Izzy loves...

WANT WANT WANT.

2012-02-01T13:15:00.001Z

I cannot put into words how much I want (and NEED) this Harland Miller print in my life.

Available to purchase directly from White Cube.

Favourite Five

2012-02-01T13:06:00.002Z

Because I have been so tardy at blogging, I have a TON of things I want to post and write about...so this is just a quick catch-up for things I've loved of late!

1. The Fairdale Dograck: it's WAY too amusing to be true, but every time someone asks me if I've been on a Boris bike and I point to my dachshund as my get-out clause, I think of these. Check out more pics here.

2. Richard Mosse's 'The Fall' photo series, which documents plane crashes in remote areas of the world, where they often go forgotten, remaining as relics of disaster. Check out the works on his website here.

3. 125 Stadiums by Jenny Odell: just in time for Super Bowl Sunday. Buy this print here.

4. The Igloo Village in Kakslauttanen, Finland. Modern Met call it the Rolls Royce of ice hotels, and I'm inclined to agree. With clear views of the Northern lights (thanks to new anti-fog technology), the resort not only has a gallery (yay for me) and a chapel for anyone wishing to tie the knot. Click here to check it out - it's seriously one for the bucket list.

5. Reusable bags by Maude & Tilda: with just the best sayings I've ever seen...buy them here.

The Ultimate Cure for Winter Blues

2012-01-31T15:11:00.000Z

Moodiness? Flaccid skin? Looking dull? Tendency to depression? TICK TICK TICK! With the UK braced for some of its coldest weather this week, this awesome project, a range of Kelvin Lumen supplements, are guaranteed to restore the vitality back to your day. Held as part of the Festival of Lights in Lyon in December 2011, this exhibition, entitled MINIFLUX, was the work of Roger Tator who brought light to a host of very small every-day objects. Even better, the finished product was displayed in a real chemist. Read all about it here.

Contraband by Taryn Simon

2012-01-31T12:45:00.004Z

Nesting dolls, Simpsons, Counterfeit - Nesting Dolls

Watches, Patek Philippe, China, Counterfeit

Oxalis Tuberosa, Peru, Prohibited - OCA

GBL, Poland, Prohibited - GBL, Component of Date Rape Drug (Illegal)

Guinea Pigs, Ecaudaor, Prohibited - Guinea Pigs

Peppers and capsicum, Ghana, Prohibited - Peppers

Plastic pitcher of salami, Eastern Europe, Prohibited - Sausages

Sexual Enhancement Drugs, China, Prohibited - Sexual Stimulants

Regular readers will know I'm a big fan of a good photo-documentary projects so it was love at first sight when I came across the work of artist Taryn Simon. Shot over four days in 2009, Simon remained on site at JFK and continuously photographed items detained or seized from passengers and express mail entering the US from abroad. The result was 1,075 photographs which show an amazing array of contraband items ranging from the run of the mill (cigarettes, fake LV bags, counterfeit perfume) to the amazing and bizarre (cow dung toothpaste, guinea pigs). Check out more images from the project on his website here. I'd really like one of the Complete Categories works for my wall.

The Most Beautiful Way to Spend 5 Minutes

2012-01-30T13:19:00.000Z

So one day, Kien Lam decided to quit his job in finance and make a bucket list of places he wanted to go. He chose 17 countries around the world, and over the next 343 days he travelled non-stop, taking thousands of photographs along the way and staying mostly in hostels. He took 19 planes, 18 boats, 58 buses and 8 trains. When he got back, he compiled 6,237 of them to make this absolutely incredible video, which can only be described as the best way to spend 5 minutes today. Even more amazing, is that he did it on a Panasonic Lumix camera that costs only around £400. Click here to read all about his journey - don't miss the FAQ page to learn more about this project.

Brittany Powell: The Sandwich Artist

2012-01-30T12:54:00.001Z

Mondrian Sandwich

Rothko Sandwich

Pollock Sandwich

Christo Sandwich

By FAR, one of my favourite things to come across on the interwebs this side of 2012 - Brittany Powell's brilliant website called Low-Commitment Projects. As if the name wasn't awesome enough, imagine my pure and unadulterated art historical JOY at this series called 'Sandwich Artist' in which Powell recreates some of the world's most famous works and artists in lunch-time form including Klimt, Christo, Rothko, Pollock et al. Needless to say, I LOVE. Check out the full selection here.

Diet Biscuits

2012-01-30T10:46:00.003Z

I know, I know...I haven't posted anything for WAY too long. It sounds like a lame excuse but I have just been crazy busy with work and then I got so overwhelmed because THERE IS SO MUCH I want and need to blog....so expect lots and often! First up - these AMAZING Diet Biscuits by Fonderia - seriously what January is all about. I really need these in my life at tea time asap.

The Ultimate Winter Boot: Mukluks

2011-12-19T16:39:00.000Z

Truth be told, I've never been a massive fan of UGG boots. They don't really come up high enough in the leg for me and the whole UGG boots/denim miniskirt phase a few years ago was enough to put me off them for life. However, this winter I've discovered the holy grail of comfortable winter boots that I can still wear around London without looking too 'country' (note: Hunter wellies fall into this category): Mukluks! The original Mukluk boots, instantly recognisable by their pompoms have been around since 2003 and have become a cult favourite of Kate Moss (above), Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce et al. However, more recently, the brand have really updated their range to include shorter options, wedges, wraps styles (my favourite), a fur free collection, that looks JUST like the real thing and also these incredible Luxe styles:

They have even introduced a baby & children range - I can't think of anything I'd like more if I was a kid. The winter palette has also been updated, to include chocolate and grey, amongst others. Worn by Canadian Aboriginals for hundreds of years, I love that the brand is also run by a native Canadian; they are incredibly cozy and warm and a great way to update your winter wardrobe. I'm also a HUGE fan of their rubber sole, having literally almost died last winter thanks to a pair of Love from Australia boots I had that basically saw me ice-skate everywhere due their rubbish soles. I've opted for the Black Wraps... I never thought I'd actually look forward to the weather getting colder... Gstaad here I come.

Check out the whole range here. PLUS there's an amazing 25% off if you order before the 23rd December - just enter the code HAPPYHOLIDAYS_VIP.

England has history...

2011-11-05T11:58:00.000Z

I totally missed these ads the first time around, but having just found it on this beer website, I couldn't resist a re-post! Marston's Pedigree beer won multiple awards for this 2009 campaign, which was run during the Ashes and 'lovingly recreated British pub iconography to ridicule Australians". Needless to say, I love.

2011-10-24T17:42:00.001+01:00

Forget about a notebook, I could write a whole book.

2011-10-08T12:20:00.002+01:00

Getting ready for Frieze...

2011-10-07T13:14:00.003+01:00

Frieze week kicked off last night at Phillips de Pury...although my real highlight was discovering the American Bar at the Stafford Hotel in downtown Mayfair...it's going to be my new home from home thanks to some amazing club sandwiches and outside seating. I still managed to squeeze in dinner at Scalini after the party though - awkward. Sorry for the awful picture quality - left my Leica at home! See you all next week at Frieze, armed with my emergency teddy bear.

(Barnaby Furnas at PdP (big fan), ubiquitous Tim Noble & Sue Webster photo op, Jeff Koons inflatable (yours for £2million), club sandwiches at the Stafford, The Bear Lady, the ceiling of the American bar, more Furnas, the bar and pigeon installation by Maurizo Cattelan - awesome)

2011-10-07T13:03:00.001+01:00

2011-10-07T10:01:00.001+01:00

It's worrying, isn't it.

