Race down to the Hines and Company showroom. Now. Discontinued colorways of Rose Cumming chintz is to be had for $10 a yard. (You might even run into the impossibly gorgeous Javier Bardem and rumored-to-be pregnant Penelope Cruz, according to Page Six.)
Tufting, leopard print, sky blue, and lots of trim.... a small gesture in a small New York city apartment....
photo by François Halard from La Maison de VerreSo what say you? Love or loathe?
(I know some of you will think I'm being lazy - but another naked shower hangs in the balance.)
Napoléon's consort, Joséphine, was renowned for her flawless taste and to say that the creation of the severely chic Empire style could be laid at her feet wouldn't be entirely an exaggeration. Nowhere did her personal style more crystallize than at her country house Malmaison.
Its smaller scale and unofficial status gave Joséphine freer reign to express herself with more intimate spaces not held hostage to the demands of pomp and ceremony. Lucky for us, Malmaison was opened as a museum in the early 20th century and continues to be the purest expression of the former imperatrice's taste.
Even the very entrance to the chateau was a tent, which DeLorme points out, went against any sense of protocal.... also according to DeLorme, Napoléon was not a fan and thought it looked like a cage for animals
although this photo of French soldiers on campaign dates to the second half of the 19th century, it gives us an idea of Napoléon's time
with his Council Chamber at Malmaison. It received great acclaim, and has been imitated and inspired many, including Madeleine Castaing (who greatly admired Joséphine's taste) below in the '50s....
Watercolors by Redouté of flowers from Joséphine's garden were hung on the walls, further embellishing this rich room where she died in 1814.
Napoleon often chastized Josephine for her outrageous bills for passementerie. According to DeLorme, she promised her upholsterer an extra 10,000 francs more if he would keep it "simple"!
"Room 412", 2007If Pierre Bergé is trying to recast YSL as an artist first, a fashion designer second, artist Amanda Church is going one better. Instead of borrowing a painting - say a Piet Mondrian - and putting it on the silhouette of the day, Church takes her own psychedelic and free-flowing work and applies it to her favorite garb....
to make "Mandy Pants!"
One of the first things you may notice about this very stylish lady is her sassy short hemline which has earned her the nickname "Mandy Pants." From this apt moniker sprang the inspiration behind her new line of shorts.
"Last summer I was really into board shorts but never found a pair with a really cool design. So somehow I came up with using my own paintings as the design, and when I lost my job in January, I decided to start the Mandy Pants business."
Amanda's first foray into the fashion fray was customizing the Fendi Chef bag for the New Museum a few years ago.
"I really like the art-meets-fashion idea -- it was interesting to morph my own work to mesh with something else, since art generally stands on its own."
"I wear my Mandy Pants lounging around the house, out and about in the neighborhood, to the gym, biking, and at the beach -- they are super-comfortable! Mandy Pants are made of a kind of polyester that feels like a faux-suede. They are very durable and can be worn in the ocean or pool and also put in the washer and dryer.
"These shorts use the painting as their design, and future products (men's board shorts, bikinis, beach towels) will use different paintings, but I won't be making work specifically for Mandy Pants products. I want everything I make to have the same groovy, trippy, happy, sexy vibe as my paintings!"
A lavish 18 silkscreens are used to reproduce the pattern. As befits a work of art, they are a limited edition of 200. Available in xs, s, m, and large, with a generous fit, they retail for $80. Mandy Pants are currently available exclusively through A Little of What You Fancy, East Hampton's oldest boutique and one of the only non-chain stores to remain on Newtown Lane.
Owner (and friend) Kelly Smith has the most incredible style radar, from Kerry Cassill linens to Carthusia perfumes from Capri to my mother's special Hamptons line (if I do say so myself).
Don't be surprised to see other famous style setters and shop owners sniffing around to see her latest finds.
To reserve your pair:
A Little of What You Fancy
19 Newtown Lane
East Hampton, NY
tel: 631.324.3113
