I’m having one of those moments in life when things get out of control. Too much to do to keep up with it all; I apologize for not posting for more than a few days. I’ve had several projects to get out and contracts to adhere to. The dog gets walked; groceries are purchased, occasionally and the rest has been put in piles.

So what I’ve discovered over the last few weeks is cooraboration on the checks, they’re in, maryam in marrakech is having all the fun (back from Egypt with bounty in hand), London is still besting New York and Italy when it comes to fashion (Paris is next week), and September is still my favorite time of year…September then October so it’s all good.

Next post? Office Storage. (and, that’s not me in the picture…but it feels like me…you know that feeling, yes?)

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It may be my imagination but I don’t think so. And if indeed Isabel Toledo got her inspiration from this painting of Mondrian, her interpretation is flawless. Ms. Toledo’s collection for Anne Klein Spring/Summer 08 was one of the strongest of the runway shows during New York’s Fashion Week.

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Champleve is an enameling technique in which areas of metal are cut, etched, or routed and filled with enamel vs cloisonne where wire is cut and sautered onto enamel to create the shapes. What’s interesting about both of these ancient techniques is that they are showing up again in buttons, jewelry and lamps.

It’s worth noting especially with the amount of jewelry being handcrafted nowadays but also because of the popularity of buttons. Cloisonne and champleve are worth money in the button collectors market.

For Spring 08 collections we have the Proenza Schouler boys showing military wear for women featuring cool buttons….and lots of them. Frankly, for me, it was all about the buttons. The ones shown here are just classic, but I’ll be on the look-out for more interesting ones as they surface.

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Today’s designers continue to find innovative ways of coupling the past with the present. And, Cloisonne, an ancient metalworking technique made of red copper roughcast and decorated colorful glaze, well known as far back as during Jingtai of Ming Dynasty (1450–1456) is today recreated by using the old-world techniques but in modern designs.

The object in the above image is a Chinese miniature stupa (a type of Buddhist mound-like structure found across the Indian subcontinent, other parts of Asia, and increasingly in the Western World) made of cloisonne (metal, enamel, gilt), from the Qing Dynasty, dated to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796). The cloisonne decorations depict a lotus scroll and the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, including the Wheel of the Law. The lotus throne positioned inside the stupa symbolizes the presence of the Buddha.

Keramis Lighting employs the use of this old world artisan craft into porcelain lamps but creates for customers based on a more modern 21st century aesthetic. Benjamin Creutzfeldt, Keramis’ President and founder, is a specialist in 18th century Chinese porcelain and travels throughout China working with cloisonne mastercraftsmen producing for his clientele around the world referencing the period and it’s craft, but creating for today’s five star hotels and modern and traditional homes. Benjamin is available to commission and his porcelain lamps and urns are found in design showrooms both in the U.S. and the U.K..

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I am not sure if the wallpaper and bedspread were picked for the bed or vice versa; House & Garden’s September issue only talked about the wallpaper, but I was struck by the bed and tapped Autre/Marko once more to make sure this bed, if not actually from the Gothic period, was inspired by it (his opinion is that it was inspired by it…I am now awaiting a response from the designers of the room or the feature editor of H&G to verify the bed’s origins, and the bedspread and lamps!).

Granted if I found this bed at a flea market or an auction I would then say, now what do I do with it, and in that vein I think H&G answered the question well….use this wallpaper and that bedcovering and don’t forget those lovely blue lamps to offset the heavy black color of the bed. Then sleep tight and call me in the morning.

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St. Elizabeths Cathedral in Slovikia represents Gothic fretwork typical at the turn of the 19th century. An art historian, Autre/Marko, who specializes in medieval and modern art (and who is from Slovenia) turned me onto fretwork prevalent during the neo-gothic revival period. He even gave me the the Slovenian translation for it, “krogovičje” [kro-go-vich-ye]. It’s as detailed as it sounds too. Thank you Marko. It’s rich beyond words. Thank goodness for images.

Then I found this: Blind Fret Detail–Applied fretwork as opposed to pierced or open fretwork, this is an intricate form of decoration often based on Chinoiserie and Gothic designs. So, Class, we will next go onto Chinoiserie, Cloisonne, and Champleve (Thanks again, Marko, for champleve….I’ll look forward to figuring out what that is).

But before I do that, we will go to the Neo-Gothic revival period once again and check out the craftsmenship on these Gothic fretwork cabinets. Talk about detail. You can go to the Row Antiques site for an even more detailed explanation of the cabinets and if they are still available. Yikes, I can almost hear the organ playing in the background for this one. Wonder what castle this came from; wherever it is, I want to go visit. Seems fitting to be publishing this on Labor Day in the U.S.A….since this one was a real labor of love.

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