RKW

Bunker Spreckels: "I'm a reincarnation of a Hawaiian prince."

2012-03-04T16:34:00.012-08:00

History's most restless adventurer, Bunker Spreckels, represents the essential crux of decadence: freedom as its own end.

Check out his biography and last interview here.

How do you react to being called the most decadent person in surfing? I suppose it's reasonably satisfying to have that sort of reputation, because it's a reputation that I alone have built for myself, without the help of advertisers or manufacturers.

"There's a group over here that believes I'm a reincarnation of a Hawaiian prince. I was told that by two Hawaiian women who claim to be kahunas."

Above Bunker Speckels: Surfing's Divine Prince of Decadence by Taschen

The Spreckels doc here

Buzludha by Timothy Allen

2012-03-03T14:02:00.004-08:00

Phenomenal expedition by photographer Timothy Allen of Guéorguy Stoilov's Buzludha(1981) in Bulgaria. See all the photos and story of time travel here.

Altar to an Unknown God

2012-02-29T10:26:00.007-08:00

Candida Höfer, Musée du Louvre Paris IX 2005

Check out my article in response to Swiss philosopher Alain de Botton's "Why are Museums so uninspiring?" Full article here, excerpt below.

Museums are not boring because they fail to be churches, but because they are altars formed on a false understanding of churches as monumental tombs of anthropocentric tradition and legalism (for what better describes most national galleries). Museums do succeed in simulating the veneration within a church, but they fail in the object of veneration. Museums venerate art for arts sake, beauty as its own end. Even when museums present work about deeper truths, the most ticket sales that keep museums alive are generated from the fashionable blockbuster shows instead. Continue reading...

Villa Poiret by Robert Mallet-Stevens

2012-02-23T09:14:00.007-08:00

French architect Robert Mallet-Stevens is one of my favorites for his Villa Noailles in the South of France. Villa Poiret, from 1921, reveals the Mallet-Stevens style of multiple, interactive levels and glass in dialogue with nature. Photos Luxury Culture.

Super Love: Aphrodisiacs

2012-02-13T21:06:00.008-08:00

Warhol, 1979

Only a few of the long list of superfoods that encourage love...

almond paste: In 1001 Arabian Nights, eaten by men for virility at Ramadan
arugula: In ancient Rome and Egypt associated with Priapus, god of fertility
bananas: Contains bromelain for libido, central Americans regard it as phallic, Hindus leave it at a doorstep for marriage
basil: Ancient Romans considered it the symbol of love, if a woman gives it to a man he falls in love
beets: Highest Boron content of foods which stimulates sexual hormones
chia juice: Mayan’s and Aztecs used them to boost sexual endurance
celery: Contains androsterone, a hormone naturally produced in males that stimulates sexual arousal in females
cilantro: In 1001 Arabian Nights, this herb is given to a man who was childless for 40 years then conceived, but too much can be a narcotic
dates & figs: A man breaking these open is symbolic of opening the female sexual organ
fennel: Egyptians were the first to see this boosted female libido, it contains compounds similar to estrogen
ginkgo: Sacred in Chinese culture, encourages blood supply to major organs
ginger: Louis the XV was said to be seduced by Madame Barry’s continual supply of this substance
ginseng: The root has a phallic shape, contains steroids that boost vitality
honey: Considered the nectar of Aphrodite
maca: The ginseng of Peru, clinically proven sperm booster
mango: The syrupy quality compares to honey, prescribed in India for virility
nutmeg: Prized in ancient China, clinically proven to increase sexual activity in animals
olives: Green for men, black for women, increases libido
persimmon: Sacred in Asian culture, vitamin dense to increase vitality
pomegranate: The fruit of Aphrodite, the abundant seeds symbolize fertility
radish: Egyptian pharaohs considered it a divine food for its bitter taste
saffron: the most expensive spice to produce, calms the central nervous system to create ease and openness
shitake mushrooms: Stimulate female hormones and libido
thyme: Considered to be the substance of the Virgin Mary’s bed, used by the Romans and French for sexual experimentation

What's Contemporary

2011-12-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

Check out my interview with Saulo Madrid for What's Contemporary

Photo above by Seth Broawrnik

Fashion Meets Art: The new luxury standard of culture

2011-12-12T08:12:00.002-08:00

The Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation by Gehry

Check out my latest article for Haute Living: Fashion Meets Art about the Arnault, Pinault and Prada art foundations. This is a close look at how the owners of luxury fashion labels are collecting more art than most institutions and other collectors, ultimately shaping the future of art.

Charles Ray, Tub with Black Dye, 1986, Prada Foundation

Love By Any Means Possible

2011-10-23T21:02:00.001-07:00

photo Jason Fosco

Check out my latest essay for The Other Journal: The Church & Postmodern Culture. It is called "Love By Any Means Possible (and The Postmodern Condition of Desire)." Here is an excerpt:

We are seeing a shift in how we love with a rising dedication to means that privilege the immediacy of desire...Desire drives us toward impossible satisfaction that needs to be resolved again and again. Most technology is driven by the ethics of desire – “meet your needs now.” By contrast love is aligned with the eternal, with patient endurance and ultimately a resolution of desire, without end.

