my brush with greatness
hi all! how’s your holiday weekend going? i hope you’re still playing until at tomorrow in celebration of another year’s hard work! it started as a dreary rainy day here but my clients and i braved the drizzle and hit the fleas first thing in the am. as usual we were rewarded with incroyable finds all day long. i guess my favorite was this original pen and ink drawing that was a fresh and chic as the day it was penned. (above and below). i couldn’t take my eyes off the detail and for only 20 euros it was a steal. one of my clients fell in love with it so of course, clients first! she ended up taking it home.
but first i did take a photo of it and when i got home googled the artist, rene vincent. turns out he was very active in paris in the 20s and drew ads for everything from cars to furniture that really captured slices of life at the time. i spent the past hour looking at his works and hope you enjoy them as much as i did. i’ll never have the the original (unless she wills it to me :) but if you click on the pics above you’ll see the remarkable and exacting detail of his work. it seems he was never really more than an ad man but to me he’s a true artiste! i guess that’s the beauty of the paris fleas, they’re a museum where you can take home priceless works of original art if you sift through papers and boxes. you just never know what you’ll find. digging is key!
i got a little obsessed with his work for a furniture store called au bucheron on rue de rivoli. his illustrations show a slice of life in a golden age. as a furniture lover it’s fun to see the many ways he depicts the pieces in everyday ways.
the artist in her studio
the happy couple shopping for the maison
an avant garde daybed
le armoire
le mirror
chic fabric
taking the dog for a promenade
is she reading madame’s diary?
the perfect place to pose
le shopping
packing for le voyage
at her husband’s office
help with the holiday meals
le foyer
the red heels, tres moderne
turns out he was best known for his car ads
and this we’ve all seen. kind of amazing he’s not more well known. at least not to me.
women were just getting their feet wet with a new independence, racing cars, changing tires…
ok yes, i romanticize the 20s but it was such a delicate and pretty time, despite all the bad times. but i guess that wasn’t till ’29 actually. well enough for tonight! the market is open again tomorrow and this time i hope to get something special for my collection. oh and i saw some things for you too and will have a fabulous giveaway tomorrow. see you then. sweet dreams and have a great day off!
stuck in a groove
hi guys, how’s la vie? j’espère c’est en rose! it’s already the weekend and there’s a lot going on around here. it’s time to decide about taking the store. turns out it wasn’t very hard to get and is a great opportunity. of course i hear the negative and lots of people are telling me not to do it. yes, it’s one more responsibility but the truth is that having a store type of place is something i’ve always enjoyed cause it can be a warehouse, showroom, office and workspace. i’m going in on it with a girlfriend who sews so that will be fun. plus i can do what i love which is travel and shop, restore and display. working on the web has been great for a few years and i don’t knock it, but i do love being around pieces that speak and transforming them with paint or upholstery.
bookforum.com sylvia beach and james joyce 1925
i started looking up shops that are legendary, and of course, shakespeare and co. in paris came up with this image of sylvia beach and james joyce so i’m tying the store into my post today which once again focuses on what i can’t get enough of right now, the great minds of the 1920s. hope you don’t mind another indulgence in this infinite era. i spent way too much time surfing just now but i liked it and hey, isn’t that why we blog?
i stumbled on to way too much but loved every minute of what i could save.
gartersandlace.tumblr.com bernice abbott by man ray 1921
reading up on so many great lives
centroduncan.it isadora duncan
writers, dancers, actresses
can you believe this shot above is actually two well known women of the 20s, dunja barnes and solita solano?
i was looking for stores that were memorable (above was madeleine castaing’s and is now laudree).
photo by sollis.se/2010/11/there-is-always-beauty-in-mystery
via topsyturvystyle.com madeleine-castaing
i started looking into madeline and one thing led to another. so many amazing designers were cutting the edges at the time! i love the mirrored pieces of course, and the chevrons, the bold patterns and stripes.
