Hitnes, “Paginae Naturalis”

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On Saturday I went to the Zoology Museum here in Roma to see one of the most beautiful exhibitions I’ve seen in a while: Paginae Naturalis, by street artist Hitnes.

It was AWESOME!

Paginae naturalis is an exhibition of acrylic paintings on paper, a collection of naturalistic illustrations made on vintage newspapers, music sheets, ancient Greek poems… all sorts of antique papers from all over the world.

The setting was surreal: hundreds of stuffed animals inside glass display cases, and next to them these beautiful paintings. I took some crappy pics with instagram:

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My favorite paintings were the birds series, but really, every single piece is wonderful.

Check the website to see the whole collection! 

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The exhibition will be open until April 7, so if you are in Roma you should really go and have a look. 

<3

L.

♥

Even if I am a huge music addict, I rarely write here in my blog about bands or musicians. But I recently discovered Tycho, a great musician from San Francisco, and I immediately fell in love!

Cheery electronic vibes, with what I like to call the “cosmic pop” attitude… it is exactly what I need for this hot and terrible August!

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♥

Scott Hansen (the real name of the man behind Tycho) is also an incredibly talented designer, so I decided to share some of my favorite arworks he did for Tycho. 

I really like this neat, sharp and geometric style, and the color palettes he uses are always superb.

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♥

I highly recommend to visit his blog, ISO50, a great source of inspiration, full of design projects and good music.

:)

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♥

Perfect soundtrack of my productive Thursday!
(Yes, yes, I have to upload 3 Illustrated Love Lists… please forgive me!)

Love, always

xo
L. 

After a long (and much needed) break from computers, internet and various social media recreations, I am back and ready to face 2012.

My mind, and my life as well, was pretty cluttered in the past few weeks, so I had to rest a bit, relax and enjoy my holidays in Rome with my boyfriend.
I decided to write down some resolutions for 2012, and somehow I came out with a list of guidelines as well as some goals. 

Here is what I wrote (it is now placed inside my Filofax!):

♥

I need to stay focused on who/what I love, and on what I like doing: thus, I decided to set monthly (and easy) goals. I need to relax and to fight the performance anxiety that haunts me in most occasions. I want to find a job and to do freelance work. I want to do more illustrations and sketches, and to practice handmade type & calligraphy. I want to read more books and watch more movies. I want to be happy and to love what I’m doing, where I’m doing it, and the people I have around me.

2011 has been great, for an incredible amount of reasons: I finished university, I began doing freelance work, I launched my personal website, built strong friendships with awesome people and strenghtened my relationship with S.
But it has also been awful: I had to leave Rome (hopefully it’s just temporary) and to experience a long distance relationship; I had to go back to a “regular” family life, with all its pros and cons, and I had to struggle not to make this particular moment of my life feel as a jump back in time.

Therefore 2012, I have great plans for you and me!

♥

Also, I decided to start a 52 weeks project!
Every week, I’ll post an illustrated version of my Thursday Love List. I am very determined to do it regularly, and the idea of having to draw something every week is both scary and inspiring. I love challenges! Let’s see how it goes! I’ll begin next Thursday.

Have you ever done a 52 weeks project? Or even harder, a 365 days challenge?
I’m super curious about it!

♥

Love, always!

xo
L. 

Big changes for me this August!

I am back in my hometown, to study and prepare my thesis: this means that for some months I won’t be living in Rome, and yes, I will be far from my beloved S.

It is a weird, quite scary moment of my life, where I don’t have any idea of what will happen, so I realized that it’s only ME facing THE FUTURE, so I really have to work hard to build my life with S. I’m not a big fan of challenges, but things have never been so serious as they are now!

♥

This comic strip pretty much sums up what I’m feeling in these days: I should print it and place hundreds of copies everywhere in my room. 

I love, LOVE “Calvin & Hobbes”.

♥ 

xo
L. 

“The more mechanical people to whom life is a shrewd speculation depending on a careful calculation of ways and means, always know where they are going, and go there. They start with the ideal desire of being the parish beadle, and in whatever sphere they are placed they succeed in being the parish beadle and no more. A man whose desire is to be something separate from himself, to be a member of Parliament, or a successful grocer, or a prominent solicitor, or a judge, or something equally tedious, invariably succeeds in being what he wants to be. That is his punishment. Those who want a mask have to wear it.

