ABOUT REVIEWING

When writing a review the mindset is to be as objective as possible and not make it personal but of course every review involves some personal likes or dislikes unless of course you write for Vogue.com and then you just regurgitate designer’s press releases or ooze about ugly clothes because the brands keep you on their payroll.

art by Tim Otte click image to enlarge

 Reviews are meant to evoke, provoke, evaluate and explain the visuals. The most prevalent reaction and observation is that most people DON’T READ…. They look at pictures like they are in the third grade and then they make comments strictly based on their personal likes or dislikes. Yes of course that personal part enters the conversation but that should not be the sole reason a collection is deemed ugly or beautiful. The clothes need to be put into context such as what do you think they might look like hanging in a store or who is going to wear it, no matter the price, and then lastly you must take into account that these clothes are not the under $100 category.. More like in the $1000s category.

art by Marc Antoine Coulon  click image to enlarge

 Another aspect of or mindset of writing reviews or evaluations of a collection involves what the brand might stand for … what is there signature look, who is their customer and lastly if a designer is holding the reins for a heritage brand do they even know what that brand stood for. Anyone who “reads me”, and I know there are many who read my beads so to speak, knows that I am stickler for a brand’s DNA, Houses such as Saint Laurent, Ungaro, Balenciaga, Dior, Versace, Givenchy, Balmain, Chloe, just to name a few have long legendary past with vast archives of what made them fashion icons and yet new designers are allowed to come in and absolutely obliterate what these names once represented; let’s call them the brand assassins. I cannot solely blame them since they have accomplices which would be upper management who are only interested in chasing the dollar via hype and in many cases far more interested in selling shoes and nail polish rather than selling clothes and perpetuating a brand’s DNA. This mentality has cast a pall over the industry and reflects in a lot of wildly expensive unattractive and unwearable clothes for an unknown audience.

art by Marc Antoine Coulon  click image to enlarge

 Lastly, you might consider the source of the comments or the commentary; in my 40 plus years in the business of fashion and I stress BUSINESS, I have been buyer, seller, retail, wholesale, clothing designer, jewelry designer, home accessories designer, clock designer, textile designer fashion book reviewer and more than I care to mention so my perspective is broader than most and my opinions while seeming old fashion always come back to the same common thread…. Women buy clothes to look beautiful and to impress other women and lastly they dress for men … the last aspect was once blatantly explained to me by a mentor like this …. Women who spend $1000s on clothes want to get laid! And that said by a woman who was a pioneer and genius in the business of fashion.

Lastly we no longer have critics like Bernadine Morris or Hebe Dorsey or editors like Diana Vreeland and John Fairchild all of which told you what they saw in the context of the business of fashion. The advertising dollar was always an issue but truth, or at least as they perceived it, was more important as was actually talking about the clothes not the venue, not the audience and certainly not the regurgitation of press releases. Some of us have seen the demise of fashion reportage via every means possible from newspapers to magazines to even online... it is sad to see something that you love slowly wither away due to popular demand or the whim of the times and the almighty dollar.

I don’t pretend to be the smartest one in the room but I have issues with those who think they know what they are just because they have a keyboard of some kind to express themselves, wear clothes or own a phone camera to show they went to a show and need to prove it. I just wish people would think before they comment and realize that your keyboard is not a license to offer pronouncements on what you believe to be the last word on fashion … read more .. Learn more... ask more... be knowledgeable... Don’t be a sheep and speak intelligently or at least try!

Why Don't You ?? the 2015 version

This series is dedicated to and possibly echoes what brought Diana Vreeland to the world’s attention and eternal admiration.  No, it will not be quite as outrageous or imaginative but these articles will have one unified theme and that is the gift giving season of 2015 whether it is Chanukah or Christmas or no reason at all. There will be ideas for holiday gift giving from around the world which range from what some might refer to as normal or expected to the outrageous.

Colleagues and resources from around the world have sent me their ideas of what would make a great gift for a friend, a dear one or even yourself. The selections will range from commissioned art to handbags to collectibles to fine jewelry to scent and even personal styling sessions for men and women. No matter what strikes your fancy, hopefully these articles will make for some fun reading and that you will pass on to friends for their enjoyment or gift giving possibilities. All of them accessible online, at brick and mortar establishments or by phone so shop on!

With the Festival of Lights (Chanukah) scarcely a week away and Christmas just around the corner, let the games begin and my question to you is “Why don’t you?”

