Cartier, L’odyssee

LuxuryActivist
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7
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Cartier, the famous french jeweler is revealing this week a beautiful cinematographic film about the brand. It is a beautiful movie-retrospective of 165 years of creation. It is a 3,5 mn of pure dream in which they used a cutting-edge special effects. The Brand wanted this project to be treated like a real movie, not only in terms of visual aspects but also in terms of budgets. The film was directed by Bruno Aveillan, a multi-rewarded advertising movie director who has been successfully working for Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Guerlain, Paco Rabanne, Jaguar, Samsung, Nike…. He got several prices, from Golden Globes up to being considered as in the top 3 best french advertising directors in 2009.

The filming requested more than 50 high special effect technicians on location and more than 6 month of post-production. To lift the ambiance, Pierre Adenot (french famous music “arrangeur” for Charles Aznavour or Stephan Eicher), did the soundtrack, especially dedicated for the film.

The entire film follows the “adventures” of the iconic Cartier Panther throughout the world, in which the glamorous feline goes to St Petersburg in winter time, to China where he comes face-to-face with a golden dragon in the majestic great wall, to an amazing and imaginary Indian palace built upon a huge elephant’s back and filled with glittering animal jewellery (many pieces of which reside in the Cartier archive), before leaping aboard the wings of and identical replica of the airplane built by Alberto Santos-Dumont, to showcase the classic Cartier Santos watch (first commissioned by the Brazilian aviation legend in 1904). The panther finally lands in Paris, the birthplace of Cartier, on Place Vendôme where he meets supermodel Shalom Harlow at the Grand Palais. She wears a sculptural red dress, a special creation by chinese designer Yiqing Yinwith. In order to protect the Panther, a total amount of 3 different animals were used during the entire movie shooting. The film itself was shot in Prague, Italy, Spain and Paris. It took 2 years to have all in film. Check here the result. Just sublime.

The film is a beautiful state of art. It costed about 4 million euros… for 3,5 minutes, this brings it around 20,000 euros per second… not bad. Bernard Fornas, Cartier CEO explains that they did this movie for a sort of revival of Cartier’s story. The brand wants to capitalize on its heritage and timeless elegance away from fashion trends.

I think it is very high-end in deed. The only thing it is missing is some short information in the film because basically, if you do not know the Cartier Story, you will not understand a dam thing. Why a Panther? People might not know that “Panther” was the nickname of legendary Cartier Jewelry designer Jeanne Toussaint (appointed as leading designer in 1033). She created the first Panther jewels for the Duchess of Windsor in the 50’s and since then, it became the symbol of the Brand.

Why this strange plane? Well, not everybody would have recognize the Brazilian legendary pilot, Alberto Santos Dumont. He made the first European public flight of an airplane on October 23, 1906. Designated 14-bis or Oiseau de proie (French for “bird of prey”), the flying machine was the first fixed-wing aircraft witnessed by the European press and French aviation authorities to take off and successfully fly. Santos-Dumont is considered the “Father of Aviation” in Brazil, his native country. His flight is the first to have been certified by the Aéro Club de France and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). And because he always complained not being able to see the time during flight, Cartier created the first wrist watch, dedicated to the brazilian pilot, that still is called “Santos”.

So see, you need some decoding here to appreciate the heritage highlight in this movie. I would personally have added some dates and some key short information about some elements and facts, so that this beautiful film would reach a broader audience. Nevertheless it is a magnificent film. With the latest Opium, Yves Saint Laurent fragrance ad, Cartier L’Odysée is a beautiful TV spot.

What do you think?
LA 

 

Info sourced at Daily telegraph, Cartier official website and youtube channel. All images are copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Ange du Sud, simplicity at its best.

LuxuryActivist
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Reading Time: 5 minutes

This month, LuxuryActivist is introducing Ange du Sud (South Angel in french), a new cosmetic brand, born in the south of France in Marseille. They provide a short yet interesting range of body products. The brand claims a refined, ecological and natural approach of cosmetics.