But with the dynamic forces of life, and those in whom those dynamic forces become incarnate, it is different. People whose desire is solely for self-realisation never know where they are going. They can’t know. In one sense of the word it is of course necessary, as the Greek oracle said, to know oneself: that is the first achievement of knowledge. But to recognise that the soul of a man is unknowable, is the ultimate achievement of wisdom. The final mystery is oneself. When one has weighed the sun in the balance, and measured the steps of the moon, and mapped out the seven heavens star by star, there still remains oneself.

Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?”

♥

Oscar Wilde, De Profundis.

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[photo: from me to you]

In the past few days, I’ve been constantly thinking of wedge sandals: I’m looking for the perfect pair and I spent ages searching for inspiration online.

The fact is: I hate showing my feet, and I hate walking in the city with my feet exposed to dirt and dust. Therefore, I need sandals that won’t show too much skin! Or otherwise, a lot of fancy socks to pair with them.

In the selection above, there are lots of multi-strap sandals that almost look like ankle boots. I want my sandals not to look like sandals! 

Also, I dislike rope-wedges: they are to hippy-ish and definitely won’t fit my style. Anyways, I found a pair of yellow sandals (#5) that I’m sure would look good with a pair of nice socks and a total black outfit!

♥ 

1. Sculpted wedge, Finsk
2. Dolce Vita, Sancia
3. Multiple elasticated straps sandals, Report
4. Margaret nubuck sandals, DKNY
5. Ellingwood sandals, Aldo
6. Temple Line ankle strap sandals, Pedro Garcia
7. Lotus sandals, Ash
8. Canvas sandals, Pierre Hardy
9. Lara leather sandals, Michael Kors
10. Strappy wedge sandals, Karen Millen
11. Espadrille wedges, Tally Weijl
12. Muse wedge sandals, Diane Von Fustenberg

♥ 

There are some exceptions to the guidelines I wrote above: sometimes, ankle straps and peep-toes are just TOO GOOD (but expensive… those Pierre Hardys are amazing!)

I love all of the shoes I posted, but my favorites are #1, #2, #4, #7, #8.
And yours? What do would you suggest? Please, help!

♥ 

Love, always!

xo
L.

Oh, Thursday, here you are again! Lots of things are on the run this week and, despite my computer who’s being mischievous and my head who’s giving me awful headaches, I’m ok!

Let’s go with the things I love list: ♥ planning a huge surprise for Saturday: it will be my blog’s birthday! ♥ eating dorayaki ♥ birthday parties at friends’ places ♥ chamomile tea at night ♥ pink feather earrings ♥ looking for wedge sandals EVERYWHERE: shops, magazines, websites… will I find the perfect pair? ♥ buying tickets to see Matmos next May 23rd ♥ working on my website, it’s almost done! ♥ sleeping 8 hours straight ♥ my new, one-week-only, part time job! Next week, I’ll be a secretary: I’m temporarily replacing my boyfriend’s sister at her workplace. This means: money for the perfect wedges! HA! ♥ texting with my new lovely friend Ottavia ♥ playing Tekken 6 with S. Be careful, I’m very good at it! ♥ dinner with housemate ♥ afternoon naps with S!

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This week, I am posting a bunch of disparate links, ranging from fashion to lettering and design… sometimes I think that I should be more focused on a well-defined topic but… why bothering? Inspiration is everywhere!

♥ These pictures of Central Park in spring are fantastic. Look at those colors! 

♥ Nubby Twiglet writes about her favorite graphic design books: needless to say that I want all of them. 

♥ A collection of Italian tins? Selected by Louise Fili? YES PLEASE!

♥ Are you somewhere near California? Go to the Rodarte exhibition, please! It looks wonderful.

♥ Karl Lagerfeld directed a new film for Chanel, “The Tale of a Fairy”: SWOON!

♥ Jessica Hische is getting married and I really can’t wait to see what she will design for the event.

