Happy New Year!

It's just hours a way for many of you in Europe as you get ready to count down the seconds to a New Year! A New Year signifying Hope for good things to come. I want to take the time for thanking you all for sharing 2008 with me and being a part of my life. But, most importantly I want to wish you and yours a truly amazing 2009 -- fulfilling more than you could imagine. Happy New Year!

Voorspoedige Nuwejaar! (Afrikaan) - Stastny Novy Rok (Czech) - Chestita Nova Godina (Bulgarian) - Onnellista Uutta Vuotta! (Finnish) - Gelukkig nieuwjaar (Flemish) - Bonne Année (French) - Ein Glückliches Neues Jahr! (German) - Shana Tova (Hebrew) - Felice Anno Nuovo (Italian) - Shinnen Omedeto (Japanese) - Kong He Xin Xi (Mandarin) - Godt Nytt År (Norwegian) - Feliz Ano Novo! (Portuguese) - Feliz Ano Novo! (Romanian) - S Novym Godom ((Russian) - Feliz Año Nuevo (Spanish) - Iyi Senele (Turkey)

What to Wear, The deYoung Museum and Yves Saint Laurent

The YSL Vault

Every year I fumble through my closet and wonder what I have to wear for New Years Eve. And every year, I realize....I have nothing. Can you imagine having a closet full of haute couture clothes AND the places to wear them?! Not many can. And there is only one who had the imagination to fill a closet like that quite like Yves Saint Laurent.

Last weekend, I jumped in the car with family in tow to San Francisco for the day. The first thing on the schedule was the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park where an amazing exhibit of inspiring fashion representing the forty years of the Yves Saint Laurent Fashion House was on display. I could have stayed for hours. Dresses, coats, pant suits, jackets, shoes, hats.....what could be a more wonderful way to spend a cold winter day, but surrounded by the luxury of it all?

Yves Saint Laurent was particularly well known for redefining what a woman should/could wear. From the late 50's on, YSL was creating new silhouettes like the trapeze dress for women,and borrowing from men's wardrobes :the pea coat, the safari jacket, the trench and the pinstripe suit creating new classics that would eventually end up in every woman's wardrobe.

His imagination was limitless. Drawing inspiration from imaginary travels, art, literature, flora and fauna, YSL created a body of work that is hard to surpass.

African Inspiration

Russian Bohemian

Shakespearean Fantasy Wedding Gown

Ode to Picasso

Tribute to Matisse

Evening Gown with "Bust" sculpture in galvanized copper created by Claude Lalanne

Sequin "Scales" Evening Dress

Cape of Rooster Feathers

Ostrich Feather Gown

Evening Ensemble with Pheasant and Vulture Feathers

YSL loved glamour and a woman's body. His creations were meant to celebrate the feminine form sometimes baring all.

Spring Summer Cocktail Dress

Sheer Evening Dress with Ostrich Feathers

Evening Gown in Tribute to Marilyn Monroe

There was so much to see...I went through the exhibit three times while the rest of the family toured the rest of the deYoung. This is just a small smattering of the lusciousness. There are over 125 outfits fully accessorized with amazing attention to detail. Sketches of many of YSL's works, videos and a biographical life history brings it all to life.

The exhibit runs through the 5th of April for those of you in the Bay Area between now and then. To find out more click here and here. For those of you who cannot attend, I highly recommend this:

Available through Amazon, this book should be on your "must have" list. Full of beautiful photos and many many sketches that are not part of the exhibit, you can see the genius that was Yves Saint Laurent. It is a perfect way to celebrate the life and imagination of YSL. (1936-2008)

I want to give my most heartfelt thanks to all of you who have come to read katiedid this past year. You have provided such a great support and wonderful network of design loving friends. This coming year is no doubt going to be full of challenges for us all. Here's to handling all of the challenges with huge imagination, wit and a positive outlook. Cheers!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

The Vegetable Museum

From the Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery by Ju Duoqi:

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Pickled Cabbage

Van Gogh Made of Leek

The Kiss of the Radishes

Napoleon on Potatoes

The Scream of the Sweet Potatoes - Something to MUNCH? Heh heh hehhh

Liberty Leading the Vegetables

The Last Supper with the Gingermen

But STILL, she has not used purple yams. I really hope she will at some point, bc I'm really craving some purple yam right now.

passiv haus

This is the Passiv Haus in Darmstadt, Deutschland.

"The concept of the passive house, pioneered in this city of 140,000 outside Frankfurt, approaches the challenge from a different angle. Using ultrathick insulation and complex doors and windows, the architect engineers a home encased in an airtight shell, so that barely any heat escapes and barely any cold seeps in. That means a passive house can be warmed not only by the sun, but also by the heat from appliances and even from occupants’ bodies."

