Next Stop: #HMBalmaiNation

I have been a Balmain fan for awhile.  Balmain women's collection had always been more of a party clothes vibe whereas Balmain men's collection had always been more of a clothes that you can wear daily.  Balmain for H&M is exactly that: women's clothes is very sexy and more night time than day while men's is more of a day time affair.

This men's collection is essentially best of Balmain from the past decade.  It had few pieces that were from the Decarnin era but most of them are designed by Olivier Rousteing.  For those who don't know the recent history of Balmain... essentially Christophe Decarnin revived Balmain in 2006 from a sleepy brand to the IT brand in 2006.  Decarnin's biker look was the rage all over Paris.  His biker jeans were insanely expensive (and the new ones still are very expensive); most started at $1,000 and some were as high as $2,500 for cotton jeans.  Depend who you talk to /read, Decarnin couldn't handle the pressure and resigned in 2011.  Olivier was his assistant and took over as Design Director when Decarnin left.  Initially I thought he was just way too young/ inexperienced to be in charge for such a venerable house but some of his pieces have definitely captured my heart.

Here are my favorite pieces from the H&M x Balmain collaboration.  The embroidery jacket looks amazing.  While I'm not sure if it is wearable especially during daytime, I would be open to snatching it if the price is right as regular Balmain embroidery jackets are well into 5 figures.   

The biker jacket is absolutely the IT piece for me.  It's a classic Balmain staple and when you unzip the front flaps, the jacket becomes a more traditional biker jacket shape.  The leather jogger is also another must for me.  I can't get enough leather joggers! 

Hoodies are all the rage in SF Bay Area and this shape takes it up another notch.  I like the leather padding at the shoulder to give it an unexpected twist.  Can't wait to see it in person.

Lastly, this olive military jacket was designed by Decarnin.  I believe it was his last season.  I love the clean line of the silhouette.  This coat is a must in my book!

What is your favorite Balmain for H&M piece?  Or more importantly, how many hours will you wait in line to ensure you get the pieces you want on November 5th?

Soccer Mom's revenge!

Michelle Grabner is a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and one of the curators for 2014 Whitney Biennial.  End of last year, she had an exhibition at James Cohan Gallery. 

This is what Michelle said about her art: "These works were based on particular materials such as washcloths, blankets and window screens. As in Scarry's quote, the work evolved away from the particular toward the universal. Although the process of employing found material as a template continued, the material--a simple cotton weave blanket--now provided only a roving grid pattern that did not reveal itself as a specific item. Local color evidenced in the previous bodies of work gave way to full spectrum bands of radiating pastel color, again making a shift toward Scarry's "distributional." This relationship to beauty is also underscored in Plato's requirement that we move from eros to caritas, from the interest in the beauty of one person toward the beauty of all. "Being good, bearing knowledge and acting fairly" are classical virtues I would like to reinvestigate via abstraction within the contemporary discourse of painting. I am most concerned with metaphorically conveying beauty as compassionate and good-hearted, that which is very distinct from the sublime." 

Ken Johnson's, art critic at NY Times, reviewed Michelle Grabner exhibition and this is what he had to say about her art: "Nothing in all this is more interesting than the unexamined sociological background of the whole. If the show were a satire of the artist as a comfortably middle-class tenured professor and soccer mom, it would be funny and possibly illuminating, but it’s not."

In 2015, this is Michelle Grabner's rebuttal.

Ansel Adam on the cheap!

Since 2007, 20x200 has been selling gorgeous prints online.  Their motto is "It's Art for Everyone".  And they do mean every one.... whether you make 20k a year or 2M a year.  Every print they make, they make them in several different sizes.  In this case, The Tetons, Snake River by Ansel Adams, they have 8"x10", 11"x14", 16"x20", 20"x24", and 30"x40".  Each size has different editions.  For example, 11"x14" has 500 editions available whereas 30"x40" only has 10 editions available.  The starting price range from $24 to $1800.  So for price of a cheap dinner out ($24), you can buy an original limited edition print by Ansel Adams!  How awesome is that?! 

New Jeff Koon Balloon Dog!

