wait for it....aaaaand go!

so i think everyone should visit the guggenheim right now (go on friday nites! it's free!). it is featuring several-a-cool exhibits....some personal favorites:

1) Jenny Holzer, who in short (and i quote) uses "text-based light projections" against the exterior of the frank lloyd wright statue of a museum....the words illuminate against the exterior and, like a teleprompter, float upwards towards the sky...it's definitely a captivating intro to the museum for newcomers. (but i hope you're not one of them). i think it would be a genius way for a rockstar to promote their songs no? hmmmm.

2) theanyspacewhatever - tres interessant. a visual installation throughout the museum via collaboration of contemporary artists across many disciplines - architecture, design, theater, through which each artist displays their "reaction" to the space. my favorite was the work by dominique gonzalez-foerster; she produced an artificial rainforest through speakers, and that was it. so basically we (my roommate and i) walked through one curved corridor that is adorned with nothing on the white walls save for speakers that emanated sounds of the rainforest. visually it was a pure and peaceful transcendental transition between installations...and sophisticated in its simplicity...the lighting, the sounds, the serenity. it's kind of like the speaker-scifi-trekkie sounds of the chanel mobile art, but this was much more sophisticated. i think karl and dominique should duke this one out.

i wish i had pictures to post (they are on my 2 pixel camera phone, woohoo) but i guess the website will have to do it justice.

btw, the guggenheim website has videos on the process of developing and installing these..installations...with interviews from the artists. watching these always make me feel tingly...it's like a brilliance of minds combusting in one space. baby. like. whoa.

museums are supremely great sources of inspiration for any artist...fashion designers...because it's a natural springboard from which to explore other ideas and means of expression, just by seeing works of art. i realize this is a basic concept, but it reinforces the idea that there is always more than meets the eye behind a finished product.

and there you have it, words to live by, from yours truly.

fun in frisco! the real bffs

on the right, that's tippy. i'm the only one in the world who calls her that now. she is so much more than the real name "jane" encompasses. an all around bff, she took care of me this week, swooping me to foodie fests, museums, clubs, shopping, rockclimbing, and heartfelt conversations that only break the tip of the iceberg of what she means to me. can i get a HELLSYEA?!

i shall chronicle what happened over the last couple of days while enjoying the sun and shadows of san francisco. alas, the marathon diary entry:

nite 1 (thurs nite):

eat or drink? in&out it is, the classic burger joint famous in california...we scarf down burgers (mine with the works) then head over to san jose to paint it red. turns out it's too dead to be painted, but we had fun anyway briefing each other and ga-ga-ing over finally being able to hang out again, after 1 whole year of bff withdrawal. (ok, so it was my fault...i was wooorrkkkkiiinng) hit the hay for a big day on friday.

day 1 (friday):

we make brunch at the apt, replete with a runny scramble, seasoned rice w/soysauce and mirin, baked salmon and broccoli. washed down with peet's coffee and bobby flay food network. he was making ribs and chili. we were salivating.

**over the course of the week i had way too much peet's coffee...we hit a different location each time to avoid meeting the same people...peppermint mocha w/lil' whip...full fat....mmmm

we hit the caltrain and walk thru sutter/montgomery to visit my beloved cousin brian at his architecture studio. anna, his wife, is also there and we find out she's freelancing! she gives us her hotpink biz card and i'm so proud of her...she's so accomplished in graphic design and a real beauty to boot. we then hop to the fraenkel gallery; they were having a special exhibit on richard avedon photographs. quite breathtaking. i loved the marilyn and beatles shots...then we decide to explore the rest of the building which housed other galleries, of various contemporary art...i think to myself how much i love gallery hopping...it's sort of turned into a new hobby. esp. when slashes of oil paint create color schemes that are so inspiring...when nature is let its due course, something special always happens...unpredictable and inherently beautiful.

dinner time! we meet back with brian and pick up his son Ethan at chinese school (ahh, i remember those chinese school days...not with much nostalgia tho)...Ethan has grown so much! and is so skinny! and insanely adorable. we are wined and dined and desserted at anna's cousin's taiwanese restaurant. they give us so much food, much of it not on the menu, including a ginormous pumpkin pie from costco. (costco!!) i was needless to say, uncomfortably stuffed. it was like thanksgiving. washed it off with a stella. and grilled scallops....haha.

next on the agenda is clubbing! we hit up rudyard's and blue chalk...now i must say the clubbing scene is nothing like new york's...we were in palo alto which immediately breathes collegetown socialista but whatever, i still have fun. cuz...tippy sure can dance hahaha. after dancing among the sweaty crowds we hit a pool table at blue chalk and play 2 rounds with some fellas...tippy declines their offer to hangout post-pool and we drive home...after all, we have sooo much fun left to have for the week.

