Inspiring us right now: the angelic, luminous face of Marilyn Monroe captured by Willy Rizzo in 1962, one of 100 portraits on view in an exhibition of the Italian photographer's work at MuBE (Brazilian Museum of Sculpture) in Sao Paulo. Sponsored by haute retailer IGUATEMI, the show opens August 10 and soon travels to Los Angeles, fittingly. Now 84, Rizzo lensed celebrities for magazines ranging from Vogue to Playboy to Life, and was the last photographer to shoot the icon of icons before her death exactly fifty years ago, almost to the day.
Inspiring us right now: le Palais Bulles (Bubble Palace) on the French Riviera, a futuristic wonderland acquired in 1992 by Pierre Cardin as a suitably eccentric gallery for his collections. A new book, Le Palais Bulles (Assouline, $85), pays homage to the new nonagenarian, who helped pioneer the Mod look in the 1950s and '60s, and his architectural nirvana. As the creator of the Bubble dress in 1954 says in the preface: "In the nomadic life I lead, in my search for the absolute, as crazy as it is marvelous, no other place offers me the depth of sustenance and support that I feel at the Palais Bulles."
Inspiring us right now: the restful photos in the book Asleep at the Chateau (Damiani, October 2012, $50)—an ironic title, obviously. Of all the glamorous and unglamorous things celebrities have done at the famed Chateau Marmont—partying rooftop (Jim Morrison), window-hopping to meet Natalie Wood (James Dean), overdosing (John Belushi), carrying on a tryst (Jean Harlow and Clark Gable), posing naked for a Vanity Fair cover (Demi Moore)—slumber has only been an after-thought.
Until the Austrian fashion photographer Jork Weismann came along and staged assorted guests, from models to actors to authors, catching some Zs on the hotel's plush furniture. Patti Smith, Bret Easton Ellis, Orlando Bloom, Frankie Rayder, and Juergen Teller are among those resting their eyes.
Inspiring us right now: the revelation made today by the Gold Dust Woman herself, Stevie Nicks, that Fleetwood Mac will reunite for a tour in 2013. It's been planned before, but had to wait until she and bandmate (and onetime paramour) Lindsey Buckingham finished their respective solo tours. Nicks' tour is for her seventh album, In Your Dreams. The news comes just weeks after a tribute cover album was announced, due out this fall and featuring remakes by the likes of MGMT, The Kills, and Antony Hegarty, as well as an intriguing collaboration between Beck and fashion's own Karen Elson. Could this mean we'll soon be swimming in a high-priestess shawl moment?
Inspiring us right now: Moncler's duvet jacket, an icon of downy goodness that, along with the label, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Founder René Ramillon—seen here in a charcoal rendering by artist Stuart Semple, the centerpiece of Moncler's New York store—created the pillowy parka in 1952 to protect his new staff from the cold of their alpine headquarters. In the process, he unwittingly endorsed the rolled-out-of-bed look that's gone on to see countless iterations, including Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, and Comme des Garçons' Rei Kawakubo.
Celebrating the diamond jubilee, Moncler will kick off Paris Fashion Week with what promises to be a cozy soiree on September 29, perhaps the only party that week where a blanket is acceptable cocktail attire.
Inspiring us right now: the repurposed leather off-cuts in Fendi's Craftica exhibit, currently on view at the Design Miami/Basel forum in Switzerland. By mixing discarded leather with other animal products—pig skin, fish skin, cow's bladder, bone, shell, as well as tree bark and cork—the truly artisanal project explores the post-luxury relationship between the natural world, our modern existence, and our common ancestry.
Inspiring us right now: Baron magazine, a new erotic paperback that can fit into one's back pocket and "be read with one hand." The debut issue features contributions from artists, photographers and filmmakers with a unique perspective on the topic of art and/or sex: Bruce LaBruce, Qui Yang, Blommers/Schumm, Pinar Yolacan, Adrian Wilson, and Aaron McElroy, among many others. Consider it porn on the go. Now, there's just one problem with men ogling porn in public.
Inspiring us right now: these trippy silk scarves by Andrea Crews, who invited artists Maristella Gonzales (smoking girl), Claire Duport (astral world map), Fredrik Soderberg (snake border) to find "alchemical and mystical inspiration" for autumn 2012 collaboration. 120x120 cm, €220, available soon at Colette and Andreacrews.com
Inspiring us right now: Pierre et Gilles' Thailand vacation, as seen in the new issue of Character, the openly "fancy" magazine by French photographer Eric Lanuit...
