Obsessing over Obsessive Consumption

I buy a lot of stuff. You know, the stuff that you don't need, but then you get to the endcap of an aisle and there's this amazing product that you didn't realize you needed until THAT VERY SECOND and suddenly it's in your basket and then OH GOODY there's another thing that you hadn't planned on buying and suddenly you're at the register and you just stopped in to buy butter but somehow you've spent $200? That happens to me. A lot. In fact, I think i just described every trip to Target ever (unless I'm with the boyfriend, who I think would go through there at a dead sprint if he could).

Anyway, I'm not alone in this. Kate Bingaman-Burt buys stuff too, but instead of just freaking out over it later, she draws it for a monthly magazine, Obsessive Consumption.

I first found Bingaman-Burt's work through 20x200.com. She chronicles all of her purchases for a month and then binds them into tiny 'zines that she sells on her Etsy store. For example, when she bought Girl Scout cookies (yum!), she drew this:

Then when she filled up with gas the next day, she drew this:

And so on until she gets to the end of the month (PS remember when gas was $2.36? Ah the good old days!).

I think her whole concept is really cool. It's an interesting way to look at where all our money goes, because like so many of us, a lot of hers goes to stuff.

Look around her website and tell me what you think. Oh, and if you purchase anything off her store remember this - You are not buying more stuff, you are buying art.

P.S. She's also totally kickass because she's currently living in Mississippi!

Art to Art

When I was in kindergarten, we had a class play where I played an artist. I don't remember much else about the play, but I distinctly remember my costume: an oversized men's button down shirt that was splattered with paint.  I thought that it was quite possibly the coolest shirt ever. I remember even after the play, I wanted to wear that shirt everywhere. My mother was opposed to this idea, for obvious reasons, but I still remember that shirt today.

That shirt seems to be still influencing my fashion tastes today: I love the classic tailoring of a white button-down and menswear-influenced style. I hadn't given much thought to the paint splatters until recently though. Lots of designers sent paint-inspired looks down the runway for their spring and resort lines. Dolce and Gabbana showed a number of dresses with bunches of tulle and what appeared to be layers upon layers of paint around the waist and bodice. While this may sound more like the insanity you'd be used to seeing at a Heatherette show, the results were surprisingly feminine and wearable, if a bit daring.

These dresses remind me of what would happen if  Betsey Johnson got to play in Marie Antoinette's wardrobe and then decided to repaint Versaille.

Yves Saint Laurent decided to continue with this theme of artsy fashion for his resort collection.

This collection seemed to be more influenced by Jackson Pollock. Stefano Pilati took his collection one step further by integrating the brush strokes into his accessories:

My personal favorite art-inspired collection was by Rachel Roy. Rachel hasn't been designing for very long, but so far her collections have been spot-on (I even raved about her fall 08 collection earlier this week).  Her spring collection seemed to have been influenced by the artist's smock and watercolors, and was so light and beautiful, but also incredibly versatile. 

While this might not work for the office in a conservative law office, this could work as a shift dress (with more sensible shoes) in an artistic field, and would work for anyone as a night-out dress.

This dress is perfect on so many levels, but let me just say this: pockets make my world go round. 

Oh, and while I still may love that paint-covered shirt from my childhood, I wouldn't recommend making this a DIY fashion project. Leave this one to the pros.

Fall/Winter things I want: BCBG's structured jersey dresses and fantastic belts, Erin Featherston's ability to mix florals with heavy winter fabrics, the burgundy silk formal dress from Nicole Miller, the menswear-inspired double-breasted cardigan from Rag & Bone, and the green party dress from Sue Stemp.

Light Bright... light bright... turn on the magical shining light!

I may be the only person you know who hopes to one day have a house with bare lightbulbs. Like this:

Have I lost my mind? I don't think so. Thanks to the genius of artist Tord Boontje, there's a really beautiful, reasonably inexpensive way to turn these into a work of art. Behold:

The Garland Shade Light ($80 at the MoMA store).

 I can't begin to tell you how beautiful this thing is in person. Imagine the most incredible Christmas garland ever, cut delicately out of brass and coated in silver or gold. The light filters through the garland (which can be wrapped as loosely or tightly as you choose, as well as in any shape you can imagine), casting a beautiful warmth over the room. The garland is also so delicate that it moves with a breeze -  check out the Studio Tord Boontje website linked above for an example. And, oh my god, at night:

Amazing, right? If you're more traditional and prefer a more shade-like shape, then the Midsummer Night's Shade is right for you:

(again at the MoMA store, $85)

This one would be great over a dinner table because you'd get a more concentrated light source. Although this may be a more traditional shape, the white color gives it a modern twist. 

And for those of you sitting at home thinking to yourself, "Eighty bucks? That's a lot!", think of it this way: these fixtures give you the grandeur of a chandelier. Think about finding a chandelier for eighty bucks, and then think about the fact that you don't have to pay anyone to come install these pieces. Seems a lot more reasonable now, right? 

His studio also works with textiles, furniture, and other medium. His other projects aren't quite as affordable, but are all statement pieces that merge modernity with delicacy. If you're decorating your bachelorette pad, Tord Boontje could be the one for you.

*By the way, if the style of art looks familiar, then you're probably a Target junkie like me: Boontje designed the Christmas decorations for the store in 2006, as well as a limited-edition holiday line.*

Cheapy Art

First of all, big apologies for no post yesterday. I burned the shit out of my fingertips last night making cornbread (which turned out crappy anyway) and it hurt way too bad for me to be able to type. Luckily my fingertips are okay and I'm back!

Secondly, I know that couture week is going on. However, I feel like I've been writing about fashion too much lately and thought that I would change it up a little bit. I may write a little bit about fashion weeks in February, but I'm staying out of this week's action other than to say breeches, Karl? Really?

So now for something completely different...

I love art, but as a broke twenty-something, I don't have the money to have a crazy collection. I have one nice Chihuly painting that was a twenty-first birthday present, but everything else in my house is a nicely framed poster of artwork that I love (Miro's Blue II hangs over my TV) or inexpensive pieces by local artists. I'm always on the lookout for places that sell great affordable art, which is part of why I think that Etsy is so awesome.

Another site that I love is 20x200.com.  I discovered this site thanks to the awesome bloggers over at Modern Art Obsession, which is a great read if you're a fan of the contemporary art scene. The idea behind 20x200 is this: each week, two pieces of art are contributed - one photo, one work on paper. They're then printed in three sizes. The smallest size is printed in batches

 of 200 for $20. A medium size is $200 for an edition of 20, and for serious collectors, an edition of two in the largest size is for $2000. Pretty cool, right? The range of artists is pretty impressive too - no huge names, but lots of up-and-comers. Plus if you don't see anything that you like one week, you only have to wait another week until a new batch is printed. Also, they

 continue to sell the older editions until they're all sold out.

This is one of my favorites from an artist named Linzie Hunter. It reminds me of some of the folk art that I've grown up with. This series is based on the subject line of spam emails that show up in her inbox. I love the idea of making something so fun out of something that annoys so many of us every day.

Here's another example of something beautiful out of something ugly. This photo is called Brooklyn Morning, and it's by a photo- grapher named Youngna Park. While I love to think that these are multi-colored balloons after a crazy party, I'm afraid that it's multi-colored latex of another sort. However, the color contrast against the gritty pavement is striking.

New editions are posted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2 PM EST. Check it out next week to see what's new.