Thursday, April 28, 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Art- Philip Treacy: The Hat Sculptor

Hats can give you a feeling of effortless cool and assured confidence. They are both functional and stylish. They can cover a bad hair day, keep your head warm, showcase one's allegiance to a sport team and shade your eyes from the sun.


However, for PHILIP TREACY, a hat is a form of EXPRESSION.


Synonymous for his one of a kind, statement-making hat designs, the Irish milliner, a graduate of London's prestigious Royal College of Art, was discovered by fashion aficionado, Isabella Blow in 1989. Treacy has since gone on to craft striking headwear for the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Valentino and Alexander McQueen. His couture and ready-to-wear creations are favored by socialites, royalty and artists alike. 

His women hat collections are filled with crystal-embellished veils and headpieces adorned with feminine feathers, flowers and coquettish bows or a touch of wit.










Philip Treacy has also added a men's hat collection and shoe design to his repertoire:





I particularly love the work of Philip Treacy because of his ability to transform and create something seemingly ambiguous into an outburst of creativity. Whether it is a feathered cap neatly coiffed on the side, or a rose blooming gently atop one's elongated neck, his work is both fun and noticeable; a REVOLUTIONARY interpretation of wearing a hat.


For more information about Philip Treacy go to- http://www.philiptreacy.co.uk/
Visit The G Hotel designed by Philip Treacy in Galway City in Ireland- http://www.theghotel.ie/




Wildly Expressive!

Explore new ways of expressing your OWN personal style!


With Love,

Minou

Journal- Distraction

His loving touches shall not suffice
For she continues to yearn for the nectar of another
His soothing words bring no comfort to her
As they barely brush her cheeks and evade her heart

Nothing he does seem to console her mind's unrest


He knew he loved her from the first moment they met
For him it was SIMPLE
He said what he meant and did as he felt
Leaving no stone unturned
No desire unattended

For he knows no other way to LOVE
But she felt otherwise


In the dark splendor of the nights rapture,
His touch feels like prongs upon her skin
As she slithers away between his fingers and sheets
And he is left with nothing but a MEMORY

His friends CONVINCE him to believe
Steady going with the flow, DISTRACTION seems the only solution
He immerses himself heart wounded
Mind intoxicated
But sees her face perched on every female body he encounters
Her moan, her laughter, her devilishly sweet bite upon his skin
Her aura has him on a trance

And yet he's back on the hunt with his friends convincing himself
Steady going with the flow, distraction seems the only solution

Enveloped in the perfume of heartbreak
Women promise him an 'Unforgettable' night
Empty words, but a warm body to hold on to
His carnal desires are met
Yet, all he feels is numb, anger and regret
The nights of consolation become nights of insomnia

Steady going with the flow, distraction seems the only solution

Stacy, Tiffany, Nicole, Giselle, Stefania, Jennifer...
They all leave dents on his pillow
But no mark on his conscience
Before dawn, he awakes in the anguish of her memory
Leaving behind a trail of girls with broken hopes

Steady going with the flow, distraction seems the only solution

Lost in a maze
The distractions become a dual reality
Engrossed in the smell of last night's escapade
He prides himself on another night of SIMPLE fun
Or was it vendication?
The bitter taste of revenge springs him from the diversion

"It is only temporary" he tells himself.

Steady going with the flow, distraction seems the only solution

Are you convinced?

With Love,

Minou

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Journal- Trust

"A Woman can TRUST me, 
as long as her INTEREST is not too contrary to my own."

Thomas Crown, The Thomas Crown Affair

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Image- Purple Accents

(The Sartorialist)

Images- Newfound Comfort

(The Sartorialist)

Image- Yellow

(The Sartorialist)

Art- 'Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child '

" This is a song for the genius child
Sing it softly, for the song is wild,
Sing it softly as ever you can_
Lest the song get out of hand
Nobody loves a genius child
Can you love an eagle,
Tame or Wild?
Can you love an eagle,
Wild or Tame?
Can you love a monster
Of frightening name?
Nobody loves a genius child
Kill him_ and let his soul run wild"

Genius Child by Langston Hughes




The documentary "The Radiant Child", released in 2010 is centered on a rare interview that director and friend Tamra Davis shot with Basquiat over twenty years ago. This definitive film chronicles the meteoric rise and fall of the young artist.


For more information about the film go to- http://www.jean-michelbasquiattheradiantchild.com/

With Love

Minou

Music- 'Hot House (1952)' Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie


Art- Jean-Michel Basquiat: Prodigious Soul

I can barely find the words to describe this Radiant Child.

I see so much of myself in him, but recognize the inimitable INDIVIDUAL that he embodied.

JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT.

Out of the dark SPLENDOR of the Lower East Side, where runaways, artists and youth converge, Basquiat emerged with new a voice and vision whose EVERLASTING effects are felt till this day. "Inspiration influences one mind so that one day we are able to reinterpret it in our own way," said Jean-Michel and that was exactly what he did. Beyond the veneer of the world as we see it, Basquiat knew INSTINCTIVELY and CONFIDENTLY what he wanted to share as an artist and his rise to fame. With an UNWAVERING devotion and dedication for his work, Basquiat voiced a REAL passion and LOVE for life.