Sotheby's Beyond Limits Sculpture Exhibition at Chatsworth House

2011-10-06T13:26:00.001+01:00

I am a HUGE fan of Sotheby's annual Beyond Limits exhibition that takes place at Chatsworth House and this year is no different. First up, there's this incredible Damien Hirst installation, entitled Legend and Myth, which features a winged horse and unicorn, with both exposing their anatomies on one side. This year's other contributors including Marc Quinn, Jaume Plensa, Barry Flanagan, Yayoi Kusama, Magritte plus many more. Each of the works is always beautifully curated to set-off the incredible vistas and landscape which the gardens at Chatsworth afford. After all, the Duke does sit on the Sotheby's board. Check out the full catalogue here; the exhibition runs until the 30th October.

Tiny Confessions by Christopher Rozzi

2011-10-06T12:55:00.000+01:00

SO sweet. Besotted by these prints on Etsy by Christopher Rozzi showing your pet's innermost thoughts in his series 'Tiny Confessions'. Check them all out here.

2011-10-06T12:26:00.000+01:00

Art of the Day: Beverly Fishman at the Toledo Museum of Art

2011-09-21T15:55:00.001+01:00

This floor installation, entitled Pill Spill, is on view through September in the cavities of the Toledo Museum of Art's Glass Pavilion and features more than 120 unique glass capsules. By placing the work in this unique enclosed space, Fishman turns the building into a body, transforming the space into an architectural circulatory system. Her often-abstract work often investigates our relationship with medicine through a wide range of media, and which, it must be said, has a VERY Damien Hirst feel to it. This is especially true in the context of works such as Lullaby Spring below, filled with 6,136 pills, which famously sold for $ 19.2 million in June 2007 to the Emir of Qatar, thereby creating a world auction record for the most expensive work of art by a living artist.

Anti-Camera Phone Advertising from Olympus

2011-09-21T14:49:00.001+01:00

Have to say, I'm a BIG fan of Olympus' latest advertising campaign Down Under, which features the above slogans and advises the reader to go to getarealcamera.com, which immediately redirects you to their online store. I'm a big fan of cameras, and while I love the ease of camera phones, they have yet to provide me with images of a high enough quality that I can frame and look at for years to come, even though I do love a good Hipstamatic profile picture. While I'm on the subject of awesome advertising from abroad, I also LOVE this concept by DDB for Coca-Cola in Stockholm:

If their work feels familiar, it's because they also did the amazing McDonald's crossing in Zurich I blogged about earlier this year here.

Art Is Way Better With Cats

2011-09-21T13:30:00.000+01:00

They do have a point... check out these amazing feline mash-ups of some of the world's most famous paintings...from the book I'll be getting everyone for Christmas... 'Cats of the Masters'

London Design Week 2011: The REDDRESS Project

2011-09-20T14:18:00.001+01:00

Following LFW and just before Frieze explodes all over my life, comes London Design Week, which features some incredible events and installations popping up all over the capital. My favourite has to be the REDDRESS project above, produced by the Finnish Institute in London and design by Aamu Song. There is a definite Anish Kapoor element to this incredible installation, which can be viewed at the legendary former boxing venue of York Hall in Bethnal Green. The work is part of the permanent collection of the Design Museum in Helsinki and is part of a performance piece whereby a singer climbs inside the dress, up 1.5 metre concealed staircase and sing to the audience, who will be comfortably installed in the dress's vibrant folds. I also think it's rather beautiful just to look at! More design news to follow...

Ah, autumn, I love you so.

2011-09-20T11:52:00.002+01:00

Celebrity Dachshund Owners

2011-09-20T11:21:00.000+01:00

Had to be done! Leighton and Ashley avec chien. Merlin totally approves.

Adele is still my personal fave though...

New Public Sculpture: NYC and Sweden

2011-09-20T11:02:00.000+01:00

And I'm BACK! Sorry for the massive radio silence - being at work after five weeks off was a massive shock to the system and I have been non-stop since! I've had an amazing couple of weeks with Fashion Night Out, nights at the Box, engagement lunches at the Ivy all the while getting ready for our museum show (more on that soon I promise!). Without further ado, here is my latest favourite piece of New York public art, thanks to Marlborough Gallery who have installed this awesome upside down elephant by sculptor Miquel Barcelo on a traffic island. On view until May 2012, the work weight a staggering 5000 kilos and can be found in Union Square. It is part of the city's Art In Parks initiative which has seen an incredible amount of contemporary sculpture pop up around town - including works by Sol LeWitt and my favourite - The Andy Moment by Rob Pruitt. This figurative sculpture stands opposite Warhol's old Factory and Pruitt was inspired by those, like Warhol, who have, like the famous Sinatra song, come to New York and made it. Read his artist's statement here. Featuring his trusty Polaroid camera slung around his neck, this chrome sculpture of one of New York's favourite residents is on view until 2nd October.

At the same time, auction house Christie's have been exhibition Urs Fischer's monumental sculpture Untitled (Lamp/Bear) which sold in May for $ 6,802,500, thereby setting a new world record for the artist. Christie's partnered with the Seagram building, van der Rohe's famous midtown offering, where it sits in the place so that "the city at large might enjoy a special glimpse into the creative genius of one of today's most provocative artists...The work functions as a universal symbol of childhood memory." To read more about public sculpture in New York, check out my previous post here.

Talking of large yellow creatures popping up in cities, not to be outdone by Fischer, locals of Örebro in Sweden have been playing host to a 50 ft giant rabbit by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, who also created that giant flip-flop monkey I blogged about last year. Click here for more pics.

Art of the Day: Corinne Day at Gimpel Fils

2011-09-01T20:56:00.001+01:00

The Face was my favourite magazine in the whole wide world. I was obsessed. Its pages covered my bedroom walls at school and I would devour it cover to cover. It was how I learnt about life outside the walls of my provincial boarding school. Some of the most iconic images from its history were taken by Corinne Day. A year since her untimely death, Day's early work for The Face has been brought together for a solo show at Gimpel Fils in London. I have always found Day's images absolutely striking and incredibly powerful. They are often incredibly provocative. They are often of Kate Moss, who was a lifelong friend and muse. There is an air of informality, of freedom in her work, which draws you in; Day's images typified the 90s for me. The show is on from today for a month.

My 5 weeks off...

2011-08-30T11:28:00.000+01:00

Seriously, it was just like this. (via)

Blog of the Week: Just Add A Scanner...

2011-08-30T11:21:00.000+01:00

It's back to school day for most of my friends today...so here's an ode to one of my favourite office peripherals, the scanner:

Scandybars

vs.

The Cat Scan

Notting Hill Carnival

2011-08-29T23:41:00.000+01:00

What can I say, I'm a sucker for a dressed up animal (I jest PETA, I jest)

Love these posters by Transport for London for last year's Notting Hill carnival...

Hotel Friday: Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes

2011-08-26T14:18:00.004+01:00

You know you've made it in the hotel world when the world's most exclusive publisher Assouline publish a book on your hotel. So, when they decide to publish THREE, including one just on its amazing staff, whom they call the 'artisans of paradise and hospitality', you know you've cemented your place in history. Add to that Uncle Karl's decision to host Chanel runway shows at your establishment, and well - this hotel just reached first place on my bucket list. Welcome to the magical Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc...

