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Veuve Clicquot Teams Up With Penelope Parasol to Keep Spectators in the Shade During the Polo Classic
09/05/2012
Veuve Clicquot Teams Up With Penelope Parasol to Keep Spectators in the Shade During the Polo Classic Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It by Nate FreemanPublished: May 9, 2012Only the start of polo season — the playing of the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, to be precise — can summon thousands of sporty New Yorkers wearing linen and seersucker out of lower Manhattan on an early morning in June. It’s a trek, though what awaits is more than worth it: champagne, long stretches of green grass, a parade of celebrities, and the an appearance by sport’s poster boy, Nacho Figueras This year, on June 2, the event will take over Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J., giving our glorious statue the perfect vantage point to observe the Sport of Kings. But what about all the other spectators down on the green, gazing into the bright glare of the sun and missing the subtleties of the action on the field? Well, that’s what the parasols are for. Veuve Clicquot has teamed up with British gamp masters Penelope Parasol to create a new model of the sunny-weather umbrella. It’s as yellow as the bubbly brand’s label, made from silk dupioni, and comes complete with a brass handle. “We are delighted that Penelope Parasols has created one of their chic parasols especially for Veuve Clicquot,” Vanessa Kay, president of Veuve Clicquot U.S., told ARTINFO in a statement. “The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic has always been an event where guests dress to the nines, and we are looking forward to the debut of the limited-edition parasols adding even more fun and glamour on the polo field this June.” To announce the collaboration, the two companies made a video with fashion-friendly DJ Mia Moretti and her musical partner, Caitlin Moe. It’s shot in Central Park, with the two girls frolicking on a picnic blanket, twirling the parasols, popping champagne in white lace. With the carefree skipping and abundance of pearls, it’s got a “Great Gatsby,” Roaring Twenties feel to it. F. Scott Fitzgerald would probably find the allusion quite appropriate. He did write that Tom and Daisy Buchanan “drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together.” Starting May 12, you can pick up a parasol for the ferry ride if you buy on the company’s website, or you can snap one up once you get to Liberty State Park. It costs $189, but it’s worth every penny. We attended the wonderful spectacle last year, and the sunshine isn’t the only thing you need to look out for. A parasol provides much-needed protection from the torrents of champagne spraying through the air. It also works as a great accessory for table dancing. And if drinking all morning and afternoon makes you sleepy, you can hide your napping head behind the parasol’s yellow silk. Just don’t drop it when you go to stomp the divets during halftime. People take that tradition very seriously, and things get messy.  Like what you see? Sign up for our DAILY NEWSLETTER and get our best stories delivered to your inbox. Go to top ↑ Style & Society, Society, Nate Freeman Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Cornell Taps Morphosis's Thom Mayne to Design Zero-Energy "Traffic Stopper" on Roosevelt Island
09/05/2012
Cornell Taps Morphosis's Thom Mayne to Design Zero-Energy "Traffic Stopper" on Roosevelt Island Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It by Kelly ChanPublished: May 9, 2012Late last year, the mysterious strip of land known as Roosevelt Island became New York City's biggest tabula rasa. As Louis Kahn's Four Freedoms Park began to take shape at the island's south tip, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans for a shimmering new applied science campus to occupy a 2.1-million-square-foot property just to the north. The preliminary master plan, bedazzled with sloping silver forms dreamed up by SOM, secured the bid for Cornell University. But despite adulation for SOM’s thoroughly solar-paneled vision, Cornell has chosen Thom Mayne, the Pritzker Prize-winning principal architect of Morphosis, to design the first building for the new Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute. "SOM has served us fantastically well," said Kent Kleinman, Cornell's dean of architecture, art and planning, to The Architect's Newspaper. But the gratitude stops there: "No firm is better at turning constraints into creative solutions of astonishing power than Thom Mayne and Morphosis," he continued. While SOM will continue to develop the campus master plan, there was no mention of the firm in the University's latest press release. Mayne and his firm suddenly stole the show, beating out not just SOM for the prized first building commission, but also stealing the competition from a star-studded shortlist including Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Steven Holl Architects. Since 2009, Mayne and Morphosis have been inextricably associated with the contorting mass known as 41 Cooper Square. The iconic newest addition to the Cooper Union continues to