images...)

see more here.

if only i could win an etsy shopping spree...

2008-03-14T23:14:00.000-07:00

serge and jane necklace by petrosa jewelry

capelet by coco irene

"minerva tuffy pines for albert" print by mon petit fantome

carnival necklace by madame fortuna

seven deadly sins saucers by trixie delicious

vintage sequin top

crescent fringe lampshade by lamplighter

delicate heart paper doll by wool and water

framed paper cut-out by sanfran67

refashioned vintage bracelet by etcetrix

"celestial centerpiece" by fuzzy lumpkin crochet

"little vixen" crocheted gloves by grandma was a floozy

sugarberry panties by on the inside

"too cute for words" kitten bracelet by miss bluebird and oscar

hedgehog in the fog

2008-03-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

yuri norstein, master of russian animation, 1975

fall 2008 favorites

2008-03-03T22:12:00.000-08:00

japanese horror inspires rodarte, paul poiret on acid inspires galliano, bunnies and light brights inspire sonia rykiel, and alexander mcqueen seems ready to outfit fairytale royalty...

alexander mcqueen

rodarte

john galliano

(how incredible are these earrings?!?)

sonia rykiel

nina ricci

wish it was my closet

2008-02-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

i just stumbled across a treasure trove of gorgeous vintage clothing from the edwardian era through the 1980s at unbelievably affordable prices...

some of my favorites from the impeccable collection at dorothea's closet:

album of the year

2008-02-20T17:56:00.000-08:00

devotion, the new album from beach house, sees official release on tuesday. do yourself a favor next week and get thee to a record store!

here's the video for "you came to me." the video is okay, the song is stunning. turn it way up, let it enfold you...

dreamy, shimmering, hazy, enchanting, lush, haunting... i would've been content with more of the same from these guys, but it seems they only get better with age.

nonsense

2008-02-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

let me apologize to any of my readers (ha! all three of you!) for my sudden, unanounced and rather lengthy absence from the blogosphere. i'm not sure what befell me, but i needed a break from my compulsive internet habits. maybe it's the impending lunar eclipse in virgo (tonight!) with all its attendant heaviness, or maybe it's the books i've been unable to tear my eyes away from lately... but whatever the reason, three weeks is a long enough vacation! i'm back to blogging, and i'm kicking off my return with some images from one of my favorite illustrators of one of my favorite books.

have a look at abelardo morell's photographic illustrations for alice's adventures in wonderland:

so in love with this voice

2008-01-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

bon iver:

the lyrics to "flume," the song in the first clip:

i am my mother's only one

it's enough

i wear my garment so it shows

now you know

only love is all maroon

gluey feathers on a flume

sky is womb and she's the moon

i am my mother on the wall, with us all

i move in water, shore to shore;

nothing's more

only love is all maroon

lapping lakes like leary loons

leaving rope burns --

reddish ruse

only love is all maroon

gluey feathers on a flume

sky is womb and she's the moon

lula #6 is almost here...

2008-01-28T11:17:00.001-08:00

and i finally found a spot in sf that carries it, so i can stop having it shipped over from england. can't wait!

photochroms

2008-01-25T01:26:00.000-08:00

girls

2008-01-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

these guys are my favorite boy band...

and they're playing their first show at cafe du nord next month... if you're in san francisco, you should be there!

check out these mp3s (courtesy of cobain in a coma) and their myspace page to see why all the beautiful people will partying together on february 16th:

girls- "lust for life"
girls- "hellhole ratrace"

iker spozio

2008-01-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

iker spozio is one of my favorite contemporary graphic artists. his work includes some of the most strikingly gorgeous album covers and concert posters i've ever seen:

here's the full cover artwork for colleen's "les ondes silencieuses" (click on it to see it in much greater detail):

if you like his work be sure to check out his lovely blog, kv 397, as well.

swimwear's just not as stylish as it used to be...

2008-01-09T15:05:00.001-08:00

(click on the pics to see them in better detail)

best wedding/new year's eve, ever!

