Our night at the Museum: On a Pedestal...

Two Venetian Ladies - Vittore Carpaccio (1460-1526, Venice)

Last Wednesday, February 17th, we attended an incredible after-hours party at the Bata Shoe Museum.
That night, we could freely meander through the floors and collections of the Museum - as if we owned the museum for a night.
We first relaxed and sipped drinks in the lounge, while listening to the music of a live DJ and watching performance artist Faye Mullen ponder a provocative idea : I am an artist and I weigh...

Faye Mullen, using an unusual handmade scales - Photo by Shayne Gray

Then my husband and I enjoyed a new visit of the permanent collection, which I always marvel at, displayed on the basement and first floors with star pieces like the smugglers' clogs, the 17th chestnut crushers' shoes from Ardèche in France, or the minuscule women's embroidered silk shoes for bound feet worn in China, during the Han Dynasty. Finally, our friends, Cristy and Shayne, joined us, and we all went up to the 3rd floor to experience the newest exhibition : On a Pedestal, From Renaissance Chopines to Baroque Heels, featuring extreme footwear, like the 50cm high Chopines!

Venetian chopines, 16th century, on loan from Museo Palazzo Mocenigo, Venice, Italy

We learnt a lot, and played at finding the Chopines, the slap-stole shoes or other extraordinary baroque heels in the photographed paintings that were significantly illustrating the exhibit.

Slap-sole shoes, probably Italian, mid-17th century, from the collection of the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada

Slap-sole shoe, English, mid 17th century, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto

That night, we were offered a wonderful opportunity to learn and share our discoveries among friends. Fundamentally educational and terribly pleasant!

Eye candies /Histoires sans paroles

Found at Studio Toogood

Dream Nuptials a Labour of Love

Photo Giancarlo Jacob

On Valentine's Day, my husband and I just took a very pleasant stroll around St Lawrence Market in the downtown area. Nothing extraordinaire... Love, as always, was in the air!

Oh, but we did find it amusing that this year's Valentine's blessed us with an article in the Toronto Star, exactly one year after we got engaged in Paris, France. This was an unexpected gift.

* Read the article.
**For more details concerning the wedding step-by-step preparations, go through the posts in this blog's Wedlock topic, or go directly to the final blog post showing the photos of the wedding!

Put a Tiger in your Valentine's Guitar!

Old Tiger in the Snow, Hokusai, 1849

Today is Valentine's Day, but it also is the day to celebrate New Year's Day in the Chinese zodiac: The Year of the Metal/White Tiger.

The Year of the Tiger is associated with the earthly branch symbol 寅.

According to Chinese astrology: The Tiger is said to be lucky, vivid, lively and engaging. Another attribute of the Tiger is his incredible bravery, evidenced in his willingness to engage in battle or his undying courage.

To know more about your Chinese Horoscope 2010 Year of the Tiger, click here, or here.
To read your horoscope in French (en français!), go there.

Now, what a great opportunity to celebrate with untamed French crooner, Jacques Dutronc and his 1966 song: "J'ai Mis un Tigre dans ma Guitare" (I've put a Tiger in my Guitar)! Enjoy.

Put a Tiger in your Valentine's Day to better roar out your love!

Dites-le avec des Fleurs!

Illustration by René Gruau, whom I love as you might have noticed...

Last Feb.14th, Marco and I were on a plane to France to get engaged in Paris...We had not planned it specifically on St Valentine's Day, but it happened to be just like so. When we took off, we raised our glasses of Champagne To Love & Air France with golden sparks in our eyes. Unforgettable, that's what youuuu are...

I wonder what is going to happen this year now that I am married!

Dites-le avec des fleurs! (Say it with flowers!).

Tord Boontje's Plate

In a word, simple flowers, a personal note and my beloved's kisses will sure make my day!
The rest is silence.

Two charismatic lovers: French musicians Françoise Hardy & Jacques Dutronc.

St Valentine's Treat. Listen to their song: Puisque vous partez en voyage...

Happy Valentine's Day Trip!

May you travel like Françoise & Jacques,
i.e with "l'amour pour seul bagage!"

From Hip-Hop to Chicago Steppin'...No big stretch!

Last Christmas, my husband's younger brother and his wife offered us the gift of dance. As they had just embarked on a fun hip-hop journey with Jimmy-award winner, Shawn Byfield, they wanted to share the joy and get us started with hip-hop at BDX studio.

