the FASHIONABLE reads of 2016

A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it....Find a book and read it soon !!! 
 www.nyjournalofbooks.com/reviewer/jeffrey-felner

as Diana Vreeland asked.. "WHY DON'T YOU?"

Given the less than jovial and spirited mood of  this year's holiday and shopping  times, this might be the year to go all out when it comes to gift giving and lift spirits all around. Keeping that in mind ….  WHY DON’T YOU … 

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WHY DON’T YOU … Capture yourself or a loved in a portrait? It is possible no matter which side of the Atlantic is your neighborhood. Consider a photographic image conceived through the lens of Robert Pressutti or maybe you prefer a more “hands-on” approach via the artistry of Marc Antoine Coulon. Contact them or me to arrange a sitting or a situation!  www.robertpresutti.com/galleries/new-portraits  or   www.marc-antoinecoulon.fr

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Find one dress that you like and have it copied many times? You will be much more successful than if you try to produce the same effects each evening.

WHY DON’T YOU … Consider a couture made to measure infanta gown or a sable coat created and conceived from the world class designer Ralph Rucci. Consider this an investment that will supersede any expectation of what can be made in the USA. If you a lust for the perfect LBD to own forever and ever,  you might consider the artistry of one Michail Sykiankis  to be found here at www.michailsykianakis.com

click image to enlarge Ralph Rucci

click image to enlarge Michail Sykianakis

Where would fashion be without literature?

WHY DON’T YOU … Think about giving a book that will spark the imagination of the reader such as TAFFIN containing the most exquisite of jewelry or Diverse Beauty by Alexis Lubomirski who celebrates the ways in which so many manifest physical beauty or maybe show the reader what most never get to see and that would be the behind the scenes activity at catwalk shows as in Alexander McQueen: Unseen recorded by the lens man Robert Fairer. Visit amazon or  eBay.

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You gotta have style. It helps you get down the stairs. It helps you get up in the morning. It's a way of life. Without it, you're nobody. I'm not talking about lots of clothes.

WHY DON’T YOU … Show off your style by riding around town on a fab bicycle created and conceived by Lorenzo Martone. www.martonecycling.com  it’s the perfect conveyance for the city or even the Côte d'Azur. And if you are really into making a statement you can swath yourself in an incredibly lush scarf by Zink, you know they are so reasonably priced you can dole them out like candy for the holidays or have an Isadora moment all on your own in so many color options.  www.zinkeveryday.com/wraps

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 I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity.

WHY DON’T YOU keep that in mind and think of adorning yourself in south sea pearls and diamonds? To be exact, the drool worthy 14k white gold and brilliants with pearl drops from Pedro Boregaard www.boregaard.com or a 7 carat brilliant emerald cut diamond from Rodrigo Otazu  www.rodrigonewyork.com or just maybe a unisex archaeologically certified scarab ring set in 21 kt gold by Cynthia Wolff www.cynthiawolff.com

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To be contented—that’s for the cows.

WHY DON’T YOU add to your growing art collection and add a pastoral scene or a new work from a contemporary artist? Maybe you know a traditionalist or a more experimental curator of their art. The pastoral snow scene from River Gallery www.rivergalleryny.com or the “modern” art from FRG Objects or www.frgdesignart.com

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Oh, but I think that thoughtfulness and manners are everything.

  

WHY DON’T YOU Find the perfect gift for the person who has everything? Maybe the wireless bluetooth retro microphone which is really a speaker from www.rodrigonewyork.com or possibly handmade eyeglasses or sunglasses made of genuine horn with lenses for the sunglasses  from  Carl Zeiss. Leo Vanweersch owner and designer will personally assist you. www.ulsjehandcrafted.com

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Mention my name and get a royal reception from all of these wildly creative people... HAPPY SHOPPING !!!!!