attract visitors like moths to the flame, only to turn them away with its restricted access. As The Architect's Newspaper suggests, the choice of Mayne could very well reflect Cornell's wish for "a traffic stopper on the East River," exactly the opposite of what SOM principal Roger Duffy had predicted for the campus earlier. The only continuity lies in Mayne's collaboration with Arup engineers to meet the long-established net-zero energy goal imposed on the entire campus. Initial proposals for the new building are expected to be released in November 2012. In the meantime, Cornell's tight-lipped disclosure leaves our imaginations running wild: will Thom Mayne's "astonishing power" be tamed, or is he paving the way for a sculpture garden of LEED platinum monuments? Like what you see? Sign up for our DAILY NEWSLETTER and get our best stories delivered to your inbox. Go to top ↑ Architecture & Design, Architecture, Architecture, Thom Mayne, Morphosis, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Skidmore Owings & Merrill, SOM, Steven Holl, Roger Duffy, Cornell University, Roosevelt Island, Kelly Chan Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Slideshow: Highlights from Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Auction
09/05/2012
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Chairs for Human and Spirit Use: See the Furniture Collection of the Abramovic Method
09/05/2012
Chairs for Human and Spirit Use: See the Furniture Collection of the Abramovic Method Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It Photo Gallery: Slideshow: The Abramovic Method's Use Of Furnitureby Janelle ZaraPublished: May 9, 2012Marina Abramovic can sit motionless for hours, days, and weeks on end, and now you can too! The Abramovic Method, being taught now at Milan's Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea (PAC) and in the future at the upcoming Marina Abramovic Institute, is a two-and-a-half hour course in endurance-based performance art for the masses; though not for the faint of heart. "Where is our breathing? What is the situation of our bodies? What state of mind does it take?" are some of the many lessons to be learned, Abramovic shared Monday, during a press preview of her forthcoming Institute.  The first step — after surrendering all distractions, including your watch and phone; donning an official Abramovic Method Labcoat and set of noise-blocking headphones; and closing your eyes — involves climbing into the Chair for Human Use. The simple seat of wooden planks is outfitted with crystal quartz from Brazil to facilitate a cleansing process. The stones are fixed above the sitter's head and underneath each of the chair's legs so that the pupil is not touching the ground. "Crystal is the most simplified computer of the planet," Abramovic said. "If you put in any impulse — that's how you get digital watches — the impulse never leaves the crystal... they have an incredible energy that's been used for healing for so long. They're like regenerators." The cleansing process can also take place on a wooden bed, or underneath a copper framework outfitted with magnets. To supplement the experience, students will sit next to the Chair for Spirit Use, where an unnamed specter will seat itself. Don't see it? Well, "it’s your problem," according to Abramovic. "It is there." The Abramovic Method is at Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea through June 10. To see more of its furniture, click the slide show.  Like what you see? Sign up for our DAILY NEWSLETTER and get our best stories delivered to your inbox. Go to top ↑ Architecture & Design, Design, Marina Abramovic Institute, Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Performance Art Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

"Fashion Star" Episode 9 Report: Three Contestants Get the Ax and the Stella McCartney Copycat
09/05/2012
"Fashion Star" Episode 9 Report: Three Contestants Get the Ax and the Stella McCartney Copycat Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It by Ann BinlotPublished: May 9, 2012Six designers were left in the second-to-last episode of NBC’s “Fashion Star” and this time, half got the ax — regardless of whether or not they made any sales. The challenge this week was buyers’ choice, and the buyers stepped into the studios to give the remaining contestants their input on what pieces would make their collections shine. The first pair to go up was Kara Laricks and Nzimiro Oputa. At the advice of the buyers, Laricks went in the opposite direction of her menswear aesthetic, going for a sexier look with a breezy dress and a trench coat. Oputa gave in to the buyers’ suggestion as well, reluctantly making the safari jacket they wanted, along with a pair of travel pants. Laricks finally expanded outside of Saks Fifth Avenue, selling the dress to H&M for $60,000 and the trench to Macy’s for $60,000. Oputa failed to sell either item, even though both were nicely designed. He did, however, get a consolation prize — “You made it very clear that you’ve got what it takes to design a full collection,” Macy’s buyer Caprice Willard told him. Next up were the two pretty princesses of the group, Luciana Scarabello and Orly Shani. Scarabello