Therefore, last Wednesday we went to the dance studio all ready and geared up for hip hop. But guess what? It was unbelievable! That day was special... Shawn started the class with an announcement. Today, exceptionally, let me introduce you to another cool dance that was born in Chicago... Marco and I looked at each other with disbelief...Could that be????
On that day, instead of having our first hip hop class, we had a Chicago Steppin' class; that was surreal! How serendipitous was that?...Remember the post I published in January on my other blog, Mon Cher Coco...Just when my husband and I thought of getting into that sweet and fluid dance; there we were, enjoying an introduction to the very basic steps! So much so that we too can shuffle and slide on Chicago Steppin' mode in our kitchen now.

Thank you, Giancarlo & Lara for the Byfield Dance Experience! We still have one more class to go, and we are looking forward to it. But perhaps, instead of hip hop, we will go for a beginner's class of tap dance. Very tempting...

Putting on the Ritz at Spadina Museum: Swell!

Climbing the stairs to the party thrown in the great Spadina Museum.(Photo by Daniel)

Last Saturday, January 30th, we cut a rug at Putting on the Ritz (doing something in style), a very swanky (ritzy) 1920s party thrown at Spadina Museum. The museum is currently under renovation to restore the building to its original 1920s state. They threw this swell little party in order to promote the project and to document the impending re-opening to the public in the fall 2010!

As the organizers insisted on the fact that their guests had to be dolled up (dressed up), we decided to play it by the rules...

Cristy and Shayne
Tess and Marco (photo by Daniel)

My husband and I had thought of several possibilities for our costumes: Bonnie and Clyde, Rudolph Valentino and Louise Brooks, etc. We eventually ended up with the glad rags (outfits) of a banker-gangster look for him and the Coco Chanel-inspired flapper look for me.

Left to right: Shayne, Daniel, Marco and I (photo by Cristy).
Marco and I were awarded 2 tickets for the new-in-town musical, and a restaurant gift certificate for Best Individual Costumes. Whoopee!

There were professional dancers, the Sugar Shakers, who eventually managed to get everyone dancing the Charleston before 10PM.

The Sugar Shakers showing their gams (legs)

They did not have to beg me to dance, I love the 1920s steps! I had dusted off my 1930s shoes for the occasion, and was all set to swing into action.

However, there was a hitch! The party was unfortunately under strict Prohibition rules - no Speakeasy (illicit bar), no hair of the dog (shots of alcohol) that night. Fancy mocktails were served instead of cocktails. Hooey (nonsense)! But oh well, it was still a very hotsy-totsy (pleasing) party! At least no one had the discomfort of experiencing a Bum's Rush (ejection by force from an establishment) in the 1920s fashion!

Cristy's fake drink. These mocktails proved very tasty actually. Bravo Mr. Barman!

This restriction made us dream of a midsummer night's 1920s party where the guests could take roaring sips off their real cocktails, while chatting on the beautiful outdoor terrace of the place...So, dear Austin family and event coordinators, please throw another party...but in the summertime, and with a license, if possible.

At 10PM, the 1920s party was over, so we scrammed and opted to go for a drink at the Reservoir Lounge on Wellington St. When we arrived there, it was insane! No coat check, and no room, we were all squeezed in like sardines. Help! We left and went to the Flatiron Firkin, instead.

Tess, la Garçonne, at the Flatiron.

Daniel, or Tintin the great Belgian reporter.



Marco, my Latino-Canadian Valentino...


Cristy, the flapper, and Shayne Holmes.

Believe me, we made quite a sensation there among the patrons... It was therefore fairly easy to get a good table and a round on the house - yes, they loved our spiffy (elegant appearance) look! They loved us there, and we loved them right back! We were happy to rejoice together while sharing REAL Mc Coy drinks...
As you might have noticed I learnt a lot of 1920s expressions last Saturday... I loved the idea and brought back a lot of these short lists of Cat's meow (sthg stylish) vocabulary in my bag.

Me, all focused, going through one of the lists of 1920s expressions!

Next time we dress up in the 1920s style, it will be for the Max Raabe concert. We can't wait!

Alright, now please excuse me, I have to see a man about a dog!

Any idea of what this means? Give it a try...I am looking forward to your suggestions ;o)

Flying to the Moon!

To the Moon or...to St Peter's Gate with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in The Ziegfeld Follies!

