Left: Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci (men’s). Middle: Joseph Altuzarra. Right: Dries Van Noten
Never has the classic black leather jacket looked so good in so many different interpretations – 23 to be exact.
Barneys has collaborated with some of today’s top designers and most noted artists to create their own versions of the quintessential black leather jacket. The jackets were being auctioned off by International auction house Christie’s with proceeds from the sales going to benefit two art institutions (*White Columns and **The Centre).
The project pays homage to an iconic 1986 event in the original downtown NYC store location entitled Decorated Denim—in which customized denim jackets designed by prominent designers and artists were auctioned off to benefit an AIDS organization.
Artist Rob Pruitt emblazoned his interpretation, 91 Notables Wearing Biker Jackets, with hand-drawn likenesses of those know for sporting the style, ranging from Marlon Brando and James Dean to Drake and Bart Simpson.
For the occasion, Barneys partnered with *White Columns, New York’s oldest non-profit art space specializing in emerging artists, as well as with **The Center, New York City’s LGBT community center, for an art-meets-fashion collaboration.
Designers including Alexander Wang and Isabel Marant, along with artists like Helmut Lang, Marilyn Minter, and Rob Pruitt, have all put their own spin on the wardrobe staple, some for men and others for women, and each with phenomenal results. From the edgy to the refined, from wild to elegant, each of these jackets is a true expression of its creator’s vision.
The Los Angeles-based artist Sterling Ruby has been quoted as saying, “I like to think about art as being similar to poetry. It can’t be proven. It just exists, and there’s an aura about it.”
There is definitely an aura about the leather jacket. I love a slightly tough but sleek black leather jacket that shouts SEXY, CHIC, COOL, EDGY and always in style!
A new discovery. Well for me it might be relatively new, but I believe it’s an ancient tradition having originated in Tuscany, Italy around 800BC. It involves arranging food in a clay pot and sticking it in the oven.
Photo: d. king Hearty Bolognese Sauce
My pot resembles a beautiful large bowl. Until recently it was more of a decoration looking so pretty just sitting on top of a burner that I didn’t want to disturb it. But I decided to do just that. I was sure that anything this fine looking would make the food equally fine tasting. I felt inspired to actually try cooking with it and so be it!
I’ve been cooking like crazy with it and so far there has been nothing that has not come out other than superb tasting. I know the pot is mostly responsible for this so thought I’d share a few things about clay cooking because I’m not sure how popular it is. I know that using a pressure-cooker and slow-cooker is more the norm but this is fantastic and since this is also a life/style blog it looks pretty impressive taking it out of the oven.
Photo: d. king Spanish Chicken Marbella (served over wild rice)
“Hey I’ve got a great looking pot and something even better inside it – eat your heart out!” – d. king
Cooking in a clay pot is a lot different than cooking with other materials like ceramic or stainless steel because clay is porous. In fact, just to be on the safe side I soak the whole pot (lid and all) in water for about 20 minutes before using it. Then, when all the ingredients are inside, I place the pot in the oven before turning the oven on so everything warms up gradually.
The lack of enamel or glaze means the hard-baked clay “breathes”, enabling water to be absorbed and then released during cooking to achieve moist, intensely flavourful results with little to no seasonings. The slow, steady evaporation of steam from within the clay pot’s unglazed pores and the double sealed lid is what makes this possible.
Slow cooking is so much faster using a clay pot. It cooked the contents inside set on a low oven temperature of 300F evenly and flavourfully in all of one hour. Unbelievable!
Safety: most risk of lead contamination comes from glazed, ceramic dishes and pots. Make sure your clay pot is unglazed and has been certified by an independent third party lab as lead-free and that no chemical treatments have been applied to the clay during manufacturing of the clay pots. Then enjoy experimenting with them!
Have you ever cooked using clay? If so, share your thoughts?
