The Weekly Roundup- Posts You Might Have Missed_111114

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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Good morning, young lady (and you, too, young sirs). Happy Father’s Day! To all the dads out there — and I hope you are out there, perhaps reading about the importance of sunscreen, discovering a new cologne, compiling a list of organic haircare products, researching gifts, entering giveaways, or just learning about makeup and beauty for any number of other reasons — we salute you! Today is all about the boys.

And to my dads (mine and El Hub’s), thank you both for everything you do. Today, the remote is yours, gentlemen! Feel free to watch all the bad science fiction and sports you want.

As for me, right now I’m just sitting here planning my day, which I hope includes plenty of time to relax. And reflect. I’ve been weirdly emotional lately. I feel a little better this morning after a couple of cupcakes and two hours of Sex and the City DVDs last night, but I’m still not 100%.

I’m sure it’s nothing… You know how it is.

Did you fall in love with any new makeup or beauty products this week? I’m still swooning over that $5 Goody tortoise-shell headband. Wish I could find one to fit Tabs. I think he’d look really cute.

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

THE LULULEMON ATHLETICA 50 REP BRA
THE BEST DAMN SPORTS BRA I’VE EVER WORN

Seeing as how I spent last weekend in Vancouver, the city where Lululemon Athletica was born, I figured I should give a shout-out to my favorite over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder, the 50 Rep Bra ($42).

I��ve tried gaggles of different sports bras over the years from more brands than I can remember �� Champion, Nike, Adidas and Moving Comfort are a few that spring to mind �� and by far my favorite so far has been the 50 Rep. It��s the most comfortable sports bra I��ve ever worn, for sure.

It comes in several prints (like the one I��m wearing here) and solid colors, from classic, sporty shades like black, white and gray, to spunkier shades like red and mint green. Read more…

3 LESSONS LEARNED
SUMMER HAIR MISHAPS

Yesterday I came to the shockingly wonderful realization that the official start of summer is less than one week away, and judging by the rising temps and lack of rain in the 10-day forecast, it looks like the weather has finally gotten with the program.

Ah, summer�� Such great memories, but when I think back to the summers of my youth, I��m surprised I remember them at all. There were no far-flung adventures backpacking through Europe or sailing trips around the world. Nope, my childhood summers were much more mundane. I spent most of them hanging out at the local Thrifty drugstore, where you could get a free ice cream for returning a shopping cart to the store, and watching videos on MTV (back when MTV actually played videos). For the most part, I spent my summers doing absolutely nothing. Read more…

A BLAST FROM THE PAST, L’OCCITANE PIVOINE FLORA
BEAUTY CREAM BLOOMS LIKE A RETRO ROSE

Even though the scent of L��Occitane Pivoine Flora Beauty Cream ($36) reminds me of my ninang (the Tagalog word for godmother), I��m gonna assume the folks at L��Occitane weren��t shooting for eau de high maintenance Filipino godmother divas when they developed it.

I love the scent, which smells more to me like a mix of old school Oil of Olay (the one that came in the pink bottle), floral soaps and roses than the peonies it contains. I can picture something similar sitting on the dressing table of a young woman in the ��50s, or see it sitting on a shelf today in the home of an older woman who still remembers being that girl. While I think it suits girls of all ages, those who prefer scents on the mature side may like it more than, say, the fruity bubblegum body sprays that sparkle in most drugstores. Read more…

TOPSHOP CHEEKS IN LUMINESCENCE
IS STICKING IT TO MAC NYMPHETTE

If you��ve spent sleepless nights (LOL! I almost typed ��knights.�� Yeah, someone��s been obsessed with Game of Thrones lately.) tossing and turning over the need to find a cream blush version of MAC Nymphette Lipglass, as bizarre as that might sound, you wouldn��t be the only one.

I��m right there with ya, babe! But get this: Topshop might finally have a cure for what ails us.