If you have been following Jeff Koon's limited edition artwork, then surely you know of balloon dog plates that were published by MOCA back in 2002.  I remember seeing the dog plates in red and blue and didn't think much of them.  I believe they were asking $595 each.  Well, unfortunately for me, I did not stock up on those plates (more like I didn't get any).  Today, those balloon dog plates regularly sells for $16,000-$20,000.  Pretty good investment if you ask me!  MOCA together with Jeff Koons had decided to publish a different color balloon dog plate recently (all net proceeds will be dedicated to MOCA's endowment).  This time in yellow.  Unfortunately the price is no longer $595....Now it's a princely sum of $8,000.  I guess that's still a bargain considering red or blue dog plates routinely sells for $16,000 and up.  So for those readers with deep pockets, you may want to buy up these "cheap" plates since I'm sure once they are sold out, you will start to see them popping up at Christie's or Sotheby's for $16,000 and up.  One per customer per MOCA website.  Start to get your aunt Betty and nephew John calling MOCA.  LOL.   

Raffle Winner!

And we have a winner for the Ermenegildo Zegna toiletry bag giveaway!  The winner is Shakeia R.!  Please send me your US address within a week so I can send the prize to you.  Please note, I will repick another winner if I don't hear from you by next Friday (7/17/15).  Thank you everyone else for entering and have a great summer!  Until next time.  :)

Limited Edition Herzog & de Meuron architecture model

If you have someone who loves starchitects or who collects architecture model (I know, what's the difference?  LOL), this may be the most economical gift yet.  This limited edition PAMM model by Herzog & de Meuron is priced at $295 and there are only 50 of them exist in the world.  Compare this to Herzog & de Meuron's Tate Modern limited edition model of the new addition which is cost about $2200 and there is 250 of them.

PAMM, which stands for Perez Art Museum Miami, overlooks Biscayne Bay in Miami.  Founded in 1984, the museum was called Center for the Fine Arts.  Then in 1996, it was renamed as Miami Art Museum.  In 2013, the museum moved to Museum Park (formerly Bicentennial Park) and renamed again as Perez Art Museum in honor of the $40 million gift by Jorge M. Perez.  The museum focuses on 20th century and contemporary art.  PAMM had anticipated 200,000 visitors in its first year but it got over 150,000 visitors in its first four months!

Happy July 4th Giveaway!

Happy 4th of July everyone!  To celebrate this holiday, I'm giving away an Ermenegildo Zegna toiletry bag!  This sleek black toiletry bag is perfect for traveling or for gathering all nicknacks in one single place.  Great as a gift as well!

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

Takashi Murakami + Vans = Love!

This past Saturday had been one of the busiest day for sneaker heads across US.  Apparently two collaborations decided to drop on the same date: Yeezy for Adidas and Takashi Murakami for Vans.  Naturally both were sold out instantly online and in stores.  I thought one can only get Murakami for Vans in stores so I had planned out which ones I would go to first.  But later I found out that they were also being sold online from various outlets!  Wish I had known!!!   

There were a total of 6 designs for women and men.  The shoes were unisex.  But basically they have two distinct patterns.  One is smiley flowers and the other is skulls.  The flower ones came in multi-color, blue, and silver on white.  The skull ones came in yellow, blue, and gold on white.  He also did three different skateboard decks: skulls, smiley flowers, and self portrait.  Additionally, there is three different t-shirts and three different toddler shoes.  Sounds like tons of stuff to buy!   

I found there were only three stores in SF bay area that had them.  And only the Berkeley store carried the skateboard decks.  I made the decision to go to the SF ones instead because the Berkeley one did not carry silver flower on white vans which is the one I wanted the most.  Although I would be very happy to settle for a pair of blue flower or multi-color flower.

I got to the store about 15 minutes before opening.  There were about 15 people in front of me so I was a bit nervous... thinking they may ran out of shoes.  Apparently some of those people were there to pick up their Yeezy shoes and not Murakami for Vans.  When I got into the store, they were sold out all the flower t-shirts (which I'm not sure I wanted one anyway) and self portrait t-shirt (only S left).    I was pretty sure I wasn't going to fit into the S so I let it pass.  They also sold out of multi-color flower vans.  I was able to get a pair of silver on white flower shoes in my size (woohoo) and a pair of blue flower shoes a half size bigger than I would normally wear (hurray).  Apparently that was the last pair of blue flower vans they have left. 

As I was leaving, I saw about another 10 people waiting in line.  I hope they get what they were looking for.  I did ended up trekking to Berkeley to see if they had anything left.  They were wiped clean and had only a pair of yellow skull vans (but a size too small for me) and a pair of blue skull vans (a size and a half too small for me).  I did see them put those two pair up the following day online which of course they were gone in a nano second.

