Monday, September 30, 2013

Arbiters of Style: The Collection of Anthony Hail & Charles Posey


On October 8, Christie's auction house will auction off belonging from Anthony Hail and Charles Posey.  Anthony Hail is a San Francisco interior designer of the bygone era.  He epitomizes decorator as stylemaker.  His style is traditional and exact which is perfect for his era.  He understood how A-list San Franciscan high society moved and he provided them with perfect backdrops. 

This sale comprise furnishing from Anthony Hail and his partner Charles Posey.  As one can imagine, the offering is eclectic to say the least.  According to Christie's auction house "European furniture, spectacular Russian chandeliers, Chinese works of art, Lamps from Billy Baldwin and Old Master paintings among other things. Each lot within the sale was meticulously chosen by Posey and Hail to fill and form their home, demonstrating the timeless aesthetic of a well-informed combination of styles and time periods."   

Saturday, September 28, 2013

The winner for a Mini Yellow Satchel by Phillip Lim for Target raffle is.......


Congratulations!  The winner for my mini yellow satchel by Phillip Lim for Target raffle is Rebecca P.  Please contact me with your shipping address within a week.  All other entrants thank you for entering.  Please check back often for other giveaways.  You never know... the next one may just be around the corner! 

Friday, September 27, 2013

Gary Hume 1000 windows

 
When was the last time you purchased an original artwork by a known artist for less than $300?  Well, here's your opportunity.  You can purchase one by Gary Hume on Tate Museum's website.  There are one thousand of them in existence.  Each are individually painted, signed, and numbered.  This particular work is derived from a painting he did in 2000.  According to NYT:

“Yellow Window,” from 2000, a black canvas with bright yellow outlining the window panes, is “about van Gogh and Duchamp,” he said, “because I like to look at the world through their eyes.” Then there’s “Baby,” from 1994-95, in which red eyes and a white mouth peek out from an otherwise dark canvas. He made it that way because, “When they arrive they’re real and totally alien,” he said, recalling when his son, who is now 26, was born. “I’m drawn to vulnerability and ugliness,” Mr. Hume went on. “As a kid growing up in Kent I was the ugly duckling.”

Gary Hume is part of the Young British Artists (YBA) group.  His work was included in the infamous Sensation exhibition (artwork owned by Charles Saatchi) that toured Royal Academy of Art in London, Berlin, and New York (Brooklyn Museum).  Yes, this was the exhibition that then mayor Rudolph Giuliani tried to shut down.  Since that exhibition, many of its artists have gone on and become extremely famous.  The most famous ones are arguably Damien Hirst (shark in a tank with formaldehyde) and Chris Ofili (the one who painted black Madonna with elephant dung that gave Giuliani fits).

Gary Hume's work is vastly undervalued in my opinion.  His exhibition at Tate Britain is closed now but you can purchase the exhibition catalogue on Tate Museum's website.   

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Crocodile King

Many of you have heard of Nancy Gonzalez, you know, the crocodile queen.  Her luxurious crocodile bags are own by celebrities such as Blake Lively and Sofia Vergara.  If you are looking for a beautifully crafted hand bag, look no further.  Luckily for men, her son Santiago Gonzalez have decided to launch men's precious skin accessories line.  There are duffels, wallets, card holders, computer cases, etc.   Each one meticulous put together.  With plethora of colors, I'm sure you can find something that satisfy your needs.  You can find Santiago's creation at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Mr Porter.

Monday, September 23, 2013

It's the knobs that make the difference

The best way to make a kitchen or bathroom look high end is install beautiful knobs.  They are not only functional, but whatever the choice you made also says a lot about you.  Therefore, one must choose one's knobs carefully.  I recently came across Baronne doorknob by Murano House.  They are absolutely gorgeous!  These are handmade with Murano Glass.  The best part about them is each glass is infused with either 24ct Gold Leaf or 925 Silver Leaf!  How luxurious is that?!  Even if you are just renting, I would get them because when you move, you can easily twist these knobs off and install them at your next place.  Changing out knobs is the easiest way to update your kitchen or bath.  Naturally with something as fabulous as these knobs, they don't come cheap.   But if you use them daily, they may be a lot cheaper per use if you compare them to that pair of Louboutin shoes you just got last week!  They can be found here.   

Friday, September 20, 2013

Bottega Veneta double twill wool cashmere coat

It's been awhile since I saw a coat that took my breathe away but this is definitely one of them.  I love the clean line of the coat and the fastening neck strap detail just absolutely makes this coat for me.  So in love!  It's not out yet but check regularly with Bottega Veneta regularly for its availability.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

3.1 Phillip Lim for Target Yellow Mini Satchel with Gusset Giveaway

For those fashionistas in the know, no doubt you were waiting in line bright and early on Sunday morning to grab those delicious Phillip Lim bags.  Some of you were even up late Saturday night waiting for Target's website go live!  Well, after all the dust had settled, Phillip Lim for Target mini satchels were all gone.  But fear not, I had a friend grab one for me from her local Target store so I can giveaway this impossibly hard to find bag to one of my readers!  I don't need to go into details about this bag because I'm sure you are more than familiar with it.  Good luck everyone and may you be the lucky gal to call this bag yours!