The hotel, originally a private château called Villa of the Sun, was started in 1870 by a former owner of Le Figaro and first achieved notoriety in the 1920s when an American couple, Gerald and Sara Murphy, hired the whole hotel for summer. With them came the good and the great of the Lost Generation incl. Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was further immortalised by photographer Slim Aarons, who took some of the most breathtaking images of the hotel in the 1970s like this one.

Since 1870, it has played host to a myriad of celebrities, royalty and the international jet-set, and just reopened after a four month renovation, which totalled a massive 45 million Euros, the first since the 1950s. .However, the hotel has lost none of its charm and features two private villas, a Bellini bar (oh HI), a famous pool now ubiquitous with images of Paris Hilton exiting it, and a new grill room and sushi bar. It gained further notoriety for ever taking card payments (incredible when you imagine the hundreds of thousands of Euros spent here) but has now been accepting them since 2006 (bad news for my Amex).

It's set just on the Cap d'Antibes in the South of France, a great location - I love Antibes, a beautiful fortified town which even has a really fantastic Picasso museum, a prerequisite when I travel, obviously! Check out their website here - it has a huge amount of info and some absolutely breathtaking images...even Madonna is there right now...

The Champagne Diet

2011-08-26T12:58:00.000+01:00

In October 1963, American Vogue published the Champagne Diet. It recommended that, as a slimming aid, readers take a glass of bubbly with every meal (buck's fizz with breakfast, of course). "How well the diet works we're quite able to say," it stated confidently. "A young mother of three still-underfoot children went on the diet for us...First week she lost three pounds..." Readers, I intend to take one for the team and will be trying this for the foreseeable future...

Damien Hirst Does Crotches For Dasha.

2011-08-25T21:14:00.005+01:00

I've managed to get my hands on the hottest pictures to hit the art world today. Earlier today, the NYT published this article, revealing details of the most talked about front cover of the year, Dasha Zhukova's Garage magazine, and now I've managed to score the pictures! The publication, a mixture of art and fashion (the fact it's being released during Fashion Week rather than Frieze is worth noting) is due out next month and they have made sure their 3 covers are already the talk of both industries, in particular the above photograph by Hedi Slimane of a nude model with a sticker on her crotch which, when peeled, reveals a Damien Hirst butterfly on her crotch. An art merkin, if you will. With Dasha's close links to the art world (the magazine is named after the contemporary art centre she's been running since 2008) I'm sure Damien was more than happy to join forces on another feat of self-promotion. In fact, as NYT point out, Dasha's creative editor, pictured next to her above, is none other than Larry Gagosian's girlfriend. Needless to say, I've asked Damo if I can have one of these tattoos just in time for Frieze week...

Last picture via Jezebel - head there to see all three covers in their full glory.

The Museum of Broken Relationships

2011-08-25T20:04:00.001+01:00

We've all been there...you're going through your old cupboard and suddenly, that birthday card/bracelet/cuddly toy that the guy who stole your heart and smashed it into a thousand little pieces gave you falls out. In a split second, you're back there: the pain, the rage, the tears. The moral of this story is that we shouldn't have these things lying around...and that's where the Museum of Broken Relationships comes in. Donated by individuals around the world, it is an award-winning, extremely poignant collection of seemingly random items that has found its permanent home in Zagreb, but is currently on tour and in London until 4th September at the Tristan Bates theatre and at 38 Earlham St. Go see it - because hey, we've ALL been there.

Build Your Own Conspiracy Kit: JFK, Marilyn, Elvis et al

2011-08-24T21:35:00.000+01:00

I'm a sucker for a good advertising campaign...and I love that Ogilvy's use of these models in their latest work for Vietnamese brand Tamiya is actually super relevant - the company produces resin and plastic works for modellers! This printed series features mock-up kits of the world's most speculated on conspiracies inclu Roswell, JFK's assassination and Marilyn Monroe's death. Check out the whole series here.

Last Chance to See...Tracey Emin at the Hayward

2011-08-24T11:44:00.000+01:00

With all this time off, I'm trying to do my best to take the opportunity to see as many exhibitions as possible...so last Friday I finally made it to the Tracey Emin show at the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank...and I was not disappointed!

Emin's work is instantly recognisable and indeed, the show does feature a catalogue of the ubiquitous light sculptures and quilts for which she is best known. However, what I also loved seeing are the other, less commercially known works - installation pieces, video works and drawings which provide a relatively unknown aspect to her work. Indeed - if you find Emin's work fairly one-dimensional, this show will definitely change your mind. Tracey has long shared the most intimate moments of her life with the viewer - her love, her pain, her ....in this show, her entire life is laid out before you and you can't help but empathise with her work and champion the incredible honesty with which she creates images that reference her rape, her need to be loved, an abortion - she famously said "being artist isn't just about making nice signs or people patting you on the back; it's some kind of communication, a message". The often brutally self-deprecating works make you feel like she's your friend - it's a real Family of Man moment. Yes, a lot of it is sexual and it's probably not the best show to take your parents to. However, it's a brilliant retrospective of one of our greatest living artists and a fantastic chance to see some relatively unknown works. Even David Cameron's just had his very own work installed (here)...so what are you waiting for! It closes on Bank Holiday Monday.

(all images by David Levine)

Bregenz: The most incredible opera set in the world

2011-08-22T20:01:00.000+01:00

Isn't this incredible? It's gone straight on my 'Things To Do Before I Die' list!! These photographs show the utterly amazing outdoor opera at Bregenz, an annual festival which has become famous around the world for its incredible stage designs. A usually sleepy resort town in Austria, the story unfolds on the banks of Lake Constance when every summer it turns into an open-air auditorium which seats 7,000. Its director is British, formerly of the ENO, and in recent year has helped bring to life an incredible array of breathtaking shows including "Aida under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty; Il Trovatore on an oil refinery threatened by terrorists; Tosca watched over by a giant eyeball" (via). I love how surreal the sets are - they wouldn't look out of place in a Magritte! Click here to see the previous years or check out this years here.

My arm wants to party all the time...

2011-08-18T21:28:00.003+01:00

It's true, it really does...I'm a massive fan of stacking up bracelets and having my very own arm party...my favourites include anything by Aurelie Bidermann, Daisy, Jessica McCormack and my St. Barths charm that hasn't come off all year. Ergo, it was love at first sight when Refinery 29 created this slideshow in ode to New York's best dressed wrists. It's a really close call..but I have to go with the last one! 1,2,3,4...I declare a wrist war!

LOVE: Cockney Cash Machines

2011-08-18T11:37:00.001+01:00

I can't believe I've been living in London for so long and NEVER heard of these before! These cockney cash machines were installed originally in 2009 as part of a 3 month venture, but a few remain in action to this day including one on Roman Road. I am seriously going to have to go on a visit - they're all in the East. Click here and here for more images.

A Weekend In.... The New Forest

2011-08-17T13:17:00.002+01:00

Last Saturday, Merlin and I hit up the New Forest with my family for some seriously long walks, pub food and typically British August weather. If you're not familiar with it, the area is a national park home to herds of its own breed of horses and filled with some breathtaking moorland. We started off in Beaulieu which is an incredibly picturesque village, home to the beautiful country house, abbey and the National Motor Museum...

