In Transit- College Station 1

friday frequencies- can you handle a little more Bossa? Sure you can...

...especially when it's designed to ease you so smoothly from the work week into the weekend!

Sauve!

Coveting- Danish Delight

We have plans to travel to Copenhagen later this year, and as a result we have our eyes open these days for anything and everything Danish. A recent posting at The Toronto Standard got our pulses racing- it featured both great design, which the Danes are well known for, and bicycles, for which they are equally well known. 

So, we are coveting one of these bicycle baskets. Trouble is, we can't make up our minds which one! 

The first is called the Bike Crate. It comes from a company called MAIK. They are in Copenhagen. We will be in Copenhagen. Their website has a map. We will go there. It's a beauty:

The second is called The Bike Porter from Copenhagen Parts. They too are based in Copenhagen and the Bike Porter seems to be available at about a dozen shops in that city. Talk about convenient. And we appreciate the flat packaging (those Scandinavians & their flat packaging!) which would make transport back to Canada pretty darn simple. And, it comes in several alluring colours!

Such a dilemma! We will have to inspect each closely and give due consideration to their individual merits. Or, we may just have to get one of each!

McQueen and Gaultier- Two Great Designers, Two Great Exhibitions in Two Great Cities

We recently had the privilege of viewing a pair of incredible exhibitions featuring two of the most influential designers of our times....

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It was one of those unforgettable moments, one where you remember where you were and what you were doing; that horrible day when we all heard that Alexander Lee McQueen had left us in such a tragic way…The true visionary and sheer talent that he was, as is unfortunately often the case, finally came to be fully appreciated upon his untimely death.

The vision and talent were re-confirmed when we had the great good fortune to recently see the inspiring show “Savage Beauty” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the white hot universe that was Manhattan on a steamy July week-end.

We had been following Mr. McQueen since his "Bumster Trousers" from one of his early collections right out of Central Saint Martin’s, through his bad boy phase where he would only do interviews with his back to the camera, to his short stay at Givenchy. It was the latter stop where he learned, building upon his strong tailoring background, the softness and fluidity that ultimately remained in many of his best pieces, most recently embodied in the famous Kate Moss hologram.

The beading! The shoes! The head pieces created by Philip Treacy, ever immortalized by that other tragic figure (and Lee’s muse) Isabella Blow. They were all there to see.

The perfect cutting and seaming, which looked like jigsaw puzzles, all sewn to create such  masterpieces. And always in the back of your mind is the question… how on earth could a  pattern ever be made to replicate that which you are beholding?

The ability to see and experience these works of art so closely and personally is truly something that will stay with us for a long time. It is a credit to the curatorial staff that we were indeed able to get so close to these inspiring pieces. Inspiring, as well, was the sense of respect of everyone attending (and there were many of us attending the exhibit the day we were there- some had waited up to two hours to be up front and personal with many of Mr. McQueen’s most iconic pieces.)

In retrospect, this show was a stand out in its beauty and sheer drama, all underscored, of course, by his tragic demise. Dare we say it?: very spiritual...

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Alexander McQueen:”Savage Beauty”

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Closed August 7^th, 2011

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At the other end of the spectrum, the following week-end found us in Montreal to experience the genius of M. Jean Paul Gaultier.

The theatricality of this show, upon entering the beautiful venue that is Le Musée des Beaux Arts in Montreal, brought a smile to one's face.

The exhibit included the ingenious (and slightly creepy) use of film projected onto the faces of the mannequins so that they actually appeared to be speaking, singing or better yet looking at you, and even at times whistling as you walked by. It was all pure joy.

And it was all there; the bustier made famous by Madonna, his use of denim in the most ingenious ways, through to the ad campaigns for his iconic "parfum".

The trademark and ever present irreverence never overshadowed what a true genius and "créateur" M. Gaultier is. The intricate workmanship and the ingenuity of his craft are never in doubt as the piece below shows:

This "animal pelt" is actually all done by the most intricate of beading...Jaw dropping indeed!

This show was pure delight. One left in awe of the talent, and above all, the joy this Gallic genius has given the world of fashion, and reminded of the extent to which he continues to play a major role in our collective popular culture. 

Bravo, M. Gaultier, Bravo! And as well, to the curatorial staff at the Musée des Beaux Arts in Montreal. Bravo!

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The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier

“From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk”

Musée des Beaux Art de Montréal

Continues till October 2^nd, 2011
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By the time you read this the McQueen exhibit will have closed its New York run. Hopefully it will move on to another venue. The Gaultier show will run in Montreal until mid autumn. We were truly blessed to have experienced first hand these two incredible shows. They will remain with us for some time- a reflection of the true genius of both Alexander McQueen and Jean Paul Gaultier.

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Photo Credits:

McQueen photos 2,4,5- The Metropolitan Museum of Art

McQueen photo 3- The Coincidental Dandy Blog

McQueen photo 6- Fashions Suit blog

Gaultier phot 2- Pierre et Gilles

friday frequencies- did you hear??

We're big fans of Queen Latifa's artistic versatility. A tough and impudent rapper became, over the years, a very creative songsmith, and a pretty darn good actress to boot! (Who can forget her in Chicago?!)

Although we don't hear a lot from her musically these days, her transition from Rap to a more- how shall we say it?- melodic, tuneful milieu pleased us greatly. A while back we heard her "cover" of Marvin Gay's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and we had to have it. It's a favourite in our library.

