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What's on Rem Koolhaas' book shelf? The 1984 edition of Cutting Hair the Vidal Sassoon Way, because, as the Dutch architect told the hairstyling legend himself earlier this week at the London Design Festival awards, “It has great shapes.”
A special lifetime achievement award was confered on our beautiful pal Vidal, there with wife Ronnie, and, per NYT design editor Pilar Viladas' coverage, he charmed the awards dinner crowd with stories of his love of architecture.
Vidal and Ronnie rescued the 1959 Richard Neutra masterpiece known as the Singleton House, and their homes have always been filled with the most awe-inspiring of modern design.
At last Monday's awards, Ron Arad received the London Design Medal, and Ronnie snapped both visionaries with her phone and kindly sent it to me yesterday. Good timing, too, since I am eagerly and finally just cracking Vidal's biography that came out this summer. I can already tell it won't take any time at all polishing off his fantastic story. (I'm already having a hard time putting it down and starting my day...) And that's a good thing since we have a dinner date as soon as they get back!
On that note, the wonderful bio-pic on the man, with interviews with Peggy Moffitt, Grace Conddington, Mary Quant and many other style icons, is on DVD. A must, too, for your library.
Vidal Sassoon and Ron Arad at the London Design Festival Awards
Photo Courtesy: Ronnie Sassoon
To Ed Ruscha, "I Do" is "the world's greatest catch phrase." The artist's take on the institution of marriage is die-cut and imprinted on favor cards that make up the many incredible artist contributions to his friend Bettina Hubby's latest project, a provocative take on weddings.
Those of you who frequently read this blog have read about Bettina before, and know that I'm one of her biggest champions. Her multi-media, multi-artist performance works are especially compelling because of their original topics, her communal approach and the resulting works.
This latest, "Get Hubbied," has especially been an exercise in commitment and persistence for Bettina. I was on board, in fact, during the first couple of years until new forces in my life made it challenging for me to continue. Bettina's fortitude through it all has been amazing. She finally found the right couple for what will be a legal wedding. I'm so looking forward to being there.
One of the challenging factors of this project was getting interest from media and galleries. Despite my efforts when I was on board, they just didn't get it. And I know it's been an uphill battle in the time since I retired from the project. It boggles: here was this incredible group of respected artists that Bettina managed to corral into the project; a provocative subject with Bettina's own personal and familial experience as reference (which always makes for a better story); and the promise of yet another quality experience that Bettina always delivers with her performances. And nada.
Until this week. Brooke Hodge finally took to her T column online in The New York Times to report on the "big day" next Sunday at the Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock. Hurrah.
There might still be an opportunity to be a guest, if not at least contribute financially to this nonprofit art project. It's worth checking out the Get Hubbied site to review the many films and other side projects related to the wedding.
Of course, I will have full coverage post event. In the spirit of sharing her creative process, Bettina and the Center for the Arts will be showcasing the the resulting artwork, ephemera and even a film in an exhbition opening on Oct. 15.
The Mutewatch has arrived at A+R and, not suprisingly, Notcot arrived first to cover the grand unwrapping of this revolutionary new timepiece.
We received the very first 20 Mutewatches in North America (in fact, outside of Paris and Stockholm), and many are already sold because of the waiting list. News of the watch's pending release has been zinging around the blogosphere lately and many a first adopter has been ringing us up for one. The excitement for it has been crazy—and completely warranted. It really is as cool as it sounds.
THANK YOU Jean Aw from Notcot for the great posting today on the watch. Cracking open a first shipment of new product is always like the morning after Santa popped by, and it was a kick having you at the store with us on Thursday when we opened the first box of Mutewatches.
Ok, so Fashion's Night Out was a great pretense to initiate a thought-provoking installation in our window, mark the launch of six new collections and see old friends who drove all the way from the eastside to the westside.
