Tales From the Reading Room by Justin Ridler

India

INDIA by Oxelo Skateboards, produced by Guilhem Machenaud and Studio Ores.

Subodh Gupta

I first heard about Subodh Gupta via the amazingness that is TED. He was mentioned in Ravin Agrawal's talk entitled "10 Young Indian Artists to Watch", and spoken quite highly of as he is described the "Alphamale of contemporary Indian art". He "celebrates local and mundane objects globally and on a grander and grander scale by incorporating that into ever more colossal sculptures and installations." His works caught my eye, to say the least. I immediately had to Google him and see the pictures in a larger format than my iTouch's small screen. I quite love what he does and how he creates such a grandiose metaphor out of such seemingly unimportant everyday items. The messages he portrays about the health of his people and of the world are sent out via these glimmering sculptures and paintings that seems to be representative of both hope and despair. Recyclable genious.

Song of the day: The Aston Shuffle - I Wanna See You

Lila Horn - the finale

I'm so glad to finally be able to bring into your hearts, souls and browser history the magnificence of the ones that got away. I love these earrings and am so disappointed in myself for not opting to get them because I think about them a lot. And by a lot I mean an unhealthy amount. Like, seriously though. They're beautiful and change colors in the light depending on the angle at which you look at them. The bright blue and gold is such a striking combination that seems perfectly true to the Indian aesthetic of Lila Horn as a whole.

I sigh in awe of the weighty golden ear spheres... (Photos by Kevin Colombu)

Song of the day: MondKopf - La Dame en Bleu (sick accompanying video btw)

Lila Horn part five

We're almost there! There are only a couple more photos to EXPOSE to you - ooh la la! These are a couple more from the Lila Horn trunk show back in December - the jewelry was exquisite; all beautifully handcrafted from India. Gold, silver and bright colors galore!

Photos of my favorite piece (that I highly regret not getting because I legiterally (!) dream about them at night) coming up soon...

Lila Horn part quatro!

What's in the cute pouch made of exquisite Indian fabric? Continue to see... :)

I love this bracelet - too bad it was given to my sister!

Keep checking the Lila Horn blog for more stuff! I'm almost done with my expose... but alas, do not fear, more jewelry is here! (stay tuned...)

Lila Horn part three

I thought I'd bring to you today some more beauty from Lila Horn. Below is the mannequin with a cute ensemble and beneath that some of the shopping bags that the lovely ladies give you your merch in. Beautiful and reusable!

Below is a small glittery pouch with some sort of sultan figure on it - perfect for make-up or jewelry or something. Made of plastic I think, so it's quite waterproof - not that I would shower with said sultan but you get my meaning.

Very fun and very charitable - good things for good causes.

Song of the day: Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Russ Chimes Remix)

Lila Horn OK Please

The next few posts will be about Lila Horn, a brand that creates clothing, trinkets, scarves, jewelry and many other beautiful accessories from the craftsmanship of local artisans in developing countries.

"At Lila Horn we make globally inspired clothes that look smashing while doing good. We combine distinctive patterns, textures and techniques from around the world with energized forms and flattering fits from home. Working in developing countries with rich textile traditions, we hope to simultaneously strengthen local artisans and infuse our clothes with personality. We are excited to introduce unique, cool clothes to our friends while engaging them in the traditions we found so inspiring during our travels."

Basically, they're two amazing girls who help create and distribute the work of other amazing men and women from around the world. I was fortunate enough to have been able to go to the trunk show in NYC last month and get a couple of Lila Horn-aments.

First, I'll show you the sparkling skirt. Super comfortable, POCKETS (a must for me, personally - I never know where to put my hands, I feel like it's wrong to have them flailing awkwardly at my sides, or at least I bet they would flail awkwardly if I didn't insist on everything having pockets). Anyway, it has pockets, which is perfect. I also love the fact that the pattern of the skirt makes the waist band part look braided - such a lovely coincidental detail! If you're wondering, the second one (slightly lighter colors, circular pattern) is not mine, although I would've loved to have gotten two! It's Jessica's and she looks amazing in hers too - because I know I look better than a beauty queen on prom night. Also, it has the slightest bit of golden sparkle in the zig-zag pattern, which was wonderful for my New Year's Eve celebrations! I paired it with the double-cuffs + some black boots = grand old time!

More LH to come soon!

Obsessong of the day: Kid Sister - Right Hand Hi (this girl has got some serious personal flare)

oh P.S. Mom won the button in the Galette des Rois yesterday. Guess who got to be King? Congrats, dad (as every year)!