Please note: apologies to my international friends - I wish I could extend these giveaways to you but legal restrictions prevent it. Thanks for understanding.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Phillip Lim x Target collaboration Men's collection review

I had a chance to hop to a few Target stores in the SF bay area on Sunday (9/15).  Didn't see the whole collection.  Quite a few of the pieces were online only.  So I guess I shall see them when I finally get everything I ordered (one can only hope.  It's Target.com after all so you never know).  I did try on few pieces and touch few others.  Here's my take:

The Blazers.
These run one size bigger than normal.  So if you are a typical EU 50 like me, you would need a M not a L.  The M actually fits quite well on me.  Sadly I feel the proportion of the jacket is off.  The length of the jacket, IMO should be an inch shorter (you can clearly see in their model picture above that the sports coat is too long).  If you are looking for fashion type of sports jacket, you should not get this unless you are willing to take it to a tailor (or if you are good at DIY) to have it shortened by an inch.  But as one may have guessed, it will cost the same as the jacket if I were to take it to my local tailor so the sports jacket was a thumb down for me.  The blazer is partially lined.  

The Trench coats.
I only got to try on the khaki color ones.  The black ones are online only.  Again, the sizing is on the large side.  But of course that depends on if you wear a suit underneath or not.  If you are looking to wear this trench with a long sleeve shirt or a t-shirt, then you should take a size smaller than your normal suit size.  For me, that would mean getting a M instead of L.  The coat is not lined but at $80, I don't expect it to be.  The fabric feels nice and solid not flimsy.  I am also getting the black version which I feel looks more chic than the typical Inspector Gadget trench coat color.

Addendum (9/16): I did finally find a S to try on.  I can still fit in it but it's more on the snug size.  If you are into slim cut and if you are slim, then S is definitely the way to go.  I suspect if you normally wear a M but with a slim body, you may find even S is a bit too big.

The Camo / Color Block sweatershirts.
I ordered both in L online last night.  Of course both are terribly oversized as I try them on in person this morning.  Again, if you are a typical L, you will need a M.  There were so much room when I tried on the color block L sweatshirt.  So if you have a large beer gut, then go with the L if you typically wear a L.  If you are on the trimmer side or slim, you should definitely take a size down.  The construction on the camo sweatshirt feels better than the color block one.  The seam where black meets gray looks a bit funny in person.  But that's just personal opinion.  I do wonder since these are not yet washed, perhaps hot water plus dryer can make a L into a M???  Will have to test that out.

Addendum (9/16): I thought black/gray color block sweatshirt and camo sweatshirt is cut the same.  Not so.  I compared size M for both.  The camo is 2" shorter in body length and 1" shorter in arm length.  Not sure if that's because maybe my camo M was mislabeled or they are just differently.  When my online order gets here, I will be better able to confirm this.  Color block M sweatshirt is still rather large on me.  But I would call it roomy I guess.  The camo M is what I would call slim cut.

The Cotton Pants
The pants sizing was correct.  At least for me.  It's a normal waist pants (ie. the pants button closure hits right below your naval).  I've not worn such a high waisted pants for awhile.  But I suppose it's not technically high waisted since that would mean the pants closure would be at naval or higher.  The fabrication is nice.  I ended up buying the navy one in person even though it was not on my to buy list.  And I also ordered a khaki one online.

The Color Block pocket t-shirt
I didn't get one as I feel it's very Marni-esque.  It also looks kinda flimsy in person. Not my thing. 

The Sweaters/ Cardigans
Honestly, they were too plain for me.  I have something similar already so I only touched them and didn't try them on.  They were fairly soft and not scratchy as one may think they can be.  I don't buy sweaters anymore as I seldom wear them.  I do buy cardigans but I only buy cashmere cardigans so I passed on these.  But for someone who doesn't have basic cardigans and doesn't need it to be cashmere/wool, then I think these are good alternatives.

The Leather Jacket
I didn't try it on as by the time I found them, there were only XL left.  I just figure what's the point of trying them on?  They don't look cheap to me in person but I would not use the word luxurious either.

The Shoes
Again, I have too many pairs of shoes to bother with these.  They looked too plain for me.  I think people have enough basics already.  We need shoes that make statements!

The Bags
Unfortunately I did not see any bags during my foray this morning to Targets.  I'm sure they were fought over by my local bay area residents and then some.  I shudder to think what actually happened at my stores when they first open.  But I did get mine online last night so let's hope those get shipped soon!

