My Latest Obsession: Cire Trudon Candles

In the year 1643 in France, the legacy of Cire Trudon candles began when a wax merchant named Trudon began crafting candles on the eve of the reign of Louis XIV. Originally, he created candles for the many churches in Paris, but as word of the quality of candles spread, the merchant was soon asked into the homes of the nobility to create candles for some of the best households of France as well as the Royal Family. Louis XIV, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette all burned Cire Trudon candles, using the same recipe used today to light the palace of Versailles and ultimately the last sad hours of the lives of the French royal family. After the Revolution, Napoleon turned to Cire Trudon candles for lighting, gifts (he presented his son with a Trudon candle on the night of his birth emblazoned with a gold medallion bearing the silhouette of the Emperor)and for ceremonies, and now I have one burning too!
Cire Trudon is the oldest candle maker and wax manufacturer in the business, and is entrusted with the business of such fashion houses and perfumers as Kenzo, Guerlain, Hermes, and Dior for creation of candles. The company’s beautiful flagship store is on Rue de Seine in Paris, but thankfully available also at Bergdorf Goodman in the City, as well as their newly opened boutique in Nolita.
Several things set Cire Trudon candles apart from the rest. Since Trudon was originally a wax merchant, it’s no surprise that the wax in these candles is of the highest quality. Based on a traditional recipe, it is made with no artificial substances, fillers, or paraffin, but instead uses100% vegetable wax for the purest candle and the cleanest burn. Each Cire Trudon candle also has a pure cotton wick that is woven right in for the longest burn time possible. The company was also green long before environmental consciousness was a trend – all Cire Trudon candles are free of pesticides, allergens,chemicals, are biodegradable, and free of substances listed on the Greenpeace OSPAR list.
The scents of Cire Trudon candles also set the brand apart, offering more traditional and time-tested scents that evoke times past rather than blending into the sea of similarities offered today. My candle is the ‘Ernesto’ fragrance, and inspired by the famous revolutionary of the same name. The dramatic scene evoked in the description of the candle on the company's website describes the bold, yet refined and masculine scent embodied within the wax. “…In a hotel of Havana, sizzling under the stubborn sun of the Revolution, fierce overtones of leather and tobacco meddle with resolution the waxy silence of wood. Breaking out of the cool dimness, sly grimaces emerge, framed by the smoke of cigars and the barrels of guns….”

The perfect companion to my office desk as I study, Ernesto delivers, yet does not overpower, lending to the air just enough fragrance to entice the senses while also calming the spirit.

Cire Trudon candles can be purchased online at www.bergdorfgoodman.com

-Stephen Fisher

Photographic Memory: Damian Loeb

Some artists paint based on the emotion that they feel, turning the cavas into a personal expression and extension of themselves that exhibits their vision of a particular scene or image. This image could be a memory that the artist personally experienced or a created image that the artist chose to express through medias for the viewer to take in, in an attempt to stimulate the psyche and perception of a viewer. For artist Damian Loeb, this style of painting and creating is executed beautifully in images that are as much thought provoking and emotionally stimulating as they are strikingly beautiful and visually arresting.

Born in 1970 in New Haven, CT, the artist has gone on to be a dominant force in the international art world, as well as a solid figure in the Manhattan art scene, presently having his works showcased and distributed through the Acquavella Gallery alongside such masters as Picasso and Bacon. This seemingly meteoric rise to fame in such a short time frame is justified and understood when one takes a look at the created works of the artist, works that e

xhibit a striking blend of realism with that of artistic talent and manipulation of media. Paint is used in ways that bring out photorealistic qualities in the subjects through precise detail work and shadow/tonal gradiation. The resulting work is a painting of striking realistic feel that also evokes memories and emotional responses from the viewer due to the subject matter,angle, or composition of the piece.

The piece to the right entitled "On The Beach" shows a swimmer walking towards the waves of a tropical beach, yet does so from the voyeuristic point view of observation at a distance. The field of vision is broken up by a screen through which the viewer is concealed behind, thus leading the viewer to come up with his own assumptions of the relationship between the two figures and also giving a sense of security and safety.

This same vantage point is shown in the paint

ing entitled "Darling", where a female figure is glimpsed through a crack of a door with only a sliver of the figure exposed. Through this eclipsed and limited exposure of the subject, a very voyeuristic and unsettling feeling is lent to the image, leading one to wonder whether the female is aware of the secondary presence in her space.

