Gavelle

Track Trend : Catwalk To Couch

Inside the Mania for Fashion as Art

How a Sedate Museum Ventured to Create a Home for a Sumptuous Costume Collection

Soon after Michael Govan took over at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art three years ago, costumes and textiles curator Sharon Takeda stepped into his office with an unlikely proposal.

She suggested acquiring a rare private trove of European clothes: 550 items of women's, men's and children's pieces -- including exquisite, gold-embroidered courtiers' clothing and Queen Victoria's nightie. While the collection was cohesive and substantial, covering clothing from 1700 to 1915, Ms. Takeda wondered if the new museum director -- a specialist in contemporary art -- would put his reputation on the line for fashion.

Los Angeles County Museum Art

"It wasn't always fashionable to have costume and textile in a museum," she explains. "For many years, we were the poor cousin even within our own museum. Many of our colleagues weren't sure what to do with it -- or whether it was really art."

The ensuing struggle to secure the collection says a great deal about the increasing value that museums are placing on fashion, which is wildly popular with the public yet costs less to collect than painting and sculpture.

Fashion and costume exhibitions have become big draws for museums, bringing new donors and visitors and generating lavish publicity for star-studded opening galas. Last year, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art drew 576,000 visitors to its "Superheroes" exhibit, says a spokeswoman. A 2005 Chanel exhibit there drew 463,000 visitors. Other notable exhibits include the Philadelphia Museum of Art's exhibition on Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli in 2004; San Francisco's de Young Museum's Yves St. Laurent exhibit; and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art's 2006 "Skin & Bones" exhibition on fashion and architecture.

Heard on the Runway

What's more, even as prices for painting and sculpture have blown sky-high in recent years, fashion and textiles remained bargain-priced. Mr. Govan muses, "How much would it cost to be No. 1 in European painting? You couldn't do it at any cost."

Mr. Govan sought change for the museum, which lacked the esteem of many of the city's own residents. Indeed, a few days earlier, he had challenged the staff to find significant, "museum-altering" pieces to acquire.

Yet valuing, acquiring and showcasing a significant fashion collection still posed major hurdles. Mr. Govan was not accustomed to working with fashion -- a word that still draws the occasional wince from him because of its frivolous and commercial connotations. "I had not a clue how to raise money for this. All my friends are in contemporary art," says Mr. Govan. "There are not people sitting around waiting to spend millions of dollars on ... costume."

Still, to Ms. Takeda's delight, he joined her in the fall of 2006 to comb through the European collection in a Basel, Switzerland, warehouse. Ellen Michelson, a longtime donor to the museum, accompanied them to watch as Wolfgang Ruf, a co-seller with Martin Kamer, pulled out items such as men's suits embroidered with gold and elaborate dresses designed to display the wealth of the wearers. One delicately embroidered silk petticoat proved that the more things change, the more they stay the same: It was made in China for export to the West.

There was an exuberant knitted men's vest from the time of the French Revolution. On the left collar was knitted a butterfly and a pair of scissors. On the right, the butterfly's wings lay snipped off, like the metaphorical wings of the country's royalists.

Mr. Govan was intrigued. The museum won't reveal the exact price but says it was several million dollars, less than a single sculpture. "A Richard Serra costs $10 million," he says. "This was less."

Yet Mr. Govan remained skeptical as the group awaited return flights at the Zurich airport. Where would the funding for the purchase come from?

At that moment, Ms. Michelson offered to commit one-third of the price -- enough to negotiate the shipment of the collection to Los Angeles on a three-year payment plan.

Still, the drama wasn't over. The value of the dollar plummeted wildly, raising the cost of Swiss francs, the currency of the deal. Credit markets yo-yoed. Fund-raising stalled. The museum was on the brink of losing the collection for lack of funds by the time the third installment payment was due last summer, when Mr. Govan was seated beside Suzanne Saperstein at a private dinner.

A well-known collector of haute couture, Ms. Saperstein had never before supported the museum. But by dessert, she was ready to see the costume collection, still under wraps in a storeroom. Soon, she was bringing friends to see the collection, including layered silk dresses that display the progress of dressmaking from hand-sewing and vegetable dyes and Paul Poiret pieces that show his elimination of the corset. Eventually, she committed more than half the price of the collection, enabling the museum to seal the deal. Ms. Takeda and her staff are cataloging the collection -- whose acquisition was announced last week -- for a 2010 debut exhibition.