It only costs 5-7% more to build. Currently being attempted in Berkeley.

From the NY Times.

Season's Greetings

'Tis the season of forgiving, giving, joy happiness and Love! Pass it on! Cheerish this day and on wards. I wish you and youra a truly special Christmas!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Nicole

weiss

Cleanlining in the 1930s sought a stripped-down look reflecting Depression austerity. It trended toward "a finish of white, the most sanitary color1” for psychological appeal. - Apple, anyone?

And then there are different types of white. Warm v cool: White is warm and inviting when with a touch of yellow or pink. Cooler with bit of blue.

This is a neighboring house. What do you think? At first, because the finish almost seems transparent and matte, the white looks unintentional and the facade looks unfinished. But I love it.

In Ornament and Crime, architect Adolf Loos equates the progression of culture with the elimination of ornamentation. His argument for modernism does not suggest that modernists have denied style, but that man has become sophisticated enough as to not have sensual associations with ornamentation. A lack of decoration not only decreases the price and manpower spent on an object, but also increases the intellectual power and highlights some other art. In this sense, the matte white finish of this home's facade serves to highlight the skill of woodworking; the old, ornate Victorian is a home for Loos's modern man because it sophisticated enough seek elimination of ornamentation.

I like that the entryway is natural, dark wood set up by black stairs. Says what's important.

In line with SF stereotypes, of course the wreath is a peace sign.

Mural wallpaper in a white space with darker recesses. Weird that this is a bathroom. I wish the room was ten times larger, the bookcases floor to ceiling, and the mural of course much more expansive. This would make a much better living room/library than bathroom. The chair demonstrates.

Think another reason why people default to decorating w white is bc symmetry is not necessary at all. But if you are the sort who can maintain a "sanitary," white home, then you must be mildly ocd/like symmetry.

Btw, there is a White Company.

1 Meikle, Jeffrey L. Twentieth-Century Limited, “Cleanlining.” (1979)

It's not too late I hope!!!!!! More Blogger Trees

I must apologize for being away! Having family stay with us for the holidays and our annual Christmas Eve party put me a little behind. But I have been seeing such lovely trees on so many blogs, I thought it might not be too late to share. I mean....you all keep you own trees up til at least the day after New Years, right? I remember one year growing up, we kept the tree up well into February.

The tree above is by the talented Maison 21 blogger, Christian May. A fairytale in white. Please visit and see Christian's wonderful pets, Richard and Mona, and how Christian translates his love for animals into the Christmas Spirit, here!

If you haven't seen the Devine Life of designer and blogger Michael Devine, you can check it out here. Michael has conjured up two trees this year. His "city" tree is pictured above.

And this is his "country" tree. I cannot have just one tree either. (Mine are farther down!) I love that Michael has a celebration with friends to decorate both trees.

My friend Kevin at Journal 703 has had a particularly poignant Christmas this year. This is his beautiful tree. If you want to find out just what the Christmas spirit is and what a very special person Kevin is, please visit Kevin here and send him your best wishes. Love you Kevin!

For a very cool tropical Christmas, visit Linda at Lime in the Coconut blog. She has a fantastic house and shows all of her wonderful decorations here. For another very powerful Christmas message from Linda, pause for just a moment .... click here.

This is blogger Paloma's tree from La Dolce Vita. She has included some pics of her house along with her decorations, so if you LOVE to see what other bloggers do with their decor like I do, click here.

I have a new blogger friend Lecia who writes A Day that is Dessert blog.....and who doesn't want a day that is dessert?!?!? Lecia lets us in to her warm and cozy life with wonderful recipes and her adventures with her family. She sent me this picture of her beautiful tree, and I hope you have a moment to visit her blog. You will be hooked.

This is my tree. I love blown glass ornaments, and add to the collection with gifts to my daughters every year. Some of the ornaments I have enjoyed since I was a very little girl.

This elf is from my childhood.

And so is this angel on the moon.

The mermaid was my favorite growing up. The swan and fruit basket have been added in more recent years.

The reindeer is also newer and came along the same year as this Santa:

The soldier is an oldy.

My older daughter loves all things Japanese. I found this glass lantern just last Christmas for her.

I love this squirrel, a gift to myself, because of the little acorn ornament attached to the hook at the top.

Like Michael Devine, I have more than one tree. I have collected straw ornaments over the years.... and added more from IKEA lately. I also love carved wooden toy ornaments. So in our basement library/office/kid space, I have this little tree.

I hope you all had a magical holiday and wish you all a PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!