The line recently introduced three new creamy, multi-purpose sticks called Cheeks, $20 blush/highlighters designed to add shimmery color to faces, lips, bodies and �� you guessed it �� cheeks. Read more…

SHOULD YOU R.S.V.P. FOR TARTE’S AMAZONIAN
CLAY WATERPROOF CREAM SHADOW IN SEASHELL PINK?

It appears that Tarte RSVP��d for Benefit��s popular Creaseless Cream in R.S.V.P, and, while at the release party, stole the idea for the color, and ran with it all the way to the beach �� or the Seashore, to be more precise.

Just how close is Tarte��s new Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow in Seashell Pink to Benefit Creaseless Cream in R.S.V.P.? The short answer: close.

Both shimmery pink cream eyeshadows look darn near like sisters in their pots and swatches, but I think if you look closely at both of them, you��ll see richer peach pigments in Seashell Pink. Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
THIS LIP PENCIL IS IN SYNCH

Can I tell you a secret? Okay, first, you have to promise not to tell. It��s not that I��m embarrassed or anything�� Well, maybe a little, but here goes: sometimes, when I��m alone, I rock out to old ��N Sync songs.

There, I said it.

Hey now, don��t judge! Their Celebrity album was actually pretty good.

Someone at MAC even named one of the company��s Lip Pencils after the band (well��), and it happens to be today��s Unsung Hero, In Synch ($13).

Fate is such a fickle mistress, isn��t she? I almost never met this yellowish pastel pink because for a long time I��d always just assumed it would be too light for my coloring (I��m usually more of a Subculture kinda gal). Then I decided to give it a try one day on a whim. Read more…

I’VE WAITED FOREVER TO MAKE THIS STATEMENT
I FINALLY FOUND A COMFORTABLE TORTOISE-SHELL HEADBAND (THANKS, GOODY!)

Let me tell you, it is NOT easy to find a comfortable tortoise-shell headband. Most are made out of stiff plastic that squeezes the life out of my noggin, giving me headaches. I do love how they look, though �� so preppy and chic. So very J. Crew, which is why I keep trying to find a great one.

I never thought I��d actually find it for $5, but I think I have, in the form of the tortoise-shell headwrap from the Goody Statements collection (available exclusively at Target). I guess in a world where there can be a fourth season of a show like Jersey Shore, anything is possible.

Instead of a rigid band, it��s a soft, flexible plastic one with a tortoise-shell pattern and a loop of stretchy black elastic connecting the ends. It��s BEYOND comfy �� shoot, maybe even more comfortable than stretchy pants, fluffy beds and Adidas shell-toe shoes. Read more…

TWO-BUCK CHIC
HAVE YOU TRIED $2 ESSENCE EYESHADOWS BEFORE?

And here I thought the most fun I could have for $2 would come from a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck.

Oh, but that was before I met these Essence Eyeshadows. They come in 18 colors across three different finishes (matte, shimmer and holographic), and each will set you back a mere $2.

The different finishes have varying levels of pigmentation, with the shimmer and holographic shades generally depositing more color than the mattes.

Here��s a quick look at six of them. Right now I��m on the fence about these, but I��m really interested to hear what you think. Read more…

MAC BLOGGERS’ OBSESSIONS COLLECTION
SWATCHES AND PICTURES

Super quick look at the upcoming MAC Bloggers�� Obsessions Collection, a nine-piece collection of MAC Eyeshadows and Lipglasses launching June 21, exclusively online. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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5 Easy Steps to an Even Skin Tone

5 Easy Steps to an Even Skin Tone

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Oh, to have perfect skin again… Wait, I’ve never had perfect skin. I’ve always wished I could just peel my head off the pillow in the morning, splash a little water on my face, tie my hair back into a ponytail and face the day with clear skin, bright eyes, my chubby cat and a smile.

I can handle the smile part by myself, but I need feline cooperation and makeup assistance for everything else.

Luckily, great looking natural skin tone doesn’t require hundreds of layers of foundation and every minute you can spare. Follow these five easy steps to an even skin tone.

1. Get Wet

Moisten a makeup sponge with water or a multi-purpose spray like MAC Fix+ ($19). It’ll thin out the liquid foundation we’re about to use it with and help it adhere evenly to your skin.