We then headed towards Hatchet's Pond, which usually looks like this:

But thanks to the weather looked a bit more like...

But that didn't put Merlin & I off...

After cruising around for a bit...

We met some more of the local residents...

But then the day turned back into a photoshoot for Merlin...

Then onto Lymington, a lovely sea-side town where we sometimes keep our boat (if you love boats - check out Berthon who are based there)...it was time for New Forest ice-cream (clotted cream flavour for me!), a walk around the marina and then a well deserved pub dinner!!

(Image of Beaulieu House via; all other images © Izzy Loves)

Dear Facebook...

2011-08-14T21:27:00.002+01:00

Genius.

Cindy Sherman X MAC

2011-08-12T19:02:00.000+01:00

At first, you're like WTF...and then you think about it and it makes PERFECT sense...Cindy Sherman's collaboration with MAC is a match made in art heaven. Sherman is a self-portrait artist, who constantly dresses up in a huge variety of guises, ranging from Marie Antoinette to Marilyn Monroe, and photographs herself, creating often haunting, slightly disturbing images that have made her into one of the most famous female artists today. In fact, Sherman currently holds the world record for the price paid at auction for a photograph - an astounding $ 3.89 million for this work in May this year and 2012 will see an enormous retrospective of her work at MoMa.

All of this make Cindy Sherman incredibly hot property. Combine the fact she does all her own make-up, hairdressing and costume design as well as the photography for each of her work - well, it's no different to my normal Friday night! On a deeper level, Sherman's work challenges the role of make-up in her work, hiding behind it or using it to be someone else, albeit it a better version of ourselves. She joins the list of other MAC collaborators such as Elton John and Nickie Minaj, firmly supporting the arts while at the same time showing that make-up doesn't have to be used just to make yourself pretty.

Like a moth to a flame...

2011-08-12T17:02:00.001+01:00

Glamourising smoking? Hell yeah. A pack of cigarettes never looked more tempting to a magpie like I. However, worry not...this pack won't kill you. It is in fact a mobile phone, hand-embellished in over 1,000 Swarovski crystal rhinestones and has a secret compartment for either 7 cigarettes or your cash/cards, whichever you need more! Amazing. Check it out here...a bargain at $ 450.

Missoni for Target: My longest wish-list EVER.

2011-08-11T14:20:00.002+01:00

BE STILL MY BEATING HEART...Target's forthcoming collection with Missoni might actually be my favourite collaboration EVER. Which is upsetting, given that it is a massive 400 pieces and I'm going to need them ALL. It encompasses everything from homeware (how amazing is that throw!), luggage, bicycles, kitchenware, swimwear and of course, clothing. Due to hit stores on the 13th September (I'm predicting a website crash already), the first peek of the collection went up on this blog yesterday. Thanks to Fashionista for sharing!

Kiss Me Kate: THE Wedding Photos

2011-08-11T14:06:00.001+01:00

Love her or hate her, you can't deny that the wait for Kate Moss's wedding photos has been immense...and finally, it's over. Published in US Vogue's September issue, an interesting decision in itself, this incredible slideshow of photographs taken in Testino's instantly recognisable style, are accompanied by a brilliant piece of writing by Hamish Bowles. And luckily, it's all available to read online...check it out here.

Art of the Day: The Unseen Giacometti

2011-08-11T13:41:00.001+01:00

One of the best things about Switzerland is that it is home to the largest collection of works by Alberto Giacometti in the world. Giacometti is one of my favourite artists so every year I take the opportunity while at Art Basel to get up close with as many of his creations as possible, whether it be at the Fondation Beyeler or at the Kunsthaus Zurich, home to the Giacometti Foundation.

In 2008, a Swiss collector offered the Bundner Kunstmuseum two portfolios with photos of and drawings by Giacometti, previously unseen and unpublished. The donor wanted his collection to remain whole, and for the first time it is now on view to the public, in an exhibition entitled 'The Unseen Giacometti'.

The enormous portfolio of images has been placed in juxtaposition to existing works in the museum's own collection, creating a unique dialogue which throws new light on Giacometti's working methods and personality. The photographers, which include masters of the genre such as Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau and Man Ray, were friends with the aritst, allowing them to capture these intimate glances into his life and in particular, that of his relationship with his wife, Annette, the subject of so many of his works.

The exhibition is on until 4th September - you can read about it in more depth here.

The part where I list fun stuff I've seen.

2011-08-11T13:08:00.006+01:00

While I'm on hols, here are some awesome things I've been loving of late...all I need for AW11 are these Charlotte Olympia booties and some of these Shashi bracelets.. for 2012, it's ALL about this juxtaposition of DSquared's resort collection ......taking some serious inspiration from these interior shots featuring books..and totally coveting this vintage map wallpaper... we really need one of these bad boys for the office...and maybe The World Map of Useless Stereotypes for our wall.....Wikipedia's fifth annual photograph of the year award....beautiful photographs of Cy Twombly's studio... amazing temporary tattoos...love these diamond measuring spoons - perfect for my BFF...elsewhere, NYC outlawed drunken puppy buying....Jetsetta listed 8 European Ghost Towns...I loved the very cute Back of a Web Page...and finally...on a more serious note, this New York Times article raises some really important do's and dont's when dealing with friends and family coping with cancer...sometimes you really have to just bring gossip and know when to say I love you...it's the best advice I've found.... x

WWF: The World Is Where We Live

2011-08-11T11:54:00.000+01:00

Beautiful video made by Ogilvy Singapore for WWF, which highlights side by side the similarities between us and animals, and why we need to look after the earth. Check out their campaign here.

The London Riots: the Aftermath

2011-08-10T19:32:00.000+01:00

Over the last few days, London has turned into a city I barely recognise, let alone felt proud to call my home. However, the aftermath has proved that united we stand and brought about huge impromptu public displays of love for our city, like the famous picture of brooms raised in the air. One of my favourites is this amazing wall at the boarded up Poundland Peckham, where residents have listed on an array of Post-It notes their favourite things about the borough.

With the feel-good images come the very funny - currently taking the internet world by storm is a blog called Photoshop Looter which features some seriously witty edited images from the riots. While I get that we shouldn't be making fun of a very serious situation, some light relief never hurt anyone!

It was also only matter of time before someone jumped on I Survived The London Riots t-shirts, which come in a range of borough options and 20% of each sale is donated to the clean-up. Shouldn't it be 100%? I feel like noone should make money from these riots when so many have lost so much...

The Mona Lisa: The 6,239 Dot-to-Dot Drawing

2011-08-08T20:24:00.001+01:00

Now I have five weeks off work...maybe this is exactly the kind of art historical challenge I need! Australian designer Thomas Pavitte created this amazing rendering of the world's most famous painting in the form of a 6,239 dot-to-dot drawing, which then took him over nine hours to complete! The process was all captured on a time lapse video that's featured on his site - defo worth checking out here! Thanks to the Awesomer for bringing this in my life!

PS... here's a great article about the Mona Lisa theft which celebrates its centenary this year!

The Bees Knees

2011-08-08T20:04:00.000+01:00

It seems you're nobody nowadays in retail without having your own hive on the roof of your building...

The decision to install hives on the roof of the Tate Britain & Modern last year was part of Boris Johnson's Capital Bee campaign, designed to encourage urban communities to explore new enterprises while supporting bee populations in the city. The Tate's honey is now available to buy in their online store, and Spitalfields Life went along to interview its bee keeper - I love that he admitted that "I get stung loads"!!