2008-01-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

(photos courtesy of the fabulous miss amelia burns)

helen kane

2008-01-03T15:05:00.001-08:00

she was the inspiration for betty boop:

take me to an ice hotel

2007-12-27T12:44:00.000-08:00

preferably in lapland...

wishful thinking

2007-12-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

i have never been able to envision my own suicide.

rather, i am sometimes overwhelmed by the desire to suddenly dissolve into billions of grains of sand and slip away gracefully in a thousand different directions.

something tells me such a transformation wouldn't be as quick and tidy as i'd like.

instead, i would probably leave behind a hulking mess of dirt in my bed, and no matter how often and thoroughly you sweep aside what remains of me, i'll find a way to disturb you in the dead of night, stinging your skin and insinuating myself into your dreams.

some of me will stick to your shoe as you glide through the air i used to breathe, later settling into the carpet only to be forcefully evicted, sucked into the musty, dirty chamber of an ailing vacuum cleaner.

other parts of me will be scattered by a strong breeze (one balmy day when you open the window wide to welcome the fresh air)-- perhaps only a few singular grains, but these precious few will (maybe) carry me far away from here. maybe one will land on a speckled brown dove, of the sort i've spotted on occasion in this comfortless city.

imagine:

that tiny piece of me nestles itself snugly within the bird's feathers and then,

then i will fly.

to soar into the sky, and, at the same time, to reside with the dust and the dander in the stagnant interior of this old room-- to be ground underfoot and to push towards the clouds at the same moment in time--

this is the only escape i know how to yearn for.

kay sage

2007-12-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

hyphen, 1954

le passage, 1956

i saw three cities, 1944

tomorrow is never, 1955

the upper side of the sky, 1944

favorite songs of 2007

2007-12-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

these are the songs i listened to over and over and over:

panda bear "bros"

marissa nadler "silvia"

songs of green pheasant "fires p.g.r."

colleen "sun against my eyes"

animal collective "fireworks"

an old favorite...

2007-12-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

"there's a certain slant of light," emily dickinson:

There's a certain slant of light,
On winter afternoons,
That oppresses, like the weight
Of cathedral tunes.

Heavenly hurt it gives us;
We can find no scar,
But internal difference
Where the meanings are.

None may teach it anything,
'Tis the seal, despair,-
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the air.

When it comes, the landscape listens,
Shadows hold their breath;
When it goes, 't is like the distance
On the look of death.

favorite soundtrack moments

2007-11-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

beautiful images, beautiful music:

(many thanks to dark was the night for the inspiration!)

electric ladyland

2007-11-26T14:03:00.000-08:00

lover, s/s 2008 (states) and a/w 2008 (australia)

totally not awesome.

2007-11-20T23:17:00.000-08:00

my all-time favorite blog was laid to rest today.

r.i.p. your daily awesome.

some fond memories...

myoung ho lee:

camera obscura photos by abelardo morell:

gerhard richter’s pixelated stained glass:

urban curators:

henry darger:

dollhouse

2007-11-15T23:34:00.001-08:00

a presentation of the erin fetherston for target collection:

erin fetherston haute couture:

alice

2007-11-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

alice lidell, photographed by charles dodgson (aka lewis carroll)

guerrilla san francisco beach clean up efforts

2007-11-14T10:03:00.000-08:00

cocktail ring of my dreams

2007-11-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

dreamy

2007-11-09T10:09:00.000-08:00

(i'm borrowing some of these from the moldy doily)

coco rocha photographed by solve sundsbo in numero (france), november 2007

cross your fingers!

2007-11-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

ossie clark is being relaunched! thanks to mrs fashion for the news flash. i really hope they do it right...

some classic ossie:

(vintage ossie dresses available at c20 vintage)

clocks for seeing

2007-11-06T16:43:00.001-08:00

have you ever watched film die? it's breathtaking...

light is calling by bill morrison, director of decasia (if you like this, you will love decasia)

"for me the noise of time is not sad: i love bells, clocks, watches-- and i recall that at first photographic implements were related to techniques of cabinetmaking and the machinery of precision: cameras, in short, were clocks for seeing, and perhaps in me someone very old still hears in the photographic mechanism the living sound of the wood."

- roland barthes, camera lucida

republicans do have hearts

2007-10-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

san diego mayor jerry sanders announces his support for gay marriage:

big sur magical mystery tour weekend

2007-10-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

pochoir prints from the gazette du bon ton, 1912-1925

2007-10-17T23:54:00.000-07:00

this one, by georges lepape (one of my favorite of these illustrators), will soon adorn my walls:

now let the cycle sweep us here and there...

2007-10-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

a favorite piece of writing, courtesy of the incredible h.d. (hilda doolittle).

Sigil (1931-1938?)

