Bags of Style
Introducing the brand new leather Cosmetic Bags from Thomas lyte.
These are all the things we’d love to store in ours…
What would you include?
Top 10 Photographers
1. Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004) The French photographer believed in what he called le moment decisif, the decisive moment that allows the photographer only a fraction of a second to capture. He helped popularize photojournalism with his street photography and the way in which he captured ‘real life.’ Cartier-Bresson is most definitely one of my favorite photographers, and an influencing factor behind most photojournalists today.
Henri Cartier Bresson
Cartier-Bresson ‘prowled the streets’ in search of fleeting moments such as this boy on a bicycle photo taken in Hyères, France, in 1932.
“To take photographs means to recognize – simultaneously and within a fraction of a second – both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one’s head, one’s eye and one’s heart on the same axis.” Henri Cartier-Bresson.
2. Norman Parkinson, CBE (April 1913- February 1990), was a celebrated English portrait and fashion photographer. This photograph was taken on the 1,840 steps of Mahintale, which lead to the burial place of the son of the Indian Emperor Asoka who brought Buddhism to the Singhalese in the third century BC.
Pilar Crespi by Norman Parkinson,photograph,1980
“I like to make people look as good as they’d like to look, and with luck, a shade better”. Norman Parkinson.
3.Edward Weston (1886-1958) was renowned as one of the masters of 20th century photography. His legacy includes several thousand carefully composed, superbly printed photographs which have influenced photographers around the world for 60 years. Photographing natural landscapes and forms such as artichoke, shells, and rocks, using large-format cameras and available light.
Nude , 1936, Edward Weston
”I see no reason for recording the obvious.” Edward Weston.
4. Annie Leibovitz is an American photographer, best known for her stunning portraits that have captured the essence of countless notable figures. She has been active in professional photography since the 1970s, and in that time she has become arguably one of the most influential American photographers, and virtually defined an entire style of portraiture.
Whoopie Goldberg, 1984, by Annie Leibovitz
“In a portrait, you have room to have a point of view. The image may not be literally what’s going on, but it’s representative.” Annie Leibovitz
5.Eve Arnold, is best known for her images of actress Marilyn Monroe on the set of Monroe’s last (1961) film, The Misfits, but she took many photos of Monroe from 1951 onwards. Monroe trusted Arnold more than any other photographer. Not only did Arnold photograph VIPs such as Queen Elizabeth II, Malcolm X, and Joan Crawford, she traveled extensively around the world, photographing in China, Russia, South Africa and Afghanistan.
Marilyn Monroe at Mount Sinai, Long Island, 1955, by Eve Arnold
“If a photographer cares about the people before the lens and is compassionate, much is given. It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.” Eve Arnold
6.Bill Brandt (May 1904/ December 1983) remains one of the pre-eminent photographers of the 20th Century. His career as a photographer began in Vienna in 1928, before he moved to Paris where he assisted Man Ray. He settled in London in 1931 and became the great documentarian of British cultural and social life, exposing the vivid contrasts in society between the World Wars.
Bill Brandt
“Brandt’s pictures survive and enter the memory because they were constructed by an artist.” David Hockney
7. Richard Avedon (May 1923 / October 2004) started as a photographer of portraits, photographed celebrities like the Beatles and Bob Dylan, and moved into fine art photography.
Dovima With Elephants, 1955, Richard Avedon
‘If a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it’s as though I’ve neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up.’ Richard Avedon
8.David LaChapelle After a chance meeting with Andy Warhol, LaChapelle began shooting for Interview, the place he calls “art school.” Twenty years later David LaChapelle is a product of 70s youth with a knack for appropriating a fantasy life onto film. LaChapelle celebrates the artificial, he even makes it beautiful.
David LaChapelle
“People say photographs don’t lie, mine do.” David LaChapelle
9.Man Ray (August 1890/November 1976)
Man Ray
“I photograph the things that I do not wish to paint, the things which already have an existence. Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask ‘how’, while others of a more curious nature will ask ‘why’. Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information.” Man Ray
10.Martin Parr
Martin Parr
“With photography, I like to create fiction out of reality. I try and do this by taking society’s natural prejudice and giving this a twist.” Martin Parr
Top 10 Shakespeare Quotes
The words and quotes of William Shakespeare can often be heard on a daily basis from the radio to television so it’s no wonder that expressions from his works have become such widely spoken pearls of wisdom and ‘anonymous’ parts of the English language. Most of us are totally unaware that many expressions that we use every day originated in Shakespeare’s plays. Quotations such as “I’ll not budge an inch”, “We have seen better days”, “A dish fit for the gods” along with expressions like it’s “Greek to me” ironically used by many frustrated student’s studying Shakespeare’s work! Even politicians dig deep into their pool of Shakespeare express their opinions using quoting; “Fair Play”, “Foregone Conclusion “and “Into Thin Air “. To celebrate, motivate and inspire Thomas Lyte has chosen its Top 10 Shakespeare Quotes;
There Is No Darkness But Ignorance’.
All that glisters is not gold.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend.
Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.
They do not love that do not show their love.
How far that little candle throws his beams. So shones a good deed in a weary world.
The course of love never did run smooth.Give thy thoughts no tongue.
Cowards die many times before their deaths: The valiant never taste of death but once.
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.
It is not in the stars to hold destiny but in ourselves.