♥ The Puma House in Tokyo looks fantastic. I love all of those stairs everywhere!

♥ Michelle Williams for Interview: some very good photographs by Mikael Jansson. She’s not a Dawson’s Creek girl anymore!

♥ A brilliant post about boyfriends watching porn, by Gala Darling. Totally agree with her!

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Love, always!

♥

xo
L. 

♥

[photo of the Rodarte exhibition linked above!]

Lovely sunny days here in Roma! The perfect weather to go for long walks and eat lots of ice-cream! Let’s celebrate the first week of May with a love-list:

♥ Meeting my friend Diletta and receiving lots of Royal Wedding awesomeness: mugs, newspapers and even a UK flag with William&Kate on it! ♥ ramen nights ♥ desperately learning (again!) how to drive properly ♥ boiling hot shower early in the morning ♥ sending mail to friends ♥ planning how to celebrate my blog’s FIRST BIRTHDAY! Stay tuned! ♥ working on new projects ♥ Twitter chats about floor tiles and fantastic patterns ♥ new items in my Etsy shop! ♥ poplar pollen floating in air like it’s snowing ♥ reading Sailor Moon, like when I was 11.

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And these are some links worth having a look!

♥ I made a new illustration for my parents, as a gift for their 25th anniversary.

♥ Script: Elegant lettering from design’s Golden Age is a new book by Louise Fili & Steven Heller. And I want it so bad!

♥ Another super super book, yet to be released, is What I Wore Today by Gemma Correll. AH! I love being a book-nerd :)

♥ Kris Atomic posted a new illustration on her blog: and it’s fantastic, as always.

♥ I love this custom type for Victoria’s Secret.

♥ New month, new color for Kate Spade! Orange is the color of May: I really appreciate their “Live Colorfully” campaign!

♥ The New Yorker posted some of the Osama bin Laden cartoons that have been published thoughout the years. So witty and fun!

♥ I-D interviews Oscar Olima, one of the men behind Lady Gaga’s mind-boggling outfits!

♥ Lovely Gala Darling wrote about  the 33 movies to watch when you’re sad, glum or bummed out: some of the movies she chose are actually so nice and light-heartening!

Love, always!

xo
L.

♥

[would you please help me credit both the images I posted? Thanks!] 

This week, Friday is the day dedicated to my Things I Love list! Why? Well, isn’t the Royal Wedding day the perfect day to celebrate love? :)

♥ I spent a nice week in my hometown, having good times with my friends and family, eating chocolate eggs and relaxing! ♥ celebrating my parents’ 25th anniversary at Marmore Falls ♥ meeting with the publishing house: the book is almost done, it only needs to be printed! ♥ late night kebabs with friends ♥ driving my boyfriend’s car, in Rome! ♥ bookshops: there’s always something you’d love to buy! ♥ dreaming of wedge sandals ♥ ramen night tonight ♥ oversleeping (well, when it’s holiday, and you’re in your hometown… you’re allowed to!) ♥ probably going to the cinema to see Black Swan, AGAIN ♥ my housemate, being lovely and nice all the time ♥ wearing nailpolish, after 5 long months of painful abstinence ♥ my boyfriend, who is an awesome cook, an awesome boy and an awesome friend.

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Here are my favorite links of the past two weeks: last Thursday I didn’t post any, so here is a double dose!

♥ This nice infographic about Royal Weddings looks really good, and it’s so interesting! 

♥ Royal Wedding Redux is a stop-motion short movie by Jenny Van Sommers and Rachel Thomas: wow!

♥ A photography project about girls and their rooms, by Rania Matar. I seriously loved it.

♥ Some amazing wallpaper designs by Studio Rita, via Design*Sponge.

♥ Good fucking design advice. The title says it all. 

♥ Oh, Kris Atomic, I love you so much! These illustrations for Vogue Korea are lovely!

♥ Rewriting the World: Primers and Poetry in the Age of Confusion really seems to be an interesting exhibition: if you’re in Florida, go there for me! “The exhibition surveys the ways in which such agendas are inscribed in the rudiments of language - set into speech and written into thought.”

♥ These semi-moving photos, by Jamie of From Me To You, are stunning! And the whole blog is worth reading: tons of awesome fashion photography in there!

