Category: Art
Coachella 2014
Coachella: A place for people to unshowily declare themselves.
To turn up and have fun like a wild drive through the night whilst still standing in a circle of friends.
To sing, play, dance and listen and put a distance from the real world. Just for a little bit.
Personally, it’s the Coachella Art Studios that would have my name on them – the craft themes this year are: Paper, re-cycled materials, fashion, camp improvement (!) and a banter booth!
You can make a head wrap, get stuck into clay and even draw stranger portraits – love this: Sit down on opposite sides of an artists easel with a stranger and draw each other – get to know the other person through the process by using provided interview questions to break the ice..or just chat! The result is a portrait each and a new friend..result!
The Afterlife is a place to go to give birth to new objects from old…a broken inner bicycle tube? It becomes a wallet. Plastic bags? material! I’d never leave..
For the first time ever there’s even a Quiltchella..a communal quilt in the making..they need you Kerry and Nikki!
(All photos by Annie powers from Style.com)
The next Festival is 18-20 April…only in my dreams will I be there….But one day, when the kids have flown the nest and I’m in my dotage I’m going to dress up in flowing purple robes and a mighty turban and laugh and dance and do it all till the sun rises again…Promise.
Laters, Kate x
Espadrille Competition!
Calling all fashionista’s (particularly those with a young child within) for our inaugural Pimp Your Kicks Design Competition! this is your chance to play, glue, dye, make..bake! accessorise and bling-o-rize a classic pair of espadrilles into a thing of beauty worthy of a street style photo shot (See here for more inspiration – seriously – the only limit is your imagination!)
The details:
- Sign up below and send a photo of your finished shoes to contactkatebentley@gmail.com by midnight gmt on Friday 23 May
- The winner will be announced on Monday 26 May with pictures of all the entries (can’t wait!)
- You can enter as many pairs as you wish..and high heeled espadrilles also accepted.
- There will be an external judge and a little prize for the winner..
I’m off to scout the internet for the cheapest pair of espadrilles I can find…and if I can find children’s sizes Bella and Charlie will be entering too!!
Laters, Kate x
Every Now and Then x
These are the random pics that never make it into posts, but really should..
(All pictures sourced from Tumblr)
Laters, Kate x
Just a Little Obsessed..
The light is underway. I took a punt on the size of lanterns without seeing them in the flesh..and as a prototype I don’t think I did too badly. Still not sure how I’m going to finally link them all together – on the one hand, when they’re loosely linked they catch the breeze and spin gently – I can imagine them above candles, moving on the warm air. But then I think the shape is better when they’re tighter together. Going to see what they look like with their scales before I made a decision.
The bottom ball is already covered..the temptation was just too great! It’s incredibly therapeutic work…
Laters, Kate x
Silken Favours x
Victoria Murdoch is the independent, free-thinking spirit and designer behind the label Silken Favours, creating her own silk pieces from traditional pen & ink techniques.
Based in London and originally working everything by hand, she’s managed to combined her nostalgic sense of magic with fast, modern digital printing techniques to produce commercially priced work with that personal touch.
Humour with a delicateness to make you smile and lust.
Clever designs that speak to the heart with a shift in every mood and a requisite fair and lightness.
Sort of cute but still sly making it all so appealing..and endearing.
Silk is her canvas, but this is just the start – there’s more to come like insanely printed silk shirts. Imagine!
I can’t wait.
Laters, Kate x
Fashionable Selby x
There’s a new book out by the Photographer Todd Selby – Fashionable Selby – opening the door to the sort of voyeurism that really tickles my fancy: Designers at work..
(Photo by Todd Selby)
Dries Van Noten quietly arranging beautiful flowers.
(Photo by Todd Selby)
A highly organised bohemian Isabel Marant.
(Photo by Todd Selby)
A Marant mood board with a lust-worthy bracelet.
(Photo by Todd Selby)
Olivier Rousteing, Creative Director of Balmain at work on a stunning parquet floor.
