Must See: Ecstatic Alphabets

On view through August 27, 2012 at The Museum of Modern Art,  Ecstatic Alphabets/Heaps of Language is a group exhibition that brings together 12 contemporary artists and artists’ groups working in all mediums including painting, sculpture, film, video, audio, and design, all of whom concentrate on the material qualities of language—visual, aural, and beyond. The work that these artists create belongs to a distinguished history of poem/objects, and concrete language experiments that dates to the beginnings of modernism, and includes both the Dada and Futurist moments as well as the recrudescence of Neo-Dada in the late 1950s, and international literary movements like concrete and sound poetry in Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

The Creatives: An Interview With Mariela Comitini

Before she was spending 24/7 with People Magazine's sexiest man alive (and the runner up) as a formidably talented assistant director on a recent film set, Mariela cut her teeth in the film biz like all good women worth a lick - by starting on the ground and working her way up with a combination of smarts and  savvy, pluck and grit. (Oh, and a smile that could melt even the most hard-hearted among us!) I still remember the film shoot where we met in the early 2003, Maria Full of Grace.  She was the Second Assistant Director, I was doing some still photography and it was love at first sight. Since that time, I have watched her craft a stellar career, find true love, direct a storied wedding of her own, and start a family - all the while remaining the most grounded, generous, and styling gal her side of the lens.

What do you see trending now in fashion?

I've been traveling a lot lately for work and love seeing people wearing a lot of  bold color; that and hot pants.  They are everywhere! 

What are your top 10 TIMELESS must have items for a best dressed closet?

A great coat. Not a warm puffy coat but a stylish fitted overcoat. It makes you feel and look 100 percent like a dame. 

Knee boots, they never go out of fashion or style and you can wear it with anything. A great colorful scarf. This is a big thing. This can pull any outfit together and you can dress it up or down.

Red shoes.  Any style but a great closet must have red shoes. I have ballet flats that I can't live without.

Red Cocktail dress. Everyone always says you need a good black cocktail dress but I think they have it all wrong. Red is daring and if you have a good red dress, you'll wear it anywhere. 

A Blue Cardigan. I guess it doesn't have to be blue, but there's something about the color that brings comfort and being comfortable is timeless.

Blue jeans. As much as I love dressing up, a good pair of jeans really does it for me.

Black fitted blazer. It compliments anything.

Cream turtleneck cashmere sweater. A must have!

Diamond earrings. I'm not much into too much bling but must say that a good pair of diamond earrings are classic.

When was the last time you had a fashion epiphany?

Just recently. That comfort is effortless and effortless is sexy.

What is your favorite High brand?  And your low brand?  How do you mix high and low?

I tend to go high brand for special occasions (mostly evening dresses or special events) Some of my favorites dresses in my closet are Carmen Marc Valvo, BCBG MAx Azaria and Black Halo.  Low brand, since I'm on the road quite a bit,  I often find myself shopping at Target. They have some really great stuff and I wear whatever I buy at Target on set all day.

I think mixing is an art form and frankly I don't do it often as I would like to. I tend to mix by having a great pair of high  brand shoes (my fave Marc Jacobs) with casual chic wear (jeans from Jcrew)

What is your go-to uniform for a day of work?  The weekend?  

Uniform for work- jeans, sneakers, flannel button down shirts. Although I try to look presentable at the end of the day comfort and practicality are really what it's all about on set.

The weekend- This ranges so much but it's mostly comfy wear, and for me lately that is some kind of sun/summer dress with a long worn in cardigan and flip flops. It's the easiest thing to slip into.

What is your favorite ILR piece and why?

I LOVE LOVE The Interlock ring. It's so beautifully crafted and the design is utterly romantic.  

I also love The Wrap in Terra Cotta. Such bad a**! Anyone woman who wears this can rule the world.

Who are your fashion icons?

I know this will sound so cliche but really I don't have any.  I love seeing what other women are wearing and try to sample from here and there.  

What I love about June

Home Tour: A Mainline Treasure by Designer Mel McDaniel

Since moving from Ontario to Philadelphia in early 2000, Mel McDaniel has developed something of a cult following. Working primarily in Philadelphia and the surrounding region, Mel has transformed interior spaces  in cottages and manor homes alike using her trademark brand of eclectic and elegant sophistication.  With an uncanny eye for color and fabric, an artists instinct for unusual pairings, along with an architect's sensibility for scale and proportion, Mel's interior spaces are at once artfully crafted and most inviting.  Recently,  I was treated to a tour of a stunning home in Haverford, PA, where she recently completed a major renovation.  You can contact Mel directly at mel@mcdanielinteriors.com.

