Dream World: Costume Design by Eiko Ishioka

Fashion | 03 April 2012

As a visual artist whose career spans several fields, Eiko Ishioka has created some of the most remarkable costumes of our time. Ishioka’s long list of credits includes an Academy Award in Costume Design for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, designs for the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, and the costume design for the opening ceremony for 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She even designed costumes for Grace Jones and directed Bjork’s Cocoon video.

What Ishioka is best known for are her many contributions to movies, including the recently released Mirror Mirror. Unfortunately, Ishioka recently passed away in January, but her fantastic work continues to live on through film. So let’s take a look at some of her best moments on the big screen.

Mirror Mirror just hit movie theaters and the costumes are spectacular and over the top. All things we love about Ishioka!

The Fall is definitely one of the most visually stunning movies—with a great story to boot! The headdresses are my favorite.

Eiko Ishioka really made herself known as the queen of dark costumes when she lent her work to Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’.

The Cell, starring Jennifer Lopez, would not have looked as amazing as it did without Ishioka. The headpiece resembled a cross between a rigid neck brace and a forbidding bird cage.

Want to learn more about Ishioka’s work? Learn more here!

(Photos courtesy of TrouvaillesDuJour.blogspot.com)

Interior Motives: How To Decorate Antique Eclectic

General | 02 April 2012

by Sienna

This week I’m celebrating my favorite style of interior design, Antique Eclectic, where vintage furniture and knick-knacks are mixed with modern pieces, and textures and color abound. One of the best things about this style is you can do it on a budget. Second-hand pieces can be brought to their full glory, and if you are at all crafty, you’ll have fun repainting furniture or making your own throw pillows or curtains.

Pick a Color, Any Color: Like any space, you’ll want to start by picking a color that is interesting but not overwhelming for you. You can take inspiration from a piece of art or decor that you already own. Below is a great example of working around an aqua blue. The color shows up on an accent wall, as well is in the painting, vase and throw pillows.

Create Space: You’ll want to start by adding interesting shelves and tables in solid colors. Feel free to choose interesting colors that tie into the room, maybe mint, red or cream. If you’re not sure, brown or white is a perfectly acceptable and neutral way to begin.

Containers and Trays: Now that you’ve got the big surfaces taken care of, you can start filling them in. Vintage apothecary jars and painted trays are great for storage as well as “layering” the eclectic appeal of your space.

Add a Granny Square!: Use the vintage color palettes in your favorite afghan to pull out other colors in your space, and don’t forget to add plenty of throw pillows!

(images courtesy of etsy, slantedmansion, alkemie.blogspot, apartmenttherapy, designsponge)

Name the Dress #94!

Contests | 02 April 2012

by LuLu*s !

The contest has ended. Be sure to enter again next week!

Winning Dress Name: Stripin’ Hot

Winner: Tabitha

Shades of Utopia: Heike Weber's Permanent Marker Art

Art | 02 April 2012

by Laurie Hartt

Who knew Sharpies could look so sweet? Using permanent markers on acrylic paint and vinyl floor, photographer and artist Heike Weber has created these stunning drawing installations in the Villa Wachholtz in Germany. Born in 1962 in Siegen, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, he has been displaying solo and group exhibitions for the last twenty years.

Here’s how it works:

“The perhaps most fascinating feature of Heike Weber’s work remains hidden from the exhibition visitor: namely the fact that to begin with at least, everything is white, immaculately white. Before the actual drawing act begins, before Heike Weber tackles the site with bright-colored permanent felt markers, the entire room has already been transformed into a three-dimensional sheet of paper.”

I would try to describe what I think of these drawings and how artsy awesome they are, but biographer Martin Engler already said it way better than I ever can:

“With her unerringly orchestrated spatial creations between Minimal Art and the Baroque, between all-over and white cube , Heike Weber establishes a moment of performative dynamization: she circles around her picture plane – half minimalist hallucination, half a slow-motion Pollock – and simultaneously incites the picture plane to circle around the viewer.”