Sots Art

The first time I heard about ‘Sots Art’ (or the fact that such thing existed) was when I attended the Soviet Non-Conformist exhibition last month. I left the gallery fascinated by the Moscow School of Conceptualism which has attempted to undermine Socialist ideology, as well as the physical boundaries of the regime. I had no idea that Pop Art (or at least a variety of it) managed to develop in a country which hated and banned anything coming from these “horrible” Americans.

I also left a bit homesick as some of the images and objects of art evoked memories from my childhood in a post Soviet country. There was an illustration of one of my favourite book characters – Molivko and installation of a bed, which remarkably resembled the aluminium couches that furnished hospitals. They still do, actually. Oh, how artistically contradictive these queues for milk and breads were . . . only ask my grandparents. 

Molivko

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The Pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery

Back to lovely, sunny (as soon as my foot stept on English earth the sun came out) London and I am excited to soak up some culture and catch up on all that I have missed while abroad. I was really curious to finally see the scarlet red summer construction that was under development in June. This year, the Hyde Park gallery has invited the French architect Jean Nouvel to design a structure, which he has rendered in pillar-box red, to contrast with the lush green lawns of Hyde Park. It is an interesting place, which consists of a café and some more space to relax under the numerous trees and enjoy the sunny summer days (or at least the rest of them). Well, it does have a roof made of steel. No wonder Nouvel has won the Pritzker price.

Notting Hill Carnival

Le look du jour (de maman)

Yes, that’s right. That’s not me, neither it is my older / younger sister. Today’s look du jour is dedicated to my mother. She has always inspired me, always so supportive and the only person on Earth who has complete confidence in me. It’s pointless to say that one day I wish I could be half as successful as her and look like that when my own (biological) daughter would be in her 20s. Mum’s style is casual: lots of jeans, tank tops and kids-sized Converse. Today, however, when I saw her I thought: “Wow, who put this together for you?” Apparently, my work here is done, don’t you think?

La Maison Market

Treasure finding among piles of . . . stuff (actually, another word came to my mind first) has never been a particular strength of mine. Maybe it’s the lack of luck, intuition, maybe it’s my impatience to rummage through vintage / second hand articles, I don’t really know what the reason is. One thing I know for sure and that’s that I never seem to be able to discover and give a new life to any piece of clothing or accessory. My best bargain would be an H&M shirt dress which I found among a pile of . . . stuff. Well, in London that doesn’t really count as vintage or second hand (on a second thought not so sure about the last one). So a few years ago I decided not to let my vintage shopping spirit take me to Portobello Market on Sundays. Instead I replaced the stalls with my own wardrobe in my parent’s house. My shoe closet became my treasure trove. Moving out whole two years ago I did pack the best of the best. However, there is A LOT left and every time I come back home, I manage to find something forgotten and all of a sudden I’m struck by the vision of how fashionable an antique piece would look next season.

This time, I have already packed for London these pointed shoes, which are not particularly comfortable, but look quite similar to Stella McCartney’s designs from the runway. I found mine in Mango, some five or six years ago and after a small transformation (they did have a tiny little bow) they are (hopefully) going to find their place in my fall wardrobe. This is what I call a bargain, one that didn’t cost me a penny. 

                                        Stella McCartney Fall 2010

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Wait No More

It’s been a while since Bally presented their collaboration with Central Saint Martin’s graduates and the models that were born from the partnership of talented fresh designers and a brand known for its perfection and attention to detail. And now, just on time for Fashion Week, Bally offers the same designs which won the jury of the competition for most intriguing (yet comfortable) model. I won’t lie to you; I was not even slightly surprised when I got the email. After all, I knew it was a matter of time before Bally releases for sale the innovative shoe collection. How did I know? Let’s just say I attended the presentation during the last Fashion Week and the question of purchasing these gorgeous shoes randomly came up. Call it six sense if you want.

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Captured: La vie héroique de Serge Gainsbourg

During my holiday in Monte Carlo I managed to steal a few culture dedicated moments and have a look at some photographs of Serge Gainsbourg, part of the exposition “Serge Gainsbourg et caetera”. 

The images are taken by Tony Frank and represent some of the most significant events of Gainsbourg’s vie héroique. They capture the intimate aspect of the artist’s life, as well as career: working in his studio or performing on scene, but also his wedding day and random snapshots with his wife and daughter. The exhibition also marks the biopic film, coming out this month Vie Héroique. All the things that cannot be captured on photo are present in the film, including the fresh on screen performance of Laetitia Casta as Bridgette Bardot.

Gainsbourg (Vie Héroique) is out now.

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