Cecil Beaton’s sister, Baba in syrie maugham’s ‘party room’.
claystephens.wordpress.com glamour-syrie-maugham-all-white-rooms
lilmisscatterbrain.blogspot.com elsie-de-wolfe
stirredstraightup.blogspot.com rose cummings
ana-lee.livejournal.com gertrude lawrence
well, that’s enough from me today, i have to stop or i won’t ever work. or play! have a great day et nuit!
a modern past
vargas on flickr.com
Renée Perle by Jacques Henri Lartigue
bonjour mes amis, i hope you’re having a fabu sunday. it’s pretty great around here cause it’s officially a day off! we’ve already been for a stroll, swim and shower, made brunch at home and have the rest of the day to play! funny that for the first itme in a long while my choice of activities is the computer. i’d been avoiding it like the plage for the past few weeks. after working full days i couldn’t even take the light of it by night.
jean henri lartigue
but with things finally straightening out, it feels a lot lighter and my little silver box can be used for fun again, not just the grind. whew! so today’s new and fresh but my obsession with the 20s for the past few days continues. since i’m not one to censor myself, i’m just letting it free flow, saving and posting pics i hadn’t seem before from a time that still intrigues me.
is it the glamour, the sleek and modern look that still seems so new?
it’s funny cause you can really see a shift from the teens and early 20s into what we see from ’25 on.
JacquesHenri-Lartigue bibi and dani in nice
bibi in cannes
changes in dress, attitude, a defiance of society and convention.
josephine baker
i’m really getting into the subtleties of the decade. i love how you can see changes year by year just by the silhouette.
i
i love to go back in time thru ads. this one from louis vuitton shows the way we traveled.
it was so all about the well dressed woman.
the era seems surreal but somehow the ads for hermes and chanel, et al, make it more tangible. people really did life this elegant and cutting edge life we romanticize. (or i do).
chanel 1929
details de la mode Henry_Fournier_1928
ways to tie scarves
Sonia Delaunay patternpulp.com
and the people were real. it’s so easy to create a caricature of the era with flapper costumes and dances.
but these were muses who ran paris and the planet!
it’s still just the surface but it was fun to dig a little deeper into some of the legends that are still household names today.
i
but who i know so little about!
i have to admit i had no idea kiki posed for man ray.
well that’s my lil’ indulgence for today. it’s a lot later than when i started and we have a party to get to.
hope you have a summery sunday night and enjoy whatever you’re up to!
something new everyday
hi guys, happy saturday nuit~
i’m not sure where this top painting came from, do you know it? i’m the worst at saving hyperkinks!
i have guests so i’m only here for a sec, but wanted to post some of the art i stumbled on and saved to my desktop while i could still make sense of it. actually there is no sense to it, it’s just a random smattering of the tip of the iceberg that is the 1920s.
fxreflects.blogspot.com/2011/06/kees-van-dongen-musee-de-lart-moderne.html
ever since seeing midnight in paris, i’ve been thinking about who i’d like to run into from the 20s. (other than josephine baker and chanel). but looking into it i’m blown away by how many designers, illustrators and artists i don’t know.
lartigue
dart.fine-art.com louis icart
i love the way women were portrayed as such playful minxes!
ok i’m off to entertain, have fun tonite!
it was a very good year
hello my loves and happy friday! it’s been a long and grueling week but that was then and this is now. it’s hard to believe that the summer is in full swing and i hope you’re having a great one. i’m already planning my trip to paris in september for the maison et objet and have been doing a little research on trade shows of the past.
these images came up when i searched the 1925 ‘exposition internationale des arts decoratifs et industriels modernes’. turns out it was the show that coined the term ‘art deco’ in the 60′s and was probably the greatest showcase of new ideas in design of all time.
International_Exposition_of_Modern_Industrial_and_Decorative_Arts
last night i saved a bunch of links and tonite can’t seem to find them but some of these great decorators and designers had pavilions from all over the world just like the do at the m&o!
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some of the greats were Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Le Corbusier, and René Lalique, just to name a few. their designs are still as strong and au current today as they were at the unveiling.
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it sure is a trip in time to even skim the surface of the event (which by the by went from april to october, talk about an exhausting show)!
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it took place in 1925 at a time that seems surreal now with just how much magic and creativity was floating around.
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i’m sorry i lost the links but the photos have their original titles if you right click and want to google them.
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anyway i hope you enjoy the show as much as i do, i’ll try to dig a little deeper and get more of the exhibits.
