farto

Scratching the Surface

If houses hold stories, walls are one of the essential gatekeepers of those stories. When remodeling an old house, it’s the layers of walls, floors, and ceilings you can tear away that reveal the past lives of the house.

Peeling away layers to unearth a story is true not only literally, for buildings, but metaphorically for people as well, which is what makes Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto’s medium and technique– removing layers of wall– just so darn perfect for his subject matter– portraits.

In an interview, Farto, who goes by the pseudonym Vhils, says this about the meaning of layers in his work:

“I believe that, as social animals, we are all composed and shaped by a variety of different influences which are layered onto us. We are formed by these social and historical layers which are provided by the environment and context we grow up and live in … I believe that by removing some of these layers and leaving other, deeper and therefore older, layers, we can expose some of the things which have been forgotten or discarded along the way. Some of these might be truly important or valuable, or even just interesting or whatever. These lost memories compose who we are today.”

As for method, Vhils uses many tools to chip and chisel the walls, but he also uses explosives.

This hi-def, slow-motion capture of his use of explosives is pretty stunning. Honestly, this video is cool enough that I probably would have made a post about it even if I knew nothing about Vhils!

You can see more of Vhils work, which includes wood, metal, and billboard work in addition to walls, here.

 

June 8, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Arts Visuels

Labels:


jpeterman

Ode to J. Peterman

A few months ago, my sister ordered an old J. Peterman catalog for me off eBay after she found out that I only knew J. Peterman as Elaine’s boss on Seinfeld and believing that it would be useful reference material for an upcoming project.

How right she was. I recently retrieved the catalog for a bit of writing inspiration, and I got completely sucked in and read the thing cover to cover. A catalog. So I decided I had to write an ode to the copywriters of J. Pete of old (J. Peterman still exists, I learned today, as an e-store, but the quality of writing seems to have gone downhill). I LOVE the characters and stories they created to give their products life.

 

What catalog have you read, not just looked at, cover to cover? I don’t think I’ve ever read more winning product descriptions. They sell you through a combination of a narrative details that ignite either nostalgia or imagination (or both) and the description of details and features you never knew you cared about.

There aren’t even photos of the products, you can’t see them in person, and yet, you end up wanting them (ok well not the Judy Tomkins, because those colors sound awful, but I still love the character). That is brilliant marketing.

Do yourself a favor and take a minute to read these. If you have to do any sort of writing, selling, or marketing in your daily life, I’m betting they’ll inspire you.

June 7, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Masters and Their Crafts

Labels:
,

mcm lettermarks

Mid-Century Logos

Love this flickr set of Mid-Century Modern logos designed in the 60s, particularly the letterform logos. So simple, and now so retro looking compared to flashy modern corporate logos, but they remind you how much personality can be conveyed in a letterform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also reminded me of the San Francisco MUNI logo that I spend a considerable amount of time looking at as the buses and trolley drive around town. I love that SF has stayed with this logo, which was designed in the mid-70s by a Bay Area graphic designer.

via Aqua Velvet

(Their designers and the companies they represented can be found on the flickr site.)

June 7, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Graphic Fix

Labels:
, ,

katie ermilio

Katie Ermilio

Dear Wonderlusters, I’m so excited to bring you this interview with the darling designer Katie Ermilio. I first came across Katie when her apartment was featured in Rue Magazine (the shot above, left, was the cover- isn’t she adorable??), and I instantly fell in love with her style.

As it often happens, when you love someone’s taste in interiors, you’ll probably love their taste in clothes, and vice versa, and that’s definitely true of Katie. Love her apartment, love her collections.

I was not surprised at all to learn that she cited Funny Face in the interview below– her designs clearly channel classic Audrey-esque ladylike inspirations, with their crisp tailoring and bold solids. But one glance at the collection proves she’s not stuck in the past– the fun silhouettes and details reflect the figures, and more daring sensibilities, of a modern girl. (The image above is too small to tell, but that navy dress has a very sheer top that I love!)