2. His/Her Name Is Pat

Place a dollop (about the size of a dime) of liquid foundation (I like DuWop Foundation of Youth; I’ve also heard great things about Chanel Pro Lumiere) on the back of your hand. Dab your wet sponge into the dollop, and pat around the face, starting with your nose and working your way out. Blend so the color fades as you move away from the middle of your face.

3. Give Yourself a Hand

Clean hands, that is. Make sure they’re dry too. Rub them all over your face with a soft touch, almost like you’re washing your face with imaginary cleanser. Friction will warm your foundation and smooth out any chunky bits of product.

4. The Art of Concealment

With concealer (MAC Pro Longwear Concealer ($16.50) gets the job done; it’s a long-wearing, water-resistant concealer that doesn’t look like a ton of goop sitting on the skin), I like to use a foundation brush and a technique called “the triangle method” under the eyes, but fingers work great too. After vanquishing your circles, go after any blemishes around the face with a more precise thin-tipped brush if you have one. A finer tip will let you target tiny spaces and save you from having to apply multiple layers.

5. You Are SO Powderful!

Lastly, set your makeup with a sheer dusting of your favorite pressed powder along your T zone using a large fluffy face brush. My powder of choice? MAC Blot, a long-lasting (about five hours), colorless powder-house to absorb oil and reduce shine.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. What are ya up to tonight? Right now I’m looking online for hair color ideas (what do you think I should do? PLEASE share), because tomorrow I have an appointment at the salon, WHEE!

Wish me luck! My roots are so excited.

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Dressing Up for Asparagus with Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. IV

Dressing Up for Asparagus with Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. IV

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If you saw a girl all dressed in black with a gunmetal grayish purple cat eye fondling the asparagus at Whole Foods in Novato last night, yup, that was me.

It’s been a long week, so last night I decided to reward myself with makeup for dessert. Before I left to hunt and gather at Whole Foods, I opened Urban Decay’s Book of Shadows Volume IV, scanned a few of the included QR codes with my phone and watched the corresponding tutorials.

One of the videos is for a dramatic purple-ish cat eye look (it’s actually called the “Purple Cat Eye”), and that’s the one I chose.

The Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. IV kit/palette comes with five very sci-fi QR codes, which work a little like bar codes. After installing a free iPhone app to read QR codes, I held the phone’s camera up to the code. The phone scanned it and then opened a link to the video. Each tutorial features Urban Decay’s Executive Creative Director Wende Zomnir and a model, on whom Wende completes the look while describing each step in the process, including which products and brushes to use.

The look is a sultry twist on a classic cat eye using products from the palette — perfect for an evening out, or for any time you’re in the mood for something a little naughtier than a simple smokey eye. It involves makeup for eyes and lips, but the cheeks are bare.

Unfortunately, these pics don’t convey one of the coolest, most unusual things about the cat eye part of the look — how the colors subtly flash from gray to purple and back. I think it looks more gray than purple in these pictures than it does in real life.

Like that NARS Outremer cat eye look from earlier this summer, this look relies heavily on eyeshadow — rather than eyeliner — to create the shape of the cat eye, and because it utilizes four eyeshadows instead of one, which means a healthy dose of blending, it takes a good chunk of time. If you have some experience blending and feel comfy with eye looks using three or four colors, you should be able to bang it out pretty quickly.

All the products I used on my eyes are from the palette, but I filled in my brows with MAC Concrete Eyeshadow. The sole lip product I used in the look, Lip Junkie Gloss in Midnight Cowboy, lives in Urban Decay’s permanent line.