The L.A. museum recently formed "Atelier" -- an elite group of patrons who will help expand the museum's textile collection. As a founding member, Ms. Saperstein has her own hopes for the mark the costume collection might make on her city. "L.A. from a fashion point of view has always been looked down on a little bit," she says. "Hopefully, it'll attract a new group of people -- and hopefully a fashion-forward group of people."

Meanwhile, Mr. Govan has a new commitment to fashion's role in the art world. "When you see this collection, not only are the things visually engaging, but you see a map: In all the elements of fashion are all the elements of how ideas are conveyed through society," he says. "Instead of being frivolous, it turns out to be a core artifact."

by Christina Binkley, www.wsj.com

Green Home Advice

Getting a Consult to 'Green' Your Home

We Hire Eco-Consultants in Four Cities; One Wields a Gizmo to Measure Air Quality By JANE HODGES

American consumers eager to correct their energy-wasting ways and create a more environmentally friendly home can now hire eco-consultants. This growing breed of advisers charge anywhere from $99 to a few hundred dollars for a home visit followed by extensive prescriptions designed to address particular concerns.

Scott Pollack

The field of eco-consulting is mostly composed of small contractors or franchises reliant on solo practitioners in different markets, meaning that the experience of eco-consulting and the training of the consultant can vary. Some eco-consultants offer their services as adjuncts to green cleaning or landscaping businesses, while others offer consults in addition to green remodeling services.

To find out how we could improve our homes' energy consumption, air and water quality, and appliance efficiency, we hired five practitioners in four cities: Green Irene in Seattle; EcoHome Chicago in Chicago; Green on the Inside in Boston; GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning in New York; and Pure Habitat NYC in New York.

Consultants spent anywhere from one hour (EcoHome Chicago) to three hours (Green on the Inside) assessing our homes. In Pure Habitat's case, we arranged a five-hour deep cleaning (for $215), followed by a $40 to $80 eco-consultation. Prices varied from $99 for a Green Irene visit to $250 for an appointment with EcoHome Chicago, the latter of which included two consultants.

Both Green on the Inside and GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning asked us to fill out questionnaires in advance to streamline our meetings, while other consultants asked us questions upon arrival. We told Pure Habitat and GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning, for instance, that we're expecting a new baby and wanted to offer our child a clean indoor environment. We told Green on the Inside about a possible kitchen remodel, and informed Green Irene that we plan to add insulation to our attic and basement in future remodeling efforts.

While consultants did provide well-trod energy tips (swap out regular bulbs for compact fluorescents, don't microwave plastic containers, use a programmable thermostat), they also addressed our specific questions and generally provided concrete alternatives to any problems identified. In many cases, consultants identified solutions for our problems -- or local vendors who could help -- which they then shared with us in follow-up emails.

We learned something new from each of our consultants' visits: EcoHome Chicago taught us that condenser coils behind the refrigerator need semi-annual cleaning to maximize efficiency. GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning used a special measuring device to reassure us that our indoor air quality fell within acceptable levels, but was also able to recommend specific air purifiers. As part of their incredibly thorough "green" cleaning service, Pure Habitat sorted which cleaning products to keep (more eco-friendly ones) versus discard and also referred us to local contractors that test paint for lead content. Green on the Inside articulated why recycled granite, glass or composite materials make better countertops than new granite or formica, and showed us how to check for refrigerator air leaks. Green Irene outlined our options for nontoxic spray insulation (suggested material: Icynene), told us about a balloon-like device that reduces chimney drafts, and gave us referrals for outdoor-lighting specialists and other contractors.

The main difficulty with the consultants, we found, was setting up appointments and receiving follow-up information. With Green Irene, our consultant had a busy schedule and needed to book us at least a week out. In Pure Habitat's case, days would go by before we received a response to email messages. We also received only half of our Pure Habitat final report: We got an email with some specific recommendations, but never did receive the promised package via mail. (At various times, we were told that it had been returned for insufficient postage and that the company had an incorrect ZIP Code for us.) Pure Habitat, to its credit, did not charge us for the eco-consulting portion of our cleaning/consulting appointment. The company's founder, Cory Tixier, said in a phone interview following our meeting that her business is a small operation and is having some growing pains.

