FOUND STOLEN MUNCH!
Hoorayyy!!
I am tearing up in happiness......

COOL STORE: MR. PINK

Mr. PINK
Location: 223 W. 16th St., NYC 10011
Tel: 646.486.4147
Website: http://www.mrpinkinc.com

Think Mr. Pink of the Reservoir Dogs, NOT. (yet). The name 'Mr. Pink' derives from the period where most of the items in this store came from, the 50's (where everything was pretty much in pink and turquoise).

I felt cutely tiny amongst the thousands of amazing vintage glasses, just like Alice Through the Looking Glass. Everything was so adorable, everything was so eye-candy-ish, everything was so beautiful, and even better, they were very functional (yup.. sweet casserole for your tummy, bubbly Scandinavian glass for your thirst, Amberina and Blenko vase for your beautiful flowers).

Besides their vintage glasses, Mr. Pink also sells glass-made Christmas decorations, seasonal-pattern glasses (think Coca Cola, hula girl), and cool decor lamps.

If the combo of persuasion and pictures (and maybe you googling this store) is not enough, then let me tell you something fantastic about the owners: they are funny, flamboyant, and fun. No wonder even Martha Stewart invited Mr. Pink to her show, displaying many of his fabulous collections on-air.
And when you finally decided to go to Mr. Pink: have fun and don't forget to ask the owner what happened when the "real" Mr. Pink from the Reservoir Dogs came to his store with his missus... It is a guaranteed funny reflection.

FRANCARTISTES

* Géraldine GONZALEZ

Géraldine's works have been evolving around wire, one (mostly bland)-colored papier-mâché, pearl, crushed glass, and such mundane materials. The "plain" appearance of the final products, though, was seen as excellent artistic creation that whispers solemn beauty that allows them to collaborate and contrast wonderfully with high-end commercial products in retail display windows (Printemps, Hermès).
Her works evolve around light and transparency; they express subtle, almost brittle enchanting poet, where photofleurs become mysterious forest, candle ends become garden produce... all in single hue.
Plain romance.
www.geraldinegonzalez.com

* Sandra D. LECOQ

Lecoq and fabric; who would ever imagine that the fabric is her painting.
While Lecoq's works might be mistaken as product design of sort, these femme-vocaled functional-appeared pieces scream adamant yet indigenous art.
From http://www.lolagassin.com/
lecocq.htm:
"Her thumb and index firmly holding a needle, unravel seams, trace long and sinuous lines, define a posture, a figure difficult to grasp. Bitter-sweet, allusive and authoritarian, most likely feminine...
Fabrics, colors and lines combine into a pattern, a motif... collected fragments are patiently interwoven, knotted and braided. Dissimulated in the folds are bits and pieces from the whole world, yielding only a sigh from the tight knots."

FASHION DAY: APOLLO BRAUN

Hai again! After the super controversial house-tour write-up for the AT (actually, I love both reactions, wonderful and emm.. not so nice, and considered the posting pretty successful), I am resuming to my daily duty as a writer for my own clan.
Today, as always, is a fashion day!

I was in LES the other day and found this wonderful little fashion boutique. At first, I was warmly greeted by this flamboyant tall man who apparently was the owner of the store. Later I found out, this store is much more than your ordinary start-up humble store; it is a store often frequented by celebs from Bjork to Britney to Nicole Kidman. This store also caters to MTV's "Yo Momma", dressing everybody participating in the show from head to toe.

APOLLO BRAUN
I love Apollo. He is not an ordinary person who owns a business; HE IS the business of this successful fashion establishment, and without Apollo, we would never see such unique store anywhere in NYC. Honestly, I am not crazy about the fashion style that this store represents (think Madonna, the '80-s, oversized pins, one-of-the-kind over-the-top pieces, Jackson Pollock), but regardless LOVE (I mean.. LOVE) the (BIG) personality that the store has.
I love the way Apollo sells his stuff.
I love the fact that he generously introduced me to Rima whose Apollo mentioned as "the rising star of the movie industry" (this beautiful Rima is auditioning for the new Wes Anderson movie.. "Good luck, Rima!"), the fact he proposed himself to be my stylist (I would love having you as my stylist, Apollo)..
Other than fashion, Apollo also hits the recording studio (he's a self-proclaimed 'Male Madonna') and sells his tracks online.