See my previous essay for the same site - Being Relevant

All for Nothing Review

2011-09-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

"Ward calls desire 'the appendix of the spirit' - an organ that has forgotten its function. Our desire is directed toward that which can never be fulfilled. Can we ever re-learn its use? Ultimately, All for Nothing is an ontological inquiry, as well as a philosophical call-to-arms."

Read full review here

All for Nothing 213. Love & Grace

2011-08-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

Godard, 2001

“Love likes to discover with tenderness and will not overlook anything, and where it discovers so-called errors or mistakes, it feels and intuits the whole only more intrinsically.” Friedrich Hölderlin, Essays and Letters on Theory

“Love recognizes virtue even in sin, truth in error.” Ludwig Feuerbach, The Essence of Christianity

A coup de grâce is a gift for total consequence. It means not giving what is desired, but rather giving what is believed to be best. “We have an effect only insofar as we are capable of giving,” explains Hannah Arendt. More so, we have an effect only insofar as we are capable of giving what we know is best.

From my book All for Nothing

Danh Vo

2011-08-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Artist Danh Vo at gallery Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin, All your deeds shall in water be writ, but this in marble, 2011

All for Nothing: 212. The Collision with Love

2011-08-02T16:35:00.001-07:00

Jane Birkin & Charlotte, 1971

Family, one of the few things in life that is undeniably your own and no one else's.

Babe Paley and children, 1948

The way we learn of love is by the first blow of grace, being born and being an undeserving recipient of care. This is coup de grâce, a collision with love stronger than we are. We live with the memory of this original collision, and then we give because we have first received.

Excerpt from my book All for Nothing.

Grace Kelly & Albert, 1949

Princess Caroline & Andrea Albert by Alice Springs, 1984

Desmond Guiness and children, 1963

The McCartneys, 1972

Gloria Vanderbilt, with husband and sons

Marina Rust

Brikin & Gainsbourg

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. - Desmond Tutu

Villa Abborrkroken

2011-08-02T16:20:00.001-07:00

Villa Abborrkroken by John Robert Nilson, Stockholm, images via Luxury Culture

Summer Love: Haute Air

2011-07-31T19:31:00.001-07:00

The first air show at the Grand Palais in Paris, France. September 30th, 1909. Photographed in Autochrome Lumière by Léon Gimpel

I have summer love for the legacy of the montgolfière or hot air balloon. It was invented in Paris in 1782 and displayed throughout the 19th century world exhibitions as a form of luxury travel. I was interested to see how this legacy was used in French fashion and expanded to balloons in general which have both childhood and decadent associations.

Above the Louis Vuitton exhibition at the National Museum of China Summer 2011 and below windows at Louis Vuitton Paris Summer 2011

Above Tim Walker, Vogue UK, February 2007, dress by Janine Trott

Above and below Solve Sundsbo, Vogue China April 2009

Above Arthur Elgort, Vogue Nippon, August 2008 and below Steven Meisel, Vogue Italia, August 2010

Above Roger Neve, Jan, July 2011 and below Miles Aldridge for the Times, 2007

Patrick Demarchelier, Vogue October 2008, below Luis Monteiro

Above Dior Miss Cherie, 2008 and below J Crew Weddings, 2009

Long Live Summer

2011-07-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

1964, Corbis

During the grey cast winter, I wrote about the valuable gifts of the season. Fortunately, summer needs no defense.

1949, Capri, Vogue

Reinaldo & Carolina Herrera on the beach of the Villa Mercedes at Formentor, Majorca, by Milton Gendel, 1976

Above Chloé and below the Louboutin Biarritz

Above & below the new Museum of Ocean & Surf Biarritz, by Holl & Fabio

Above Burton for Elle France March 2010 and below Bruce Weber's Summer Camp for W, 2008

Above Cass Bird, Daria in St. Barth for T Travel, Spring 2011 and below the Hamptons by the Sartorialist Scott Schuman for Italian Vogue, 2010

Above Craig McDean for Interview, June 2010 and and below the Hamptons by the Sartorialist Scott Schuman for Italian Vogue, 2010

Above The Swimmer with Burt Lancaster, 1968 based on John Cheever's story and below Slim Aarons, 1973

Above the pool at Eden-Roc and below Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc

Above Tuscany and below Ali McGraw

Endless Summer, 1966

Above Nico for Harper's Bazaar Spain August 2010 & below Rio by Mario Testino

Endless Summer: Madras

2011-07-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

A summer favorite, madras fabric has a strong prep and southern US association but it began in the Indian village of the same name, now Chennai. Like gingham, the fabric was traded through England and originally came in a number of patterns. Madras is now considered any number of bright, primary color plaids, and pastel variations, distinguished by an overlapping, blur effect. I just see summer.