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          Why don’t you commission a portrait of yourself or most significant other which can be a gift to yourself or your other half? The artist here is Marc Antoine Coulon of the Madame Figaro, Vanity Fair, ELLE variety and you can find him on Facebook for further details. By the way, yes, he can work from photographs so you needn’t be in Paris to sit for him.

·       Why don’t you start a trend and give a handbag from a collection that has been designed in the USA and takes inspiration from an international nostalgia for the classics but with a passion for the distinctive?  Check out all the accessories at www.zinkstore.com   Dream it, believe it, achieve it and most of all, and just buy it.

·       Why don’t you give a book about Diana Vreeland that enlightens the reader as well as affirms the genius of Mrs. Vreeland was as well as her clairvoyance when it came to fashion and the trends that long outlived her? In her words “give them something they never knew they wanted.”  www.rizzolibookstore.com/diana-vreeland-modern-woman-bazaar-years-1936-1962

·       ****Why don’t turn your man or yourself into a rock n roll star and buy him or yourself a sheared mink pea coat from Jay Kos of New York City? Jay Kos is the go to destination for the most original and extravagant apparel in the entire city and if you are lucky, you will speak and meet with the designer himself who puts in plenty of face time at his eponymous “temple of fashion” located at 293 Mott Street in NYC. Maybe you can score a personal styling session with him while you are there

Why don’t you own or commission a handmade leather belt or accessory handmade by and designed by Roberto Calasanz? The man is an absolute genius when it comes to hardware and original pieces which will send you into a fashion swoon. By the way, if you ask nicely, he might even do some rather chic accessories for your “chien!” The website is days away but find him on Facebook. 

Stay tuned much more to come right here in the coming days ahead.

fashion as art or art as fashion ... LIFE gallery

Is there fashion in art or is there art in fashion? Such is a question that has baffled and been a great source of discussion and opinion for well over a century. With their latest show, Lollipop, the LIFE Gallery and its director Nicolas Saint Gregoire explore the notion via the featured works of  Marc-Antoine Coulon, Juano Diaz,  Sandro Giordano,  Ultra Violet. Monsieur Saint Gregoire was kind enough to answer some questions and so in his own words:

Marc Antoine Coulon

Ultra Violet

Sandro Giordano

Juano Diaz

Q-The simple question is “why this show?”

A- We wanted to have a vibrant and colorful exhibition and we made a selection of artists whose work would be a good fit in a pop art show.

Q- Please give us and definition of the show’s title

A-Lollipop represents something fun, flavorful and usually full of colors, which very much corresponds to the idea we have of a pop art themed exhibition.

Q- Is this your normal format and why this show?

A-We actually really like to do both group and solo shows, for different reasons. Whereas solo exhibition allow us to emphasize on the work of just one artist, group shows give us an opportunity to put different artistic visions in perspective and create a dialogue between the artists.

So, if you want to join the conversation, you might want to visit the LIFE Gallery in NYC during the run of the Lollipop show (September3-12) and maybe you can solve the quandary of fashion and art.

P.S.    There is something about all this that brings to mind Ethel Scull. You might have to google her.

                                                                               L I F E Gallery

617 West, 27 Street

New York, NY 10001

Marc-Antoine Coulon.. artist... illustrator .. friend

It’s not often that a writer gets to interview or feature a dear friend but that is the circumstance of today. Marc-Antoine Coulon is that person; he the most generous of friends, one of the most talented people in my world and above all a person that possesses great warmth and grace. No, please don’t think I paint him as an Albert Schweitzer or Mother Teresa but the man occupies a permanent place in my being because once upon a time he offered what he thought was a simple gesture of friendship and that seemingly simple gesture turned into one of my most treasured memories.

Friendship aside, Monsieur Coulon is a rare breed of artist who harbors no animosity towards others and still manages to retain an endearing almost childlike nature about him. He is the man of the world and the child with dreams, he is an artist with the heart of a saint and he is loyal to a fault. My question to you is just this... “Aren’t you sorry that you don’t know him?”

Please meet my friend who has my unending respect for his body of work as well as for the man who has become a cherished friend. Please meet Marc-Antoine Coulon….

1-you have been compared to Rene Gruau and to David Downton, how do you feel about that and what do you think separates your work from theirs?’

I have always admired René Gruau’s work. I discovered him when I was 4. It was love at first sight! I discovered a whole new world where women could have bleu hair for instance. Gruau was a genius. He created everything in terms of illustration - though he got much inspired from previous illustrators. Compared to mine, his work was perhaps more disciplined. He used much more backgrounds too. His characters’ faces were treated in a much more impressionist way. He reinvented his style all his life through. He knew how to put outrageous perspectives in his images. I loved everything about it - the lines, the colors, the atmosphere… I was very flattered when compared to such a genius.