However, London's most glamorous bees definitely reside on the roof of department store Fortnum & Mason's, where they make approx. 300 jars a year. They live in these beautiful bespoke hives which are truly palatial, painted in Fortnum's iconic light green, each inspired by a different architecture style: Roman, Gothic, Mughal and Chinese. When the scheme began in 2008, the waiting list was immense. There are even two live web cams of the hives on the Fortnum's website; there's also a great slideshow here.

The concept however, was stolen from Paris, where hives have populated the roofs of some of my favourite buildings such as the Opera Garnier and the Opera Bastille, which are featured in these amazing slideshows which you can see here and here. However, the new epitome of chic? Louis Vuitton honey:

In surprisingly discreet packaging, the LV honey is the result of three hives that were installed on the company's Parisian HQ in 2009 and house up to 200,000 bees. They've just released this first batch, called La Belle Jardiniere and make an amazing house gift!

Patrick Dalton's Shit London

2011-08-06T14:56:00.000+01:00

Don't get me wrong...I love London. It's my favourite place on earth and I love all the little things I see around it that put a smile on my face on a daily basis. So does street-photographer Patrick Dalton, whose website, Shit London, has amassed a huge cult following, having started out as just a Facebook group for Londoners to post pictures of strange things they spotted on their travels around the city. "These are photographs of the unintentional human comedy that surround us in the city. It's the flotsam and jetsam of city life, the overlooked minutiae, the tragic, the grotesque and the basest of base. It's the adapted posters, the dirty joke on the back of a van, the misspelt signs, that weird shop down the end of your road and the knob graffiti strategically placed for maximum effect". Highlights of the site have just been published in this volume called 'Shit London: Snapshots from a City on the Edge' - the perfect gift for anyone feeling homesick. Some of the images are brilliantly witty, others beautifully poetic; it really reminded me of Martin Parr's work. I'd really recommend checking out the site - it makes you fall in love with London all over again.

Lazy weekends...

2011-08-06T12:25:00.000+01:00

All this time off is being seriously well spent trying to find the perfect breakfast...I took inspiration from this amazing recipe from Framed Cooks...maple bacon, spinach, brie and poached eggs. My earlier attempts at it had felt quite dry so I added hollondaise sauce...seriously amazing. I also learnt that if you put bacon into the oven and THEN turn it on, the effect of it slowly heating up stops the bacon from shrinking = genius. The left pic is my own recipe - I wrapped pancetta around asparagus and roasted it in the oven, then added poached eggs, hollondaise sauce and parmesan shavings. It's my current favourite!

Next: I can't wait to try out this Campari Citrus Sorbet & these Pink Grapefruit Mojitos!

Offensive Cigarette Labels

2011-08-03T11:51:00.001+01:00

Anna Astvatsatryan's latest project, entitled 'Offensive Habit' is a definitely eye-catching new solution for the anti-smoking brigade! It also really reminded me of the Fake Fags stickers that were around a couple of years ago...love it or hate it, it's definitely an interesting take on 'Smoking Kills'.

Art of the Day: Bernard Venet at Versailles

2011-08-03T11:01:00.000+01:00

Here on Izzy Loves, I'm a big fan of the recent Koons and Murakami projects at Versailles, so it was a no brainer that I would love the latest artist to grace the hallowed turf of the Chateau, Bernard Venet. This time however, the monumental sculptures have been installed in the grounds rather than the in the palace itself. I first came across my first Venet work at Art Basel a few years ago, and his works are so iconic in style that once you learn what they are, they are instantly recognisable...so you'll all now be able to spot them around the world!

The Palace provides a stunning backdrop for his Corten steel arcs, which themselves occupy a space somewhere in between the sculptural and the architectural, allowing Venet to truly 'capture his own conception of space'. The result are these incredible sweeping vistas, all cleverly planned, with Venet even taking into account the effect at sunrise and at sunset, saying "the curves on my sculptures will contrast with the angular geometry in the garden and espouse the circular edges around the Basin d'Apollon and Grand Canal". The result is a beautiful collaboration which forces the viewer to question the relationships between art, landscapes and architecture, and therefore between art, time and history. Click here for the exhibition's website - it's on until November.

Issa London X Matisse

2011-08-02T18:37:00.000+01:00

It's no secret I'm a HUGE Issa fan...I would happily wear nothing else for the rest of my days...so, I was super excited to receive my Moda Operandi invite to buy their resort collection...If you haven't come across MO before, it's AMAZING...it allows you to buy next season collections from designers from Marios Schwab, Erdem, Charlotte Olympia and Alexander Wang et al, splitting the cost. I was in art history heaven the moment I clicked to find that Issa's collection had been inspired by none other than Matisse! Here is their Matisse Tahitian dress, alongside some of the artist's famous cut-outs which clearly inspired the collection. "When searching for inspiration for her Resort collection, Daniella Helayel pieced through a book of Matisse collages and was struck with the notion that "Matisse is very, very Issa"...well, that's obviously why I've been such a big Issa fan! "The artist's signature bright colours and floral works translated easily.." and the result is some seriously stunning pieces.

If you're not familiar with Matisse's trip to Tahiti in 1930, here is a great post about the relationship between him and Gauguin at ArtInfo. There's also this great work from his trip.

PS...sorry for the lack of posting recently - I am now on summer break for five weeks and thus no longer surgically attached to a PC...I will try to update as regularly as possible, thank you so much for baring with me!

PPS: I have 5 invites to Moda Operandi - please leave your email in the comments if you'd like one!

2011-07-28T10:10:00.001+01:00

Harrier and Jaguar by Fiona Banner, all thanks to Sotheby's

2011-07-27T12:11:00.001+01:00

Earlier this week, Sotheby's announced that they will continue their funding to the Tate for three more years = hooray! The partnership has already allowed a wide range of new commissions such as this brilliant installation by artist Fiona Banner earlier this year featuring decommissioned jets in the Duveen galleries as well as Martin Creed's famous sprinters in 2008, with the next project due to commence in March 2012.

It is absolutely brilliant to see Sotheby's giving something back to the art community and the public while at the same time supporting British artists. I am also pleased that they have continued to pledge their support despite their share price taking a humongous tumble (losing a quarter of their value in May alone) in a manic depressive swing. Another great example is Phillips de Pury's sponsorship of the Saatchi Gallery which allows it to be be freefor visitors; does anyone know if Christie's have any similar partnerships?

Evan Drolet Cook

2011-07-27T11:25:00.001+01:00

Loving this work by filmdirectorSLASHartist Evan Drolet Cook entitled Places I haven't been (North America) - a perfect example of a simple idea speaking volumes. Coincidentally, I also came across a similar work by photographer Aaron Huey just the other day, albeit the inverted version!

Otro Mundo Art Series

2011-07-27T11:15:00.001+01:00

I'd reconsider my thoughts on drinking beer if the bottles looked like this! Booze and art is a pretty win-win merger for me...(and the story of my life, obvs) so I'm a big fan of this campaign by Woonky in South America which references work by Miro, da Vinci and Lichtenstein for Otro Mundo. Talking of booze and art - has anyone seen the Miro in the window of Berry Bros on St. James? I keep passing it and meaning to ask why it's there... There is also this collaboration between Hennessy and Kaws (who seems to be everywhere at the moment) due for release in September as part of a limited edition.

