Posts from — September 2009

“My Pleasure”,  2009 – Still from a video by Helen Benigson.

After visiting the ’Prints Charming’ exhibition at Liberty, I was deeply intrigued by the little charming ‘Wendy House’ by artist Helen Carmel Benigson, so I decided to find out a bit more about her and about what her work is all about.

A0 Lightboxes 2009 – by Helen Benigson.

Helen Carmel Benigson is one of London’s hottest young
emerging artist, whose enigmatic, sexy, playful and colourful
work continues to attract and entice the viewers.

“Planes”, 2009 – Still from a video by Helen Benigson.

I find that her work seems to have a sort of multi-faceted effect,
provoking various reactions ranging from: a sense of voyeurism,
a mirror effect, the naivety and openness with which we embrace
love when we are young and  the playfulness and daring attitude that
comes with being forever young at heart.

Installation – 2009, 7 video projections, 3 televisions,
2 sound tracks and various objects and prints by Helen Benigson.

But what I find most fascinating about her art is that quasi subliminal
message that comes into my head when I look at her work which seems
to tell me: “Don’t be fooled by what you see, as what you think you see
may just be hiding what lies within…”

I absolutely love her pink monoprints series:

Other titles in the same series include:

Anything dairy
Je ne regretted rien
Late night supermarket shopping
Im so dirty
Glistening creamy milky sexy wet
Je suis la buff ting
Sucking and sugary
Oh my gosh
Waiting to be touched
The sugar that’s refined
Obsession and imagination
im addicted to your fantasy
in love obsessed impressed and distressed
I love you do you love me
Everything I touch it may turn to gold

and I loved her ’Milk Me’ piece -a film where she has warm milk poured
all over her for about twenty minutes –  which she showed at  Cocomaya,
a fancy chocolate shop off the Edgware Road in London.

In this fabulous exclusive interview for us, Helen shares
the inspiration behind her work and some of her favourite
things. Enjoy!

- Where are you from originally and how long have you been
making art for?
I’m originally from London and I guess I’ve been making art since
I was four years old. My favourite colour is still pink as it was then!

- Why art? And if not art, what would it be?
It’s art and it’s rapping. I’m also a rapper… but my dream
is to open a supermarket.

-How did you get involved with the Prints Charming exhibition
at Liberty? And which was your favourite piece?
My favourite piece was my Wendy House! - I made the piece
for my BA final Degree show at The Slade, and Liberty kindly
supplied me with the fabric to make it. They came to see the
piece and they loved it so much that they asked me to show
it in their exhibition ‘Prints Charming’.

I also adored Grayson Perry’s Liberty print fabric that he
designed for the exhibition.

- Who or what inspires you?
MTV, Israel, pink, flowers, soldiers, cupcakes, Eminem, Facebook,
sushi, tanning, baking…

- Who is your favourite artist?
Louise Bourgeois and Mia.

- If you were a work of art, which one would you be and why?
I would like to be a Louise Bourgeois ‘Insomnia Drawing’
because when I can’t sleep I think of her!

- Which is the most memorable and inspirational show that you
have been to and why?
That’s a really hard question. There are soooo many and I see
every show that I possibly can get to. I was recently in L.A. and
New York and saw lots of amazing art there.

“Rabi versus rapper” – 2009, still from video by Helen Benigson.

- In what gallery or Museum would you love to show next?
I’m really excited because I’m having an exhibition in December
in Cape Town, South Africa at the Irma Stern Museum. It is the
most beautiful space in the world. Before then I’m doing a couple
of things to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair in London.

- If you could invite 3 people to dinner (no matter from what era)
who would they be and where would you take them?
Eminem – I would take him for dinner in my bedroom (Sushi take away).

- Best ever trip? Where did you go, what did you do?
I love going to Israel. It is the hardest but most inspiring
place to be. My best holiday was Thailand with my boyfriend
– some of the islands are so so beautiful and so romantic…

- Best read?
I’m currently reading ‘Bright Shiny Morning’ by James Frey,
it’s about L.A. – the real side to L.A. that I didn’t see in the
background of the clubs, restaurants and shops…

- Best movie?
I saw The September Issue yesterday and loved it.

-Fave SMV pieces?
I love the Pansy Bow dress:

The heart tee dress:

and the gold architectural dress I WANT IT!!!!

-Thank you so much Helen it’s been lovely to have you, finally please
choose the song the song of the day.
Pleasure. The song is ‘Run This Town’ by Jay Z ft Rhianna and kanye West.