AngeDuSud_logo

The Brand was born in 2011 in Marseille, France. The french city is known for its beautiful sea line and an annual sunshine. It is also the land of the traditional “Savon de Marseille”. Marseille soap or Savon de Marseille is a traditional soap made from vegetable oils that has been made around Marseille, France, for about 600 years. The first documented soapmaker in the area was recorded in about 1370.

Traditionally, the soap is made by mixing sea water from the Mediterranean Sea, olive oil, and the alkaline chemicals soda ash (sodium carbonate) andlye (sodium hydroxide) together in a large cauldron. This mixture is then heated for several days, stirred constantly. The mixture is then allowed to sit and, once ready, it is poured into the mold, and allowed to set slightly. Whilst still soft, it is cut into bars and stamped, and left to completely harden. The whole process can take up to a month from the start before the soap is ready to use.

Today Ange du Sud proposes to review this local tradition in urban modern and refined products. The brand is attached to authenticity at all levels.

The brand was born from an idea: to create in sunny Marseille refined natural and ethical cosmetics. The products procures you a pure moment of relaxation and pleasure.

Ange-du-sud-model

The range is composed by 5 products:

  • Body Exfoliator 100ML – Gommage Corps
  • Hand Cream 100ML – Crème Mains
  • Body Milk 200ML – Lait Corps
  • Shower Cream 200ML – Crème de Douche
  • Liquid Marseille Soap 200ML – Savon Liquide de Marseille

All products have no Paraben and Phenoxyethanol, no silicone and recyclable packaging. The products are naturally perfumed with Orange flower and the formulas are at least with 96% of natural ingredients. I got to test the Body Exfoliator and the Liquid Soap.
AngeDuSud_ambiance

 

100ML Body Exfoliator – Gommage Corps

AngeDuSud_exfoliator-100ml

With 98,5% of natural ingredients, this Body Exfoliator cares about the cleanness of your skin. His formula contain interesting ingredients, some of them even organic.

  • Bee wax: soothes, softens and protects the skin
  • Canadian Rock Salt crystals: 100% natural, rich in magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium. Removes the dead cells from the skin surface thanks to its exfoliating effect.
  • Organic Honey extract: antiseptic, demulcent, emollient and toning through the presence of Sugars, Vitamins (C,B6, K,…), minerals like potassium, selenium, sodium, iodine), enzymes and amino acids.
  • Sunflower Oil: rich in limoleic acid and vitamin E which give nourishing and softening properties.
  • Lime powder: exfoliating, cleansing, toning and invigorating for the skin.
  • Organic Pineapple oil extract: Pineapple contains active ingredients – sugars and hydroxy acids (AHAs) who have a significant effect on the skin and gives it a moisturizing and anti-aging effect.
  • Carnauba wax: also called Brazilian wax or Palm wax. It has hypoallergenic and emollient properties and gives a nice shining to the skin and protect it from external aggressions.

In terms of texture I was pleasantly surprised by the texture itself. It looked quite sensual, between a pomade and a honey for the shower. We can strongly smell a beautiful Orange flower scent. The mineral crystals of salt makes the job and cleans up your skin quite well. Personally I would expect more salt crystals in the formula but it will not be the case for most of the people’s expectancies. It is a gently exfoliator, well adapted to all skins. The application is quite soft and pleasant. You can easily take it out under the shower. Your skin looks clean, fresh and not aggressed.

AngeDuSud_exfoliator-texture

 

200ML Liquid Marseille Soap – Savon liquide de Marseille

AngeDuSud_soap

Here I must say I was really excited. Used to lots of different liquid soaps from more or less natural brands, I was wondering what to expect from this one. And the result is just great. In deed the formula is very soft, gently and at the same time very efficient. The formula follows the traditional recipe of the Marseille Soap. It is a very simple formula, as we say less is more.

