Ace & Jig‘s claim to fame is its cornucopia of custom fabrics. For Fall, designers Cary Vaughan and Jenna Wilson trotted them out in more saturated hues than usual, taking the curated-bazaar aesthetic of their burgeoning brand to the next level. Prints were inspired by everything from oil paintings, circuses, and Delftware ceramics to Japanese denim and vintage saris (the duo visit the fair-trade Indian factory that produces their textiles twice annually). The resulting pieces smacked of the seventies and Ibiza, but Talitha Getty glamour it ain’t. Ace & Jig’s yoked blouses, peasant skirts, and slouchy overcoats made for breezy ensembles but came up short on polish in a way that made them challenging to fathom within the bounds of, say, a Manhattanite’s wardrobe. But brownstone bohemians of Park Slope, rejoice: Your laissez-faire layering just got a bit easier.
—Kristin Anderson
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Treasure Chests
Treasure Chests
Hall of Famer Christy Carrera returns with all new footage because who has a better Treasure Chest or Booty or Legs or…? Hang out (literally) with Tammy Lee in front of her favorite saloon while Reno Lynn shows off her outstanding pair of Big uns and ev
List Price: $ 19.95
Price: $ 19.95
Louis Vuitton
The steep, winding streets of Monaco are fenced up and guardrails hug every curb. The Grand Prix begins here next Thursday, but this weekend belonged to Louis Vuitton. Team LV set up a see-through tent with custom-made Pierre Paulin seating for three hundred in the Place du Palais, and Nicolas Ghesquière favorites including Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jennifer Connelly, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Brit Marling, Ziyi Zhang, and Mackenzie Davis sat in the front row. All of them stood up when Prince Albert and Princess Charlene, accompanied by a battalion of security guards, walked in with Bernard Arnault.
The Cruise collection, Ghesquière’s second show for the LVMH powerhouse, was an elaboration of his first. He’s still thinking about “a wardrobe,” but these clothes were significantly more embellished than what he did for Fall, and, by extension, more playful. Ghesquière appeared to be having quite a good deal of fun: collaging mismatched prints, embroidering lace with tiny seed beads, and accessorizing with spiky silver belts and gladiator sandal-boots that inched up toward the knees. Deep pink was paired with baby pink, and caution orange with yellow and sea blue—”a game of colors,” he called it. It made his debut look almost austere by comparison.
At Vuitton’s March show, the blinds louvered open; here, the curtains closed and moving images of water flowing over rocks, shot by the artist Ange Leccia in Corsica, began playing on the video screens installed in the floor. “I liked the spirit of the girls walking on digital water,” Ghesquière said, referring to the Oceanographic Museum around the corner from the Palace. Aquatic motifs extended to the clothes. Coral branches were embroidered on a flaring, knee-length skirt, and the printed top it was paired with was decorated with two cutout portholes. Formula One, another Monégasque reference, got callouts of its own in the form of a snug racing car red leather jacket and a jersey dress printed with a checkered flag motif.
Ghesquière is still liking the fit-and-flare silhouette he introduced for Fall, but there was more diversity on the runway tonight. High-waisted, slightly flaring trousers will stir memories for fans of the leg-elongating pants he used to make at Balenciaga; on the other hand, embroidered slips with scalloped hems were among the least structured things he’s ever done. And because this was a Resort collection—in stores longer than any other season—the show ran the gamut, from a sheared fur coat to jersey T-shirt dresses. The handbag offering has grown, as well: The Petite Malle now comes with a chain handle, and he’s added a new, wide-mouthed bucket bag.
The overriding impression was of a designer not holding back. There was an engaging new eclecticism, but it didn’t come at the cost of the easiness that he established as one of his key LV codes back in March. The sensational first look—a silk top inset with LV’s classic monogram pattern embroideries and a pair of those high-waisted flares—captured that yin-yang best. Other looks, like the printed pantsuits, seem destined to garner the cult status that so much of his output has in years past. So, Ghesquière is enjoying himself at Vuitton? “I am. I’m inspired and I’m very happy.” It’s catching.
—Nicole Phelps
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A.W.A.K.E.
