I must found out who made this, because they deserve a savage high-five.
Archive for May, 2008
…in a good way. My signature scent is Prada perfume – I find it simply irresistible, have worn it for well over 3 years and still love it as much as the first time I caught a whiff in a magazine. It is a heady, layered scent of sandalwood and patchouli that encapsulates everything I desire in a perfume – it’s spicy, sweet and warm. However, as absolutely perfect as I find this scent, it has one major drawback – it is very dense, and not at all appropriate for the warmer months. I simply can’t bring myself to wear it anytime after May, as it feels the olfactory equivalent of wearing a fur stole to the beach.
Thus began my search for the ideal summer fragrance. This hunt has been going on for well over a year now. Some girls are perfectly happy flirting around with a different perfume each day, but not me. I am all about commitment, baby. It took me YEARS to discover the perfect perfume in Prada, and I certainly didn’t intend to throw on just any old fragrance for the other half of the year.
In the process of searching, I have had my brief flings: first with a
Voluspa I picked up on the Jersey Boardwalk on a whim. While Mimosa Martini’s intoxicatingly sweet and buttery scent made me feel like I was perpetually fresh off the sand, it was a bit too wild for my tastes: she was the one dancing on the bar by the end of the night, while I was longing to curl up with a book and a cup of tea.
Next came a stint with the more subdued Sugar Lemon. Fresh’s scent was a nice change of pace from Mimosa’s tango-stylings, and it’s fresh lemon scent made me think of porch-swings and grassy yards. However, in the end there was no…magic. Lemon Sugar was just that – sweet lemons. No subtle notes, no implied hints, and in the end it’s lack of layers just bored me. We parted on the best of terms, though.
Fortunately, by the end of these two romances, the leaves had started to change, and I could once again return to my old love. But here we are, almost June again, and driven by an empty bottle of Prada I took up my search afresh (my sample bottle of Chloe was only going to last so long). So yesterday found me at Sephora with my friend Sundari, spraying and whiffing away once more for the perfect perfume. And suddenly, between a handful of paper sticks and a ticklish nose, BAM. Found it.
Michael Kors by Michael Kors
I have to be honest, I generally find Michael Kors fashion a bit of a snooze-fest. But damn, can he make some perfume. Michael Kors by Micheal Kors is a lovely, rich fragrance that perfectly blends floral and spice. The moment I smelled it, I practically swooned. It has freesia in it, which is one of my favorite scents, and just a hint of musk to give it weight. I was surprised to discover tuberose was the main ingredient, as I am not generally drawn to scents with floral bases, but I think that just shows how well the scents in the fragrance compliment each other. To me, it’s just perfect: sweet and blamy, like a warm summer night.
Honorable mention goes to Lolita Lempicka’s new fragrance, L. I have been enamored by this fragrance for months now, and came very close to purchasing it on several occasions. This scent has a base in bitter orange, much like my beloved Prada, and the fragrance reminds me of warm sugar and evergreen and awesome. However, like Prada, it is a very strong scent, and I think much more appropriate for the cooler months. Maybe I can have 2 winter scents after all…
I am completely smitten with Portuguese designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista’s 2008 Summer Collection. It is bursting with such luscious colors, shapes and a sense of fun that it just makes me giddy to gaze upon. Baptista succeeds in using large geometric shapes and strong colors while maintaining a soft, feminine grace, a rather tricky and remarkably impressive endeavor. The color-play across the entire collection is not only insanely fun and vibrant, but succeeds in marrying many different styles under one collection: from punk-rock lightning bolts to peasant capes to hippy fringe to frock coats.
See the entire colection here.
The superhero-esque masks are simply too sweet, and the icing on the cake of this amazing collection. Do you think I can get away with wearing one this summer?
(snatched from Allure)
Is it just me, or is fashion photography getting better? These images by Solve Sundsbo are simply brilliant. I love it when someone creates something amazing from something simple, and it’s amazing how simple light can create such a wonderful transcendent effect.
See the rest of the set here.
(Snatched from Gala)
Zena Holloway is a UK director and master of underwater photography. Her clientele has run the gamut of industries: from fashion brands (Nike, Olay) to ecological organizations (National Geographic, Greenpeace). Throughout all, Holloway’s style shines through: otherworldly beings, moving through a realm apart. Holloway’s ability to blend the human form with fabric is simply irresistible, creating effects that long for you to reach out and touch them. There is a grace about her work that goes beyond simple liquid immersion – an eye for texture and movement that creates pieces that feel almost sacred.