Apollo Braun Boutique is definitely an interesting spot where great personality meets super-opiniated fashion articles: funky, fun, and very unique.
It's a store to die for!

Contras:
- Thong for $89/piece
- Clothing no less than $300/item
- Some articles are broken and still sold at full price. Errg.. not to mention a brownish-stain stripe in one of the pants we bought.

193 Orchard Street (Corner of Houston)
Open 7 days a week, 12 noon- 10 night
http://www.apollobraun.com/

HUDSON TOUR DE FORCE

Link to Apartment Therapy posting today (click the title).

SLIDE SHOW

VIEW ALL AT ONCE

Aug 25th 2006:
Maybe it is not appropriate for me to post people's emails on the blog, but these are just way-too-cool to pass:
- Direct email from the amazingly talented international artist, Oliver Lutz (the family owns one of Lutz' tree paintings):
"your posting is beaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutiful! very nice job, indeed."
- Email from artist Dan Levenson to Max and Allyson (they also own one of Levenson's paintings shown in the slideshow):
"First my friend Jeff calls me and says he was looking at apartment therapy and there's the nicest home he's ever seen, in his words, and there's a painting in one shot that looks like it might be by me.

THEN my coworker Liza calls me over to her computer to show me this apartment that she and her architect husband were admiring last night. It's her dream place. When she found out I knew you two she was so excited she had to call her husband at work. She says it's cooler than knowing Ben Affleck.

Both events were within an hour of one another."

Again, many many thanks to Max and Allyson for being so gracious introducing one of the most magical houses in America.

FUN DESIGN: VINCON REMOVABLE PANEL

"This decorative removable panel is a flexible, printed sheet that sticks on like a magnet. It adapts to all shapes of eletrical appliances. Each original panel has a graphic design, photography, illustration or other technical art that has been developed by high quality digital printing. It is made from flexible plastic and it's easy to cut with scissors. Its magnetic property makes it stick on metallic surfaces, even around curves."
It's easy to apply; just roll out the sheet, detach the magnetic layer from its backing, fit directly to the machine. Voila! A fresh happy appliances for a fun happy you!

INT'L DESIGN: MOOOI

I love Moooi. This Dutch furniture distributor represents many fab and progressive European artists-designers like Marcel Wanders (Congrats for being appointed the Designer of the Year 2005-2006 by Elle Decoration International) and Jasper Morrison. I can always find several nice designs to play favorite with whenever I visit their website: www.moooi.nl

So here are my Moooi picks for today:

- Splinter by Marcel Wanders. These unique vases take the broken glass aesthetic further by connoting wet melting shards of ice blocks. Made of crystal glass, comes in transparent and black, approximately 15x15x15 cm - around $1150

- Studio Job's paper furniture and floor-lamp. While these pieces appear to be inspired by a classical style, the simplification of form and surface clearly approaches an anonymity that invokes a sense of timelessness. The progressive use of less-permanent materials (papier-mâché) further challenges our senses to locate the origin of these objects.

- Front's Animal Horse (also Pig and Hare). Direct quote from www.moooi.nl "Who wouldn't want a horse to lighten up your home...? Furniture to fall in love with at first sight or hate forever." Wording aside, we understand the intended point: who wouldn't put an animal to work when he/ she can..
It is a piece of furniture you will either love or hate.