A breakdown of the look… EYES

• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion all over the lids and along my lower lash line
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Zephyr on the brow bone
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin below the brow bone
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Gunmetal on the lids and along my lower lash lines
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Gravity on the lids
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion on the upper lash line
• Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara on the upper and lower lashes
• MAC Eyeshadow in Concrete used to fill in my brows

LIPS

• Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Midnight Cowboy (not part of Book of Shadows, Vol. IV)

FACE

• Chanel Mat Lumiere Soft Matte Makeup Soft Honey all over the face
• MAC Strobe Cream, also all over the face
• MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW25 beneath my eyes
• MAC Studio Careblend Powder in Light Plus, also beneath the eyes
• MAC Studio Careblend Powder in Medium Dark, also all over the face

Next time I try this look, I plan to do it before I go somewhere other than the grocery store.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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Be Back Soon…

Be Back Soon… coach factory online

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Hi Coach Factory, ladies. Just checking in. I hope you had a good hump day. This headache of mine pretty much put me out of commission this afternoon Coach Outlet Coupon, but I’ll be back to my old self soon.

Have a good night.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict Cheap Coach Purses,

Karen

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Benefit Scene Queen- A Tuesday Smokey Eye Tutorial

Benefit Scene Queen: A Tuesday Smokey Eye Tutorial

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Brace yourself, young lady, because someone’s about to make a scene — and it’s you! Do you remember last week’s grayish blue smokey eye from our look at the Benefit Scene Queen The Annie Collection palette? Here’s a quick breakdown of it with pictures and a how-to.

The Benefit Scene Queen palette

When would I rock a look like this? Well, often! — specifically, whenever I’d want to look dressed up but not overdone, day or night. If it feels a little too dramatic for daytime wear to work/school, maybe give it a try out one night with friends or your boo.

Because it puts so many great products at my fingertips, I love the Benefit Scene Queen palette, but take a look at your existing makeup stash for similar colors… You might already have the right fixin’s to duplicate the look.

First, let’s marshal our forces and gather our supplies!

For the eyes��

• A neutral eyeshadow primer like Benefit Stay Don’t Stray
• The Shimmery Beige Eyeshadow from Scene Queen
• The Misty Blue Eyeshadow from Scene Queen
• The Charcoal Eyeshadow from Scene Queen
• The Navy Eyeshadow from Scene Queen
• Smokin’ Liner from Scene Queen
• A black mascara like Benefit BADgal Waterproof Mascara

Your tools��

• A fluffy eyeshadow brush like the Benefit Fluff Shadow Brush
• A good crease brush like the Sonia Kashuk Crease Brush
• A good blending brush like the MAC 217
• A small smudge brush like the MAC 214 Short Shader Brush
• A good lash curler (lately I’ve been using the Benefit ProCurl)
• A makeup fixing spray like MAC Fix+

Benefit Scene Queen eye makeup swatches on NC35 skin from left: Smokin’ Liner, Charcoal Eyeshadow, Shimmering Beige Eyeshadow, Misty Blue Eyeshadow, Navy Eyeshadow

Benefit Scene Queen eye makeup swatches on NW20 skin from left: Smokin’ Liner, Shimmering Beige Shadow, Charcoal Eyeshadow, Misty Blue Eyeshadow, Navy Eyeshadow

The eye makeup, step-by-step (ooh baby!)

1. Begin by prepping your lids. To create a smooth canvas for color and extend the wear time of my eye makeup, I’ll start with an eyeshadow primer. For this look, I applied Benefit Stay Don’t Stray over the entire lid with a finger. Then, I dabbed the base eyeshadow color, Shimmering Beige Eyeshadow, directly on top with a fluffy eyeshadow brush.

2. Add a POP! of color. Since this look contains some darker shades, I also wanted to add some color (but not so much that it overwhelmed the eye). I wet the head of my fluffy shadow brush with a spritz of makeup fixing spray and then used it to apply Misty Blue Eyeshadow onto the lid. Next, I drew the color up into the crease and smoothed out any harsh lines with the blending brush.

3. Deepen the look, and add smoke in the outer corner. For a daytime-friendly smokey effect, I applied Navy Eyeshadow to the outer corner and, with my trusty blending brush, mellowed out any harsh lines.

4. Define the look with liner. To draw attention to my peepers (and to create the illusion of thicker lashes), I lined both the upper and lower waterlines (and lash lines) with Smokin’ Liner.

