agirlinhongkong

[agirlinhongkong]

Aspiring & Independent Bloggers covering Entertainment, Arts, & Modern Life:

We produce original information via a global collective of writers and aggregate the highest quality content from around the internet.  Our aim is to create, compile, and deliver one-of-a-kind articles, op-Ed, and thought provoking pieces about  entertainment, arts, and modern life from around the world.

At Glitterazi we are a bit different in our way of doing things. Rather than attempting to enrich ourselves through masses of ads and paid product placement, our goal is to enrich the lives of our readers and the careers of talented writers. Social responsibility and honest reporting, which seem to be almost completely absent in modern media, are our two guiding principles. While this isn’t always the easiest way of doing things, being the best seldom is…

Our writers are a diverse group from all over the world, who may not always agree on everything. Of course no one view is more important than another, and censorship is forbidden. Glitterazi covers all the important and not so important topics affecting entertainment, arts, and modern life. Our writers being free to express themselves, tend to do it! If you want a one dimensional blog with a singular narrow focus, we have some recommendations, but Glitterazi is not one of them. Our Blogging Centre brings together the works of talented writers from all over the world, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Why have boring, when you can have Glitterazi?

[agirlinhongkong]

Milan Fashion Week 2012, Day 1 Sneak Peeks

Not everybody is in Milan enjoying the front row of the Fall-Winter 2012/2013 fashion shows. Somebody is writing a book in Arkansas, some are enjoying the sun in Phuket (like AGIHK will be doing in 10 days)…

  But oh well! we all want to see what Gucci, Simonetta Ravizza, Kristina Ti, Angelo Marani, Alberta Ferretti, John Richmond & Co. presented during the first day of Milan 2012 fashion week. So AGIHK is sharing, and you know it means caring!

www.gucci.com Gucci Fall-Winter 2012/2013, no need to dig further to understand the main theme is HAPPYNESS. 

http://www.simonettaravizza.it/ Simonetta Ravizza Fall-Winter 2012/2013. 

http://www.kristinati.it/ Kristina Ti Fall-Winter 2012/2013. 

www.albertaferretti.com Alberta Ferretti Fall-Winter 2012/2013.

http://www.johnrichmond.com/ John Richmond Fall-Winter 2012/2013. 

http://www.angelomarani.it/ Angelo Marani Fall-Winter 2012/2013.

Email agirlinhongkong@gmail.com should you wish to receive any additional information! As usual.

[agirlinhongkong]

Trussardi launches its new website, AGIHK tells you about it...

The last month of 2011 saw the birth of another fashion site powered by Yoox (most italian fashion brands, or at least many have a Yoox powered website and it turns out to be a great strategy).

The 100th anniversary of Trussardi concluded with the debut of the newTrussardi.com website on December 2, 2011. With the launch of this ambitious online project, Trussardi  took a bounding leap into digital media and e-commerce. 

“I’m thrilled to announce the debut of the new Trussardi.com The innovative and unusual new website features products, presents projects created exclusively for the web, and offers continuous surprises. Trussardi.com is not only the Group’s new online boutique, but it is also a place to see Trussardi fashion, design, food, and art which have come together to express a new form of entertainment,”said Beatrice Trussardi, President and CEO of Trussardi S.p.A.  

It is infact quite pleasant to browse the site and AGIHK spent at least 10 minutes checling out both products and content, without noticing! Do you have any idea of how long is 10 minutes on the internet? Like forever. What’s more, exclusively for the launch of the site, the brand has decided to present the TUC bag online, the extraordinary it bag that comes in a variety of materials and colors:

To launch the new Trussardi.com, Chef Andrea Berton of Ristorante Trussardi Alla Scala and designer Umit Benan Sahin have prepared an unusual and fun Christmas gift for the website. 

The new Trussardi.com website will present accessories and all the special products of the brand. Starting in this month with the Spring/Summer 2012 season, you will have the chance to see the Trussardi fashion collections. Plus, you can buy items directly from the images of the women’s and men’s runway shows. 