(Photo by Todd Selby)
Inspiration from every corner: Carla Sozzani, Italian gallerist and founder of Galleria Carla Sozzani and the creator of 10 Corso Como in Milan.
(Photo by Todd Selby)
Surrounded by colour: Pascale Mussard, Artistic Director of Hermes Petit H.
It’s thinking you have that little bit of knowledge to know what they’re really like and what makes them tick..the reality behind the curtain. Even though you know in your mind, you’re still seeing what they want you to see….but it helps that each profile is accompanied by Selby’s watercolour portraits and illustrated questionnaires, revealing answers to personal questions.
It sounds delicious non?
Laters, Kate x
They Came Out to Play…
Sarah Burton. Her time is now. Producing the eye-searing clothes that would’ve had Isabella Blow dragging on her ash-dripping ciggie with uncontained pleasure..
A femininity of drama without being frilly with the power to take us on flights of fancy away from grey pavements and cramped tube carriages.
Blurring the lines between couture and ready to wear, the workmanship is sensational – like elves and fairies have been at work.
Pushing the boundaries, McQueen’s never been ordinary or suburban. In a unique niche, it always has to be more. More than the High Street with the power to defy industry molds.
A bird of paradise brought to life in the urban jungle. You just want to stroke it’s gentle plumes and calm it’s beating heart.
The perfect Oscar dress?
Cate Blanchett?
And all this from the woman with one year old twins?…I doff my vermillion ostrich feathered Tracey to her..but I also want to give her a cuddle…and a nice cup of tea with a biccie on the side..
Laters, Kate x
Still Time!
Which should be the title of these beauties – the classically posed family portraits of old. And they’re providing further inspiration for my Seven Every Day Sins project (see previous post)..thinking aloud…the temptation is with the potential resources at hand to plan fantasy, surreal, out of this world..but I think maybe that’s too easy/obvious?..I’m thinking that at initial glance things should appear relatively normal. It’s then the clues that give the meaning…
Take portrait no.2 – a dreamy pose. But have 2 women instead, the one standing up is wearing green with a spider clip nestled in her hair. The lady sitting down is wearing designer black, dripping in jewels…and the symbols of mourning..black ribbon, Victorian jet jewellery. There could be a handbag open with more clues..Behind them on the wall is a portrait – maybe of a child – or maybe a still life of flowers? roses, carnations, chrysanthemums all have different meanings depending on their colour.. to the side an old fashioned clock with a moth clinging to the side. The wallpaper is made up of pasted fifty pound notes. (verging on the too surreal?) The lady in green has her eye closed…but the lids are painted to look like they’re open. Neither are smiling.
(photo from optic optic.com)
They do say the eye are the windows to the soul…
If you haven’t done so already there’s still time to vote (it goes without saying – a huge thank you if you have!).. the link to the competition site works straight through if you are signed into Facebook, if you’re not it takes you to ‘sign in’ and then the general website. If you end up at the general website, go to photography – trending – and look for the only orange picture(!) called ‘Seven photos of Every Day Sin in Modern Times’ and click on that…. you’ll see the full application/film and the ‘support’ button on the right hand side….
All you’ve done – all you’ve tried to do is really appreciated xxx
Laters, Kate x
Help!
Arrggghhhh – Computers, links..don’t you just love ’em? I know from my stats just how many of you have tried to help – a huge thank you to you all! – it really is appreciated…But I think I’ve worked out the problem..
For those that haven’t seen this post – I’ve mind blowingly entered myself for a competition to win 2-3 weeks working with the photographer Rankin..but I need support! All the info is down below..but there’s been an issue with the link – I think part of the problem is that the competition is set up on Facebook – the link works straight through if you are signed into Facebook, if you’re not it takes you to ‘sign in’ and then the general website. If you end up at the general website, go to photography – trending – and look for the only orange picture(!) called ‘Seven photos of Every Day Sin in Modern Times’ and click on that and you’ll see the full application/film and the ‘support’ button on the right hand side…. I’m going off now to see if I can find another way, by-passing Facebook..wish me luck.. xxxxxx
Little update – tried to get in via Samsung site, but then takes you again to the Facebook App site..oh joy!