♥ 15 jobs you never knew existed: resort waterslide tester, or professional whistler? It’s hard to pick my favorite! What’s yours?

♥ Posters of Fortune is an interesting project by Type Directors Club: 20 international designers were given a fortune cookie, and each of them designed a typographic poster based on the message they found inside the cookie. 

♥ I want this in my home!

♥ I’m constantly changing the wallpaper image on my phone! These wallpapers by Nina Campbell are my latest favorites!

Now, I have a date with Kate&William: I’m ready to celebrate!

Have a great weekend!

♥

Love, always!

xo
L.

♥

[image credits: Blanca Gomez, Rob Ryan] 

Lots of things are going on here: while I’m in love with my new home and housemate, university keeps going and I’ve been offered to design another book cover! Wohoo!

This week I loved: ♥ eating unusual salads with my housemate (salad+apple+yoghurt+nuts+olive oil = awesome) ♥ this photo ♥ meeting primary school kids on the bus and playing with them on my IPhone: they were so cool and smart! ♥ haircut plans: inspired by Zoetica (this or this?) ♥ hand-lettering nights ♥ telephone calls with S. who is always helpful and manages to cheer me up immediately! ♥ weekend at hometown ♥ celebrating 4 years and a half with S! ♥ sunny Sundays on the scooter ♥ walking in the shade of blossoming trees ♥ new friends at university ♥ dreaming of Iceland ♥ sending mail! Real mail with stamps and envelopes! ♥ indulging in an unusual (but needed) afternoon nap!

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Before writing my list of links, let me tell you that I’ve been so focused on working that I really have few links to share this week! But I’m sure you will love them all! :)

♥ Cats in front of Macs: what do I need to add? 

♥ Jessica Hische designed a fabulous pocket planner, and I love it. Also, I love her new website!

♥ An illustrated story based on Telephone by Lady Gaga? Why not!

♥ When I was a child, I loved playing with Playmobils. This Playmobil Apple store is totally rad! It’s incredibly detailed!

♥ I loved this tutorial on how to make a book out of soap wrap. I want to try!

♥ National Geographic created a floating house, just like the one in UP! Oh, I’d love to have a “ride” on it, wouldn’t you?

♥ An amazing poster by Louise Fili Ltd for School of Visual Art in NYC. Gosh!

♥ I really think we all need at least one pair of bright, colored and freaky socks in our drawers. Lazy Oaf has some amazing pairs!

Lots of love, always!

xo
L. 

♥ 

The Friday edition of “Thursday Links & things I love”!
Here we are with the love-list of the past week:

♥ MY NEW ROOM and home! I like so much living here! ♥ my new housemate! ♥ dinners with friends ♥ cooking, even if I sometimes make huge mistakes ♥ chicken with soy sauce, ginger and leek ♥ Skype chats with international soulmate ♥ sorting my bags by size, color and usage, as well as organizing clothes by lenght and color ♥ oversleeping (even if I hate it, and wake up really angry and moody, I know it is good for my brain sometimes!) ♥ new friends at university ♥ buying “A Single Man” in DVD for 3€, that’s a bargain! ♥ springtime, flowers blossoming and the chilly air that reminds me of good times ♥ new haircut plans ♥ talking about tattoos with my tattoo mentor ♥ planning LOTS of things: will I manage to do all of them!?

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And now, let’s share some links! :)

♥ Japanese Avant-garde posters: AWESOME. The image above is taken from this link.

♥ I am currently researching on embroidery and embroided type/lettering: and embroided book covers by Jillian Tamaki left me breathless!

♥ Mmh, this typographic world map needs to be on my wall!

♥ I really enjoyed reading When the client becomes the art director.

♥ Do you have a personal Manifesto? Me, I don’t, but I’m sure that everyone follows some innate rules while working/living: we should write them down!

♥ Ed Cowburn has an interesting portfolio, have a look!

♥ Jack draws anything is such a heart-touching story: can a 6 years old raise 8000£ in a few days?! Jack did it!

♥ Drawthisdress.tumblr.com: a blog that turns vintage fashion photographs into good looking illustrations!