See her films here.
photo by Michael Maly
Andrew Bird is a Chicago singer-songwriter, violinist, guitarist, and self-proclaimed professional whistler. If you haven’t heard his latest album, Armchair Aprocrypha, I suggest you do, as I consider it a personal favorite from last year. Bird has this warm, holistic sound that I think can only be the result of someone who has a thorough knowledge of every piece going into a song.
Andrew Bird has an article in the New York Times this week on life inside the studio. As someone who has never been inherently musical, and extremely jealous of those who are, I found this a great read. It really shows the amount of care that goes into creating a fine piece of music.
“In the studio, a number of things can conspire to turn the natural act of making music into an awkward dance. First there is no audience, no one to impress. Second is the temptation to be too careful, to isolate every sound and not let it mingle with other sounds. The third deals with the voice, the most personal and vulnerable instrument. Recording vocals can be fraught with aural illusions akin to the weirdness of hearing your own voice on your answering machine. ‘That’s not me, is it?’”
Read the article here.
And for those new to Andrew, here’s the video to his song, “Imitosis”…
I have been an enormous fan of Bjork since I was a wee girl of twelve, when I first caught her music video for “Human Behavior” late one night on MTV. It still stands as possibly my favorite music video of all time.
I not only love her music, but feel that what really separates Bjork from the crowd is her dedication to an aesthetic that is uniquely her own. In everything she does – music, movies, projects and dress – she infuses an essential part of herself, radiating a confidence and uniqueness that is simply breathtaking.
Her latest work is no exception. Recently, Bjork teamed up with Encyclopedia Pictura to create an amazing new video replete with puppets, computer-generated animation and magic. Shot with a custom made stereoscopic camera rig, the result is a video that is not only awesome, but 3-D (the old school kind, with the glasses)! It is featured on a DVD accompanying the new “Wanderlust” single (3-D glasses included!), available through One Little Indian.
Bjork “Wanderlust” 3-D Music Video
However, thanks to Wired.com, you do not need to purchase the single in order to see the video in all it’s three-dimensional glory. Wired.com is hosting the video on their site here, IN 3-D, and even gives you directions on how to mock-up a pair of 3D specs from used CD cases you have lying around.
My pal Letwin and I have decided that we will buy
these sneakers, and then become a superhero crime-fighting team, saving the world and kicking-ass with our fly fun kicks.
Mine…
His…
Kidrobot is just awesome. It’s one of those companies that makes me so damn proud of my generation: a company that says “We are grazing thirty, and still we love toys, because we are AWESOME.”
I am completely head-over-heels for their current collection: BambooZoo. Brought to life by British artists, Peskimo (David + Jodie), BambooZoo is full of mindblowingly adorable little 3 inch creatures, that will probably make your eyeballs melt from cuteness.
Kid Robot’s BambooZoo Mini Series 
Now, I just need to figure out a way to fit these all in my mouth.
Yesterday was Free Cone Day at participating Häagen-Daz, and while I was seeking out a place to grab my free-bee I came across the
Häagen-Daz Loves Bees site, and was utterly blown away:
Häagen-Daz Loves Honey Bees Banner Ad
This campaign, created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, is meant to spread awareness of Colony Collapse Disorder, the name given to the sudden and mysterious disappearance of millions of honeybees from their hives. Häagen-Daz asserts that without bees, a majority of the food we consume could not be pollinated and produced, ice cream included.
www.helpthehoneybees.com
The site itself is simply stunning, and an wonderful example of what a flash site can be if done well. The container makes wonderful use of the white space that is often problematic in flash sites, by incorporating a floral border that makes the surrounding area part of the perspective. The animation captures this cute, whimsical style, which manages to be endearing but at the same time very modern.
The pages themselves have some wonderful things going on in them. One page allows you to “tour” the pasture and learn more about the honey bee crisis, while another lets you send your friends a customized honey bee. Great care has been put into each particular page and it’s corresponding art and animation: even when a page is generally inactive, there is always some wonderful detail occurring: honey bees floating by with picket signs, or simply a butterfly drifting about in the background.
I love the fact that Häagen-Daz has made such a wonderful site, and adopted such a wonderful campaign. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go sample their new flavor, Vanilla Honey Bee, and do my part to save the world.