VIII

There is no sign-post to say
the future is there,
the past lies the other way,
there is no lock, no key;

there is no bell on the door,
there is no door-mat before
the wide-open door:

there is no "he and me,"
there is no "you and she,"
there is no "it must be";

there is one mystery, "take, eat,"
I have found the clue,
there is no old nor new:

wine, bread, grape and sweet
honey; Galilee, Delphi, to-day.

IX

You'll go on, talking away,
you'll say all you've got to say,
if not now,
another day:

I'll listen, I'll hear,
if not this,
next year.

X

Let me be
a splinter in your side
or a bride,

eventually,
I will go
from the red,
red,
red fire-lily,
back
to the snow.

XI

If you take the moon in your hands
and turn it round
(heavy, slightly tarnished platter)
you're there;

if you pull dry sea-weed from the sand
and turn it round
and wonder at the underside's bright amber,
your eyes

look out as they did here,
(you don't remember)
when my soul turned round,

perceiving the other-side of everything,
mullein-leaf, dog-wood leaf, moth-wing
and dandelion-seed under the ground.

XII

Are these ashes in my hand
or a wand
to conjure a butterfly

out of a nest,
a dragon-fly
out of a leaf,

a moon-flower
from a flower husk,

or fire-flies
from a thicket?

XIII

I could say,
red,
red,
red rose-petal
is my inheritance to-day,

but I would keep the rock-pool
still
and cool;

I could cry,
it's my right,
I've earned this,
I've waited eternity,

but I would rather see
other things rising,

frond,
sea-weed,
tentacles
(that might otherwise not uncurl)
move free.

XIV

Now let the cycle sweep us here and there,
we will not struggle,
somewhere,
under a forest-ledge,
a wild white-pear
will blossom;

somewhere,
under an edge of rock,
a sea will open;
slice of the tide-shelf
will show in coral, yourself,
in conch-shell,
myself;

somewhere,
over a field-hedge,
a wild bird
will lift up wild, wild throat,
and that song heard,
will stifle out this note
and this song note.

XV

So if you love me,
love me everywhere,
blind to all argument
or phantasy,
claim the one signet;

truly in the sky,
God marked me to be his,
scrawled, "I, I, I
alone can comprehend

this subtlety":
a song is very simple
or is bound
with inter-woven complicated sound;

one undertakes
the song's integrity,
another all the filament
wound round

chord and discord,
the quarter-note and whole
run of iambic
or of coryamb:

"no one can grasp,"
(God wrote)
"nor understand,
the two, insolvent,
only he and you";

shall we two witness
that his writ is wise
or shall we rise,

wing-tip to purple wing,
create new earth,
new skies?

XVI

But it won't be that way,
I'm sane,
normal again;

I'm sane,
normal as when
we last sat in this room
with other people who spoke
pleasant speakable things;

though
you lifted your brow
as a sun-parched branch to the rain,
and I lifted my soul
as from the northern gloom,
an ice-flower to the sun,
they didn't know

how
my heart woke
to a range and measure
of song
I hadn't known;

as yours spoke through your eyes,
I recalled
a trivial little joke we had,
lest the others see
how the walls stretched out
to desert and sand,
the Symplegedes
and the sea.

XVII

Time breaks the barrier,
we are on a reef,
wave lengthens on to sand,
sand keeps wave-beat

furrowed in its heart,
so keep print of my hand;
you are the sea-surge,
lift me from the land,

let me be swept out in you,
let me slake the last,
last ultimate thirst,
I am you;

you are cursed;
men have cursed God,
let me be no more man,
God has cursed man,

let me go out and sink
into the ultimate sleep;
take me,
let your hand

gather my throat,
flower from that land
we both have loved,
have lost;

O wand of ebony, keep away the night,
O ivory wand,
bring back the ultimate light
on Delphic headland;

take me,
O ultimate breath,
O master-lyrist,
beat my wild heart to death.

XVIII

Are we unfathomable night
with the new moon
to give it depth
and carry vision further,
or are we rather stupid,
marred with feeling?

will we gain all things
being over-fearful,
or will we lose the clue,
miss out the sense
of all the scrawled script,
being over-careful?

is each one's reticence
the other's food,
or is this mood
sheer poison to the other?

how do I know
what pledge you gave your God,
how do you know
who is my Lord
and Lover?

XIX

"I love you,"
spoken in rhapsodic metre,
leaves me cold:

I have a horror
of finality,
I would rather
hazard a guess,
wonder whether
either of us
could for a moment
endure the other,
after the first fine flavour
of irony
had worn off.

little edie inspires galliano

2007-10-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

"i can't get the thumb tack in the wall-- i've got the saddest life."

