Style Icon: Emilie Flöge and Wiener Werkstätte

The most I ever spent on a piece of clothing was $130 (including shipping from China) for my wedding dress. My second most expensive clothing is a vintage kaftan by a vintage designer I like called B. Cohen Originals. It's actually a giant square that looks like it was painted by a 4 year old, but it really struck me. I am too cheap to collect canvas artwork yet, but some of my clothes feel like artwork to me. 

That kaftan reminds me a bit of Emilie Floge and Gustav Klimt's work, of which I am a huge fan. Klimt is of course famous for his painting "The Kiss" and others, but Emilie is less known today. She was his lifelong friend, lover, muse, and colleague to Klimt, and a well known fashion designer in Vienna at the time (early 1900s). The 1910s is my favorite era in fashion apart from the late 60s. Oddly enough, 2018 is 100 years since Gustav Klimt's death and 50 years since my favorite year in fashion, 1968. Anyway, despite my love for classic 1910s styles, Emilie and Gustav's designs were not typical for the time and were called "reform dress". They're incredible to look at because they still have appeal today, but they don't really seem to belong to any specific time. 

Many of the clothes in Klimt's paintings were real garments that she designed, and likewise, some of the most striking clothing she made was designed by him. There are limited photos of her work and even fewer surviving garments due to a fire, but the modern high fashion brand Valentino (founded 1960) made their Fall 2015 collection a homage to Emilie Floge and her work. Gustav took most of the photos that we have of Emilie and she almost always looks so happy and mischievous.

I just finished reading a novel called the Painted Kiss (by Elizabeth Hickey) that was a fictionalized account of their relationship. It was such an interesting period for art, producing Egon Schiele (another favorite of mine) and other strange visionaries surrounding the Art Nouveau movement and its offshoots, namely the Wiener Werkstätte group. There seems to have been a bit of a free love philosophy going on in that group and their patrons, which is always something that sort of fascinates me. It is suspected that the famous "Kiss" painting is modeled after Emilie and Gustav. He was a troubling character in the book and probably in real life, having fathered at least 14 children by a variety of women and not really taking responsibility for any of them. 

This robe (above) reminds me of the B. Cohen one I just bought! I like Gustav's robes too.

The whole idea of an artist's collective (especially one that was so avante-garde and eventually hugely successful) is alluring to me because it seems like we don't have that kind of thing anymore where there's specific places and times where like-minded artists or writers create a movement that changes....everything. Maybe those movements only appear in hindsight? Anyway, according to the novel, Emilie and Gustav's personal lives were a bit tortured, but/and there work remains some some of the most inspiring to me in my own work. 

I am unsure which details in the novel are real and which are not, but most of the Wiener Werkstatte group died or left Austria right around the beginning of the first World War, and their work was confiscated or destroyed during the second World War. It makes me so sad to think of what was lost and how surviving members, such as Emilie (who died in 1952) must have felt like that exciting, fruitful time of their artist's movement was dead and gone in so many ways, locked in her past. That sort of thing resonates with me so much, when a chapter in your life is closed and you can never revisit it. 

One of the most influential members of the Wiener Werkstatte group was Joseph Hoffman, an architect. It's fascinating to look at the work of all the members and see how they overlap and inspired one another. Hoffman's jewelry (although not this particular piece - it just happens to be my favorite) looks like Klimt's paintings which look like Emilie's clothing, etc. Hoffman designed a fantastically beautiful mansion for a banker, called the Palais Stoclet. Klimt helped design it and many of his paintings decorate the inside. (The interior shown below is not from the palace, but gives you an idea of the style and shows how Klimt's artwork hung in the spaces his friends designed. I'm crazy about it!)

Emilie was known for hand-painted silk. At the time, whale bone corsets were still worn regularly, but Emilie pioneered "the house dress", which still looks pretty fancy to us today! One of the blog posts about her I was looking through called her an "anarchist of style", and it makes me fall in love.

I really wish I could see this last one in color.