Damien Hirst X Red Hot Chili Peppers

2011-07-26T16:29:00.002+01:00

Not the most predictable of collaborations...Damien Hirst has created the above cover for the forthcoming Red Hot Chili Peppers album entitled I'm With You. Anthony Keidis said of the project: "It's an image. It's art. Iconic. We didn't give it it's meaning but it's clearly open to interpretation". Err, ok. Somewhere out there, Gombrich is turning in his grave.

Gangsta Rap Greetings Cards

2011-07-26T16:01:00.001+01:00

Obviously it was love at first sight when I came across Melissa Rachel Black's Etsy page...I'm going to need them ALL!! She has a huge selection of these amazing one-liners from some of my all-time favourite tracks...check them all out here.

2011-07-26T13:17:00.000+01:00

As if this wasn't awesome enough....

I see a woman crying...

2011-07-26T10:15:00.001+01:00

In an age where it's difficult to constantly reinvent the most modern of mediums, I really love Rineke Dijkstra's project entitled I see a woman crying. This installation features a video of school children capturing their responses to Picasso's Weeping Woman (1937) at the Tate - some of their insights are truly inspiring! This work and another entitled Ruth Drawing Picasso, another video piece showing a schoolgirl sketching a painting, were part of an exhibition at the Temporary Stedelijk in Amsterdam which ended in January this year, but you can watch the whole video here - it's really worth it, I promise.

Saying goodbye to Lucian....

2011-07-22T16:20:00.004+01:00

Saying goodbye for Lucian Freud is an immensely challenging task for a lot of people in the art world, and I am no different. I have avidly followed his work since he was one of the first artists I learnt about when I was 16 and someone gave me a postcard of the Tate-owned Standing by the Rags. Since then, Freud's own path occasionally intertwined with mine - I was working for the Royal Collection the same time he was painting his famous portrait of the Queen in 2002 and I got to hang out with him when he was painting the stand-in sitters who would wear the crown. From then, there were a myriad of chance meetings at the Wolseley....after all, it was there that last night, upon learning of his death, that they placed a black table cloth over his regular table with a single lit candle in homage to this great master of modern painting. For me, Freud was the greatest living British artist. The way he applied paint to a canvas and built up tonalities of flesh just got me. I last saw him in February at the preview of his works that featured in the Kostalitz auction at Sotheby's in February: he loved coming face to face with his 1952 self-portrait and it was great to see him gasp when he saw it - he made a joke about how young he looked. Also in the same sale was Bacon's portrait of him which went on to sell for $37 million. It has been a dark month in the art world, losing Twombly and Freud within weeks of each other - my thoughts are with Freud's family and with the Acquavella gallery, who represented him. Above is a brilliant video of his studio for Nowness. We have lost an absolute legend, the likes of which we are unlikely to see for a very long time.
ps. my favourite Freud-ism thanks to the Telegraph: "Freud knew a great many artists but remained a great individualist and did not bow to other talent: he remembers Picasso as “absolutely poisonous”, Man Ray as “noisy and vulgar”, and German expressionist Max Ernst as a “heavy and stiff” dinner companion."

Dear London...

2011-07-21T16:57:00.003+01:00

Are you frickin' KIDDING me with this weather?
(thank you to @GLPLondon for finding out where I can get one of these bad boys - voila!)

Art of the Day: Thomas Struth at Whitechapel Gallery

2011-07-21T16:47:00.002+01:00

Regular readers will know Thomas Struth is one of my favourite photographers in the whole wide world...so I was thrilled to read that he had been chose to capture the Queen in the above photograph for her Diamond Jubilee. The photograph's release also happened to coincide perfectly with Struth's new show at the Whitechapel! I saw Struth's huge retrospective last year at the Kunsthaus in Zurich, which was a fantastic show that allowed his work to be displayed on a monumental scale. The Whitechapel's version is a lot smaller but focusses on the breadth of his work since the 1970s, and is the first solo show of his work in the UK for over 20 years, which is reason enough to go see it.

My absolute favourite body of work is his Museums series, but I loved the opportunity here to view his more architectural and technological-focused work, such as his most recent panoramas of the Kennedy Space Centre, which via their ambitious scale show the possibilities of human achievement.

Click here for a great review of his show, which eloquently describes Struth's work as "photos so complex, you could look at them forever...". It's on until 16th Sept and open until 9pm tonight!

Around London Town...

2011-07-21T16:25:00.001+01:00

Banksy's tributes to Brian Haw and Tox

Blackhall Street, EC2

Rivington Street, EC2

Some of Mobstr's finest....

For a more global outlook, Unurth of my favourite websites...

2011-07-21T16:12:00.004+01:00

On Etsy, obvs.

Immortal by Toby de Silva: Relics of Martyred Saints: Part Two

2011-07-21T15:43:00.002+01:00

Some of you may remember my post a while ago on Toby de Silva's amazing photographs of the relics called Immortals...at the time, I couldn't find any more info as to where these works were interred and I had a lot of requests for more info about them. So, it was awesome to receive an email from Toby himself (god I love the internet) giving me more info and background on this amazing project. So, without further ado...the Saints are: Vitalian, Victorius, Valantinus, Ursa, Theodosi Miles, Maximus, Maximinus, Gratian, Deodatus and Alexander. There are 12 in total, 10 in full length display cases like in the picture below (how amazing!). They can be found in a Cictercian nunnery in Bavaria called Waldassen Abbey. Finally - thank you so much to Toby for getting in touch!

ps. I know I'm not back to being my most eloquent self...I'm still seriously battling Spanish influenza. It's no wonder it killed Apollinaire.

The Benicassim Post-Mortem

2011-07-19T12:31:00.001+01:00

I'm back from Beni and completely broken. Into a million little pieces. Normal service will resume shortly but for now, I am in recovery and repeatedly pressing this amazing button at Make Everything Ok that my wonderful friend Nathalia sent me this morning. I'm hoping for the best. After all, I've lost my phone, my voice, my ability to sleep, my desire to eat...even Merlin is judging me.

This weekend...

2011-07-14T14:43:00.000+01:00

...Benicassim baby! I'm off to go and support my BFF while she runs Benicassim festival this weekend...I'm embracing my inner-festival goer (for those that know me, you'll know that this is something very new for me!). I'm super excited - beach by day and festival at night...and to finally be getting out of London for a long weekend! In honour, I had my nails Izzy love'd at WAH at Topshop - how amazing are they?! I'm not sure if I could rock this look sans festival but I'll definitely be back for more...every heart is individually drawn on - LOVE. I'll be taking inspiration from Anja Rubik...Christopher Kane neon is so my benchmark look. Hope you all have wonderful weekends xx

ps. I'll be tweeting from Beni so check me out @ThingsIzzyLoves

pps. Congratulations at Anja for becoming the world's most influential model - go Poland!

Art of the Day: Monet vs. Roy Lichtenstein in Boston

2011-07-07T15:38:00.001+01:00

Monet's iconic series of paintings which take the facade of Rouen cathedral as their subject matter are part of my favourite body of his work. The amazing atmospheric effects which he captures at varying times of day and in all weathers were the subject of more than 30 of his late works (click here to see them). In focusing on a single subject matter so completely, Monet felt that he could entirely focus his attention to recording visual sensations. Some 75 years later, pop art Roy Lichtenstein created his own ode to this series in his own unique style below, and this dialogue between these two artist's is currently the subject of the MFA's latest exhibition in Boston which opened last week. By exhibiting five canvases by each artist of this series, they hope to allow the viewer to explore the relationship between both their innovative styles as well as their own individual responses to the subject matter, creating a duel between Pop art and Post-Impressionism.

