chop chop

My hair is getting the chop tomorrow.

It shall be my last visit to a hairdresser for almost a year (unless it suddenly strikes my fancy in Nepal, or if I get gum in my hair....which unfortunately happened with some frequency when I was younger, my curls would be propelled with masses of crackling static force and snatch & grab to jumpers, other people's faces, their lip gloss, glass windows, carpet, pets etc etc thus inevitably reel in sticky clumps of gum..)

I'm thinking volume and shape, is the way to go for my haircut. Something that looks effortlessly chic - without any effort.

[images: Valentino Vamp]

Yes, I realise that this is an unattainable desire. Essentially since I'll be camping for many months - I can't imagine what my curls will reel in.

Madcap Mavericks

I first heard about the Isabel Toledo when Michelle Obama wore one of her designs at the president's inauguration. I filed it away in the back of my brain, to let that titbit of info collect dust. But then came across a lovely post about the Toledo's here and felt compelled to find out more about them. They are incredibly incredible. They are madcap mavericks. They are completely compelling.

'He's visualizing my feelings'. Fashion Designer Isabel Toledo, on her collaborative relationship with her artist husband. [papermag 2003]

[The Toledos]

[Working it]

"If I make a dress that's totally ugly, I know that it is going to have babies." Isabel

[New york, New York]

[Ruben's raw talent]

[The two of us]

Papermag: How do you describe what you do?

Isabel: I don't. It's like describing my insides, and I've never looked at my insides.

In the interview, Isabel goes on to explain that she's not a 'visual person', Ruben is that part of the equation and 'he has no choice but to be a part of it (designing clothes)'. Isabel then gives an example of how their constant conversation goes:

IT: I might say, "I want to feel the line yanking underneath my arm," or "I want tension here. I want this to be a huge garment, but make sure it fits beautifully on the neck as well as on the bottom of the sleeve. I want to feel the air between that huge garment and me." And he'll draw it. I have a library of sketches, or what I call our constant conversation.

Isabel is completely quotable. She also uses hula hoops to exercise. If you are a snoop like me, Woody Allen used their amazing apartment in Melinda & Melinda. But I'll leave the final word about Isabel to Ruben:

It's her eyes: They're so mystical. They're like looking into some other world. There's so much soul in her eyes. It's like a poem that you can't quite understand, ever. It's all about mystery. And she always keeps it, you know. She breathes mystery. It's not about explaining everything; it is about letting it be a mystery. I love that.

Greedy

My new favourite band kinda sounds like - when you shove your fingers in your ears. They also sound like being underwater. They can be compared to the sound of one hand clapping in a forest. Or the sound of cotton wool.

Basically they don't sound like anything.

My new favourite band don't make music.

They have an album (available on vinyl), track listings and a video clip. Yet no music.

The girls at Greedy Hen are so delightfully obscure, my brain tingles and my armpits sweat a little.

Knitted

I spend about forty hours a week with people aged eighty plus. The topics of conversation range from bung hips, that silly Charlie Sheen, gammy knees to how bizarre Ellen DeGeneres’s dancing is.

But the quirky diversity of our conversations has frizzled out the past few weeks. We've become focused (perhaps fixated) on the upcoming Royal Wedding.

I was never much of a royal watcher. In fact I didn’t realise how many publications are dedicated to just that – watching Royals. But I’ve been swept up in the hysteria. We sigh and moan over the possible colour pallet of the wedding day, debate whether the couple will kiss on the balcony, reminiscent about William’s once luscious head of hair and ponder if any corgies will be present.

The ladies cross their knitting needles and click their tongues in exasperation, that the event is still two weeks away.

[Wallace and Gromit]

Then I found 'Knit Your own Royal Wedding', the knitting group could easily whip up a wedding in a week. Then once all the hoopla is over we can still get the Queen to dance Ellen style

Grain & Gram

What makes a gentleman? Is it as simple as opening doors, tipping hats and having inane but polite conversations with the elderly, snotty nosed children and potential in-laws?

Or is it brandishing an indie-endorsed haircut, a sharp suit, polished shoes and minding your p’s and q’s?

According to Grain & Gram, “dedication and longevity are core characteristics of a real gentleman.” The online magazine feature men who demonstrate these qualities in their craft, including - jean making, printmaking, woodwork or music. Each interviewee evokes a sense of old-world sturdiness, perhaps because they clearly know what they are passionate about. They aren’t fickle and fleeting, on the contrary the passion each man has for his vocation is undeniable:

“For me though, no matter where the wind blows me, letterpress printing will always be with me.” Nick Sambrato

“I suddenly realized that that was all I was thinking about: all I cared about was making jeans.” Roy Slaper

However obsession alone doesn’t maketh the gentleman, it’s the hard work that goes into creating something.

“I was self-taught. I just went crazy with it. It was the total skateboarder's approach to it. You don't go to skateboard classes, you kind of just pick it up. You see what other people are doing, you read Thrasher. That was my approach.” Roy Slaper

It is also being able to see the impact your actions have on your surroundings. Fostering a connection between yourself, the environment and an awareness of wider society:

“I decided I wanted to take a different route, roll up my sleeves a bit, and create things with my hands. Things that are more tactile and have a long term relationship with the end user” Sean Woolsey

“I really like to explore and create and design. I hope that my clients appreciate the type of work that I do and come to me for that. It’s what my shop is built on: not doing whatever comes through the door just to make money.”

Blair Sligar

Home is where the heart is

As I was skylarking through the aisles of my local library today, selecting books with gluttonous whim and fancy, I paused to consider that the wealth of words were at my fingertips. Libraries are perhaps my all time favourite invention.

My Primary school library was a cavernous space with domed ceilings, Victorian era mouldings and classically craved architraves. The Librarian had created comfy corners with beanbags. These nooks and crannies accommodated tiny bums and grubby hands, eager to snort at the impish creations of Roald Dahl, chortle at the fabulously frank fart jokes of Morris Gleitzman and get lost in the adventures of Cairo Jim.

So inspired by the Librarian I dreamed that when I grew up that I would be one too.

Unfortunately I discovered that not all libraries were created equal. My high school library was a prefabricated wasteland of sappy Sweet Valley High, fluorescent light bulbs and an unhealthy bent towards the incestuous V.C. Andrews. I lost the dream I becoming a librarian and studied something else entirely.

I truly believe that my primary school library fostered my insatiable want of words.

In my search for books to read I stumbled across this gem: The L!brary Book: Design Collaborations in the Public Schools.

The New York based Robin Hood Foundation strives to improve student literacy rates and believes good library design can inspire learning. "For reading to become an everyday habit, it needs to be nurtured in a home of its own" - The L!brary Initiative brings together input from corporate underwriters, children's book publishers, architects, graphic designers, product manufacturers, library associations, teachers, and students to create stimulating spaces within public elementary schools.