Links:
http://helenbenigson.com/
http://www.spanishmossvintage.com/

xoxo
Nonita

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Ever since watching the gorgeous Alicia Silverstone in
the classic “Clueless” I dreamt of having a virtual closet
like hers to satisfy my inner geek-organization-freak-fashion-
loving-fashionista inside…. Oooooh! The stuff of dreams!
And it seems that we are just around the corner to see
that happen… minus the pacman-like font that is…

I was obsessed with the idea of being given a cd with images
of the clothes I buy so that I could then add them to my virtual
closet. Imagine being able to select and style your next outfit
whilst you are on the bus, or the train, or anywhere! Instant
access to your wardrobe from pretty much everywhere!

Well, it looks like I might not have been the only one who saw
Clueless and developed such obsession, as revolting Apple has
developed an application for its I-Phone called: “Closet”.
Alike the other one million applications on the I-phone, Closet
aims to tell you what to wear and when to wash it. Ok, not bad,
but the façade and whole design and outlook of it is… like the
I phone, a little bit tacky. So, I won’t be breaking up with my
beloved Blackberry Curve just yet, not until Apple raise their
game up a notch or two. Watch this space…

In the meantime, to satisfy my need to play dress up
I have developed a mild addiction to the fabulous Looklet.
Ever dreamt of styling a photoshoot? Dressing the model,
choosing the location, picking the clothes, etc but been
busy doing other things instead…? Well now you can
with Looklet. Have fun but watch the clock, as it can
get to tea and ginger biscuits o’clock before you know it!

Here are some of my recent virtual looks from Looklet:

“Catch me if you can”
I love that sweater is from Disa Treutiger.

“To read or not to read”
This is what I would wear to the parc… love the skirt
it has a vintage feel is by Ida Sjostedt and the
tank top is by April 77.

“If I were a boy”
I adore this t-shirt it satisfies the inner tomboy… is by Burfitt.

“I so love playing the boy”
Same here, I just love it so much!

“Irreverent show”
The perfect outfit for an art openning. I adore this look
the collar is by Josefin Strid.

“Back to black”
Now this is my idea of fun… another amazing collar
by Josefin Strid.

“Le sheep c’est chic”
I fell in love with this Chloe sheep jumper at LIBERTY and
was thrilled to find it on Looklet to play with, yay!

Fun hey? have a go I dare you… and post links here to show us
your looks!

Here are some great quotes from “Clueless”, which I hear that will
be coming back to the big screen soon, after 15 years? Hell yeah!
and we can’t wait!

I mean I am no prude, I am just Highly selective!
- Cher in Clueless 1995.

What the hell is that!?!
A dress…
Says who?
Calvin Klein.
- Cher and her dad discuss her outfit.

So the song of the day could be no other than…

Don’t you just loooove those two-tone brogues…?!?

XO
Nona

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Hailing from lovely Ireland, Aaron Russell is a London based
contemporary artist/curator/event organizer/entrepreneur
and the creator of The Jago a fantastic, one-of-a-kind gallery/bar/studio space in one of the trendiest areas of London
and one of my favourite top inpirational people in the world!

The Jago Bar

In this exclusive interview for SMV, Aaron shares his views
and experiences on art -as a London based artist and gallery
curator- as well as giving us an insight into life and inspirations
from London’s most creative haunt: Shoreditch.

Image courtesy of Tinsel Edwards

Shoreditch is well known for its creative types, its fashion
forward crowd, eclectic nightlife, cultural offerings and laid
back attitude and The Jago is a perfect amalgamation of all
of these characteristics. In Aaron’s words:
“The Jago is all about providing an easy-going space
for the creative types of this world to showcase their work,
whether it is performance, fine art, music, fashion, etc”

Live events at The Jago

- Where are you from originally and how long have you been an artist for?
I was born in Northern Ireland, been living in London
for 9 odd years. I feel I’ve always been an artist – gladly
I never had to choose. In the past four years I have had
three solo exhibitions and taken part in four group shows,
most of the shows have been in small galleries in East and
North London. I look at all of these past shows as reference
points, their main value is only relevant to me and my
progression in understanding my role as an artist. For the
outsider they will be more relevant in twenty years or so.
Scoring a goal from the half way line in a football league game
with a full-on top corner lob………. It’s a football thing.

The Jago Gallery

-If you weren’t an artist what would you be?
If not an artist, then a pirates life for me.

