5 December, 2013

Cartier: style, history and Jeanne Toussaint

Jeanne-Toussaint-cartier-style-and-history-exhibition

Get me to Paris and fast! Forget the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the only luxury trinkets I want to see this month are safely ensconced in the Grand Palais for the just-opened Cartier. Style and History exhibition.

Amongst the 600-odd pieces of jewellery and 300 contextual objects (paintings, dresses, archive documents – oh my!) on display at this exhibition, there’s a focus on Jeanne Toussaint. Cartier’s head of accessories and later director of jewellery, her bold and clever work has been frequently referenced by modern jewellers.

This 1944 singing uncaged bird brooch represents the liberation of France:
Cartier-brooch-1944-Jeanne-Toussaint-Cartier-Style-and-History-Grand-Palais

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Disneyrollergirl 2 Comments Brands, Design, Events Cartier, exhibitions, Jeanne Toussaint, jewellery, luxury

30 November, 2013

Estee Lauder’s collectable compacts have just outdone themselves

Be prepared to be officially gobsmacked by Estee Lauder’s exclusive solid perfume compacts for Harrods. Estee Lauder is famous for its inventive compacts but these have to be the best yet…

‘Beautiful’ golden horseshoe solid perfume compact, £120
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Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Beauty, Brands, Design, Shopping beauty, Christmas gifts, Estee Lauder, fragrance, shopping

29 November, 2013

Packaging porn: Aesop’s gift sets

Aesop-Gift_Kits

There are gift sets and there are gift sets. One for the design-o-phile in your life, these Aesop kits tick the style-meets-function box. Based on the Italian Futurist movement, the graphic typography and bold colour palette are pure packaging porn. And the product inside is just as appealing. There are six sets in total but these three are my favourite, Intensity, Alacrity, Agility…

The best place to buy Aesop is surely from one of its standalone stores, each one designed to engage with its geographical surroundings in some way. The newest one on Marylebone High Street uses artists Francis Bacon and Lucio Fontana and indigenous UK ferns as its unique stylistic references. Alternatively, you can buy from Aesop.com and Liberty.

Disneyrollergirl 1 Comment Beauty, Brands, Design, Shopping Aesop, beauty, Christmas gifts, design, packaging, shopping

28 November, 2013

Perfectly repurposed

Petit-H-Hermes-London 7

Is this the ultimate in upcycling? For the next eight days, you might get a shock if you amble into Hermes’ New Bond Street store for a silk tie or scarf. The entire ground floor has been hijacked by ‘Petit h’, the luxe, upcycling arm of Hermes, for a unique selling exhibition. (more…)