For now Trussardi.com is available in 47 countries around the world and in three languages: Italian, English, and Japanese. Check it out! And forget not the brand has a quite interesting art foundation, Fondazione Nicola Trussardi:

[agirlinhongkong]

Baxter of California, beauty for men!

As seen by AGIHK browsing Colette: here you find the story of an exceptional beauty brand. Men’s innovative and vintage looking skincare products. Also find out why your boyfriend should not steel your hydrating cream (besides the fact it costed you a fortune)!  

Finley is the unsung father of the modern men’s skincare industry. Moving from New York City to Los Angeles to work in the fast paced world of advertising in the mid 1960’s Finley realized the constant heat and sun was doing a rough number on his skin. After searching high and low for a moisturizer that wasn’t pink or floral, he finally gave up and created his own, which he called Super Shape. The first line of grooming products created just for men, which he named Baxter of California, was launched from his Beverly Hills headquarters in 1965.

  With the massive success of Super Shape, Baxter began churning out more men’s products including Skin Toner for Men, Enriched Night Cream for Men, Under Eye Concentrate for Men, a vitamin enriched soap and a soothing shaving cream. By the 1970’s every Hollywood hotshot was slapping their mugs withBaxter’s bounty. This was the line for the ultimate playboy.

By the year 2000 Baxter Finley was ready to live that playboy life he promoted for so long and rang up a family friend, Jean-Pierre Mastey, to take over the reigns. JP grew up next door to Baxter and became an entrepreneur sourcing trends and fashion items for the Japanese market. Being an LA tastemaker, he was the key to bringing the brand into the future.

Today Baxter of California��has a new look and feel but also a fascinating charme, the type of products you want to leave next to the sink and not hide and the closet. And here is the answer of JP to a question everybody asks!

How does men’s skin differ from that of women?

Not only is men’s skin thicker, but it also tends to be oilier. This extra lubrication is essential for beard growth and helps to counterbalance the ravages of time, protecting the skin and acting as a natural wrinkle-reducer. Despite the benefits, having excess skin oil does have a downside: When the oil combines with dirt and dead cells, it can clog the pores and cause skin breakouts.

Enjoy and shop BoC here: http://www.baxterofcalifornia.com/cart.phphttp://www.baxterofcalifornia.com/cart.php As usual you can contact AGIHK atagirlinhongkong@gmail.com and ask her more more more!

[agirlinhongkong]

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Industrial Design is a serious matter for those two. Ronan Bouroullec (born 1971) and Erwan Bouroullec (born 1976) have been working together for about ten years now. Their collaboration is a permanent dialogue nourished by their distinct personalities and a shared notion of diligence.  

Image by blog.snow.com, The Cloud

In 1997, they presented their “Disintegrated Kitchen” at the Salon du Meuble in Paris and were spotted by Giulio Cappellini, who gave them their first industrial design projects, while in 2000 Issey Miyake asked them to design a space for his new collection of A-Poc clothes in Paris. 

Then, the decisive meeting with chairman of Vitra Rolf Fehlbaum occurred which resulted in their conception of a new kind of office system, Joyn, in 2002. This was the beginning of a special partnership, which has borne fruit in numerous projects. Since 2004, the Bouroullecs have also been working with Magis, then for Alessi and many others. Their approach is fresh and uber special. 

Today, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec design for numerous manufacturers, namely Vitra, Kvadrat, Magis, Kartell, Established and Sons, Ligne Roset, Axor, Alessi, Issey Miyake, Cappellini, Mattiazzi and more recently Flos and Mutina. At the same time, they maintain an experimental activity, which is essential to the development of their work at Galerie kreo, Paris, where four exhibitions of their designs have been held between 2001 and 2010. They also embark on occasional architectural projects. 

Several exhibitions have been devoted to their work and they won many prizes, the Centre Pompidou Metz is currently hosting Bivouac, a monographic exhibition from October 5th until the summer 2012.

Two monographs books have been published about the design of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec: Ronan et Erwan Bouroullec – Catalogue de Raison (Paris: Images Modernes / Kreo, 2002) and Ronan et Erwan Bouroullec, (Paris: Phaidon, 2003). Download the ipad application or... go to Paris to see the exhibit!