Katie has a heritage in fashion as well– her father has a bespoke menswear shop in Philadelphia, and her grandfather was couturier to Grace Kelly! You can read more about her here, but I’m going to skip over some of the details so we can get to this fun interview… I love how her cool New York City girl vibe comes through…

(And thank you Katie for doing this interview!!)

Where do you go when you need to experience wonder? I’m in love the Rizzoli Book Store on 57th Street in New York. Every time I go I usually end up sitting there for hours flipping through books.

What blogs/sites do you visit when you need to experience wonder? Net-A Porter, The Coveteur, Jak & Jill, and Intothegloss

Source of wonder in your daily life? My job – because I never know where it’s going to take me each day.

Best gift you ever received? My little sister Megan gave me a scrapbook one year for Christmas. She was so young when she made it and worked so hard putting it together. I look at it often and it’s something I’ll keep forever.


What music do you listen to when you want to feel inspired? I’m feel like I’m constantly switching up my playlists – but recently there’s been a bunch of Andrew Murray remixes, jj, Tim & Jean and Robyn in rotation.

A film or person whose style made an impact on you? Funny Face

Essential item(s) you will buy over and over? Love, Chloé Parfum – I’ll wear it forever. I love it so much I spray it on my pillow at night.

A visual memory you will relish forever? My first trip to Italy, riding on a water taxi into Venice.

Ideal picnic? A warm day at Sheep Meadow in Central Park with all of my girlfriends, a big blanket, and my friend Caroline’s famous cheese plate.

Ideal vacation? Hmm, right now? Anywhere warm sounds ideal!

Go-to outfit or must-have accessory or beauty item? My go-to outfit is always a blazer with a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and my Chanel ballet flats.


Must have beauty items are Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and Chanel Blush in Orchid Rose. I’m a total beauty junkie, but these two products I’ve remained extremely loyal to.

One surprising thing about you? People always seem surprised to learn that until I started working on my line fulltime I’d never really considered a career in design.

All-time favorite shoe? So hard! So I’ll go with my Chanel ballet flats and Stubbs & Wootton velvet slippers, because they’re two shoes I’ll always own and wear.

Guilty pleasure? Heath Bar Cookies from Hope’s

Item you will always splurge on? Nail polish and Shoes

Always in your handbag? iPod, plenty of Muji pencils, a notebook, some sort of snack and my Blackberry.

 

June 3, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Tastemakers

Labels:
, , ,

maurice padovani

Marseilles

Loving the use of space, colors, and materials in this Marseilles home designed by Maurice Padovani.  The kitchen, dining room, and living room are condensed into to a fairly small area, but it feels airy and light due to the open floor plan, restricted palette, and lack of clutter.

 

 

June 2, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Interiors

Labels:
, ,

burning house

The Burning House

A couple of years ago, when I was living in Santa Barbara, there were crazy wild fires that required my sister and I (amongst many others) to evacuate and actually go through, in real life, the imaginary game you sometimes play with yourself about “what would I grab if my house caught on fire.”

This clever site, The Burning House, asks people to submit a photo of the things they’d take. It’s so interesting to see what people would grab and to wonder if you can imagine what they’re like based on that.

(Also, beyond it’s literal assignment, it’s also inherently an exercise in photo styling, so with a few I wonder, would you really grab that or did it just look good?)

What I realized, when forced to confront this scenario, was that there was very little I truly cared to take. I looked around my apartment, expecting to go into a frenzy, and then the frenzy just didn’t happen. I calmly finished baking the pie I was working on so we’d have something good to eat in our exile, put a few things in a duffel, and walked out the door.

This prompted two epiphanies: 1) hooray, I’m not as materialistic as I thought, and 2) so, all this stuff I’ve bought is pretty meaningless. It was the kind of realization you’ve always known to be true (how many maxims have you heard about “what matters in the end”), but you sort of don’t believe it fully until something hits you over the head with it.

In the end, all I took were my box of letters from family and friends, a box of plane and event tickets I’ve saved my whole life, and photo albums from the pre-digital age– only things representing relationships and experiences– the two things you do hear over and over that make you.