WEEKEND VENUE-NYC

Check Aug 17th post for additional shopping fun from Prada-Hermes-Barneys, and so on. Here're the new ones:
- Domino To Go Events: http://www.dominotogo.com/0609/hostings.cfm
- Zarin Fabric Warehouse home Furnishing Sale (up to 70% off): Aug 28-Sept 10 (Sun-Fri 9-6, Sat 10-6) 314 Grand St (b/w Allen & Orchard) www.zarinfabrics.com
- Anbar Shoes (40-50% off): Aug 21-26 (M-F 9-6.20, Sat 11-5.45, Closed Sun) 60 Reade St (b/w Broadway & Church)
- Shoe-Inn 10th Annual Sale (all designer shoes are $20-125) Aug 17-27 (Mon-Sun 9-5.45) American Legion Hall Route 27, Amagansett, NY (877) SHOE INN
- YOOX.COM sample sale (exclusive preview before opens to public tomorrow): http://www.yoox.com/areas/samplesale/index.asp/areaid/20006/tskay
/3FD17CD7/ipp/16/tp/9995
- Fresh.com sale (thru Fri 5pm)
- Chroniclebooks.com (up to 30% off, thru Sun)

FUN BOOK & VIEW

The hardcover volume will be released in Europe in October, USA and Canada in November.
Published by Die Gestalten Verlag, retail price €44.00 / $60.00 / £32.50.






Fun View from Chinatown: real turtles, fake palm tree, and swimming plastic frogs

FASHION DAY!

OMG we missed so many days..
We had spent weeks looking for working spaces, and it's just so hard for us to write consistently.
It'll be better next month, we promise.

FASHION DAY!


*LILITH
227 Mulberry St., New York, NY 10012
near Spring St.
212-925-0080
: Deconstruct Parisian Avant Garde fashion profile. Amazing fabric, Fall's must have. For those who are straighter than Comme des Garconians but more striking and fun than Tara Jarmon and all...
: They carry Trippen. There must be extra stars for that reason alone.

*COMME des GARCON
520 W. 22nd St., New York, NY 10011
between Tenth and Eleventh Aves.
212-604-9200
: More new designs coming by the end of this month (oh.... love love those next season's floral wraps). We'll inform you when they arrive.. we are waiting for a store call for the latest TAO batch (aren't you digging rococo all of the sudden??).
: Also visit for Guerrilla Store calendar world-wide http://www.guerrilla-store.com/flash.php

*ALICE RITTER
aliceritter.com
: Hot new designer who introduces sculpture couture into everyday fashion.

WEEKEND VENUE-NYC

This is your game, New York Ladies! Seriously, this must be your best period of the year (no.. not that period, period as in time I meant).
So here it is, the list of all the fun around the City (so don't forget your Centurion or other means of payment):

- Prada Sample Sale (25% off): Aug 22-25. Go to www.pradasamplesale.com for appointment and info.
- Hermès Ready-to-Wear and Accessories for Men and Women: Aug 23-26 (Wed 2-6; Thurs 10-8; Fri 10-6; Sat 10-4). Metropolitan Pavilion 125 w. 18th (b/w 6th & 7th) 4th floor
- ABC Carpet & Home Outlet Sale (up to 75% off): Aug 17-27 (Mon-Sat 10-7; Sun 11-6) 1055 Bronx River Ave near Watson Ave, Bronx
- Vivienne Tam (up to 60%): Thru Aug 31 (Mon-Thur 12-7; Fri 11.30-7; Sat 11.30-7.30; Sun 12-6) 99 Greene St (b/w Prince & Spring St)
- Intermix Warehouse Sale (from Stella to Chloé): Aug 24-26 (Thur-Sat 9-8) Metropolitan Pavillion 125 w.18th
- Barneys Warehouse Sale (up to 75%): Aug 17-Sept 4 (Mon-Fri 10-9 Sat-Sun 10-7) 255 w.17th (b/w 7th & 8th)
- Aero Summer Sale (50-75% off): starts Fri 11-6 thru Sept 2. 419 Broome (b/w Crosby & Lafayette st)