[agirlinhongkong]

Time to give. Perfect Gifts.

AGIHK decided she will post 2 lists: the first one will be those of 10 things you want to make sure you GIVE to those you love. Or you don't love but you have to get presents for them anyway.

The second list will be things you need to ensure you GET. Let's get this started. 

1. Tasteless chips. Zero calories, edible paper, so cool. Almost nutritionless.

 http://www.hafsteinnjuliusson.com/slim-chips/

2. Books need to rest, they contain all those informations, and you keep folding them, opening them... Book rest lamp is what everybody is missing.

  http://www.amazon.com/Suck-UK-Book-Rest-Lamp/dp/B0047QOSHO 

3. The recipe project. A delectable extravaganza of food and music. If you cannot really understand what it is even better - it makes it chic + it is sold at Colette.

www.colette.fr

4. Some like it hot. Melodic Kettle is an historical piece by Alessi. Italian, looks good in a loft, in a cozy home and so on.

http://www.design-conscious.co.uk/mall/designconscious/products/product-72776.stm

5. If it is a girl she'll love you forever if you get her a shearling lined trapper hat by Karl Donoghue... Gifts have to be exceptional not something to wear everyday or get her a blue sweater from Zara.

http://www.lanecrawford.com/product/karl-donoghue/shearling-lined-lambskin-trapper-hat/_/lyh017/product.lc

6. Yes, buy a piece of art. Online.

 http://alexandrabellissimo.com/

7. A professional set of markers, we all need this.

http://www.colette.fr/#/eshop/article/30855649/stylefile-set-of-48-markers/56/

8.  A biolifting restoring mask. Your friend will be grateful, nobody looks good after a Christmas Party.

http://www.colette.fr/#/eshop/article/30840598/m-e-skinlab-bio-lifting-cell-restoring-mask/212/

9. A dream box. To store dreams, pictures and letters. Limited edition AND custom made: Soul Factory by Giovanni Alessi Anghini.

   http://www.gaadesign.net/work/limited-edition/soul-factory/

10. La grande Dame by Veuve Clicquot - but this is tricky, will your fried toast with you or somedoby else? Hah.

   http://www.veuve-clicquot.com/en/selection/la-grande-dame

  Pictures courtesy of the world wide web, the rest of the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

[agirlinhongkong]

The Whispered by Fendi, an Italian Grand Tour

The Whispered Directory of Craftsmanship, A Contemporary Guide to the Italian Handmaking Ability Vol. 1, is what started everything. This guide about italian craftsmanship, made of tradition, patience and hand-made stories was produced by Fendi.

      It soon became a matter of a trip, inside italian craftsmanship and it is certainly not a case that Silvia Venturini Fendi reinterpreted this Italian Grand Tour by designing The Special Edition Maserati GranCabrio Fendi.

  The Whispered is now a lot of things: luggage and accessories... a book (volume 2)... a road movie... a song... a website... a lifestyle... it is  The Italian Grand Tour.

      If you are planning a trip to Italy you should definetely check out the directory and make sure you shop and visit those ateliers: HERE.

      The Roadmovie came from the wish of discovering italian laboratories and all the small companies that were illustrated in the fist volume of The Whispered Directory, published in 2010, and in the second one.

Traveling with the Maserati GranCabrio Fendi with a special soundtrack and keeping a photographic diary - this became a 360 degrees communication project.

  To discover it all, check out www.thewhispered.it, pictures, extras and videos, music will make it all very clear.

    Pictures courtesy of the world wide web, the rest of the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

[agirlinhongkong]

Meet model and DJ, Eve Speciall + learn how to look like her

AGIHK met with Eve Speciall in Hong Kong: she has seen her blond head and long legs walking around at openings and events. As a woman, girl or female - whatever you prefer - the first thing you think is “Why exactly don’t I look like her?” let’s try to find out = meet dj and model Eve Speciall.

        EVE, HOW DID YOU BECOME A MODEL?

I was living in Tokyo working with Disneyland and my mates encouraged me to visit a model agency. When i returned to Australia in 2008 I ended up signing with the first one i walked into in Sydney, Vivien's.