I checked on Ebay and apparently that's where all the shoes went.  Although honestly they must have released very few pairs at each store as I checked for my size, there really isn't that many available.  The skateboard decks turned out to be the hottest item on Ebay as I expected they would be.  Most of them are selling for around $600 a deck at the low end (retailed for $80 each) and the most sought after multi-color flower ones are trending around $1000!   

Not another review of the Apple Watch?!

Well, I had one since like forever so I figure I should write something about it.  haha.  I got it at the end of April and honestly, I can't say everyone should run out to get one.  I think it's one of those working in progress type of thing that eventually it will be one of those must have item.  I'm one of those people who do not read manuals so my watch can probably do a lot more than I know of right now....

Pros:

The packaging.  I'm not one of those who go on youtube and watch other people unwrap their Apple phone so when I got mine, I was blown away by the presentation.  I know Apple is good at packaging since I have ipad, imac, macbookpro, iphone, etc etc but I guess the Apple watch packaging really takes it up a notch.  I was sooo impressed by the thought that went into packaging Apple watch.

Talk on the watch.  So while I was in my hotel room, all of a sudden my watch started to ring.  Turned out that I can talk to people on my watch! Very Inspector Gadget!

Give directions.  So the day after I got my watch, I traveled to Spain for the first time.  I input my hotel address on my iphone and put the phone away in my pocket.  I was surprised that my watch started to give me directions!  This is a big plus for me as I think it's more convenient to look at my watch than trying to read off a bigger screen while crossing streets.

Receiving and sending texts.  For the longest time, my watch wasn't receiving texts like I thought it would.... but all of a sudden once I returned to US, it stated to receive texts few weeks later.  Not sure what that's all about.  But I do find reading a quick text is easy off Apple Watch and replying is also very easy.  I just speak to my watch and it will either send a voice text or a written text.  So far, every time I speak the text, my watch had gotten every single word correct!  Very surprised since my iphone had not been able to!

Activity Monitor.  This thing has been somewhat cool.  I like that it tells you how many calories you had burned doing move, exercise, and stand.  It even gives you an hourly breakdown of calories burned which I think is helpful.  I don't have a fitbit so one of the reason I bought this watch is to keep track of my activities.

Remote control.  The watch can be used as a remote control for you to take selfies or turn on music on your phone.  If you take a lot of selfies, this is very helpful. 

Friends and family tab.  You can have 12 close friends and family tab.  The cool thing is you can hand write doodles to them. 

Cons:

Talk on the watch.  I have to say the quality of sound isn't that great and had I been walking on a busy road, I doubt I can hear much. 

Activity Monitor.  I wish I can wear this watch when I swim to monitor my heart rate.  Also this watch gets in the way when I lift weight and wear a glove.  The round circle nub on the side of the watch keeps on getting pressed by my glove when I lift weight and the watch would constantly goes on and off as I lift.  I ended up have to loosen up the strap so that my watch doesn't get activated constantly.

Remote control.  Doesn't work nearly as well as a selfie stick.  You will have to station your phone somewhere and prop it up to take your selfie whereas a selfie stick can take a picture of you at any angle you want... but then you have to carry a selfie stick.

Friends and family tab.  The downside is they have to have an Apple Phone to receive the doodle. 

Habit.  I have stop wearing a watch several years back.  So it's a bit odd to be wearing one again.  I find myself wanting to unstrap my watch when I get home so that doesn't help if I want to keep track of my activity monitor.  While the watch is quite light, perhaps few generations out, it'll be so light that I would not mind having it on my wrist constantly even at home.

Overall I think it's a good effort on Apple's part.  Do I think it's the best thing ever?  Far from it. But do I regret getting it? Definitely not.  I got the Sports version as I figure they will most likely be updating it yearly... no point of getting the more expensive version IMO.  I may want to switch it out a few years from now.  The way I see it is this watch is costing me about $1.20 per day if I get the newer version in a year or $.60 per day if I get a new one every other year.  Sure, I don't need to spend that money but at the same time, I don't think I'm being extravagant.  And who knows... 50 years down the road, I may be able to sell this watch more than what I paid for it.  haha. 

Meissen, the grand dame of European porcelain

Meissen has been around since 1708.  It is the first European manufacturer to figure out how to produce true porcelain.  Before the discovery, Europeans did produced white-colored porcelain.  However, it was soft by nature (hence the name soft-paste porcelain).

It's hard to believe, but porcelain in early 18th century is literally worth its weight in gold.  During this time, there were a lot of trials and errors.  Thus production was very limited and only upper classes can afford to have them.  Hence during early to middle 18th century, porcelain were given as diplomatic gifts among kings and queens.