(I also grabbed a small and really poorly thought out selection of clothing that meant I was wearing leather loafers- no socks- for 4 days on a hot dusty ranch where we stayed to ride out the fires.)

May 31, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Random Acts of Creativity

Labels:
,

tim barber

Tim Barber Photography

I fell down the internet rabbit hole last week and landed on the portfolio of fashion and portrait photographer Tim Barber. I’m loving his casual, sometimes gritty, wonderfullycandid style.

Barber also started the website Tiny Vices, which encourages visitors to submit their art and photography.

Above, the guys from Red Bucket Films, the Bacaro team, and Bill Powers. Below, Terry Richardson (this one made me laugh out loud, so meta), Andy Spade, and Chloe Sevigny.

 

 

May 31, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Style Files

Labels:


call me cupcake

Call Me Cupcake

To balance out the masculinity of the last post, here’s some feminine frill for today.

I just went on a major food porn bender on Call Me Cupcake, a pastry blog out of Sweden with the most beautiful desserts! Baking is already such a labor of love, and the level of detail she goes to with her pastries takes it to another level (I love those layers of gradient color in the cake above!). My birthday is next week, and I’ve already asked my sister to make me this cake, but now I’m reconsidering… (don’t feel bad for her, she’s the world’s best at birthday cakes.)

PS – Did anyone watch the Bachelorette last night? Because I find it ironic that I came across a blog by this name today after last night in the episode, Ashley H. told one of the guys that she’s always wanted someone to call her cupcake as a nickname and thinks “the man she marries will call her cupcake.” Did anyone else throw up a little bit in their mouth when she said that? I cannot staaand Ashley H.

(And yes, I know the show is terrible and I have no right to expect anything quality out of it, but my roommate and I do a Bachelor fantasy league with a draft and everything, and it makes the show extremely entertaining when you get points for the various absurd things that happen.)

May 25, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Masters and Their Crafts

Labels:
,

PGS

Portland General Store

Portland General Store, which I used to buy from on etsy when they were just getting started, has recently come out with a limited of these handmade men’s grooming kits designed by Owen & Stork.

I don’t care if this look is getting overdone (is it? Or do I just notice it a lot because I like it?) I love the use of natural materials– cork, twine, wood– and colors. Also, I love that the boxes have those little compartments in the perfect sizes for each product, it’s so aesthetically pleasing. It reminds me of the tumblr Things Organized Neatly.

 

May 25, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Graphic Fix

Labels:


vans

Vans + Robert Verdi

What a freaking awesome collaboration. I’m not really a Vans girl, in fact, when it comes to sneakers I’m utterly loyal to these Bensimons, but this special edition is too cool not to post. For stylist Robert Verdi, Vans created a custom line based on Verdi’s prized collection of vintage Hermes scarves.

Apparently, he had to request this because Hermes refused to do a collection with Vans. I get that it doesn’t really work with their brand standards, but the high/low combo is really pretty awesome, I wish they could’ve gotten down with it.

 

Images from the Vans flickr, via WTF

May 24, 2011

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Style Files

Labels:
, ,

Masters and Their Crafts

Roost + Cultivate Wines
bberry

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Tastemakers

Katie Ermilio
katie ermilio

Dear Wonderlusters, I’m so excited to bring you this interview with the darling designer Katie... 

LustList

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drawn in

I can’t wait to get my hands on this book of images from the sketch books of 44 artists and designers... 

Listening To

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creators project

I so wish I had been at Coachella for this. Director Chris Milk, as part of The Creator’s Project,... 

Destinations

Canopy & Stars
canopy and stars

This site is so much fun to browse. Talk about wanderlust. Alistair Sawday, author of the Special Places... 

Interiors

Modern Cottage
canada cabin

Loving this modern cottage in the woods of Ontario. I’m all for cozy, traditional cottages, but... 

Style Files

RRL’s Vintage-y Lookbook
rrl

As Miss Moss said, there have been an influx (onslaught?) of vintage-inspired lookbooks recently, but... 

Classics

Recently on Editor’s Chair…
editors

Click over to Editor’s Chair, the tumblr within the blog, for more.  

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