For different kind of fun, we also list something else to do beside shopping:
- You=Jackson Pollock=color-splat painter (or printer): create your own Pollock masterpiece online. What's better than having it ready in couple clicks minus drying time? www.jacksonpollock.org
- Try the Cloud9 living: get your own guitar lesson, or skydiving with friends and strangers. Fun alternatives to (sometimes)boring life www.cloud9living.com
- See Billy the Mountain and Other American Card Trick: FUNNY Frank Zappa's inspired rock opera about the romance of war propaganda. Sat at noon, Aug 22,24,25 at various times. Harry de Jur Playhouse, Abrons Art Center 466 Grand St (at Pitt St) visit stridinglion.org
- March of the Pinguins sunset screening. Fri 6.30. La Casida Community Gardens 223 E. 119th (at 3rd ave) visit nyrp.org/events.htm
- Veselka's in the park famous Ukranian sandwich treats. Mon-Fri 7.30am-7pm; Sat-Sun 7.30am-9pm. First Park, First Ave (b/w 1st & Houston)

ETERNAL WORK OF MICHEL GONDRY

Movie has never been my thing, but Gondry's Eternal Sunshine totally blew my mind: I was an instant worshipper of both the movie and the director.
I bet you will never guess how excited and blown-away I was when Gondry (along with his assistant and a cute un-recognized babe) popped into an MIT film class I 'happened' to sit-in for the day, OR when he took two polaroid pics of me, sat next to me for the entire duration he was there, and doodled some spotty Eternal Sunshiney image on the back of a plastic spoon signed "To Alice Michel" (I gave him its fork companion, as guessed).

My heart screamed and trapezed back-and-forth in ultimate happiness: I was in Infinite Heavenland...

Today's movie pick:
- The Science of Sleep (2006) - Brilliant, Amazing, 2 Thumbs UP!-
- The Work of Director Michel Gondry (2003)
- Of course, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (also visit www.lacunainc.com to get your bad memory erased if needed)

IN CASA KIDS: favorites of the week

What a week! It's been a roller-coaster ride (I'll elaborate soon, of course). Anyway, here is my favorite son-father pic that I took a week ago at the Mulberry St. playground. Enjoy!


As far as items, I love these little homemade dolls: hand-crocheted little Peruvian finger puppets. You can get some of these cute dollies at street vendors across NYC.

MONDAY ART: THE MET

Let's go to the Met.
Beyond a solid permanent collection, they show equally powerful revolving exhibitions as evidenced by the current lineup that includes Cai Guo-Qiang on the Roof: Transparent Monument, Anglo Mania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion, Girodet: Romantic Rebel.

Museum suggestions:
- "Cai Guo-Qiang's exhibition". The three pieces that make up this roof garden show are much more than mere art objects occupying open space. "Transparent Monument" is a reflection of power and ideologies in much deeper political terms, "Nothing here, keep moving along" represents international paranoia and fear. The third piece, "Clear Sky Black Cloud," is a daily noon-piece (weather permitting) involving heavy smoke, a semi-loud explosion, a vertical black cloud, and a video document that ties together all his pieces.
- "Klimt and Schiele": fine and bold, round and sharp faces, beauty and sexuality. In this show, we are presented with each artist's own version of "A Reclining Nude", "Two Women Embracing", among other copies that Schiele did out of his adoration of Klimt. We wonder what Klimt really thought and felt about Schiele.
- "Tribute to Susan Sontag". This by far is our favorite exhibition of the week. A well-currated exhibition, depicting a super sharp photographic narration with Sontag's views offered through excerpts of analytical photo critiques and essays (Introduction to Belloca, Regarding the Pain of Others). Sensible even to those who have not read her essays. This show challenges viewer's perception and interpretation of the photographic image. Was the Spanish soldier really taking a bullet when the picture was taken or was it a training exercise? Is it a ploy or truth?
Next to each photograph or group of photographs in the exhibition, we are offered a relevant passage from Sontag's writings on the photographic image; for example the one on Robert Mapplethorpe: "... he (Mapplethorpe) wants to photograph everything that can be made to pose... What he looks for, which could be called form, is the quiddity or isness of something. Not the truth about something, but the strongest version of it."
- Modern Art. Adore these modern pieces in the Met: Donald Judd, Cy Twombly, and more.

Also on the Met this week (ONLY till this Friday): Secret Inventory Sale in the back room. Just pass the left entrance (ask the guards for the Secret Sale, not the regular sale on the Met bookstore). 50% off art books and merchandise. New items every day. Attack!!