Toronto's Design Week is On!

Jaime Hayon

I officially declare Toronto's Design Week opened!

For Marco and I, it all started last night with Made's show Radiant Dark, entitled Assets & Values.

On tomorrow's menu: 2 mind-blowing encounters with...
- Tord Boontje, lecture at OCAD @ 6PM.
- Jaime Hayon at Jonathan+Olivia, in partnership with Lightforum, Metalarte and IDS10.

And Saturday will be another busy day full of great design shows:
-Heavy Metal Show (8-11 PM)
-Come up to My Room at the Gladstone ( 7-10 PM)

Design Week will end on Sunday with a visit to the IDS10...

I can't wait to come up to all these designers' rooms!

Putting on the Ritz with the 1920s!

Spadina Museum will be opening its doors on Saturday, January 30 for one night only to celebrate the inter-war period restoration currently underway.

When I first visited Toronto in 2006, the authentic charm and beauty of the Spadina Museum (pronounced Spa-deena) was undeniably one of the reasons why I fell in love with the city, and decided to move here in September 2007.

So, if in town, you simply cannot miss that great 1920s party thrown in Spadina's elegant Victorian decor.
Pick up your phone and book your tickets NOW! It's filling up fast.

Costumes or glad rags from the 1920s are welcome! The museum plans to photograph participants during the event to keep our audiences up to date on restoration happenings and events. Fantastic prizes will be awarded for Best Individual Costume, Best Couple and Best Celebrity Impression.

PS: I still don't know what I will be wearing...But if like me, you need to polish up your retro look, you can find affordable 1920s clothes and accessories at Gadabout on Queen Street East, at Cabaret on Queen Street West, or at Courage my Love in Kensington Market, or again at Fashion Crimes (fake pearls and cigarette holder for next to nothing!).

Hope to see you there ;o)

No Milk Today? Ok, but a lot of Mjölk instead...

Don't miss it !
Last weekend, Marco and I paid a visit to the new-born store of the Junction's eclectic neighbourhood : Mjölk ( say Mi-Yelk). The shop has been voted new shop of the week by NOW magazine and best new design shop of 2009 according to Blog TO! It has been designed and built by Studio Junction, (go see their website; I am a great admirer of their work)...

...and is run by John Baker and Juli Daoust whom we first met at the IDS09 as they stopped by our booth and eventually decided to feature Marco's chairs on their blog: Kitka. They are young, moving forward at the speed of light and have got a passion for Scandinavian and Japanese design that is contagious.

Our suggestion: if you decide to discover the area, also go to Smash, vintage furniture shop, and take a healthy break with organic foods at the Beet, miam-miam!

Take a day out, or at least an afternoon out, to discover what's new in the Junction; you won't regret it !
Croix de bois, croix de fer, si je mens, je vais en enfer...

Rising Legacy

"My road, in a way, is my roots."
( Interview by Rupert Bottenberg, in Montreal Mirror )

Lhasa de Sela (1972-2010)
Montreal-based singer songwriter Lhasa de Sela died on New Year's Day after a 21-month battle with breast cancer.

Listen to "Rising" from 2009's self-titled album, LHASA:


Rest in Peace, bella Lhasa.

If you want to be You...Be a Fantastic YOU!

Being true to oneself is not easy everyday... It could even be considered as one of the biggest ordeals we have been assigned to achieve, don't you think? Hence my interest in two films that I saw recently. Both deal with the topic with such bravado that I felt I had to share the good tips with you, my dear readers.
Fantastic Mr Fox by Wes Anderson. I saw it on January 2nd at the theatre, thanks to a couple of wonderful friends, Rob and Trelawnie, who had invited us for the occasion. They thought it would be a good way to celebrate the new year. And they were right; it was a FANTASTIC and spectacular way to step in the new decade!

I found this stop-motion version of Roald Dahl's classic tale very foxy (;o), witty and delightfully satirical, but also quite down-to-earth as it is also based on good commonsense...All in all, Mr.Fox (George Clooney's voice is perfect here) cannot help being himself, i.e a "wild animal". After this fantastic screening, we were hungry like wild horses (they eat all the time in the film!), so we decided to treat ourselves to the Golden Thai on Church Street. From Fantastic to Golden, how better could that get?

