If the artist’s intent was to create the impression of forward-looking optimism, a rising chorus of voices, a call and a hope for transformation, I think he has certainly achieved it:
(Image: Patrick Thomas, The New York Times)
“Africa is directly connected to our entire foreign policy approach [...] It’s not some isolated thing where once every term you go visit Africa for a while to check that box, but rather it’s an ongoing part of a broader discussion about how we move many of these international challenges forward.“ – President Obama (in an interview with allAfrica.com)
I am noticing gloves of all varieties throughout the Spring couture collections… No reference to a certain famed glittery glove, I think, though at present moment, everything about the King of Pop is certain in vogue (no pun intended).
On the other hand, I am strongly reminded of Madonna (especially perusing the Dior house show). The Madonna of the Gaultier cone bra, the smoky eye and neon pink, fuschia, red high-gloss lip, the frizzy, voluminous perm of the 80’s.
I really j’adore Dior. Sigh.
(Photos: Imaxtree)
(The purse legitimately caused me to swoon, but the brassiere-inspired shoes make me laugh a little.)
.jpg "madonna like a virgin")
“Put down the apple, Adam, and come away with me.”
Starry, starry night.
Found a fine layer of gunpowder all over my things today…
Working full time really fosters an appreciation for weekends, especially the three-day variety!
I spent my Friday off in San Francisco with the family. We had fun strolling and window shopping, but oh the couture envy! Nothing like a stroll into Saks Fifth to make you feel poor, and then guilty when you think of actual economic disparity…
We had an early dinner at Hana Zen in Union Square. They’re famous for their yakitori (grilled appetizers) but the sashimi was very well prepared as well. Beautifully fresh, the melt-in-your-mouth, crystal clear cuts of raw fish – quality sashimi.
Dad’s charred salted fish (bass?) with vegetables and sticky Japanese rice.
Many more barbecues and outings to come this weekend. Happy Independence Day!
“July 4th is a difficult day for an Anglophile…“
Not quite a traditional English tea party with the requisite lemon, sugar, and milk, but we did our best with cold green tea, a small hill peppered with tiny daisies, and the clearest summer evening sky.
This past weekend was one of the hottest so far this summer, a perfect opportunity to share some chua bing with my mom (actually it would be called bingsoo I guess, since we ate at a Korean shop). On the way, we stopped by Paris Baguette for these little treats:
Apple cinnamon pastry.
Apricot tart pastry.
Eating one effectively nixes all benefits of working out the same day, doesn’t it? Yet, pastry is so hard to resist…
Time wastes too fast.
My cursive could never, ever compare to Martha and Thomas Jefferson’s elegant script:
(Photo: The New York Times)
Each letter’s form is shaped so elegantly, such a work of art in itself. Suddenly I am very saddened by the advent of the computer since it means that schoolchildren will never learn proper penmanship, that handwritten letters and poems are truly a relic of the past.
Note to the boys out there: Don’t bother typing your love notes or sending “sweet nothings” via email or IM. Hardly the same effect. Don’t expect the same results! (And you do want results, no?)
Take a look at the rest of the beautifully illustrated article by The New York Times’ Maira Kalman detailing the historically, aesthetically rich experience that is Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s haven of a home. It’s amazing! Monticello is most definitely going on my list of places to visit in the future. It shouldn’t be too difficult, seeing as D.C. is right next to Virginia. Road trip, anyone?
1. Garance Dore, 2. Christian Louboutin in window photo 132, 3. Shoes are my Obsession!, 4. Prada love
“I’m sorry, do you have some prior commitment? Some hideous skirt convention you have to go to?”
Sensibility flies out the window when smacked in the face by the sartorial fireworks that is The Devil Wears Prada. I do love my magazines, marking my favorite pieces and photoshoots, I fancy myself rather well informed – at the very least I’d hope to never be nominated for the What Not to Wear show! But despite my love for beautiful clothes, the artistry of well-done photo shoots or ads…I can’t escape the bigger picture. That is to say, I know somewhere in my head that I couldn‘t spend $500+ on a single pair of shoes even if I had the means to be so frivolous, not when there is enormous discrepancy in income and living standards across the world, when the budget for road construction in a state exceeds the amount needed to end global slavery according to the known numbers, et cetera…
BUT, my goodness. The clothes! The shoes! The handbags! Even without Meryl Streep’s incredible (and hilarious!) performance, the two hours or so would be worth it just to see the procession of the most enviable collection of clothes. Serious shoe lust. Closet envy. I love the white coat Anne Hathaway wears in the makeover fashion montage. THE closet itself – even prettier than the one Vogue showed in a recorded tour of the building!
Calm. Down.
1 Peter 3:3-4. “Your beauty should not merely come from outward adornment… Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
Seriously though, the shoes. Ohmygawd.
Look at her, she’s wicked!
Just kidding, I wish I did. “Parli Italiano,” that is. As of now, my vocabulary is limited – to musical terms and names for certain foods. My ability to eat well is clearly unaffected, thank goodness.
Started off dinner at Scala’s Bistro with yummy crispy flat breads, soft bread with a crackly crust and the ubiquitous extra virgin olive oil and black vinegar.
I couldn’t stop looking at the design of the plates. What a sucker I am for bright contrasting colors, curliques, swirling flowers etched all around in a circle. If I had my own place and a handsome income, I’d love to dig around the antique stores in San Francisco (or D.C.) and buy a bunch of plates like this.
Blurry calimari. Yummy!
Bruschetta – always the catalyst for the ever-lasting debate over the pronunciation of the “ch“. Hard or soft sound? What would I do without my Italian-major friends? (It’s the “sh” sound. Bru-SHEtta. Right, guys?)
Jon’s mashed potatos and halibut.
No idea what’s in this pasta other than a food coma and several hours of running to follow.
My squash blossom pizzetta was excellent! Looks like a weird concoction, but I thought the spiral of squash leaves was really neat! Smelled like cong you bing but tasted quite light and buttery, with a strong garlic flavor and just enough cheese (and squash) on the top to be able to call the thing a pizza (no matter how small the pizzetta!) rather than flat bread.
The leftover half of the pizza made for a nice midnight snack on the way back from Wicked.