Above & below APC Madras collection

Above & below madras variations, Anthropologie & Issey Miyake S 2011

Above madras variation shorts, photo Eric Hason

Above the madras tie collaborations by Opening Ceremony, Lane Crawford and Band of Outsiders from Kempt

Above and below madras scarves, Hermès and Engineered Garments

liquid madras: vodka, orange, cranberry

Endless Summer: Gingham

2011-07-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Gingham! Always, every, endless summer... It was originally a linen fabric with striped stitching imported in the 17th century into Europe via the Dutch. By the 18th century, a Manchester factory produced the now famous signature check.

Brooks Brothers

Vivienne Westwood

Chanel Resort

D&G

Bonpoint

Moschino, S 2011

Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garcons, 2009

Comme des Garcons

Christian Louboutin Sonietta Cotton Gingham Ballet

All for Nothing: 217. From Glory to Surrender

2011-07-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

We have not been willing to surrender, to step away from anthropocentric glory, into the realm of uncertainty. We have learned that we can only control what will submit to us, but that we are controlled by our desires, to which we continually surrender (though we fear submission to truth). The truth is the grace we do not deserve. While we may suspend knowledge of truth - overlooking, ignoring or denying a fatal sickness, loss, or consequence - the truth remains true and it is our resistance to it that must, in time, come to an end.

Excerpt from my book All for Nothing

All for Nothing: 169. Yes (Now & Forever)

2011-07-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

My favorite work by Derrida is "Nombre de Oui." The text explores the meaning of "yes," specifically its positive nature that aligns with what we understand as eternity - "The yes is the word of God."

Is every yes an infinite yes, with the possibility of infinite consequence?: Have you ever said Yes to a single joy? O my friends, then you said Yes to all woe. All things are entangled, ensnared, enamored; if you ever wanted one thing twice, if you ever said, “You please me, happiness! Abide, moment!” then you wanted all back. All anew, all eternally, all entangled, ensnared, enamored—oh then you loved the world. Eternal ones, love it eternally and evermore; and to woe too, you say: go, but return! For all joy wants—eternity. Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The yes is a continual affirmation. It is the basis of passion and acceptance. But what then of no? Is no another means of fidelity? Of other passion? In the same manner that a decadent invests in the integrity of a surface, the decadent speaks with elaboration. If it is a “yes,” it is a “yes” to the extreme, and a “no” is a “no” without possibility.

Excerpt from my book All for Nothing

Power Foods

2011-07-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

Alex Postman's book Power Foods has a wealth of healthy recipes and supplementary information. The emphasis is on nutrient dense, vibrant foods such as berries, greens, nuts and fish. The book is produced by the Martha Stewart initiative, Whole Living. You can read a great interview about the book here and below is a quick look at their 10 golden rules:

1. Unprocessed

2. Organic

3. Local

4. A rainbow of produce

5. Limited salt

6. Dry goods from stores with rapid turnover

7. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats

8. Low-sodium broths in cartons or from scratch

9. Plan recipes to share ingredients and avoid waste

10. 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 grains. 1/4 protein on plates

Power Foods is another great kitchen staple similar to my favorite contemporary cookbook, Stewart's Everyday Food. Both books have excellent photos, simple instructions and good additional information on food basics.

All for Nothing: 201. Love of the particular

2011-07-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

It is as if every love begins the same: “I knew no end of desiring you.” But then confusion arises, is it desire or you of which I know no end?

Ferragamo Fall 2011 Jansson

The Hebrew Proverb, “what a man desires is unfailing love,” is evidenced by all men seeking an earthly love that will not fail. In an overwhelming state of desire, we are consumed by an invisible relation to the world, a longing that has no match. An individual then finds something worthy, a thing that seems obscured to the rest of the world, that can exclusively satisfy, and then resolves placeless longing. The love of the particular thing brings rest from searching and the world becomes light and effortless.

Excerpt from All for Nothing

Being Relevant

2011-07-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Jan Gossaert’s Adam and Eve in Paradise, 1525, adapted as a MacBook skin by artist Michael Xuereb

Check out my essay Being Relevant: Confronting the Latest Sacred. I address the pressure to be fashionable and connected, and how media legitimizes the new. While neither relevancy or media should be rejected, we can re-consider our esteem for its sanctification of all things.

Superfood #5: A Lemon a Day

2011-07-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

There is almost no way to underestimate the power of the lemon. Like all citrus, it is a superfood that yields more vitamin dense properties than calories. Even though the fruit is acidic, it is alkaline forming in the body and good for overall well being.

The exact origin of the lemon is unknown but thought to be near India or southern China. Trading to southern Italy created wider European popularity by 1st century AD.

Above lemon groves in Galilee by David Shankbone

The lemon was originally regarded for antispetic and healing properties. Like other acidic fruits, lemons can conduct electricity and the skins can be used in cleaning.

When life gives you lemons, add them to anything. They are especially tasteful when seeking to reduce bitterness in food, like kale or mustard greens. Below lemons two Italian ways, limoncello and gelato served in rind, from Chef Case.

Below the highly regarded Meyer lemon is native to China and thought to be a cross breed with the Mandarin orange. It was introduced in the US in 1908.