  SINCE HOW LONG DO YOU LIVE IN HONG KONG?

Since february this year... it was meant to be just a 2 month contract but i just ended up staying!

        WOULD YOU TELL AGIHK YOUR FAVOURITE BAR, RESTAURANT AND CAFE?

My favourite bar/club is Fly in Lan Kwai Fong because their cocktails are made with seasonal ingredients and their music direction is really fun. Favourite restaurant is Tokyo Joes for great fish and favourite cafe is Brunch Club in soho for relaxing with a plate of eggs and spinach and all the fashion/lifestyle/gossip magazines a girl could desire!

  YOUR PLANS FOR 2012:

First up: 2 weeks skiing in Whistler, Canada. Then I'm so excited about plans to head to Germany for modeling work early in the year, also hoping to spend time in London. With DJing, the plan is to start touring around asia and support the big DJ's coming into Hong Kong from Europe and the States.

        I KNOW EVERYBODY ASKS YOU, BUT ANY DIET/ WORKOUT SECRET YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH AGIHK?

I'm a terrible person to ask because i plan my meals around dessert... Dessert is the first thing i look for on the menu! The past couple of years i realised my body responds better to small regular meals without restricting any foods. After reading The 4 Hour Body, i tried incorporating more protein into my diet through beans, eggs and turkey. A sneaky trick is to have a glass of grapefruit juice before your coffee. It doubles the lenght of the caffeine's affect on your body and near flatlines your blood-glucose before a carby meal. My boyfriend used to compete in Muay Thai so he got me involved in evening classes for all over toning and cardio. It's high impact and great stress relief!

  IF YOU WERE A BUILDING YOU WOULD BE...

The entertainment building in HK. It is beautiful for one, secondly because of its special design it will always have great city views.

        YOUR FAVOURITE BAG AND WHY:

I always have heaps of heavy 'stuff' to carry around, during the day it's my modeling portfolio and spare heels, and laptop and headphones for Djing at night. So I'm a backpack girl through and through... I love the ones from The Row and Balenciaga. Saving up! 

  WOUR FAVOURITE SHOES AND WHY:

Favourite that i own: my Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony big black boots... so 90's, so chunky, they make me feel powerful. I'm also feenin' for some Minna Parikka 'Melt' heels.

  A SECRET GETAWAY TO RELAX IN ASIA:

Borocay in the Philippines... just 4 hours from HK it's tropical beach-getaway bliss and really affordable. Or Taipei, just an hour flight away for great shopping at Zhongxgiao E (and cheaper than Tokyo)! 

        In the pictures: vintage lee denim vest and Alexander Wang shorts in seated shot. Insight denim vest in dj shot. All katie judith in sunglasses shot.

Pictures courtesy of Eve, the rest of the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

[agirlinhongkong]

Roy Lichtenstein at Gagosian Hong Kong

Hard to find somebody who has never came across one of Roy Lichtenstein’s paintings, in a magazine, at the supermarket, on tv... Born in New York, in an upper mid-level class environment, his work defined the basic premise of pop art, and he defined it as: “not American painting but actually industrial painting”. His most famous pieces are inspired by both popular advertising and comic strips. But that you all know and you all have seen.

       Now Gagosian Hong Kong is now showing art amateurs an unexpected side of this painter, from Saturday 12th November until December 22nd 2011 you can enjoy ‘Landscapes in the Chinese Style’.

  Roy Lichtenstein said: “I think the Chinese Landscapes impress people with having somewhat the same kind of mystery Chinese paintings have, but in my mind it’s a sort of pseudo-contemplative or mechanical subtlety… I’m not seriously doing a kind of Zen-like salute to the beauty of nature. It’s really supposed to look like a printed version”. 

     LICHTENSTEIN 1997 Landscape with Scholar's Rock 

Although Roy will always be synonymous with Pop Art, he continued to make inventive new work for almost three decades beyond 1960s, he constantly mined antecedent imagery and took inspiration from a diverse array of sources. Seizing on traditional Chinese painting, in particular from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), Lichtenstein garnered inspiration on how to craft the delicate, ethereal atmosphere so implicit to Landscapes in the Chinese Style from the monochromatic prints of Edgar Degas featured in a 1994 exhibition at the Met Museum in New York.