Wodehouse Sterling Silver Fountain Pen
Inspiring immortal words from the bard. For those feeling inspired enough to pen your own sonnet for your Valentine this year, consider our Sterling Silver Wodehouse Fountain pen.
G, what a cool concept!
I’ve always had a strong aversion to wearing necklaces with your initial on it. I’ve always considered it a bit too twee. Today I have succumbed. In my defense it is excusable in light of the whole concept of the piece and the fact that the ‘g’ doesn’t signify an initial.
I found it at Collect at the Saatchi Gallery. I made my usual bee-line straight to one of my favourite galleries: Holland’s renowned and highly respected contemporary jewellery gallery, Galerie Marzee.
At the end of the display drawers stood a card stand- the old school wire rotating type that modern card shops have seemingly shunned but that can still be found holding postcards by any English seaside. The stand housed a variety of A5 clear plastic cards each containing a piece of architecture trace upon which was presented a single piece of jewellery. Amongst the fabulous array I found this little gem by jeweller Akiko Kurihara: a simple sterling silver pendant shaped like a ‘g’ with the significance of the piece weighing exactly 1 gram! I loved the concept so much that I thought it warranted an exception to my personal aversions and made an instant purchase. The happy-clashing colours of the yellow silk thread with the oxidised silver sit fantastically against the simple yet effective packaging to make this piece an attractive display of art in its own right!
Let’s see what baggage the men of London are carrying
This week Clem and I decided to make the most of the British summer sun and got out on the market to see what baggage the men of London are carrying. I cannot help but think Vivienne Westwood whoosing past on her bike at the start of the excursion was an omen for the interesting finds to come….
We happily discovered that increasing amounts of men are removing the straps and carrying their bags by hand, good men!- it makes a refreshing change and is infinitely more confidently appealing than the old faithful canvas messenger or, even worse, the sports rucksack.
We met some inspirational people, got some fabulous shots of great pieces, a slight tan and excellent research for the new man bag! A great day all in- sun, and men of London, please keep shining!
Paris for Art Lovers
My husband and I spent a long weekend in Paris and much to our disappointment the sun didn’t shine and the birds didn’t sing, so what does one do when you cannot promenade along the Seine, you hide in the many museums Paris has on offer. Our feet pounded the many rooms in the Louvre and the Musee d’orsay and inspired we went on to take in Lucian Freud at the Pompidou and Yves Saint Laurent in the Petit Palasis. And, as is always the case for Paris, not only do you get to see some great art, but it is also exhibited in some great buildings, oozing history and tradition.
Lucien Freud: L’Atelier (the studio) is as Jonathan Jones wrote in the Guardian, not a chronological retrospective but much more poignant, it is an examination of Freud the master at work. From the striking banners that lavish the exterior shafts and girders to the beautifully hung paintings in this spacious contemporary space the viewers feels as though they are part of Paris celebrating a living master. It felt like we were being exposed to the painters inner sole, as we progressed through the gallery we kept asking ourselves, whilst there is no doubt of his painterly ability, can we love his oversized challenging nudes? And the answer can only be categorically, yes. The textual beauty of the densely worked and scraped surface draws attention to itself as just that – painting as material presence.. Or as the master says, ‘I want paint to work as flesh. As far as I am concerned the paint is the person’.
The display is divided into four themed rooms – Interior/Exterior (workshop interiors/countryside and townscapes), Reflection (self portraits), Reprisals (Freud’s re-interpretations of the Masters) and As Flesh (portraiture). It is the last room which I was overwhelmed by. These powerful yet enigmatic paintings of key models I took to be Freud’s own history paintings.
This is without doubt a city in love with our great master. And I have to confess I am too.
Knitting is cool. It is I swear!
Last winter I bought a granddad cardi. I found it squashed under piles of junk at the back of my favorite vintage shop in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It was just as the trend began to start (and let’s face it, it never really flooded the market in quite the way it was predicted to). Non-deterred mine was dark blue, thick proper wool, (the itchy kind) with brown leather buttons and compacted areas of matted wear – I loved it!
I’m not sure if I’ve just noticed due to the recent re-discovery of ‘Big Blue’ (who had sneaked his way into a flatmate’s wardrobe) or if it is in fact an ‘underground trend’ but I have noticed increasing numbers of people knitting on the tube. I don’t think they’re doing it because they read the BBC article “Knitting ‘can delay’ memory loss”, and if they did I certainly hope that they have better things to do than sit at home and play computer games (no offense if that’s what you do do but at least you will remember this moment we have shared and seemingly I won’t!).
I think it’s more the fact that knitting is becoming more acceptable to the younger generations, those living in a fast paced world where watching a TV and going out to get drunk and squander men just simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Young up and coming women feeling the need to move forward with their lives constantly, feeling the need to do something productive like make, sculpt and craft, the satisfaction to turn your tube journey into a productive time. It’s not a bad plan actually, hats (knitted of course) off to them.
You may think it’s strange that the clocks have turned back, summer is ‘officially’ here and yet the knitting is out- not so. Knitting is cool. It is I swear! Even in small details for the spring and onto summer evenings too- try J-gloves from Lily Cole’s North Circular brand which look great with a ¾ sleeve leather jacket.
J Gloves
Now check this out- THIS is the ultimate cool: Patrick Frey’s ‘Gregor Calendar’. If anyone wants to get me a present this is it please!
Gregor Knitted Calendar