{happy halloween!}

Couldn’t think of a more fitting artist for a Halloween post than Damien Hirst, an artist born in Bristol to a lapsed Catholic mother and a mechanic/car salesman father who left their family when he was only 12 years old.

Despite his humble beginnings, (or perhaps because of them), Hirst would later become the most extravagant living artist in the world.

Damien Hirst's work centers around death as its main theme. The artist is best known for his Natural History series, in which dead animals (a shark, a sheep or a cow) are preserved in
formaldehyde.

In May 2007, Hirst exhibited his latest work, Beyond Belief, at the White Cube gallery in London. The centre of this exhibition was a Memento Mori titled For The Love of God, which featured a human skull recreated in platinum and adorned with 8,601 diamonds weighing a total of 1,106.18 carats. Approximately £15,000,000 ($30,944,726.60 USD) worth of diamonds were used. The work was based on an 18th century skull, with the original teeth incorporated into the artwork. The work's title comes from Hirst's mother who asked him, “For the love of God, what are you going to do next?”

This piece, which was cast from an 18th-century skull he bought in London, was influenced by Mexican skulls encrusted in turquoise. “I remember thinking it would be great to do a diamond one — but just prohibitively expensive,” he recalls. “Then I started to think — maybe that’s why it is a good thing to do. Death is such a heavy subject, it would be good to make something that laughed in the face of it.”
{from the NY Times}

On August 30, 2007, For the Love of God sold for £50,000,000 (100 million dollars or 75 million euros), giving the piece the auction record for the most expensive work of art by a living artist.

White Cube gallery sold several limited-edition silkscreen prints of this work, priced from £900 to £10,000, for one sprinkled with diamond dust.

Happy Halloween!

Nicole's vacation

Nicole and Joel spent the last couple of weeks in Australia and Thailand. She is such a cute pregnant lady, she looks healthy and happy.

source : tmz

Nicole's fashion icons

In her interview for Marie Claire's August 2007 issue Nicole revealed who are her fashion icons: Kate Moss, for her individuality and ... Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones because they have a thing about headscarves.
Kate is a muse for so many girls and designers. She mixes vintage items with rock'n'roll chic pieces and the result is just fabulous. She has popularided ballet flats, ugg boots, skinny jeans, Alexander McQueen skull scarf, the Balenciaga bag.
Here's a collage with Nicole's Kate Moss-inspired outfits. They both look effortlessly cool.

{josephine queen}

Metallics in décor, especially gold, is a trend that is showing no signs of fading away any time soon. Whenever I dream of gold for interiors, (with the exception of this), I usually think of Jaime Hayón's luxe and extremely beautiful Josephine Queen series of hanging lamps (above). Its height and wonderful combination of traditional and modern aesthetics make it all-out style icon.

The series was reconfigured from a porcelain lamp originally designed for metalarte and is available in black, white, platinum and gold, each in a combination that is a multiple of 3 (6, 9. 6/3, 9/6 or 9/6/3).


(happened to find a few other pretty things (below) while there . . .)

Nicole in Vivi magazine

Nicole Richie appeared in the August issue of Japanese magazine Vivi. Check out these Nicole inspired outfits.
Click image for bigger

Nicole attending her baby shower *updated*

Voila the whole outfit: black coat, white loose top, scarf, leggings and sneakers. A mix of casual comfort and sporty details.

Nicole and Joel are back in L.A

After their trip to Australia Nicole and Joel are back. The couple headed out to Bel Air for an Italian dinner on Sunday. Wearing a black dress, loose plaid shirt and sandals Nicole's baby bump is barely recognizable.

source: perezhilton

Nicole attending her baby shower

Nicole was spotted arriving at her baby shower in Los Angeles. Unfortunately we can see the whole outfit, just the black coat, a white top and a scarf thrown nonchalanlty around her neck. She is carrying a Yves Saint Laurent bag.

McQueen scarves

The skull scarf made its debut in Alexander McQueen's spring 2003 ready to wear collection. This silk scarf remained a must-have accessory for celebrities like Kate Moss, Lindsay Lohan, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Nicky Hilton and Nicole Richie.
Miss Richie has different color combinations and she wears them draped around her neck or as a headband.