      LICHTENSTEIN 1996 Flower with Bamboo 

Roy re-interpreted the traditional scenes and motifs using his own established methods and materials. Carefully stylized, those paintings are formed with simulated Benday dots and block contours, rendered in hard, vivid color, with all traces on the hand removed. Consistent with his entire oeuvre, Landscapes in the Chinese Style play with American stereotypes and clichés by incorporating the elements of Asian culture most familiar to Western viewers – a crooked bonsai tree in Landscape with Fog 919960, a pointed coolie hat in landscape with Boats (1995).

    So if you are in Hong Kong, go to floor 7th of Pedder Building, and enjoy!

  Pictures courtesy of Gagosian Hong Kong, the rest of the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

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Melissa Shoes. Plastic Dreams.

 Plastic shoes. Amazing design. AGIHK tried on some Melissa shoes to have a little tour and see how it felt. Those were actually not AGIHK’s first pair - she used to have one she managed to destroy after years of biking to university under the Florence rain. They looked like that [below] and she misses them a whole lot!

  Buy it HERE.

    The website of the brand is quite confusing: blogs, magazine, academy, microsites and no history of the brand really… But if you do your homework you find out that Melissa is a pioneer brand and a beacon to fashion when it comes to the designing of shoes. Hence it has always pursued the new. Even in the very beginning, in 1979, when it was released in Brazil. That was when the Grendene brothers decided to shift their packaging industry towards fashion. And they DID! From Gaetano Pesce through Vivienne Westwood, Melissa seeks for inspiration in art, architecture, Asia, paintings and industrial design, if you look at the style designed by the Campana Brothers.

         Buy it HERE.

    For example now they are working on the concept of “Time” and is the most abstract subject Melissa has ever worked with. And the creation and marketing teams accepted the challenge exactly because of the strength and truth of its meaning. Fashion and design help to define, contextualize, and explain the times we live in. Since the 90’s, for example, stylists have remixed and reedited silhouettes and forms of the twentieth century (which was then called revivalism), but using current materials, thanks to technology. The same is true for design. And, therefore, for Melissa. What time is it for Melissa? Every time is time for Melissa.

        But all the names of the collections are to enjoy:  Melissa Wanting,  Melissa Dreaming, Melissa Fealing, Melissa Kissing… From flats to heels to alien's style. For an acceptable price, finally. You can download Melissa's magazine on their site - to read about Vivienne Westwood etc. etc. Enjoy shopping at Polyvore! 

material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

[agirlinhongkong]

VERSACE AND H&M CELEBRATE WITH A RUNWAY SHOW IN NEW YORK

This is what everybody is talking about these days, like you cannot escape from it. So AGIHK gives up – meaning she went, she saw and here’s all you need to know to stand firm during your Saturday night drinks with the girls.

      Here is what happened: Uma Thurman, Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Hudson and Selma Blair were among the guests who joined Donatella Versace and H&M to celebrate the launch of Versace for H&M in New York.

    Donatella e Allegra Versace at Versace for H&M launch party in NY. 

    In a specially designed building on the Hudson River, Versace’s collection for H&M was shown on the catwalk, alongside some special iconic pieces created just for this exclusive runway show featuring top models such as Abbey Lee, Daphne G, Natasha Poly, Sean O’pry and Lindsay Wixson. 

  Blake Lively at Versace for H&M launch party in NY. 

  The show was followed by an after party which featured exclusive performances by Donatella Versace’s special guests, Prince and Nicki Minaj.

   Niki Minaj at Versace for H&M launch party in NY. 

    Versace for H&M collection goes on sale at around 300 stores worldwide and online on November 17. Here are some pictures of the items you’ll queue to buy, the collection really is quite hip and fresh – and because everybody ends up going to H&M at least once in a lifetime, that is something worth getting. Unless you can afford original Lanvin ready to wear, Bay & Fyfe silks and Dilan Walpola jewellery of course.