NYC EXHIBTION

Completely on a different viewing level: experience NY topo-scape exhibition from the 102nd floor above ground! After Perry St. last Friday, we were wondering where to go when we got this random fantastic idea of waiting in the very long and antagonistic queue of hundreds of tourists, buying these pretty expensive tickets ($16 for observatory deck + $14 for 102 floor + rip-off charge of Tony the Cabby audio tour-guide for another $6, which we later got refunded for obvious reasons: we are from New York), waiting more in lines, taking two pretty slow elevators, and finally experiencing NYC from the top of the magnificent Empire State Building.
May we suggest you to take short cuts when possible: splitting with your friends is the thing to do to expedite the waiting process (one person stays in the ticket line while the other jumps ahead to the elevator line), and unless you want to have a cheesy blue-screen photo taken or you paid for an audio tour, when you exit the first elevator skip the first line going towards the weird looking baby-blue room and cut the second line straight for the next elevator. Last advice, buy the extra $14 ticket to the 102nd floor if you enjoy privacy (most people just go to the 86th floor).
Enjoy and take many lovely pictures from up there!

HELLO SATURDAY

We had so much fun yesterday. K48, Scott Hug, the artists.. they all rock! The after-hangout was totally fun, although the entire time I was there, I felt like a freak (for wearing my cute dress) in a freakshow box (well.. it was an S&M gay leather bar where leather was a staple, and being naked was where everybody would turn to by the end of the happy hour.)

CONGRATULATIONS K48.. let's hope either Agnes B or another cool fashion designer buys the entire Hug curation again!

Pics are from Thursday night: the making and curating of K48's "Let's Go Camping"
http://www.johnconnellypresents.com/current.htm

AROUND THE KITCHEN

Top: Heart Copper Molds, Pig & Cow Copper Baking Molds, all from Birth Gramm. $19.95-$39.95
Below: Candle Warming Trivet and Trivet. Table food warmer made of iron, all from Le Creuset® $40-$45
Available at Sur La Table


Pick a casserole according to your budget!
from left-right:
Le Creuset $150, IKEA SENIOR $49.99, CuisineArt $29.99 at amazon.com or $19.99 at the Closeout Lot (Broadway & Duane in Downtown Manhattan)

EPICURIOUS: HONMURA AN

Exquisite, elegant, tastefully outstanding. An excellent choice for an authentic soba experience, where only the best, freshest ingredients are served to the epicurious audience with high expectations and discriminating palettes. Some might say the soba is not so soba for not looking like the typical (and ordinary) long-strains of soba noodle, but mind you, only the intricate soba-making technique of Honmura An allows the soba to resemble soba despite the only base ingredients used in their homemade soba are only water and flour (no eggs).
Experiencing Honmura An goes beyond the menu dishes; it is also about the slow-tasting mannerism through which the tastes penetrate into and linger through your senses.

Suggestions:
- Special (melt-in-your-tonge) natsu-ginger, tori-dango, okame tapas
- Of course, soba
- Princess of SoHo cocktail (ohhhh..)

170 Mercer St. SoHo.
Price: $$$ (pricey, but worth it)

INT'L DESIGN: LUCIE RIE

Lucie Rie (1902-1995) introduced the concept 'critical ceramic' and transcended beauty to a piece of visual elegance and functional art, from pottery to button-making. Having worked for BIMINI and ORPLID, as well as contemporary designer Issey Miyake, Rie's individual pieces are undeniably industrial haute design in both poetic art and fashion.
Over an extended period of time, her two hands and an apprentice (who later became her collaborator) Hans Coper, produced an amazing body of work, of which most pieces are currently owned by world-class museums and in constant exhibition.
Lucie Rie's functional ceramics are perfect in both surface and pitch, delivering a full package of product and sensual delight.