Revelers were certainly spending money in L.A. Vogue left coast head ed Lisa Love popped by with Balenciaga's Katherine Ross and shared that she'd just been telling her NYC counterparts that while the hordes there might be out in the streets and stores in party mode, Angelenos were carousing and shopping.
And we weren't the only ones on the lane inspired to do something more than just throw open our doors in the name of fashion. While Cast of Vices plies its madcap ideas in the form of jewelry cast as pharmaceuticals and disposable plastic bags cut from luxe lambskin, co-designer Chris Glancy came up with the installation in our window that questioned art and commerce and the very idea of FNO.
Mona Moore used the evening for its own support of artists with the opening of “Ideal Woman,” a provocative installation by L.A.-based feminist artist allie pohl. And, up the street, the avant-garde fashion salon Guild opened its exhibition of sublime mixed media imagery by the Czech-born artist Kamil Vojnar.
Still, I couldn't quite shake the feeling that, shopping or not, the party was over. In three turbo years, FNO has become a company unto itself, with an array of branded disposable product and hype tie-ins. By its very existence, it was always a commercial enterprise. Now it feels institutionalized. And that feels forced.
We enjoyed the evening, for sure, and our band of shops on Abbot Kinney who commemorated FNO seemed to enjoy the experience. We all stayed open late—until 10—yet it was a much more manageable, civilized affair than, say, the pandemonium of First Fridays with the gourmet food trucks or even the upcoming street festival which is more about the crafties setting up their tables of home-spun wares for the day than it is for the brick-and-mortar stores who make it work year-round.
It certainly attracted a better dressed crowd.
Will we return for a fourth FNO? Probably. I always enjoy a good revival.
Vincent Ehly, lynchpin of the chicest footwear and bag shop Mona Moore, tells us how he feels about FNO
Mona Moore's Sara Van der Mijnsbrugge (far left) and husband Rembrant with his fellow-staffer at Obsolete, Max Zinser, the lovely Sonny Ruscha Bjornson and another friend.
Feminist artist annie pohl's neon installation at Mona Moore
Andy Griffith and, yours truly, Rose Apodaca inside warm and fuzzy A+R
Jewelry designer and craftsman Jay LeCompte of Cast of Vices
A+R manager extraordinaire Gina Gardner
Jewelry designer Gabriela Artigas showcased her new "Raven" collection of brass pieces
We also showcased a new bag collection from Frankfurt, Airbag Craftworks. Most are unisex bags roomy enough for a laptop or LPs (the designers are deejays).
A+R is the first outside Paris and Stockholm to have the revolutionary Mutewatch. We already had a waiting list thanks to viral reviews on the Stockholm-designed timepiece.
Design afficianado Raymond Lee
Cast of Vices' Chris Glancy and his lady love Tiffany Horn
Cast of Vices "ID Access" bracelets in lambskin and gold-plated brass
The Classics: Cast of Vices Rx pendants and cigarette carefully cast in sterling, 14k and porcelain
Vicodine pill rings from Cast of Vices on my first-aid bandage display
Unflagging A+R champ Natasha Kaplan and husband Todd Maurer
Across the way in front of LFrank, these vintage wheels signaled the presence of the delicious Juicy Greens Juicery cold-pressed elixirs inside jewelry designer Liseanne Frankfurt's gem of a shop.
Heist owner Nilou Ghodsi (dressed in Gregory Parkinson) snuck out of her corner shop early on in the evening to visit LFrank. Most of us store owners managed to swing a visit to some of our neighbors's places at some point during FNO.
Yes, it's a very good-looking collection of independent shopkeepers on Abbot Kinney.
Designer Kendall Conrad, our stunning A+R neighbor. In her space, among the handmade luxury bags and accessories, the epitome of high craftsmanship of tequila, Los Dragones, was being served up in Reidl stemware. Nice.
In case you've been lounging under a rock these days, you already know tonight is Fashion's Night Out—worldwide.On Abbot Kinney in Venice, A+R is celebrating with the U.S. debut the revolutionary Mutewatch from Stockholm, the John’s Phone from Amsterdam and Airbag Craftworks from Frankfurt.