    A sparkling Donatella Versace said: “It was the perfect evening, so glamorous and special. I loved celebrating the launch of Versace for H&M here in New York, an iconic city in which to showcase this iconic collection. Now I cannot wait for it to finally reach stores and be available to the world”. With her many other guests confessed their love for both brands etc.etc. 

  Pictures courtesy of H&M, the rest of the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

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Dilan Walpola, sculpture or jewelry? And.

AGIHK discovered Dilan Walpola - who produces pieces that are sculptures, jewelry and art. He is the son of two artists: his mother's a painter, and his father a graphic designer. Born and raised in Texas. So he told AGIHK: “From the time I was a small child I was encouraged to paint and draw, attended an art-based high school, and then moved to New York City to attend the Copper Union for Architecture. In January 2010 I was kicked out of of the Cooper Union and was homeless for 8 months. Then things started falling together and now I'm here”. Seems interesting enough to read the full interview?

      HOW DID YOU BECOME A JEWELRY DESIGNER?

Honestly, I started making jewelry as an experiment to stabilize my life creatively and financially during a time when I was homeless in New York City. But I always had a fascination with jewelry and this point in my life gave me the excuse to do so.

      YOUR PIECES OF JEWELRY IN 10 ADJECTIVES:

Precious, Scientific, Earthy, Imperfect, Thoughtful, Audacious, Organic, Transitory, Imaginary, Available.

  PICK A PIECE AND TELL ITS STORY TO AGIHK:

Single earring necklace – Having studied architecture at the Cooper Union, I was inspired by the catenary curve. The catenary is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes when supported at its ends and acted on only by its own weight. The idea of a chain that is formed by no living thing and only the presence of gravity were the first steps in creating the single earring necklace. 

      WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATIONS FROM?

This collection was inspired by the natural world and the attempt to bridge jewelry and art.

  WHERE CAN WE BUY YOUR PIECES? 

You can buy all my pieces at my Etsy store.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/DilanWalpola

      A MOVIE EVERYONE SHOULD SEE?

Fear of Fear by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

  ASK YOURSELF A QUESTION AND ANSWER IT!

When is your next collection coming out?

I am having a presentation for fall 2012 during New York Fashion Week in spring 2012. 

      Pictures courtesy of DW, the rest of the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

[agirlinhongkong]

(UNTITLED) L’EAU by MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA

Not all fragrances are the same, and many times when reading about new releases it seems really complicated to capture the essence of a smell. Adjectives are rich, words are complicated, juxtaposition confusing. So how do you pick a perfume by reading about it? AGIHK will try to make you discover one fragrance she really enjoyed smelling.

      First of all AGIHK smelled it because of the brand: Maison martin Margiela. As it reads on the press release: “In a break with the spirit of the time, the designer of Maison Martin Margiela concealed himself behind a collective name in order to give prominence to the work of the group. He reinforced this gesture by claiming anonymity, both as a reaction to the status of “star designer” and through a desire to focus on the garment. No published photographs”. This if you know the fashion world is already SOMETHING.

  Second SOMETHING: the sovereign power of the logo is also torpedoed. 

      So how is Untitled L’Eau from Maison Martin Margiela?

Fresh, crisp, green, to wear with a white shirt, sparkling- you can smell it at lunch time and still enjoy it. Sicilian mandarin and lemon, mint. Burst of citrus zests, unisex and yet sexy. Infact the intention behind line 3, which will include all house fragrances, is to completely transcend the standard offering and current trends on the market.

      "For us, it was an obvious choice. (untitled) l’eau proceeded naturally from (untitled), the first house perfume. I concentrated on refreshing coolness, allowing nothing to detract from its intensity. I simply took the existing fragrance and drenched it in green and citrus notes, making it even more invigorating, light and airy while adding an element of mystery," remarks the perfumer Daniela Andrier.

  You will like it and you should try it – also to finally wear a fragrance that not everybody knows. Be the first to do something.

  Pictures courtesy of MMM, the rest of the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

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One good news: and one bad! You'll love this.