5. Soften the look with layering. Because black liner can look a little harsh for daytime wear, I toned it down by smudging Navy Shadow along the lashlines with the small smudge brush.

6. Finish the eyes with mascara. Finally, the finishing touches! I curled my lashes with the Benefit ProCurl Curler and applied three coats of Benefit BADgal Waterproof Mascara to the upper lashes.

Scene Queen’s lip and cheek goodies

Scene Queens’s coordinating colors for lips and cheeks make finishing this look a total breeze.

That’s Scene Queen’s Coralista on my cheeks, High Beam along the upper cheek bones and Juicy Coral gloss on my lips.

I hope you had fun making a scene with me today, ladies. If you end up giving this look a try and feel like sharing, send me a pic! (email it to me at karen (at) makeupandbeautyblog (dot) com). I’d love to see what you come up with.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have you ever stopped by Benefit’s beauty blog, the Secret Life of Benefit Gal? They’re doing this fun feature right now with Southwest airlines called Beauty on the Fly. The video is freakin’ hilarious! It stars the rapping Southwest flight attendant from their commercials (he waxes philosophic on Benefit makeup, so funny!) and gives lots of tips and tricks.

Since we’re on the subject, Benefit is also hosting a sweepstakes now with some awesome prizes: a trip on Southwest and a Benefit makeup haul (it’s called Beauty on the Fly Sweepstakes). Good luck!

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What Are You Wearing on Your Nails-_0

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

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I rarely like a color so much that I’ll commit to wearing it on both my peeties and paws at the same time, but I’m doing exactly that with Blue Streak.

It’s Sally Hansen’s $4.95 Insta-Dri in Blue Streak, and I can’t tell you how many girls asked about it at the conference last weekend.

The wide brush covers a large swath of the nail with every pass, which cuts down on the brush strokes, and it dries fast for a polish packing this much pigment. I’m wearing two coats here, and each one dries in less than five minutes.

It’s available now at Ulta stores, among other places that carry Sally Hansen polishes, and also online.

Stuff seems pretty sturdy, too. The mani I gave myself on Friday is still going strong. No chips whatsoever (note: I also applied a base and top coat). And I love the way I feel when I see it on my nails.

What are you wearing on your nails today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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I Checked My Email and Here’s What I Found

I Checked My Email and Here’s What I Found

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I bet this happens to you, too, but I miss so many awesome deals and announcements that come through as e-mails. Sometimes they get mistakenly dumped into my junk mail filter, especially when the titles sound overly advertorial: “Free and Heavily Discounted Makeup! Don’t Miss Your Special Chance!”

Sometimes I’m just not able to get to them before the deals have expired.

This morning, however, I managed to read a couple of the timely ones in time to pass them on.

Shu!

These are the last few days of Shu Uemura’s Art of Hair Sweepstakes. Click here to enter. The grand prize? A year’s worth of Shu hair products valued at $1,680 smackers! The deadline to enter is 11:59PM ET June 30.

Bobbi B

Looks like Bobbi Brown’s new Nudes Collection is almost here. Here’s a mini-PR snapshot. It looks pretty textbook Bobbi to me Coach wallets, but I respect how she stays true to her style. In her own words, “Nude makeup doesn’t mean monochromatic, barely-there makeup. It means makeup that’s right for your skin.” Expect to see it on counters in July (I’ll post a review soon).

A star is born

This one caught Tabs’ eye louis vuitton outlet online! Elle is looking for their next video star. Submit a video of your best/favorite makeup tips, and you might take home $250 in beauty swag. Each week Elle will give $250 to the person (or cat) who submits the most popular video tip of the week. Winners then have a chance at the $3,000 yearly grand prize.

If you submit a video to Elle, LET ME KNOW! We can mention your creation on the blog here and maybe help you become a star.

BEMATTE

In Sephora news, they’ve got a few ongoing deals good both in stores and online using coupon code BEMATTE at checkout. I’m interested in the free 10-day sample of Bare Escentuals’ Matte Foundation (free with any purchase). I might do it for the bonus baby kabuki brush.

Nailed!