day 2: deYoung is deLOVELY.
it's ysl day!! tippy found out about the yves saint laurent exhibit for me and i am forever grateful..SF is the only city that showcases this exhibit, so i indeed felt very special to witness it (close to the tingles i felt during the chanel mobile art exhibit). but before that, we hit the foodie festival (1st one ever in SF) and it's a little more tame than i envision. OH WAIT, of course we have peet's coffee beforehand. tippy and i pick up wanning and shirley and we complete the coveted 4some. foodie fest we go....lots of sampling bread and olive oil and pancake mix...i end up with white truffle oil; tippy purchases several samples of olive oil and vanilla bean pancake mix. after 2 hours of sampling we're actually hungry, and we go to a small small hole-in-the-wall called Susie's. it's quick and dirt cheap, kinda as if it were a diner in chinatown. after 15 or so min we head over to musee deYoung. YESSS!

tbc...

waiting...

when each moment is lived, a week may seem like eternity...

sigh.

there are lots of things i aspire to be...world-famous this, most sought-after that...but is all this just PR jargon that has gotten to my head? it is almost ironic that to be successful in the "arts" industry you have to not do it for fame. only when you're not looking will others follow.

as monica has pointed out, "go for broke." easier said than done, that's for sure.

as phillip has said, "stop looking at what others are doing, and worry about what you're doing."

must. have. fun. with. what. you. love.
otherwise, you'll just throw it away as if you've never loved it at all.
what's that saying? "better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all." [reminder from wayne]

mmmm k bye.

it's freezing in my room

oh how i long for summer days, warm weather, and lollapaloooooza.

halloween this year wasn't too crazy, unfortunately....kim and i went to see the parade, in the hopes of being in it, but then sidestepped into a cool bar enroute to meeting our parade participant friends. it's fun when everyone's dressed up and in the spirit...it almost seems like the city unites in costume. some notable ones were Waldo, pac-man/girl, teleprompter, Juno, and just "costume/makeup" in general. people get quite crafts-y this time of year.

i went as a flower bed...more of a concept than a literal costume, but of course...haha..but i ended up wearing a tsumori chisato sleeveless dress w/a puffer flower smack on the center, covering my entire front....to accompany the flower bed idea was a bakelite-esque rose ring, rosebud earrings, and, AND, a hand-made headband adorned with fabric rosettes, courtesy of wax block prints we used for our spring 09 collection. it was a fun workday...we all sat around and ended up working on our costumes...to the sewing machine i went, sewing up rows of stitches to be pulled out for the fabric strips to gather....out came little rosettes...i knew i was onto something when my coworkers cooed over them...

the whole point of my costume was to pull out a sassy pick up line: "i'm a flower bed...want to lay on me?"

ha. dork that i am...i know. i couldn't resist. but i did attract a few fellas....

anywho, ended up at a loft party in williamsburg with my feet dying from wearing my hooker heels. i had to walk home in dan's work shoes...flat and comfy and completely oversized. konked out at 3:30am..kinda early i suppose, but then again i am getting old..sigh.

i'm suddenly sparked with an interest in lomography and diane arbus...is that random or what? am thinking of exploring this new hobby....fashion, music, photography....has a nice ring to it no? if i don't become master of one, at least i'll be a selective jack-of-trades....oh yeah, i forgot to add in karaoke....

happy november...the year is winding down, already!

karen + karl = bffs

**photos courtesy of the new york times @ nytimes.com

...or rather, my experience with his mobile art, CHANEL contemporary art container by zaha hadid, now in Central Park only until Nov. 9, made me feel 1cm closer to getting to know him. i felt really special to have attended this exhibit, because it's kind of hard to get into, being that you're on standby...apparently they sold out of tix "a while ago" and the opening window to get tix was between 8am-10am. um, no thank you, being that i'm your antithesis to "morning person." i'll stand on standby.

so the story goes, that my boss and i had planned to see this "container" the day prior as inspiration for our fall '09 collection. come friday, i ask her when she plans to head out, and she goes "oh, i have to stay and do this pattern for barneys japan....why don't you go yourself and report back."

hmmm. stay inside our studio on a beautiful friday morning? or get kicked out to see a chanel exhibit firsthand, for inspiration's sake? hmmmm.

off i go...boss' orders. *shrug*

upon approaching the exhibit, there stands a slew of black guards in front of the container...it's literally a gorgeous sleek white futuristic bulbous snake supported on a blacktop of the rumsey grounds...the entire view is black and white, and even without being a fashion insider you would think that something "major" was being put on display. i ask the guards what the deal is with the tix, and he explains the standby issue, saying that i would get in at, oh, 3pm...guaranteed. i look at my watch and it's 12:45. decision time: do i wait in line hoping to get in before 3, and experience this thing since i probably won't get the chance on the weekends, much less weekdays..OR do i scour the surrounding museums like the Met over the next 2 hours? i mean, i AM on assignment, no? i decide to stay and fight with time. it's like waiting in line forever for the rollercoaster at great adventure, for a three-minute thrill. i was hoping this was going to last more than 3 minutes.

anywho, i'm standing in line and pull out my sketchbook. Two girls behind me are blabbing about their art classes and pondering out loud if they sound professional...i think to myself, well, if you talk like a valley girl with a long island accent, it's kind of hard to sound professional esp. if your voice is soprano. i continue to sketch...and i must look like i'm a reporter or something because i'm people watching and sketching at the same time....and people are looking at me...i can sense these things...and i begin to see what mr. sartorialist sees on a daily basis....european style, american style, junior/college style, in their daily garb, whether they take it seriously or not. ooh, the line inches forward....3 specimens at a time. it's 1:20...really hoping this line moves a tad faster so i don't feel like i'm playing hooky. but i mean, i'm so not.

along the sidewalk of this line lay speakers that emanate a mix of sounds that cross between french star trek + serge gainsbourg + windchimes. it definitely sets a mood. i'm reeeally curious at this point to see what's inside.