All for Nothing: 93. Perfection & Nothingness

2011-07-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

Chanel Pre-Fall 2011

A miracle is a byproduct of truth; luxury is a byproduct of illusion.

Luxury is something that is seen but valued for its believed invisible qualities, such as status. Theodor Adorno wrote about how gemstones were once thought to have magic powers; however, even when the superstition faded, they continued to attract us.

He describes that the “primeval history of luxury... has migrated into all art… but the magic has survived... as the power of radiant things over men… as radiant things give up their magic claims… they become transformed into images of gentleness, promises of happiness…this is the primeval history of luxury, that has migrated into the meaning of all art. In the magic of whatever reveals itself in absolute powerlessness of beauty, at once perfection and nothingness.”

Excerpt from my book All for Nothing

Love!

2011-06-28T20:41:00.001-07:00

I love these 2, the first by Patrick Daughters and second by JW Giffiths

Splitscreen: A Love Story from JW Griffiths on Vimeo.

Seagrapes

2011-06-27T08:17:00.001-07:00

Ritz Carlton, St. Thomas

Coccoloba uvifera is the scientific name for the evergreen flowering plant known as the seagrape.

A member of the buckwheat family, they are common to Florida and the Caribbean and are edible.

photo Matt Anderson

The Hero

2011-06-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Images Hedi Slimane, "The Americans" for Vogue Hommes Japan, Spring 2009

INEZ: For thirty years you dreamt you were a hero, and condoned a thousand petty lapses–because a hero, of course, can do no wrong. An easy method, obviously. Then a day came when you were up against it, the red light of real danger - and you took the train to Mexico.

GARCIN: I “dreamt,” you say. It was no dream. When I chose the hardest path, I made my choice deliberately. A man is what he wills himself to be.

INEZ: Prove it. Prove it was no dream. It’s what one does, and nothing else, that shows the stuff one’s made of.

GARCIN: I died too soon. I wasn’t allowed time to–to do my deeds.

INEZ: One always dies too soon–or too late. And yet one’s whole life is complete at that moment, with a line drawn neatly under it, ready for the summing up. You are your life, and nothing else.
-Jean-Paul Sartre, Huis Clos, 1944

For Sartre, "the hero makes himself heroic." In existentialism, your free choices are the basis of your total meaning. Our freedom however, is never something to prove. You are already free, and it is the hero who simply proves freedom is an obligation. The presence of freedom, or possibility of anything at anytime, means our freedom is not "freedom from" authority or consequence, but "freedom to" accomplish anything, or more so anything great.

From my book All for Nothing

All for Nothing: 26. Etiquette of Form

2011-06-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

Education normally begins with formal obedience emphasized over genuine understanding of value, which is said to come later. Etiquette, for example, is obedience to form, often without understanding value or having permission to act freely. Contemporary thought, especially in academics, engages in an etiquette of form, rather than encouraging a value based, free use of the proper. And like following which knife is appropriate for which dish, there is now an appropriate truth for one instance and a different truth for another. But just as dining etiquette does not translate to knowing how to use a knife for the kill of the hunt, academic truths, in postmodern theory and comparative reasoning, do not answer to the beast of ontology.

From my book, All for Nothing

Seasonal Superfood: Sage in Summer

2011-06-21T09:00:00.002-07:00

We normally associate Sage with fall and holiday dinners, but it is actually in season during summer. Sage is from the Latin word for "save" and was originally used medicinally in Southern Europe for all types of conditions. As a superfood, it is more nutrient than calorie dense and is a great source of vitamin K, has high antioxidant properties and is antimicrobial. It is easily added to grains, pastas, salads and soups.

Above purple sage and below the easiest way to integrate sage with sage butter for poultry and pasta. I add parsley and lemon to balance the flavor.

Above adding sage and roquette to a classic fennel orange salad gives a more robust and satisfying flavor. Below baked sage potato chips via Tastespotting.

Above sage as a garnish to a grilled gruyere, apple sandwich, via Martha Stewart

All for Nothing: 128. The Costume Party

2011-06-20T09:00:00.001-07:00

Avedon, Suzy Parker and Mike Nichols, Dress by Dior, Maxim's, Paris, August 1962

Life has become a decadent costume party of our own invention in which people assume a role and dress accordingly. While under democratic capitalism we can freely dress, the costumes we choose cannot produce social shifts because they are only a necessary tool of social position, not the necessary invitation. From my book, All for Nothing

Coco Chanel

George Hoyningen-Huene

For the Love of Summer

2011-06-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Simple resort selects...

Pucci

Givenchy

Chloe

Moschino

Louis Vuitton

Summer as It Should Be: Boca Chica

2011-06-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

I love this flawless editorial for Elle Germany, May 2011, by Pasquale Abbattista, featuring Sophie Holmes and Lucien Thompkins. It was shot on the Caribbean's largest protected reef, Boca Chica.