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with everyone from france to spain to russia showcasing their goods it must have been a true world’s fair.
well we have the maison et objet! have you been or are you going? it’s pretty fab too, and it’s ours! have a great weekend!
no end to the trend
allo darling friends, ça va? i hope your week is winding down and you’re gearing up for a great weekend doing wHaTeVeR it is you want to do!
i’m tying up loose ends before the architectural digest show which is in less than two weeks. i’m mainly showing our lucite collection and by day have been getting the grunt work done. at night i’ve been turning if off when i’m here just to shake my brain up a bit. but when the editor at large did an article on lucite’s 75th anniversary, i got reinvigorated and hit google.
of course in this day and age you can’t get too far without uncovering something beyond expectation. i found this photo of helena rubenstein in her lucite bed, holding court in the 30s as if she’ was madame de rambouillet. and all around her everyone is sitting on lucite chairs. mme helena was a trendsetter who loved the invisible and playful furniture that was being created with the new, modern, crystal clear and versatile acrylic. how is it that lucite still has a fresh new feel and even seems trendy at 75?
helena was such a diva. she had a set of these chairs scattered throughout her apartment. katie holmes used one in her glam shoot and it’s as fierce today as it ever was. i guess lucite has a futuristic quality makes it seem timeless.
today, we make them to order, without the etching. (below).
thepeakofchic.blogspot.com amy fine collins’ apartment
but helena’s bed, egads, that bed is bordering on obscene but has become a legend!
in fact it’s the centerpiece of 1st dibs’ brand new showroom new york city! (below)
the way they staged it is so depressing it looks like a funeral home. they did NOT do it justice in my opinion. ug. i can barely look at it.
anyway i came across all sorts of fun old ephemera which is like finding treasure maps.
twolia.com/blogs/heres-looking-like-you-kid/category/jayne-mansfield
i love the envelope, it’s a great way to store all those love letters and postcards from the paris flea markets.
flickr.com/photos/sugarcubevintage/5389687502/sizes/z/in/photostream
and it’s fun to wear
gonefunky.com/product/vintage-lucite-shoe-scarf-clip-gold-confetti-retro-button-lapel-dress
no one is immune from this invisible trend, even dogs have lucite beds
gucci-lined at that
and it makes a pretty good desk
thefrencheye.blogspot.com/2010/03/clear-lucite.html
madonna!
there is truly no end to this ingenious material.
(lamp base)
porterandplunk.bondandbowery.com
and by the by, it holds its value. if you see one of these ice buckets while you’re out thrifting, nab it. check out the ransom they can fetch at the link above. i found two in palm beach just last week and should have grabbed em!
i’m a sucker for these tacky little makeup caddies from the 40s. when i found the magazine that showed the crafty guy how to make them i just about melted.
morninggloryantiques.com/JewelChatCarving.html
anyway all this makes what i’ve been doing the past couple days a little more fun cause i have some new layers to think about. i’ve been working on making sure the website is tight, adding new products, creating sample boards and having all the pieces upholstered.
here’s a sneak peek at the new bath line. below is our faceted towel bar. it’s chunky with sparkly edges and is like a big jewel.
well, i could ponder the lucite phenomenon all night but whatever the reason, clearly, it’s here to stay.
i think it’s time to decompress for the day so i’m tuning out and turning in. have a great night!
you know how i am
allo all! how’s your weekend going? liz came by early and we hit the flea before brunch. so many artists and collectors bring their goodies to miami beach and even though it’s small, it packs a punch. i’m still fascinated by the collections that show up. it’s such a direct link to the past and a veritable anthropological study on how the ultimate divas dressed, danced and dined.
we met alexandra hunt who’s taking old vintage jewels like pins and refurbishing them onto leather cuffs and xl cocktail rings. it’s the ultimate marriage for the modern woman who adores the past.
it wasn’t till i got home and looked at the pics that i discovered a theme in today’s shots: 20s and 30s flapper fashions. shocker!
i’ll never get over the pretty things they made, collected, and actually used
i couldn’t resist this bench
and although they’re nuts i love these nightstands. now i’m remembering a few other things that were pretty darn cute. it’s getting close to quitting time so i better head over and see what’s still there.
this little car was the cherry on top of my flapper afternoon. i’ve had the pics below on my desk for days from pinterest and just love looking at them for inspiration. the women who used these pieces were so damn glam and their era was delish!
here’s to you all who love to mix the old and new!
ok i better split before it’s too late. more soon~
the art of repose
hi gang, how’s your day going? mine is winding down but i’m winding myself up. i’ve got to get ready for a dinner party and am feeling a little frazzled. these pics from my desktop should provide a little incentive to just chill for 5 minutes before rushing off to get it together.
