Meet Dutch Designer Marjet Wessels Boer



Sometimes I think, 'There are so many products on this planet, do we really need anymore? What can I add to that?' In the end, I want to create things that people cannot put aside. –Marjet Wessels Boer

Below are just a few of those products:







And one of her fabulous projects; Doors of Secrets:
I wanted to create an everyday product, like a door, that would appeal to people's imagination. The Door of Secrets contains hidden storage compartments, raising people's interest and curiosity. It makes you wonder what is hidden inside and invites exploration. You can shuffle the elements about, so there is interaction between the actual door and user.
- Marjel Wessels Boer


Click on the above images to enlarge.


Above: Dutch designer Marjet Wessels Boer

Visit her site here.

You'd Better Sit Down For This One:
Magali Jeambrun's Unusual Chairs





Magali Jeambrun is clearly more than a furniture maker, she's an artist. Creating original unusual and stunning chairs that combine traditional shapes and silhouettes with contemporary designs, fabrics and materials, she has created pieces used in some of the hottest restaurants and retail establishments around.

Despite being written up in every hot design and interior magazines at some point or another for her chairs or mirrors, her pieces are very hard to find outside of France. IOn addition to her stock pieces, she also sells some one of a kind unique items.

She is described on her own site, www.etc-creations.fr, as such:

Neo-retro is obviously the keyword for Magali’s creations.
Rich in knowledge and artistic sensibility, she can create unexpected synergies between classical styles and modern design. The result is an amazing mix and transformation of the styles and matters that gives this particular characteristic to all Magali Jeambrun’s works of art. Like Cocktail dresses, casual suits or fashion dresses, all these products dress their new environment: some unique jewels for your interior.

The Be Flower Collection (click to enlarge):



details of motifs:



Unique materials, colors and combinations thereof along with etching and stencils make her chairs unmistakable.

The Capiton Collection (Noir, Bleu, Rose & Ivoire):




The Duo Collection (Skai and Croc):



Duo Barstools:
For central kitchen bar chair or standard bar chair, DUO line (papered base / clear Plexiglas back) gives way to bar chairs, available in two base heights 65 or 80 cms, with or without moldings.
Shining united vinyl, colored in black, white, red, tangerine, chocolate, silvered and soft gold for the Duo Skai. Imitation croco vinyl, colored in black, white and brown for the Duo Croco.
The Duo Lux Collection (Broc, Duchess & Cecilia):



The Impressum:

The Laser Butterfly Chair and pouf:


The Junior Collection are her chairs for children's rooms which incorporate plush teddy bears and toys:



All her chair frames are built in Northeast of France using traditional, centuries-old methods and are fully hand made without any mechanical support. The wood used for the chairs comes from the communal forest of Liffol-le-petit and benefits from quality and environmentally sensitive harvesting methods. The trees are cut down by employees of the workshop, sawed up in the communal sawmill and dried on site.

A little bit more about the artist/designer:


Magali Jeambrun was born in 1981 in Besançon and grew up in a family of four children where she was exposed to a variety of artistic activities from an early age.
This quite naturally led her to complete a baccalauréat in Applied Arts.
From that point on, her course was eclectic.

Between various experiences with trompe-l’oeil, faux marble, jewelry, sculpture, set design, hat creation, etc., she obtained a BTS in fashion design at the Lycée La Martiniére Terreaux in Lyon. But her desire to express forms and colors in other fields remained intact. She thus trained as an interior decorator in Strasbourg, then got into the Olivier de Serres school of art and design in Paris where she obtained an arts diploma, specializing in synthetic materials. She naturally gravitated towards customization as a result of her thesis subject: the corset through the ages, revisited using synthetic materials.

She later expanded on this “revisiting” approach, spending an entire year hunting for objects at flea markets which she then transformed, dyed, dressed up, etc. She now has a large collection of unique pieces, each highly original.
You can purchase some of these chairs at the Coliseum Shop

Contact info:
MAGALI JEAMBRUN

5, rue de l'Helvétie
25120 Maîche
FRANCE

Tél. : +33 3 81 64 26 96
Fax : +33 3 81 64 30 28
etcmagali@yahoo.fr

Body Painting With Soul.. er, Sole: Temptu Paints Feet For New York Magazine






When New York Magazine needed to recreate the appearance of shoes on actual feet in the April 21st issue, using just makeup, they went to Temptu. Amazing body art artists John Maurad and Jenai Chin created airbrushing with Temptu Paints for the article titled "You Walk Wrong" in last week's issue, written by Adam Sternbergh.