Which one do you want to hear first? AGIHK suggests we start with the bad news, but no worries, you’ll love what is coming up.

  So BAD NEWS: One in eight people in our world don’t have access to the most basic of human needs. Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren't strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses.

     90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are of children under five years old. Many of these diseases are preventable. The UN predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation.

    GOOD NEWS!  charity: water is a non-profit bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. In almost three years, they've funded nearly 4,000 water projects in 19 developing countries. When complete, these projects will provide clean, safe drinking water for more than 1.9 million people. From deep drilled wells to water filtration systems.

  Give up your birthday, start a stand of lemonade, do a garage sale, sing for your friends, give up stupid red roses, give your lover a gift so big that it cannot be wrapped, run a marathon, grow a beard… Here: www.charitywater.org (they also prove every completed project using photos and GPS coordinates in Google Maps. See completed water projects and the communities they serve here > http://www.charitywater.org/projects/map/).

    Some days we go shopping, some days we do something more important – and that surprisingly – makes us, and somebody else, happier.

    Pictures courtesy of Charity Water, the rest of the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

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Bay and Fyfe. Get a liquid silk best friend.

 AGIHK hates Zara, oh well - she shops there as well but what is really the point of dressing like robots? What is the content of these clothes, where is the story? So she is browsing the web and she finds scarves that are printed with art from Daimon Downey and that are more than 1 meter x 1 meter, all limited editions. Read Frith Hucks interview about Bay and Fyfe and then pick your new liquid silk best friend. 

      FRITH, HOW WAS BAY & FYFE BORN AND WHEN? It began as a wee idea I conjured up at my parent’s beach house in New Zealand during the Christmas holidays. I’m an avid amateur art collector and my mum had given me Dick Fizzell’s biography. The last couple of chapters were devoted to his art collaborations and how he’s extending his art into other areas of design and interiors. I’d just bought a new piece of art from Australian artist – Daimon Downey, and could see the potential in his work.

  By the end of my holiday I’d cooked up an idea to try and use my commercial know how with talented artists and creative peeps, to see if we could collaborate together and make beautiful things.

  With an idea in the bag I went all guns blazing to make it happen…. and Bay & Fyfe was born, and our first collaboration is about to be launched.

  Amazing what a bit of salt air can do!

    HOW DOES A SCARF COME TO LIFE?

It starts with the art. I have to be able to visualize the art on fabric and see in my mind how the art will blend with the drape and textures of the fabric.

  The artist I’m currently collaborating with – Daimon Downey – has an impressive talent for mixed media art and off beat colour palettes. The minute I saw his work, I could see it draped around my neck.

  For our first collection together, we selected a handful of his works from his recent exhibition - entitled Pastel Zoo – and I created colour palettes and style ideas from things I’ve collected over the years. A scarf from a fleet market in Zurich, a crazy nail polish colour, it all gets thrown in the mix. Daimon likens it to doing a school project, which is pretty true, given I’ve got no formal design training and sticky tape and magazine cut outs are my best friend.

  The tricky part comes when I have to try and make what’s in my head a reality. It’s all well and good conjuring up these beautiful pieces of wearable art in my mind, but someone has to source the fabrics that give me the right drape and make it possible.

  I have a wonderful production team, based here in Sydney. They get what I’m trying to do - that Hermes quality, a scarf that you’ll love and wear forever.

HOW DO YOU SELECT THE ARTISTS/DESIGNERS TO COLLABORATE WITH?

On instinct really. 

  ANYBODY FROM THE PRESENT OR THE PAST CAN WEAR YOUR PRODUCT, WHO DO YOU CHOSE AND WHY?

From the present it would have to be Dame Vivienne Westwood because I’ve always loved her design style.  She rocks.

  Then from the present it would be Jackie Kennedy Onassis. She just oozed style and sophistication. I’d love to think there was a little bit of Jackie O style in what we create. YOUR VISUAL INSPIRATIONS: That’s a tough one, because I get visual inspiration from so many things. I guess the biggest component of what inspires me is colour. I’m a big colour person. I get excited about great colours – especially off-beat combinations.