Judgment day:
My experience as a black box judge in the “creative category” from competing teams at a barbeque fundraising event where the winner received thousands of dollars in prize money along with bragging rights. Sponsored by the Kansas City Barbeque Society:
From Farm to Table
This happened on Sunday out on a farm with lots of people and great live music. It was an interesting experience because all the cooks and organizers take it quite seriously. Southern style BBQ is a technique in which meat is cooked at low temperatures (about 225F) for a long time over indirect heat. No gas/propane allowed, the heat source is charcoal and wood. Judges were briefed beforehand and there was a follow-up discussion. Each competing team was given a time limit and received four mystery ingredients to be incorporated into a single dish and submitted to the distinguished panel of judges (at least that’s what was printed in the event schedule, ha!) where points were awarded based on originality, taste, texture and presentation. I was sitting in between the owner of a winery and a man who is almost certainly a professional food judge who had lots of stories.
The four main ingredients were pork loin, duck breast, dried tarragon and sushi rice so you can only imagine. Quite impressive what the participants came up with! A little glimpse into the world of what it must be like to be on one of those cooking shows – nerve wracking but challenging to have to come up with something under pressure. The real meaningof pressure cooking! I think I awarded points very fairly although I was a tough critic.
So tonight I’m making something with no more than four ingredients……to witness what turns out! A challenge to myself – no award $$$, possible bragging rights!
He had me at “Some Women” – a hauntingly breathtaking book celebrating female beauty with more than eighty photographs of his friends, fellow artists and celebrities. I bought this to use for a coffee table from a used book store years ago because the images moved me and I also know a few of the women featured in it.
This month, Robert Mapplethorpe will take over Los Angeles, with a major two-part retrospective on view at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) and the J. Paul Getty Museum from March 20–July 31, 2016.
The Perfect Medium will present the full scope of the artist’s work, from his earliest collage-based works, through his early Polaroids, to late floral still-lifes and portraits and seldom-seen moving image works. With such rich visual and archival resources on display, visitors will have an unprecedented opportunity to reflect on Mapplethorpe’s legacy, which has been both social and aesthetic.
I love a leather jacket:
Robert Mapplethorpe (Self-Portrait, 1980)
He sought what he called “perfection in form” in everything from acts of sexual fetishism to the elegant contours of flower petals. The exhibition also highlights the artist’s relationship to New York’s sexual and artistic undergrounds, as well as his experimentation with a variety of media.
The significance of the cherry blossom tree in Japanese culture goes back hundreds of years.
In their country, the cherry blossom represents the fragility and the beauty of life.
It’s a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short.
Quote: Homaro Cantu Photos: d. king
Ego says, “Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel peace.” Spirit says, “Find your peace, and then everything will fall into place”. – Marianne Williamson
Some of the best things come in the tiniest packages.
On my quest for keeping things simple and especially for travelling, here are two new products you should know about.
ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR CONCENTRATED RECOVERY POWER FOIL MASK – newly launched in February/2016
No offense to the rest of the world, but one thing is abundantly clear: Korean women have the beauty game on lock. Recognizing this, heritage beauty brand Estée Lauder is unleashing its shiny new “Iron Man” mask in Korea a month early as a market test drive.
The metallic, mask-selfie-worthy foil mask—which boasts a dual matrix (yes, MATRIX) technology that locks in the brand’s beloved Advanced Night Repair super serum—is already receiving rave reviews from discerning K-beauty experts. Let the countdown begin.
Coming soon to a store near you:
KLEENEX EXFOLIATING CUSHIONS
Kleenex, yes as in the tissue brand, is looking to tend to your face beyond your sniffly nose with a new facial cleansing line. The item women can’t wait to get their hands on? The exfoliating cushions, which in my mind are as lazy-girl-friendly as makeup wipes. With their dual-sided cushions, the sizable rounds gently buff away dead skin and debris, leaving skin smooth, polished, and squeaky clean in the process.
Cleaning, exfoliating and masking your face just got a whole lot easier and a lot more packable.
A STYLISH LINE of comfortable, functional athletic/lifestyle wear that I think you should know aboutif you don’t already since it’s been getting press in magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Redbook and Shape. I’ve basically been living in my Garbe Luxe basic, seam and moto leggings and not just for going to the gym. For evening you can find me in the Luca pant – a little too often.
Cambridge Jacket, Henley T, Heidi Sweatpant
Garbe Luxe is not only well made, the clothing fits beautifully (which let’s be honest, is our main objective) and looks good in all the right places. I wear the short & long bra tops for yoga or running and in the summer I love the various tanks and t-shirts. No doubt that they’re current and fashionable because they’re designed by my unfussy stylish friend Natalia MacLeod who is originally from Montreal and now makes her home in Los Angeles where everything is made. As soon as I found out that she was creating an athletic wear line I wanted it – whatever she wears I want because I always admired her simple, elegant style. She’s also exotically beautiful.