1:40. fiiiiinally comes my turn. i'm the cutoff for the next group to enter, and black-clad guard turns out to be a cutie who chats with me for a bit...i mean, people know me...

i'm not going to give it away, but the exhibit is breathtaking, unique, sensory, and really beautiful at the end of it. each installation has its own surprise and you are guided along by the voice of jeanne moreau, a major french actress, via your own black mp3 player. oh karl, the whole black and white thing is so you! well done. she has the throaty, sexy, deep female voice that is super seductive and matches the vibe of the exhibit completely. it's rather appropriate, actually.

the last 2 installations were rather memorable...1 being a blow-up version of the black chanel 2.55 bag, lined with a rosy mauve rabbit fur and blow-up chanel compact. the other 1 being a "wish tree," where we were invited to write down a wish and hang it on a plant...oooh, i'm being part of history.

at the check-out counter before exiting i also received a fresh 11x14 magazine, of b/w pics of nyc...taken from the who's-who of the fashion/art worlds. olivier zahm, karl, etc. etc...u know, my pals.

....luck be a lady, i was. i returned to the studio with my gifts in hand, feeling like i had the best job in the world...to be paid to be inspired. now that's wack.

omg. it's alberrrr

**Alber Elbaz gives Lily Donaldson an adjustment before the show. (Jean-Luce Huré for The New York Times) ...by way of cathy horyn's blog.

i heart this picture because it's quintessentially the place where we all hope to be, as aspiring fashion designers...at the top, working with gorgeous models, working until the last minute of a runway show, and essentially expressing ourselves to the world thru clothes and having people listen, understand, appreciate, applaud..and wear. or at the very least, be inspired. i mean, it's a show. capital S.

and yet, on a simplistic level, stripped away of the perceptions of the glamour, press, partying, celebrity-ing, this is also a snapshot of what we as designers DO do everyday...fit clothes on a model to make sure what we and everyone sees is what we want them to see. the way we tuck something in, the way we combine colors, the way we choose to dictate proportions...ultimately, the way our vision translates onto people wearing them is our prerogative, as fashion designers.

as an artform, fashion is just like any other - a mode of self expression. it's not just clothes. each piece has a raison d'etre, a specialness to it that makes it worthy of making and creating. to see the results as a piece of wearable art is what drives the inner fashion-artist. and then to wear it and love it and have it be a part of your lifestyle is kind of the ultimate reason, no?

as a business, fashion is kind of crazy...and lucrative at the same time, if you succeed and become a somebody...with oodles of money and loyalty around you to sustain your creative vision. unfortunately, as a business, the clothes DO become just clothes. it's about production, quality control, sourcing economically and efficiently, what sells and what doesn't sell...

and then in the end of it, to have the creative vision intact, season after season, even after cycling through the laundromat of production and the press....now that's success.

oh, the dichotomy of fashion...

hm...i guess i also love this picture because it's alber elbaz and lily donaldson. i mean, come oooon.

shades and cash...mere

so i'm in new jersey for the weekend (everybody say yaaay), visiting my mum and basically taking a quick last-autumn breath away from the city. it's quite beautiful this time of year, probably one of my favorite times, because the leaves give their last burst of color before floating towards the ground...i remember driving back and forth from cornell during fall break, absorbing the rows of vermillion, canary, maple, pumpkin, and viridian along the highway...this was the pick-me up to the downside of almost failing a class......

alas, i digress. i'm getting to the good part about my shades.

as my mom picks me up from the station, the sun is blaring through the car windowshield and i unfold my 3.I shades, slickly framed with canary enamelled wires...i put them on, and my, how the leaves on the trees change from good to f*ckin great. gorgeous. explosions of color that make you go whoa. it's magical. i mean, really...i never thought nature was this pretty.

then i take them off and realize that my view of the leaves was simply glorified by the tinting of my frames. because what i actually saw was so much duller...flat...not whoa-worthy. like, wtf.

and i was bummed! because, what i had seen was just a fantastical-heightened version of nature thru "rose colored glasses," if you will...it had enhanced my viewing pleasure so much that i believed it to be real...and to realize that the reality of it was subpar was needless to say, disappointing. a bit sad.

and so i must reconcile, for the gazillionth time, the fine black lining that separates reality from fantasy. we can perhaps believe all we want, thus creating our own fantasy, and convince people to believe in it too, until we ourselves take off the shades to really see how it is. and sometimes, it ain't so pretty.

and another thing...i cannot find my cashmere fingerless "opera" gloves, col. Flesh. now would be the perfect time to wear them, as outside is transitioning to official sweata weather, yet inside my room it's fast forwarded to antarctica.

help.