Aaron Russell

-What influences your work, what are the concepts behind it?
In lighter moods I like to think my artwork is about time
travel, a register of events, places, people, maybe just
words or images that have passed through history and
finding my place amidst it all. Take the piece ‘Les Carabiniers’;
the text is from a 1963 French movie describing the darkness
of war, the images are of various people going about their
everyday lives by a selection of street photographers from
New York circa 2008. Together they give instant expression
to my understanding of mankinds desire for destruction and death.

Right now I’ll say colour is my strongest influence……lets just
say that a piece of work more often than not takes off with a
colour, the colour is some kind of sign post for the work. For
years I only worked in black and white, colour was trickery I
could become obsessed with and lost in, so I avoided it but now
its my guide. You could say I am a time travelling colourist.

- Which are your dreams and ambitions as an artist?
I am not sure. I remember seeing a photo of Pablo Picasso
on a sun-bleached roof terrace making small sculptures, the
guy was probably in his late 70’s and he still had that mischievous
grin on his face.

Picasso at work.

- Why “The Jago”?
Ah yes why The Jago. Well, ‘The Jago’ is a square mile of land
running parallel with Bethnal Green Rd and Shoreditch High St
where in the 1800’s all the murderers, prostitutes and other
vagabonds of the day would reside or hideout. It was notoriously
the most dangerous part of Dickensian London, even the police
would never enter for fear of a horrible death. The area was
demolished in the early 1900’s and replaced with the Boudary
estates – the first social housing in Europe. The rubble from
the demolition now makes up the foundations of the beautiful
Arnold Circus Bandstand. There is a short book called ‘A Child
Of The Jago’ worth a read.

- Who is your favourite artist at the moment?
Takeshi Kitano is currently my favourite artist. Not only
a great comedian, performer, painter, actor and sublime
director he is also the creator of the greatest game show
of all time TAKESHI’S CASTLE!!! A truly inspirational human
in the art of creativity.

- If you were a work of art, which one would you be and why?
I would maybe be a Rothko, cold, boring, vague, enigmatic
or maybe warm, romantic even spiritual, depends on how you
look or just the time of day – I’m not good in the morning.

-Best art moment ever?
The first time I saw a Jackson Pollock at the Pompadieu
in Paris stopped me in my tracks, 30ft long. That ability
to paralyze the mind, body and soul is a true sign of artistic
genius, I remember just standing there motionless while my
whole being was, I guess, reprogramming itself in response
to what it had just encountered. Sounds dramatic I know but
you see I didn’t see it from a distance, there was no lead-up,
no getting used to, I simply turned a blind corner and BANG
there it was. Picasso’s Bull would I’m sure have had the same
effect but unfortunately the first time I saw it was in turning
a page in a book and there it was, postage stamp image,
top-left, black ‘n’ white.

Jackson Pollock at work.

- In what gallery or Museum would you love to see your art exhibited or you would like to curate for?
I would fill The County Hall just to show it can work.
I like and respect Charles Saatchi but that place had
too many different artists/styles, I should know I worked
there. The concept simply didn’t fit the space and it’s
a good concept and great space.

-If you were able to reincarnate, who would you come back as?
Reincarnate? Me……….. it would be like Groundhog Day, brilliant.

- If you could invite 3 people to dinner (no matter from
what age) who would they be and where would you take them?
My three people for dinner would be, Marilyn Monroe, Tupac Shakur
and Paul from the first series of The Apprentice- he was the white
suited wheeler dealer London boy. Three loose cannons back to
mine for pineapple curry and rum.

-Best ever trip to?
By myself on the Caribbean island of Tobago during April
/May off-season in 1999. Two magic months of exploring
and affectionately being called ‘white boy’, I might just
have been the only tourist there at that time and Tobago
was largely untouched by the hands of developers. Days
spent playing football or ’skilling’ the ball with the locals
(I lived beside Dwight Yorke’s mother and played with his
brothers and school friends), generally wandering around
in the guise of Robinson Crusoe – William Defoe wrote the
book on the island. I remember buying my loafs of bread
and printed on the packaging would read ‘what lies behind
us and before us, compares nothing to what lies within us’
-beats reading Kingsmill.

Flag of Trinidad and Tobago

-Best read?
Best read is The Great Gatsby, or Playboy May issue
1975 for the Norman Mailer fight report on Ali v Foreman,
electric journalism.

-Favourite movie line?
” I’m drowning here and your describing the water!” –
a reluctantly in love Jack Nicholson in “As Good As It Gets”.