Now, just a few days ago, Marco and I felt so free, so high and so happy to be you+me that it was the perfect night for us to welcome Harold and Maude at home...The VHS video having been bequeathed upon us by the good graces of Rob & Trelawnie (the same amazing friends, yes), we watched it again for our viewing pleasure. What a roller-coaster!

Just in case you too felt the connection between Wes Anderson's films (Rushmore, for instance) and Hal Ashby's dead pan humour (see Being There and Harold & Maude, of course), you would be perfectly right. We discovered that Wes Anderson was greatly influenced by Ashby's Harold & Maude.

Now let's play a little game...
Click on the picture below. Then enter your first name, surname and password (character):

P.S: I am Lettres Ornées, and you?

New Index for Atelier Jacob!

Marco Jacob in "Poetics of Structure" by Anna Sulikowska, Slash Magazine (Summer 2007)

Last week, Marco Jacob, my husband, and I, celebrated the launch of his new website!
It took him some time to transfer the data and upload the new material, but the result is really interesting. Instead of updating his old website with the help of a webmaster, he opted for a format that is called Indexhibit. He researched a lot, browsed on many sites that had been built with Indexhibit, and learnt how to master this new tool. Being independent in how to display one's creative work is, I think, of paramount importance for an artist. It therefore was a huge step that this more user-friendly format enabled him to take. He now can go through the regular updates of his multidisciplinary work himself, which is revolutionary.

Marco and I would like to invite you to browse through his new website, so you can see some of the projects he has been working on lately:

www.atelierjacob.com

Identity design and stationery for Plutino Group. 2009.


Fabrication of maquette for artist Luis Jacob. 2009.
Used in a competition entry for a public art project.


Warp lounge chair. 2008.
Vacuum formed plastic. Prototyped by UB Signs.

Set design for photo shoot featured in Fashion Magazine. 2007.
Photography Miguel Jacob.


Temporary installation initiated by the studio. 2007.


Installation at the Gladstone Hotel's Come Up to My Room exhibition. 2007.
Photography Anna Sulikowska and Chris Curreri.


Louise armchair. 2006.
Baltic birch plywood. Prototyped by Matt Wood.

Hope you enjoyed the visit! Please, leave a comment to let us know your impressions.
We'll take good note of it.


Marco Jacob. Photograph by The Sartorialist.

Twenty Ten, here I come!

Bichonnade Leaping - by Jacques-Henri Lartigue © Jacques-Henri Lartigue Foundation

The holiday season is over. The snow has, at long last, made its way to Toronto. This new whiteness is cold and blinding, but I love it!
The holiday season is over. No more leftovers in the fridge to lure me into delicious but excessive feasting. The holiday food has been replaced by simpler food. Now is time to pull myself back together, and get back to work! I am fortunate I just got a new job as a French teacher for a private school that works for the Government. Starting this week with intense one-on-one classes that can be 6 or 7 hours a day- oulalala, that sounds like an interesting challenge to take up!

Jacques - Henri Lartigue,
Album 1967 July: London
© Ministère de la Culture-France / A.A.J.H.L.

Yes, hum- I definitely need to get back in shape. Well, let's go for the commonsense formula that is sure to guarantee great success : eat less rich food, get back to a healthier diet, and shake-shake-shake our sacred vessel with more regular work-outs.

My cousin Simone. 1913. ©Jacques Henri Lartigue.

Twenty Ten. I really feel ready for growth, ready to inaugurate the new decade with tangible lightness. Let me tell you about my end-of-the-year misfortune...Shortly before New Year's Eve, I started to suffer from an eye infection (probably due to dust or the heating system), which resulted in swollen, reddened eyes.

Photo by Jacques-Henri Lartigue

Pffew! I feel and look better now, the allergy is nearly gone. My husband told me it looks like I am undergoing a renewal procedure. Like a snake shaking off its old skin...Yes. Quite like it. I feel rejuvenated.
On New Year's Day, comfortably seated at the table of a café, my husband and I took down a few goals that we are planning to reach. We decided against any good resolutions as there always is an underlying sense of guilt associated to them. So I ended up with...Secure a good home for our potential 2010 baby. Work on my foreign languages, i.e brush up my German and get started in Spanish. Oh, and also, find new directions in my blog writing. Any suggestions?

Wishing you plenty of budding dreams and exciting ideas for the new decade, or for the next ten days - or the next ten hours...;0)

Jacques-Henri Lartigue, My seaplane and me in my bath, Paris, 1904