  • Natural Glycerin: extracted from the saponification process itself and generally extracted from plants. It has a humectant effect that tends to keep the water on the skin, for this, it is considered as an moisturizer. In addition to other natural oils and cleansers, makes the best equation for a liquid soap. It is transparent, so perfect for a transparent or translucent formulation.
  • Coconut Oil: It is a natural moisturizer and also antiseptic, brings a perfect balance in a liquid soap formulation, especially for its natural origins.
  • Castor Oil: a natural plant-based oil used in cosmetics for centuries and continues to play an important role in the production of soaps as non-comedogenic, non-toxic and super emollient ingredient.

When you wash your hands with it, the blend with the hot or cold water makes it a true sensorial experience as the scent of Orange flowers flows in the airs and the very smooth and fluid texture wraps your hands. The skin is truly cleaned and still protected. Really a great formula.

All the products can be found on the brand official website: http://angedusud.fr.

They have a e-store in the website. They deliver in France and in Europe. In terms of retail shops, you can find Angel du Sud mainly in the south of France for the moment, either in drugstores, beauty saloons or some multi-brand shops.

It is a very interesting brand as the products are quite qualitative.
As Spring is arriving and we are quitting Winter, we definitely would need some southern sun.

LA

 

Info sourced at Brand official press contact and brand website. All images are copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. 

 

Lana Del Rey, purely essential.

LuxuryActivist
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2
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Do you know Lana Del Rey? Well, you should because she is the next big thing. She is an American singer and song writer. You probably know her first big hit called Video Games. Since october 2011, her album Born to Die became a big hit in more than 7 countries including the US.

Born to Die Lana Del Rey

Her real name is Elisabeth Woolridge Grant,she was born in New York and grew up in Lake Placid, NY. She has chose this name because she wanted to create an universe that she would be able to create music around. She also has lots of friends in Miami  with whom she speaks often spanish.

After some slow start with her career, she got a huge big hit last summer with her song Video Games. In deed, this song was released first digitally in August 2011 as the album would be ready of release only in October.

The video from this song was viewed more than 32,000,000 times and it is 56 out of the top 100 youtube videos. It got viral and viral. Lana Del Rey explains that she did herself the editing by cut and pasting other people’s videos from youtube. See the video here:

This song revealed the “Lana Del Rey” style to the world. She has a beautiful almost hypnotic contralto vocal range that gives a lot of sexiness and nostalgia to her voice. Her musical influences goes from Elvis Presley towards Britney Spears up to Kurt Cobain… what a blend!  She has described herself as a “self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra”.

Lana-Del-Rey

Lana-del-rey-2

The album Born to Die became a big hit in several countries and now a world tour is in preparation. I got the album and have been listening to it all day. I find it quite intimate, personal and autobiographical. Her voice is amazing. She is a contralto, which is the deepest female singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. This brings a very emotional and nostalgic feeling into Lana Del Rey songs. She created an amazing universe filled from typical Middle-America references with a “Miami twist”.

My preferred song is by far Summertime sadness. It is a beautiful story-telling song:

(…)
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
I just wanted you to know
That baby you’re the best

I got my red dress on tonight
Dancing in the dark in the pale moonlight
Got my hair up real big beauty queen style
High heels off, I’m feeling alive
(…)

So, do not hesitate, if you are looking for a “do-me-good” music, this is it. So let’s hope now that the world tour will start soon.
For more information, please check the artist official website: http://www.lanadelrey.com

Here is one of the live performances from a french show, called Taratata, one of the few “open-mics” in Europe.

Seduced? I am.
LA 

 

Info sourced at the artist official website and wikipedia. All images copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Vintage Seekers, curating a Heritage lifestyle

LuxuryActivist
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Reading Time: 3 minutes

vintage-seekers

Here is the discovery of the week: Vintage Seekers. I was really happy when I was contacted by them because it is by far one of the most original, interesting, high-class online shops for Collectibles, Design, Fashion, Motoring, Watches and more. www.vintageseekers.com

Driven by a passion for the pieces they sell, Vintage Seekers’ small, dedicated team based in London’s Covent Garden sources from the world’s most reputable niche suppliers.

claudette-Colbert

For Vintage Seekers, buying vintage – that is, items of more than 25 years old and less than 100 – is about celebrating the style and innovation of the last century, whether it’s for the home, for yourself or as a gift.