♥ Christian Louboutin talks about the science behind high heels.

♥ I really do not believe in astrology and horoscopes, but when I read about Mercury retrograde, I looked at some events in my recent life from a different perspective. Mmmh. Damn Mercury!

♥ The last links is all about self promotion! Why not visiting my Etsy shop? There’s also an Easter card, you could send it to your beloved one!

Have an amazing weekend (despite Mercury, ehehe)!

Love, always

xo
L.

♥

[I love this photo from Elle Magazine: can you help me finding the photographer who took this? Thanks!]

Sometimes, things happen by accident: a few days ago, I suddenly had a bunch of new followers on Twitter. Among them, a French illustrator, whose work I did not know: I immediately jumped to his online portfolio, and I fell in love!

So, let me introduce you Denis Carrier!

This is what he writes to describe his work:
“A central idea, clearly introduced, often humourous, always effective. No twirl or flourish, his illustrations are hand made or use vector techniques : and that works! Somewhere between naivety and a strange world, you’re of course welcome!”

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Denis Carrier’s portfolio is really interesting and wide, ranging from handmade illustration, to vector illustration and graphic design. 

He designed some books, and my favorite is Sweet Morning: I’d looooove to buy a copy of it! Limited edition!

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His editorial illustrations are wonderful: witty, clean and effective!
SWOON!

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Denis also has a blog, a collection of inspiring images and works by fellow creative minds. Really worth a visit!

His portfolio is fuel for my brain and delights my eyes, and I hope you will enjoy it as well.

♥ 

Love, always!

xo
L.

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This is such a great week! Super-busy, yes, but yet full of important things. I’m so full of ideas and projects, maybe it is because spring is coming? 
Here is my weekly love-list:

♥ I found a new home! I need to move from where I’m living at the moment, because of some problems we have in the bathroom… at first I was sad, but the new home is AWESOME and my new housemate is really cute and nice. I’ll be moving in a couple of weeks! ♥ Skype-dates with my overseas BFF ♥ “Black Swan”! At last, me and S. went to see it! We both LOVED it! ♥ My boyfriend, who is sooo caring and full of love ♥ “I need a new purse” … “Girls ALWAYS need new purses!” ♥ meeting the publisher of the book I’m illustrating, and receiving compliments on my work ♥ Beatles RockBand: OMG, it is a great game, and I’m also quite good at it! ♥ spelt cookies: delicious! ♥ blossoming trees, this means spring is near! YES! ♥ and last… did I mention my boyfriend?! Yes, I did, but oh, I love him so much.

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This week, you will have to be kind and gentle, and forgive me for linking to such few websites: but hey, my “less internetting until exams are over” resolution is still ongoing!

♥ At first, some self-promotion! A new Happy Easter card is availabe in my Etsy shop, go have a look!

♥ Nowness shows us an exclusive preview of the movie based on Norwegian Wood, Murakami’s masterpiece! I really can’t wait to see it. 

♥ The beautiful Kiko Mizuhara, star of Norwegian Wood, is also an awesome model: cult Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki choose her as the testimonial for Barney’s upcoming campaign. The picture above, is just one of the fantastic photos he took.

♥ 10 great cultural contributions by hipsters is a really interesting collection of fun (but true) facts!

♥ What happens when Google Earth fails? Clement Valla selected some of the most surreal images that can be found on GE and created this postcard series, which is absolutely mind boggling!

♥ Awesome hi-tech camera from Japan: Necono Camera is a mini digital camera (in the shape of a cat): “We cannot promise you infallibility under certain circumstance. Sometimes, it may take in too much light and cause a whiteout, or blur by the movement of your subject; it is “whimsical” and does not always capture what you intend it to. But just as a cat who may ignore your calls, this “whim” will make you love it even more and more.” WANT!!!

♥ News from Paris catwalks: I loved Mugler, and Alexander McQueen (where some of the models look terribly scared by the ridiculous height of the heels they’re wearing, but we know that’s not new to McQueen!)… when art meets fashion!

♥ Finally, my favorite link of the week: Kate Spade launches a new website, dedicated to the color yellow! Live colorfully! 