GUCCI pre-fall 2017

In this ever-growing and expansive cavalcade of clothes, one would hope to see a collection that wasn’t so reminiscent of times gone by as well as the designer actually knocking himself off. The problem is that this excuse for a collection, as shown, is a laughable perversion of fashion.  The term “theater of the absurd” comes to mind!

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

The Pre-Fall collection must be made up of 100s of pieces which are assembled to look as ridiculous and cartoonish  as possible yet begs to be dissected as buried within this morass there are some wearable if not even “likable” pieces but none of them are other than borrowed inspirations.  Michele took his swipes at Chanel, Tisci’s Givenchy, Schiaparelli, YSL, Hermes, Adidas and so many more to create a souk of hand me down looks piled on to make his statement which he believes is that more is better.. As in the more ridiculous the better. It’s sort of like a “I have a bridge to sell you “as in ... this is supposedly” a la mode” 

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

The sad part of it all is that the clothes singularly perpetrate the fraud of fashion where hype rules and actual fashion, creativity and style are absent; maybe he was prescient in seeing the age of “con” before that spray tanned thing we now refer to as president-elect.  Papa Gucci must have spun his way to the center of the earth by now as all the years he spent creating one of the industry’s first status symbols have been reduced to an array of clown costumes that appeal to the fashion victims who inhabit the world.

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

CHANEL pre-fall 2017.. Métiers d’Art

The connection between Coco and the Ritz is inescapable. It seemed somewhat  fitting that the Kaiser decided to show the clothes as if in a throwback to a time when ladies went to luncheons and the main attraction was  a walk through fashion show. Albeit nothing as glam as what was served up 3 times here but the concept remains the same.

click image to enlarge .. DO IT!

click image to enlarge .. DO IT!

Métiers d’Art collection is the chest pounding show for the brand which boasts its prowess when it comes to embellishments and fabrics and in this case its variety and heaps of accessories. This is not a collection that is seen as themed or focuses on a trend; it is about clothes, the most glorious of clothes, one might even say it is like a reality show ... Chanel Gone Wild!  Or maybe it is just CHANEL on steroids.

click image to enlarge .. DO IT!

click image to enlarge .. DO IT!

These eyes saw references to the glories of France with very Louis like breeches and the fabulously court like gillies but not to be out done by the Lucite cap toes. There was this hint of Versailles decadence throughout. Again, the accessories were literally piled on with great affect. Honestly the veils and the flowers were unnecessary superfluous add ons to what was an extraordinary display of the art and craft of fashion. I mean really … the knitted puffer, the encrusted bead work, the fringes, the feathers, the no nonsense color palette... Karl is way ahead of the flock and sadly one must think of the eventuality of it all given his age.

click image to enlarge .. DO IT!

click image to enlarge .. DO IT!

At any rate, this is a collection with no age, no trend just and heavy on appeal.  It sings out to  the CHANEL lady who can afford to indulge herself in the most exquisite of fashion extravagance short of all out haute couture  and more importantly with clothes that possess great style, perfection of conception and timelessly fashionable.

.. THE VULKAN INTERVIEW .. Hervé Godard

www.vulkanmagazine.com/herve-godard-talks-blake-exclusive
meet  THE MAN WITH THE PLAN

meet PEDRO BOREGAARD .. the jeweler's jeweler

Well, that time of year is upon us once again and there is no better gift than one that can be treasured, worn and turned into an heirloom to be passed on as part of one’s legacy or foot print, if you will. Of course I speak of  jewelry, of the “precious” variety,  which speaks to your individuality, personality and most of all to your style.

 

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Pedro Boregaard offers you a selection of jewelry that sets him and you apart from the flock; he is above all a designer’s designer. If you are looking for pieces that might resemble the grandiosity of a Cartier or a large gemstone creation from Harry Winston, well then, nothing to see here BUT if you want statement making pieces that are flawlessly designed  and executed in the tradition of the heritage brands ... well then step right up. 

