Armory Show.

It is beyond the art, the VIP lounge, and the super-orchestrated Ecstartsy-land where the very riches and the most successful gallerists hit their highest high after coke has failed. It is beyond the people and their love and hunger for beauty, vision, intelligence, and culture and is beyond the gallery's actual success and their "worthiness" to be nominated as part of the Armory. And of course, it is beyond the artists and their needs to finance their next art and their own anxiety of what the future holds for them.

It is the ultimate war zone: the honorable cause, the blood and struggle, the media and critics. It is a cult of a greater system: the rise and fall of an era and society.
And many of us, the most cultured ones, want to be part of and are welcomed and encouraged to be in the circle. The place where we can be accepted for who we really are: the carnivores of products and outcomes of wealth and derivatives of capitalization. The sharks of our own rights: hand signals, peripheral vision, internet searching of names and backgrounds.
We truly are one of them and we just smiled admitting to that.

Far beyond, in the same horizon, there lie thousands of brilliant and colorful works awaiting to be paid, shipped, and possesed. And for mere three minutes, 150G, and extra sweet conversations and information exchanges with the dealers, art carnivonnaisseurs could own the freshest ideology that artists finished solidifing AFTER the signing of their contracts with the galleries sometimes in late 2006/ early 2007.
Now we wonder: for Salomon's or Tully's sake, where the majority of the artists being showed are standing among all this chaos (obviously, minus Warhol, Dali, et all representing the dandy and the dead, and Damien Hirst or Ono representing the superstars)? And why should art be this complicated? Why can't it just be 'me' and 'me' appreciating the artists and art that 'I' like?

Get over it, people. Economy has spoken far louder then the ideal art term. Art is not just a palette where alter-egos and the seven sins are the ingredients that make it intriguing and appealing. Art is a serious business and those who see otherwise should grow up and understand that even Rome wasn't built in one day and around twenty dollars.
So clutch that Prada, hop into your limo, and hit the pier with your own power tsunami. Alternatively, you can go to the Met and get some 2 for $10 masterpieces located on the sidewalk to the right and left of the entrance and spend your evening sipping California chardonnay while admiring yourself "Oh brilliant me spending so little money on such a beauty!" knowing several hundreds people all around the world are owning the same piece as you. The same piece that came in a crate labeled "VAN GOGH. 50,000 PAINTINGS. MADE IN CHINA".

***

Here's to THE TALENTS.
There are hundreds of artists being shown, we do feel very strongly of these names:
Jon Pylypchuk, Rodney Graham, Jason Martin, James Rielly, The Beijings (Zhang Huan, Fang Lijun, Liu Jinhua), Haunch of Venison & White Cube (London Galleries), Timothy Taylor & Almine Rech (NY Galleries).

And here are the several pieces we love:
Anselm Reyle @ Almine Rech, the Japanese anime dolls @ Lehmann Maupin, Damien Hirst @ White Cube, Marnie Weber @ Fredericks & Freiser, Jason Martin's 'Kush' @ Lisson.

COOL PRODUCT OF THE DAY

Nabaztag

In the color spirit of the love month, Chinese New Year, and the latest trend in fashion and design in general, we are finally agreeing to write this brilliant sob story that we rather bury deep down inside otherwise.

The Carmine of a Girl

Once upon a time in the highlands of Peru, lived a little girl named Felimone. She was eight. She lived with her parents and her eight siblings, all of which suffered from pneumonia; At the time, life treated her unfairly.
Despite it all, Felimone was a happy girl. She was the only one taking care of everyone in the family. She worked hard day and night, all tired her not.
Early in the morning, she would disappear into brushes of prickly pear cactus. There, she would harvest hundreds of peppercorn-size cochineals. When the sun set down, it was then time for her to go to the city to sell her harvest. Right before she gave the bag to the buyer, she would slip several cochinies into her small pocket and later would bring them home. She was very gentle not to crush them on the way or she would be one very very sad girl.

