SO WOULD YOU BUY THE ANGELINA JOLIE DOLL? AND HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY?

worldwideweb - you know, artists make the darndest things. check out this angelina jolie doll sculpted by noel cruz. according to dlisted.com, the lifelike doll recently sold on ebay for $3,350. cruz has also made dolls in the likeness of johnny depp, daniel craig and orlando bloom. he usually takes special commissions in case the only likeness you want to see is your own. but dude is apparently so hot that his commission book is closed. check out his site at: www.ncruz.com.

THIS IS LANDING IN CENTRAL PARK THIS FALL...CAN YOU GUESS WHAT IT IS?

new york - savvy fashionista that you are, i am sure you already guessed it: chanel's traveling art exhibition. this spaceship like space was designed by uber architect zaha hadid. i love it. art lovers and fashion lovers and chanel stalkers alike can check this out at central park this september. inside will be art pieces from several international artists inspired by chanel's legendary (and my current obsession) 2.55 quilted bag.





photo source: nytimes.com

CHECK OUT MY NEW STORY IN PAPER & AOL STYLEDASH

worldwide - so at first i thought i was blogging for a hobby, but it looks like i do this for a living! i just did a piece for paper online about an art exhibit for wolfgang tillmans AND a piece for aol styledash (my latest client!) on another art exhibit at the dazed& confused art gallery in london. check it out! paper story! aol story (k, link to this is coming asap). (east end it girl & designer cassette playa strikes a pose!)

NATIONAL JEWELRY INSTITUTE LAUNCHES JEWELRY SHOWCASE

pieces by stephanie albertson. (katybeh.com)

new york - the forbes gallery will be the stage for this years jewelry showcase. the exhibit will focus on contemporary pieces by everyone from individual designers like stephanie albertson and judith ripka to luxury firms like gucci and bulgari. items will be on view starting today until june 28th, when they'll be moved over to the carnegie museum of natural history.

GOING TO LONDON? THEN GO TO HARRODS!

iconic indeed. (wikipedia.com)

london - what makes a design icon? london luxury destination store, harrods, is delving into this question with its latest collaboration with the design museum. the event, titled design icons, is an on going series of exhibitions, events, and lectures. everything from chanel no. 5 (personally i love no. 19) to heinz ketchup will be disected, discussed and displayed. it ends may 24. check it out online at designicons.harrods.com.

KATE MOSS: THE ULTIMATE ARTISTS MUSE?

"marrakech" featuring kate moss, created by albert watson in 1993.

london - t's not just the fash crowd - the art crowd seems to hold a facination for kate moss as well. case in point: this week sees an auction of kate moss inspired pieces by three different artists. legendary british artists tracey emin, albert watson and banksy each have works of art inspired by the super model and all three pieces will be auctioned off this coming wednesday at bonhams vision 21 in knighsbridge london. profits are expected to range from $1,200 for emin's etching of moss to $98,000 for banksy's screen print.

BRILLIANT: THE PRADA FOUNDATION DEBUTING THE PRADA MUSEUM

artists flank muiccia prada, who is seated. peep her husband, standing on the left. his name is patrizio bertelli. (newyorktimes.com)

prada on the cover of the times' magazine. artists francesco vezzoli stands on the left and john baldessari on the right. (newyortimes.com)

italy - muiccia prada's love affair with art is legendary. she's regarded as a patron of the arts and commonly commissions work from young, contemporary artists. her clothes themselves blur the line between art and fashion and for this reason the prada label is nothing less than a wardrobe for those in artistic circles. now, she's taking that love affair a step further by planning a full fledged museum in the south of italy. the new york times magazine reported this past weekend that the prada foundation has purchased a huge space which will be designed by rem koolhaas (he designs all the prada stores). the space will showcase an eclectic mix of commissioned art work, past prada collections and will be regarded as a "cultural center" for the area. look for it to be completed by 2012.

LETS TALK ABOUT ART BABY: VANITY FAIR, PROUVE AND OTHER LONDON EXHIBITS

london - as i insist on labeling this a global style and "culture" blog, i decided to talk a bit about some of my artistic pursuits. one of the unexpected fruits of my labor in london is a deepening passion for the arts. i've taken to attending more and more museum exhibits, ballet programs, movies, operas, etc. i think initially it was the novelty of immersing myself in things i'd only read about before. as i've grown in my study and appreciation of fashion (i look at the field as an art form), i find myself wanting to walk the path of inspiration that designers do. as you know couture and high street collections can find their genesis in everything from the flowers in a monet painting to the keys of a sonata. i want to understand that journey from inspiration to concept to catwalk...it all sounds very intellectual doesn't it? i'm not posing or pretending blaynistas, just sharing my thoughts! that said see below for my reactions on a few exhibits currently going on in london.....

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PEACOCKS & PINSTRIPES EXHIBIT AT THE FASHION AND TEXTILE MUSEUM

the exterior of the museum is brilliant. but the exhibition inside is anything but...

i really hate to take the piss out of another person's hard work, but that's just the thing - i don't think much hard work or imagination went into this exhibit. the concept was brilliant: highlights exceptionally chic and stylish men and the exhibit hit on all the obvious candidates: cary grant, sean connery, elton john. it covered several categories of male style well enough including tailoring, flamboyant, and smart casual. however well enough just became absolutely awful in the contemporary category which took up the whole top floor of the museum. it was a weak selection of editorial shoots featuring anonymous models in even more anonymous message. it was definitely not a reflection of anything contemporary in male fashion, and made an already floundering exhibit a total let down. it's worth seeing for how bad it is. sorry to be so harsh. but this cost me $8 U.S.D and it wasn't worth it.

VANITY FAIR EXHIBIT AT THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

mick jagger, madonna and tony curtis captured in the pages of vanity fair. this is one of several photos on display at the national portrait gallery.

amazing. that's all i can say. not that with a magazine like vanity fair you would expect less. yet i was still blown away by the depth of the portraits that were on view at this exhibit. the magazine dates back to the 1800s and sine that time (despite a 30+ year hiatus in the 1900s) has been able to capture just about every major political, academic, and social icon of our time. everyone from a young albert einstein to an old robert deniro have been captured on v.f's pages and were displayed. if you come to london, make sure you stop to see this.

JEAN PROUVE EXHIBIT AT THE DESIGN MUSEUM

the cite armchair relaxer designed by jean prouve. the designer died in the eighties but his designs are still being manufactured and this will run you a cool $3,265.

ever heard of jean prouve? you get a gold star and a date with me if you have! (just kidding, but i'll email you the gold star.) i'd actually never heard of the legendary furniture designer and manufacturer until visiting the design museum this past weekend. he started off as an apprentice in france and worked his way up to become one of the centuries most noted innovator in furniture design. it was awesome - in the true sense of the word - to see his pieces because they ranged from school chairs, to beds, to full on buildings. i was impressed by the inclusion of actual pieces from his archives which date back fifty years or more. it's a testament to his skill that none of the work i saw looked dated or odd. prouve was a true master at his craft.