Some of her ceramic works can be acquired through Galerie Besson www.galeriebesson.co.uk
Some of Lucie Rie/Orplid buttons can be found through Tender Buttons, 143 E.62 between Lex and 3rd

image credit: Galerie Besson

WEEKEND VENUE -NYC

- Buy ticket for tomorrow (Friday)'s performances of the Hot Chip and Oppenheimer. South St. Seaport Pier 17, 7 pm. www.seaportmusicfestival.com
Wrap your night by visiting the Beer Garden nearby. Fulton Fish Market, under the Brooklyn Bridge, daily noon-2 am. www.spiegelworld.com
- Jazz Age on Governors Island. Governors Island, Colonels' Row, Saturday, noon4 pm. www.govisland.com
- K48 Art Opening at the John Connelly Gallery in Chelsea. Friday evening.

SAMPLE, SUMMER SALES:
- Summer Sale (Fred Perry, Stella McCartney, Evisu). 33 Howard St. between Broadway & Crosby, 3rd fl., Thursday - Saturday 11 am-8 pm. Today's collections include: Stella's shoes, Nicole Farhi's select men's collection, Vivienne Westwood's dress-shirts. More sporty, younger stuff coming in tomorrow.
- Rodebjer Sample Sales. W29 Showroom, 208 W.29th., between 7th & 8th., ste. 201
- Rothman's Sale. 200 Park Ave, at 17th. Aug 1-10, M-Sat 10am-7pm Sun 12pm-6pm. 40% off for Ted Baker, Burberry, more. For all our male readers only.
- Issey Miyake. 128 Wooster St. at Prince. 50% off Spring and Summer merchandise.
- www.stylebug.com, up to 80% off designer goodies. Receive an additional 30% at checkout: enter TB06
- Chuckies NY shoe sale! Brands include: D&G, Lanvin, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo, all 50-70% off. Until Aug 6. 1073 3rd Ave (b/w 63rd-64th) and 1169 Madison (b/w 85th-86th)

Oh oh.... we are not forgetting you, our friends in Boston. They might not be as fascinating as the ones in NYC, but here are several suggestions:
- 25-75% OFF Alpha Omega watches. Please visit alphaomegajewelers.com for details.
- And before we forget, there's an all-you-can-eat Crayfish Party at IKEA Stoughton for $9.99 per person (or $4.99 for children under 12 and free for under 5). Tue and Thur August 8 & 10 from 8-11 pm.



ps: It is HOT out there. Drink lots of water, walk in shade, and don't forget to entertain yourself to stay sane (hint: try to catch weird stuff around, take pics, and share 'em with others). Enjoy!

COOL SHOPS & ILLUSTRATIONS

IN CASA BOOK OF THE WEEK:
- Any teNeues' guide books, especially the 'Cool Shop ...'
- Kate T. Williamson's "A Year in Japan" $19.95. The charm of this book lies on her beautiful, clean illustrations. It is a beautiful book that narrates her one-year-stay in Japan.

IN CASA KIDS: TRIPPIN' TRIPPEN SHOES

We just miss you so much, kiddos. Therefore we must deliver these awesome hot kiddie shoes to your screen, ASAP! Trippen is the hot shoe brand aus Berlin that is still very under the radar in the US. Duo Michael Oehlen and Angela Spieth created Trippen and ever since have upgraded shoe-design concept to the next level. They would easily be putting those Crocks and Robbiezes back to their warehouses.

note: Hello parents, watch those cool adult Trippen shoes! Crave. Choose one. Shop. Wear. Buy 10 more pairs. Aren't they amazing? NYC's Lilith and Penvern carry select Trippen shoes.
ps: For those of you in Berlin, visit Trippen's outlet store beyond visiting their 3 major shop locations. Everything is 10-75% off. Don't get lost... it is in the middle of industrial area where every building looks alike. U6 Zinnowitzerstr (psst.. ask around for an exact location..)
www.trippen.com

CITY SEARCH!

Hello! We are going to be away today finding new material around the City.
For a quick kiddie suggestion, we love:
- Wood and Taylor's frame wallpaper $30/roll, available at Graham & Brown www.grahambrown.com
- Donatello the Deer by Chikagraphy $84, available at GreenerGrassDesign www.greenergrassdesign.com