The image to the left entitled "Deliverance", possesses an opposite quality. A pair of jean-clad female legs are set against the image of a

Towncar silhouetted against a mountain sky. This image, while suggesting expansiveness and the boundless freedom of the western sky, actually made me feel confined due to both the subjects and the arrangement of the imagery. While the freedom is suggested, an escapism and urgency also seemed to be present in the image, one that I was not sure was beginning or ending due to the presence of the individual outside the car rather than inside. Is this woman leaving something behind, or arriving at her desired destination?

This psychological play also happened for me with the painting entitled "Being There" in which a girl is seen walking across a night backdrop of lights and a city across a body of water. Had she just come across this scene and chosen to watch the hum of the night city from viewpoint in passing, or was she observing from a safe distance a city that had a meaning to her and memories attatched to it?

Throughout time, art has been used as a form of expression that can invoke feelings and emotions as well as be symbolic and expressive. From the cave paintings of Lascaux symbolizing the hunt-filled dreams of the primitive men and women that painted them, to the works of Jackson Pollock expressing a state of emergency and energy, the medium of paint has been harnessed to control or influence the inner workings of man's mind and what drives him. I believe that Loeb's works accomplish this as well, and do so in a way that both inspires deeper thinking and reflection while also providing a visually appealing sight to the art observer looking for a little more than just a pretty picture to hang on the wall.

-Stephen Fisher-

For more information on Damian Loeb or his works, please visit the following sites.

www.DamianLoeb.com

www.AcquaVellaGalleries.com

The Surreal Photography of Andy Houghton

When looking for some cool, edgy photography for my apartment back home I ran into a site online featuring the work of UK based photographer Andy Houghton. Houghton runs his photography business out of Kingston upon Hull in the UK and produces striking and surreal photographs that are not only done for personal use but also have been featured in editorail spreads and magazine pages. His mix of staged subjects, lighting techniques and quirky surreal touches give the photographs a very interesting quality as well as an intriguing sense that draws the viewer in rather than just being a pretty or attractive surface image. Please visit his personal website as well as his Flikr page for additional information and images from this visionary and interesting photographer.

--Stephen Fisher--

http://www.modelmayhem.com/andyhoughton

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyhoughton

Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2010. McQueen similarity or no?

Riccardo Tisci seems to be adjusting well to the House of Givenchy, after recently releasing his Haute Couture Winter 2010 collection, a collection that I feel has the expert craftsmanship and luxury that one would associate with one of the great fashion house, yet possesses a modern edge and forward focused style direction needed to breathe further life into the house.

When I first saw the pieces I was immediately drawn to them due to their silhouette, fit andconstruction. The pieces seem to possess en exceptional fit, especially around the torso and combine striking metallics, exquisitely pieced lacework, feather accents, fur, and articulated upper jacket and dress panels that reminded me of historical photos of renaissance Italian articulated armour.

The feel of the collection I thought hit me as definitely being his own view of fashion, where he wanted it to go and what he wanted to present, yet also drew strong parallels between it and the Alexander McQueen collection of that same season, as was evident in the brocade, beadwork a heavily embroidered and embellished fabrics, Valentino through the fluid use of light and airy fabrics and attatchment techniques on the skirts as well as the use of the feather accents, and also possessed a feel of Tom Ford’s collections for YSL during this tenure at the house.

A look at the similarity of the two collections of the separate designers for the same season.

Weekly Trend Report: Burberry Shearling

OK so I decided to cover this trend due to the fact that it has popped up on so many catwalks recently and will definately be on the streets as the weather cools down and fashionable citygoers look for a more dressy alternative to that of the basic winter coat. The shearling is a yearly favorite and has been for decades, due to the ability to look dressy yet also relaxed, and perform well in both casual and formal settings depending on the cut and fit, and designers like Christopher Bailey are doing great things with them this past season. I have included three pieces that I really liked from Burberry Prorsum, and I believe are great additions to any wardrobe.

The first piece that I chose was that of the Burberry Prorsum shearling coat. This coat hit the ground running when it was introduced and has appeared in countless blogs, magazines, and websites due to the popularity. It takes the traditional item of a shearling coat, yet is reworked to form a more modern and urban formulation, one that is at home both in the country as well as the city streets.

The next piece is another offering from Christopher Bailey at Burberry, and is a shearling ankle boot that I love. This boot possesses everything that you love about a traditional shearling coat, yet embodies it as footwear. These boots possess an edge to them that could be worn with a pair of plain tights or with skinny dark jeans for a great statemant piece that will be sure to make a statement and garner compliments.