Once you start poking around in the Wiener Werkstatte movement, you start seeing its influence on designers like John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Tim Walker, and others. I love learning about these things and letting them affect me. It makes me feel a part of something old, new, and secret all at the same time. I have never been a minimalist, and I love the complexity and meaning in that turn-of-the-century style. In some ways I don't "believe" in minimalism because reality is not simple to me. I guess minimalism would be escapism for me, but I have no desire to escape there most of the time. Order yes, simplicity never. Now I just need to save up my pennies to fill my art gallery (er...closet) with Emilie inspired pieces. 

Unmellow Yellow

My favorite color is not a concrete thing. In the last few years, it's hovered around gold, pink, and purple. But recently my eye is drawn to YELLOW. Not the mellow variety. It's bold, and I'm into that. 

I've noted that yellow items in my clothing shop(s) have been selling well. I think yellow is a loud announcement that winter is over, and we're all so ready for that! I even want to paint stuff yellow right now, but I do wonder whether it would just seem ludicrous in the winter months and winter light? 

Here are some images that have jumped out at me recently. 

Fashion by Emilio Pucci, 1960s 

From Martha Stewart Magazine, photographed by Johnny Miller

Charles Martin illustration for 1934 Harpers Bazaar

Delpozo Pre-Fall 2018 Fashion Show Collection

Book by Blair Imani

Guo Pei Spring 2016 Couture (same designer that made that 

hugeeee yellow cape for Rihanna at the Met Gala a few years ago)

WANT. Passionfruit drink. I really like the Chinese newspaper underneath. 

Vintage Pierre Cardin

Envelope decorated by Henri Matisse

A Spring In My Step

I think we just had the first day of spring. I'm not sure, and I doubt it's important.  Sometimes I get these sweet realizations that calm my worried bones. I doubt the budding trees and birdies keep calendar books or sticky notes or write blog posts on the exact days of events. Too nerve wracking to remember all that. We had a dinner guest last night who has recently accepted Christ into his life. I was struck by the excitement that he had about being in the family of Jesus. He said he finds himself smiling for no reason. I want to have that too because our days here are finite and... yes. That's it. We've been going through Lamentations at church, which I'm loving too. I delight in the polarities of rawness and joy. Re-awakenings seem to go right along with spring. And this lovely album. And these lovely photos (1,2,3,4,5). 

A Drop in the Ocean

Has it ever struck you that banana are the perfect shape for a phone? Well, they are. // I now have twitter. Find me here. :) //I may have found a room mate! It will be lots of fun if it works out. // What is your earliest memory? Mine involves eating broccoli in a restaurant that was at a fork in the road. // I have an overwhelming amount of things to blog about and not very many chances to blog. // I went with Jonas to Farmer's Market in SLO on thursday and we shared a mushroom pizza at CPK (they no longer have the mango chicken one that was my favorite!). One of the best parts was being good dinner guests. We smiled and thank-you-ed and left a tip with a note of appreciation. Then we went back to the market, only to discover that the exorbitantly priced yet delicious cheesecake caramel apples were sold out. Bum dizzly. // Do your teachers have funny speaking habits? My Columbian sociology teacher ends a lot of sentences with "...and stuff like that." My Arabian psychology teacher ends each topic with "any questions on that?" My statistics teacher with a major outty belly button talks in fill-in-the-blanks: "If you take 3 out there will be - what, - 4 left?" On the second day of class, I counted more than 68 fill-in-the blanks statements/questions in an hour and 5 minutes. // Here is a really cool video that I hope you enjoy. :)

Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders "Excuses" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

When I fancy myself a blogger prestigous enough to be interviewed, I go about rewriting interviews from truly prestigious bloggers. The template here was from the Bedlam of Beefy interviewing Ruby Press. What is your least favorite smell?

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LOVE it! ::

Film... Stranger Than Fiction.

Book... Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.

Food... There are quite a few recipes involving pesto in my foodgawker.com favorites. Eating out, I'd have to go with Byron's special seaweed salad and Nacho sushi roll at Ichiban's. Candy: salty licorice.

