Taking a Seat with Jean Paul Gaultier

While we are all used to seeing Jean Paul Gaultier’s iconic looks strutting down the runway, into people’s closets, now we are seeing some his iconic trademarks marching their way into client’s living rooms and bedrooms!

Gaultier has been busy this year translating his distinctive, iconic, daring brand of fashion into interior decoration and furniture with the help of upscale furniture retailer Roche Bobois. The furniture outfit enlisted the infamous fashion designer to create the new pieces, called Jean Paul Gaultier Pour Roche Bobois Paris, to commemorate its golden 50th anniversary.

For the fashionista and interior designer that is lurking within all of us this is a match made in heaven. This eclectic, contemporary and curious collection, mixes some of the iconic trademarks of Gaultier, such as, stripes, vibrant colours and patterns in a chic aesthetic that is perfect is perfect to mix and match, just like his fashion.

Gaultier has proved his distinctive vision with his own designs as well as some reworking and dressing up of some classics which he has reinterpreted. The visually stunning array of items embodies the designer’s unique fashion ID (marine prints and tattoos) as a modern and high fashion approach to iconic concepts, such as the Mah Jong modular sofa.

Designed by Hans Hopfer in 1971, this unique piece of furniture still represents one of the most distinctive and most wanted exponents of Roche Bobois portfolio. Gaultier paid tribute to the Mah Jong’s designer by keeping its modular seating shape while creatively updating the look with upholsteries featuring typical prints: marine stripes, calligraphy, tattoo patterns, glamorous celluloid kissing, pop culture iconography and red pom-poms.

The highlights of the collection also included the Paravent Bed, a distinctive furnishing featuring avant-garde upholstered headboard, chic silver and chromed finish and a pink silk bedding complemented with a fold-out paravent wardrobe.

Is this something you could see yourself taking inspiration from for your own slice of Parisian Chic in your living room?

Inspired by the Marchesa

Throughout the ages there have always been particular photographs that have become well known classics for one reason or another. They record a snapshot of posterity for the subject and any personage that is included.

Here we have a photo that transcends time and includes several icons of the 20th Century artistic, social and fashion worlds! Although of different times they all come together in perfect harmony.

The photo in question appeared in Life Magazine in September 1960 and pictures Norman Norell with his 1960 Fall "van Dongen Collection".

The collection was inspired by the portrait of the Marchesa Luisa Casati The Quai Venice by Kees van Dongen owned by Norell. Norell originally acquired the van Dongen portrait of Casati at auction for $125 US dollars from Parke-Bernet, New York, in the 1940s.

Norell was perhaps one of the greatest American designers and it is fitting that for inspiration he chose Casati to inspire a collection. Casati was one of the most talked about and painted woman of her age.

The portrait now belongs to the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The inspiration has kept on flowing until it reached Tom Ford and the photograph below shot by Stephen Meisel. Eerily similar to the portrait of Norell, in styling and mood, it seems that we are still being inspired by the Marchesa Casati.

Taking Off With Pan Am

I am in a mixed bag about the forthcoming ABC series Pan Am. It is no secret that I am an airline nut, and basically the only reason why I want to watch this is to see how well ABC have recreated the golden era of flying especially with Pan Am.

Pan Am is credited with many innovations that shaped the international airline industry, which we take for granted today. Identified by its blue globe logo and the use of the word "Clipper" in aircraft names and call signs, the airline was a cultural icon of the 20th century and the unofficial flag carrier of the United States.

To the travelling public Pan Am always represented a way of travel that has long since been forgotten. An era when the journey was anticipated as much as the destination. With Pan Am, "getting there" always meant unmatched civility pooled with the pinnacle of cool.

Nothing epitomised this experience more than the Pan Am bag. When Pan Am introduced the world to the jet age, the Pan Am bag was seen as more than just a carry on; it was a proudly carried symbol that represented a once in a lifetime experience.

Everyone from Presidents to rock stars were proud to be seen with their Pan Am bags.

A couple of years ago Marc Jacobs released limited editions of these bags, which luckily I have one of.

