Coco Chanel's Apartment

by Ami Kealoha

Chanel's interlocking double-"C" logo, iconic quilted handbags and boxy suits are only a few of the label's contributions to 20th century design. The only privately-held major luxury brand, Chanel's rich history has everything to do with its courtesan-turned-fashion legend founder Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

Thanks to a Chanel-sponsored trip to Paris last weekend that included 13 other international sites, CH got a rare glimpse at her 31 rue Cambon apartment (though she only entertained there and actually lived at the nearby Ritz). The interior decor of the three-room space is a study of modern elegance and luxury. Coco's mix of Oriental and Occidental references was a groundbreaking move that you can see echoed in any shelter mag today.

A mirrored spiral staircase (image via Blographic) provided Coco a way to watch editor's reactions at fashion shows on the floor below and leads upstairs to the top-floor atelier where Karl Lagerfeld works and down to haute couture fitting rooms and to the ground-floor boutique. The dizzying mirrors played a role in the latest Coco Mademoiselle campaign film starring Keira Knightly that debuted yesterday and was the focus of the trip. (More to come on that later, including our video featuring an exclusive interview with the famed "nose" of Chanel perfumes, Jacques Polge.)

Entering through a room paneled with Chinese lacquer screens and holding little more than a low-slung chair (preferred by Coco so as to be eye-level with hemlines in order to perfect them) sets the tone. A mirror at one end is the same shape as the Chanel No. 5 bottle and Place Vendôme (the location of the Ritz and Chanel's jewelry boutique). Thanks to Blographic again for the image (as well as the sitting room images below). Also, check out Notcot's clever photoshopping that matches the dimensions of the bottle to the plaza.

Lined with books and decorated with a well-curated (though not exactly small) collection of objects, the living room is where Coco would conduct interviews, only allowing a select few to sit on the tan suede couch (the color and material being favorites) with her.

From the quilted pillows to the "5"s and interlocking "C"s hidden in the chandelier made from semi-precious stones (above right), it's clear that Mme. Chanel had an eye for detail. (See my detail shots of the chandelier here—I have a bit of a chandelier fetish.) Among her collection of lions (she was a Leo), we were all a bit taken with the mini bejeweled birdcage that served as inspiration for Jean-Paul Goude's wonderful 1992 ad for Chanel starring Vanessa Paradis as a bird in a cage.

Finally, a dining room houses a sturdy table, more lacquered screens and an anonymous bust flanked by elaborately framed mirrors—more Chinoiserie contrasting gilt-edged Edwardian flourish in Chanel's typically, confidently chic way.

Judith Supine Gets Wet

by Tim Yu

Taking street art, er, beyond the street, Judith Supine took to the waters of the East River in New York recently with a guerilla floating installation. His colorful, awkward and—at times—political collage works can be found around lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, but this is the first time (that we know of) that he's created a floating piece.

Did you catch his hanging banner on the Manhattan Bridge a few weeks back? Expect more wild but carefully thought-out work from him in the near future.

Go here for another video of Supine from a few years back, this time putting up a politically-charged piece on the Army Recruitment Center in Times Square. His reason for putting it up: "to quote E.E Cummings 'there is some shit I will not eat.'" See more images of his wheat-paste work here.

via Supertouch

Geisai Artists at Giant Robot

by Jacob Resneck

First organized in Japan more than six years ago, the Geisai art fair (derived from the Japanese word for "art festival") has since become a bi-annual event helping up-and-coming Japanese artists to exhibit their work internationally. And now, with a stateside version in the works, it's a rare opportunity to see new talent, many who are showing for the first time off the island.

Set up by the publishers of Giant Robot, Geisai is making landfall this week in Southern California. One of the principles behind it all is Takashi Murakami. The Tokyo-born painter and sculptor is bringing more than a half-dozen talented art and their work across the Pacific to Los Angeles for a show opening this Saturday, 15 September. Most of the artists themselves will be on hand during the reception at the GR2 gallery. See the flyer here.

The next Geisai show will be held in Miami in conjunction with the Pulse art fair this December. Students and artists without commercial gallery representation are eligible to apply through October 2007 here.

Geisai Artists at Giant Robot
15 September-15 October 2007
Opening Reception: Saturday, 15 September 2007, 6:30-10pm
GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA. 90025 map
tel. +1 310 445 9276

Teatrio

by Lost At E Minor

Teatrio, an arts association in Italy, is behind an amazing traveling exhibition titled "The Fabulous Colored Pencils," which has been touring through Italy for more than a year and features what they consider to be the best 40 female illustrators worldwide. Included among the works on display are originals by Yuko Shimizu, Juliette Borda, Esther Watson (illustration pictured left), and Fernanda Cohen. Each artist was asked to provide eight originals and do a commissioned portrait of their favorite female celebrity from their homeland. The Fabulous Colored Pencils is curated by Mark Heflin, the director of American Illustration.