- Which piece of clothing from your wardrobe would you say that defines you?
I have two pairs of blue linen slacks which are great for
work rest and play, unlike a mars bar.

-Fave music?
I like Happy Mondays, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Daft Punk, Joy Division, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, Led Zepp, Beatles, Hendrix, Buckley, Yardbirds, Grateful Dead, Buddy Holly etc. Also I know a guy called Naveed who lives in Ilford, he’s a brilliant singer songwriter from the Camden scene of early 2000’s, how he’s never got signed is a mystery but I listen to his recordings a lot.

Thank you Aaron and finally please choose the song of the day:
‘Got My Mind Set On You’ by the late great George Harrison.

For more about The Jago visit www.thejago.com

XO
Nona

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Hey everyone! Sorry about the lack of posts recently, it’s been
a super-mega-busy week with tons of fashion events happennning
in London, from the world’s first ever fashion shown inside the carriages of the London Underground (you can read the article here).

…to the kick off of London Fashion Week which launched yesterday.
But most importantly… and as my beloved Craig Ferguson would say: “Yesterday was a great day for America London Ladies and Gentleman, it’s was a great day… as yesterday Friday 18 September, my adored Scottish man hit London with his much awaited and super fabulous exclusive capsule collection for TOPSHOP, which was bound to virtually fly off the shelves as soon as the stores opened.

So in view of the grim forecast, I made sure that I was up with the
birdies yesterday morning to snap up my fave pieces before – like
Christopher Kane’s creatures – they became pre-historic themselves!

Arent they cute?!?

My choices were… (obviously) the gorgeous Mr. Croc tee dress
and oversized rock and roll bag:

And the drop dead sexy mesh sandals in gray:

And if I could afford any more I would sure have the
lovely mini bag:

And this fab embellished leotard:

And although they may not be the same as that gorgeous
gorilla dress of my dreams from his last season:

Nor the Gorilla tees that I have been drooling over whilst my
heart battled with mrs concience, who objected to the high
end price…

But hey! you can’t have it all! Unless you are lucky to be
Christopher’s Mum:

“I wear mine to the bowling club” smiles Christine, 66, the mum-of-five who encouraged her youngest son’s love of fashion from the start.

Or his sister – both are rumoured to have a one of every
item that he has ever done (I am green!) :

“And I wear mine everywhere” says Sandra, 41, a nurse. “What’s the point in keeping them hidden away? My granny used to keep her best nighties in the drawer. I don’t believe in that”.

So, at least it paid waiting, as with the price of one gorilla tee
I got myself a fab croc, a bag and some shoes to complete the
outfit. The stuff of dreams… being dressed head to toe by your
favourite Fashion Designer, all at a fraction of the price! (God
bless Phillip Green… long life to the TOPSHOP boss!) You rocked
my socks this time!

So…. it looks like I’ll be singing the below song on the days to come,
fo sho!!!

I promise to post some pics once the parcel arrives!
Yay!!! I can’t wait!

PS- Expect to see a lot more Christopher Kane around here
as I can barely wait to see what tricks he pulls on Monday
at LFW!!!

XO
Nona

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Kate Moss for Topshop

In a celebration of their iconic Liberty prints, the legendary
British store LIBERTY did a fantastic little exhibition called
Prints Charming. Among the pieces in the show were
especially commissioned lamps, mirrors, wallpapers, toys,
umbrellas, scarves, underwear, a bicycle, sunglasses, bird
houses, tea pots, homewares, wellies, chairs and side tables,
among various other pieces, all inspired in Liberty fabrics.

Taking place in the store’s revamped fourth floor,
the exhibition also featured artists and fashion designers
whose work has also been inspired by Liberty prints.

I loved that they went to the lengths of draping the Carnaby
Street facade in Betsy print to go with the opening of the
exhibition, how cute was that!

It was wonderful too see the various uses of the print over time,
from archive images of YSL and Vivienne Westwood’s fantastic
Fall 1994 show, in which she re-created a liberty print into a 3D
dress - one of Vivienne’s personal favourites.

And one of my favourite ever Westwood collections…
(warning, this video is not for the faint hearted and
may result in a serious case of Westwood addiction
among other symptoms):

These gorgeous shoes and socks are a re-ocurrent subject 
in my dreams…

And I wouldn’t mind having these itsy-betsy lovelies either
please Vivienne.

Also featured was the chic RTW Spring Summer 2007 collection
of Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, which Vogue described as:
“a menagerie of luxury haberdashery from a vintage palace” .

