March 26, 2010

SHOPPING | BUNGALOW & DOVECOTE

Whenever I go to Connecticut to visit my family, I always make sure to stop by two of my favorite stores in Westport—Bungalow & Dovecote.

Bungalow is chock-full of wonderful things discovered by owner Wendy Cohen, on her worldly travels. Wendy has a terrific eye and in her cozy shop, you will find everything from antique lighting and furniture, to sandals and sarongs from India, to the best collection of design books and jewelry... Bungalow has it all.











Bungalow is located at 4 Sconset Square | Westport CT [203-227-4406]



Dovecote has the best collection of lucite furniture I've seen anywhere. Owner, Sarah Kaplan has a great eye, trained early by her decorator mother and her years as a buyer for Neiman Marcus in Dallas and for Barney's, New York. Each corner of the store just pops with bold color and textural vignettes.







Dovecote is located at 56 Post Road East | Westport CT [203-222-7500]



The Girl From Empanada | After a day of shopping you can pick up the most delicious frozen empanadas to cook at home, made by my fabulous sister-in-law Agi. Her gourmet empanadas are made in these authentic native flavors: Beef & Potato, Pork & Potato, Chicken Pot Pie, Cheese & Onion and Spicy Chicken Verde.



You can find The Girl From Empanada at these Fairfield County locations:
• The Pantry | 1580 Post Road | Fairfield
• Stiles Market | 1001 Post Road East | Westport
• Palmer's Market | 246 Heights Road | Darien
• Silvermine Market | 1032 Silvermine Road | New Canaan

Images: by My Dog-Eared Pages

March 24, 2010

VOGUE | DECADES OF INSPIRATION


A friend of mine sent me this issue of Vogue last week. October 1946 closed at 312 pages and cost .35 cents. Georgian, Jessica Daves was Editor and renowned Alexander Liberman, Art Director. The cover highlights the subtle look of 1946 beauty which depended on..."A softly tinted complexion. A vivid mouth. Notable eyes. And hair, shining and serenely waved." I am loving every page of the issue as the inspiration continues...


Patterns in nature by Horst [a leaf in a botanical garden].


Advertising images by Vertes.


A dramatic portrait by Horst of Mrs. Fulton Cutting, Junior at her house in Southampton—in a story about fashion and country-life. "Short dinner clothes are a natural love of hers; fits her schedule of essentially simple country-life entertaining, quick dips into party life in town." The dress was made-to-order at Hattie Carnegie.


And, don't you just love these chic country suits worn with Bernardo sandals [barely-shoes]? Perfect for a quick dip into party life in town!

Images, courtesy of Condé Nast Publications

March 17, 2010

LULU | TRAIL OF INSPIRATION


Cover: Twister - graphic circles of childhood
I was so happy yesterday when LULU arrived in the mail. LULU from Ammo Books, is a collection of wonderful collages from artist Lulu de Kwiatkowski, designer and founder of the textile/wallcoverings company LULU DK. The book takes viewers on a voyage and a trail of inspiration [see blog] from Lulu's extensive travels—India, Morocco, Columbia—to growing up in the Bahamas, living in Paris, to summers spent on Long Island. As a child of the seventies, Lulu is greatly influenced by David Hicks, Pucci, and "the bold stripes and oversized geometric florals of that hippie-esque decade."


Stephan: Happy Cheeks


Ode to Frida


Left: BonBons Right: Sicily
I've wanted this book since its debut in 2007, and can't believe I took so long to buy it! Lulu's collages are colorful, organic, personal, life-affirming, and stunningly beautiful. You can clearly see the inspirations of her life in these original artworks, assembled from pieces of journals, drawings, fabric sketches and photographs. "The first things I look for when I land somewhere new are the properties indigenous to that place, whether it be the rice patties in Vietnam, sunflower fields along the roads of the Italian country side or the bustling bazaars of Istanbul."


Left: Red White Shutters Right: Introduction
LULU is a must-have for any art/design library. I suddenly wish I had been keeping years-worth of journals, sketches, and all things inspirational. But, it's never too late to start. And, this book provides a great beginning.


Note: A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to iSeeMaasai.org. You can buy LULU here.
Written with permission from Ammo books.

March 13, 2010

GEORGE | GODFATHER EXTRAORDINAIRE


I cannot believe it's been a year this week that I lost my godfather George. I think about him all the time. I'm grateful to have spent many days with him at the end of his life. We had wonderful chats about art. A lot of what I write about here on this blog is because of him. He was one of the greatest gifts of my life. So, this little post is in memory of George, shown above [on the left] with old friends. oxo