Outside In: The Gorgonian

2011-06-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Gorgonian or sea fan is one of my favorite ways to bring the summer inside. Part of the coral family, they are most common in the warm, shallow waters of the southern Atlantic.

via Cashon & Company

via Karen Robertson

C'est Normal #7

2011-06-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

It has been some time since I posted about the Franco-American culture clash. While Americans in the last decade moved away from butter and toward oils, the French have kept their first love. Butter is actually nutrient dense and with the amount of nutrients it delivers, it is a superfood in moderation. The best way to consume butter is organic, raw and unpasteurized, like that above. But it can be hard to find raw in both France and America. The best alternative is the French butter, Échiré, butter par excellence.

I am not sure what they are feeding the cows, but they are clearly very happy. And like everything French, their products also have lovely packaging. C'est normal that this butter is everywhere in France but next to impossible to track down in the US.

All About All for Nothing

2011-06-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

All for Nothing was released by Atropos Press in December 2010. Cover photo by Jason Fosco.

All for Nothing contains 247 aphorisms. I began this book researching contemporary decadence, which evolved into a look at the struggle of human desire and truth. With desire, we eventually reach a moment of truth when what we desire is consumed, it dissapears from our range of choices or we no longer desire it. This is the vanishing point of desire, when truth outlasts it. The result is a constant turnover of desire, most visible in the obselescence of fashion and technology. Our contemporary interests are overrun by desire and laid bare with non-chalance, meaning we move easily onto the next one without finishing the first. The result is momentary investments, giving all for nothing that lasts. Opposing movements in culture, from sustainability to globalization, seek to resolve this decadence but are also subject to the force of desire. The book proposes the solution in the challenge of absolute truth.

Chapter I is "The Establishment," an introduction which describes the contemporary climate of decadence, followed by these chapters below.

II. Inheritance

Above Château de Chantilly, France's largest private estate was last occupied by the last son of France's last king. It fell into disrepair until 2008 when Aga Khan gave 30 million to restoration.

This section considers what inheritance means to a contemporary society, not only in assets but in the continuation of values and history. The chapter includes sections on "Paradise," or sites of decadence, and "Myth," or the legacy of decadence.

III. Privilege

Above the throne of the Prussian king for the Prussian Embassy in Paris, 1835, now on exhibit at Versailles

This chapter considers advantages and entitlement. The sections are "Birthright," "Possibility," "Fame," and "Noblesse Oblige." In a world of instant recognition for anyone in mass media, our definition of, and responsibility to privilege has shifted.

IV. Fortune

Above an interior by Tony Duquette, Chapultapec Palace, Mexico

This chapter considers decadent gestures and displays of wealth. The chapter includes "Prosperity," "Leisure," "Cultivation," and "Luxury."

V. Vanitas

Steven Meisel, Four Days in LA: The Versace Pictures, 2001

This chapter looks at forms of self-interest and expression including "Beauty," "Style," "Fashion," and "Aura," which are magnified through contemporary media.

VI. Attraction

Richard Phillips, Double, 1996, based on Melvin Sokolsky

This chapter includes "Surprise," "Flirtation" and "Hoax."

VII. Desire

Marina Abramovic, Rest Energy, 1980

This chapter considers how within decadence, desire is a double bind, calling us to yes and no that together sustain the force. The chapter includes "Lips of Blood," "Ennui," "Intoxication," and "Love."

The final chapter is Truth. The sections are "Grace," "Vanishing," Forgetting," and "Uncondition."

Read excerpts from the book here.

All for Nothing at Amazon

Topiary Mazes

2011-06-14T09:00:00.001-07:00

When the world has been tamed, we must learn to lose ourselves in it again.

Hampton Court, the UK's oldest surviving maze, 17th Century

Granada, Spain, 16th Century

Spellbound, Lindbergh, Vogue US, July 2011

The world's largest, Reignac sur Indre, France

Above and below, Jil Sander S 2011 at Villa Gamberaia, Italy, 16th Century

Hever Castle, England

Teen Vogue

Chatsworth, England

Steven Meisel, Red Alert, Vogue Italia, August 2004

Portugal, 18th Century

Ashcombe maze, Australia

Palm Story

2011-06-13T09:00:00.001-07:00

For summer, here is a look at interesting palms. Above my favorite, the smooth trunked Royal Palm, and below the Royal in Palm Beach.

Above and below Ruscha's A Few Palm Trees

Above David Hockney's Mist, 1973 and below the Silver Bismarck Palm

Above the Cocotrinax, Old Man Palm native to Cuba and below the Ruffled Fan Palm of Vanuatu.

Above the Triangle Palm and below the Travelers Palm, actually a variation of Bird of Paradise in the banana leaf family.

