The futuristic Centre Pompidou in Paris

I am finally in Paris. Tonight I ll take part to PX3, the Grand Prix de la Photographie in Montmatre. I spent part of the day walking through Paris city center and spent a long time at Centre Pompidou.
I wanted to see an exhibition entitled Paris-Delhi-Bombay (which by the way I didn't see because I didn't have enough time).
The Centre Pompidou is unique.
Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano and Gianfranco Franchini are responsible for this functional design which is made up of elevators, stairs, water and air ducts, escalators are all outside.
I love this place!

These pics have been taken from www.gothereguide.com. I had a camera with me but it seems I can't download pics on my laptop due to a virus :(((((

P.S I have bought a nice short black dress...I ll post some pics of it as soon as my virus has gone:))

Les Recontres d'Arles, festival of photography

Photo festivals are suddenly fashionable.
Arles in France  has been an essential stop on the professional photographers’ itinerary for decades; the sleepy French medieval town has hosted photo festivals since 1970 and its annual summer bun fight is still going strong.
This year's exhibition is on the Mexican revolution and the Spanish civil war, and the main artists represented are Chris Marker and JR. The festival director is Francois Hebel.

Every year the festival is different, so that people can enjoy it year after year.

Pics by Chris Marker

Prix de la Photographie (Px3) in Paris on the 29th of June 2011

I have been invited to take part to the  "Prix de la Photographie Px3" in Paris. The prize strives to promote the appreciation of photography, to discover emerging talent, and to introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. Winning photographs from this competition are displayed in Paris and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3 Annual Book.
The opening ceremony will take place in Paris on the 29th of June from 7 to 9 pm at Espace Dupon...and I am very much looking for ward to take part to it.
Last year the jury- made of photographers, journalists and publishers- selected Howard Schatz as Photographer of Year and Stefano Orazzini as the Best New Talent.
Can't wait to see who will be the winners this year!

Below you can see the winning pic of Howard Schatz portraying a boxer

And the series of pics by Stefano Orazzini representing night terraces.

For more information on the competition you can visit http://px3.fr/

Easyfashion in Paris

I absolutely love this blog http://easyfashion.blogspot.com which presents portraits of people met in the streets of Paris by a modern romantic hero of the middle class (as the blogger defines himself)
PLEASE have a look at the blog ( I can t download pics from it unfortunately but it's really amazing!!)

Easyfashion Paris

I absolutely love this blog http://easyfashion.blogspot.com which presents portraits of people met in the streets of Paris by a modern romantic hero of the middle class (as the blogger defines himself)
PLEASE have a look at the blog ( I can t download pics from it unfortunately but it's really amazing!!)

Imemoi - Leather bags made in Italy

Created in a small Parisian atelier in Marais and ideated by a smart and brilliant girl - Margherita Penna- from my home town (Bologna) , imemoi bags are completely made in Italy by expert craftsmen that take care of every little detail in the making process.
Margherita designs bags whose main characteristics are innovation and functionality, alongside the use of soft and processed leathers associated to colorful insides, embroidered or with animal prints. For the s/s 2011 there are four models: Ribbon, Cookie Jar, Eri and Baby Ribbon.
See below and check her webiste at www.imemoi.com

Koronya - courses in shoe making in Budapest

Koronya Handmade Shoes and Boots is a small family owned shoemaking workshop in Budapest, Hungary. At Koronya people combine tradition with expertise and the results are excellent shoes and boots, made entirely by hand. 
Koronya is unique in its craftsmanship. Marcell Mrsán is the master shoemaker and the the owner and head shoemaker of Koronya.

He organizes courses for foreigners (last time I visisted his workshop there were 2 men, one from New York and the other one from New Zealand at work, making beautiful men shoes!!) and sells his shoes as well.
For more info check at http://www.koronyashoes.com/ and see some pics below!

Normann, Copenhagen

Normann Copenhagen is one of my Danish design favorites. The recent new products, with simple yet intriguing names such as Moon, Drop and Fusion, are the usual mix of stylish form and clever function with a small dose of humor. The latest series of products have been designed with the help of Herbert Krenchel, Matthias Demacker, Odoardo Fioravanti, Rikke Hagen and Jakob Helberg.
Take a look below at some of my favourites from the new additions to Normann Copenhagen’s already impressive line-up of products.

Normann is located in Østerbrogade 70 2100 København, Danimarca but has also an online shop at http://shop.normann-copenhagen.com/eu.aspx

17th of June - Stylewalker night in Budapest

Stylewalker Night is quarter-yerarly organized by the shops of the Design District Budapest.
Stylewalker Night is more precisely the party of Hungarian design shop's of the fifth district, lasting the whole night (17th of June from 19.00 to 24.00-1.00)
People can go shopping and get discount prices while at the same time discovering the Hungarian designer's when everything else is closed already. Limited edition collections, home textiles, hand-made furniture, accessories, handcrafted perfume, chocolate and several other specialties can be found in many shops including Eclectik, Insitu Design Shop (see one of my previous posts), Lollipop and many many others.

Pic 1. One of Stylewalker's logos

Pic 2. A picture from the previous edition

Pic 3. Retrock, one of the shop taking part to Stylewalker

One of the minds behind Stylewlaker is Barbaba Feher, a beautiful and smart girl from Budapest who has been able to create one of the most interesting and trendiest event of the city.