"if you can't get a man to propose to you, you might as well be dead."

"it's very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present. you know what i mean? it's awfully difficult."

-little edie in grey gardens

gorgeous.

2007-10-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

i can't remember the last time i fell so head over heels in love with a song. i won't spoil it by attempting to describe it-- listen for yourself. i recommend headphones.

"fires p.g.r." by songs of green pheasant (mp3 courtesy of motel de moka)

if you like this one, you should definitely track down both albums and the ep (2 of which were only just released this year).

"spring" by romaine brooks, 1912

just a few more weeks...

2007-10-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

until erin fetherston for target hits the stores. thus far i haven't cared for any of the target go international designer collaborations, but i am loving this one-- especially the giant heart bag! pics are courtesy of nitro:licious.

and if you haven't seen "wendybird," check it out! starring kirsten dunst, featuring the designs of erin fetherston, and directed by ellen von unwerth (see "pure wonder" a few posts back):

becky stark is so punk rock it hurts

2007-10-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

becky stark is the frontwoman and conceptual force behind lavender diamond. i love her for being so unabashedly happy and positive-- like pure sunshine, all the time. and what could be more punk rock these days than to make such joyfully triumphant music?

the first thing you read in the "news" section on the lavender diamond site:

TODAY!

Did you know that this is the beginning of the era of true love? The end of oppression? Of the self or the other. It's true. True love can only exist in the absence of oppression and where true love exists there is no oppression.

This is the moment of the invention of peace on earth. Like the moment just before the invention of the printing press. Or the day after, or the week of. Imagine the sun going down and you pass a window and someone inside is writing notes (and that someone is you) and those notes are about a letterpress- or an airplane- or the that the world is round- or that peace will come to earth. We will look back on this moment with astonishment and wonder how we lived in the time of war- much the same way we look back with astonishment at a time on earth without humans- or birds- or clouds- or at a time when dinosaurs lived-
But do not forget that everything on earth and in heaven may come and go. There was a time before humanity. There was a time before America. There was a time before the sky, there was a time before earth. And this is the time before peace.
I declare that the age of war is over and that soon it will be a memory.
War is now extinct and peace is the new species.
Imagine this. And Invent this with the full force of your soul, your mind, your heart, your voice.
Earth is heaven, the water is magic, the ground is magic, your voice is magic, you are pure magic. Remember yourself. Bring peace.
Peace to all the children of the world, forever and ever and now,
Love.

the video for "open your heart"

listen to more here.

and if you ever manage to get your hands on a copy of lula #2, be sure to check out the charming conversation between becky and her equally awesome friend, artist/filmmaker/writer miranda july.

missing

2007-10-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

thinking about my mother a great deal lately, perhaps because her birthday is approaching... as is the anniversary of her death. after eighteen years, it pains me to admit i can't remember the sound of her voice or the way she laughed. but certain things always conjure up the essence of her being for me, and this song is one such device. it is gentle and sure and slightly restless, as was she. the beautiful melody is one i could listen to for hours, but a sudden, abrupt ending snuffs it out in the prime of its unfolding. the yearning movement and faintly melancholy mood of this song parallel my own sense of loss, yet all i can do is marvel at its humble beauty. this is how i remember my mother.

"avril 14th" by aphex twin.

*interesting side note: i was totally floored some months ago when i learned that my two favorite aphex twin tracks are also favorites of my dear friend raina's. more recently i finally got around to watching sofia coppola's marie antoinette and was astonished to find these same two songs feature prominently on the soundtrack. i guess great minds really do think alike...

french vogue kicks american vogue's ass, exhibit B

2007-10-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

"sacrément inspirée" shot by terry richarson, september 2007

(those creepy pants have hands! click on the image to see it better...)

french vogue kicks american vogue's ass, exhibit A

2007-10-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

cindy sherman for balenciaga, august 2007

listen to nina.

