Chic Artist: Matt Albiani

I first heard about Matt Albiani when he launched his book Lifeguard on Duty at Bergdorf Goodman last year. The book which features stylish - and some homoerotic - photographs of lifeguards was showcased along side clothes by Michael Bastian. I happened to be in New York two weeks after the launch and was quite taken by the photographs. More than anything, the photos captured an all-American ideal of young, able bodied men on a beach. The kind of images that come to mind when one says California, especially if one is not from the US. I bought the book at the Rizzoli bookstore.

A year later, I was back in New York and I saw that some of the photographs were still on display and below them was a caption that said they are available for sale. I took note of the contact person and emailed them when I got back to my hotel. A couple of hours later, Matt Albiani himself emailed me and said that the two photographs I was interested in were available. He said that he would be near my hotel that night and he could deliver the prints himself. Unfortunately, I had dinner plans. I missed him. But he left the photographs with the concierge.

These are the two photographs I bought from Matt Albiani, framed and displayed on our TV shelf in our master bedroom.

For more images, visit: http://www.mattalbiani.com/

Chic Reads: Vanity Fair June 2010

Why can't magazine covers be more like the June 2010 issue of Vanity Fair which features soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba in nothing but their underwear. Men's magazine exploit and objectify women almost every month, why can't women's magazines do the same to men? Wouldn't they be selling more copies of their magazines if every other man they would have semi naked man candy on their covers instead of the B-list nondescript starlets and reality TV stars they love to banner?

For more man candy from the Vanity Fair issue, click on the link below for a video of the cover shoot and inside spread. More soccer players in their skivvies:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1569972706?bctid=82103561001

Chic Trend: Ikat

In fashion or interior design, ikat is making its presence strongly felt. The fabric is often the go-to motif of fashion designers whenever they want to do a tribal-themed collection. Ikat is one of the oldest form of prints or dyeing techniques and it has almost universal roots: variations of it have been produced by ethnic groups in South America, Asia and Africa for generations.

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From top left: Ikat fabric from Pottery Barn; River ikat napkin from Dransfield & Ross; Dries Van Noten spring 2010; Oscar de la Renta ikat ballerina flat; Vintage Uzbek green ikat pillow from John Robshaw; Ikat clutch bag from Rafe New York

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Clockwise from top left: Purple ikat evening bag from Madeleine Weinrib; Gucci leather woven ikat dress; Studio sofa in ikat graphite by Nate Berkus for www.hsn.com; Diane von Furstenberg ikat shopper from Bergdorf Goodman; Topography primer napkin from Anthropologie.com

Chic Additions

I couldn't resist not getting these wall sconces despite making a list of arguments against them. They were just to beautiful to pass up.

Met Ball/Costume Institute Best Dressed

I am not a fan of ball gowns because they are simply so expected at fancy parties like the Met Ball or the Oscar. Looking at the red carpet arrivals at the Met Ball, I found myself drawn to the women who wore simple and elegant gowns that had a long, slender silhouette. And I am also loving the return of sleeves on gowns.

Amber Valleta in RM by Roland Mouret

Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior

Naomi Watts in Lanvin

Jessica Alba in Sophie Theallet for The Gap

Iman in Prada

Zoe Saldana and Diane Krueger both in Calvin Klein Collection

Nicole Richie in Marc Jacobs

Photos: Style.com

Chic Reads: New York Magazine Home Design Issue

Get your hands a copy of the latest issue of New York magazine, or go to the website www.nymag.com The issue's theme is home design and the banner headline is The New Old. Inside are feature stories on interiors that are updated remake of classic interior design style such as Parisian, Victorian, Country and English. The photo below is the bedroom of Carolina Herrera's creative director, Pierre Herve, and it is done in Parisian/Versailles-esque style. I love the gingham canopy (the fabric was a gift from Herrera) and the trompe l'oeil panels (painted by the Herve) flanking the bed.

Herve also had the chic and clever idea of stuffing a Balmain glove and

using it as a curtain tie-back.

The photo above is a modern take on country home style

Also in the issue is a story on bedbug infestation on the Upper East Side and a new male mannequin with a 27-inch waist. The last time I had a 27-inch waist I was in fifth grade!

A Fashionable Home

The pinstripes on a Ralph Lauren suit make their way into the

upholstery of a French-inspired Ralph Lauren armchair

So many fashion houses have dabbled in the furniture and home accessories market. Looking at their home collections and their spring/summer pret-a-porter, it's easy to see that they apply the same philosophy they use to create their clothing in their home lines. This begs the questions: Would you really want to sit on a couch that looks like your dress? Wouldn't having the same color palette for your wardrobe and your interiors be boring?

Black and criss-crossing detail as well as a gauzy texture

are both present in the Casa Fendi sofa and Fendi dress

Peach and silver are used to created a tufted occasional chair for Versace Home

and a flowy floor-length evening gown for Versace

Geometric shapes - rectangular and grid-like in the Armani Casa screen and squares

in the Giorgio Armani dress - unify the designs for the home and the fashion lines

Simple, stark and minimal at Calvin Klein

Understated luxury and the lasting appeal of neutrals are present in both the dress

and the desk from Bottega Veneta