SUPER duper

... just back from my three-week-trip to California and a little bit of Nevada (yes, that's right, Las Vegas of course ...), and I must say, America never stops short of surprising me (in Las Vegas I felt like a stupid cow from some forgotten village in the countryside - aka Europe - when marvelling at all the artificial glitz and bling and ever blinking, flashing and twinkling, well, EVERYTHING there), but this time round I think I found the actual key to the American-dream-mentality: this set of HOLOGRAPHIC CORRECTING STICKERS really is America in a nutshell, it seems to sum up the essence of what US citizens want their, uhm, things to be like - so bear that in mind, everyone toying with the idea of hitting it big in the US, BIG is not enough ...

MANISH will puzzle you

Manish Arora's "Puzzle Dress" created with Swarovski Elements
is the centre-piece of Gerda Buxbaum's shop window installation
"Summer of Love", now on display in Vienna

... just the other day I remembered the fact that the Indian designer Manish Arora was confirmed as the creative mind in charge of reviving a Paco Rabanne ready-to-wear line. Improbable choice? Well, let's wait and see. Next thing I heard was that the "puzzle dress" he created in collaboration with Swarovski Elements earlier this year had been brought to Vienna by Gerda Buxbaum, who is in charge of decorating the Swarovski Flagship Store windows on Kärtner Straße. What a perfect opportunity to check out the (hidden) qualities of that infamous puzzle dress by Manish and to cross-check whether the puzzle dress may indeed be considered as the updated version of Paco's legendary metal dress (hardly so, I'd say) ...


... quelques jours après m'être souvenu du fait que Manish Arora va être en charge du relancement du prêt-à-porter de la marque Paco Rabanne (que nous retrouvons actuellement plutôt dans les pages "beauté et parfums" des revues ...), voilà que j'ai reçu cette information pas tout à fait indifférente : Gerda Buxbaum, l'ancienne directrice de l'école de mode à Hetzendorf (et qui s'est battue comme une lionne pour lancer un cours de licence en création de mode à Hetzendorf en collaboration avec l'Université des Arts à Linz) qui s'occupe maintenant de la décoration des vitrines de la boutique Swarovski sise Kärntner Straße, a réussi à faire venir à Vienne la robe "puzzle" créée par Manish en utilisant les Swarovski Elements. C'est l'occasion ultime pour tous les fashion people de Vienne d'aller voir si la robe-puzzle de Manish a le potentiel de succéder à la légendaire robe en métal créée par Paco à la fin des années soixante ...

all images courtesy of Swarovski/Gerda Buxbaum

... appena mi ero ricordato del fatto che quest'anno Manish Arora è stato confirmato come designer da rilanciare la collezione di prêt-à-porter del marchio Paco Rabanne, ecco che ho ricevuto l'informazione che Gerda Buxbaum è riuscita a far venire a Vienna un esemplare del vestito-puzzle creato da Manish in collaborazione con Swarovski Elements. Gerda si occupa attualmente della decorazione delle vetrine del flagship-store di Swarovski a Vienna, e per la sua installazione "Summer of Love" ha scelto di esporre il vestito scintillante che fa abbastanza bella figura, devo dire. Sebbene, se ci ricordiamo dei legendari vestiti di metallo o di plastica disegnato da Paco negli anni sessanta (abbiamo visto un eco delle sue placchette nella collezione d'inverno 2011 di Prada, mi sto chiedendo?), non sono sicuro se la versione "puzzle" di Manish ha davvero la stessa forza espressiva. Comunque, vedremo che tipo di lavoro farà per la maison Rabanne, vero ? ...

AUX anges

Bette Midler in Ruthless People, screenshot (the fashion!!!)

... I'm off for my summer vacation which takes me to LOS ANGELES of all places, I mean all of California of course but that's where we start our little journey, and I'm very much looking forward to that much needed and awaited time off. Absurdly, one of the first things that comes to my mind when I think of L.A. interiors is the living room of the Stone couple in RUTHLESS PEOPLE, such a charming Hollywood comedy, and I can only wonder whether that place is really filled to the brim with MEMPHIS DESIGN objects? Hardly, right? But I'm definitely in for some ARTIFICIAL AESTHETICS, I should think ...

Danny DeVito in Ruthless People, screenshot, the interior!!!