Album... as far as being good as a full album, Keane's Under the Iron Sea. Phew, I just realized this is titled "love it!" not "favorites," which makes me feel much more at ease.

Day... Any day that I get to spend with Jonas! :D :D

Clothes... recently, I've been snuggling in my oversized red cardigan with kitty buttons!

Band... this week, Ben Howard.

Blogs... may I direct you to the list on the right side of the page. :)

Place... the secret forest wonderland behind Pioneer park which was RECENTLY BULLDOZED! Ow, my life. I feel a life-long scar developing.

Smell... Jonas's Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue. wow.

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HATE it! ::

Film... The Game.

Book... most Christian self-help books :/

Food... eggs.

Album... huh, well, I can't say since I probably couldn't bare to listen to it all the way through.

Day... the dreaded goodbye day before leaving somewhere where a loved one can not follow.

Clothes... empire waisted peasant tops with oversized patterns. not that I keep track.

Band... hate is a strong word, but R.E.M. comes to mind.

Place... the dentist's.

Smell... baby wipes. Disgusting to the max.

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It’s all in the details… ::

The best sandwich is made with… basil, cream cheese, roasted jalepeno and bacon on a toasted savory bagel, perhaps?

The place I feel safest… lost in the arms and eyes and smile of my baby, possibly over coffee and with a downpour of rain outside. Super delicious feeling.

I love the sound of… bass in the floor when you turn the speakers way up.

A singer I unexpectedly like is… I'm not sure there is such a thing for me.

The first poster on my bedroom wall was…mm, I had poster collages from the start, and they were always evolving.

The vice that I am glad I got rid of…biting my nails to the point of bloodiness.

The one that still has a hold on me…blogging rather than studying? *sheepish. Not sure I'm really trying to get over that one though.

I am most embarrassed by…smelling bad ranks pretty high up there for me.

As a child I wanted to be…a doctor or a forensic scientist.

The first time I got drunk was…I've never had more than a milileter of alcohol.

I really don’t like… being encouraged to think negative thoughts!

The best way to cook a potato is…off the top of my head, I'm partial to scalloped.

At night I worry about…worrying too much.

The first thing I do in the morning is…check the clock to see if I have time to fall back asleep.

Plane, train, or automobile…planes :) get to international destinations faster!

Soy Sauce vs. Mollasos

Happy Sunday to you, Love, me. // I bought a huge red men's cardigan and then some CUTE kitten buttons to sew on & my hair is finally long enough to hold curlers. I am going to look the cat's pajamas tomorrow. ;) // Jonas and I have decided we want to cook more, so we plan to make lunch for our families each Sunday, alternating between our respective houses every other Sunday. So far, all the foods on our menue are Asian. ^^ Also, Jonas has agreed to play the keyboard for the church we've been going to, at least for the next two weeks as a try-out period. I am proud of him! He is just smashing at all things musical (pretty much all things creative in general :D) // Last night, I went with 3 of my siblings to Jonas's for his birthday dinner (Indian chicken curry) with our friend Chris, as well. He had peanut butter fudge for his "cake" and opened some fun presents. For most of the rest of the evening, we watched the first disk of Samurai7. I'm really happy to have American friends who appreciate Asian cultures. // Statistics is finally getting to be a drag without a proper calculator and my renewed Wired subscription finally kicked in. Yata! // Today at church, Aaron spoke on slowing down in our lives in order to give more time to God. Fits perfectly with this list I found via Stars Will Rise Again. Which sound good to you? Any silly ones? "Stop thinking tomorrow will be a better day" is hard for me (and is that really bad?). I like the "Do brand new things" one though. "Take stock of your achievments" is also a good reminder for me, but "always have a plan B?" - not a nessecity imo. // Have a great week. :)