Here is a link to one of her interview (yes, it's in Hungarian!)

http://est.hu/cikk/90784/feher_barbara_stylewalker_night

For more info about Stylewalker you can check http://www.designdistrict.hu/members.html

Madame Surto, Shoes from Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Almost one year ago I was in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where I stayed for  nearly 3 weeks (mainly working, with little time for shopping).

My hotel was in the trendiest area of Belo Horizonte, Savassi (obviously I was not paying for it :)))...and one day, just by chance, I saw a fabulous shop called Madame Surto. Madame Surto has two shops in Savassi and sells amazing shoes, accessories, clothes.

Me and Federica spent almost half and hour in the shop and I ended up buying two beautiful pair of shoes which you can see below. The shoes are fantastic and the way they wrap everything...simply beautiful!!

(Surto means crazy in Portoguese, I love the name!)

The ones I love the most are clearly the green ones!
 You can check Madame Surto at http://msurto.blogspot.com/, but the blog/website is in Portoguese

Shoe trends - Summer 2011

On Saturday I went to the market, La Piazzola, located in Piazza VIII Agosto in Bologna.

I love to go shopping there although lately the quality of clothes, shoes, and bags is getting worse.

Anyway, I saw a beautiful pair of summer shoes and obviously bought it.

It is interesting to see how high heel shoes are very trendy this summer (last year heels where nowhere to be found!).

I bought almost the same pair of shoes you can see below, in black (but yes, definitely my heels are not that high). Strange enough they are comfortable and I can 't wait to put them on...but the weather right now is awful...so in June I am still wearing my boots.  

I made a quick researrch and the shoes below seem to be the trendiest ever.

 1. Angelo Marani

2. Blu girl

3. Christian Dior

4. Barbara Bui

Actually I love Barbara Bui's style and I ll look for more of her creations...

Sarah Hutton at New Designers Expo 2011 in London

This is something not to be missed!!!
Now in its 26th year, New Designers Expo  in London is unrivalled in bringing together such a broad cross-section of fresh, new design talent under one roof. Every July, over 3,500 newly graduated designers, representing the top 200 UK design courses, come together at New Designers to meet industry employers, media, trend predictors and a design hungry public.

Supported by industry partners who recognise the importance of nurturing design and creativity for the future of their businesses, New Designers works with both blue chip companies and the best new brands.

This year a friend of mine, Sarah Hutton (my dear, you are simply great and you have a bright future!) will exhibit in part 1 - 29th June - 2nd July - her beautiful creations.
Here are some of Sarah's masterpieces belonging to her 'Let Us Be Armed'  fashion textile collection.

I think Sarah is so talented!!! and these pics are simply great!
Check out more info about Sarah and the New Designers Expo here:
smhutton.wordpress.com
http://www.newdesigners.com/

Raimondo Galeano at Accademia del Lusso in Milan

I spent the whole day yesterday in Milan, and I had a meeting at Accademia del Lusso, a private university that offers courses in fashion design and marketing. At its branch close to the metro stop Turro, Accademia del Lusso has organized an exhition of different painters among whom Raimondo Galeano, a painter from Bologna (although I am from Bologna I have never heard of him, but this is not big news, because actually I know little about contemporary artists). Anyway I was impressed by his technique: he uses the effects of luminescent paint which activates in darkness with impressive outcomes.

Below you can see some of his works (it seems lately I am more interested in art than in fashion, but it is not the case, it is simply that I am interested in how art can influence fashion..and after all it is about creativity!)

For more info and contacts pls visit http://www.raimondogaleano.com/

The Future of a Promise - Venice Biennale's largest Pan-Arab exhibition

Last Sunday I visited The Future of a Promise, Venice Biennale's largest Pan-Arab exhibition of contemporary art. From Tunisia all the way to Saudi Arabia, this landmark exhibition brings together more than twenty-five recent works and commissions by some of the foremost artists from the Arab world. The exhibition, presenting important works that range from installation, performance and photography, to video, sculpture and painting,
is being curated by Lina Lazaar, produced by Edge of Arabia and supported by Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives and Abraaj Capital, three newly partnered organisations whose commitment to contemporary art practice in the Middle East is at the heart of a current artistic renaissance in the region.

The Future of a Promise examines the way in which an idea is made incarnate in a formal, visual context and how a promise opens up a horizon of future possibilities, be they aesthetic, political, historical, social or critical. It is truly an amazing exhibition!

  Here is my favorite painting made by Ayman-Baalbaki

Art Biennale in Venice

The 54th International Art Exhibition, directed by Bice Curiger, opens on Saturday June 4th at the Giardini and Arsenale venues (Preview on June 1-2-3) and elsewhere around Venice.
The show is titled ILLUMInations and will be set up in the Central Pavilion at Giardini and at the Arsenale forming a single itinerary that features 83 artists from all over the world. Also exhibited 89 National Participations and 37 Collateral Events.
Maurizio Cattelan is one of the many artists whose materpieces will be exhibited.
His art often combines sculpture and  performance. Cattelan has a subtle sense of the paradoxes  of transgression, the limits of tolerance. Since the early 1990s, his work has provoked and challenged  the limits of contemporary value systems through its use  of irony and humor. He teases the art world without ever falling into the naive trap of thinking he can subvert a system of which he is part.
Here are some of his works...

 For more info on la Biennale you can check at
http://www.labiennale.org/it/arte/luoghi/padiglione_centrale.html?back=true