aside from our grannies’ good taste, they sure knew a lot about lounging. with all the tech of today you’d think we’d have more time to loll about. hmmmm. well i have about enough time for a couple deep breaths and maybe that 5 minute idle if i do it right now!
have a great night. hope you get some down time!
have we come a long way, baby?
do you feel like you were born in the wrong era? have you ever wanted to travel back in time? thank god for the invention of the time machine. (aka you tube)!
the twenties have always been my favorite time period of the last century, there just seemed to be so many artists, writers, designers, singers and talents that it’s almost surreal. since there’s so much interest in the era lately i thought i’d share some of the marvelous youtube videos from my collection of favorites.
kind of makes me wonder if our grandparents knew some things we didn’t. they never hesitated to roll up the rug and let ‘er rip! the charleston, the fox trot, they really knew how to get down! supper clubs, dinner and dancing, dressing up and enjoying life was their m.o.
of course life was hard but they sure made the best of it.
always with a sense of humor and a lot of style. but then they had some major muses.
i couldn’t let the era slip by without mentioning my favorite lady, josephine.
talk about throwing down and breaking the rules! well that’s what the 20s were all about. i kind of wish we could have the abandon that great gran and gramps had. to throw yourself wholeheartedly into a night on the town with all the glitter and glamour that it takes for an unforgettable evening. well, it’s saturday and i hope you’ve got a little of that going on yourself. me, i’m home and have spent way too much time digging these up but i do hope you enjoy them. have a great rest of the weekend!
i can while away the hours
bon soir everybody, i hope you had a good week and tgif!
i’ve got the apartment to myself for the next month and plan to make the most of it.
it’s weird when you get off track (my bf was here all week) and don’t remember where you quite left off. for that i always turn to the camera card and see where i was last. i forgot about my trip to palm beach the other day.
i’m working with a dealer who’s got fabulous stuff but no tech, so we’re working with my online shop and his great goodies! this is the back room where some pieces need work. he wants to put new mirror on this, says his clients don’t like that ‘old stuff’. i could have cried!
he knows where all the great estate sales and auctions are. i hope no one shines up this patina.
i’m a sucker for black lucite
and slipper chairs but ouch! the 80s upholstery on this 30s frame is so golden girls but i die for the lines!
another vintage mirrored vanity. he wants to change this old mirror too but i say no!
he’s pretty frilly himself. this is behind his desk (above)
and he has a thing for pink chairs. me too.
as you can see this is a fairly girly region of our fair country. sometimes it can even feel a little sunset boulevard and i start to wonder if maybe it’s a bit much. but i do love fun, dramatic furniture. i think about the ladies who used these pieces in the teens, (the flappers) twenties, (the vamps) thirties (glamor girls)!
total non sequitur: the shot below has been on my desktop since last week. it’s madeleine castaing from a new book about her that a friend mentioned. i know i should know her but know tragically little. turns out she loved playful furniture and decor too and is someone i’d love to study.
(NOTE: i just realized this is not madeline! it’s Syrie-Maugham who i know even less about)! oh well it started a roll!
this is the new book out on her: World-Madeleine-Castaing
what a legend
Antique shop of Madeleine Castaing in Paris (7th arr.) at the corner of rue Bonaparte et Jacob
Juin 1960. © Roger-Viollet. Photo by Francis Hammond for The New York Times
now a laudree
enfilade18thc.wordpress.com/category/marketplace-goods-services
apparently everything she touched was magic, her home, her store, interiors, even the shutters. this blue was her favorite.
topsyturvystyle.com/2009/04/magic-of-madeleine-castaing.html
i’ll have to dig into her legacy. she’s completely inspiring me!
littleaugury.blogspot.com/2010/08/emily-in-madeleines-world.html
incredible how everything is so refined
and exquisite
thestylesaloniste.com/2009/06/eternally-chic-french-antiquaire-and.html
Evans Eerdmans, author of Regency Redux, describes the Castaing look as a “unique blend of Neoclassicism, Proustian Romanticism, and pure wit.”
my girlfriends lynn and janet had a brush with greatness when the found a set of 6 of ms. castaing’s chairs at vignettes! but that’s another night. for now bonne nuit et bon weekend!
Don’t be intimidated by audacity. Be audacious — but with taste… Don’t get taken in by fashion. A secret: love your house; love makes miracles. - Madeleine Castaing