I just looked down at my bare fingernails, le sigh… I need something to wear on ‘em while I wait for Duri’s Fall/Winter 2009 Rags to Riches Collection of fairy tale colors (click here to visit the Duri site). I haven’t seen any pics yet coach factory store, but the names are cracking me up: Silver Spoon, Dress to Impress, Social Ladder louis vuitton purses, Trophy Wife and Formula for Success? LOL! I wonder what Trophy Wife looks like… Each will retail for $5, and the first six arrive this September.

Bon voyage

Lisa Hoffman must know how difficult it is to pack beauty products. She’s got these little travel packets that let you take a little of each product from the line wherever you go, and for the price they aren’t half bad. I like the sound of the 24-Hour Skincare one, but there’s also one for spa baths and another for showers. All three sell for $9.99. I couldn’t find them online, but I’m sure the folks in their customer service department can track ‘em down (info@lisahoffmanbeauty.com or toll free at 1-800-231-8311).

How’s it going today? It has been hot out here in Norcal this weekend Coach Purse Outlet Online, and our apartment doesn’t have AC! Even Tabs is uncomfortable. He’s sleeping next to his water bowl.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I’d like to apologize to those of you who e-mailed asking if there was something I could do to honor the passing of Farrah Fawcett and MJ, both historic style icons, but I was so overwhelmed by the news myself that I couldn’t think of anything worthy of them. I didn’t want to just throw something up and was too shocked to think straight. I may try after some time passes.

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Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 139

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 139

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I can’t believe this! Guess who just called me in a total tizzy. Yup, Tabs. He’s in New York doing a shoot for NYC New York Color (he loves luxury brands but has a soft spot for bargains too). I guess he went out to a pizzeria for dinner that the hotel concierge told him about but must have lost his wallet somewhere along the way, maybe in the cab ride over. So he couldn’t pay for his meal, and the restauranteur was threatening to call the police.

I always get these kinds of calls from Tabs… Part of the job, I guess, of taking care of a diva kitty supermodel. Anywho, Tabs handed his phone to the restaurant owner, a very plainspoken man with a thick Brooklyn accent. I asked him if he had an email address associated with a Paypal account. He did, so I quickly sent off enough money to cover the meal, along with a few extra bucks for the man’s trouble and enough cash to send Tabs back to his hotel in a cab.

That blasted cat is always getting into trouble like this, but what else is new?

This was a pretty good week as far as his kitty modeling career, though. Here are some of the highlights from his portfolio.

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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A Conversation with Matthew Teitelbaum of the AGO

A Conversation with Matthew Teitelbaum of the AGO about Art and Fashion

by Ingrid Mida

Matthew Teitelbaum, Director and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario

Matthew Teitelbaum is the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Michael and Sonja Koerner Director and CEO. Matthew joined the AGO in 1993 as chief curator and was appointed director in 1998. Born in Toronto in 1956, he holds an honours bachelor of arts in Canadian history from Carleton University Coach Outlet, a master of philosophy in modern European painting and sculpture from the Courtauld Institute of Art, and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Queen’s University. He has taught at Harvard, York University and the University of Western Ontario, and has lectured across North America.

Mr. Teitelbaum met with Ingrid Mida, artist and writer, in his office on July 18, 2011 to have a conversation about art and fashion. This is a condensed and edited version of their conversation.

Ingrid Mida: I recently interviewed Nathalie Bondil, Director and Chief Curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, who initiated the exhibition of Jean Paul Gaultier.? We had a long conversation about fashion and art, and she was adamant that fashion should be considered art.? The MMFA has exhibited Yves Saint Laurent, Denis Gagnon and Jean Paul Gaultier as ?contemporary artists. How do you view the presentation of fashion as art?