While all the eco-consultants offered solutions that may save us money over time, it seems that in the near-term, we'll need to spend it. In the green economy where these eco-consultants operate, going green costs green.

COMPANY/WEB SITE	PRICE/LENGTH OF CONSULTATION	FOCUS AND FINDINGS	COMMENT
Green on the Inside, Boston greenontheinside.net	$175/initial; $75 per hour for follow-ups; $20 travel fee may apply in suburbs.	Consult focused on keeping home environment healthy. Kitchen needed most work in terms of energy waste, use of toxic materials, and lowering bacteria potential.	Consultant promised two-page follow-up report but provided six pages of tips. She also offers other services, such as eco-friendly gardening.
Green Irene, Seattle greenirene.com	$99, 2 hours.	Visit went through nine categories of information. Saving on energy was a major focus, with tips on insulation, plumbing, electrical use, and appliance maintenance/repair.	Green Irene is available in 30 states and the $99 fee includes 6 months of access to "Ask Green Irene," an informal research service and chatboard. Consulting for small businesses (under 50 workers) debuted in January 2009, priced at $250 and up for a four-hour assessment.
GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning, New York greenhouseecocleaning.com	$150, one hour.	Follow-up proposal was filled with specific recommendations, including filters for our shower to remove chlorine and Web sites where we could find organic crib mattresses and beauty products.	We appreciated that our proposal included prices for recommended products and links to where to find many. The local "Greenoipia" guide to eco-friendly services that was included with our follow-up package was a welcome extra.
Pure Habitat NYC, New York purehabitatnyc.com	$215 for deep-clean (5 hours) of a one-bedroom apartment; consult runs $40 to $80 per hour (but we were not charged).	Firm focuses on "green" cleaning with eco-friendly products; recommended local services that could test for lead paint and certain types of plants to help improve air quality.	The cleaning was incredibly thorough: Pure Habitat washed our floors by hand and tackled dustbunnies hiding under furniture. The 'thank you' note and bottle of fabric softener left on our table after the cleaning was a nice touch.
EcoHome Chicago, Chicago ecohomechicago.com	$250, one hour.	Reducing carbon footprint and saving on energy costs. Solutions suggested: Thicker curtains to minimize draft, wrapping water-heater pipes, washing laundry on cold and line drying.	EcoHome offered dozens of helpful tips to save money and cut a home's carbon footprint, but the price seemed high for a one-hour consultation and written report.

—David Kesmodel, Jennifer Levitz and Andrea Petersen contributed to this article.

2009 Romantic Garden Trend

The Romantic Garden for 2009...think old crumbly stone with delicate flowers cascading over it (walls, a statue, fountain or even a rock)...imagine crusty weathered metal softened by orange, pink, purple or red monochromatic delicately dancing blooms...a captured moment taking a picture walk through a favorite magazine while sitting at a simple bistro table nestled among the breezy romantic garden...

Garden Romance by gavelle

Lucky Michelle Obama

The Chosen One for decorating the Obama White House...Michael S. Smith...a doggie den, perhaps? 

Dinner Off The Table

 

Favorite Things

This vanity set is at www.frontgate.com  but you can get one for less.  The idea is to take a corner and make it yours.  Get a small table and dress it with a silk tablecloth in your favorite color and assemble some of your favorite things...decant your perfume into a beautiful glass bottle and start your 2009 days with a little self love...

A Point Of Interest

Odegard at Home

For her Manhattan apartment, premier carpet purveyor Stephanie Odegard collected furnishings from all over the globe and
anchored them with rugs of her own design

Written by Cara Greenberg • Photographed by Antoine Bootz
Produced By Linda O'Keeffe

Stephanie Odegard crisscrosses the globe for her prestige carpet and home-furnishings business. Over the past two decades of socially conscious entrepreneurship, she's created gainful employment for more than 10,000 artisans in Nepal and India and won acclaim for both her carpet designs and her efforts to end child labor in the rug industry. But it was only recently, as she neared 60, that she finally bought herself a proper sofa.

I'd had a beat-up Chesterfield, futons, platforms. This is my first serious sofa," she says. It's a custom seven-footer designed by Ben Baldwin for Larsen Furniture around 1970, and it anchors the living room of her serenely exotic 1,300-square-foot one-bedroom-plus-den flat in a converted SoHo office building. The classic leather sofa and other pedigreed pieces, including Hans Wegner dining chairs and Swedish Biedermeier armchairs, set off an eclectic bazaar of antique and contemporary textiles and handcrafts.