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From Tahitian pearls to tourmalines, from stainless steel to sterling silver and of course yellow, white and rose gold; this designer uses them all. He combines the most modern of design with the workmanship of the masters to render jewels that are to covet and lust for. 

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Boregaard runs the gamut from rings, bracelets, necklaces to belts and one of a kind gew gaws that would be hard to find anywhere else within the sphere of fine jewelry. If you know Hemmerle and who doesn’t know Tiffany, but those were the brands where this brilliant designer cut his teeth and gave him the esthetic he has honed and developed during his decade’s long career. 

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The only caveat is that he located in Narrowsburg New York and not on Madison Avenue but he can be viewed on his website and you can be assured that what you see is what you get! .. Or its possibly time for a road trip to visit him in his eponymous shop where I’m sure there is even more than what is available on the site

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So now in his own words... Pedro Boregaard...

What was the path you took to arrive to where you are today? Missteps or if you would change anything?

“No, I would not change anything.  I always followed my gut first and did the thinking afterwards. Sometimes I was shocked about my own decisions but it seems whatever I decided, whatever path I took served me well in the end.”

Can you speak to the topic of inspiration and your “inner drive?”

Yes, one can speak of an inner drive. A psychic once told me “you can’t leave anything alone, not change it or use it in ways nobody did before or trying to improve it. That sums it up. Inspiration can be anything; I find the difficult part is the editing of these ideas. What in the end one really wants to do. Than having sorted that out I begin to chisel away everything unnecessary. I guess the art is to know when and where to stop. Some pieces I can visualize so perfectly that I almost loose interest to do them. Others I have to draw or just start working on wax or metal until it reveals itself. That is by far more interesting. Than after finishing it I in general have lost completely the ability to judge it. I put it away for some time and then looking at it later I am surprised I created it.

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Let’s talk about your present situation and can you tell us what your end goal is here?

I wished I knew. Somebody asked me in the store the other day: how did you end up here in Narrowsburg. I knew what he meant but I said, how do you know I end up here? Still, I do have plans. Presently I am trying to reduce my whole operation, inventory etc. keep the store but come to the point that I can do what I want when I want. God knows I might have more work than ever but it should be (as long as health allows it) completely at my leisure. At least that is what I am hoping for.

If you could invite any 5 people top dinner who would they be and why?

That is difficult. The people who come to mind first, are all dead. -- Gene Moore comes to mind who was a close friend and helped me a lot at Tiffany’s --Julius Cohen (of Madison Ave.) my mentor after I left Tiffany and who helped me to open my first workshop at 48 W 48^th Street. Rea Lubar my fabulous PR lady. You might even know her or of her. She put Hermes on the map in NY, Perry Ellis, Velcro (lol (etc. ---Christiane Zimmer the daughter of Hugo von Hofmannsthal and her welcoming house on Commerce Street full of the literary world…to mention some. Well, times past. Actually I would love to have some dinner or lunch with you! I always enjoy your posts on FB and I am sure it would be a joy to talk to you with your immense knowledge of and insight into the fashion world as starters. Plus we lived both in the same city during a very exiting period. I guess there are lots of notes to compare.

There are of course people, younger people, young people I love and admire because of their beauty or accomplishments and talents in whatever field but I grew up in a very artsy and liberal milieu in Munich not only through my Mothers connection to the theatre but also through my guardian who was the director of the Munich Opera and beauty, fame and fortune never impressed me (at least not for long) and people are in the end people. So these days I rather admire them and what they do best from a distance than have that wonderful picture I have of them tarnished. …and then I could be terribly wrong.  I guess I am getting old.

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If there was such a thing as a dream collaborator or collaboration, who or what would it be and why?

There never was. I left Germany, I left England I started my own business, I always lived on my own because I followed as they say my own drum.  I work well with people. My employees always stayed for many years but I always had strong ideas what I wanted and needed always a lot of freedom.  So the idea didn’t come up nor did anybody ask me. 

http://www.boregaard.com