From vintage couture fashion to fine and rare wines through classic cars and first edition books, Vintage Seekers unites traditionally disparate industries, enabling customers to buy right here, right now. Every piece in Vintage Seekers’ collection is selected using consistent criteria to ensure it matches up to their benchmark for original, authentic vintage. This is a fresh approach to the vintage market.

The shopping experience is interwoven with evocative narrative in an online magazine. Providing a contemporary appraisal of the coolest things from the past, you’ll find designer profiles, buyer’s guides, road trips and more. For further inspiration, you can dip in to their international events calendar.

I made my wishing list, just check here some of the amazing objects you can find at Vintage Seekers. Each page is a moment of surprise and excitement.

COLLECTIBLES
You can find several types of vintage collectibles. For my side I picked up this amazing autograph and drawing by John Lennon.

Check it here online.

DESIGN
I chose this amazing 1920 Louis Vuitton leather bag. To be damned!
1920-louis-vuitton
Check it here online.

FASHION
Discover this beautiful Madame Grès authentic Silk Dress. Just pure and timeless elegance.

Check it here online.

MOTORING
A full collection of beautiful and powerful timeless cars, from casual elegance to spiky sport heroes. I picked up this 1964 Cobra.
1964-Shelby-Cobra
Check it here online.

WATCHES

Baselworld International Watch fair is not far (next week) but here we can find real prestigious Timepieces. I chose the 1961 IWC Ingenieur.
1961-IWC-Ingenieur
Check it here online.

WINE & SPIRITS
If you have a special celebration and are looking for the ideal bottle for that specific evening? Here is the place. I spotted out this 1947 Pomerol, pure poetry for the lips.
1947-Pomerol
Check it here online.

LIBRARY
You can find here, and this is quite unique, 1st famous historical editions of amazing books. I would choose the 1959 rare 1st edition of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
1959-lolita
Check it here online.

PHOTOGRAPHY
I also discovered an amazing resource library for Vintage fashion photographs by world famous photographers. I would like to highlight a beautiful collection of Ronald Falloon’s pictures.
Ronald Falloon
Check it here online.

Vintage seekers is probably one of the most complete and edgy e-commerce websites in the world for Vintage products. Their hard work is really impressive. So if you want to please yourself or to offer the most outstanding gift to someone you love, here is the place. A purchase to remember. www.vintageseekers.com

LA

 

Info sourced at official press release and company website. All images are copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Opumo – Only for men.

LuxuryActivist
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Reading Time: 3 minutes

opumo-logo

Opumo is the new online destination for premium accessories from pocket squares to technology cases. The curated collection features pieces that have been sourced from unique brands across the globe all with traditions of fine craftsmanship, innovative design and with distinctive heritages.

Opumo

Opumo goes live at a time when shopping online is becoming more and more popular with men. With many men’s sites being label led it can be difficult to find true luxury accessories that are subtle yet distinctive. With a clean, timeless aesthetic and a sharp, edited collection, Opumo is becoming the go to destination for discerning men and those that shop for them.

Men’s accessories market is one of the biggest market segments for men. They represent over 36% of purchase power over a middle-top social-professional category. It is also one of the biggest segment in terms of growth. It has a double digit growth for the past 5 years. It is true that electronics became a big deal but fashion accessories are also growing quite fast.

Masculine accessories represent a clever blend of practical luxury with a Design approach. Most of these objects are for each day and become the personal objects for men. Most of customers add their initials to their objects, which is not a main trend on the women’s side.

And because more and more men purchase online, several websites start now proposing different offers. Last year, we got the launch of Mr Porter, dedicated to fashion and accessories. This year its is Opumo by focusing mainly on accessories. The Website was launched in February 2012.