2007-10-09T23:34:00.001-07:00

exquisite corpse

2007-10-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

(by jennifer and heidi, twins of the black forest...)

spirited fingers play the clouds into oblivion. nothing existed as we ran toward the receding light. only the sound of lost hopes and the shape of half-remembered dreams. fearing the worst, the dew was wrung from natural cloth to make an elixir for the gods. this was the reason for night and day-- to produce droplets of fiery earth water. this is consumption of eternity. the goblet shines from time to time, and then we have to leave. we would be welcome to stay, but i don't like to dance and you don't like to sing. so we tumble into the night, with angel wings dyed black. taking flight into condensed sky, and forsaking the past and future. now is the time to travel back-- just give me one chance, a flickering lamp, and a scene. when the day comes, i'll say my goodbyes and bow to uncertainty. blowing a kiss to the deadness of the night, all ceased to exist. not even this.

the night of the hunter, 1955

2007-10-05T01:33:00.000-07:00

readings

2007-10-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

hussein chayalan, ss08

no runway show for this one-- rather, a film presentation. directed by nick knight, soundtrack by antony hegarty.

view the film here, and be sure to check out the final few ensembles of the collection, all of which feature laser beams. amazing.

pure wonder

2007-10-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

ellen von unwerth

context

2007-10-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

one morning i woke up with a terrible pain in my chest. i felt the violent budding of unformed words and coughed up a tiny ball of black smoke. the little cloud clung to me, hovering below my neck like a strange pendant, until...

one morning i woke to find the smoke had unfurled to envelop my head. coal-colored plumes obscured my vision and invaded my lungs, and i flailed about in vain hopelessly fighting to dispel the fog, until...

one morning i woke up to a gentle voice and the cool embrace of silk velvet against my face. "don't worry," you whispered, "the blindfold will help you forget about the fog." i felt calm in the pitch black, even as i struggled to catch my breath. gasping for air, it occured to me i might be choking on the truth, and then...

one morning i woke up to blazing sun announcing itself in a dusty room filled with many unknown instruments, glass beakers, open flames and heaps of various powders. i heard your voice echoing in the corner-- "too many words, too many words." i saw the truth i had expelled on the cold stone floor, and carefully scooped up every broken vowel and bile-covered consonant. i dropped the sticky mess into an empty cauldron, lit a fire beneath it, and watched as my words began to boil. a familiar black cloud escaped from the brew and darted around the room. after many failed attempts i managed to capture the vapors and begin the distillation. when it was finished all that remained was a dim point of light. i put it in a locket that i wear around my neck, and now...

every morning i wake up in search of little points of light, and i live for the fleeting fragments of the song you softly sing to me as i harvest my words.

good morning i'm sleeping

2007-10-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

daydream nation spring/summer 2008

(warning: this will make you fall in love with fashion)

shoe heaven

2007-09-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

reproduction vintage shoes by remix vintage shoes:

"cliquot"

2007-09-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

beirut, featuring ed droste of grizzly bear

lula #5

2007-09-27T00:27:00.000-07:00

get it while you can.

weather-beaten melody, 1942

2007-09-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

possibly the cutest cartoon ever made. seriously.

except maybe for this one (which is actually a tv commercial from 1937)

hans fischerkoesen, animator for both

am i totally ridiculous for wanting to buy this?

2007-09-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

i realize i will probably never in my life have an occasion to wear this, but i'd be content just to dress up and wear it around the house.

the headband is covered in white velvet and silver sequins and features an art deco brooch at the center. the beads include silver-plated balls, glass, crystals and moonstone.

so... yay or nay?

observing the observer as he observes himself being observed.

2007-09-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

i just posted this photograph the other day as part of a group, but it's so incredible i just have to put it up again, on its own. there are so many levels of observation and representations of ways of seeing-- representations of representation, really-- happening simultaneously here... it makes my head hurt, in a good way!

we're looking through the lens of a camera at a scene of a man painting a self-portrait. he looks in a mirror, which of course also reflects the scene we see through the lens. he paints himself looking in the mirror and painting. and the painting of course portrays the artist looking in a mirror, painting a self-portrait. the painting is unfinished, but we see the space where the painting within the painting remains to painted. presumably the painting within the painting will likewise reflect this mise en scene.

i love it! i wish i owned a huge framed copy of it... click on the image to see it bigger-- it's worth it!

(by the way, if you haven't seen the first post in which i included this image, scroll back a couple of days. jacques-henri lartigue was a truly amazing photographer... the other images are deserving of a closer look as well, especially the shadow photograph.)

john fahey (set to edison dancing films)

2007-09-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

"tell her to come back home"

jacques-henri lartigue

2007-09-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

warm up

2007-09-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

animal collective tonight, silver apples on thursday!

i posted this months ago when it first came out, but it's so good (easily one of my favorite new songs this year-- and the video is beyond pretty) i'm putting it up again...