useful reminders

"But genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will - a childhood now equipped for self expression, with manhood's capacities and a power of analysis which enables it to order the mass of raw material which it has involuntarily accumulated."

Charles Baudelaire

"I do not want to see how skillful you are - I am not interested in your skill. What do you get out of nature?... What is life to you? What reasons and what principles have you found? What are your deductions? What projections have you made? What excitement, what pleasure do you get out of it? Your skill is the thing of least interest to me..."

Robert Henri

The Department Store - in new zealand

excerpted from "about" on their website.

"The Department Store is a modern take on the traditional department store experience. It's the brainchild of Karen Walker, Stephen Marr and Dan Gosling of Black Box. Their vision is to create a single environment where one can experience the very best from the world of design, beauty, fashion and interiors... Since opening in October 2009, The Department Store has been recognized the world over as a leading example of smart new retail thinking... Further to those accolades was the nomination of The Department Store as the one and only location for UK High Street fashion giants TopShop to open in New Zealand..."

hmmm.. i think someone's taking themselves a little too seriously. i've always liked designers from down under for precisely the opposite qualities.

i like karen walker's funky, unusual style. it is reflected in the retro, feminie parts of the store. some parts feel more hard and masculine while others almost too trendy. overall, the style of the department store seems to lack an overall theme and coherence. maybe that's intentional, or maybe not.

like the retro mannequins and romantic colors.

twist on gerrit rietveld's red and blue chair and side table.

like the pallet inspired display bases.

down under

i've been talking about designers from down under. it really struck me now how relevant they've become. maybe they themselves have to get use to the rise to fame, as you browse through the funky brand names.. the work is solid. watch out, the rest of the world.

pistols at dawn

dr denim

stolen girlfriend's club - dude, you need to shave!

sorry, lost track of the brand..

we are handsome

ksubi. first class styling on this image.

acne

best thing i saw this morning from my hundred of emails is the acne e-shop-in-shop as curated by opening ceremony. i don't know the extent of oc's "curatorial", whether it is similar to how years ago when barney's new york would make suggestions to designers as big as prada how to edit their designs to better suit the local clientele. regardless. the result is good. this asymmetrical fur coat is my favorite. $3440.