Must See: Taryn Simon: A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I–XVIII

Through Sept 3, 2012 the Museum of MOdern Art is US host to Taryn Simon's amazing photographic installation, that I was lucky enough to see last winter at the Tate Modern in London.

From the MoMA website: "This exhibition is the U.S. premiere of Taryn Simon's (b. 1975, New York) photographic project A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I–XVIII. The work was produced over a four-year period (2008–11), during which the artist travelled around the world researching and documenting bloodlines and their related stories. In each of the 18 “chapters” that make up the work, external forces of territory, power, circumstance, or religion collide with the internal forces of psychological and physical inheritance. The subjects Simon documents include victims of genocide in Bosnia, test rabbits infected with a lethal disease in Australia, the first woman to hijack an aircraft, and the living dead in India. Her collection is at once cohesive and arbitrary, mapping the relationships among chance, blood, and other components of fate.

Simon's project is divided into 18 chapters, nine of which will be presented at MoMA. Each chapter is comprised of three segments: one of a large portrait series depicting bloodline members (portrait panel); a second featuring text (annotation panel); and a third containing photographic evidence (footnote panel).

A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I–XVIII exploits photography's capacity to at once probe complex narratives in contemporary politics and organize this material according to classification processes characteristic of the archive, a system that connects identity, lineage, history, and memory.

The Creatives: An Interview With Kathryn Hurni

I have known photographer Kate Hurni for nearly a dozen years. In that time, she has proven herself to be a major editorial talent shooting for the likes of W, Vogue, Real Simple, and Stella magazines.  But I like to think of her as one of the best fine art portrait photographers around.  Elegant, nuanced, original, Kate's portraits are in every way a reflection of who she is and how she moves through the world.  So to is her sense of style, honed from close proximity to the the tastemakers of the fashion world and her own unique spin on downtown urban chic.

What do you see trending in fashion now?

Cropped trench coats and motorcycle jackets. Girls are donning them all over SoHo.

When was the last time you had a fashion epiphany?

This morning, while in the subway. I saw a girl about my age, wearing SKY HIGH platform stilettos and realized how comical they are. New York is a pedestrian city. Your shoes should be chic and practical.

What is your favorite High brand? And your low brand? How do you mix high and low?

For High: I like Rag & Bone, Yigal, Balmain, Band of Outsiders

For Low: I like the basics such as Madewell, Zara, J. Crew

Honestly most of my clothing is “low.” I wont spend over $100 on jeans because I beat the hell out of them and eventually they rip, tear, and stretch. I only buy large ticket items that will last. For example, I have two nice watches that look fantastic with any outfit and will never go out of style.  Generally, I’ll lay down money for glasses, shoes, bags, and coats (and cameras!). Everything else should be cheap, but well made.

What is your go-to uniform for a day of work? The weekend?

Luckily, when I’m in the office I can be relaxed. I’m usually wearing a high-waisted skinny jean, or a wide leg trouser with a button down. But hitting repeat on that look can become a little stale over time, so occasionally I switch it up and throw on a Vena Cava dress with boots. For me the weekends, if you can believe it, are even more casual. You can usually find me in my Ralph Lauren grey sweatshirt that I’ve had for over 10 years. It has rips at the elbows, bleach stains all over, and is the most worn in comfortable thing I own. It gains more character every time I wear it.

What is your favorite ILR piece and why?
 

I’m really drawn to The Skinny ring.  It’s simple, organic feel is easy to pull-off for everyday. Nothing beats a plain gold ring, especially when they’re stacked!

Who are your style icons?

I don’t really have any style icons per say. I think I’m more inspired by the art and design that I encounter. I’m lucky to be surrounded by Creatives day in and day out, producing work and dressing in their own unique ways. Being around people who are themselves and know their own path is what prompts me to go out and explore my own sense of style. Instead of asking what are other people wearing, I find I have a lot more fun with what I wear by looking to myself and asking, “what makes me tick?” 

What are you living in these days?

Anything that’s pared down, effortless, and comfortable.  My rule of thumb: I want to be able to look back at a photo 20 years from now and not gasp, “what was I wearing?!”

Scenes from Cannes Film Festival 2012