Ruby V Neck, Pocket Sweaty
ABOUT:
GARBE LUXE is a contemporary collection of sporty edge styles perfect to take you from your workout and into your day. The collection is all about helping your athletic wear gracefully make the transition to the world beyond the exercise studio (très L.A.). Whether heading to a morning meeting, dropping off the kids or joining friends for lunch, GARBE LUXE has you covered so you always feel polished, confident and comfortable.
Paired back minimalism, luxurious fabrics, and mix-and-match options create sophisticated options for your on-the-go life.
Some of my go-to’s:
Low-Back TankLuca PantSeam LeggingLong Bra TopChloe Cardigan
We’re not in Kansas anymore – but it sure feels like it!
The BARBEQUE BONANZA is Back!
Word must have gotten out that I’ve either done the barbeque circuit or that I just like to eat a lot of barbequed foods. Both are true. For this reason, it makes sense that I’m one of the chosen ones to judge a “best of barbeque” contest. I take this position very seriously and in doing so must sample all of the participating chefs “best of”. Tough work.
From Farm to Table
The second annual Barn Burner BBQ, co-presented by Johnston’s Pork and Fraser Valley Specialty Poultry is back Sunday, March 20 at the Farm Store, 4540 Simmons Rd (in Chilliwack, BC) to kick off the 2016 BBQ season.
This free-to-attend, family-friendly BBQ extravaganza is officially sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society. Donations will be accepted upon entry for Envision Financial’s Full Cupboard, which benefits the Chilliwack care and share community food bank.The competition will witness the battle of the BBQs in four main categories: Beef Brisket, Pulled Pork, Chicken, and Ribs. The winning team with the highest total points in all four categories will take home their share of $5000 in prize money along with the Barn Burner BBQ Grand Championship trophy and bragging rights.
Teams will also compete in a BBQ “Black Box” cook-off (this is where I come in). This “Iron Chef” style competition gives these BBQ competitors a chance to show off their more creative side. It is sure to be a very tasty battle.
Chef Dez, local celebrity and cookbook author, will be returning as the emcee, while meat lovers of all ages are invited to join the festivities including a live band performance, (climbing wall & face-painting for the kiddies) and free samples of delicious BBQ meat. If the samples don’t quite fill you up, Poomba’s Smokehouse Food Truck will be on site selling even more bbq.
BBQ is NOT grilling!!
Got that?
A bit about BBQ:
There is a very distinct difference between the two. Just ask anyone that knows BBQ and they will tell you all about it.
Southern style BBQ is a technique in which meat is cooked at low temperatures (about 225 F) for a long time over indirect heat. The heat source is charcoal and wood. No gas/propane is allowed. The Barn Burner BBQ competition consists of four main categories: Beef Brisket, Pulled Pork, Chicken and Ribs. Brisket is cooked for 12 – 16 hours. Ribs take approx. 6 hours & chicken approx. 4 hours.
About The Full Cupboard:
Established by Envision Financial, The Full Cupboard is an innovative community program designed to raise food, funds, and awareness for food banks in the communities where Envision Financial operates. Their goal is to raise 1 million dollars and 100,000 pounds of food by 2023. Since 2013 they’ve raised more than $340,000 and 30,000 pounds of food. Donations are accepted online or at any Envision Financial Branch location.
About Barn Burner:
The Second Annual Barn Burner BBQ competition brings together fiercely competitive BBQ Pitmasters from all over the Pacific Northwest, Alberta and Saskatchewan. They will gather in Chilliwack to showcase their BBQ skills and compete for the ultimate prize- the Grand Championship of the Barn Burner BBQ. This local event is fully sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society and expects to attract thousands of BBQ lovers from the Lower Mainland. Visitors will experience a fun-filled day of tasting BBQ samples, family activities and live music. Learn more at barnburnerbbq.ca
Parking will be available near the event. There will be a free shuttle to take you from the parking lot to the event site.
It’s free (or by donation), it’s food, it’s fun, it’s family, it’s farm, it’s far (but not too far to enjoy an outing that invites Summer a little early on in the season).With an excuse to wear my cowboy boots. It’s Fabulous.