Meanwhile, back home in Poland: 8,000 Lanterns

2011-07-07T14:50:00.000+01:00

I can't wait for summer hols when I'm heading back home to Poland for a mega road trip avec pooch...I'm looking forward to exploring new areas and visiting places like Gdansk that are so steeped in history. If anyone has any tips and recommendations I'd be super grateful! I fell in love with this recent event held in Poznan for summer solstice, where they released 8,000 paper lanterns into the sky. While I do feel this idea has been done to death by weddings/birthdays in the UK, 8,000 of them create the most beautiful effect in video above. Thanks to the Awesomer for the heads up.

2011-07-07T13:56:00.002+01:00

Words to live by.

Buy this t-shirt here.

Taxidermy Meets Fine Jewellery for Vogue Gioiello

2011-07-07T13:15:00.000+01:00

I know I go on about it quite a lot but I find so many jewellery shoots in magazines so boring and repetitive so I am always super impressed when someone breaks the boundaries as Michael Baumgarten does here for Vogue Gioiello. I'm a fan of anything that involves taxidermy and Baumgarten is the master of fashion still-life photography: its an inspired editorial.

We've moved....Welcome to Izzy-Loves.com!

2011-07-07T13:09:00.000+01:00

For REALS. Over the next couple of weeks, Izzy Loves will be going under some maintenance...the first step being that I now have a fixed domain at Izzy-Loves.com...YAY! There will also be some editing but I hope with minimal downtime.

But lovely readers, I do need your help! I sadly lost all of my love/visit etc. ticks below each post when I moved...am so bummed...so please feel free to go wild and re-tick things you may have already loved before...I know it's a tad tedious but I so love getting feedback from you as it really helps me see what you guys love. I'm all about the love, obvs. Thank you so much in advance for all your patience! Izzy xx

A Global Tube Map

2011-07-07T12:30:00.000+01:00

Obsessed. I really need this in a print!!

If anyone can find out, I'd be forever in your debt.

Peter Clark Does Dachshunds

2011-07-07T12:09:00.000+01:00

I've been a big Peter Clark fan for quite some time and so when an email landed in my inbox this morning saying he's created this limited edition print of a dachshund version of his iconic collages, I fell instantly in LOVE. My dream is obviously to have him make a bespoke version of Merlin (I would die) but until then, I'll be saving up for this £495 version. I also adore the ones he makes out of maps...my faves. He's represented by Rebecca Hossack in London and released this great book of his paper works which is available here.

Glossy Box: The Best Mail Order Idea Ever

2011-07-07T11:43:00.003+01:00

Say hello to my new favourite thing to receive in the post since I discovered eBay....the Glossy Box. For £10 a month, you receive a beautifully wrapped package filled with five miniatures of best selling and new beauty products from around the world. I'm constantly buying new make-up and skincare and this is a brilliant and much-cheaper solution to trying before you buy the full product - I hate buying a must-have beauty product only to find it doesn't work with my skin. In fact - I couldn't believe it when last month's package included a tube of Nars's cult product, the Orgasm Illuminator, that was full size - I'd paid £ 21.50 for it in Liberty just the week before (on the right below = grrr). June's featured one of my favourite brands, Mama Mio, as well as products from OPI, Abahna and Margaret Dabbs - the world's best pedicurist. It's a seriously cost-efficient yet indulgent treat...plus, your feedback is also taken in account: you can log in to rate products, and then Glossy Box start customising what to send you next time, just like Amazon, but so much more exciting! Since they've started, every single box has completely sold out before it's even out and it's no wonder...I'm completely hooked - click here to subscribe; you can even opt out at any time.

Art of the Day: Poussin and Twombly at Dulwich Picture Gallery

2011-07-06T15:46:00.000+01:00

I was heartbroken last night to hear of the death of Cy Twombly, one of the my favourite contemporary artists. He died in Rome, a city which had provided the subject matter for one of my favourite bodies of work, aged 83. I have been meaning to write about this current show at the Dulwich Picture Gallery since I heard a lecture about it at a Christie's party: I was blown away by the idea of exhibiting Twombly and Poussin: Arcadian Painters side by side separated by their 300 years...but the relationship does become clear as you learn more about the show, beginning with Twombly's quote that: "I would've liked to have been Poussin, if I'd had a choice, in another time". They both explore themes of Arcadia and of the pastoral, Venus and Eros, anxiety and theatricality and mythological figures that are central to both artist's work. I loved the Picasso and Old Masters exhibition that took over Paris last year, and this feels definitely inspired by it.

Twombly himself had hoped to visit this show, to finally see his works hanging alongside those of his idol. The gallery released this statement this morning: "Everyone at Dulwich Picture Gallery has been deeply saddened by the news of the death, yesterday, of Cy Twombly, barely a week after we had been celebrating the opening of the exhibition Twombly and Poussin: Arcadian Painters. We were still hoping that he would be able to visit the show later in the summer; he had been involved at every stage of the show’s planning, working closely with Nicholas Cullinan, the exhibition’s curator. We are honoured to have been able to mount so beautiful a testimony to the importance of Twombly’s work. We hope he would have enjoyed seeing his deeply personal paintings, drawings and sculpture in such profound dialogue with the work of Nicolas Poussin. We have lost an extraordinary artist – Et in Arcadia Ego." I couldn't have put it better myself.

Image credits from top L-R: Cy Twombly, Quattro Stagioni: Autunno, 1993-5, Acrylic, oil, crayon and pencil on canvas, 3230 x 2254 x 67mm. Tate: Purchased with assistance from the American Fund for the Tate Gallery and Tate Members 2002, ©Tate, London, 2010, © Cy Twombly and right: Nicolas Poussin, Venus and Mercury (c. 1627/1629) © By permission of the Trustees of Dulwich Picture Gallery. . Cy Twombly, Hero and Leandro, 1985, 202 x 254cm, Private Collection, Courtesy Thomas Ammann Fine Art AG, Zurich, © Cy Twombly; Nicolas Poussin, The Triumph of David (1628-1631) © By permission of the Trustees of Dulwich Picture Gallery

Clare Vivier Clutches: Bags of my dreams

2011-07-06T15:09:00.003+01:00

It's actually happened...I've found my dream bag. I'm all about oversize simple clutches - they go from day to evening without you looking like you're perpetually doing the walk of shame, and hold all of the ridiculous amount of things I have convinced myself I need on me at all times. So, when I stumbled across american designer Clare Vivier it was love at first bag. I am obsessed with these foldover clutches, and the plain black, royal blue and gold have already gone straight in my basket. At $149, they're not cheap but they're a hell of a lot cheaper than a lot of other options I've fallen in love with on Net-A-Porter so I'm convinced its a win-win. Clare does a huge range of different sizes and clutches, as well as simple day bags. The ethos is all about conscientious products, made in LA by way of Paris; I'm already huge fan. Check out her website here.

Marc Jacobs Beach Towels

2011-07-06T14:59:00.000+01:00

Couldn't believe these beach towels were only $25 - bargain and great for presents!

Check them out at your nearest Marc by Marc Jacobs store...