The last piece that I really liked was that of the Lambton shearling messenger bag/tote/hobo from Burberry Prorsum Menswear collection F/W 2010. I love this bag because of the fact that it is not what one expects when they think of a traditional messenger bag. This bag offers a chance for any man to mix it up without going out on too far of a limb, but still taking a fashionable risk.

--Stephen Fisher--

A few more pictures of the Lambton bag and messenger.

On Pins and Needles: A Chat With Master Patternmaker and Couturier Nicolas Caito

Being the man penned as "New York's most in-demand patternmaker" by Elle Magazine is no small job. It requires hours of handiwork, a highly developed skill level, knowledge of fabric properties, and an acute attention to detail. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Nicolas Caito, patternmaker to some of the biggest names in the industry. During this meeting at his studio in Tribeca, I was taken aback not only by his love of patternmaking and the way that he excels at such a underappreciated art, but also at the skill level possessed by this man, a man who has worked with some of the biggest names and houses in the business,yet still carries with him the time honored traditions and craftsmanship of some of the oldest and most respected fashion houses in history.

Born in Sicily and raised in Southern France, Caito honed his skills and technical knowledge at the houses of Lanvin, Hermes, and at Rochas under Olivier Theyskens, later moving to New York City after being persuaded by a friend. This exceptional training and collaboration no doubt taught Mr. Caito not only the proper techniques for the dying art of handmade patternmaking, but also instilled in him a sense of appreciation for beauty and the ways to achieve the desired look through many mediums and fabrication methods. “When a designer comes to me, we never say no”, says Caito in response to a question about tough projects. “I believe in saying yes and making it work despite the difficulty, rather than saying no and seeing another patternmaker or designer complete the project that was declined”, a trait that no doubt has served him well over the years, helping to garner him the title of “New York’s most in-demand patternmaker”

Upon surveying his atelier and pieces in progress, it is no wonder that Caito has the reputation that he does. Draped masterpieces hang beside architecturally pieced and fitted jackets, showcasing the raw talent and old world couture craftsmanship techniques of this master at his craft. “Not many people are teaching these techniques anymore” states Caito, a sentiment echoed and appreciated by his intern Adam, a student that will continue this rich heritage of true couture level garment making within an industry that seems to be ever pushing the worth of the machine over that of the individual. “I want people to see what a...how do you say, underappreciated art patternmaking is, and to really know what goes into the creation of a garment” says Caito in closing, and encourages consumers to “know that there is a lot more behind the creation of a garment, that it is more than just an item or dress” a statement that will hopefully resonate within the youth of the industry and spark a fire within a few to carry on this age old and slowly dying craft.--Stephen Fisher--

"Nicolas Caito: Starting Out" Afingo Interviews from Aric Avelino on Vimeo.

Meg Goldman Gets it Right

The world of a stylist can be a tricky one. One has to constantly deal with what the client wants, working within budgets, how the image will turn out on film, and the end result of that intertwined project. Many people would be overwhelmed when confronted with this job, yet Meg Goldman, a stylist living and working right here in New York City does it with finesse, ease and of course, style, working magic for her corporate clients as well as personal ones over the past fifteen years and counting.

Meg Goldman, a graduate of Cornell University, and native New Yorker herself has not only an eye for style, but also more importantly, an eye for style that the “real woman” can use and work with. It is this helpful insight in providing service journalism and answering through the job of stylist, solutions to problems that the real woman has to deal with in her everyday life that Goldman seems to excel at best.

One example of that service is typified in her pieces for Stylelist.com, in which she styles a woman in a piece titled “How To Wear Cropped pants for Every Body Type”, and also the piece “How to Wear Summer Shapewear.” In these article she presents a very real woman and styles her in a very real way, to accentuate the positives and downplay the negatives of her body type, a trick that is extremely helpful and popular with woman interested in achieving a more trim look for any occasion. It is through this attention to what a real woman wants, as well as what she believes that the average woman is looking for that works so well in her favor, and continues to as judging by her ever growing resume. “I believe that a woman should feel beautiful but also comfortable” states meg when asked about her work and how it benefits the average woman, adding that “styling can be a very tough job, but it pays off when you see the look come together in the end and see that the job was done well”, a sentiment that no doubt rings true and continues to further her career within all aspects of this exciting industry.--Stephen Fisher--