Once home, she cooked for the whole family. She helped feeding them. She also cleaned them afterwards and tucked them into their beds. And just before they went asleep, Felimone took the little cochineals out from her pocket, showed them to the girls, crushed the tiny ones in a little bowl, and smeared the carmine dye onto the girls' cheeks.
"Oh," Felimone thought, "Aren't they just beautiful with their red cheeks.."
The vision lasted forever.

Days passed, months gone by, one by one they lessened. At last, it was only Felimone, her little loyal cochineals, and the money she had saved. She bid farewell to the land and the brushes. She left her hometown, determined to make her dreams come true.

Finally, Filemone prevailed and became very successful with the help of her dear little friends. Her natural red dye would proudly be used in everything from cosmetics to textile dye. "Red is rad," people thought, "We'll paint this world red!" exclaimed the Chinese.
Filemone then lived happily ever after with her cochineals.

-The End-


Image Credit:
Gretrude Elizabeth Offord's Portrait of a Young Girl in a Red Dress 1900

COOL PRODUCT OF THE DAY

Crochete Globe

IN CASA 10 'IT's OF THIS WEEK

1. Chinese New Year
2. Art Conferences, NYC
3. Azzedine Alaïa
4. Les Misérables
5. L O V E
6. Vertical Gardens
7. Milan Fashion Week
8. 40-s°
9. Massive Golden Earrings
10. President Day Monday

Happy Chinese New Year!
(it's the bacon..)

IN CASA 10 'IT's OF LAST WEEK

1. Political Stance
2. London Fashion Week
3. Safe Darfur
4. Grammy Awards 07
5. Cambridge, MA
6. Lychee Martini
7. Wendy Williams
8. Choco Miss Milk
9. Baby Oil after Shower
10. Valentine's Day!

COOL PRODUCT OF THE DAY

Bacon Strips Bandages

It is ridiculous outside: piling snow, icy puddles, wet drips, cold souls; it is one hell of a frozen city.

Thank goodness for everything warm and delightful. Thank goodness for the indoors. Thank goodness for the familiars. Thank goodness for our "winter socks" that are guaranteed filled with everything nice, bright, and comforting:

- Stay warm: bed buddy, comfort socks, massaging hot water bottles, extra blankets, while listening to Amanda Scheer-Demme and George Augusto's new life style compilation series entitled "His & Hers"
- Resume writing your diary. It's been a while, as you know... And maybe, start calling your mum again.
And how about retesting your "IQ" score?
It could be nice finding out new facts about yourself.
- Why not munching those miraculously yummy delights prepared to warm your cold belly? Don't let frigid Ws (weather, wallet, and where-which-way) stop you from getting those little cultural munchies. Mmm... think five-for-a-dollar dumplings (Dumpling House, 118a Eldridge Street), two-buck Japanese rice balls, (Oms/B, 156 East 45th Street), homemade Spanish Harlem tamales and hot choco (Evalia, corner of 3rd Ave and 116th St.)...
- Employ someone: a personal assistant to do your errands (including picking up those munchies from different locations), a driver complete with the Lincoln to take you everywhere you like to go to (always make sure to have them send you the nice cars), nannies to guard your sanity (oh yeah!!), a maid to clean up the mess, a super-gail downloadable virtual "German Partner" to keep you company. Ohh.. Ja Ja Ja!! ....oohh..
- Go online and do something good for the community: goodwill, children with cancer, global warming, adopt-a-seal.

COOL PRODUCT OF THE WEEKEND

Bed Buddy®

Happy Valentine's Day!

xoxo kissesses,
In Casa

Dearest our little ones,

today, we are celebrating an early Valentine's Day. Little darlings, you bring so much joy and love in our lives, it is almost impossible for us not to think of what to get you on this lovely hearty day.
You know we love you. Very very much. So here are some cute presents for you:
1. Milk on the Rocks' "Tête Fleurie"
2. Mira Mikati's "Collier Poupée Jaune" (pic)
3. Juliette Lepage's "Bracelet Photo"
4. King Kong "Angel Tee" (cool product of the day)
5. Nathalie Lete's “Arc de Triomphe” Notebook