The Sweat pants
I picked up the zodiac night one.  It's nice and soft.  I also picked up a heather gray one with zippers without trying it on.  I just figure it look about the same size as the zodiac night one.  But later when I got home, I was trying everything on again and when I looked over what's still available online, I realized that the gray one is actually for women.  There are few subtle differences between the men's sweat pants and women's.  First the men's sweat pants has a drop crotch design.  But IMO it didn't drop low enough.  You see drop crotch pants was repopularized (in early 1990s, it was MC Hammer) by Rick Owens few years ago.  I almost feel that Phillip wanted to do a drop crotch sweat pants but refrained from it as it won't sell very well so we get this kinda drop crotch but not really drop crotch sweat pants....The women's sweat pants isn't as soft and doesn't have a drop crotch but it does have zipper pockets which I like because things won't fall out if you zip those pockets up.  In terms of sizing, surprisingly the women's large is the exact same size as men's large at the waist.  Another difference is length.  The women one is shorter but not by a lot.. about 3".  I'm 5'10" and the length of the gray one was fine on me.  However, because men's sweat pants is softer, I'll return the heather gray one and try to find the dark gray sweat pants.

I think this is a good effort by Target to give men some nice options for these designer collabs.  I feel there were a lot more options for men this time (compare to when Target collaborated with Missoni).  Obviously with Prabal and Wu, men were left out.  I'm glad we are included this time around.  In addition, I think Target controlled their inventory quite well.... so far anyway.  I believe the leather jacket for men is only available in SF Target store in the whole bay area (so said my tracker on Saturday afternoon).  I was hoping to get it at a discount when they go on sale but I'm doubtful if I can even find one in my size in person or online now without discount!  How was your shopping trip at Target this past Sunday?

      

 

Friday, September 13, 2013

3.1 Phillip Lim sunglasses winner is.....

Thank you all for entering the 3.1 Phillip Lim sunglasses giveaway!  After two weeks, we have a winner!  The winner is Entry #467 Jackee K!!  Congrats and please don't forget to email me your shipping address within a week.  To everyone else, please come back and visit often as another fabulous giveaway may just be right around the corner!  In the mean time, are you ready for the Phillip Lim x Target this coming Sunday???  Make sure your alarm clock is working as I predict it may be another mayhem like Missoni!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Rimowa + Moncler = ?

 
When these two companies get together, fireworks is bound to happen.  In this case, Rimowa took what Moncler is known for, padded down jackets, and translate it into their luggage collection. 

For those of you who's not too familiar with Rimowa, here's the 411.  Basically the company was found in 1898.  It manufactured luggage but not the metal type that Rimowa is known for.  In 1950, Rimowa built the first structural suitcase and that proves to be extremely popular with the jet set crowds.  In 2000, Rimowa start to make polycarbonate shell suitcases.  This material is impact-resistant, lightweight, and nearly indestructible polycarbonate shell returns to its original shape after pressure has been released.  Since then, this German company's suitcases have become popular with celebrities such as Bradley Cooper, Jessica Alba, and Liev Schreiber.

You can get your special edition Rimowa at US Moncler website or the German one.  I noticed that the German website is definitely cheaper than US...... I wonder why?

Monday, September 9, 2013

Who knew a lamp full of cobwebs can cost you a fortune!

 
Who knew a cobweb table lamp can cost millions of dollars?!  Well, if it is stamped with Tiffany Studios, it can be.  The rarest of all Tiffany studio lamp is the cobweb lamp.  There are only seven made because it was so costly to produce.  The price in 1906 was $500!  To give you context, the average wage is 22 cents an hour at that time.  This means even after working for a full year without eating and paying rent, one still can't afford this lamp.  It was costly to produce because most of the Tiffany lamps have bronze base with glass shades, this particular model has glass mosaic base.   This lamp, more so than any other Tiffany studio lamp design, has an unified thematic composition from top to bottom.  Since this is the ultimate Tiffany lamp, you can pretty much only find it come up occasionally at Christie's or Sotheby's although one did come up for auction at Michaan's auctions in California last year.  You can also buy reproduction of this particular lamp from Frontgate.  But frankly I would not get it from them.  If you seen and touch the real Tiffany lamp, you would not buy reproductions.  The quality difference is night and day.  It's like buying a real Birkin versus buying one from a street vendor in china town in NYC...  

Friday, September 6, 2013

Diamonds are a girl's best friend!

 
While I'm not very big on jewelry, I came across this today: Sotheby's is auctioning off an egg size diamond in October in their Hong Kong sales office.  Yes, you read that right, egg size diamond.  The said diamond is 118 carats and flawless colored.  Apparently the diamond was 299 carats before being cut into its current shape.  The winning bidder gets to name this gigantic rock.  I wonder what the name would be? 

Oct 7 update... this diamond was sold for $30.8 million dollars.  This is the highest price for a white diamond at auction ever.  I wonder what Marilyn Monroe would say?

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Chef's hat lamp

 
Recently I came across a lamp that resembles a chef's hat so I'm just going to call it a chef's hat lamp!  LOL.  This table lamp comes in two sizes and there is a hanging version as well.  This lamp has a nice Zen quality about it.  Besides the unique look, the price isn't too bad either!  You can order one from Moustache