Now a plethora of bags and accessories are available on the market for our jet-setting fashionista, who wishes to recapture the golden age of flying. The company producing these objects state “It is our objective to utilize Pan Am's colorful history to bring back the original Jet-Setter values and restore civility, adventure and fun to the travel experience”

Although you cannot fly Pan Am the airline is a hot commodity once again. Let’s hope that the TV series as well will bring back some of these values as well, that airlines can sit up and take notice.

Can I Blog on This?

For many of our youth mention the word typewriter, and they probably would not have any idea of what you are talking about, let alone having actually seen one. In today’s world of technology the word typewriter seems almost obsolete. In its place we have PCs, Macs, notebooks, and tablets. All these can be highly mobile devices so that we can remain connected and even blog no matter where we are.

Before these items became the norm if we wanted to express ourselves while on the move, paper and pen came out and we actually wrote down our ideas.

When it came to the manufacture of typewriters nobody did it better than the Italians and especially Olivetti. Vintage and antique typewriters have become quite the craze over the past few years and Olivetti is right in the thick of it, especially the stylish Valentine! This typewriter made history in 1969 as soon as it came off the assembly line.

Designed by Ettore Sottsass and Perry A. King, this small, lightweight and bright red typewriter quickly developed into a cult object with its own dedicated following. For the fashionably hip this was the ultimate accessory (like today’s ipads). It was a design statement more than an office machine.

Sottsass designed the Valentine to be an "anti-machine machine," for use "anyplace but an office. Advertising put the machine at the beach, airplane cockpits, in the ski fields, anywhere but the office.

Undoubtedly one of the great design classics, the Valentine expresses the mood of its time: goodbye to the bulky cast-iron housings of old typewriters, hello to the new mobility of a light, modern, plastic casing made from ABS.

It was the unique and sleek design combined with clever advertisement of the Valentine that brought Olivetti to new heights. Aimed primarily at the youth market, with psychedelic advertisements this was no ordinary typewriter.

Here’s what its designer Ettore Sottass said about it:

“The Valentine was designed to keep lonely poets company on weekends in the country.”

In comparison here is what the makers of the Blackberry Playbook said recently about their product.

“We remain excited and committed to delivering innovative and powerful 4G tablets to the U.S. market together with our carrier partners,” the company said. “Testing of BlackBerry 4G PlayBook models is already underway and we plan to enter labs for network certifications in the U.S. and other international markets this fall.”

Enough said!

North by Northwest With Savoir Faire!

Who can forget the classic scene in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest of Cary Grant being ran down by a biplane in a dusty field?

This is an enduring scene which comes to symbolise Hitchcock at his best.

The scene itself will never date, however here are few more different interpretations of the scene all filled with savoir faire!

My thoughts are if you are going to be chased down, do it with Savoir Faire!

Waiting for the Bus

I am not sure how many of you will remember the old scroll type destination signs that used to inform of patient commuters of a buss’ destination? Or am I showing my age?

Fabric route signs used on busses in England from the 1920s through to the 1970s are a new decorating buzz. Bus stop locations used to be printed on rolls of calico fabric, and the drivers cranked the rolls to the appropriate stops by hand.

I can remember them on buses in Sydney right through to the early 80s, until electronic destination signs took over.

Now these old rolls are being turned into an amazing array of decorating uses. I am always a big fan of recycling and taking a completely utilitarian item and elevating it too another use including as an art form.

So let these inspire you to look around you to see something which could be put to another use other than what it was intended for.

Do You Pay Full Price?

I have always made it a point of when shopping never to pay full price for anything. I wouldn’t class myself as cheap, just economical. It is almost a given that what you see at full price today, will at some stage be put on sale in the future. So, you have to take a gamble that your size is available, however the rewards can be worth it.

I like the clothes of Andrew Buckler however they are a bit pricey. So I wait for the sale and voila,I picked up the below sweater in a combination cashmere and cotton reduced from $235 to $95!



Of course that is not me in the photo, so I hope I do the sweater justice!