I responded to a tweet..it said, if your passion lies in food, music or photography; if you want to take your talent to the next level; if you have a big idea, project, an ambition…Samsungs Launching People is for you..apply now..
So I did..
And what a prize is at stake…working for 2-3 weeks with the world renown portrait and fashion photographer Rankin..using all the technology Samsung has to offer….
Can you imagine? It’s the creative equivalent of a golden ticket to Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory…and all you had to do was come up with an idea and make a 2 minute film..
The downside? I saw the tweet late so I’ve only 24 hours to gain support – the deadline is the 6 March…but I’m OK..despite never using iMovie before I’ve made the film!
The upside? I LOVE my project idea…I want to create 7 pictures based on the modern day equivalent of the seven deadly sins using symbolism and imagery to create a multilayered story. I’ve always been fascinated by paintings such as Arnolfini portrait by Jan Van Eyck with it’s picture within a picture:
The more you look, the more you see..outside the window there’s a tree with cherry blossom so we know it’s summer, but the main charters are wearing furs – not because it’s cold, but as a symbol of wealth. The bed is red for passion. Her dress is green for hope..but there’s more…many scholars believe this is in fact a memorial picture and the wife is in fact dead. On the mirror are painted scenes from the Passion of Christ..on his side they’re all to do with life..on her side, death. Above them is a candelabra..on his side the candle is lit..on her side, the candle is out…
Using the seven deadly sins as a vehicle for developing this concept would be a fascinating brain-fry of creative juices…for example instead of Envy..think the exploration of the accumulation of material things and the pitfalls of debt..think green, think fur coat no knickers, think style over substance and then the emotional architecture starts building…the characters can have meaning – narcissists, prima donnas, queen bees…the clothes they wear..the colours..the way they interact..the situation they’re in..the tattoos..the meaning behind the tattoo..it can all flow into a deeper sense of understanding and recognition but all drawn seamlessly together.
Where I need your help is to support my project – press the ‘support’ button on the main website at the top right hand corner (NB – NEW LINK!) – Please, please give it a ‘support’ – pass it on to others…tweet, shout, mail..round up the postman and his three-legged dog..whatever it takes…this really would be like winning the lottery…
It’s always scary putting yourself up for something, but as I said to a friend the other day, if you believe you can or can’t, it’ll be true..and if you never try, you never, ever know….
Thank you!!
Laters, Kate x
Ironic Iconic..
(Photo from Marie Claire)
The Moschino AW14 show was rather over-shadowed by the tardy arrival of one of it’s models, the pop singer Katy Perry. Some say her showing up late was the behaviour of a spoilt brat. Other’s argue she was set up or let down by others and it wasn’t her fault. The audience certainly weren’t happy and made the fact known. I say, if you are late, take it on the chin and have the grace to apologies. Swearing shows a distinct lack of humanity.….although Jeremy Scott, the King of Junk Culture was probably more than happy, sitting in a dark corner chuckling to himself, lapping all the media exploitation straight up like a rich tabloid milkshake..
Once started, he proudly paraded the Macdonald’s golden arches down the runway ‘homaged’ as potent tongue-in-cheek representation of Chanel’s iconic logo.
More caricatures of Chanel statement pieces were served up in quick succession.
This was ‘fast fashion’ in a satirical multi-layered pret-a-manger sandwich with extra relish. A brilliant parody of high street and designer, bright, stand-out and ‘of the moment’ this Collection needed to hit the shop floor running – and that’s exactly what Jeremy Scott did. A soon as the first model stepped onto the runway select pieces of the Collection became available online. No six month wait. No time for copies or ubiquitous ‘interpretations’, Jeremy Scott had done all the handwork, taken all the risk..after all the mocking and the finger waving, buried underneath the crowd pleasing a slick machine was at work..with style and showmanship he triumphantly demonstrated that fast fashion can be designer fashion…and be quick as well.
There’s one thing no-one can deny – Jeremy Scott is a man who understands the fashion world through and through…and is prepared to run wild with the times…
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 