The most well known pattern by Meissen is called the swan service (schwanenservice).  This service was ordered by and made for manufacture's director Count Heinrich von Bruhl.  Swan service was so large that it took 7 years to make and the result was more than a thousand pieces ranging from center pieces to plates and cups.  The molds still exist today and this pattern is still being actively produce by Meissen.  Most of the original pieces from swan service are in museums but occasionally one can find them at auction houses such as Christie's or Sotheby's. 

Another interesting offshoot of Meissen porcelain is called Hausmalerei which means home painting. During 18th century, entrepreneurial artists would buy blank porcelain, paint them, and sell them at marked up prices.  Thus they are partially original and yet partially not.  Today, they are actively sought out by collectors who specialize in collecting Meissen Hausmalerei-ware.

Alex Katz for everyday use

Nope, Alex Katz can't be your daily personal slave!  But you can buy his collab stuff from Barney's New York.  Alex is collaborating with Art Production Fund and BNY to create a limited edition collection of houseware and clothing accessories.  The home goods range from candles to napkins.  And accessories rang from scarf to tote.  All proceeds go to Art Production Fund which is a non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art.  I am all for creating art and I can't think of a better way to purchase fabulous stuff while supporting this great organization! 

Twirl away! The newest playground for your kids in Alameda!

With budget cuts left and right for education, art classes are always the first one to go.  But fear not, Twirl in Alameda has you covered!  This new art laboratory boutique that just opened a month ago is the best thing that happened to your kids.

This 3000 sqft play space is the ultimate fun place for your little ones to can frolic to their content!  There are tons of art supply at the space where your kids to be creative and learn.   They also offer up a private party room for your children's birthday bash where he/she can invite up to 17 of his/her closest buddies for a day of art fun.  And if you want to catch a romantic dinner on Friday night in downtown Alameda, drop off your kids in one of their evening classes and have a great date night alone just between two of you.  Did I mention those classes book up really fast....

   

2nd markdowns at department stores are the best!

Because usually there is still plenty of selections around while most of the stuff are at least 50% off. 

Case and point, this motorbike inspired Balmain Varsity jacket from Ssense is marked down from over $5k to $2k. While $2k isn't pocket change, but it's better than spending $5k!  ;)

When was the last time you buy something from Bottega Veneta with a price tag sub $200 mark?  Here's a lovely silk blend scarf from MatchesFashion for $165 from $330. 

Or this pair of classic Lanvin trainer from Bergdorf Goodman.  This gray color shoes practically goes with any outfit you put on.  From $580 to $289.  Best of all if you don't live in NY, it's tax free!

Or this Valentino bracelet from Saks Fifth Avenue.  This studded wrap bracelet will surely give your outfit an edgier look.  From $395 to $177.75.

Oh and when you are ready to travel in style, don't forget to bring your new tomato red leather (because all other colors are just so boring) Serapian carry-on from Barney's New York.  The workmanship is exquisite.  Marked down from $1695 to $679.

Calouste Gulbenkian Museum's Fabulous collection

Everyone has heard of small museums like Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston or Frick Collection in NYC.  But not many people have heard of Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in the US.  If you ever go to Lisbon, it's a must stop.  This museum is basically a personal collection for Calouste.  He was born in Constantinople but live mostly in United Kingdom and France.  Towards the end of his life, he moved to Lisbon.  He made his money in oil and was a major shareholder of Royal Dutch/Shall company.

This museum is divided into eight different concentrations: Egypt, Greek, Coin, Middle East, Far East, 18th Century French Furniture, Western paintings range from quattrocento to impressionist, and Rene Lalique. 

The best part of the museum is probably the 18th century French furniture.  The collection here is as good as any large American museum.  There is a huge collection of French silver which is very rare as most French silver were melted down during wars in 18th century.  I would say their French silver collection is better than Metropolitan Museum in NYC or Waddesdon Manor in London.

Another highlight may be the large jewelry collection by Rene Lalique.  Most people when they hear Lalique they think of crystal vases.  But during Art Nouveau period, Rene Lalique was arguably the best jeweler during that time.  Two of the best examples of Rene Lalique jewelry is actually housed at this museum: Dragonfly Broach and Serpents Pectoral.  The pieces are actually quite large in person and they are absolutely exquisitely made.  Like all artwork, you have to see them in person to appreciate them; photos do not do them justice.

      

Lilly Pulitzer for Target scarf winner!!