One of the special features, they propose a Style advice service. You can directly send a message to personalshopping@opumo.com and get all the advices you need. No need anymore to send an email to GQ!

In terms of product offers, you can find at OPUMO:

  • Bags
  • Wallets
  • Tech cases
  • Document folders
  • Ties
  • Pocket squares
  • Cufflinks
  • Belts
  • Sunglasses
  • Socks

Here are the different brands you can find on the website. No over-the-top brands. They are more in a sort of essential luxury with qualitative under-statement products.

  • Alice Made This
  • Andersons Belts
  • Bellroy
  • Berg & Berg
  • Cherchbi
  • Contego Eyewear
  • Hard Graft
  • Hasso
  • J Panther Luggage
  • Mark Giusti
  • Mismo
  • Property of…
  • Tateossian
  • Vineyard Vines
As a Bag-lover, I took a look on their Bag offer and here is my wishing list:

#1 J Panther Luggage
Black Leather Courier Ruc Case

JPanther-leather-bag

The new Courier Ruc Case is a rugged, supremely functional work-oriented bag that will withstand the roughest treatment en route to the office, yet give the most graceful of impressions once there.
Read more

 

#2 Mark Giusti
Black Active Gym Bag

Mark-Giusti-bag

The “Active” Gym Bag with Two Compartment Sections and Leather Detailing is hand crafted in 100% Genuine Grained Calf Leather Detailing and Shower Proof Nylon Body.
Read more

 

#3 Cherchbi
Library Tote Bag

Cherchbi-library-bag

One of Cherchbi’s simplest, yet most useful designs. This understated and well proportioned tote works well for day, weekend or work.
Read more

Opumo delivers basically to the entire world, impressive. You can pay in Pounds, Euros and Dollars and they even have a return service.

So, no excuse now to not look fashionable. You have the address: www.opumo.com

LA

 

Info sourced at official press release and company official website. All images are copyrighted and no reproduction rights available.

DeWulf, the Leaning coffee table in pure concrete.

LuxuryActivist
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Reading Time: 2 minutes

logo DeWulf

Avant-garde designer James Dewulf continues to apply his expertise in concrete compounding and furniture design to create another heir loom piece called The Leaning Coffee table.

dewulf-leaningcoffeetable5

The Leaning Coffee Table was inspired by the work of Angelo Mangiarotti, who pioneered the use of gravity joints in the late 70’s.  DeWulf expanded on Mangiarotti’s work with a thinner top, stronger joint, and a shapelier look.  The result is a simple yet striking design that showcases the material’s strength and grace.

dewulf-leaningcoffeetable

Materials: Concrete
Description: 56 x 22 x 18h concrete coffee table using gravity joint.
1″ thick top. Designed to take up to 55 lbs of weight at far end of cantilever.

It is available in Natural Tone, Light Grey, and Charcoal Grey.  The table material is 7000 PSI carbon fiber reinforced concrete which means the one inch thick top is as strong as nine inches of ordinary concrete; and that the end of the top can hold up to 55 pounds!  DeWulf’s development of and expertise with this material permits the extreme cantilever of the top and the expertly crafted gravity joint connecting the top to the cantilevered base.

dewulf-leaningcoffeetable3

It is a pure piece of technological Design. For more information, visit the Designer official website: www.jamesdewulf.com 

The surface feels both organic and luxurious as it is hand finished several times to create a smooth buttery feel that people cannot stop touching.  The pigment is mixed throughout the concrete assuring color that never fades or wears. And the durable material ensures that the piece will serve for generations.

DewulfLeaningtable6

This is a beautiful luxury piece of contemporary design.

LA

 

Info sourced at Official Press release and Designer website. All images are copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

5ive Star London, travel with style.