Soft-spoken and unpretentious, Odegard has done well by doing good, though that was never her plan. "Recently someone said to me, 'You're still a Peace Corps volunteer,' " says the Minnesota-bred businesswoman, who spent two years in Fiji in the 1970s helping local artists market their crafts. Similar assignments in Jamaica for the United Nations and Nepal for the World Bank followed, leading to the establishment of her own rug company in 1987. Quick to credit her success to the craftspeople who make her products, she never wanted to be center stage. "I'm a vehicle for it all," she says.

Hand-dyed and -knotted carpets made in the centuries-old Tibetan tradition are the backbone of Odegard's $15-million-a-year operation. Her genius was in introducing fresh, contemporary designs, created by simplifying busy traditional motifs found on sources as varied as antique cut velvet, Indian saris and Japanese kimonos. She has also developed a modern palette of rich, saturated vegetable dyes and increased the knots per square inch to further soften her carpets, which are made of lanolin-rich wool from long-haired Himalayan sheep. The technique also helps the rugs appeal to an affluent, Western market.

Odegard's living room is grounded by a spectacular 22-foot-long silk-and-wool Arcade rug that evokes "saffron and rhubarb -- it's gold with a lot of pink in it." With a minimalist border motif borrowed from a Byzantine-era painting, it is one of six designs from her Byzantine collection, produced in conjunction with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"I'm very much a surface designer, not a 3-D designer," says Odegard, who has no formal design training. Several years ago, she teamed up with French design force Paul Mathieu. "I took him to India," she says, "and he really related to the craft workers and had a good feel for what they were doing." The results of their fruitful collaboration include hand-carved marble tables in cutwork filigree, a line of marble cloche pendant lights, cabriole-leg tables encased in gleaming hand-hammered brass, and carved teak cabinets covered in silver.

The understated tone-on-tone designs of Odegard's carpets have been compared to Mark Rothko's color-block paintings, with their subtle striations that create shimmer, complexity and depth. The abstract florals and geometric patterns are sometimes bold, sometimes nearly hidden, as in the deep-red carpet that covers the floor in a music room off the living room.

The walls throughout the apartment, which was designed with the help of architect Stephen Alastair Wanta, are suffused with pale color from Martha Stewart. Lavender and pink are "friendly, happy colors," Odegard believes. The music room is a more assertive periwinkle blue (Digitalis Mauve #43), and the bedroom is the faintest yellow (Salmon Favorelle #19), with a textured treatment akin to Venetian plaster. The beauty of these subtle hues, says Odegard, is that "they go with everything and change with the light."

Odegard's use of jewel-toned silks for pillows and window coverings has a human backstory: "In India, stores collect hand-woven silk from villages and sell it in what they call khadi emporiums. Mahatma Gandhi believed that as long as people would hand-weave and hand-spin, they would be employed, so there would be less violence. I very much agree, and I try to support these emporiums."

For all Odegard's collecting, she shows admirable restraint. "I don't go looking for things to fit my space," she says. "I buy things whose craftsmanship and materials I'm drawn to, but only what I need. I try not to buy anything extra."

What the Pros Know

Odegard's carpets, with their rich colors and textures, are like pieces of art around which to build a room. She has likened solid-color carpets, often favored by architects and designers, to "background music," because they harmonize so easily with furnishings and art. On the other hand, says architect Stephen Alastair Wanta, who has designed all of Odegard's homes and showrooms, "the asymmetrical designs of modern rugs can help you out" by becoming "a real decorative element or point of interest" when placed strategically. Carpets are "place-making devices," as Wanta puts it, particularly in a loft space with wide-open expanses and low-slung furniture. "You can use a rug to define a special zone or oasis -- an 'island' in the floor -- where the furniture on it becomes a set piece within the larger environment." Furniture can be on the rug or off the rug, or somewhere in between; there are no rules, Wanta says.

 

odegard by gavelle

 

source: Metropolitan Home Magazine December 2008

Class Culture

The December issue of Elle Decor...global impact...style snatch from your living room...

Culture Class by gavelle

Chop Suey

The year was 1929...

Mosh by gavelle

The Times

Edward Hopper, Automat 1927...the intensity...the simplicity...

E.H. Automat by gavelle