Speak Softly and Carry a Vlieger & Vandam Bag. The 2012 Guardian Angel Collection.

I stumbled upon the amazing weapon embossed Guardian Angel bags from Vlieger and Vandam back in 2005 when they were made of felted wool (below). The brand and their collection has grown and become more sophisticated in the past few years.


above: The 2005 V&V Guardian Angel Bags were made with embossed wool

Now made with fine aniline leathers from the greenest tannery in the world (Hulshof Royal Dutch Tanneries) and handmade embossing in the Netherlands, the Guardian Angel line includes structured and soft bags for both men and women, clutches, attache cases, wallets and iPad cases.



above: the metal embossing is done by hand using tools like the stamping gun shown above in the Netherlands



above: their newest collection is now lined with a silkscreen printed fabric of guns and knives

For their Autumn Winter 2012 Collection they have introduced three two-toned Classic (structured) Guardian Angel Handbags with detachable straps in Brown/Pink, Brown/Grey and Black/White leather:




New for 2012 are large and small soft versions of their Guardian Angel bags in black, brown or grey leather with detachable leather straps:



Unisex Guardian Angel attachés and shoulder bags in black, brown and grey leather for 2012:



The 2012 Guardian Angel clutches come in three styles (handcuffs, gun and knife) and black, brown or grey leather online. The gold, silver and blackened detachable chains are sold separately.

Other clutches in colored suede are new for 2012 but not available in their online store (yet):



iPad cases in Guardian Angel (black leather) or cracked screen (black leather):


Gun stamped zippered wallets and billfolds for 2012:



The Guardian Angel bags are popular among celebs like Fergie Rhianna and Rumor Willis (shown below carrying her large soft black Guardian Angel bag):


In addition to their Guardian Angel line, they make other stunning totes and handbags, small leather goods and scarves.




Vlieger and Vandam

Cartier Premieres Gorgeous Short Film, L'Odyssee de Cartier, A Visual History of The Brand.

Carter has been airing this three and a half minute commercial, L'Odyssée de Cartier, which is a beautiful three and a half minute film consisting of seven chapters, shot by Bruno Aveillan for the luxury brand.



The new Cartier film, which took two years to make, is a journey between dream and reality and the very first time Cartier has decided to create a cinema epic focusing on its 165 year history, its values and inspiration, its artistic and universal scope. The lush visual story features the Panther, the historical icon of the House of Cartier.








The dedicated website features the seven chapters of the brand's Odyssey film, the making of, information about the musical score and other bonus features. Learn how they trained the three panthers and other interesting information at their site.



L'Odyssee de Cartier

Artists Reinterpret Emoticons In Their Own Style of Work For The Noteworthy Project.

The Noteworthy Project asked different artists to reinterpret emoticons in their own inimitable style. The process and final pieces were documented on film and directed by Oscar-nominated and Sundance-winning filmmaker Jessica Sanders. Below are those films and the final artworks.

:( by Tim Biskup:


“My goal was to present a midpoint between the :( emoticon’s abstraction of sadness and the literal representation of it in the photo of my daughter, thus inserting my own expression into the equation.” - Tim Biskup



Tim Biskup's final piece:


:-) by AJ Fosik:



“I decided to transform the devious emoticon into an idol, taking a digital [way of conveying] emotion and meaning and merging it with a traditional physical one, subverting both to create something new.” - AJ Fosik



AJ. Fosik's final piece:


LOL by Megan Whitmarsh:


“I wanted to create a LOL that radiates optimism, using a handcrafted, analog, pop vision to capture its warmth and cheerfulness.” - Megan Whitmarsh



Megan Whitmarsh's final piece:


OMG by Reza Ali:


“OMG invites its audience to interact by speaking to it. Besides surprise, it can represent joy, sadness, anger, excitement, fear, shock, and relief. OMG changes in real-time to reflect that variation.” - Reza Ali



Reza Ali's final piece:


;) by Craig + Karl:


“The ;) emoticon depicts our dynamic: a closed eye dreaming, forming ideas; an open eye, developing them. A smile links us.” - Craig and Karl



Craig Redmond + Karl Maier's final piece:


About The Noteworthy Project:


Our potential for human expression is huge, but at some point technology started getting in the way of our passion. We’ve been so busy tweeting and texting, we may have accidentally left behind what makes us human.

The Noteworthy Project documents a series of projects that examine what happens when communication is made by hand.

Noteworthyproject.com

LaChapelle's Earth Laughs In Flowers. The Photographer's Take on Baroque Still Lives.

above: Lovers (detail) by David LaChapelle

In this new series of ten works photographer David LaChapelle, best known for his wild and elaborate fashion photography, he explores the vanity of life and beauty. With titles such as “Springtime”, “Late Summer”, “Early Fall” and “Deathless Winter” the works refer to the four seasons and allude to the life cycle: from birth to death. A contemporary take on the still life paintings of Flemish and Italian masters, these ornate florals contain references to present day culture and humanity, such as cigarette butts, Barbies, junk food, toys and telephones.

Summer:

Springtime:

detail:

Early Fall:

detail:

Deathless Winter:

detail:

America:

Concerning the Soul:

Risk:

Flaccid Passions:

Lovers:

Wilting Gossip:

detail:


from the press release:
The title of the series is a quotation of the poem “Hamatreya” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, in which flowers are the earth’s laughter at the arrogance of human beings who believe they can rule the earth, although they themselves are transient and must return to it.

The title of the exhibition can also be read in the sense of the Baroque vanitas portrayals. The meaning of the Baroque floral still life was always related to the human hubris and transience of earthly existence, with the classical still life often containing many of the following: flowers, fruits, vegetables, animals, insects, mask, candles, watches or skulls. These symbols denote the fugacity and limitations of human life and the meaningless nature of vanity. Just like wilting flowers, albeit their beauty, we will all fade away.

Whilst LaChapelle shows an explicit compositional affinity to Baroque floral still life, he transfers the genre from painting to photography. The artist employs art historical visual traditions, but he also translates them into visual metaphor of and for our time. On second glance the viewer will discover objects of contemporary society in the blooming and fading flower arrangements: burning cigarettes, newspapers from yesterday, old mobile phones, plastic, Barbies, a Manga mask, medical devices, a burning American flag, a model of an airplane, balloons, tins, collages, throw away dinnerware or a tattered dollar bill. These are the metaphors of vanity in our era of an affluent though seemingly troubled society. The often bizarre and excessive symbolical imagery does not fail to remind us however, as in the traditional vanitas, to follow our virtues and to celebrate life before it‘s over.

‘Where are these men? Asleep beneath their grounds: And strangers, fond as they, their furrows plough. Earth laughs in flowers, to see her boastful boys Earth-proud, proud of the earth which is not theirs; Who steer the plough, but cannot steer their feet, Clear of the grave.’ -- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Hamatreya, 1846

The series of photographs by David LaChapelle, ‘Earth Laughs in Flowers’ was first shown at Hannover’s Kestnergesellschaft Museum in spring 2011. Since then the exhibit -in conjunction with ROBILANT + VOENA has been presented to the British, Italian and Swiss public, across its two galleries in London and Milan, as well as the Reformierte Dorfkirche, St. Moritz in collaboration with ST.MORITZ ART MASTERS. Now, In collaboration with Fred Torres, the show is now being exhibited in New York.

Earth Laughs In Flowers
Exhibition on view February 23rd through March 24th, 2012. Open to the public, Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Student groups always welcome.
527 W 29th Street, 3FL, New York NY, 10001