Ultimately it’s the image of decadence that appeals to me.
Timing is funny. If not for the simple fact that I would no longer be alive, I think living in the 20-30’s might have been a perfect time for me. I’ve been meaning to do a post on art deco style for months now. I’ve kept these photos on file for when the timing struck me right to do something on it. I find the era and the architecture very significant.
South Beach, Miami
After all, the roaring twenties conjures up images of glamour, vast ocean liners and prohibition-era hedonism. That period in time is specifically what attracted me to hanging around South Beach, that they’ve managed to keep the flavour alive through design and the remodelling of buildings and the ambiance in general.
When I lived in Montreal I was part of a dance scene in a made for TV movie (written by Mordecai Richler and directed by Claude Jutra) which involved hiring a dance instructor to teach us the Jitterbug and Charleston while dressed up in full costume – it was a blast. That was my first experience going back in time.
Dapper Men
Fast forward to today. I’m part of a committee which puts on a big fundraiser once a year with a theme. As it so happens the theme everyone decided on for this year’s gala is Art Deco. So I can’t wait to get dressed up in some kind of attire that will invoke a refined elegance. Should be lots of fun with some research involved.
Rockefeller Center, including its centerpiece tower (opened in 1933 & now familiarly known as 30 Rock) was primarily designed by architect Raymond Hood
Until then I will share some images of things I find interesting from that time period.
I have a bathtub just like this. I always wanted an old fashioned tub.One of my other expressions of Art Deco fascination are these statues on Juliet balcony overlooking living area.Georges Fouquet’s 1923 jade, onyx and diamond dress ornament is in the collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Funny; polka dots never go out of style. Maybe my next dog will be a Dalmation.
Finding Peace of Mind. Isn’t that what we all want? Yesterday I went to my first clinical hypnosis therapy session. I posted about the process last week but hadn’t experienced it until now. Told you I’d follow up on it.
The practitioner is in the process of writing a book on the subject of which she has been practicing for 16 years. Her office was calming as expected, her music soft and relaxing and her voice ever so soothing.
It was a case of deep relaxation while opening the subconscious to work with the mind in order to achieve a peaceful feeling to overcome symptoms such as (in my case) anxiety, some stress and loss of sleep. Others use it to manage pain, kick bad habits such as smoking and change harmful attitudes. If you’re familiar with meditation and make it your practice you will find it much easier to achieve an hypnotic state.
I decided to do this because someone very close to me has a recurring cancer and I wanted to offer support and something positive to go along with the auto-immune therapy that this person is undergoing. A therapy not yet approved here in Canada, only successful in 4 cancer types with a 30% success rate and a multitude of possible side effects. After yesterday I realized the hypnotherapy could help me deal with the situation as well.
This could not have come at a better time for me because I had no more than one hour of restful sleep the night before for no apparent reason other than over-thinking and worry. But you can train your mind to push worry aside with training and diligence.
Most people in general find it easier to attain a restful body but the mind seems to stay active. The idea is to quiet the mind while a part of your subconscious guides you along to a restful place to offer helpful suggestions. It’s not meditation. Meditation is a blank state while in hypnosis part of your mind stays awake.
woman meditating on the beach in the Caribbean
The session lasted one hour. The tiny group of two other people and I were told that 15 minutes of hypnotherapy is the equivalent of 4 hours of restful sleep. We were under for at least 30 minutes so I figure by way of this, I was able to get my full 8 hours after all. I actually felt much more rested after the session ended. Good thing too because I had a very full day ahead and was able to make it through remaining alert (along with some coffee).
I will continue this journey longer by going to sessions and setting aside a specific time (5 to 15 minutes a day) to sit back, relax, imagine my colour (we choose a colour theme – mine was shades of fuchsia before she said to make it a relaxing colour so it became violet), a vision (private although I shared it with the others in the room) and see where this guides me. I can tell you that my set visual is the most wonderful inspiring sensation.It wasn’t this but I love this dream like illustration and since I live partially in a dream world it inspired me to include it.
Have you tried this?
Practitioner: Louise Evans Address: Suite #205, 2902 West Broadway Phone: 604 773 5595 Website: sparkhypnotherapy.com
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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