Down Undah

Australia has traditionally been known as a foreign land full of furry marsupials and rough, rowdy bushies. And, although most of us have special places in our hearts for koalas and Crocodile Dundee, I've gone a bit nuts over two imports from the land down under: the ebay store Claire Incorruptible and my new favorite tele show, Summer Heights High.

Claire Incorruptible features such titillating gems as vintage Givenchy, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, and Cacharel. I'm immediately investing in a leather pencil skirt. But the item I really covet is that fantastic gold brick Chanel belt. Of course, it doesn't look like they're selling it...







Summer Heights High is an HBO mockumentary that follows the misadventures of Jonah Takalua (an illiterate 13 year old Poly), Ja'ime King (the bitchy private school exchange student), and Greg Gregson (affectionately known as Mr. G, drama "teacher"/diva). The trio of characters are all played by Chis Lilley, an Australian comedian. Raquel and I have gotten in the habit of constantly repeating our favorite lines to each other in Australian accents. Check it out, it's hilarious.

Art Books or Book Art?

While shopping in Anthropologie today, Rachel and I stumbled upon the incredible world of Book Art! It began with ingenious decorating ideas, and a Google search soon turned up really fascinating artwork created by manipulating books.

Artist Su Blackwell makes "Book Cut" sculpture. Shown below: The Secret Garden, 2006.



Brian Dettmer creates "Book Autopsies", which he enhances with mixed media.



Scottish artist Georgia Russell is responsible for the next image. To me, it is like a car wreck. I'm so fascinated yet utterly disgusted. (I have a very difficult time looking at finely shredded things, or tiny holes.) Russell uses a scalpel to cut book jackets, texts, record covers, maps, photos, you name it.



One of my favorite examples of book art was installed by San Francisco artist Chris Cobb. He organized all 20,000 books in his friend's bookstore according to color. (The link is to an interview on McSweeny's where Cobb discusses different pieces. He made sculptures out of mashed potatoes. It reminds me of the time I made a bust of George Washington out of masking tape in the sixth grade...)



What did we learn today, class? Books are good for more than just reading, bonfires, and self-defense. Let's hope this doesn't close the chapter on literary art.

Travel Destination: Napa, California

This past weekend, I took a little trip to Napa, which is no longer just a sleepy town where my grandmother lives in a house with two shih tzus who, after 10 years, are still not house broken. No, no, Napa is a place where you can get drunk for cheap (or free!) on good wine and enjoy some really delicious food. Yum. The view from inside the Hess.
I know there are about 2 billion vineyards in Napa and so I'm only going to talk about 1. My favorite (not that I have much experience in this field being legally allowed to drink for all of 13.5 months) is the Hess. And their wine was good, but not great. The Hess is my favorite because it is housed on some breathtaking land and it features some amazing pieces of art from a couple Francis Bacon pieces to Leopoldo Maler's Modified Typewriter, a constantly burning typing machine.

Sweetie Pies features some of the most delicious treats in town. I recommend getting there early and ordering a couple sticky buns. They are ridiculously yummy.

I ventured to the Oxbow Public Market for the first time this weekend and I can already tell I'll be spending a lot of time there on my next visit. The market boasts organic ice cream, a phenomenal cheese & wine shop, an enchanting array of spices, an oyster and seafood shop, and so much more! And it's mostly grown local and sustainable, which means it's expensive, but worth it.

So go to Napa. If you need a place to stay, just let me know, you can have the shih tzus' bed.

Sometimes Catastrophes Become Trophies

While on vacation in Portland, Oregon, I was shopping at Local 35 and bought the most incredible dress by LA-based designers ANZEVINO and FLORENCE. Their newest line, "Sometimes Catastrophes Become Trophies", features supple fabrics like bamboo, modal, silk, linen, and leather. Their designs are architectural, yet inspired by and reminiscent of nature. Their palate favors black, charcoal, and cream, adding to the garments' hypermodern feel.



Their Spring/Summer 08 line also features a throwback to our childhood, something I did not have the pleasure of owning - Color Change fabric! Though we are looking ahead to autumn, I predict these neon-hued, wearer-interactive pieces will weave themselves uniquely into my ensembles.

Current Obsession: Mctega

Mctega is an amazing jewelry line, with phenomenol pieces that you might have to save for, but won't break the bank. The necklaces I like most are around $100. Expensive, but not ridiculous, especially when considering they are one of a kind..

"Using mass production techniques of industrial chemistry on a much smaller scale, they are creating one of a kind pieces out of materials known for their ubiquity." -mctega.com

Toxic Cosmetic

If you use makeup or skincare of any kind, you should probably consider the ingredients. You wouldn't eat behenutrimonium chloride so why are you smearing it all over your face?

A great resource for finding out just how toxic your products are is the cosmetic database.

After discovering that my favorite cleanser scored a whopping EIGHT on the toxic scale(ahem...thanks Clarins), I've been searching for some greener alternatives. Unfortunately, the new Stella Care organic line has not been rated. As always, use this information wisely, and don't be too paranoid. As Raquel pointed out to me today, just because this stuff is hazardous, it does not mean we are all going to get cancer. Be smart.

But what got me thinking about all this is the Story of Stuff, an amazing 20 minute movie that tells us where all our stuff comes from and how we can be better about using the stuff we have.

Although we here at youthquaker are all about awesome (ultimately, consumable) stuff, we believe in being environmentally conscience. This is why we love thrift stores, garage sales, and swap meets. Happy Hunting.