Alexander Girard

As my thoughts turn to decorating for the Holidays, I find that I am truly obsessed with this Alexander Girard nativity set. I love the colors and patterns that he used and it evokes just the right amount of whimsy. The same could be said of the nativity images he created below.

Alexander Girard, Brochure for "The Nativity," Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, 1961.

Alexander Girard, Poster for "The Nativity," Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, 1962.

Girard, alongside Charles and Ray Eames, and George Nelson, was one of post-war America's masters of modern design. He was also one of the most prolific mid-century American designers. His work spanned many disciplines including textile design, graphic design, typography, illustration, furniture design, interior design, product design, and architecture. 


Girard was born in New York City in 1907 but was raised in Florence, Italy. He graduated from the Royal School of Architecture in Rome and returned to the United States in 1932 to practice architecture and interior design.  His designs defined a new kind of "opulent Modernism" infused with a sense of frivolity and joy - a look that came to define the style of 1960s America.

Alexander Girard in 1951 in front of his mural that accompanied a show 

of  Herman Miller furniture.

Girard is considered to have been one of the best textile designers of the 20th century. He is most well known for the textiles he produced while working as the director of design for Herman Miller (1952 - 1975). While there, he designed over 300 different fabrics and wallpapers and produced fabrics for the designs of Charles and Ray Eames.

Alexander Girard, Fruit Tree #1061 Drapery Fabric, 1961; Collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Alexander Girard, April #1009 Drapery Fabric, 1960; Collection of the San Francisco Museum of Contemporary Art.

Alexander Girard fabric covering Eames chair manufactured for Herman Miller.

Girard’s designs were heavily influenced by the folk art he collected while abroad. During his lifetime, Girard and his wife amassed one of the world’s most important collections of cross-cultural folk art which is now housed at the Santa Fe Museum of International Folk Art. Girard created "doll" sculptures (like the one below) that were inspired by pieces from his folk art collection.

Alexander Girard "doll", 1963 part of the Vitra Design Museum's collection.

In addition to textile design, Girard was also commissioned to design several restaurants. The most well know was the La Fonda del Sol Restaurant located in the Time Life building in New York City. He was hired in 1961 to design everything from the interior to the menus, matchbooks, and tableware. He received rave reviews for his design and was awarded a silver medal from the Architectural League of New York. The restaurant’s design was groundbreaking and inspired many future designers. I would love to be able to travel back in time to experience the setting in it's entirety - and at least pick up a matchbook or two!

Alexander Girard, La Fonda del Sol, 1961.

Alexander Girard, La Fonda el Sol, 1961, table setting.

Alexander Girard, La Fonda del Sol, 1961.

Alexander Girard, La Fonda del Sol, 1961, Menu.

Alexander Girard, La Fonda del Sol, 1961, Matchbook.

A new 672 page book on Girard by Todd Oldham and Kiera Coffee has just been published. It features many never before seen designs and photos and is making its way onto my Christmas list!

Alexander Girard, by Todd Oldham and Kiera Coffee, published December 2011.

Ladybug Vintage on SecondCityStyle.com

Click the link below to check out coverage of the festive Ladybug Vintage/L.K. Bennett event on December 8th.

SecondCityStyle.com

Elizabeth Taylor's Collections at Christie's

I have been drooooooling over the Christie's Auction catalogs for the upcoming four day sale of Elizabeth Taylor's iconic collections of jewelry and clothing. All of you NYC gals should run not walk to Christie's to check it out. It is one of the most amazing collections of fine jewelry, costume jewelry,  haute couture, pret-a-porter, handbags, and shoes to ever be assembled in one place. It was collected by Elizabeth Taylor for over five decades and truly reflects Taylor's personal style. It is as as Marc Porter (Chairman and President of Christie's Americas) says, "not a red carpet wardrobe edited by stylists but a treasure trove of looks chosen by the last of the great movie stars."

Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany circa 1964. Also called "The Night of the Iguana Brooch".

A gold and multi-gem charm bracelet

Taylor has long been known for her world renowned collection of fine jewelry but her clothing is equally as impressive.  Gathered for the sale are nearly 400 items which include one of a kind haute couture pieces. Many of the outfits include the jewelry, shoes, and handbags that Taylor originally wore with them.