... vivent les vacances - les miennes, cette année, se déroulent en Californie. Wouah! Bizarrement, pour moi, l'esthétique californienne, mis à part les toiles d'Alex Katz, c'est le salon entièrement décoré en Memphis Design du film Y a-t-il quelqu'un pour tuer ma femme ? que j'adorais et que je continue à adorer. Ben, on verra si c'est vraiment ça, là-bas ...

Memhis Design, Google image search, screenshot

... finalmente, un po' di TEMPO LIBERO, un viaggione come si vuole, e sapete dove vado quest'anno (dopo la Corea del Nord l'anno scorso si voleva un po' di cambio...)? La California, e cominceremo il nostro giro a LOS ANGELES, è molto eccitante per me. Anche perché la prima cosa a cui penso quando penso a Los Angeles, eccovi, è il salone dei Stone nel film Per favore, ammazzatemi mia moglie. Interamente decorato con mobiliare Memphis Design. Anche se Los Angeles non è solo fucsia e flashy, sono sicuro che d'estetica artificiosa ce ne sarà abbastanza ...

SHOE bee doo

... just a quick word about the BALLY CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS capsule collection of select shoe models created by Craig Green, student of Saint Martins' MA in fashion design. I think it is so important that a famous and globally renowned brand such as Bally should choose to collaborate with a fashion school and pick a student who is allowed to create a limited range of models that will be sold through Bally's retail network (the collections hit stores on July 4). And now wait, if we consider that Bally was bought by the investment group Labelux with its central office in Vienna, wouldn't that open up new possibilities of academic approaches? I'm just saying ...


... c'est la fin de l'année universitaire, quelle belle occasion donc pour Bally de lancer finalement les modèles créés par le jeune étudiant en mode Craig Green, inscrit à l'université SAINT MARTINS à Londres dans le cadre de la soi-disant BALLY CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS COLLECTION. Combien de choses à apprendre, combien d'expériences gagnées grâce à un projet du genre, n'est-ce pas ? Il est très important et à saluer absolument que de tels projets soient réalisés. Et puis, juste une petite pensée supplémentaire, si nous considérons que Bally a été racheté par le groupe d'investissement Labelux il y a un ou deux ans, et que le siège social de Labelux se trouve à Vienne, eh ben, pour de futures collaborations, on pourrait peut-être s'orienter vers la capitale autrichienne, non, oui, non ? ...

... l'anno universitario è arrivato alla sua fine, ed è quindi il momento perfetto per il lancio della collezione BALLY CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS realizzata in stretta collaborazione dal marchio svizzero e dell'università di moda a Londra. E' lo studente Craig Green che ha disegnato quattro modelli scelti dalla squadra Bally diretta da Graeme Fidler e Michael Herz (due signor molto simpatici, inoltre, li ho incontrati a Vienna l'anno scorso quando lavoravano giusto sulla loro prima collezione per Bally). Si capisce cosa vuol dire per uno studente una tale opportunità, e poi mi sono detto ... considerando che Bally è stato comprato dal gruppo d'investimento Labelux qualche anno fa e che Labelux ha la sua centrale a Vienna, sarebbe la ragione perfetta per Bally d'orientarsi anche verso gli studenti di moda della capitale austriaca, vero ? ...

ASCOT, or almost

... some weeks ago I walked by this amazingly beautiful mural somewhere near Vienna's Naschmarkt flea market zone, and really, what an impressive, perfect example of spontaneous and unsigned public art - of textile nature (again!). For the skilled ones and artists among you: think twice before you throw away that leather jacket of yours, it may well serve as an animal of some sort on a wall, somewhere ...


... il y a quelques semaines déjà, je suis passé devant cette peinture murale tout à fait remarquable, vraiment, très très belle je trouve. Ni signée, ni commissionnée par une institution publique (j'imagine), cette œuvre d'art est un exemple parfait d'art urbain spontané. Et pour tous les artistes parmis mes lecteurs : faudra peut-être y repenser avant de jeter cette veste en cuir que vous vouliez jeter depuis tant de temps, hein - elle pourrait bel et bien servir d'animal mural quelque part ...