Each season, A.W.A.K.E. designer Natalia Alaverdian picks a sort of spirit animal for her collection. This time out, she chose the peacock, a reference that manifested itself in more and less obvious ways. Most obvious: the peacock feather trim on a long gray coat. Least obvious: a white sheath dress with a kimono-inspired wrap about the shoulders, which Alaverdian said was a tribute to the albino peacock. OK, sure. Somewhere in the middle: the copious amounts of velvet here, redolent of the feel of feathers; Alaverdian’s use of peacock blue; her emphasis on fishtail hems that mimicked the shape of the bird’s spreading tail. But perhaps the strongest influence the peacock had on this collection was this: As opposed to previous A.W.A.K.E. outings, which put an eccentric, sculptural twist on essentially pragmatic clothes, many of the looks in this collection felt essentially ornamental. There were practical pieces, some of them very good, like a burgundy wool tank dress with an asymmetric hem, or long, faux-fur-trimmed coats that nipped in hard at the waist. But the focus on lingerie-inspired looks and floor-skimming dresses and skirts—many of them quite lovely—really shifted the tone here. The kimono-inspired looks were more matter-of-fact, with the scarf-collared outerwear a particularly strong execution of the wrapping idea. Overall, though, this collection felt like a departure for Alaverdian, but likely a temporary one—as if she’d taken an aesthetic vacation, spending some very pleasant time in a place where it was still the 1990s. Portland, maybe.
—Maya Singer
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Apiece Apart
With their latest offering, Apiece Apart designers Starr Hout and Laura Cramer stressed the notion of a woman becoming who she aspires to be. It was an apt metaphor for a brand that, over the course of a single season, seems to have progressed by leaps and bounds. Apiece Apart’s Fall offering boasts exponentially more pattern than the label has ever shown before and a newly conceptual approach to the mix-and-match basics they’ve made their name on. Hout and Cramer cited the eighties downtown gallery scene as an inspiration, and indeed, there was a bit of Alex Katz around the edges of a multihued-stripe print. (It looked smart on a shift, smarter still on an A-line midi skirt.) The designers described another fabric, a fairly literal interpretation of television static, as an allegory for carving out space in the noise of a New York day. All of it struck a keen balance between graphic-art-inspired prints and cozier, organic elements, like gorgeous nubby wool coats and ponchos in custom Peruvian knits (the latter’s own stark appeal saves wearers from looking as though they’ve stumbled out of a head shop). For Apiece Apart, the shift from Spring ’13 to Fall ’14 seems a bit extensive and a bit cerebral to be dismissed as pure organic growth. If anything, it feels like an exuberant creative exercise gone very right. That’s to say nothing of the fact that they’ve grown by nearly sixty stockists over the course of three seasons. Sounds like they’re well on their way to becoming the brand they want to be.
—Kristin Anderson
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Emma Cook
London designer Emma Cook effectively relaunched her label in 2011, taking it off the runway and shifting to a contemporary price point. What’s remained the same since then is Cook’s graphic and rather surreal take on print, which was in eye-popping evidence this season. Her starting point was the traveling circus, which mainly served as an excuse to gather pattern inspiration from hither and yon—Moroccan tile, traditional American quilt, Egyptian scarabs, etc. A Persian rug print was rendered with trompe l’oeil fidelity. The results here were mixed: Cook has gotten very slack about her silhouettes, which may serve her commercially but does little to distinguish the collection as a whole. There were a few pieces that stood out, however—a trim black dress embroidered with gold scarabs, for instance, and a bomber patchworked together from various fabrics. And there is a palpable charm in Cook’s sensibility. This didn’t feel like her most focused effort, though.
—Maya Singer
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Posted via email from jenrusso’s posterous
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Posted via email from jenrusso’s posterous
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Holy Mirrors, Ancient and Modern
Image by timtak
Mirrors have been regarded as sacred at least since the Han Dynasty in China. Many of these mirrors and from the subsequent Wei dynasty have been found in Japan. They bore images of gods and sacred animals particularly the Chinese dragon (1,2) . They were very popular, and possibly later manufactured, in Japan. The bronze mirrors are found in great number in ancient (kofun period) burial mounds in Japan.
In the biggest archeological find of 33 mirrors, the mirrors were placed surrounding the coffin such that their reflective surface faced the deceased.
The Han mirrors were "magic" in that while they reflected they were also able to project an image usually of the deities and animals on the back and refered to as "light passing mirrors" (透明鑑） (Needham, 1965, p.xlic; Needham & Wang, 1977, pp. 96-97).This magic property is due to the their method of construction. When polishing the reflective face of the mirror, the patter on the back influences the pressure brought to bear on the reflective surface and change the extent to which it is concave. Muraoka also claims that Differences in the (slight) "inequality of curvature" (Ayrton & Perry, 1878, p 139; see also Thompson, 1897, and Needham & Wang, 1977, p96 for a diagram) of the mirror result in the mirror reflecting light bearing the pattern shown on the reverse. More recent research has elucidated the precise mathematical model describing the optics of these mirrors as a laplacian image (Berry, 2006), a type of spatial filter today used for edge detection and to blend two images together.
