Book Club: The Unattainables

The only thing I collect (with the exception of shoes, obvs) is books. My book collection is my life. If there was ever a fire in my apartment I would probably die trying to rescue my Helmut Newton books and back issues of Self Service. The only real downside to collecting fashion photography books (aside from my inevitable smoke inhalation death) is discovering a completely essential book that I just can't afford. Below are four books that have been taunting me for years:

November Girl by Sam Haskins ($250-$1,000)
I am a big Sam Haskins fan and this book is tragically missing from my collection. I regurally swing by Kiki de Montparnasse to fondle one of their overpriced copies.




Birds of Britain by John Green ($200-$821)
Kiki de Montparnasse also has Birds of Britain, which is basically a collection of portraits of every British "it" girl from the sixties. Charlotte Rampling, Marianne Faithfull, and Jane Birkin all make appearances. The portrait of actress Alexandra Bastedo later became the cover of The Smiths album Rank.






Twen: Revision einer Legende ($241-$950)
Twen was an incredibly forward-thinking German fashion & lifestyle magazine which featured the work of Sam Haskins, David Hamilton, William Klien and other sixties luminaries. Graphic designers regard it as the Holy Grail of magazine design, which is probably why this book is so expensive. When the design people and the fashion people want the same rare out-of-print book everyone gets totally screwed.





Sumo by Helmut Newton ($11,000-$25,000)
The fact that this book exists and I can't afford it kind of feels like god is slapping me in the face. That's all.

Trippy Kitty

Cat Diamond via Eivind Søreng Molvær's rad portfolio.

Happy Caturday!

Another One Bites the Dust

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you haven't heard already, Domino will soon be no more. Due to the pathetic state of the economic market the magazine will fold with the March issue. I'm saddened by this news but it doesn't come as a total surprise, the once affordable solutions for the monetary challenged looking to beautify their tiny apartments have skyrocketed into lavish $900 sheets and solid gold paperweights. Despite the luxury prices I had hoped that Domino was just going through a rough patch. Of course this news comes right after renewing my subscription...curses! Domino, you will be missed.



Above: a sweet little kitchen nook, belonging to Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace of Blonde Redhead.

Things That Will Ruin My Credit Score: United Bamboo Skull Crest Blazer

I’m not really much of a skull person (I’m a pansy and I prefer animal motifs) but this United Bamboo blazer may change that. It would totally compliment the “girl Chuck Bass” look that I’m putting togthether for Spring. Jk! (not really).



$480 at Creatures of Comfort

Book Club: Aquirax Uno- Posters 1959-1975

I found this Aquirax Uno book at the Art Book Fair last October and I’ve been obsessed with his work ever since. I don’t know much about Mr. Uno because I can’t read Japanese and all I can find is this crap Wikipedia entry:

Aquirax Uno, also known as Akira Uno (宇野 亜喜良, Uno Akira?, born March 13, 1934) is a Japanese graphic artist, illustrator and painter. His work is characterized by fantastic visuals, capricious and sensuous line flow, flamboyant (and occasionally grotesque) eroticism, and frequent use of collage and bright colors. Uno was prominently involved with the Japanese underground art of 1960es-1970es, and is particularly notable for his collaborations with Shuji Terayama and his experimental theater Tenjo Sajiki.

As you can see, he is quite preoccupied with depressed looking waifs (how contemporary!) but he does draw the occasional cat as evidenced by this sweet t-shirt in his web store. I would love to purchase said t-shirt but once again my lack of familiarity with the Japanese language has totally screwed me. Boo.