Lots and lots of Hearts,
In Casa

COOL PRODUCT OF THE DAY

Débardeur "Ange"

IN CASA 10 'IT's OF LAST WEEK

1. Super Bowl Ads 07
2. Anna Wintour
3. Josef Frank
4. Tokyo Hamburg Set
5. Thermal underwears
6. Tropical and Sunshine-y
7. Red, blue, and Lurex
8. Fashion Week: Eat or Die!
9. Factory Girl aesthetic
10. Gossipmongerists

COOL PRODUCT OF THE WEEKEND

Choco Miss

He and she sittin’
in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
First comes love,
Then comes troubles

She is crying like someone just stuck some onion-chili paste onto her crescent brown eyes.
Remembering she is, their lovely time together: their first trip to London, him cooking her breakfasts, them giggling and chatting the nights away, her waiting for him to come home...

Narrator:
"You’re broken hearted, broke as a joke, and kicking yourself for broken resolutions. Don't worry, help is on the way.
You see, you need your confidence to shine through this tough time. Don't forget, time is ticking. You are aging. You are super agitated like a worm on a hot pan. God forbid, you are also losing your faith in your body."

This is the perfect time to reinitiate a meaningful casual-encounter with yourself. Here are some bare necessities coming out straight from our 'hot' oven:
- Bad relationship equals curable cancer. Some say laughter is the best medicine, so why not laugh your pain away.
- "Let me eat your cake too!" Show Marie Antoinette how lean you are despites of all those cure-cakes. Try these firm custom French corsets fit to your precise measurements. Don't forget to push those two pears up to top sexiness.
- Present your bottom brilliant: clean, polish, smooth, buff, adorn.
- Switch the brilliantly depressing Susan Sontag with the first chapter of James Sanders' "Scenes from the City"
- Finally, ready to take off? Let Notting Hill-based photographer GVP shoots your sexy bod for yourself to admire. Hello hello... clean up those photos of you and your psycho ex and replace them with the beautiful born-again self images.

Narrator:
"Last but definitely not the least, my Dear, everybody has someone, that's for sure. Dolce has Gabanna, Thelma has Louise, Anna has Andre, you have.. well, your loyal sexy posse. Ditch the dead weight for a cool coy boytoy from Hawaii. After all, who needs a ton-weight trouble-maker dude humpin' on top of your perky little delicate titties."

COOL PRODUCT OF THE DAY

Red Hot Balloon Bag

Hurrah for rugs!

C'mon.. a scooshie layer for your cracking bare heels, a warm padding for those who cry at least half-a-day per day, a soft cushion for occasional spontanious living room love-making sessions...
We mean (seriously), who doesn't need one in her home?
So here they are, our top 5 rug picks:



1. Carpet no. III, Josef Frank via Svenskttenn
2. Persisk, IKEA, $499
3. Caravan Red, Tibet Carpet (pic)
4. Tribe, Matthew Williamson for The Rug Company
5. Fadded Glory Red, Paul Smith

Important tips:
- Pay attention to these: the overall theme of the interior, how much traffic the area gets, color (bright= larger space vs. dark= cozier room), synthetic vs. natural yarns.
- The denser the pile, the better the rug will wear.
- Always use an underlay. Not only will it absorb the impact of feet and noise, it will reduce wear and tear on the rug and make vacuuming easier.

COOL PRODUCT OF THE DAY

Josef Frank: Carpet nr. VII

IN CASA 10 'IT's OF LAST WEEK

1. MoMA Global Lens
2. Political Climate
3. Adopt a Pet
4. Fashion Weeks
5. Green Tea Parfait
6. Scandinavian Fabrics
7. Terrariums
8. KRYLON Mirror-Like Paint
9. iPhone -coming soon-
10. Beyonce's Armpits

POSH: Er, Karl... Karl, don't tell anyone, but... I'm having second thoughts.