Marc’s  models swept down the catwalk in swathes of Liberty print
and the LV campaign for that season starred sex kitten Scarlet Johansson wearing that fabulous Liberty print Louis Vuitton corset.

Louis Vuitton RTW SS 2007

Also present was Japan-tastic Junya Watanabe,
who gave the iconic print an avant-garde edge in his
Spring Summer 2008 collection:

The print looked delightful in the fabulous Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony, proving that a bit of Betsy can also be
edgy and cool.

And of course style queen Kate Moss is also part of the flower
troop with her Kate Moss for Topshop exclusive Liberty print
pieces:

Most surprisingly sports legend Nike also joined the pack with
those oh-so-coveted Nike trainers that were the must have, all
over fashion land recently, making fashionistas left right and
centre go mad about … trainers?!?

The print is also used in crafts to come up with lovely little things
such as these cute bunnies made from Liberty Print:

And these adorable vintage style “boudoir sofa dolls” made
by textile artist Amanda Fatherazi, which also incorporate
the print in their little clothes….awwww!

Among the art pieces exhibited was the fabulous work of  Artist Helen Carmel Benigson with her Liberty print “Wendy House”.

And a series of pink monoprints:

A very unusual chandelier by Squint and a silk chiffon scarve
designed by Turner Prize winner artist Grayson Perry:

And these fabulous snake print wallpapers designed by
rock and roll royalty Meg Matthhews:

I love this one…

Notably absent was a mention to these sultry Liberty print pieces by
Agent Provocateur…. How could they miss that?!

So… after all that little flowery parade, the song of the day
is one that kept playing in my little head whilst looking at this
wonderful exhibition last week. Guessed it yet?

XO
Nona

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© Image courtesy of Andrea Carter Bowman

I stumbled upon Andrea’s fabulous work whilst looking for
images of Henry Holland’s tees, which led me to the pages
of her blog ‘A Carter Epic’. I immediately fell in love with
her photographic style and poetic yet sultry, story-telling
images.

© Image courtesy of Andrea Carter Bowman

© Image courtesy of Andrea Carter Bowman

Andrea is an English photographer who works in the fashion
field and owns a very impressive portfolio which reflects her
incredible eye for detail, storytelling and aesthetics.

© Image courtesy of Andrea Carter Bowman

On looking at her eerie images I am left pondering… is it
about the model? is it about the clothes? is it about the
location? or is it about the feeling? … but as Andrea says:
‘images obviously speak more than words’.

© Image courtesy of Andrea Carter Bowman

My absolute favourites are in Darling I am bored, a story featuring an immaculately
dressed woman, clad in the most beautifully styled clothes, who is portrayed walking
around the most romantic and opulent gardens… alone.

© Image courtesy of Andrea Carter Bowman

In this exclusive interview for Spanish Moss Vintage Andrea
shares with us a little bit more about what she likes and what
inspires her…

-Where are you from originally and how long have you
been a photographer for?
An English village called Limpsfield. Five years.

© Image courtesy of Andrea Carter Bowman

- What inspires you?
Wisdom, colour and one’s life experiences.

© Image courtesy of Andrea Carter Bowman

- If you were a work of art, which one would you be?
“Swans Reflecting Elephants, c.1937” By Salvador Dali.

- If you were able to reincarnate, who would you come back as and why?
An aid worker, a doctor or my mother; she seems to have lived a very happy life.

- If you could invite 3 people to dinner (no matter from what era) who would they
be and where would you take them?
Barack Obama, Walt Disney and John Lennon. I’d go back to Kafue National Park in Zambia
where I had the most unforgettable campfire dinner.

- If you were only allowed to wear one piece of clothing from your wardrobe
which would it be?
Only one piece, I would be cold!! my wardrobe essentials include leather boots,
my brother’s old cricket jumper and, at present, a crocodile skin bag from Rio.

- Best read?
”The Lord of the Flies”, William Golding.

-Best movie quote?
Images obviously speak more than words. So Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 The Black Stallion.
The first half of the movie is completely speechless.

-Thank you Andrea and finally please choose the song of the day…
Sexual Healing by Hot 8 Brass Band – 2009 Summer with Friends.
Hot 8 Brass Band (type into Itunes).

For more of Andrea’s fabulous images visit her website:
www.andreacarter-bowman.com and don’t miss her blog:
http://blog.andreacarter-bowman.com

Image courtesy of Andrea Carter Bowman ©

XO
Nona

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