Above Travelers Palm at home and below Meredith Wendell via Ru Du Jour

Above the eco conscious Golden Palm resort with overwater bungalows in the shape of a palm

Modern Summer Resorts

2011-06-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hotel du Cap-Ferrat

To follow up my post on well situated summer homes, here are a few well placed summer resorts

Above and below Capri Palace

Above and below, Banyan Tree Seychelles

Above the eco loving Taj Exotica, Maldives and below, Viceroy, Miami by Kelly Wearstler

Above and below Viceroy Anguilla by Wearstler

Above Casa Angelina, Almafi Coast and the new award winning design for Wadi Rum Desert Lodges, Jordan

The Last of Spring

2011-06-09T13:01:00.001-07:00

The world heralds summer, but we still have gorgeous spring flowers until June 21 (or everyday if you are at George V :)

Jeffrey Leatham, George V, Paris

"Japonaise" area rug by Tuleh

Leatham, George V

Tuleh, S 2008

Leatham, George V

All for Nothing: 85. Everything Was Tasted

2011-06-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

Jessica Craig-Martin

Another excerpt from my book All for Nothing (along with a look at some decadent feasts!): Everything was tasted from grasshopper to ostrich, from dormouse to wild boar; whatever might stimulate the appetite was tried as a seasoning, and as such the cooks used substances which we cannot conceive of, like asafetida and rue. The whole known world was put to gastronomical use.- Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin on Roman cuisine, The Physiology of Taste

Above and below creations by Jennifer Rubell, 2009-10

Above and below by Tony Duquette

Above Judy Chicago's Dinner Party, 1974-79

Above and below, The Party, 1968

Above and below, color coordinated VB 52 by Vanessa Beecroft, 2003

All for Nothing: 100. The Scene of Decadence

2011-06-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

My research into Belle Epoque tortoiseshell led me to discover these gorgeous historic and inspired interiors. The French reminiscence throughout is displayed with incomparable ease.

Above and below Design moguls Christian and Nick Candy's home in Monaco, via Architectural Digest

Above and below the St. Regis Rome, below Bottega Veneta Suite by Oliver Mark

Above by Kelly Wearstler and below Coco Chanel's apartment with Venetian mirrors

And in honor of my 100th post at this blog, here is apropos entry 100, from my book All for Nothing: Simone Weil writes, “Luxury itself represents beauty for a whole class of men. It provides surroundings through which they can feel, in a vague fashion, that the universe is beautiful.” This is the essential scene of decadence, a negotiation of resources toward a beautiful ambiance, which is simply an artifice of appearances. The expression of beauty is subjective but the investment is toward a complete environment, a paradise, however small.

Above Venice's Palazzo Papadopoli from W and below the dining room of the Musee D'Orsay

Above the ceiling of Hotel De Ville and below, pure Belle Epoque, La Fermette Marbeuf

Belle Epoque Tortoiseshell

2011-06-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite summer accessories is tortoiseshell. I can remember visiting my grandmother in the summer and trying on her pieces. Sadly, the aesthetic interest led to the near extinction of the beautiful Hawksbill sea turtle above. Now, the appreciation of authentic tortoiseshell is a vintage collectors market. The gorgeous examples below date from the Belle Epoque when the materials were combined with art nouveau style and sensibility.

Tortoise shells from J.F. Chen via Habitually Chic

In the Belle Epoque novel À rebours, the lead acquires the tortoiseshell trend by getting a live one as a pet, but he decorates it in jewels, causing its death. The fascination is death by decoration: “it had not been able to support the dazzling luxury imposed on it, the shining garment in which it had been clad.” Read more in my book All for Nothing.

Georges Fouquet, 1905

The vintage combs above and below are valued at $30,000.

Charles Boutet de Monvel, mother of pearl, peridot, and tortoiseshell comb, c. 1900

Above and below "Belle Epoque Blond" tortoiseshell with diamond detailing via Auction Atrium

Vintage Cartier

Like fur, faux is now common for tortoiseshell, above Chanel, 1994 and below basic faux cuff

For a summer accessory that is harm free, but not faux, I love the simple beauty of the coconut shell bracelet below by Zemis

All for Nothing: 112. Style Vs. Trend

2011-06-04T19:24:00.001-07:00

The Sartorialist

There is an inclination to negotiate all appearances of beauty toward a pre-determined "good style." But we must remain conscious of the mediation of aesthetics, really the mediation of singular versus collective values.

We have a society that encourages both personal style and trend, but neither is truth. Both are in dialogue with truth in the same way an object is in relation to the whole, or more so context. Both are necessary for understanding beauty. And while style is aligned to the self, and trend to the group, style is at best in flux, always adapting to the moment. It is its ability to adapt that then consequently influences trend.

Excerpt from my book All for Nothing

Vogue Paris Now: The Alt Era

2011-06-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

Vogue Paris June-July 2011, Anja Rubik by Hans Feurer

The June-July edition of Vogue Paris celebrates summer skin, both real and faux. The edition is logical for the continued visual transition from Roitfeld to Alt, with several seductive body shots that we have come to expect from Paris. But a notable new interest in the editor-photographer collaborations, is gorgeous face and beauty shots. While Roitfeld described herself as a "stylist editor," this may be the rise of a new "beauty editor."

Vogue Paris June-July 2011, Eniko Mihalik by Giampaolo Sgura

What is so lovely about the beauty editorial above and below is the use of hair make-up while retaining a sense of natural beauty. The sun kissed au naturel is reminiscent of the 1970's Vogue Paris beauties under editor Francine Crescent.