And the winner is Lani P!!!  Please contact me ASAP and claim your scarf.  Congrats and thank you everyone for entering.  Please continue to check back for random fun giveaways (past giveaways range from Marc Jacobs key pouch to Missoni scarf).  In the mean time, have a great summer and stay fabulous!  Until next time...  :)

Entryway bench that looks good and easy on your wallet!

If you go to an Asian person's home, you will likely find an entryway bench prominently at foyer area as quite a few of us grew up having to take off our shoes before going inside anyone's home.  The logic behind that is you don't carry dirt into your home.  I think this concept may have originally came from Japan as I don't think you can ever go into a Japanese person's home without seeing an entryway bench.

Given my fondness of an entryway bench, I was delighted to see that Blu Dot now offers one on Target's website.  Blu Dot is a mid tier level home furnishing brand that offers great mid century modern style furniture.  I know every time I step into their boutique in the Mission District in San Francisco, I'm always tempted to buy a thing or two.  The collaboration between Target and Blu Dot had been going on for awhile.  The best part of the collaboration is economical price with great design.  This well priced bench also comes with storage beneath to store all your shoes and it is additional 10% off today with code: HOMESAVE10
   

Less is more when it comes to faucets

Sometimes less is more when it comes to faucets.  Currently one of my favorite faucet is AF/21 from Boffi designed by Naoto Fukasawa.  Japanese designers are known for their restrained aesthetics and this faucet is nothing short of elegance in a minimal package.  Many interiors fall into trap of being fashionable at the time of installation but often they look dated after 10 years.  I think a minimalist bathroom with AF/21 faucet will withstand test of time... but of course only time will tell.  ;)

Lilly Pulitzer for Target scarf giveaway!

It's summer time!  I'm giving away this light weight hard to find Lilly Pulitzer for Target scarf.  You may have heard that Target was wiped clean of LPfT over a month ago due to huge demand for Lilly Pulitzer's gorgeous prints.  Here's your chance of adding a little sparkle into your life! 

Thank you for entering and check back in a week to see if you won!

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

Reinventing Loewe

I'm literally kicking myself for not knowing Loewe had recently started to produce men's clothes. Apparently Loewe hired Jonathan Anderson not too long ago to revamp the brand.  Loewe is a Spanish brand rooted in Madrid.  They are known for their leather goods.  I believe this is the first time for them producing men's clothes.  I saw his clothes for the first time few weeks ago at Barney's New York on Madison Avenue after spending few weeks in Spain (and didn't bother to stop in one of their stores while I was there... uhh...).  Given the difference in Euro and Dollar, I could have gotten very good prices.  I'm so kicking myself!!!  His clothes feels very new; proportions are very interesting, craftsmanship is very high, and they are a bit androgynous at the same time.   

Casa Batllo by Gaudi

I had the pleasure to visit Casa Batllo recently.  I have to say it was as magical as I thought it would be.  I'm sure it was weird to the nth degree when it was first done back in 1904.  Today, it just looks like something out of Disneyland.... but of course we know Casa Batllo came before Disney!

This Art Nouveau building is actually a remodel and not a ground up structure by Gaudi.  This house represents Saint George's lance and slaying of the Dragon.  The end of the lance is represented by the cross on the roof and the roof tiles is reminiscent of scale of a dragon.

As anyone who have been to Casa Batllo can tell you, it is packed with people!  The tour starts at 9:00AM and ends at 9:00PM.  The building is open 365 days a year which is amazing!  There is a fast pass at 5 euro which allows you to skip the long line.  I think it really depends on what time you get there.  If you get there 10 minutes before 9AM, it doesn't make much sense to pay that extra 5 euro as there is also a line for the fast pass too!!!

In fact, I was in that fast pass line at 8:45 AM.  The good thing about the fast pass line is that you are the first few to get into the building which allows you to take pictures without zillions of people in it.  I think I was 7th or 8th person in line and I was able to run upstairs and click away without anyone in the photo!  After I took all the pictures I want, I went back down to the tour and listened to the audio guide.  But by that time, there were people everywhere and I was glad that I had the opportunity to take a lot of pictures when there were no one around.  They also give you a video guide which looks like one of those Samsung phone.  It's pretty cool as you can look through the screen and it would show what the place would have looked like back in Art Nouveau time.

The price of 26.50 euro was definitely not cheap to just walk through the house by yourself for maybe an hour at most but it's probably one of the most unique house in Spain that was built in early 20th century so I definitely think it is worthwhile.