Giant Feline Alert

I recently stumbled across these crazy photos of Tippi Hendren and her family (check out preteen Melanie Griffith!) chilling poolside with a huge freaking lion. Apparently the lion belonged to my high school boyfriend’s idol Anton LaVey. Fun times!





via Now Voyager

Trashtastic

I have always loved Pamela Anderson in a deep, passionate, non-ironic way; so I am completely ecstatic that her much talked about Vivienne Westwood ads have finally hit the internet. And thank god for that, because the spring ads have been so unbelievably dull that I can't even remember what they look like (except for those Katie Holmes Miu Miu ads, which just weirded me out.) But anyway, I am glad that Vivienne Westwood has continued her collaboration with Juergen Teller. Given the current financial crisis (and the extreme sense of awkwardness that has fallen upon the fashion industry) many of these ad campaigns could benefit from a dash of cheekiness and authenticity. Maybe Chanel could get Tori Spelling next season? Or Jenny McCarthy for Prada?





via Fashionista

Make a Handbag Out of Your Cat. No, Really....

Wow, the chick in this youtube clip is totally the ultimate crazy cat lady. She actually uses discarded cat hair to you make yarn and then knits (really unfortunate looking) handbags. I love the part of the clip when one of her clients says "....this bag means the world to me because once the time comes for Charlie to be put to sleep I will always have a little piece of him." Um, thats super creepy.



via HuffPo

Gato Poder

I recently discovered Gato Poder, another super-fabulous cat-centric blog. It's mostly art oriented but there is a fair amount of wacky youtube clips and weird t-shirts and records and what have you. Here are some of my best finds:

David Shrigley!

Roger Ballen

Florence Tetier

Allison Edge (that kitten's expression is priceless)

Colette with cats

Plastic Sarah (Joanna also has this t-shirt. I am so jealous!)

Freddie Mercury with cat. Awwwww....couldn't you just die?

A Very Special Announcement from Cat Party

I have been dying to post about this for ages and now I am very pleased to announce that I have published a magazine and you should read it! Like ASAP! It's called Chelsea, which is a bit self indulgent but not entirely unreasonable given my level of involvement. I designed it, produced and styled the editorials, conducted the interviews, and I got my own freaking Starbucks everyday. And of course I roped in a bunch of genius photographers, writers, models, hair & makeup artists, and illustrators to contribute to my crazy little project. So, if you like Cat Party, pretty clothes, magazines like Sassy and Cheap Date, and James Franco's performance in Pineapple Express (ok maybe that last one wasn't so relevant) then YOU are the reader of my dreams and I really hope you pick up a copy (stockists listed below). Issue #1 features:

-Q&A's with Thakoon (who longs to build treehouses) Subversive Jewelry's Justin Giunta (who's vice is Miami Vice), Visionaire's Cecilia Dean (who has a fondness for Ukranian egg painting), Samantha Pleet, (who cut up her mom's Chanel bag and made a backpack) and Phillip Lim (who is a major fan of The Bad Girls Club)

-Photography by fellow cat lover Sarah Wilmer, lady killer Jeff Brown, and the fantastic Red de Leon

-Illustrations by sassy Show Pony proprietress Kime Buzzelli

- Sexy articles by No Good For Me's Laura Jane pertaining to the eternal style of Lizzy Mercier Descloux and Claudia Kishi.

-Hella wacky horoscopes by Cat Party's own Joanna Fields




You Know What Your Daddy Said Patty by Red de Leon

Cecilia Dean by Sarah Wilmer

lllustration by Kime Buzzelli


Claudia Kishi Fashion Week by Sarah Wilmer

Phillip Lim by Jeff Brown


Lizzy Mercier Descloux (courtesy of Ze Records)


What We Do is Secret by Sarah Wilmer

You can purchase Chelsea #1 at St. Marks Bookshop in Manhattan, Spoonbill & Sugartown in Brooklyn, and Show Pony in LA. Additional New York stockists will be announced shortly. Or you can send $10 via Paypal to chelsea@chelseamagazine.org and I will send you a copy.

And lastly, I have to use this forum to thank all of the people who contributed to this project. There are to many to name but I have to give major props to Sarah Wilmer, Amanda Brooks, Laura Jane Faulds, Red de Leon, Lexy Weinstein, Megan Hart, Joanna Fields, Cecilia Dean, my parents, Jeff Brown, Kime Buzzelli, and Pascale Gatzen, who I could have not done this project without.