Vogue Paris June-July 2011, Eniko Mihalik by Giampaolo Sgura

Crescent is best known for nurturing Newton and Bourdin editorials.

One of the last Bourdin beauty editorials for Vogue Paris, under Crescent, 1987

All for Nothing: 87. The Bon Vivant

2011-06-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Photos for Vogue UK, June 2011, Dree Hemingway by Tom Craig

The word “cultivation,” refers to gardening and improving the harvest but more generally, it is the ultimate luxury of the leisure class, to have time to make the most of what one has. But today a bon vivant may take many forms. What was once the right of a pedigree and position, is now mass entitlement to the pursuit of happiness. We have increased the amount of information available, literacy and rights to pleasure, which have resulted in “cultivation for everyone” without regard for the understanding that cultivation was originally intended to develop taste for the best of everything.

In our decadent society we have a strange phenomenon in which there is a belief of “good taste” but a limited span of cultivation, simply cultivation through media and entertainment, cultivation without essence. Indiscriminant accumulation from mass production has overtaken selective cultivation of assets guided by good taste. Rather than knowing what is worthy of interest across reality, we now know only what we personally find interesting from the choices of media.

Thus the masses demonstrate the disposition of “good taste,” simply by occupying the seat of judgment over the abundance of media. The press however can still function as tastemaker because of advance access and subsequent pre-selection of what is available.

Excerpt from my book All for Nothing

Radical Being: Jean Baudrillard

2011-05-31T19:13:00.001-07:00

Class with Jean Baudrillard at EGS, with a video of himself in the background

When I was an undergraduate student in art history I read Jean Baudrillard's "Beyond the Vanishing Point of Art." From Hegel's "rage to disappear," to his own concept of "degree xerox," Baudrillard reconsidered the establishment, and all of its esteem. In this text, he arbitrates between reality and illusion, disappearance and destiny. I became driven to find this man, to sit in his presence and listen to his prophecy. In 2004, at the European Graduate School, I had his seminar, taking down every word in what felt more like a press conference. When I composed my dissertation, my emphasis was inspired from his incessant phrase, "the vanishing point," the almost invisible slippage when something yields to disappearance, or destiny. When does a fashion go out of style? when does technology become obsolete? Those moments caused me to look more deeply at the human struggle between desire and truth, leading to my book All for Nothing. Now this week, CTheory has published my collaborative text with Jeremy Fernando. We have taken on Baudrillard's Radical Thought. In my response, I compare Baudrillard to radical theologians such as Calvin and Kierkegaard. While most would not suggest Baudrillard was an advocate of predestination, I propose the key to his larger oeuvre is in paradoxical truth and inevitable destiny. Read the full text here.

Modern Summer

2011-05-23T20:27:00.001-07:00

Born in Florida, I do not easily separate seasons, or outdoor and indoor. However, when I was 13 my family visited the Kaufmann house, Falling Water, and I gained new respect for the strategic positioning of a summer home in relation to the natural location.

The dream location of Casa Malaparte on the cliff in Capri, designed by Adalberto Libera and the backdrop of Le Mepris

Above Casa de Campo by Acero in the Dominican Republic

Above and below Casa Finisterra in Cabo

Above open living and below a home designed by Javier Artardi in Peru

Above a home designed by Marcio Kogan in Rio

People Like Us

2011-05-22T18:54:00.001-07:00

Hepburn as Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story (1940)

The tenets of aristocracy are in their best case virtuous. Though contemporary culture frequently associates wealth values with calculated security and visions of excess, there are greater values at stake. Generosity originally meant nobility, born with high standing. It was because those individuals of the highest standing consistently acted with grace, giving back and helping others, that the term evolved to mean simply giving away. After the decline of aristocratic ethics in the 18th century, noblesse oblige almost disappeared. By the 20th century, Bataille theorized that keeping too much was a burden, and giving away was the best economic strategy. But more than giving money, the gesture of extending grace to others is a timeless gesture relevant to all cultures today. In addition to giving financially, we can always give more love than we receive.

As an increasingly global society has developed, many traditions have been disregarded along with their values. Film has revealed the social transformations. The 1940 comedy of upper-class manners, The Philadelphia Story, called traditional roles and their gestures into consideration. Cary Grant's character is the established male but a powerless alcoholic. It is the nouveau riche and ordinary reporter who triumph in the film. Overall however the film advances an ideal world of ease in which all are called to a responsibility of actions.

The French film The Discreet Charm of The Bourgeoisie from 1972 turns privilege to travesty. The complex narrative satirizes cliche values and personalities of the moderate elite. While the title suggests charm, the stories emphasize disenchantment. Importantly this film showcases the bourgeoisie, not aristocracy. It is those that use assets to accumulate, rather than give, that in time decline.

While some suggest Buñuel was negating the characters' sense of entitlement, it can also be seen that entitlement is already understood as simply a sense, even to those who have it. All of us are human, no matter our status, so why not celebrate life. In a previous post on WASP films, I described social celebration, along with sport, as core values of aristocracy. Both practices place value on leisure. Repose and recreation are positive forms of human cultivation and development, as well as opportunities to extend grace to others.

