Freitag, 29. April 2011

Beautiful Mother Russia

Anna Pavlova wearing a Kokoshnik.


Between 1800 and 1880.

"Headdresses, or kokoshniks had the greatest abundance of ornamentation of any type of garment in Russia. They were most often made of damask woven with gilt metallic threads or velvet with gold embroidery. The wealthy peasant class often decorated their kokoshniks with pearls and gemstones. The headdresses worn by maidens exposed their hair, considered a prize possession in Russian culture. They were often accompanied by a venchik, a forehead covering made of fabric or metal. Married women were required to cover their hair entirely lest they be considered immodest. The double-headed imperial eagle is common to many cultures throughout history, most notably Byzantium. The dual heads were meant represent the secular and religious sovereignty of the monarch, as well as power over the East and West. This headdress is spectacular both in size and rendering. The dense decoration as well as the Russian heraldic symbol creates a sense of grandeur and importance."

I found this through this super amazing tumblr-blog: "The Ornamented Being".
A tour de force through fashion- and costume-history (mostly from 15th til 20th century).

Montag, 25. April 2011

Disturbing Sensuality

Marilyn Minters artwork is scary and sexy. Hyper-realistic close-up pictures of lips and tongues, mouths, feet or other body-parts create a weird world of erotically disturbing sensuality.
Madonna used parts of this film as stage-background at her "Sweet and Sticky" tour 2009.
I am looking forward to see an exhibition at Falckenberg Sammlung in Hamburg (April 30th - June 12th).

Sonntag, 24. April 2011

A Pleasure Place In Morocco

A dream come true...!!! *sigh*




from Elle Decoration

Samstag, 23. April 2011

The InfiniteVariety Of Marchesa Casati

Tilda Swinton photographed by Paolo Roversi for the Acne-Magazine. She is styled as one of the most intriguing ladies in the history of art and fashion: Marchesa Casati. She was strangely captivating, fascinatingly odd, shy and extravagant, possessive and generous... a Chimera.


"I want to be a living work of art!" - Luisa Casati -


The real Marchesa Casati. The "blurred" picture was made by Man Ray.
You can read more about her absolutely thrilling life in the biography by Ryersson and Yaccarino, or get a feeling for the period with the book: "Kokain", by Pitigrilli.

"But her alchemy was much more complex, producing many other marvels. By what fire did she transmute the substance of her life into beauties of such moving power?

She demonstrated how true it is that all enchantment is a madness induced with art.

But what was the real essence of this creature?

Was she aware of her continuous metamorphosis, or was she impenetrable to herself, excluded from her own mystery?"

- Gabriele D'Annunzio - (italian poet and her long-time lover)

Dienstag, 19. April 2011

Silk Thread Martyrs

Silk Thread Martyrs is inspired by Palestine. The home-country of the designer Omar Joseph Nasser-Khoury is known for it's beautiful tradition of embroidery and textile crafts. His collection reflects palestinian history and reality, men and women, social and cultural aspects.
Embroidery, colouring and dyeing is made by hand, using natural materials such as indigo and tea.



more here

Samstag, 16. April 2011

A Home In Brooklyn

A home filled with stories and history, flea market-finds and taxidermy, old photographs, a figurehead and a cute little dog.


Of course by The Selby!

Mittwoch, 13. April 2011

Sisters Of The Cross Of Shame






Sisters of the Cross of Shame
by Dana Burnet (1888)

The Sisters of the Cross of Shame,
They smile along the night;
Their houses stand with shuttered souls
And painted eyes of light.

Their houses look with scarlet eyes
Upon a world of sin;
And every man cries, “Woe, alas!”
And every man goes in.

The sober Senate meets at noon,
To pass the Woman’s Law,
The portly Churchmen vote to stem
The torrent with a straw.

The Sister of the Cross of Shame,
She smiles beneath her cloud—
(She does not laugh till ten o’clock,
And then she laughs too loud.)

And still she hears the throb of feet
Upon the scarlet stair,
And still she dons the cloak of shame
That is not hers to wear.

The sons of saintly women come
To kiss the Cross of Shame;
Before them, in another time,
Their worthy fathers came.…

And no man tells his son the truth,
Lest he should speak of sin;
And every man cries, “Woe, alas!”
And every man goes in.

found here

Kiss The Boy!


Sha la la la la la
Don't be scared

You got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
Don't stop now
Don't try to hide it how
You want to kiss the girl

Sonntag, 10. April 2011

Container Love

This is a fun and unconventional living-space: recycled containers designed by a former toy-designer Debbie Glassberg in Kansas City, Missouri. Who would have thought you could build up such an amazing turquoise palace out of some metal-cubes. And I love those huge windows... lots of light and sight on a hopefully beautiful nature outside. Oooh and the colors!!!


OK, the backside of the house needs some additional work...
More here and another one here

Dreaming Of Another World by Tim Walker

A macabre, romantic-scary little world... an Victorian ghost-story dreamed in pictures by Tim Walker: Vogue Italia (March 2011).



Freitag, 8. April 2011

Black Iris


Oooooh if I just could afford this...

Montag, 4. April 2011

Sonntag, 3. April 2011

You Are Beautiful Just as You Are

This short film is about Labiaplasty. An awful new trend taking over in western countries.
On the premise that censorship laws in Australia (and strange aesthetic ideas all over the western world) create distorted body images in women, leading them to mistake what a “normal” vagina looks like, and turn to plastic surgery. How can it be that we condemn female mutilation in African culture, and at the same time have an increasing number of genital surgeries.
Marge Berer:"Women see pictures of women on the Web whose labia appear to be almost nonexistent, and they are concerned that they are abnormal if theirs are a different size. We're talking about women feeling sexually inadequate and seeing this as a way to beautify themselves - or at least that's how it's being sold to them. I find the whole thing unethical on the part of the doctors."
This video includes some tough pictures of the surgery, but this is a tough subject.

LABIAPLASTY HUNGRY BEAST: EP 14 from HUNGRY BEAST on Vimeo.

Thank you Siege!

Toy Stories

This is so cute!



Nobody Likes A Show OffLone(ly) WolfMurder MysteryDeceptionAnt EaterShaaadup! Horses Gonna HorseHorn HubrisLive-Action CutsceneProblem-Free PhilosophyMakeweightChance Encounter The Upper HandBorn This WayPugs + DrugsTeenage AngstAllow Me To Explain.Maybe Next Year PhilosoraptorSlow-CoachGood SamaritanToy Stories

Toy Stories, a set by fatheed on Flickr