It is not known whether the mirrors popular in ancient Japan were also able to project, but later during the Nara period mirrors were found to concel magic Buddhist images, and during the Edo period, concealed Christians (Kurishitan) concealed images of the cross or of the Holy Mary within their bronze "magic" mirrors.
Mirrors in Japan contined to be made of brass, until the arrival of Western glass mirrors, and were "magic" in that they displayed the patter on their reverse when reflecting sunlight or other powerful light source (Thompson, 1897). Ayrton (Ayrton & Perry, 1878; Ayrton & Pollock, 1879) claims that in Japan mirror vendors were unaware of the "light passing" quality, and that there is no mention of this ‘magical’ quality known to Han Chinese in Japanese texts. Even a Japanese mirror maker was unaware of how to make magic mirrors though had inadvertently made one himself by extensive polishing a mirror with a design on its back (Ayrton & Perry, 1878, p135).
Unlike the ancient Korean mirror top right (3), the ancient Han and Japanese mirrors were made to be rotated, displaying images in the four directions of the compas.
The reason for the holes in the central "breast" (or nipple) is unclear but it is found to be pierced with a hole (of varying shape depending upon the manufacturer) from which the mirror was suspended by a rope.
Bearing in mind that the images on the mirrors required that the mirrors be rotated, the central nodule might also have enabled the mirrors to be spun like a top. I am not sure why someone would want to spin a mirror but my son does (see the toy explained later). I would very much like to see what the reflected "magic" image becomes when spun. The creatures on the reverse will be merged in the reflected image but probably not in a laplacian way – just as concentric circles. If anyone has a magic mirror I would like them to try spinning it to see.
Skipping the holy mirrors in shrines, mirror rice cakes, and the mirror held by the Japanese version of Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates, King Enma, which holds a record of ones life, and, jumping to the present day…
Mirrors are popular in the transformational items used by Japanese superheros. The early 1970’s Mirror Man transformed using a Shinto amulet infront of any mirror or reflecting surface. Shinkenja, a group of Super Sentai or Power Rangers, that transforms thanks to their ability to write and then spin Chinese characters in the air, also transforms with the aid of an Inro Maru (4) upon which is affixed a inscribed disk. When the disk is attactched to the mirror the super hero inside the mirror is displayed. Transformation (henshin) by means of a mirror is popular too among Japanese femail super heros notably Himitsu no Akko Chan (Secret Akko), who could change into many things that were displayed in her mirror, sailor moon, and OshareMajo (6). The female super heroes mirrors usually make noises rather than contain inscriptions.
The latest greatest Kamen Rider OOO sometimes transforms by means of his Taja-Spina which spins three of his totem-badge "coins" inside a mirror (video).
In this ancient tradition we see recurrence of the following themes
1) Mirrors being of great benefit to the bearer enabling him to transform.
2) Mirrors containing hidden deities
3) Mirrors being associated with symbols: iconic marks, and incantations.
4) Mirrors being made to be rotated or spun.
Thanks to James Ewing for the Mirror Man (Mira-man) reference and to Tomomi Noguchi for the Ojamajo Doremi reference, and to Taku Shimonuri and my son Ray for getting me interested in Japanese superheros.
Addendum
One of My students (A Ms. Tanaka, and a book about the cute in Japan) pointed out that the Japanese are into round things, and it seems to me that this Japanese preference for the round may originate in the mirror.
Anpanman and Doraemon and many "characters" have round faces
The Japanese Flag features a circle representing the sun and the mirror
Japanese coats of arms (kamon)
Japanese holy mirrors are round
"Mirror rice cakes", and many other kinds of rice cake, are round
The Sumo ring is round
Pictures of the floating world (Ukiyoe) often portray the sitter in a round background
Japanese groups always have to end up by standing in a round
The Japanese are fond of domes and have many of the biggest
The Japanese are fond of seals (inkan), which are round
Japanese groups just can’t help standing in a round
The taiko drum is round
The mitsudomoe is round
Mount Fuji is round
But then there are probably round things in every culture?