Different decade, same man, above from Discreet Charm and below from Metropolitan

When I interviewed Rodarte, we discussed the significance of the 1990 film Metropolitan, which concentrates on the decline of the elite. The lead explains: “We hear a lot about the great social mobility in America…what is less discussed is how easy it is to go down.” The director Whit Stillman saw the film as a responsibility to his own world, one assumed to be widely understood. However, the world of ease has many misunderstandings and legitimate problems. While some see the misgivings and complaints of the privileged as irrelevant, this film suggests that even issues of minor consequence are still worthy of major moral debate. Read more at Metropolitan Chronicles Preppy Angst.

Metropolitan emphasizes the phrase "people like us." "It's a strangely evocative and ironic term," says Whit Stillman, producer and director of Metropolitan..."It means People Like Us as opposed to People Like Them -- who we find threatening. It's a term of distinction, exclusion and, lately, it stresses defensiveness and escapism." (via The Wall Street Journal)

Every generation must rise from the ashes of the preceding one. In a moment when cutting roots is more fashionable than honoring them, it is still possible to show exceptional honor for timeless values. Generosity and grace are essential to all times and all classes. The responsibility of people like -all of- us today is to show the greatest virtue in all circumstances, as that which survives all societies.

Read more in my essay for The New York Times, When Luxury is a Virtue.

People Like You

2011-05-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

This clip came to my attention through my former school EGS's regular posts. The video features Jacques Lacan giving a formal lecture on love and transference and being interrupted by a young Situationist inspired student aiming to disrupt the formality. The student's problem is the charade of academia, and specifically the lecture hall and its system of authority. The student aims to disrupt moments ‎"when people like you are bringing people like these justification for their miserable lives..." He also discusses the spectacle of Guy Debord who saw mass media serving the same function.

Les Vacances

2011-05-01T17:31:00.001-07:00

I am taking a break from blogging. I will be posting here again later this summer. In the meantime, get my latest book for your summer reading here!

La Baule, France, 1960

Georges Dambier's Paris

2011-05-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

1960

And so the myth of April in Paris ends here on May 1. I love these oh so mythical Parisian photos by fashion photographer Georges Dambier. They capture the je ne se quois of the city, it's ease of elegance and vitality. They are on exhibit in New York at Bonni Benrubi Gallery through the end of May.

1954

1953

April in Paris: Vive La France

2011-04-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

It is simply not possible to sum up the far too many intangibles that make Paris, France so fantastic.

April in Paris: Sound

2011-04-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of things I love about Paris is the sound of the city. Unlike New York, with constant honking and sirens, the greater presence of motorbikes are always buzzing in the background and the French conversations fill the streets. There is also an increasing Parisian hush as the day passes into night.

April in Paris: L'amour

2011-04-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Paris is not the city of lights, it's the city of love, like no where else.

Watch Kisses from Paris by Yvan Attal

April in Paris: Home

2011-04-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

The often repeated Stein quote "America is my country and Paris is my hometown," has always meant so much to me because I do not have a hometown. I moved considerably as a child and also now as an adult. I will always be American, and I never thought of Paris as home until the past year when I began to realize it was that. These are photos of my previous ground floor residence on rue de Bourgogne which had been transformed from prior stables.

Love this sign below on a nearby American restaurant

April in Paris: La Tour Eiffel, La Nuit

2011-04-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

They call it the city of lights and I prefer to see the Eiffel Tower at night. Somehow to me it is just that much more lovely.

My favorite view of the Eiffel Tower is from one of my favorite streets, rue Saint Dominique.

The tower is so majectic and amazing. I love that after the millennium lights were installed, the city campaigned to keep the twinkle every hour :)

April in Paris: Grand Palais

2011-04-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

The glorious Grand & Petit Palais were constructed for the Universal Exposition of 1900. The iron and glass ceilings are the best of French art nouveau.

The palais serves as an exhibition and event space most of the year. Below the stage is set for Chanel. The bi-annual Chanel pret-a-porter shows make use of the tremendous height as does the Hermes' Saut equestrian jumping event.

The funnest part is dining on the palais terrace.

The Risen Christ

2011-04-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Dali, The crucifixion 1951, seen from above, and the ascension, 1958, seen from from below

Happy Passover & Easter to all. Although it follows Easter by several weeks, the French still celebrate Ascension Day in May, honoring Christ's return to heaven.

April in Paris: The South

2011-04-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Not Paris but not far, my favorite place in France, the Cote d'Azur :)

April in Paris: The Seine

2011-04-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have all these amazing photos of Seine because I am always so impressed by its beauty. The tree lined river is gorgeous even on gray days.

April in Paris: Jardins

2011-04-22T00:01:00.001-07:00

I love the variety of parks in Paris. While some complain that this is a city of manicured greens, I love the different types of plants and designs. The two photos below are from a more wild growing park in Saint Germain that includes palm tress and exotic plants.