LuxuryActivist
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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Did you know 5ive Star London? It is a new website dedicated to Travel… with style. In deed and for the first time, major luxury hotels in London got together in order to offer a prestigious experience for online bookings. And this is the 5ive star London website.

logo5iveStars

London is one of the most visited european capitals. Millions of people come to London, either for Business and/or lea sure. London welcomes over 14 million international visitors each year, making it the world’s most visited city. And if we calculate how many people stays overnight, the figure reaches 27 million. It is a real industry of 15 billion pounds.

Of course, all these visitors need to stay in a hotel somewhere! And as many of these visitors are  business travelers and high-end tourists, there is a big need in terms of luxury hotels.

Today, London’s leading five star luxury hotels have today raised the benchmark in online travel as they come together to launch a new website, www.5ivestarlondon.com

5ivestarlondon

is a one-stop resource for discerning international travellers seeking the very best of London, not only luxury hotels but restaurants, local attractions and retailers as well. It includes themed walking tours of London, real time updates of events taking place in the dedicated London Diary, rich visual depictions of the history of the city as told through uncovered hotel archive photography, videos of each property’s head bartender preparing their signature  cocktails, profiles of London’s leading tastemakers and details on travelling around the capital.

Among the prestigious partners, you can find the following:

  • Brown’s Hotel
  • The Dorchester
  • 45 Park Lane
  • The Goring
  • The Lanesborough
  • Mandarin Oriental
  • Hyde Park
  • The Milestone
  • One Aldwych
  • The Ritz
  • The Stafford

The level is high as customers expectancies are also at that level. Tony Hall, CEO of the Royal Opera House commented: “The Royal Opera House is delighted to be involved with 5ive Star London, being in the very heart of London’s theatreland and home to both The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet. With the eyes of the world on London in 2012, and visitors from around the globe coming to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympic Games and the summer-long London 2012 Festival, it’s wonderful to have this new website especially for luxury travellers, giving them all information they need to enjoy London at its best“.

5iveStarLondon2

About the website itself? There is a great amount of resources. Aró, is the company that created the website. It is a Internet leading partner for luxury lifestyle. They are the perfect strategic online partner for clients positioning products and services to luxury consumers. According to Alan Rowe, Managing Director at Aró: “5ive Star London is befitting one of the world’s most iconic cities and its finest hotels. The design and layout are easy to navigate while the extensive photography and information offers a unique look into the luxury and style that awaits guests in London.”

There is one part of the website I particularly appreciated. It is the Concierge. Chic and trendy, get the services of this virtual Concierge, whose name is Charles, and access to the best luxury tips of the city.

5iveStarLondon3

2012 will be a big year for London and definitely you do not want to loose a single piece of it!
LA

 

Info sourced at Official Press release and company website. All images are copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. 

 

Cindy Sherman at the MoMA NY

LuxuryActivist
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1
Reading Time: 4 minutes

The MoMA in New York will present from February 26th to june 11th 2012 a new exhibition about American photographer Cindy Sherman. It will be a retrospective of 170 photographs from mid 70’s until today. We will be able to see the key series like the “untitled” but also the black and white pictures, her ornate history portraits and milkmaids in the manner of old master paintings.

Cindy-sherman-moma

The exhibition will explore dominant themes throughout Sherman’s career, including artifice and fiction; cinema and performance; horror and the grotesque; myth, carnival, and fairy tale; and gender and class identity. Also included are Sherman’s recent photographic murals (2010), which will have their American premiere at MoMA.

Here is a video with Ingrid Sischy, the Editor-in-chief of Interview magazine, about Cindy Sherman work:

Cindy Sherman was born in 1954 in New Jersey USA. She is world known for her very conceptual portraits in which she is the main character, always with the Camera remote control in the hand, like a signature.