I am not in the best position to judge my work. But I think my French Italian roots show in my treatment. I love unfinished work, because I want my viewers to take part in the image they are looking at. What you suggest may be much more interesting than what you actually show. I want it to be erotic, then promising, evocative. I give hints. I want it to be simple and apparently easy, effortless - though it is never effortless.

As for Downton, we have been admiring the same glorious fashion illustrators - Gruau, Viramontes, Lopez, Constance H. Wibaut …

2-if you could invite any 6 people to dinner who would you invite and why?

I would invite Colette, Madame de Maintenon, Edwige Feuillère - I would love to see the three of them talk together! I could even just sit by their side and listen - I love every novel by Colette. She has been my first literary love. I love her kind of cruel sense of humor, and the way she attached words to common undefinable feelings. Madame de Maintenon was such an exquisite yet strong woman - I feel so much tenderness for her. I would also love to have Flannery O’Connor at my table - her whole work was such a shock to me, I would have loved to discuss some aspects of it with her.

I would also love to chat with Federico Fellini and Winston Churchill.

3-what future projects do you have on your schedule? What has been your greatest achievement so far?

It is always difficult to speak of projects before they actually go public. There are many exciting things coming in 2015… among which are collaborations with world famous fashion magazines, book covers, and American exhibitions.

I loved almost every project I worked for. I am very proud of my work for French Vogue, for l’Officiel de la Mode, for Dean Rhys Morgan Works on Paper, my 5 month exhibition at the Carita salon in Paris and my collaboration with Olivier Nicklaus for his documentary film “Pop Models”.

4-who has been inspiration to you and who would you most like to collaborate with and why?

I have been inspired by René Gruau of course since the age of four. Apart from that I have admired Toulouse Lautrec, Degas, Ingres, Saul Bass, and Max Huber… as for my favourite subjects, Italian women and French legends are very important in my work. What a sensual joy to draw a black line of makeup on Deneuve’s or Silvana Mangano’s eye.

I also have projects with some famous photographers. I can’t wait to do those images. I am always fascinated to get the opportunity to work with these giants because they are so elegant as they allow you to think that you are worthy of working with them. Less talented artists usually don’t make you feel that way. They can’t give what they don’t have...

I think I am ready to collaborate with anybody. I want to draw for everybody. I want to get to know so many people. They all have their specific stories and I am interested in them. I love people with their flaws as long as they are giving and nice.

5-do you have any specific reasons as to why you select someone as a subject? Who would be your top 5 choices as subject and why?

There are two aspects here - live portrait or portrait from a photo.

For a live portrait, I need to feel something for my subject, even if it only lasts the time of the drawing session. And my subject has to welcome that feeling. It is a beautiful yet strange experience. It creates a bond, something strong and charming.

My top five subjects? So hard to tell - they all are my top subjects as I am drawing them. Yet I must admit I love to draw Catherine Deneuve, Ines de la Fressange, Marpessa Hennink, Mina, and… so many others!

6-are you surprised at your success and what would be the most desirable situation for you in the future and why?

Yes I am always surprised at my success. I would love to live in Italy and work there - it is in my blood. I would also love to reside in the United States. I would like to work for each and every fashion magazine in the world. I have so many images yet to draw and so much love yet to give...

7-tell us something about you that few people know.

Don’t tell anybody, but at night I put on my black outfit and I fight crime with my friend Robin.

8-if you could live anywhere, where would that be and why?

Rome!!! By all means!!! I feel home each time I am in Rome. It is a city where I belong. The music I like, the food I like, the colors, the fragrances, the way people dress up there, all of that makes me a true Roman guy. There is so much art everywhere that you need a whole lifetime to be able to say that you actually know Rome.

In an ideal world I wish I were a playboy in Rome in 1964.

9-do you think your main focus is fashion or do you not really have a specific choice? Why?

I really chose to focus on fashion. Fashion and art are very close friends. They are meant to meet, but fashion opens to so many other worlds too. I must add that fashion people love artists. When you do fashion illustrations, people are interested in your own special style. It means freedom to an illustrator. They want your style. They want you to do what you do and they respect your style. They almost never ask you to re-work your images. They never choose you at random.

10-how would your job description read? Would you be portraitist? Illustrator? Artist? Painter? And why?

I like to say that I am first and foremost an illustrator. But I can be anything you like to call me as long as my images seem interesting.