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Well, that’s all folks! I send you TONS of love and wish you a great weekend.

Love, always!

xo
L.

♥

To celebrate the International Women’s Day, I decided to write this week’s Tuesday Spotlight about my favorite Italian illustrator of all times: Olimpia Zagnoli!

Born in 1984 (only two years older than me! Oh…), Olimpia lives in Milan, and frequently travels to NYC, her favorite city in the world. 
Her illustrations are an interesting mitxture of graphic design, artistic references (Picasso and Matisse above all) and playful doodles. I really, really like her style, it is so fresh, colorful and happy!

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She worked for some of the most important clients in the world: for example, The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Obviously, she’s really proud of the illustrations she did for them! She told in an interview that “It was like a dream come true”.
Here’s the link to some of the illustrations made for for The New Yorker. 

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In 2010 she was awarded with the “Celebrate Originality 2010” prize by Adidas Originals and Vice Magazine, and made an exhibition of her works in Milan: here you can have a look at some photos of the event!

Also, you really should read her blog, that is filled with amazing drawings and doodles. I LOVE illustrated blogs.

♥ 

Olimpia is really a huge source of inspiration for me: not only we’re both Italian and do (ideally) the same job, but also we have almost the same age. This gives me a strong push in working really hard to achieve my goals, and to increase self-confidence.

I really hope this post will be helpful and inspiring for lots of other people around the world!

♥

Love, always!

xo
L. 

[can anyone please help me crediting the above image? I love it!]

Hello! Lots of rain here in Rome lately… :(
Today, I am going to my hometown for a few days, I haven’t been home for 2 months, and I really need to see some of my friends over there!

February is over, and I did it quite well on my monthly resolutions: exam passed, I made lots of things for my degree project, and worked on the illustrated book. Unfortunately, I had to skip working on my website! But I just didn’t have enough time!

Here is my love list for the week: ♥ Ethiopian dinner with S. (it was DELICIOUS!) ♥ meeting my dear friend Diletta after two long YEARS ♥ new illustrations for some Happy Easter cards, soon on Etsy! ♥ having a SECRET! ♥ my boyfriend, who is working really hard and deserves all my love! ♥ eating white pizza at half-morning ♥ dreaming of moving abroad ♥ email exchanges with the lovely Ottavia ♥ Conor Oberst obsession, at full throttle! I LOVE his new album ♥ my new faux fur, leopard print, crop jacket! I decided I need to change the button, with something BIGGER! ♥ listening to The Libertines’ albums after several years, and still singing along to all the songs ♥ Mimmo, the loveliest cat ever.

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And now, here are the links I bookmarked for you during the last week!

♥ What if social media were a high school?

♥ Animals on the underground by Paul Middlewick: illustrations based on the London’s tube map. I want the one with the cat!

♥ Back to the future is a mind-blowing photographic essay by Irina Werning: a comparison between past & present through portraits.

♥ A measuring rod for visualizing the immaterial wi-fi networks in cities? These guys from Sweden made it! This video, “Immaterial”, is both fascinating and scary.

♥ If websites were books: I know this is an old thing, but some of these covers are beautiful.

♥ Miles Aldridge for Vogue Italia: does anyone know the name of this beautiful model? I love her! Also, Battles are an excellent soudtrack to this video.

♥ I need this Scrabble set: for type nerds only!

♥ These Japanese posters from the ’20s and ’30s are amazing. I love, love, love Japanese graphic design.

♥ Christopher Niemann’s Abstract City came to an end: so sad! Anyways, he’ll be writing monthly pieces for the printed version of The Sunday Magazine, and post those articles on his blog. I can’t wait! I loved that blog A LOT.

♥ Cute Plush is a small business from Chicago that sells loads of kawaii jewelry! Cuteness overload! I want all of the products they sell. All of them.

♥ Nicola Formichetti writes about the fashion credits for the Lady Gaga new video, which is, obviously, fantastic. 

♥ An oversized book, that is also a bed? GREAT!

♥ The Strokes are back. Oh, yes.

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Love, always!

xo
L.

♥

[Cover of “Nippon” magazine issue #1, Oct 1934]