... qualche settimana fa ho visto questo bello, bellissimo esempio d'arte urbano nello spazio pubblico di Vienna, giusto accanto alla zona del mercato Naschmarkt, un lavoro spontaneo, non è firmato, non è stato commissionato immagino io, e rappresenta dunque un caso perfetto d'intervenzione artistica in città, inoltre con carattere sostenibile siccome questo chiodo che avevate voglia di gettare da tanto tempo, forse si può trovare un altro uso comunque ? ...

SEEN IT ALL, done it all

on aura tout vu présente la collection de Galéa,
at the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco,
the exhibition is on until early 2012
photo: Philippe Jusforgues

... when I talked to Didier Grumbach last year, and Monsieur Grumbach is of course the very distinguished and charming president of the ever so important Fédération française de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-Porter, he told me that if Haute Couture is to survive (Monsieur Grumbach certainly thinks that it must at all costs do so and prosper in the future), it needs fresh talents and new faces. And you know what: I think he's absolutely right. So when I met Livia Stoianova and Yassen Samouilov from the Parisian couture house "on aura tout vu" (established in the mid-nineties by Samouilov and the late André de Sà-Pessoa), it was after their wonderfully lively, fresh and original couture catwalk show for summer 2011. What they do is certainly a bit short of the great art and skilfull mastership of long established couture houses the likes of Chanel or Dior (but how could it not), and yet, these young designers are certainly on their way. In the late nineties, "on aura tout vu" even ran a multi-faceted interdisciplinary salon where designers, writers and artists were supposed to mingle. (Did you know that Didier Grumbach and his sister Sylvie launched an initiative called "Créateurs et industriels" in the early 1970s that exhaled the same kind of spirit. Charles de Castelbajac, who was one of the designers the programme benefitted, was very enthusiastic when he told me about it...) Well, and today the brand survives not (merely) by selling couture dresses to celebrities, there is also a ready-to-wear line as well as accessories, and then there are some very handy collaborations. Livia and Yassen work for the house of Caron, a long-standing Parisian fragrance brand for which the two design perfume bottles of the most refined nature. And they also design a hugely successful accessory collection for the Moulin Rouge. The latter collection is hugely popular and, I'm told, is also an important source of revenue for the manufacturers behind it. The Haute Couture shows are about to kick off, and I'll be right in the middle. For those of you who prefer to go to Monaco rather than Paris, here's a little cultural tip: on aura tout vu stage the collection of dolls and automats donated by Madeleine de Galéa to the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, the exhibition is open through January 2012 ...

on aura tout vu, collection de Haute Couture, p/é 2011

... lors d'une interview avec le formidable, très affable et tout à fait merveilleux président de la Fédération française de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-porter, Didier Grumbach, je me suis vu me dire : "Si elle veut survivre, la Haute Couture a besoin de nouveaux talents." C'est très net, très clair et tout à fait convaincant, je trouve. En effet, on les a vus, ces dernières années, Anne Valérie Hash par exemple, ou Felipe Oliveira Baptista, des créateurs qui ont célébré leur entrée de manière assez grandiose sur la scène de la HC. Car n'oublions pas : moins de défilés, cela égale plus de visibilité (potentielle), des journalistes plus attentifs, et avec l'accélération du rythme du système de la mode, il y a un grand nombre d'acheteurs venus en Europe pour placer de premiers ordres en juillet. Voilà. Lors de la dernière semaine de la haute couture à Paris, je me suis donc entretenu avec Livia Stoianova et Yassen Samouilov de la très jeune et progressive maison de haute couture "on aura tout vu". Ce sont deux créateures bulgares tout à fait sympathiques (au moment où j'ai parlé avec eux, il y avait un mannequin qui avait défilé pour eux et qui les saluait en envoyant un texto pour les remercier, d'être des "personnes si spéciales" et de lui avoir donné la possibilité de "participer à cet événement extraordinaire"). Mmmmh... Bon, je pense qu'OATV ne survit pas que de la formidable Haute Couture que les deux créent, on fait aussi du PaP, et qui plus est, la maison de beauté Caron fait souvent appel à on aura tout vu pour la création de très précieux flacons de parfums et, surtout surtout, Livia et Yassen créent une ligne d'accessoires pour le Moulin Rouge - une collection qui semble connaître un succès fou. N'oublions pas : si la créativité ne se conjugue pas avec un esprit orienté vers les besoins et les nécessités du marché, c'est difficile de survivre, indépendemment de la création de collections jamais vues et archi-osées. Bravo donc, on aura tout vu ...

