I grew up outside San Francisco (lived there for 6 months) and am very familiar with Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Diego and Los Angels. Also, last year I took a trip to NYC for the first time. Since 2003 the closest cities geographically have been Montreal and Boston; neither is close. Last time I was in Montreal was for an opening for Typhon. Each time is an adventure, but other then anecdotal, I leave less then impressed. Boston is more of trek. The time before last that Erin and I had a big trip to Boston went down as one of our classic misadventures. It cost us hundreds of dollars we did not have to spend, due to traffic into the city we missed most of Peeping Tom's performance which is why we went there; it was just a bonus seeing Gnarls Barkley. We left our hotel early, because one of our cats back home went missing. It will all make SHAME someday. . So this last trip into the most confusing city to drive in, was planed well, but also taken with skepticism.
The W:
A few days after Thanksgiving, our GPS went out in the tunnel's but somehow the Force guided us perfectly to the W. When we travel if we can afford it we stay at the W. We had stayed at one in SF and NYC. Boston's may be our favorite. Definitely fits our travel style.
Newbury St. and the State of Fashion:
We were within walking distance of Newbury St.so off we walked into the state of fashion. Erin was excited to go into Burberry, and for full disclosure she has impeccable taste, a Metals and Jewelery Degree and liked the clothing and accessories. So her opinion should sway you away from my assessment. However, I do have a couple art degrees too, went to school with Fashion, Metals' and Jewelry majors, have designed a costume or two. We both watch and analyze Project Run Way. We tend to agree about 70%. As an artists, designer and art teacher I love watching their progression. I love yelling at the TV when the wrong person is kicked off. And only a hand full of times have I wanted someone kicked off because they were jerks, despite their designs being superior. Anyway back to Burberry, our first stop on Newbury. You walk in and the line to me was stale. As we discus here often there is a cyclical aspect to art and a reinvention that happens (basically the entire point of this Blog is to analyze this new art movement we are in). The current line at Burberry takes from a 70's British aesthetic found in films like The Ice Storm and Royal Tenenbaums, and reminiscent of the Rolling Stones album Between The Button, with a touch of DK hardcore scene and Interpol NYC. All great aesthetic references. In fact as a child of the 70's and 80's the nostalgia is enticing to me. But I still prefer an isolated reference enclosed in a clean design focused on innovative complementary form. The most important thing when referencing this time period is the pallet. Above all the pallet was off putting, in a muddled brassy tint. In addition there are only so many variations of plaid before you get annoyed with it. The functional side of each item was not horrid and I would hope the quality would stand the test of time. Nevertheless, the forms in general left me unimpressed and even repulsed me at times. I did not see a seamless relationship between form and function in the least. There were four floors of this. Now I sincerely wish that artist/designers could get paid as much as possible for the work we do. It is a fact, that the amount of time, risk, intellect, innovation and resources that go into quality form and functional art is grossly under appreciated and valued. That said, the price of a handbag between $250 and $1500 seems ludicrous, when you take into consideration that these are multiples...not originals. I wish we could get that kind of cash in comics for multiples. What truly made me wright this is what Erin said while we were in the store. As we enter the elevator she tells me, "How embarrassing, I hope they don't notice what I am waring." In other words, because she wares affordable, attractive clothing in a down economy, somehow she should be embarrassed to simply walk through their aesthetically pathetic, over priced egotist costume shop. I responded, "they're the ones who should be embarrassed."
Newburry Street it self was nice with the holidays and all, but nothing seemed to stick out positively, fashion wise. The second most memorable fashion experience was Felines Basement: to sum up, imagine entering a cluttered hell, with names perched as if they saw so power, but then they are perched up by disorganized rags. And it was a packed Mad house.
Honestly there was so much for me scrutinize on Newbury St. I was having a great time; and Erin was too, from perhaps the opposite perspective. So, I didn't even need to find an aesthetic gem, but we did. At the Arden Gallery they had an exhibit of Robert Jackson's paintings. He ended up making my art of the decade list.Next...The Pixies.
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