Tizani Roma chiffon and multi colored rhinestone adorned evening
gown 1960s.

Christian Dior Evening Ensemble 1968. Worn by Taylor to the New York City Premiere of 'Doctor Faustus' on February 6, 1968.

Emilio Pucci two piece silk ensemble with two beaded sautoir necklaces 1959.

Christian Dior taffeta evening sheath and coat 1965.

Gina Fratini wedding dress worn at Taylor's 2nd wedding to
Richard Burton 1975.

Valentino Couture pink and purple evening gowns together with a necklace.  1970s. 

Taylor's handbag closet.

Minaudiere by Judith Leiber

Thanksgiving Hostess

For those of you who plan on entertaining this Thanksgiving, why not take a page from eras gone by and dress to coordinate with your Thanksgiving table? I ran across the two images below in a book from 1956 titled, Coat's and Clark's Hostess Book. In true Betty Draper style, it was de riguer in the 1950s to coordinate one's outfit (which usually included an apron) to one's table linens.

Coat's and Clark's Hostess Book 1956

Coat's and Clark's Hostess Book, 1956

In the 1960s/1970s the hostess dress came into fashion. Usually it was a maxi dress that coordinated or matched one's table linens and sometimes even one's china. In the photo below, the lady's dress also matches the curtains in the room!

The image below is an advertisement for a paper hostess dress with matching paper table linens, plates, place mats, cups, and even wrapping paper.

 

Diane von Furstenberg may be trying to bring this trend back with her recently launched tableware collection. 

Diane von Furstenberg 1970s

Below, is a photo from the November 2010 issue of House Beautiful.  It's Furstenberg's take on decorating a table for Thanksgiving. It uses pieces from her tableware collection which includes plates, glasses, place mats, coasters, trays, table linens, serving pieces and more. It would be so fab to host a Thanksgiving dinner in that room while wearing a coordinating DVF maxi wrap dress! Happy Thanksgiving!

Loulou de la Falaise

 I was sad to learn this weekend about the death of a true original - Loulou de la Falaise. She was the muse and longtime friend of Yves Saint Laurent. He referred to her as his "little miracle" and was very influenced by her eclectic, bohemian style.  De la Falaise did not like being called a muse. She said, "I used to get very irritated by that term. For me, a muse is someone who looks glamourous but is quite passive, whereas I was very hard-working. I worked from 9 am to sometimes 9 pm, or even 2 am.  I certainly wasn't passive."

Betty Calroux, Yves Saint Laurent, Loulou de la Falaise 1969 London

De la Falaise met Saint Laurent in Paris in 1968 and by 1972 she was working for his company as a jewelry designer. She continued to work there for three decades. She adored designing pieces with brightly colored stones, crosses, hearts, and huge enameled flowers. She once said, "Accessories have an important role in our stressful lives. If you're going out to dinner and you haven't had the time to go home and change, you can take off your jacket and put on some jewelry."

Loulou de la Falaise at her wedding in 1977. Wearing YSL turban.

In 1977, Saint Laurent hosted an Arabian fantasy of a wedding for the marriage of de la Falaise to Thadee Klossowski de Rola. Saint Laurent designed de la Falaise's wedding ensemble seen in the photo above.

After Saint Laurent retired in 2002, de la Falaise started her own jewelry and clothing line. 

Spooky Lace

Gloria Swanson 1924

I love this photo of Gloria Swanson taken by Edward Steichen in 1924. There is something so elegant yet mysterious and almost spooky about it. Jason Wu was clearly channeling this version of Gloria for his Fall 2011 Runway.

Jason Wu Fall 2011

In fact, lace was all over the runways for Fall 2011. And who can blame the designers. When done right,

lace is elegant, classic, beautiful, sexy and adds that touch of mystery - that je ne sais quoi that Steichen is so adept at capturing in his portrait of Gloria Swanson. So tonight consider donning some black lace in place of a costume in order to swath yourself in Halloween mystery.

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2011

Lanvin Fall 2011

Gearing Up For Halloween!

 Love Audrey in her kitten mask! But most of all I am obsessed with her orange Hubert de Givenchy coat!