Ayrton, W. E., & Perry, J. (1878). The Magic Mirror of Japan. Part I. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 28(190-195), 127–148.
Ayrton, W. E., & Pollock, W. F. (1879). The mirror of Japan and its magic quality. London: Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Needham, J. (1965). Science and Civilisation in China: Physics and physical technology. Mechanical engineering. Cambridge University Press.
Needham, J., & Wang, L. (1977). Science and Civilisation in China: Physics and physical technology. I, Physics. Cambridge University Press.
Berry, M. V. (2006). Oriental magic mirrors and the Laplacian image. European journal of physics, 27, 109. Retrieved from www.phy.bris.ac.uk/people/Berry_mv/the_papers/berry383.pdf
Spatial Filters – Laplacian/Laplacian of Gaussian. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2012, from homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/rbf/HIPR2/log.htm
Thompson, S. P. (1897). Light Visible and Invisible: A Series of Lectures at Royal Institution of Great Britain. Macmillan. Retrieved from www.archive.org/stream/lightvisibleinvi00thomuoft#page/50…
Under They Go!
Image by Jocey K
Hector’s dolphin seen from the Black Cat in Akaroa harbour, day two of my friends visit from London. I took them over the Port hills to Akaroa. We had such a beautiful day and they enjoyed the trip.
The cruise is packed with highlights including the rare, NZ native dolphin – the Hector’s Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. And you’ll see giant volcanic sea cliffs and hear about Akaroa’s fascinating past. Cruises depart every day, weather permitting.
The Back Cat is modern catamaran, the 60 foot /20 metre Black Cat (previously the Canterbury Cat), is perfect for viewing the natural wonders of Akaroa Harbour.
For More Info: www.blackcat.co.nz/akaroa-harbour-nature-cruises.html
Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus and is found only in New Zealand. At approximately 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans, and New Zealand’s only endemic cetacean.
Hector’s dolphin is the smallest of the dolphins. Mature adults have a total length of 1.2–1.6 m (3 ft 10 in–5 ft 3 in) and weigh 40–60 kg (88–130 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, with females being slightly longer and heavier than males. The body shape is stocky, with no discernible beak. The most distinctive feature is the rounded dorsal fin, with a convex trailing edge and undercut rear margin.
The overall appearance is pale grey, but closer inspection reveals a complex and elegant combination of colours. The back and sides are predominantly light grey, while the dorsal fin, flippers, and flukes are black. The eyes are surrounded by a black mask, which extends forward to the tip of the rostrum and back to the base of the flipper. A subtly shaded, crescent-shaped black band crosses the head just behind the blowhole. The throat and belly are creamy white, separated by dark-grey bands meeting between the flippers. A white stripe extends from the belly onto each flank below the dorsal fin.
At birth, Hector’s dolphin calves have a total length of 60–80 cm (24–31 in) and weigh 8–10 kg (18–22 lb). Their coloration is the same as adults, although the grey has a darker hue. Four to six vertical pale stripes, caused by fetal folds affecting the pigmentation, are present on the calf’s body until an age of about six months.
For More Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector%27s_dolphin
MG Camille Nichols-Female Army Leaders Panel-Mar. 2014
Image by U.S. Army IMCOM
Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston (Mar. 20, 2014) — Maj. Gen. Camille Nichols, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Installation Management Command participated in a panel discussion on women’s roles in the U.S. Army. Nichols spoke about her Army career path, personal experiences and offered insight into changing attitude and culture regarding women’s expanding opportunities in the Army.
"It was a different Army in 1981, I wanted a job where I could get dirty," Nichols told her listeners. "I was one of two female officers when I arrived at Fort Knox as an engineer. They didn’t quite know what to do with me." Nichols said that while many doors closed in her face, unlooked-for opportunities shaped her career path.
"You never know what opportunities are out there – the Army needs agile, innovative, creative people," she said.
When asked about how to handle gender biased professional criticism, Nichols replied that focusing on her actions helped her as a female Army leader.
"It’s going to happen (referring to a less than perfect rating). Don’t chase a rating. If you do, you are in this for the wrong reason. Stay focused on improvement. Seek out the toughest job and do it well. That’s how you show your true value."
The panel of five female Army leaders ranging in rank from sergeant major to major general spoke to approximately 30 members of the Rocks, Inc., San Antonio chapter, an officer corps mentoring and professional development organization.
(U.S. Army photos by Amanda Kraus Rodriguez)