She is also known for raising interesting thoughts about the representation of women in our modern society, the media and the creation of Art. One of her first interesting works was the Bus Riders series in 1976 in which we could see the artist herself in different positions, like if she was in a bus. Here some examples of this series:

cindy-sherman-untitled-busriders-1976

Cindy-sherman-untitled-bus-riders-1976

On the Untitled series, several portraits in which the artist shown herself in different roles, wearing different makeup, dresses and hair. Most of them bring a strong critics on the American society and the way women are represented in the popular culture.

cindy-sherman-untitled-477-2008

cindy-sherman-untitled-464-2008

Out of this portrait works, she did in 1981 one portrait that would become in 2010 one of the most expensive photographs in history, thanks to a Christie’s auction. Cindy Sherman’s “Untitled #96” from 1981 passed all records for photography, and was sold for $3.89 million. According to ArtInfo.com, the buyer was New York dealer Philippe Segalot, and the underbidder was Per Skarstedt, also a New York dealer. Christie’s confirmed that this was a record for a photograph at auction, previously held by Andreas Gursky’s “99 Cent II Diptychon,” which fetched $3.35 million in 2006. Sherman recently had another high profile sale, with her work “Untitled #153,” from 1985 reaching $2.7 million in late 2010.

Cindy-Sherman-Untitled-96-1981
Untitled #96, 1981

In the past years she also worked for the fashion and beauty industry with a very creative, almost intellectual work (versus standard advertising). In 2006, she collaborated with Marc Jacobs and Juergen Teller for a series of fashion campaigns on Marc Jacobs brand:

cindy-sherman-marc-jacobs

In 2011, She did an amazing series of photographs for M.A.C. for its Fall collection. A limited edition for crazy fashionistas:

cindy-sherman-fo-MAC

The Exhibition will start next week, on the 26th of February. The exhibition is organized by Eva Respini, Associate Curator, with Lucy Gallun, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Photography. Major support for the exhibition is provided by Agnes Gund, Jerry I. Speyer and Katherine G. Farley, The Modern Women’s Fund, and The William Randolph Hearst Endowment Fund. Additional funding is provided by The Broad Art Foundation, David Dechman and Michel Mercure, Robert B. Menschel, Allison and Neil Rubler, Richard and Laura Salomon, The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Glenstone, Michèle Gerber Klein, Richard and Heidi Rieger, Ann and Mel Schaffer, and The Junior Associates of The Museum of Modern Art.

The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street  New York, NY 10019 USA
The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Exhibition Gallery, sixth floor.

I recommend to discover this major artist as her influence can be seen through all the contemporary art works and fashion photographs.
LA

 

Info sourced at MoMA official website, wikipedia and artist website. All images are copyrighted, no reproduction rights available. 

Baselworld 2012, the Watch industry comes to Switzerland.

Sebastien Eich
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2
Reading Time: < 1

As Champaign is important to France, we all know how important the Watch industry is for Switzerland. The Swiss city of Basel welcomes each year what we call Baselworld, the International fair for the Watch industry. Here are the key figures for the 2012 edition.

baselworld-2012-logo

THE KEY FIGURES

  • 160,000 m2 of exhibition surface
  • 1,815 exhibitors
  • Total countries represented: 41

We always talk about the Watches at Baselworld but let’s not forget that there is also Jewellery that is very important.  689 exhibitors for Jewellery vs 608 for Watches. Of course many brands have both like Bulgary.

Check the official website for more informations: http://www.baselworld.com

See the recent video about some great exhibitors this year:

Baselworld-2012-movie

Link: Baselworld2012.mov

 

So who will be there for the Fair? I will…
LA

 

Info sourced at Official Press release. All images copyrighted. No reproduction rights available.

DuckDuckGo, a Google killer?

LuxuryActivist
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Reading Time: 6 minutes

Founded by Gabriel Weinberg in 1998, DuckDuckGo.com becomes the “outsider” of Search engines today with more than 1 million searches a month. Is it a Google killer? Well, at least we can see that certain key features of the new search engine is going on that direction. See for yourself.

duckduckgo logo

Search engines are always one of the most important tools we can use today. They are the door for all the knowledge we can find on the internet. And depending on how good the search engine is, you are going to be more or less happy with your search results. For the past 10 years, they become a huge challenge because people want to get the information requested right away and do not wish to get “dead-ends”.

