Ars cogitandi

The most wonderful time of the year in Miami Beach is frenzy and flamboyant Art Basel Miami Beach. It’s the equivalent of a kid’s excitement while opening the gifts on Christmas day. Magic. 

The best of the best of the art world at our feet for a week. 

The glory of a hell of a lot of good looking people coming from allover Europe and the US and the world. 

Some of the highlights & my own personal wish list.

Vernissage … say what?

You hear that word in Miami just for Art Basel, so chic and aristocratic, and French and imported. It’s a word with a life span of a couple of days a year and its local definition is: that ‘by invitation only’ event attended by everyone who goes to be seen and get that flute of champagne. There are always exceptions who the majority of the cases end up visiting the VIP opening (6 hours prior).

Night Court

(photo by Alexa Karolinski)

Los Angeles- based artist Ry Rocklen promises a blend of art, music and conviviality. A pop-up art bar that will be a pod of art, a venue for music and a showroom for his furniture line “Trophy Modern”. 

Art Basel Miami Beach

250 leading galleries from allover the world and 4,000 artists. Is it there anything else to be added?

Design Miami

Have you ever imagined an entire pavilion with collectible and museum-worthy historical and contemporary furniture and objects d’art? Louis Vuitton and Cassina collaborated in the authentic to-scale reproduction of the 1934 La Maison au Bord de l’Eau by Charlotte Perriand.

PAMM

Ai WeiWei overwhelming installation of Chinese bicycles, vertical gardens, a ‘backyard’ with Adirondack chairs from which to admire the bay or ponder on the art you just admired, hop on the peoplemover from Brickell, breathtaking views from the galleries and just a serious round of last minute gifts totaling about $8 millions and 102 pieces of art from museum trustee Craig Robins

'Social Animals'

(photo - www.artbasel.com)

Iconic Collins Park is transformed into a gigantic outdoor museum. A space that everyone can access. Some 30 large scale installations and the rest is all to be discovered. What a marvelous way of exposing children to art without constricting them to walk into a museum. 

Rubell, Margulies and de la Cruz and it’s love at first sight 

This year the Rubells are sharing their Contemporary Chinese Art and the Margulies show off their de Kooning, Miro, Segal among some. You know where to meet.

Miami Design District

(photo from PAMM media release)

It wouldn’t be me without fashion. Visionaire and art collector Craig Robins is da man here. We are talking about urban design, art and fashion all in one crevice of Miami. A selection from The Warhol Museum, Berluti and Maarten Baas, Cassina and Charlotte Perriand are music for my ears. 

Wynwood Walls 

The Goldmans and their murals and graffiti, we have them all year round, but during Art Basel they have this unique flavor. Miami has never been the same since. 

Curiosity

(photo www.audemarspiguet.com)

Audemars Piguet, an associated partner of Art Basel, with Galerie Perrotin present 'Curiosity' a giant floating Swiss chalet in front of ghostly Miami Marine Museum ideated by Kolkoz. 

Black Friday flashback: that time of Isabel Marant pour H&M

I did it.

I stumbled upon the store on Lincoln Road exactly at the right time. Actually, kinda late. I had no clue the collection was debuting that morning. Early. That early that campers started lining up at 6 a.m. with a determined grin.

I had an invitation to a ‘preview’ for the previous day, but unlucky me, it was in Toronto, Canada. So, since I had no hopes of going and landing my hands on the most coveted fringed black suede boots, aka “THE” boots, I removed it from my head.

Does your mind go fast when you give it the “clear go” to thinking?

Mine does and I had no problem forgetting.

Last time I passed by the store that early in the morning, it was on my way to unpleasant knee therapy because doctor was in an awesome Art Deco building across the street.

So, what a coincidence. 

Now my colleague is at the coffee shop already waiting for me for an early meeting before a meeting. Work stuff.

Approaching the coffee shop is when I start seeing these fabulous huge cloth bags walking on Lincoln Road filled at capacity.

