Street Performers In London

I've got to thank my sister for these photos of street performers she took a week or so ago in London and sent to me. It's early Monday morning here in Florida and this is an easy post to start the week with. More to come later today!

Well Behaved Women

Thanks sis for another great Little-Pumpkins idea!

Ice Cream Truck In London

I just got these images in the mail yesterday from my sister that was in London for a few days this past week. It reminded me of this post that I had done a short while back and being a sucker for "naif art" had to post it here too. I love these pseudo-good attempts to recreate pop culture icons such as this Disney-inspired ouvre seen above.

Dirty Pigs in London

I just opened my e-mail box to find these great pictures that my sister sent me from London. She thought I'd love this new anti-litter campaign by the British government (she was right!) and took these funny images shown here.

Their site Dirtypig.org (no, it's not a gay hook-up site) explain a bit more about the campaign below:

"Keep Britain Tidy is launching a ‘dirty pig’ campaign to tackle the problem and cut the amount of takeaway trash taking over our streets. Over a quarter of our streets are strewn with cast off food cartons, drink cans, pizza boxes and chip wrappers. Research reveals that many people on a night out depend on a takeaway treat at the end of a night to sober up after a few too many drinks in pubs and clubs – but often most of their midnight meal ends up scattered on the floor or in the gutter. Keep Britain Tidy’s campaign is set to make you think about what you look like when you drop litter. Posters will be appearing around the country featuring an attractive man and woman who develop pig-like features after dropping litter, together with the slogan, ‘What does dropping litter make you look like?’."

Another cool feature on their site is that you can upload your own photo - or of others - and pig-ize it by adding pig features like pink snouts and pig ears.

Dirtypig.org

David Bailey & Jean Shrimpton, New York 1962

I just came across this lovely art book by British photographer David Bailey called "NY JS DB 62". This cinema-verite style photo shoot was done in early 1962 in New York City when David Bailey, then a novice at British Vogue, was commissioned for a 14-page editorial in the Big Apple for the same publication. At the time fashion shoots were mostly done in studios and followed pretty classic guidelines of sets, poses and aristocratic styling. The minuscule travelling crew consisted of David himself, his then girlfriend supermodel Jean Shrimpton and a nervous & complaining Vogue fashion editor. Make up and hair style were done by Shrimpton herself, Bailey changed his own films, they travelled by cabs and endured freezing temperatures in the days they spent in New York. Unknown to them at the time, they were making fashion history with an innovative and ground-breaking editorial that permanently changed the way fashion photography was meant to look like. Instead of pretty pictures in front of the stone lions of the 42nd Street Library as the editor suggested, Bailey went to Harlem - inspired by his love of Jazz and clubland - and bohemian locations in the Lower East Side. He captured the downbeat energy of a moving city, it's gray streets reminiscing of Bailey's youth growing up in East London. It's tough/naive youthful vibe - touching and intimate at times - is a literal picture-in-time in the history of style, photography and culture. Love it!

Vintage Biba Poster @ 55MAX London

New and Exclusive to 55MAX, unsigned original Biba posters by James Wedge. Posters were printed in 1974 to be sold in all the iconic Biba shops - never hit the shop floor as Biba just went bust. A serious collector's item and an investment for the future.

Poster Detail : Gold Biba Logo printed top left hand corner

28 x 13 inches(Print only) @ £150.00

28 x 13 inches(Gold frame) @ £295.00

Available at 55MAX London

Cool Ad Campaign - Pointer

Great ad campaign for London-based footwear company Pointer. The design concept, layout and color choices are amazing - a hint of Dali, a dash of Krofft Brothers - and the result is surreal-dreamy! PlayArea, led by Mat & Hannah, is the design agency responsible for this cool ongoing thought-provoking campaign, featured in magazines like Dazed & Confused, Lowdown and Grafik. I must point out that the new Camper campaign strikes a remarkable resemblance to Pointer's two year-old adverts.

Hum, sometimes the "big boys" don't seem to go too far for "inspiration"... Kudos guys!

Dita Von Teese @ InStyle UK

There is no such thing as too much Dita Von Teese! My favorite pin-up-comes-to-life, Dita Von Teese, graced the pages of In-Style Magazine, UK edition, in another gorgeous pictorial and I had to post it here too. Love you Dita!

Kate Moss @ i.-D Magazine

Kate Moss is the cover star of i-D Magazine's November o7 edition - the !*#? Issue.