Matthew Teitelbaum: I��m not going to give you a contrary view per se. I can give you an institutional view. It is fine for Nathalie to take that position and I have no argument with the position, except the following which is: you make decisions about your programming based on whether you want it to or whether it should relate to the strength of the collection. She has made the decision to commit to this as a programming initiative notwithstanding the fact that she doesn��t have a [costume] collection and doesn��t have a curator. And that��s fine. We are not so inclined. In fact, we are feeling even more strongly than we ever have that programming should come from the core part of our identity which is our collection and where our staff actually have expertise. We don��t have any particular staff expertise in this area. Anything we did would be more or less a borrowed exposition. That doesn��t mean that we haven��t quite consistently included fashion and clothing in our exhibitions. We do it a lot. We did it in the Catherine the Great exhibition; we did it in the Tissot exhibition where we worked closely with the Royal Ontario Museum to borrow period dress; and we did a great Warhol exhibition about Andy Warhol and fashion about ten years ago or so. As a category Coach Factory Outlet Online Sale, it is not that we are allergic to it or don��t agree with it, or think that it has space, and maybe we can even agree that it would drive audiences, but I don��t actually think that we in the AGO can create strength in our institution without building on what we know, what we have, and where our expertise is.

Ingrid Mida:? In Paris there is an exhibition in which clothing designed by Madame Gres has been placed amongst the sculptures of Musee Bourdelle. This created an interesting interplay between the objects of the museum and the work of a fashion designer. Would you ever consider something like that?

Matthew Teitelbaum: Sure. I say sure in that regards to an animation strategy. It hasn��t come up. It is resource heavy to do that. Again, you are talking about a museum doing that by borrowing fashion. It is a nice idea. I don��t think that anyone has ever come to us with that idea.? That is one thing to do and you certainly could do that. At one time, we explored the idea of getting someone to do an audio tour of our collection with a commentary on dress or design. You could do that interpretative stream or you could bring fashion in as sculpture pieces in relation to [art] sculpture. There is no reason not to do it. One would want to do it in the right way, at the right time.

Ingrid Mida: Have you seen the McQueen exhibition at the Met?

Matthew Teitelbaum: No.

Ingrid Mida: That��s a shame. That particular exhibition is one of the strongest examples of a fashion designer as a contemporary artist. The underlying precepts of life/death, good/evil, light/dark and wonder/terror are also sources of inspiration for artists. They were effectively presented as a complete installation with sound, light, and video. It was a really comprehensive and beautiful exhibition that focused on the concept of McQueen as Romantic Hero and the idea of the sublime. (Read the exhibition review of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty here.)

Matthew Teitelbaum: Maybe I should try and go see that.? Is it going elsewhere?

Ingrid Mida: No it is not. That��s it. There is also an incredible exhibition catalogue that doesn��t have installation photos but the book offers another level of presentation in that the clothing was photographed on live models wearing white body makeup. The photographer then manipulated the photos to cut off their heads and give them articulated joints. It was another creative enterprise added onto the exhibition itself. The Met seemed to take the exhibition of fashion to a whole other level. Fashion as art seems to be taking over the museum world.

Matthew Teitelbaum: Partly because it is so seductive. Audiences come for that.

Ingrid Mida: Isn��t attracting audiences an important part of your job? Wasn’t your presentation of King Tut a drive for audiences?

Matthew Teitelbaum: King Tut was a similar initiative where we didn��t build on the strengths of the institution, maybe going off brand or whatever that means. As successful as it was in introducing the institution,? it is an open question on how active that is in developing sustainable audiences. And again, one might say that about fashion exhibitions. You can slam your fist down and say that fashion is art and make a compelling case for that and I wouldn��t necessarily argue against it. Whether or not you can integrate into your program something that is meaningful and makes sense for the institution is another question. And I think that there are plenty of artists in the traditional visual arts sense who would argue pretty strongly that it [fashion] is not art and might not be so pleased to have a mannequin next to their work.

Ingrid Mida: Isn��t that always a balance between the artist and the audience, because many people don��t find contemporary art accessible. They just don��t get it in a way that they might understand a piece of clothing because they can more readily relate to the clothing as an expression of their identity.

Matthew Teitelbaum: I think that is worth having an active conversation about.

Ingrid Mida: That’s why I’m here.