Rules of Engagment

Notable FB happenings (from vaguely recent to very recent): 1. An old youth leader, John, and his wife Katie are having a baby girl! You know why this is extra exciting if you hung out with John in the BJ days. 2. Old friends Michelle (& Jonathan), Katy (& Sam), Rebekah (& Andrew) and new friends Mike (& Sarah) and Hannah & Brandon are all getting married! I would say love is in the air, as well as spring, possibly? Happy for all these kids. ^^ (Also make my move in the wedding coordination business!) Also a sharp increase in newly-dating friends recently - prompted by Valentine's day much? February is supposedly the month said to induce the most suicides (dead of winter in most places) but thankfully that does not appear to be happening this year. // Other notable happenings: 1. Jonas got his driver's license! Hooray!! :D 2. I got a date for my braces to come off (August 10th, possibly earlier). // Some not-so-notable but still blog worthy (?) things:
I no longer work in "the fun room" (IS/IT) at work, but I do now sit by a huge window! Today some firemen were going around with one of the maintenance workers and my coworkers were scouting out the "hot" ones and checking for wedding rings. Haha! // I feel a bit more like I'm really employed now since I'm not just set onto one project temporarily. Or not more employed per se, but more regular, which I am. Some of the paperwork I'm getting into is a beast, but it's so satisfying when I finally figure it out. // Today, it feels good to be young, even if I have no idea where I will get this or that things that I supposedly need for the "next step" in whichever direction... {by Tim Walker - I didn't steal it from your site, sir.}

Everybody's Trying to be My Baby

I just toasted and buttered a croissant - I always forget how delicious those are. // Happy Belated Valentine's Day & Chu Yi (first day of Chinese New Year)! Here's a retro song for you (how absolutely crazed are those fans?!). My baby turns 20 in a week and everyone should wish they were "baby" to someone like him. xo. [FB, click to view]

My favorite shot from Urban Outfitter's lovers photo contest. Reminds me of a day in the life of Hannah & Landon - I'm hooked. I'm absolutely convinced I should have been at Woodstock. 30 some years too late, dang it.

I am going back to work on Tuesday. :) Hooray for being employed! I've also been "busy" running a nation, thanks to Jonas's reawakened political-nerd obsession from high school. ;) If that sounds fun, check it out or visit my nation. // I've also been exploring Pandora Radio. The Elliott Smith station probably gets the most attention from me. Diana Krall & A.R. Rahman are also good. // Thanks for reading. :)

Patchwork

It's been a while! One week left of work and then school starts. This week it rained every day, up until Saturday. There was thunder and lightning and rainbows. Good stuff. // I spent yesterday down in LA checking out CSUF with friends. It's a really nice campus and it seems they have a ton of top notch stuff to offer. In the afternoon/evening, we walked around Downtown Disney and then had dinner with Jonas's brothers. It was a lot to take in and hard to imagine really moving out soon-ish. I was exhausted by the end of the day and slept in this morning which was glorious. I'm still exhausted. I laid in bed for a long time and pulled out a photo album of days growing up in China. I also looked through a copy of the children's magazine Highlights that published a drawing of mine when I was 7. Who would have known that I would be so into magazines later? I was thinking as I was driving home earlier this week - as in suddenly remembered - that I wanted to be a doctor for a long time and wanted to study at Harvard because I heard someone say that girls couldn't go there. College planning has been going on for way too long in my life... // My sister Annelise is in Oregon visiting friends. I wish I could hop on up to Portland too! I miss & love ya, Pep! // Blogging after I haven't in a while always sounds funky to me a bit. Here's to rest and recuperation... (via Frankie Mag)

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I wonder if there is any correlation between the meanings of reflection as in the mirror image of something and reflection the sense of pondering something. In an no pun intended kind of way, I think mirrors are reflective things. In my mind, they correlate with thought. At any rate, I inactively collect antiqued mirrors and I like this photo (from Julia).

