Since 1909

Not many shopaholics know this, but deep in the Selfridges basement a gallery of treasures lie celebrating Gordon Selfridges the man acclaimed as the creator of "the theater of retailing". Selfridges was always intended to be part store, part theater, part art exhibition gallery, and learning center but what it is for sure is the most beautiful department store in London. The exhibition tells the story of 100 years of Selfridges with information on the building architecture, window displays and the shopping experience. My personal fave bits from the gallery was the life sized Gordon made out of 200,000 lickable jellies, the iconic packaging of the bags tumbling from the ceiling, and the delicate photo montages laid on glass.

Showstudio Open For Business

I had one of my great moments of 09 yesterday. I finally made some time in my lame email-filled life to visit the Showstudio part gallery part live studio. I was skipping and trotting on the way there from Green Park station so excited on the prospect of meeting my idol/icon Nick Knight. As I was nearing the new address of Showstudio I saw 1-9 Bruton Place and out of the door waltzed the tall thin photographer in dark grey suit looking sharp and elegant. And what do you think happened to the biggest fan of Showstudio and Nick Knight to do? I froze dead in my tracks like a deer caught in headlights. Armed with my D-40 I simply stood there as Nick walked down the street and disappeared into the crowds. I was so frustrated and am still kicking myself about it right now but I'm sure there will be other opportunities to visit the gallery and meet him again since I live pretty close to the space now. There were movers still moving furniture and installation about in the gallery but the new residence was stunning with lots of room, white space and natural light coming in. I can't wait to attend upcoming exhibits and see what they come up with next. Welcome to your new home Showstudio!

Miniu by Obai and Bash - Behind The Scenes

We're all aware of celebrity news and their fashion lines. Its not hot news that collaborating with a Target and Kitson is the norm and has spiraled a million young fashionista's to launch their own lines with little or no experience. Seeing as I am telling off those who dare venture into fashion design territory without a degree I'm afraid I myself am venturing into the fashion unknown. Well not really unknown. Other than flogging myself into the industry back in my student days and working in fashion for the past year I am finally going to tip-toe into the realm of design armed with my partners Miniu and Luma B. We are armed with conceptual thoughts, sketches on loose paper, and pins to nip and tuck.

Our line is not one with schedule or focused on trend. Rather its become a collaborative experiential ritual where we meet to discuss notes on pattern cutting, tailoring, prints and fabrics in our Notting Hill loft enjoying the process of turning sketches into samples. Miniu and I have worked on numerous projects together meeting over the years to test ideas in architecture and fashion late into the nights of a Green Park Starbucks but I think this would be the first time we are able to find rhythm for our concepts. I took some snaps of our last meet so you can catch glimpses of our attention to detail and train of thought.

Sketches

Really Dazed with 3D Fun

A huge fuss was being put out there about the new Dazed and Confused issue, that included a 3D experience. The magazine takes fashion into another dimension with a commissioned shoot of Marios Schwab's 3D inspired collection. The glasses made reading the print issue super fun to read.

The art of Gehry

Since I am spending a lot of time working I can only but recycle stories + images from my 2008 archives. I previously posted about the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion circa 07- and recently remembered I also have some images from last years pavilion by Frank Gehry. This was his first structure in the UK and though it was temporary it was a beautiful space that housed many talks and an orchestra during opening night. Frank Gehry is a fascinating architect and I highly recommend you watch the documentary/movie, Sketches of Frank Gehry directed by the late Sydney Pollack. Click here to watch the trailer.


A little bit about the structure :

Frank Gehry said: 'The Pavilion is designed as a wooden timber structure that acts as an urban street running from the park to the existing Gallery. Inside the Pavilion, glass canopies are hung from the wooden structure to protect the interior from wind and rain and provide for shade during sunny days. The Pavilion is much like an amphitheatre, designed to serve as a place for live events, music, performance, discussion and debate. As the visitor walks through the Pavilion they have access to terraced seating on both sides of the urban street. In addition to the terraced seating there are two elevated seating pods, which are accessed around the perimeter of the Pavilion. These pods serve as visual markers enclosing the street and can be used as stages, private viewing platforms and dining areas.'