Emergency, this is the point of no return. There is no time to loose. 

I drag her without explanation (and God knows how painful it is to be at the coffee shop, smell all the goodies and not being able to enjoy, sorry honey) into the rabbit hole of insanity.

To her dismay, people were pulling garments, boxes, threads and hangers from each other’s hands. It wasn’t exactly the way I had planned to introduce her to my fashion world.

How can you confute ‘The Devils Wear Prada’ theory when you catapult someone into a Coliseum infested by demons trying to buy Isabel Marant pour H&M and get away with it seeming sane?

The worst is yet to come. 

I start picking something, but the frenzy is uncontrollable. So I end up with a pair of sweat pants from the kids collection ('size 12 will work for both of us' poor me tried to comfort myself for only landing on leftovers) and a pretty box that I think contains one bohemian necklace. 

Ready to leave with my two-item prey, one associate is coming back with a harmful of left out garments from the changing rooms and I eye a white t-shirt. THE white short sleeves tee, the one that Emanuelle Alt wears to PFW. 

I grab (not without asking the woman if I could, bien sur) and go to the register careless of what size that tee would even be. 

Dear Ms. Marant,

we are really, much, beaucoup, more than a lot, very happy, glad, joyeux, content, proud, heureux, pleased, crazy bananas to be wearing your collection specially created pour H&M

Yours truly

For all of you braving the masses shopping today .. 

P.S. the box contained 2 bracelets NOT the necklace I thought of buying.

An Italian take on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving it’s an all-American celebration like Christmas is for us Italians.

Families gather from all parts, eat and argument aplenty in front of a table set with vertiginous amounts of food and wines, the Macy’s parade and football (or whatever is it that they play, I admit and bow to my ignorance on this).

Yes I am American too, but Thanksgiving wasn’t a festivity I was brought up with. So I am trying to adapt to it and celebrate.

(picture credit: Claire Ptak’s pumpkin pies)

I become melancholic for not being able to fully transport like with a time machine my most beloved holiday of the year to Miami, because Christmas with the palms and 80 degrees is never the same as through the olives in Tuscany, the chimney on and my grand-father dressed up as Santa. 

Same way Christmas eve is not that piglet that Cubans cook under the ashes and eat with frijoles, but it’s fish and vegetables waiting for the midnight mass.

So, I am going to make it a point and try to delve into the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Thank you fall for being the season that carries the winter out from lethargy. 

Thank you for being so copious of a season to provide us with some of the most incredible foods the human species ever set tongue on: porcini, persimmon, pomegranate, pumpkin, white truffles, crabs and lobsters and Beaujolais Nouveau.

Thank you for bringing the temperatures down and allow us to don the silver fox collar.

Thank you for the Macy’s parade, Charlie Brown “The Great Pumpkin” and for kickstarting the Christmas decorations.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to give thanks. 

Thank you for reminding us that we are indeed lucky to have this abundance of health, family, happiness, love, pets and shoes that surround us and fill our days with joy.

Thank you for being such a ‘sweater weather’ trooper, we couldn’t handle white linens all year long.

Thank you for making Black Friday a reality, you know how frugal-ites rejoice with deals: we bloom like orchids. It’s a midnight party central over here. Let’s all meet online for a Black Friday online anticipated version of Cyber Monday. 

Elsa Schiaparelli, the come back: from 'Sleeping Beauty' to debutante

After many speculations, suppositions and assumptions, 

Marco Zanini , who, with mastered sophistication, has put Rochas back on the map of the runways of which people talk about, has been appointed creative director at Elsa Schiaparelli. 

Congratulations! Another Italian at the elm of couture wonders.

After being dormant for over half a century, if was awaken from her own Parisian ashes with 'Impossible Conversations', the exhibit of NY city’s MET Costume Institute. 