decided on a wrap skirt and a cropped jacket and shorts combo. “Would I wear it?” Scarabello asked herself as she modeled her jacket in the mirror. “Yes I would!” Shani was rather annoyed at Scarabello for bringing the jacket back. “You’re recycling designs you did a couple of weeks ago,” she said to the camera. “What the f*ck are you doing?” Scarabello’s choices didn’t impress the buyers either – she did not receive any offers on her pieces. Shani, whose two-fer turned into a no-no and who has been inconsistent in her designs so far, created a fitted backless dress with panels on the sides that gave an optical illusion of a more flattering figure. We’ve seen this dress before on Kate Winslet, who last year donned a white Stella McCartney version at the “Mildred Pierce” screening at the Venice Film Festival and a red one at the Paris premiere of “Carnage.” A similar Calvin Klein dress was also available last fall at Macy’s. Can we call you a hypocrite, Shani? At least Scarabello didn’t recycle somebody else’s design. That didn’t bother Saks’s Teron Schafer, though. He bought Shani’s piece for $60,000, following a thoughtful pause after Macy’s and H&M declined. Her other ensemble, pants and a blazer with a lace back, was well-made, and H&M took it for $100,000. The final twosome, Ronnie Escalante and Nicky Poulis, also took a departure from their usual styles. Escalante created an edgy suit with double lapels and wide-legged pants, and a short, sleeveless menswear-inspired dress. Mentor Jessica Simpson loved both. “You are one classy dude,” she told Escalante. H&M and Saks went head to head for the dress, and H&M won with a $110,000 offer. The suit went to Macy’s for $50,000. Poulis created sailor suit pants against Simpson’s advice, and a blouse for her first look. The second was a one-shoulder diagonal striped dress. No offers were made on the pants (she should have listened to Simpson) and Saks bought the dress. At the end of the show, the mentors saluted the group and the contestants broke down in tears before the eliminations. Talk about an emotional bunch! Escalante, Oputa, and Laricks (our faves!) made it to the final episode. We’re not sure if the retailers produced a higher quantity of goods or if viewers are suffering from “Fashion Star” fatigue, but all items are still available online, so go get them now! Related: "Fashion Star" Episode 8 Report: Advertisement Campaigns and the "Out of Africa" Failure "Fashion Star:" Episode 7 Report: Karma Strikes and John Varvatos Fights for a Suit "Fashion Star" Episode 6 Report: A Childhood Tale of Tenacity and the End of the "Two-Fer"  "Fashion Star" Episode 5 Report: Window Display Flop and Free Advice From H&M “Fashion Star” Episode 4 Report: The Case of the Cocky Texan’s Tacky Petticoat and Snarky Celebrity References "Fashion Star" Episode 3 Report: Party Rockers, a Trapeze Act, and the Return of the Plaid Fabric "Fashion Star" Episode 2 Report: Jessica Simpson's Odd Dream, Plus Tie Dresses and Tuxedo Pants NBC's Reality Show "Fashion Star" Fills a Void, With Style Like what you see? Sign up for our DAILY NEWSLETTER and get our best stories delivered to your inbox. Go to top ↑ Fashion, Television, Ann Binlot Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy Aims for Broadway Run With Tom Hanks
09/05/2012
Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It By TheaterMania.com"Lucky Guy," a new biodrama about Pulitzer Prize-winning Daily News columnist Mike McAlary by Nora Ephron, is aiming for a Broadway run in 2013, according to reports. Tom Hanks is reportedly in negotiations to make his Broadway debut in the play. Share This Story Tweet This Post to Stumble Upon Email to a Friend Read more Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Bacharach, David Set for White House Honor
09/05/2012
Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It By United Press InternationalBarack Obama and his wife, Michelle, are to preside over a White House concert honoring songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Share This Story Tweet This Post to Stumble Upon Email to a Friend   Read more Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

“White Oxford Cotton” at Cabinet
09/05/2012
Artists: Tariq Alvi, Bernadette Corporation, Martin of Holland, Mark Leckey, Danny McDonald, Lucy McKenzie, Anthony Symonds, Simon Thompson Venue: Cabinet, London Exhibition Title: White Oxford Cotton Date: April 13 – May 12, 2012 Click here to view slideshow Full gallery of images and link available after the jump. Images: Images courtesy of Cabinet, London Link: [...] Read full article here

Carrie Underwood Debut Beats Norah Jones, B.o.B on Billboard 200
09/05/2012
Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It By BillboardCarrie Underwood easily trounces the competition this week as her fourth album, "Blown Away," debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 267,000 sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. Share This Story Tweet This Post to Stumble Upon Email to a Friend Read more Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Slideshow: The Abramovic Method's Use Of Furniture
09/05/2012
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