{ivanka & madison avenue}

Ivanka Trump has partnered with Dynamic Diamond Corp. to design a collection of jewellery that was recently unveiled at the opening of her brand new, flagship store on Madison Avenue. While the collection is beautiful, (especially the Diamond briolett double tassel lariat, pictured below) it's her super stylish boutique, done in black and white with splashes of yellow and coral, that is really quite stunning.




{update:}
The design of the shop was done by Brian Humphrey with Kramer Design Group.

{images: GlamChic, nytimes.com & ivankatrumpcollection.com}

{completely & utterly inspiring}

The amazingly talented Ditte Isager proves it takes more that special equipment and lighting to get the perfect shot . . . As one of pdn's 30 new and emerging photographers to watch, Isager needs no introduction (you may recognize her work at Fritz Hansen, Domino, Living etc. and many others) and is fast becoming one of my all-time favourites.

{And I've just discovered that LauraB has also posted about Ditte Isager this morning as well--click here to read her post.}

{samourai 1947}

While I definitely appreciate a good handbag, mine are usually large and while beautiful, they are also a little practical (this one in black was my favourite for travelling), for carting around my daybook, BlackBerry and all of the things I can't live without. Dior's new Samourai 1947 pieces, however, are complete works of art. The bags are part of Dior's 60-anniversary collection and come in five limited-edition designs.

{lovely glow}

Came across these lovely hanging pendants at elle decor, and was reminded that Zenza's new catalogue is out and full of beautiful, handcrafted things, especially hand-pierced metal lights that emit a soft, luxurious glow.

(And if you think these lights are romantic, you should read the Zenza story.)

Nicole at Indyfest

Spotted in Australia at Indyfest Nicole looks like the female version of Axl Rose with that headscarf and oversized sunglasses.

{rosenbaum design}

My maximalist tendencies went into overdrive at the site of all these mismatched framed photos at Rosenbaum Design. The grouping reminded me of Liza Giles' south London home and seems to be current Bohemian-meets-old-Victorian look of the moment. In fact, the large table-setting, piled up china, and white furniture against the graphic and dramatic floor made everything feel as it were in a dream . . .

{all images: Rosenbaum design; via Review Australia}

Adorable

I think this is actually kinda funny, Nicole keeping the dog in her Birkin bag. I love everything she wears in this picture.

Things I Love About This Dress

I'm not a poet. If I were, I'd write a sonnet about this dress. Instead, I'll just give you a list of the things I love about it:
It's from the 1930's.
It's pink.
It's velvet.

The embroidery is hand worked.
The embroidery goes all the way around to the back.

The sexy neckline dips to a deep V in back.
It has a train.
It's one of a kind.

Oh, and did I mention, it's PINK?

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

{travel, taj lake palace}

. . . a day off to catch up on a few things and a moment to dream about the 250-year old Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, India, a marble palace that appears as if it's floating on the waters of Lake Pichola. Guests, of course, arrive by boat.

Built in 1746 by Maharana Jagat Singh II, 62nd successor to the royal dynasty of Mewar, Taj Lake Palace was originally built as a summer palace. It has recently been transformed to its former glory and is now possibly one of the most romantic hotels in the world. Filled with marble pillars, glasswork, silks, intricate paintings and ornately carved wood furniture, the palace is every bit as luxurious inside as it is dramatically stunning on the outside.

What's in Nicole's bag?

In her interview for Citizen K France, Nicole reveals what's in her bag. So, Miss Richie carries in her bag:
some chamomile bags
a Sony digital camera
Dentyne chewing gum
an iPod
Goyard white wallet
2 pairs of vintage sunglasses
hair pins
Blackberry Curve

source:citizen k

{villa monticello}

I may have a thing for all things French, but may make an Italian exception--after all, who doesn't love the sound of a villa in Tuscany?

Villa Monticello was built by the counts of Orsolini at Avenza in 1766 as a small country retreat. In the late 19th century, it was acquired by French Dervillé family, who did some renovating by adding grand flights of steps at the front and back, as well as loggias (balconies or entrance porches) on three sides of the villa. Statues and fragments of ancient sculptures still adorn the main entrance, while marble vases and a marble gable were placed on the roof.

Today, Villa Monticello is owned by Marzia Vanelli Dazzi, who lives there with her husband and children.




























{images: Taschen}