I will now commence to write about my corresponding mental reflections. I was just reading Jonas Peterson's latest blog entry and thinking about what a dreamy story that is to me. Just up and moving to a new country, starting over, doing something extremely well is joy. You know how success seems effortless when you do something you love? Does that always have to be in the future for the rest of us? I want that to happen to me this year... I'm tired of being burnt out on school and work. I'm ready to move and start loving what I do. After this next semester, I will be finished with my GE for college, but between then and now is a murderous stretch of classes (Statistics, Biology, Political Science, Sociology & Psychology). I feel so dejected when I realize that I'm not doing something I love, but at the same time, even as I reflected darkly to my Jonas, when I think of everything I want but don't have, I can't help but remember the good things that I do have. Recently, I was remembering a time in my life when everything felt hopeless. I often remember Emily Dickonson's poem "Hope Is A Thing With Feathers" ; that which gives all of itself so that I may have life and asks nothing in return. I'm not hopeless in my discontent with this or that and that is something to be thankful for. // I have 2 of my 3 remaining finals tomorrow. // I have been daydreaming about becoming popular as a blogger. I'm hoping it's my desire to be relevant as a writer/sharer-of-good-things which I would like to have as a career speaking rather than narcissism. Yet every time I ask myself why it's important that I have more followers or imagine ways to get bloggers I respect to visit my blog, it just seems so ridiculous and I can't come up with any good justifications. I think this blog is a special place for me as I'm slugging through so much "GE of life" - somewhere where I can feed (and be fed) the things that make me excited as an artist and lover of beauty at heart. I guess I want it to matter. I want for my passion not to be in vain. (I have resolved for start linking all the things I reference because it's standard politeness in blogging world. I must say, it's so nice on other people's blogs, but such a pain on your own. And when I'm not a crazed student, maybe I will get to finding truly original things to share - bloggers aren't "supposed" to just repost each others' findings endlessly, sadly). // On a lighter note, my Jonas and I saw an Egyptian cat being walked on a leash today. It was so pretty! Yesterday, I saw the most perfect grey bunny on this earth (I don't know how to elaborate - it was just everything a grey bunny should be) and 2 litters of wriggling little baby rats. I took pictures, so they will be on FB later. // I've been watching Modern Family on Hulu. Some good laughs. // Despite all my dungeon-esque musings, I was very happy today.
"Happy Halloween. Ho-ho-ho!" {link to MM}

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How was your Thanksgiving? Is it possible that I could still be hungry after the classic glutton holiday? I didn't end up eating that much to be honest and I'm in a ravenous stage of growth (?). There are several things that I will remember from this weekend. On thursday night, I was leaving with Jonas and Jordan to have pie at their house and this boy was standing outside my aunt's house who asked us to drive him over to the juvenile hall. We did and he told us a bit of his story on the way. It made me sad that I couldn't take care of him more, somehow, but I'm glad I was a part of that experience because I saw very vividly that there are people in need here. It was especially poignant that it was Thanksgiving and he had no family or friends to celebrate with. I will remember him for a long time. I don't remember what his name was. // Later, after I saw Jonas laugh on his kitchen floor so hard that the coins fell out of his pocket, he and I slithered around on his dining room floor in the dark (so as not to scare the object of our fascination) to watch the opossum who comes to steal cat food out of the bowls on the back porch. It is a good memory. // Today, my aunt Jan and cousin Eric who I haven't seen in a long time came down from Monteray to hang out, so my dad's parents and all their 5 kids were in one house. Jonas came over after work too and we all played Balderdash. That game brings out some big laughs in people & Julia happens to be excellent at it. Later, Jonas and my brothers and I went to Starbucks which is always nice and cozy. People in my neighborhood have started to decorate their houses. Isn't it strange when you think that 1/12 of the year is dedicated to just Christmas? I love Christmastime, but it's so hard to visualize in California and sometimes people get stressed rather than enjoy themselves this time of year. At least it's something that everyone can be a part of (the holidays, not the stress). I wonder what it would be like if it was really dedicated to the remembrance of the birth of Christ. I'm not wailing about "keeping Christ in Christmas" and all that, I just sometimes feel like the celebration this time of year is empty in a way. Probably because I rarely remember Christ with all the shopping and baking and what not. It's just a tradition that parents have to keep up because kids are excited about it. Not exclusively, but it makes me ponder these things, you know? All that being said, I do love this time of year. Especially when it snows. // I think Jonas and I are going to paint a winter scene on his sister's windows which I'm looking forward to and I may drive down to Ventura soon to help my Grandma decorate her house. :) I imagine my family will start breaking out the Christmas paraphernalia tomorrow too. That and some Lost, of course. I love the way Christmas smells. It's impossible to escape that. I'm about to love Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong album all over again too. Good choice for those of you who may not like Christmas music. // I applied for a job at a clothing store called Avenue last week. I hope that comes through. That will make 7 weeks (!!!) off school much more bearable. Also, I feel like my room needs a make over (something to do, not a reason to get a job). // I guess I am feeling chatty tonight! Hope you're all having a restful weekend with friends and family, enjoying the little things (photo via the Dreamwalking Society - reminds me of a sweet little girl, Adah, that I miss!).

