June 2010 - V O G U E

The Prada Book

Prada Book event in Moscow.
The Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, a former bus depot, was transformed for three days only, into a faux antique library to launch Prada most precious edition, the Prada Book.

The faux antique library with the Prada Book in the centerpiece

The walls are lined by wallpaper printed with trompe- l'oeil books

Published last year, the 798-page tome documents the venerable fashion house's three decade long, ranging from the clothes, shoes and bags, to the architecture and industrial design projects of recent years.

A selection of highlights from the book

Display of Prada's distinctive green store

Leathers and skins

The New York Epicentre

The Los Angeles Epicentre

A still from the collaborative film between Miuccia Prada and Ridley Scott
Thunder Perfect Mind

The Fondazione Prada

A stack of publications from the Fondazione

The Fondazione Prada

Images courtesy of Wallpaper magazine

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Small Spaces at the Victoria & Albert museum-London

Architects build Small Spaces

This summer, the V&A museum has commissioned seven architects at the forefront of experimental design to create their first built structures, design structures which explore notions of refuge and "retreat".

Due to my fascination for tree houses and trees (see tree house and Big Bambu), I chose "Ratatosk", a playful climbing structure, built of ash trees, strips of willow, moss, and gnarled knots, designed by the Norwegian group Helen and Hard architects.

Their concept

Recalling the tradition of the British 18th-century garden folly, this climbing structure reawakens our memories of childhood play and exploration. 'Ratatosk' is an Old Norse word which means 'drill-tooth'. It refers to an ancient squirrel from Norse mythology that lived in a giant ash tree standing at the centre of the cosmos.

The architects have split five ash trees lengthways and planted them face to face, thus allowing visitors to step into the 'interior space' of the trees. Crowning the structure is a hand-woven willow canopy which hangs over a soft play-surface of wood shavings.

A glimpse at the construction process

Click to see more on the exhibition at V & A museum UK

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Beautiful rides on beautiful bikes

Be Cycle and Fashion

Create for the planet

Because now Sustainable development has become a lifestyle and a source of daily inspiration, because beauty and fashion can help spread the word in a very attractive way, several big names in fashion have kindly agreed to support the operation Be Cycle & Fashion by customizing THE ultimate symbol of environmental responsibility: a bike!
12 designers customize 12 bicycles made by Peugeot to support ACT Responsible association.
By transforming these twelve bikes into true pieces of art, artists expressed their vision of an ethical fashion, in line with the times, in order to sensitize the public to experience the daily life and sustainable development in a friendly and creative way.

THE « BE CYCLE & FASHION 2010 » DESIGNERS
AGATHA RUIZ DE LA PRADA, Be Cycle & Fashion godmother, KENZO TAKADA, MARITHE + FRANCOIS GIRBAUD, JEAN-CLAUDE JITROIS, KARIM BONNET, YLAN ANOUFA, JEROME L’HUILLIER, ANTIK BATIK, FRANCOIS DURIS pour Peugeot, Elieux by KAORI ITO, ON AURA TOUT VU using SWAROVSKI elements, ORA ITO.

Agatha Ruiz de la Prada

Kenzo Takada

Antik Batik - Gabriella Cortes

Peugeot - Francois Duris

Karim Bonnet

Ylan Anoufa

Marithe et Francois Girbaud

See more on photo-gallery Be Cycle and Fashion
The bikes will be auctioned in September in Paris. Click here for more information on this event.

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Houses of Los Angeles, 1885-1919

Houses of Los Angeles ( Urban Domestic Architecture Series ), is a two-volume study of historic Los Angeles houses from 1885 until 1935. It contains a range of design from bungalows, Scottish castles, Japanese pavilions, Moorish style homes to modern houses.

Moorish style home, 1897

Algerian-style court of a house in Pasadena built in 1897

City mansion, mission style, 1901

Hollywood Japanese-inspired villa

Pasadena Spanish-inspired home, 1916

Beachfront home in Long Beach, 1916

Hollywood Swiss-chalet inspired home, 1914

West Hollywood home, 1916

Italian Renaissance villa in Pasadena, 1905

Images courtesy of Kevin Sharkey

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Unique jewels by Francesca Villa

Francesca Villa creates unique jewels. Using vanishing objects found at antique and collectors markets, visited on her travels, in New York especially, she skillfully assembles the pieces with precious gems and materials. The results are exquisite. Here are two new collections of fine and rare jewelry.

Into the Wild Collection

Francis Macomber bracelet, white gold with diamond and ancient domino pieces

Bracelet made from a 1950s belt with black diamonds, gold and enamel

Snow of Kilimanjaro ring
Pink gold with rubies, citrine and 16th-century white agate from Iran

High Fever Collection
Washington earrings made from vintage gaming chips

Rock and Roll earrings

For further info visit Francesca Villa

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Urban Life by Sandrine Estrade Boulet

Discover the work of Sandrine Estrade Boulet, a French artist who likes simple things. She sees dwarfs everywhere, hydrants in stone fields. Her work is greatly inspired by urban environment and her strong imagination is expressed through her colorful and funny photo manipulations.

I get my inspiration by walking the dog or by sitting on a bench and watching the scenery around me. People should smile when they see my work, we need to see positive, funny and lively images. I love Dadaism, art should be fun and silly.

City series

The butterfly