Faux Moto

“You see, I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle, actually.” — Henry Winkler

As fall closes in, the re-envisioned motorcycle jacket trend is gaining momentum, and last year’s category of asymmetrical-zip fleece and wool knits has been expanded to include more pleather, along with lace, tweed, ponte knit, performance jersey and cotton-blends. From MyShape:

There’s something for both the Erich Von Zipper and the 1985 Madonna fan.

Lady-like variations reminiscent of Grace Kelly or January Jones.

Monochromatic motocross — modeled after WWI infantry, best accompanied by goggles and a side car.

Along with soft, athletic versions, perfect for a trip to the gym or a day at the library.

Kut from the Kloth, 217686; Giacca, 217262; L.A. Kitty, 217466

Calvin Klein Jeans, 215598; Mac and Jac, 215429; Mac & Jac 215427

G.E.T. 217566; Giacca, 217761; Anthracite, 219049

Karen Kane, 215532; Calvin Klein Performance, 217486; Calvin Klein Jeans, 215593

Woof!

Just yesterday, I was involved in a conversation about how the 1980s ruined Copperplate. 
(It almost works for Woof. Or do I simply want to like it because of the name ?)

Like Mother, Like Daughter

The newly released Style Book: Fashionable Inspirations features 145 years of photos from the Getty Images archive. For a preview, visit the guardian.co.uk.

a woman and her poodle, circa 1945, Getty Images

Hat Hair: A Risk Worth Taking

True-Faux

Fall and faux fur are the sartorial equivalent of peanut butter and chocolate, a manufactured combination that seldom fails to delight. Even bad fake fur can elicit a smile, if only because it’s so awful, and well-done fake fur offers a sense of plush-luxe that can be as emotionally satisfying as a 
fresh pack of Reese’s that you don’t have to share with anyone. Here are nine options to consider from MyShape.com:

Sisters, 216000; Sisters 216002; Sisters 216006.MICHAEL Michael Kors, 216592 (sorry -- sold out!); Sisters, 21600; BB Dakota, 216885.BB Dakota, 217431; Sisters, 216001; Beth Bowley, 215503.

More or Less Than Meets the Eye

 
A John Baldessari retrospective that showcases more than 40 years of work, Pure Beauty, ends today at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 
The show is a cohesive exploration of the multi-level interplay between images, graphics, type, and words, contextualized over the course of a lifetime. Or, rather, half of the 79-year-old artist’s lifetime. 
In 1970, Baldessari cremated the paintings he’d created between 1953 and 1966 (save one, Nose, which was included in the show). The Wall Street Journal’s Lance Esplund implies that this was possibly Baldessari’s finest artistic act: “Cremation was the right — if not the ethical—choice. He should have stopped there.” 
Los Angeles Times’ critic Christopher Knight offers a more enthusiastic review of Baldessari’s influence: “His best work stops us short, allowing us to see things with fresh eyes.”
Baldessari’s work is a tour de force of the seen, the unseen and the ill-advised, with images that highlight the chasm between painting and photography; with faces concealed by bright circles and silhouettes alluded to with mylar-esque masques; and with playful contradictions that explore what an artist should or should not do, whether it be to juxtapose a kiss and a palm tree or to make it appear that a palm tree is growing right out of a figure’s head.
Esplund might have you believe that Baldessari is an artist who rejected art, and he questions Baladessari’s need to make more. Knight, by comparison, seems to take Baldessari’s statesmanship for granted, a Conceptual artist with a capital “C”, and a successful navigator of the gap between the historic and the contemporary. 


Much Less Than Meets the Eye, Lance Esplund, the Wall Street Journal
Art review: ‘John Baldessari: Pure Beauty’ @ LACMA, Christopher Knight, the Los Angeles Times, Culture Monster blog
John Baldessari — “Wrong” (1967), Paul Sears Photography Blog
LACMA Exhibitions: John Baldessari

Kissing Series: Simone Palm Trees, 1975.
Tips for Artists Who Want to Sell, 1966-1968.

You’re A Murderer, Ya Are, Blanche

Bloggers Tom & Lorenzo are featuring a Vogue Italia fashion editorial based on Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? The image at the left features selections from Chanel fall 2010. For Spring 2011, I hope to see tidy shirtwaists and roller skates inspired by my other favorite movie, The Bad Seed.

Va * Va * Va * Voom

Vistas

Versailles vs. Versaille vs. Versai