The Light Touch of Yves Saint Laurent

I don't really have a favourite designer; seasons come and go and so do trends, some of which I am not always fond of. But I have always had a soft spot for Yves Saint Laurent, even typing out the name and seeing it on screen somehow looks beautiful to me. That's why I really miss the time when Tom Ford was designing for the house; he did such an incredible job. To this day, those had to be my all-time favourite collections. But the aesthetic is still there; YSL accessories are classic and chic but with enough of that French detailing and sophistication that you have come to expect from this brand.  I only wish they could make a purse somewhere along the lines of this YSL cuff available from Netaporter below. I think the gold would work so well with the textured black python.

Today I Will Zap the Bad Things Print

I dropped my laptop yesterday and it now seems to be approaching a slow and painful death. The screen is blank and there is a strange sound coming out of it as though something were spinning inside.   It's too early to tell whether I can fix it and recover all that was lost but all I can say is that I need a little positivity in my life today. So, please enjoy this beautiful and encouraging print from Corduroy. 

Weekend Links

Centre Pompidou

The Facts about Fracking (WSJ)

We Made it Ourselves...and the art of making condiments (NYT)

A Blog is Born: The Food Life (NYT)

Creative Writing Rules for Some Judges (WSJ)

Design Magazines Going Under (Monocle)

A Note on Chloë Sevigny (NYT)

Where to Eat in Berlin (WSJ)

Xu Bing at the Morgan Library (WSJ)

New Factory for Louis Vuitton (WSJ)

Brands Create Media Outlets Online, Bypassing Magazines (NYT)

Buying Art You Can't Take Home (Newsweek)

How Commercial Content is Changing Editorial (Business of Fashion)

AHALife Brings Sense of Discovery to Online Shopping (NYT)

The Best of Art Basel (Daily Beast)

The Art of Buying Art Online: Etsy

The best thing about Etsy is that anyone can place a listing; it's also the worst thing about it. The website, which is devoted to all things handmade and vintage, is so saturated that you could literally spend a lifetime going through all of its listings. The search can be exasperating as a result, but in the end it is well worth the effort. You'll find things on Etsy that you won't find anywhere else on the web and often at great prices. It's a good idea to check the main page frequently as handpicked items are regularly showcased in the form of treasury lists. When it comes to art and photography there is an endless stream of possibilities just a click away.  And you can always advance your search by selecting the medium, subject matter or technique you are interested in. When you become a member of Etsy you can also start to create your own favourite lists which will be automatically saved in your account for future reference. To date, I have a countless number of items stored in my favourites’ folder and it was difficult selecting just a few for this post today but here are some that I wanted to share with you.

1.  Jen Ray for Corduroy

2.  Carl Christensen for Bucks County Frames

3.  Claure Jauregui

4.  JKL Design

5.  Elgar Boat

6.  Labokoff

7.  Linda Monfort 

8.  Christiana Romeo

9.  Roz Art

10.  Ryan Coleman

11.  Rebecca Plotnick

12.  Ballet Art

13.  Melanie Furtado

14.  Lucile Prache

15.  Olivia Jeffries for Restless Things

16.  Hadley Hutton

17.  Nina Moscrip for Art Quirk

18.  Studio Marlene

19.  Yann Pendaries

20.  Tine Eelman

The Art of Buying Art Online: 20x200

Using the motto, Art for Everyone, 20x200 aims to make digital art prints the first step in acquiring an art collection. Jen Bekman the owner and creator behind this online art gallery hopes that buyers will become interested in original artwork as a result of 20x200. "Art doesn't have to be expensive to be good" are some of the words you'll notice while visiting the site and when you browse through the long list of artists (200+) you'll know you're in the right place for buying high quality art at an affordable price. While some may take issue with digital prints of original art the reality remains that many art lovers simply cannot afford expensive originals. 20x200 corrects that problem by making limited edition prints available in various sizes all of them starting at $20 each. All prints are exclusive to the gallery and are signed and dated by the artist.  Profits are split 50/50 between the artist and 20x200 and upon request, some originals may be available for sale. After sifting through the entire inventory I found these to be my favourites: 

1.  Bob O'Connor

2.   Dorthe Alstrup

3.  James Deavin

4.  Jason Burch

5.  Jeff Lewis

 

6.  Jennifer Sanchez

7.   Joseph O. Holmes

8.  Keith Taylor

9.  Kotama Bouabane

10.  Ky Anderson

11.  Lauren DiCioccio

12.  Matthew Tischler

13.  Michelle Arcila 

14.  Jaclyn Mednicov

15.  Michelle Muldrow

16.  Shen Wei

17.  Valerie Roybal

18.  Kent Rogowski

Weekend Links

A Building in Paris

 
Stopping a Migraine Before it Starts

The Business of Blogging: Bag Snob

This is the most beautiful YSL bag ever, discovered by The Dandy Project

A great article on Self-Publishing from She Writes

How the internet is going to affect countries in the Southern Hemisphere 

Book Review: By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham

Book Review:  My American Unhappiness from the NYT 

Book Review:  Your Voice in My Head

Move Over, Estee Lauder

French Author Marc Levy on Failing, Starting Anew

This week Netaporter magazine features the Blog Power List of favourite bloggers

Flavour-Bomb Burgers 

A Recipe for Mussels 

The Prada IPO and a Billion Dollar Fortune

In India, Dynamism Meets Dysfunction

The man who screwed Italy

Summer Fiction Selections

Chef Alian Ducasse's Guide to Paris

Where to eat in Copenhagen

Kale and Avocado Salad

Where to Find Creative People

100 Most Creative People in Business of 2011 by Fast Company

The Art of Buying Art Online: Art Interiors

If you are interested in Canadian art then Toronto-based Art Interiors is an incredible resource for discovering new talent.  Founded in 1993 and co-owned by Lisa Diamond Katz and Shira Wood, this online art gallery represents well over 300 emerging as well as established Canadian artists in a variety of mediums.  Prices range from $35 to $5,500, thereby making Art Interiors appealing to art enthusiasts, designers and art collectors alike.  The breadth of talent on display here is impressive and it is clear that the owners of this shop possess a keen eye for selecting high quality art.  Whether you're looking to enhance the beauty of your home or you actually want to invest in art you are bound to discover something you like here.  Below you will find some of my favourite selections:      

1.  Agnieszka Foltyn

2.  Daphne Emanuel

3.  Elaine Ling

4.  Elzbieta Krawecka

5.  Iza Mokrosz

6.  Jason Cantoro

7.  Mark Berens

8.  Rita Vindedzis

9.  Rojia Dadashzadeh

11.  Gordana Olujic Dosic

12.  Anna Yuschuk