In the "Too Fast to Live" editorial she appears as post-punk Pris look-a-like - Daryl Hannah's character in Blade Runner - with severe bleached hair and blunt bangs. She is hawking her new Topshop clothing line, in a quite fetish-y layout, with black stockings and stilettos in bed. The cover tag "You want me to say who I am?" makes me think of Madonna's Erotica video, as Ms. Moss could just answer in a raspy voice: "My name's Kate and I will be your mistress tonight"

Photography by Emma Summerton.

Via A Socialite's Life

Vivienne Westwood's Yellow Bentley

For fashion designer Vivienne Westwood no sedate silver Bentley will do.

To celebrate Milan Fashion Week, Bentley announced that it has joined forces with British designer Vivienne Westwood, known for her mini-crinis, links with the Sex Pistols and penchant for going "knickerless," even during the ultra-formal ceremony when she was made a Dame by Queen Elisabeth.
The Milan event was highlighted by a bright yellow 1992 Bentley Continental convertible that was shown off in front of the Palazzo Reale, where her retrospective is being held. Bentley said it is a fitting tribute to the "unconventional spirit" of Westwood. She also gets the keys to a Bentley Continental Flying Spur for use in Milan and will get a ride in the Bentley Continental GTC.


Via Inside Lines

You May Quote Me on That: Margaret Thatcher

"In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman."

Margaret Thatcher

Little-Pumpkins @ The Guardian Unlimited

Look what I just found online on UK's The Guardian Unlimited website: a write up about your favorite (so I hope) blog Little-Pumpkins!!!

Series: Blog by blog guide to ...

Blog by blog guide to ... Rio
This month Benji Lanyado rounds up the best bloggers' guides to the beaches, bars and even the burgers of Brazil's most glamorous city

Guardian Unlimited
Tuesday October 2 2007

Little Pumpkins
In Brazilian-Portuguese, "abobrinhas" is the art of talking shit. Or, as this blogger refers to it, "small talk; useless information, foolish chit-chat; non-sense; fluff." Either way, Little Pumpkins (the literal translation of "abobrinhas") does exactly what it says on the tin - a prolific, oddly captivating flurry of modish camp stuff from the mind of a Rio-based "Pumpkin Man". A short browse reveals our hero's forte: pretty pictures. One of his many tags is "street art", featuring Rio's finest, including two rather snazzy shop facades at Carlos Tuvfesson and Addict.

To read the full post click here.

Amir Khan @ Got Milk UK

British professional boxer Amir Khan is the new poster boy for the Got Milk campaign in the UK. He also happens to be the International Boxing Federation's inter-continental light welterweight champion. Not bad...

I MUST cut down all carbs - NOW!

Via Towleroad

English Beat @ The New York Times Magazine

Photography: Nan Goldin. Fashion Editor: Bruce Pask.

Via The New York Times

Hirst Painting Sells for £200 at Auction

How much is art really worth to you? Do you buy it for love-love or status-love? If you knew it was a fake would you still want it? Like that Ab Fab episode in which Edwina gets a pair of earrings for her birthday and asks: "Is this real Lacroix or it's just in a Lacroix box?" Daughter Saffie replies:"Does it matter? And Eddie responds "I love IF it's Lacroix!"

Painter Damien Hirst, UK's most bankable artist, wanted to know just that and festival organizer Kevin Allen came up with an idea. A "mock" art auction of 41 unsigned, anonymous works was set up and news were leaked that there would be an authentic Hirst piece among them. They would have to guess which one was the real one as the pieces were deliberately misleading, done to resemble Hirst's art style. In attendance at the Flatlake Arts and Literary Festival in Ireland were some of the country's most prestigious art dealers and media types. In trying to guess which one was "the one", buyers paid up to £5,000 for works they mistook as being Hirst's, including a sculpture entitled Two Rats in a Drainpipe, made by three A-level students from West London. Film producer Allan Maloney was the lucky one who managed to snap up Hirst's Spin for a mere £200.00!

Hirst donated the painting, which he created for his 'Spin' series, hoping it would go to someone who really liked it.

I wonder how he feels about the fact that Maloney immediately offered up the painting for auction again, selling it for £95,000 to Irish gallery owner Kevin Spillane.

I had talked about Hirst here a few days ago but this new mention was worth another post.

Via The Independent

Mustache & Beard Competition - Brighton, England

Competitors from the UK, America, Germany and many other countries are in Brighton, England, for the World Beard and Moustache Championships.
The 2007 event is being hosted by The Handlebar Club which was set up exactly 60 years ago in a London theatre. Categories include Dali moustache, goatee and full beard freestyle.

Via BBC