on aura tout vu, collection de Haute Couture, p/é 2011

... all'inizio di quest'anno, abbiamo pubblicato sul giornale per cui lavoro un'intervista che ho realizzato con il molto simptico signor Didier Grumbach, presidente della Federazione francese dell'Alta Costura. Oppure mettiamo comunque, della Haute Couture. Perché di due cose distinte si tratta. Il signor Grumbach mi ha quindi detto che per lui la Haute Couture continua a essere cruciale per il profilo della moda francese e del mondo della moda parigino, ma se vuole sopravvivere ha proprio bisogno di nuovi talenti. Ricordiamoci che anche degli stilisti come Anne Valérie Hash (adorabile!) o Felipe Oliveira Baptista (da poco "Monsieur Lacoste") hanno fatto la loro entrata nella scena di Parigi attraverso delle sfilate durante la settimana della Haute Couture. Ho dunque cercato di conoscere due altri talenti straordinari di questo ambito ed ho incontrato Livia Stoianova e Yassen Samouilov della giovane maison on aura tout vu, fondata a metà degli anni novanta. All'inizio c'era un po' di tutto nel mondo on aura tout vu, ad esempio anche un salone per incontri tra stilisti, artisti, scrittori intitolato "espace on aura tout vu". Questo ambizioso salone è stato chiuso quando si sono messo a fare della Haute Couture nel 2003 o 2004, da allora hanno potuto lasciare la loro impronta, estendendo il campo d'azione alla moda prêt-à-porter, ma collaborano anche con il marchio Caron per la creazione di flaconi di profumo e, soprattutto, creano una collezione d'accessori per il Moulin Rouge. Pare che questi gioielli e guanti conoscano un successo straordinario. Felicitazioni per tanta creatività combinata ad uno spirito astuto assai ...

MAKE THAT G & G, not D & G

"It Shall Be Written", Gilbert and George 2008

... a fortnight or so ago I was lucky enough (and I do really consider myself lucky to have a job that opens up such opportunities of meeting truly marvellous people) to go to Linz and interview Gilbert & George for the newspaper - right before opening of their exhibition JACK FREAK PICTURES at Lentos Museum (the show is on until early October). Sure enough, Gilbert & George turned out to be two perfectly well groomed, polite and yet original elderly gentlemen, with who I had a chat of approximately 45 minutes. We talked about them considering themselves as the "fairy godmothers" of the contemporary art scene in Great Britain, and about how bit the international art circus has become, and about a person like Charles Saatchi, who, would you believe it, never bought a Gilbert & George painting ...

George: Mr. Saatchi, yes indeed, we have the great distinction of being among the artists he never bought. Very few of our colleagues can say that. It took us years to realise that this is a distinction. People used to come to London to see us and they'd say, which pictures does he own? And we were very embarrassed to have to say: Not one.

Would you like to keep it that way? Or would you sell him a painting if he approached you?
George: We would probably try to avoid it, very politely of course. Gilbert: But not at all costs. We're quite amazed by the success that he has. Today he shows totally unknown artists from all over the world, and he has a public beyond belief, more visitors than all the big museums. George: His collection is on its way to becoming some kind of circus, people go there who would never normally go to see art, and then they go, it's a different public.

I also liked it when they told me what life is like in London's East End, the part of town where they live and that has become very fashionable in the past few years. Sometimes they are even photographed by tourists who like their looks but do not necessarily recognise them:

"Toynbee Street", Gilbert & George 2008

You once said that the East End, to you, is a microcosm containing everything and anything that's important in society on the whole?
Gilbert: Yes, everything is there, it's such an extraordinary mix, you've got all the bankers, you've got the Bangladeshes, the artists, musicians, tramps, drug addicts, Russians and Romanians now, queuing up for food, sexual dissidents. And it's been changing a lot recently and is still changing, it's become very fashionable. It would seem like every photo shoot has to take place in the East End of London now, in our street.
Is that how you ended up making a guest appearance in a German musician's video - without prior casting, he just passed by and filmed you, right?
George: Yes, oh I remember that, you're right, he didn't know who we were at first. Gilbert: It's actually very interesting because a lot of times the fashion interested people from Japan who come to the East End are fascinated by what we look like, they don't know who we are but they take our picture...