Acquired by Tod’s Monsieur and Maitre D’ Diego Della Valle, it surged to couture glory with a one-of-a-kind collaboration with Christian Lacroix  during Couture Week last July. It was a dream that only the few and elected were able to admire. The pieces will be retired in the archives, not sold nor produced for anyone. 

It was a struck of love. Heart lifting to see art in the form on fashion manifested. 

Diego Della Valle has his own dreams set and realized. Same way he dressed half Europe, from royals, to elite to all the wanna-bees in between, with his car shoe. Similarly he paired Roger Vivier with muse Ines de la Fressange and made it covetable. He’s at it now with Schiaparelli and Farida Khelfa. 

In the spirit of Elsa

The most exclusive, expensive, exquisite collection in the world, as Della Valle confesses his dream. Coming from a Shocking Life of not knowing anything about fashion, sewing, knitting but just having that individual mix of exquisite taste and artistic penchant that resulted in what is now a legacy. 

'Dresses that are truly beautiful, they are never unfashionable' is what she believed in and from a princesse dormant we can’t wait to see Schiap as a new debutante.

From the inventor of the shoulder pads, animalier and shocking pink to us, again. 

If you don't own a 'holiday lipstick', gotta make-up for it

WARNING don’t read if you are not already preparing your holiday parties outfits or Art Basel Miami Beach carnevalia. 

So yes today is a big day for me because I have been given a cool assignment, one of those blogger gigs that is actually a not-so-usual one for me about holidays outfits [more on this later] 

I digressed.

I stumbled upon a ‘holiday lipstick’ quote featuring a rosy shimmery one that opened a whole new rabbit hole. 

If you love the holiday like I do and obsess with Christmas songs in July, snowy bells, chestnut roasting, mistletoe, il Pandoro, golden sparkles and red candles you are in. 

We are all in this Holiday United Union. Here’s the checklist:

• you switch closets from summer to winter (please raise your hand if you are so brave and live in bloody humid Southern Riviera)
• you have THE one nail polish for winter and one for summer. Rouge Noir anyone? or Essie’s Wicked ,
• you know how to choose your winter whites and discern them completely from the summer whites
• you ritually watch Miracle on 34th Street on the sofa, under the blanket and a off the oven hot batch of chocolate chips cookies

(picture from Harper’s Bazaar )

News is, we gotta acknowledge the existence of such a thing as a ‘holiday lipstick’ or we are in for reprimanding and temporary suspension from the Union. And we don’t deserve repercussions for Christmas, Santa Baby. 

This is not about the ‘holiday makeup collections’, duh, who hasn’t walked at least once through a make up counter and having to avoid these insanely determined ladies like your boarding school principal? But WE don’t go to the mall.

The ‘holiday lipstick’ is a sort of state-of-mind, something that ritually accompanies any office Christmas party outfit and goes thrown in the bag that will lay squeezed under your desk and take to the bathroom to change into at 5 p.m. when festivities will ‘promptly start’ as per interoffice memo. 

FYI, here’s an opulent version of the perfect holiday party shoe: #inMiucciawetrust

And here’s the affordable version from TopShop

Back to our critter item: the ‘holiday lipstick’ is a reality. Excusez moi, there’s no mademoiselle who doesn’t have hers. It’s like your perfume that will carry over, like a basic collection, through your pores. That individual feature belonging to you like your birthmark.

In substance, I DON’T have one and realizing it stroke me like a thunder. Got to make-up for it (oh yes, pun intended …)

I have this idea of rose, little shimmer, a gold packaging, something that looks good on a vanity with white and pink peonies. I have this idea of Dita Von Teese boudoir and Blair Waldorf upper east side. 

The shade is this antique pink, powdery and luscious like this all things pink outfit that include the most coveted rose astrakan coat in the world

My search started today and will get you the results soon. 

Let’s start the talking, want to hear from you.  

PS Hallmark channel Christmas movies marathon, is anyone in?