I am not afraid to admit that I am often more curious to first discover the HUMAN behind the artwork to better comprehend not just the work of an artist, but to be compelled, invoked, provoked, challenged and enamored beyond the easel and canvas.

Jean-Michel Basquiat's monumental artwork collection explores various subject matters that range from his own heritage, visual poetry, artistic process, heroes (cultural, personal or historical), justice & equality, cultural identity and social consciousness of the history of the United States with that of the ancient world. The complex words and images provide some insight into Basquiat's thoughts, opinions, feelings and LIFE. Some of Basquiat's signature touches are that of figures, words, crossed-out words, symbols, designs, and different areas of painted background each with their PURPOSE and MEANING. The overall effect of many of his artwork suggests that Basquiat took ideas, words, colors, and images from lots of different sources and brought them together, like a collage of things he found in his life.

"Head"

"Every line means something." — Jean-Michel Basquiat

"Gold Griot"

"The Irony of Negro Policeman"

"Hollywood Africans"

"Horn Players"

"Mr. Greedy"

"I don't think about art when I'm working. I try to think about life." — Jean-Michel Basquiat

"Native Carrying Some Guns, Bibles, Amorites on Safari"

"Pater"

"I don't listen to what art critics say. I don't know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is." — Jean-Michel Basquiat

"Riding with Dead"

"Tuxedo"

"Undiscovered Genius"

For more information about Jean-Michel Basquiat life and artwork go tohttp://basquiat.com/index-new.htm

To creative Freedom!

With Love,

Minou

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Journal- Oprah Winfrey: Oprah Winfrey Presents Master Class

In the past few weeks, the OWN network presented the Master Class series on the life of Oprah Winfrey.

I find it so refreshing for someone to speak so boldly about energy, connection, spirituality, the belief in something bigger than ourselves, the POWER of words and ACTIONS in building the life one chooses. Oprah's life seems to built on the very FOUNDATION of being TRUE to oneself and finding meaning and purpose in one's journey.

"Everything in life is transient, but WHO YOU ARE and WHAT YOU ARE MEANT TO DO is the only thing that MATTERS"

I found TRUTH and indispensable LESSONS in this Master Class.

The following are the clips of the two part episode:

PART ONE




PART TWO




To being true to oneself!

Notes:

What truths have you learned in your journey?

With Love

Minou

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Food- Sweet Tooth

As a child, I was never much of a fan of desserts or candy. All the patisseries and confections always seemed over-sweetened, rich, blend and a forgettable part of a meal for me. That was until I went to Paris, where FOOD is an ART form and an integral part of one's LIFESTYLE.

These are some of my favorite Patisseries, whose delicacies are simply ORGASMIC and will satisfy any sweet tooth:


  • FAUCHON was founded by Auguste Fauchon in 1886 and is located 26 Place de la Madeleine . Each delectable produce, notably the pastries, is a CELEBRATION for the senses where shapes, textures, taste and color will leave you YEARNING for more.  Not too sweet, Never Blend every bite is perfection! It is divided into three divisions that include an épicerie (for jams, crackers, pastas, and exotic canned goods), a pâtissier (for breads, pastries, and chocolates), and a traiteur (for cheeses, terrines, pâtés, caviar, and fruits). On the same premises, Fauchon has a restaurant, BRASSERIE FAUCHON, and a tea salon, which showcases the pastry-making talents of its chefs. Among my favorites are the Caramel Eclairs, known for their artistic icing decor, they are loaded with light pastry cream, gentle butter cream, and capped with melting caramel.



26 Place Madeleine
75008 Paris, France

Caramel Eclair

Tarts and Cakes

Cheese Cakes

'Spring' Eclairs
  • PIERRE HERME, has been dubbed the Picasso of Pastry by Vogue, the Kitchen Emperor by New York Times and the King of Patisserie by the Guardian. He founded his company first in Japan in 1998 and then opened in Paris in 2001. It seemed a lot a fluff to me. But at the sight of line around the block from his shop at 72, Rue de Bonaparte, I knew that there was something to the hype. Known for his 'adult macarons' notoriously BOLD flavor combinations such as chocolate & froie gras, I took a bite at a chocolate mousse and passion fruit SENSUOUS delicacy and found myself in PURE ecstasy. Pierre Herme is renowned as a patisserie and chocolaterie that is a leader in its MASTERY of world flavors.

72 Rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris, France

185 rue de Vaugirard
75015 Paris, France

Chocolate Confections
Cake and Macorons
Miniature Bites 
Macarons Selections

Raspberry Delight

Dessert Confections
  • LADUREE founded in 1862 by Louis Ernest Laduree is a historical Parisian tea salon.  Ladurée offers some of the city's most luscious pastries imaginable, but their Macaroons are the holy grail, and they come in a dozen flavors.

75 avenue des Champs Elysees
75008 Paris, France

Macarons

Chocolate Cake

Divin

To those who fancy a little SWEETH TOOTH.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Do you have a Patisserie you recommend (anywhere around the world)?


With Love,

Minou