Rainbow Reveal

I just received my Gay Jeans from BetaBrand.  So far they fit well and feel great.  The warp in these is made of cotton threads of random colors that are then indigo dyed.  Indigo dyes not by working it's way into a fiber, but by coating it.  When our jeans get white at the knees it is the indigo wearing off and revealing the white threads.  Here the repeal should be multi colored.

I'd tried to cover some actively patterned printed clothes in the past with indigo- but you know it takes a real expert to make a great indigo vat.  Mine didn't work so well.  I wasn't even hoping these jeans would look as raw denim even dark blue as they do.  I just love them.

I really like the BetaBrand way of trying out an idea and getting pre-production purchases that finance the production run.  AND they are made in San Fransisco.

As a gay textile lover, I'm a little confused by their Gay Jeans name and want us all to take back the rainbow.  The jeans are great- can't wait to break them in and break them out!

I shop therefore I am: Uniforms

I spend a lot of time thinking about studio uniforms for my self and my pal Johanna.  Until now I usually dreamt about Slavic traditional dress.  Now the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni have made the dream real in an archive piece by Achille Castiglioni and Max Huber.

Available in two colors: as above and hot pink.

I shop therefore I am: BlockSpacial

Dynamically mutable blocks become shelving in just about any configuration by Studio E.O and Kyuhyung Cho.
Thank you Interior Design magazine.

And also thanks to Interior Design for a MAD museum shout out!

I shop therefore I am: Scottish Rite in Santa Fe

A former Masonic hall is for sale in Santa Fe.  It really is pink!

Legendary!

The Collection gets to be shown in Chicago for a week as part of Robin Richman's event Fabric, Findings, and Food.  Of course she chose the 2 most laborious and heavy fabrics: Valkyrie and Ballchain.
Robin's store is shown to me by my dear friends Leslie and Laura when we were first getting to know each other.  Robin's a real treasure and I couldn't be happier than to be there!  Who else would clear out there merchandise for a week to show fabric?

Introducing!

The Bodenner Collection is finally available, and I'm awfully proud of it.  The first fabric on public view is auspiciously at the Museum of Art and Design in their Maker's Biennial.  It's Moonlight, and it is glowing robustly in their elevators.
The museum has a history that is a little troubling for me- they are currently housed in a heavily renovated building whose old incarnation by Edward Durell Stone I love- a lot.  In the past I have taken friends to a show at MAD of a real design hero, Jack Larsen, and felt the show did not actually show the genius that he is.
Now the museum has a new director, who I have the luck of calling a friend.  Glenn is a real lover of stuff and its depth of meaning.  He curated a show in London on Postmodernism that blew my little mind.  He also arranged a talk (at 1:34:25) with Roy McMakin that really is inspirational.  I'm so excited to see how the museum grows and changes under his leadership.
 

I shop therefore I am: 1977 ©Jack Lenor Larsen

Who doesn't love a grid?  Right now- this beauty on Ebay.

Husband Watch: Double Bill at the Santa Fe Opera

Fabio  designed the costumes for two operas brought together by a smart and surprising storyline crafted by director Micheal Gieleta. 
First the light hearted L'Impresario by Mozart which dream sequence melts into Stravinsky's Rossinol
I'm no expert, but I cried a little at the end.

L'Emprisario

Le Rossinol

Pick myself up by the boots,

Getting back to my roots.
I had the chance to weave for Roy McMakin.  He and the Lora Reynolds Gallery have created Domestic Furniture, a line of Roy furniture multiples.  Normally I will over see the production of handwoven fabrics for his Sofa and Chair.  This time, the deadline was tight and ... well... I couldn't ask anyone else to work like that.
The Textile Arts Center came to the rescue with a loom I could use.  That place is a slice of heaven filled with people who really care about fabric and people.
 I wove 15 yards of blue and 24 yards of green which took 24 long days, sourcing the yarn from around the country and even dying 1 last pound of green at Jeff Fender's, a legendary NYC costume shop.  They actually took a break from clothes for Lady Gaga to dye this green.
Roy took my fabric and made Domestic Sofa In Green Handwoven Fabric and 11 am- a chair from a Hopper painting.
I had never hand woven on that scale, and I rarely get the chance to weave at all.  I still love it. ( and Roy.)

The fabric for 11 AM

High quality close up of the fabric for Domestic Sofa In Green Handwoven Fabric

Action shot of the shuttle in the shed.

I shop therefore I am: Pesce stools

Wright auction house in Chicago has these Pesce stools up for auction.
Green and red.