We're also celebrating the Fall 2011 collections from Uniform Wares watches of London, Gabriela Artigas Jewelry of Hollywood-Mexico City, and leather bags and porcelain jewelry from Los Angeles’ Cast of Vices.
In fact, you'll be able to meet in person Gabriela and, from Cast of Vices, Chris Glancy and Jay Lecompte, as well as see the madcap installation by CoV in our main window.
It's a night of Modern Fixations: Time, Remedy and Expression. Get a first peek at fall and whet your whistle this evening from 6 to 10 p.m.
A+R is one of the AK8, a collective that extends 10% off or more at participating shops, as well as valet parking (available in front of LFrank and Pamela Barish).
See you tonight!
xAndy+Rose
A+R
Keep Shopping. Everything Is Fine.
Or so Anna Wintour, politicians and a kazillion retailers around the world keep proclaiming with this week's latest installment of Fashion's Night Out. Now, I'm not going to get all Cathy Horyn on you, Dear Readers, and claim that the annual event started in 2009 to get folks back into stores and spending their hard-earned cash no longer has its purpose. After all, for many, that purpose is the same as it ever was: to party.
The fashion industry loves a party. When they can wrap it up all neat and pretty in a tax-breaking cause, well, all the better. Never mind that much more is spent on the security, valet, booze, invitations, promotions and everything else involved than what is actually gifted to any cause.
Of course, I'm being utterly sanctimonious here given A+R is participating in a FNO celebration on Abbot Kinney with seven fellow shops—Strange Invisible Perfumes, LFrank, Guild, Heist, Pamela Barish and Kendall Conrad. Shop one and receive 10% off at the rest. We even have the very charming Bryan Carter back behind the bar, plying pals with drinks.
Yes. We admit we love any excuse to party. We have plenty to celebrate at A+R, too, with the exclusive North American launches of Mutewatch from Stockholm, John's Phone from Amsterdam and Airbag Craftworks from Frankfurt. We will also be toasting the Fall 2011 collections from Uniform Wares of London, Gabriela Artigas of Hollywood-Mexico City, and Abbot Kinney locals Cast of Vices.
CoV's Chris Glancy conceived another perfectly good excuse for commemorating FNO. A Dadaist at heart, he dreamed the grand plan of slicing shopping carts this way and that and installing them in our main window along with the "comforting" admonishment in the sunny bright color. The carts appear to be melting thanks to liquid latex.
It's an ironic effect given that part of the staging that night will be the luxe lambskin shopping bags by CoV resembling the cheap, disposable kind available with a gallon of milk or other sundry at the corner store.
It's a discord of ideas that makes for beautiful design. And it's why we keep shopping.
Join us this Thursday, Sept. 8, from 6 to 10 p.m. as we mark Fashion's Night Out on Abbot Kinney (and worldwide). Valet available in front of LFrank and Pamela Barish.
Andy's barely on his second cup of black tea, and I'm already back from my maiden sweep on scripted television. A gig that a friend graciously recommended me for, it involves me playing me. Easy enough. I wore my own dress (a tailored black Christian Dior), my own bangles (a dozen alligator skin bracelets and a few in brass) and even my own berry lip color.
That said, appearing on TV is not exactly on my to-do list: I'm a writer because I don't have to look slim and flawless or even preternaturally ageless. If I cannot make it one week to see the woman who waxes my brows or I over indulge the evening before on Andy's cooking, it's ok.
I can't complain, however, about this experience. Even rising at 4 a.m. for the car picking me up at 5 wasn't terribly savage to the system. Three hours later, through make-up, hair, a brief rehearsal and equally brief takes from every angle, it all proceeded very chill. The crew was absolutely lovely, and the lead couldn't be sweeter. The show debuts in a few months, and that's all I can say...