A traditional men's wing tip, a pair of Christian Louboutin heels (complete with the signature red bottom) and an old-school style of an Adidas Gazelle are so incredibly rendered on these bare feet it's hard to believe it's not the real thing (or photoshop)!!


photos by Tom Schierlitz

About Temptu:


Temptu is the leader in airbrush makeup and cosmetic innovations, dedicated to creating the highest quality products on the market. Temptu products include revolutionary liquid formulas, beauty and special effects makeup palettes, ink tattoo transfer systems, and application technologies.

Temptu is beauty, body art, temporary tattoos, airbrush stencils, and special fx makeup, by air and by hand. This is where beauty meets technology. This is the next generation of premier airbrush makeup.


Hello Kitty Spreads From Japanese Vogue Disappoint



As promised, I told you'd I'd share the images from the Hello Kitty article in May's Japanese Vogue (Nippon Vogue) as soon as they surfaced. Well, thanks to Sassybella and The Fashion Spot, here they are. But I must confess, I'm incredibly disappointed.. what a letdown.




I guess I was hoping to see something more like what Harper's Bazaar did with the Simpsons. If you didn't see those, catch them here.

The Naked Truth About Marc Jacobs' Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign: Who Posed Nude, Where Can You Buy The Shirts & Who Benefits




There was a lot of buzz about Victoria Beckham baring it all for the Marc Jacobs skin cancer awareness T-shirt this past March. And since then, as well as prior to that, many other celebrities stripped in support of the Cancer Awareness campaign.

Hello Kitty Goes Couture: The Pudgy Cat Models Galliano



Hello Kitty, the popular cat character from Sanrio in Japan, is set for a designer makeover in the June issue of Japanese Vogue, which went on sale yesterday (april 26, 2008).

The fashion spread will show Kitty modeling the latest autumn and winter designs by John Galliano for the Dior brand, posing with the designer and enjoying a shopping spree in Paris.

"Of course this is the first time the historic fashion house of Dior has had a cartoon character model their entire collection," said an official at Conde Nast Japan, publishers of Vogue Nippon www.vogue.co.jp/issues/

But the famous feline already has a following among the fashion crowd, she added.

"Japanese animation and characters have been a strong influence on the fashion world in the last few seasons, but Kitty is special," the official said. "Fashion people all know her name and face and always say they love her. That's why we at Vogue wanted to do something involving her."

The editorial spread will see the cartoon cat enjoying a shopping spree in Paris.

The spread will appear in the June issue of Vogue Nippon, on sale April 26 with Stella Tennant on the cover (wearing Comme des Garcon). Also, as a bonus, the above little Hello Kitty charm will be included in the issue for subscribers.

As soon as I can locate any pictures from the issue, I promise to share them with you.


Fine Jewelry Goes To the Dogs - And Cats: Jari Limited





We know that nowadays people don't seem to be sparing any expense when it comes to spoiling their furry friends. And Jari Limited in the UK, is no exception.

They create exceptional fine jewellery (or jewelry) for cats and dogs. And not just gem studded and embedded collars but necklaces, anklets and yes.. even cuffs! They will create matching sets for pet and owner as well.



Beautiful, made to order collections for both you and your pet using precious metals and precious and semi-precious stones, all ethically sourced.




All of their items are made to order, allowing you to alter the type and colour of precious stones used and choose the quality of the metals used, 9ct, 18ct yellow or white gold, or platinum.



Each piece is hallmarked with the unique Jari stamp and is engraved with the collection and edition number. This also allows you to have your own unique message or security information added to the piece at the same time, if you wish. They are all produced to the highest quality, in the UK with magnetic safety fastenings. Even the Jari collar tags are available in all forms of gold.



Jari is not only a creative and original company, it's a socially responsible one.

Above: Kim and Lou of Jari limited


Before you dismiss Jari as a silly expensive indulgence, let me remind you that they only use ethically sourced diamonds, metals and precious stones, the company donates a percentage of their profits to Dogs Trust, they promote photographer Clare-Louise, (who took many of the wonderful pet portraits shown above) and they support artists by having competitions.

Above: The Dogs Trust, previously known as the National Canine Defence League, is the UK's largest dog welfare charity and cares for over 16,000 dogs each year at their 17 rehoming centers across the country.

Want your Furry friend to be a star? Check out their present competition
Jariis scouting the cat baskets and kennels of Great Britian to find the perfect whiskered face to launch its exclusive range of bespoke high fashion jewellery. The winner will receive a 12 month modelling contract worth up to a 4 figure sum plus portraits of their shoots for their modelling portfolio. Closing date is 31st May 2008 competition@jari.co.uk Details here.



Jari Limited, 20 Market Hill, Southam, Warwickshire CV47 0HF 01926 480107