Matthew Teitelbaum: Right. Fashion is seductive. Of course it is seductive. And you are right to ask the question, doesn��t it matter that people want to see Alexander McQueen? Of course it matters. But it is seductive. You could use that argument to justify a whole year of fashion exhibitions, designer exhibitions, why not?? I think it is harder to calibrate and strategise in the context of a really popular field because it is so seductive than it would be to calibrate for things that are hard to fight for. That��s how I look at it. I��m interested in fighting for the artist. I��m not implying that Jean Paul Gaultier��s world doesn��t connect with the world of visual artists.

Ingrid Mida: Did you know that Gaultier said that fashion is not art. That was what part of my conversation with Nathalie Bondil was about. How can you present the work of a fashion designer does not believe his own work is art?

Matthew Teitelbaum: And what was her answer?

Ingrid Mida: She said he can have his own ideas and she can present his work as an artist. She said she thought it was important for a museum to present objects that people could engage with.? She said that his couture garments are works of art because there is so much craftsmanship and skill involved. Plus the only way that a regular person could ever see such a thing was to present these items as works of art. And then she went on to talk about elevating the clothing to reflect the message underlying his work, which was that beauty has no singular standard of size, age, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. They created these new kind of animated mannequins that are effectively video sculptures of faces. The mannequins were based on real people��s heads and a video is projected onto the face to create the illusion that they are talking and which convey the messages and themes underlying Gaultier’s? work. (Read the complete interview with Nathalie Bondil here.)

Matthew Teitelbaum: You know, I��m much less engaged by the question of whether or not something is art but instead whether or not it is good.

Ingrid Mida: How do you define it if is good?

Matthew Teitelbaum: You have a confrontation with the work and it has meaning.? There is a point of view and a system of value in the work and a language that articulates something about the world in which we live. Which is why a De Kooning painting from 1952 will always be more important than a painting that looks like a De Kooning but is from 1982. There is a point of view and a value system that is very specific to the point in time in which it is made. You could make an intellectual argument that the individual prototypes of haute couture are works of art compared to the mass production line. There is a point of view of the artist and a discovery about that point of view that is specific to that object. But then the question is: are you actually engaging with somebody who wants to engage with the world by talking about the piece that way? Which is what artists do �C talk about the objects that they made as having meaning and representing a point of view. That is where I have some hesitation and why I��m not so quick to say that Jean Paul Gaultier is an artist. What he is saying is that I am not related to the world as an artist making art objects. He might be relating to the world as someone with a creative temperament or somebody who has an artistic idea but it sounds like he is not relating to the world as an artist. That interests me and that is a problem for me. That is a hesitation for me. That��s not to say I don��t admire the achievement or the high creative achievement. Maybe somewhere in there is the reason I don��t think it is art the same way that art is art.

Ingrid Mida is a writer, artist and researcher who is inspired by the boundary between fashion and art. In October, she will be the keynote speaker at the Costume Society of America Mid-west Regional Conference talking about her art practice and the intersection of fashion and art.

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Martin Munkacsi and Action Fashion

Martin Munkacsi and Action Fashion

Lucile Brokaw on Long Island Beach, 1933. By Martin Munkacsi.

Without Martin Munkacsi Coach Factory Outlet Online, fashion photography could have been a boring medium. In the 1920s and 30s, Munkacsi’s dynamic shooting style caught the increasing speed and vitality of modern life. His photographs were integral to the development of action photography, and gave fashion its first glimpse at photographs that showed the synergy between clothing, body, and motion.

In the early 1930s, he began shooting for Harper’s Bazaar, the results of which are now on display at the International Center of Photography in NYC. The exhibition “Martin Munkacsi: Think While You Shoot” is up until April 29th. A comprehensive grouping of his work, we see his optimism and joy at the modern age gradually sink into darker, probing images that Coach outlet store online, by the 1940s, question humankind. Also on display are two other exhibitions for the fashion scholar – Henri Cartier-Bresson’s scrapbook and Louise Brooks and the “New Woman” in Weimar cinema.

ICP Museum Gallery
1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036
www.icp.org

Sarah Scaturro

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