  CAN WE BUY YOUR SCARVES ONLINE?

Yes!  We also have a Bay & Fyfe Facebook page and we’d love anyone who buys a scarf from us, to post a picture and show us how they’re wearing it. http://www.bayandfyfe.com/index.php

    WHAT IS NEXT FOR BAY AND FYFE?

The collaborations we do are long-term artistic partnerships.

  We’ve got two new scarf collections planned with Daimon Downey – another silk series and a unisex collection of silk cashmere scarves. We’re also about to start designing some stunning furniture pieces with Daimon.

  You’ll also see a new artists come onboard in the New Year. There are some really talented people out there who will hopefully jump on board and be part of the Bay & Fyfe collective. 

      Pictures courtesy of Bay & Fyfe, while all the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

[agirlinhongkong]

No fashion, please! An exhibit @ Wien's Kunsthalle

From November 10th until January 22nd, take a sneak peak of winter in Wien. And enjoy a curious exhibit.Why? Consider the tile: “No fashion, please!” and then consider participating artist Bruce Weber - who this year worked for more fashion brands than Coco Rocha. See why it’s worth visiting.

   Alex Prager.

  The show No fashion,please! offers a survey of the international contemporary photography scene: comprising nineteen solo presentations, the exhibition centers on works that thematize the fundamental relationship between the body and clothing and directly or indirectly explore the diverging strategies of fashion photography.

  The anthological show deliberately distances itself from the applied art character of traditional functional fashion photography and, instead, examines the dreams concerned with a changing aesthetic of the body and its ideals within the last two decades. 

   Sandra Mann.

  Numerous contributions such as those by Jeff Bark, Steven Cohen/Marianne Greber, Luigi & Luca, or Sophia Wallace relate to the dialectics between the form of the body and its appearance as well as the effects of its transformation independent of the conventions associated with clothes. Borders to other disciplines are crossed in both daring and reckless experiments.

  The media strategies employed are manifold and span from staged photographic images, projections, and performances to body sculptures, video and film works. 

   Viviane Sassen.

  Participating artists: Chan-Hyo Bae, Tracey Baran, Jeff Bark, Leigh Bowery/Fergus Greer, Steven Cohen/Marianne Greber, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Matthias Herrmann, Lea Golda Holterman, Izima Kaoru, Luigi & Luca, Sandra Mann, Martin & The evil eyes of Nur, Brigitte Niedermair, Erwin Olaf, Alex Prager, Hanna Putz, Viviane Sassen, Sophia Wallace, Bruce Weber.

  Pictures courtesy of the artist and Kunsthalle Wien, while all the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com

[agirlinhongkong]

Gerhard Richter: Panorama at Tate Modern, London

Spanning nearly five decades, and coinciding with the artist’s 80th birthday, Gerhard Richter: Panorama is a major retrospective exhibition that groups together significant moments of his remarkable career at Tate Modern - London.

Since the 1960s, Gerhard Richter has immersed himself in a rich and varied exploration of painting. Gerhard Richter: Panorama highlights the full extent of the artist's work, which has encompassed a diverse range of techniques and ideas. 

  Tate Modern's curator says: "For Baudelaire Manet was the painter of modern life, for me Richter is the painter of modern life. [...] A difficult figure to grasp... This is an artist who never fails to surprise you, it would astonish me if people who come to this exhibition don't find something that touches them very deeply". Gerhard Richter was one of the first German artists to reflect on the history of National Socialism, creating paintings of family members who had been members, as well as victims of, the Nazi party. 

Continuing his historical interest, he produced the 15-part work October 18 1977 1988, a sequence of black and white paintings based on images of the Baader Meinhof group. Richter has continued to respond to significant moments in history throughout his career; the final room of the exhibition includes September 2005, a painting of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001.

The exhibit includes realist paintings based on photographs, colorful gestural abstractions such as the squeegee paintings, portraits, subtle landscapes and history paintings. http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/ Until 8th January 2010 Tate Modern, London.

Pictures above ARE protected by copyright and do not belong to me, while all the material belongs to ©Agirlinhonghong.blogspot.com