{link to blog}

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Despite the way it feels sometimes...

Thank goodness! (Calvin Sawer image).
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My mom just reminded me that yesterday was my littlest brother, Ryan Matthew Hunter, ['s] 6th birthday! That little boy is in Heaven, and I can't wait to meet him. Love you, kid. I would have bought you a sweet chocolate colored rabbit for your birthday if you wanted.

[picture from Julia's blog].

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Posts are short these days, as I pretend to be studying. But also more frequent as I take breaks. // Thanks to whoever stopped by for a look-see from India, Bulgaria, Thailand & more. I truly appreciate it, guys. // TODAY IS SPECIAL AND SWEET TO ME. JONAS, I LOVE YOU, DARLING. // [Norah Jones lyrics, BigPicture photo] The prettiest thing / I ever did see / Was lightning from the top of a cloud / Moving through the dark a million miles an hour / With somewhere to be...

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Shoes, shoes, glorious shoes. [Photo credits] 1. & 2. Lonny on Etsy, 3. & 4. Julia, 5. Elinkan, 6. Style Me Pretty, 7. Valentino, 8. Igor & Andre, 9. Snippet & Ink.







My personal collection is not quite this large or glamorous, but I've got a good start. ;) I was just weeding out clothes I don't wear today after my traumatic SLO mega-Forever21 experience (kxkx). I can't decide which of the above pairs is my favorite. Maybe the Valentino diamond bow ones, but I also love the red and yellow from Lonny. I pretty much like them all. Do you have a favorite?

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The project I worked on this summer for Hardy Diagnostics was finally implemented on to the web. It's kind of fun to see the pictures on the website and think... "I did that. And it was wretched, but still.... I did that!" // I'm not a big fan of Brooke Waggoner's music, actually, but she sure is a cute lady! And by cute I mean enchantingly indie.

I spent a lot of time falling asleep, sleeping, and being bummed out today. Bad news about transfer business which I am dedicated to mourning over for several days. Why don't lives work out as planned like they do in movies? Why oh why? I got some mixed media home work done (should keep on that in a moment) and tried to start business, but that didn't get far. Instead, I collected some new Etsy gems. Lucky for you. 1. Love Birdies ring by joannarutter, 2. Chair cards by annechovie and 3. Vintage-y blue pendant by faeriedtreasures.



I've also been weeding through my "inspiration draft" which is a drafted email in my gmail full of urls that I should follow through on looking at. One of these dormant notes to self turned out to be about Janet Hill. She is a painter who seems to have a really good grasp of oils. Harder than it looks, my friends. She also has a TON of paintings which I know from personal experience does a lot to make a good artist a great artist. Here is a lovely example of her work, entitled "Toast and Cherry Jam." Her earlier work (wasn't patient enough to make it all the way to the beginning of her blog if those earlier pieces are indeed posted there) are much larger and more dark/dramatic which I almost prefer, but I do enjoy sunshiny things as well. :)

May the rest of this week bring you all good news and sunshine, and not tears!
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