2011-07-06T14:53:00.002+01:00

Not even kidding (see here)

Art of the Day: Takashi Murakami at Gagosian

2011-07-05T15:19:00.002+01:00

Gagosian's summer blockbuster in London is the instantly recognisable work of Takashi Murakami. I had the pleasure of meeting Murakami at Art Basel a couple of weeks ago, when he was hanging out with Larry and taking bespoke orders. There even happened to be a Google doodle to coincide with the opening...tres cool Gagosian, tres cool. Click here to read all about the show, which features a myriad of Murakami's sexually latent technicolour works. Until 5th August.

Kate Middleton vs. Gossip Girl

2011-07-05T14:17:00.003+01:00

I knew it! K-Middy MUST be a Gossip Girl fan.
Here's another recent Royal-themed who wore it better from the weekend...

Chanel-off: Diane Kruger vs. Charlotte Casiraghi

Website Crush: NYC Rooftop Drinker

2011-07-05T13:09:00.000+01:00

Regular readers will know New York and rooftops have a special place in my heart...there's this post for starters and for seconds, I completely fell head over heels with the Koons installation on the Met rooftop when I was there...so, my website crush at the moment is Rooftop Drinker. I'm a huge view junkie regardless of which city I'm in, and this amazing site rates and plots all the best rooftop spots in the Big Apple. There's even an amazing interactive map feature. We really need some more amazing rooftop bars in London...

2011-07-05T12:51:00.000+01:00

Image dump. It's been a while... x

Hermes X Gauguin, Courbet & Ingres

2011-07-04T16:58:00.000+01:00

Um...do Louboutin and Hermes use the same ad agency? If so...things are about to get seriously awkward... they've both released their latest AW11 campaigns featuring some of the world's most famous paintings, this time in the form of Gauguin, Ingres and Courbet at Hermes. Obviously, I LOVE and I'm thrilled that art history is increasingly permeating fashion...the ad agency must be Izzy Loves fans, that's all I'm sayin'....

I just can't resist...

2011-07-04T16:12:00.000+01:00

...using today as an opportunity to post one of my favourite American-esque images: Daria Werbowy shot by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue in 2009...how amazing is the Chanel-O!! One of my favourite collections ever. Alternatively, if this isn't working for you, click here for a brilliant collection of American flag-themed posts!

Art In A Can: Inflatable Van Gogh

2011-07-04T14:46:00.003+01:00

I imagine the scenario goes like this...you're travelling around the American mid-West of months with no art museum or gallery in sight. So what do you take with you to remind you of the good times? An inflatable van Gogh bien sur! Stick in on the wall of your motel, in your bathroom or in your pool...Personally, I can't imagine ever forgetting what Starry Night looks like but, tis true, I can't say no to comedy art-themed present, ergo Christmas stocking filler a-hoy! Click here to purchase. It's the perfect gift for those that find themselves caught art historically short...

Missing Pieces by Rupert McKelvie

2011-07-04T14:40:00.001+01:00

Totally one of those 'I can't believe noones done this before moments' in the form of 'Missing Pieces by Rupert McKelvie, whose assembled these pieces entirely out of missing jigsaw pieces, thereby using the incomplete to create something whole. Click here to read all about this project at Dezeen and thank you to my lovely friends at MakeMei for the share!

2011-07-04T14:35:00.000+01:00

I am ready to embrace AW11 as soon as I get my hands on a pair of these bad boys.

I LOVE.

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

2011-07-03T20:15:00.000+01:00

Happy 4th of July weekend to all my American readers!

How amazing is this cake recipe?!

Festival Fever: Banksy at Glastonbury

2011-07-03T11:27:00.000+01:00

Talking of festivals, Banksy didn't disappoint and put in his annual appearance at Glastonbury this month with the awesome pic above. Check out his previous Glasto contributions here.

Happy Weekend...from Hop Farm!

2011-07-02T21:04:00.002+01:00

This weekend is the start of the summer holidays for London's art world: no more auctions until October! I've taken the opportunity to get out of London for Friday night and get myself into Benicassim mode thanks to an invite to Hop Farm, Vince Power's annual festival in Kent. It took us forever to get there but we finally made it to catch the Eagles, fuelled by Marks & Spencer's (seriously strong) spirit cans and Kx salads (we had good intentions). It was a beautiful evening...mostly spent in the press tent top right (they had the best loos!).

Ps: if you're in London this weekend, head down to Masterpiece art fair to see a great mix of art, jewellery and some seriously high calibre hospitality in the form of Harry's Bar, Mount Street Deli and Le Caprice at every turn. Here's the brilliant Lucywillshowyou, my work bestie and I at the opening on Weds.With Prince Harry even gracing the fair on Friday, it's this weekend's hottest ticket. Hope you all have lovely weekends xx

Jan Fabre's Heaven of Delight: The Ultimate Installation

2011-07-01T13:47:00.000+01:00

I'm completely obsessed by this installation - isn't it absolutely stunning? Entitled Heaven of Delight, what looks like a painting is instead an installation of half a million jewel-scarab wing cases, created by Jan Fabre and installed by 29 assistants in the Royal Palace of Brussels. The title gives reference to Hieronymos Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights while also referencing the tradition of ceiling painting.

In the 19th century, this part of the Royal Palace traditionally held contemporary art, but this ended after the death of King Leopold II. The current Queen, Paola, is a keen lover of contemporary art and has decided to reinstate the tradition, by inviting Jan Fabre to work on this room. This Hall of Mirrors was to be a tribute to Congo, but was left unfinished when both the client and architect died in 1909. Fabre's incredible work results in a painting created out of light rather than paint, with the gaze of the viewer acting as a brush, adding a dramatic sensuality and a transcendental feeling to the space. Click here to see more amazing pics.

2011-07-01T13:16:00.002+01:00

True dat. Prints available on Etsy.

Louboutin's Art-Inspired Campaign: L-O-V-E!!

2011-07-01T12:06:00.001+01:00

Oh Christian...as if you didn't know the way to my heart already with your red soles...you've just trumped all my expectations! Louboutin's latest campaign for AW11 takes its inspiration from some of the world's most famous paintings: never did I think I would see Whistler's mother gazing lovingly at a Loub. I also love that photographer Peter Lippmann have used some less familiar works such as Nattier, de la Tour and Benoit above. Check out the full selection of artists and images at Style Bubble.

2011-07-01T10:07:00.003+01:00

Amazing Artist-Inspired Tattoos: Picasso, Basquiat, Chuck Close et al.

2011-06-30T13:18:00.000+01:00

Holy mother of God did Flavourpill make my day with this amazing round of the twenty most amazing artist-inspired tattoos...I blogged a while ago about the tattoo of Picasso's dachshund Lump here but that is still the closest I'm going to get...check out the full slideshow here including tattoos featuring work by van Gogh, Chuck Close, Klimt and Warhol. I have to say though...I kind of LOVE this Basquiat one...

Website of the Week: OBSESSED with Where The Fuck Is This?

2011-06-30T12:30:00.001+01:00

I'm completely hooked on this new website and will be using it to plan all my summer holidays forthwith! Where The Fuck Is This? allows users to submit images of unidentified locations, be they houses, islands or just great staircases and then the global community helps identify them. The result is some seriously incredible photographs of some of the world's most elusive destinations. I'm in love....check it out here. It's also really educational!!