When Google was launched in 1998, it changed radically the way search engines not only looked-like but on the way to search. Today we know that 90% of people looking for something online uses a search engine. 70% uses Google. So the internet looks like Google show to you. And it did not take long time until companies started finding some interests of having their website well ranked. So the era of SEO started but also the era of online advertising with the famous Google Adwords program. As Search engines know exactly what did you search for and where did you clicked, these informations are valuable for advertisers. They can use it to better improve their websites rankings and learn more about you.

Since then, the offer in terms of search engines became narrow and today, we can identify 3 big ones: Google, Yahoo and Bing. Of course there are many others but these are the reality of internet search today in the world. Many others tried to make their place in this highly competitive market. Some search engines went on the Green area. Engines like Gigablast or Ecosia supports ecology. they give money to support green projects and try to use green energy to run their servers. But you cannot skip Google from your live that easy.

Of course having a digital intense life has also a “dark” side. In deed each day we challenge our private life as we give a lot of private information to web companies. Sometimes we know it by summiting an online form, but most of the times we do not pay attention. And this happens especially with search engines.

That’s why DuckDuckGo.com becomes a real alternative. One of the main features is about Privacy. This search engine clearly says that they do not keep, share or track your searches so that they do not give this valuable information to the websites you visit. I think this point might be one of the most important ones for a wide audience. We live strange times. We are more and more into these digital lives and we get “sometimes” afraid of giving our private lives to the web. Do you remember Second Life? Why bother? Just use your First life. Simple and more valuable to internet companies.

At DuckDuckGo.com this does not happen. So the question is: What happen to SEO, Adwords or other search engine information based strategies tomorrow if this new Search engine becomes mainstream. Are we going to be “blind”? And another question is, why do we want to not give our search information to companies? Probably because we feel that they should not have that information right? Well the paradox is that we live in times in which the definition of private and public lives evolves a lot. When companies started using Facebook Connect, an amazing amount of people were and are happy to use this login method. For reminder, Facebook connect is the option to login to any website with your Facebook profile. This allows the company to have access to your personal profile and also the one of your Facebook friends. The goal is to propose targeted offers based on this information. It is one of the biggest penetration rate for technology in the past 2 years. This means people are happy to do so and I cannot imagine people are completely dumb and blind to not realize that.

So why does Privacy a big hit? Sometimes I have the feeling this is more a “professional tecky” or “geeky” subject, more than a “everyone” matter. At least statistics shows it in that way. Otherwise even the existence of Facebook would be revoked, right?

Anyway, let’s get back to our duckies :-). This search engine proposes a lot of settings for the web results.

  • choice of type of results (commercial, non-commercial)
  • Multiple platforms like Wikipedia but also the other search engines
  • Adult content control, ambiguous terminology

duckduckgo-settings

In terms of Privacy settings, you can also choose for sharing your information or not.

duckduckgo-options2

Last but not least, the interface. When Google arrived with a simple interface without any banners or blinking ads, everybody was happy as it looked quite neutral.
Google page

So when you compare to Yahoo for example, definitely Yahoo looks a little more “crowded”
yahoo page

I must say that Bing did an interesting job on the interface as it relates more to arts and nature than advertising:
Bing homepage

And DuckDuckGo has followed the rules of simplicity too with a clean clever interface with still some possible options available in one click.
duckduckgo-options

So the real question now is: what is needed to get Google from the Throne? I think web professionals should focus less on technology for technology and think more about people’s aims and lifestyles.

Technology is nothing if it does not fits its purpose. Let’s not forget that these are only tools. And tools are great if we can use them for a greater purpose. Is DuckDuckGo going to stay? We do not know. At least the project is self-funded by its own founder and now they are gathering a community of people that tries to improve, repair and change the platform. It is an interesting model to follow.

Folow Mother Goose?
LA

 

Info sourced at duckduclgo.com, wikipedia.com and other related websites. All images are copyrighted. No reproduction rights available. 

 

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