KARL LAGERFELD: Thoughts are for the DULL, darling. BE AMAZING.

POSH: Fine, babes, but my problem is just that I don't think I should have worn this after all. I think I look a bit stupid, actually.

KARL: RIDICULOUS! You are a DIVINE dish served cold. I would eat you with caviar if I could and then polish my glove with the CRUMBS of your GLAMOUR.

POSH: See, David said this looks like a bad rug that the royal family rolled up and stuck in a closet in Windsor Castle. But my sister disagreed -- she thought this belonged in Camilla Parker-Bowles' nightie drawer.

KARL: David is a PRECOCIOUS flesh nugget INDEED. Dip him in mustard. HE IS A DELIGHT. But kill your sister.

POSH: Look, I just sort of feel like a 19th century prostitute, Karl. And I'm not sure it's the look I should be going for now.

KARL: It's like I told that delightful Lindsay Lohan -- "To look like a freak is to be ALIVE WITH FASHION, and also, WASH YOUR FACE IN CHAMPAGNE."

POSH: You're mad as pants, aren't you? You're more bonkers than a shed in a limousine.

KARL: I've grown tired of your complaining. You're just AFRAID TO BE FABULOUS. Now leave me unless your breasts make martinis.

----
Text: Heather | FUG

PARTIES PARTIES PARTIES (with or without panties):

* Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kickoff
Where: The Box, 189 Chrystie St., nr. Stanton St.
When: February 1, 9 p.m.
Who: Mena Suvari, Nick Cannon, and L.A. band Shiny Toy Guns.

* Vionnet launch
Where: Barneys New York, 660 Madison Ave., at 61st St.
When: February 2, 6 p.m.–8 p.m.
Who: Everyone. Victoria Bartlett, Gilles Bensimon, Phillip Lim, Olivia Chantecaille.

* Rock & Republic after-party
Where: Hiro Ballroom, the Maritime Hotel, 371 W. 16th St., at Ninth Ave.
When: February 2, 10 p.m.
Who: Mark Ronson, designer Mark Ball, and a gaggle of catwalkers. Lady Sovereign will perform at midnight.

* Marc Jacobs after-party
Where: Eugene 27. W. 24th. St., nr. Fifth Ave.
When: February 5, 9 p.m.
Who: The Olsens, Jessica Stam and every model worth looking at.

* Heatherette after-party
Where: Roseland Ballroom, 239 W. 52nd St., nr. Broadway
When: February 6, 10:30 p.m.
Who: Lydia Hearst, Tinsley Mortimer, Amanda Lepore, and Paris Hilton.

Reminder: Fashion Week 2007! Here's the general overview:

DATES
New York: February 2 - 9
London: February 12 - 16
Milan: February 17 - 24
Paris: February 25 - March 5
Los Angeles: TBA

GREAT COVERAGE
VOGUE

FAVE LOOKS
In Casa insider Alice Pringadi's New York Fashion Week Picks and Top Looks

WANT TO GET IN?
By invitation or be a volunteer.
How to be invited if you don't know anyone? hit fashion parties on Thursday (a day before the Fashion Week), network hard, and get invited by an insider.
How to apply as a volunteer? email Rhonda Erb at IMGNY_volunteers@imgworld.com

MISCELLANIOUS RESOURCES
- OLYMPUS/ MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK
- Cathy Horyn for The New York Times
- Craigslist, for example this
- Win NY Fashion Week Goodies
- Tyra, Giselle, Rosie, Vivica @ UNeQ Mag Launching/ Post Fashion Week 02.09
- NY Mag
- The Daily

SOME HOT SPOTS
Pre-Fashion Week: Spring St.'s Starbucks, SoHo
Fashion Week: at designated locations
Fashion Week Nights: Marquee, Bungalow 8, Rose Bar, SoHo Grand, Hudson, Maritime, Stereo, Plumm

COOLEST THING
(other than the soiree and the goodie bags)

Cotton Inc. VIP Cab Card: Cotton Cab complimentary taxis, all week in the city from the Tents.