Of course there's nothing like the original, is there? It belongs in everyone's collection.

So without further ado here are, first, Marvin with his classic (you can thank us for the karaoke lyrics later), and then The Queen with her Most Excellent cover (Which, unfortunately, has a really baaaad video! If it's too hard to watch, just crank up the volume and minimize your browser till the song's over!)

Have a great, good news weekend!

Seen...Nolita, NYC

Island Lunch- The Rectory Café

We'd been trying to get over to the Toronto Islands all summer long, and we finally had the chance on Friday afternoon. And seeing as how our visit began during lunch hour and our cycling was inducing hunger pangs, no further excuse was needed to drop by The Rectory Café!

Although this was our first visit, The Rectory is a place that's been on our radar for several years. According to the restaurant's own published history, the house was built in 1948, survived the municipality's cottage demolition blitz, and then housed the minister who presided over St. Andrew-by-the-Lake church at Centre Island, this latter stage in its life providing the place with it's current moniker.

The restaurant is open year round, but it's principal calling card is it's beautiful outdoor terrace. Large and well- shaded, it reminded us of many of the magical gardens we've dined in while visiting off-the-beaten-path restaurants in rural France.

The menu (check it out here) is not overly ambitious, but is sophisticated enough to lift it above other run-of-the-mill cafés. We opted for a pulled pork panino from the sandwich section of the menu. The pork was juicy and tender with just the right amount of barbeque sauce. Unlike many cloying varieties out there, the sauce deftly balanced sweetness and tangy acidity. The pork was topped with smoked mozzarella and served on a nice ciabatta roll. A dollop of garlicky mayo finished it all of. Alongside the panino was a small serving of tender greens and a (rather unnecessary) garnish of reduced balsamic vinegar and herbed olive oil. 

We very much enjoyed our lunch at The Rectory. We would say that it accurately reflects our conception of a Ward's Island sensibility- good quality without pretension. And, of course, it's setting on a warm summer afternoon can't be beat. The terrace invites a leisurely-paced meal, and much like a trip to the islands in general, you can't help but let the stresses of the city melt away as you drink in the nature-infused air. Quite magical, really!

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The Rectory Café

102 Lakeshore Ave

Ward's Island, Toronto

416-203-2152

http://therectorycafe.com/

All Hail to Magnum!!

Recently spotted in The Bowery,N.Y.C.

  Can't be beat...

friday frequencies- continental callings

"Stars" by Ulrich Schnauss is one of those songs from our library where the artist has not released an accompanying video (at least not that we can find). So we've selected a film produced for Ford that happens to use the song as it's soundtrack. We reviewed many slide show- style compilations, but this song demands motion & this clip has some.

It's hard to describe exactly why we love this cut. It's built on a good "road music" rhythm, but up top you're riding in a gently flowing current that always threatens to completely engulf you. It's like swimming in music.

It's this being immersed in sound that reminds us of James Last, a great German orchestra leader popular with the older folks back in our youth (and apparently still going strong!). It's a slightly exotic sound that reminds us of trips to Europe before everything became globalized. Let's all take a quick little German holiday:

"Stars"

Ulrich Schnauss

http://www.myspace.com/ulrichschnauss

Frankfurt from Mauritius Seeger on Vimeo.

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auf Wiedersehen,

and have a great weekend!

Welcome/ Bienvenue!

A big welcome to our new followers here on the blog's main site and to our new Facebook Likers!! It's comforting to know that something about Bobo Feed struck a chord and that you've chosen to invite us into your lives on a regular basis. We appreciate your commitment and hope that you'll feel free to participate by leaving comments whenever you see fit.

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Thanks again, and have yourself a beautiful bourgeois bohemian day!

Jay + Bee

(image courtesy The Zieglers Blog)

Delicioso! - PB&T's for dinner

With the bounty of summer raining down upon us, we're currently indulging our tomato fetish! Last night we whipped up these yummy PB&T's- Pancetta, basil, and tomato on fresh toasted Ciabatta slathered with lots of mayonnaise. Yummmm!!

friday frequencies- Feelin' Good!

They say it's going to rain all weekend :-( 

Please don't make our Feel Good go away!

Sorry about that bizarre video, but what a great song! 

Channeling a little Stevie, perhaps!?

Here's a little more on Jamie Lidell in case you're interested.

http://www.myspace.com/jamielidell

 

Enjoy your weekend, rain or shine!

A Tragedy of Epic Proportions

It is with sadness and broken hearts that we again see the poor and devastated country of Somalia, and the horn of Africa struggling with the worst famine in a generation.

2000 people,mostly children,are dying every day!

We have had too many disasters in recent memory where the world asks us to help.

How can one say no to such unimaginable suffering.

Please follow the links below and donate what you can to those who so desperately need it yet again.

www.avaaz.org

Médecins sans Frontières

We are blessed and thankful.
Peace.

Seen...Look Who's Dropping in for a Visit!

We were very intrigued when we saw the signs today on this former condo sales centre at King St. W and Blue Jays Way. It's really no wonder they chose this corner, with its iconic blue and yellow colour theme going on! 

A little Google sleuthing let us know that it will be a four day pop-up art installation running from August 18th till the 21st, and featuring the work of four local artists (presumably using flat packed Swedish furniture). We'll be sure to take a look and report back in a couple of weeks!

Seen...inside le musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

The "new" pavilion by Safdie Architects, 1991