A Single Man

Tom Ford's directorial debut, A Single Man, looks absolutely amazing! With the help of the design crew from Mad Men he has created a 1962 I long to live in (without all the isolation, of course.) Can't wait until February to see it!

Summary of the Christopher Isherwood novel upon which the flick is based:

Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, A Single Man is the story of George Falconer, a 52 year old British college professor (Colin Firth) who is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner, Jim (Matthew Goode). George dwells on the past and cannot see his future as we follow him through a single day, where a series of events and encounters ultimately leads him to decide if there is a meaning to life after Jim. George is consoled by his closest friend Charley (Julianne Moore), a 48 year old beauty who is wrestling with her own questions about the future. A young student of George, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), who is coming to terms with his true nature, stalks George as he feels in him a kindred spirit. A Single Man is a romantic tale of love interrupted, the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life.

Jim Flora

Here's a look at the work of Jim Flora:

Vintage music buffs and eBay trawlers have long been bedazzled by bizarre, cartoonish record sleeves tagged with the signature "Flora." In the 1940s and '50s, James (Jim) Flora designed dozens of diabolic cover illustrations, many for Columbia and RCA Victor jazz artists. His world pulsed with angular hepcats bearing funnel-tapered noses and shark-fin chins, who fingered cockeyed pianos and honked lollipop-hued horns. In the background, geometric doo-dads floated willy-nilly like a kindergarten toy room gone anti-gravitational. Jim Flora wreaked havoc with the laws of physics, conjuring up flying musicians, levitating instruments, and wobbly dimensional perspectives. As he reflected in a 1998 interview, "I got away with murder, didn't I?"

Jim Flora jazzed up the world of commercial art in countless ways: magazine covers and interior illustrations; newspaper graphics; sales lit; ads; 17 children's books; and a catalog of unclassifiable artifacts. Jim Flora had fun making a living, and that sense of fun sizzles in his creations.

Read more here.

Flora's ABC cards:












































Covers designed for magazines:













































Sketches:
































Beautiful art:

























Covers for Coda, a monthly new-release booklet put out by Columbia records in 1943:








































And finally, album art:













































To see more of Flora's work go here.

Paris in 1962

Grain Edit recently featured the work of Tom Palumbo, a photographer who got his start working under Alexey Brodovitch at Harper's Bazaar in the 1950s.

Three questions:
1. Can it be 1962?
2. Can I be in Paris?
3. Can I be any of these women—just for a day?

See the full set here.

Kodachrome Christmas by Jeff Altman

Found this video posted by Jeff Altman. It features his grandparents, aunts, mother and their neighbors in the mid to late 1950s. No sound, but beautiful color.

Kodachrome Christmas from Jeff Altman on Vimeo.

Vintage Inspired Fabric

Looking to recover a chair? Making curtains? Pillows? Check out Tonic Living to find vintage inspired fabrics.

Erhard Holiday Cards

These whimsical Walter Erhard holiday cards have been popping up all over place, so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon.

A note about Erhard and the cards:
In 2002 Vigo purchased the assets of IMP Press and the copyrights to textile designer Walter Erhard’s card lines. Walter Erhard produced this range of Christmas cards under the name of 'IMP Press' from the late 1950's through to the end of the 1960's. He's won many awards and is recognised in many contemporary design manuals. Walter is considered to be one of the most progressive designers of the day.








You can purchase them here.

The Holiday Collection Is In

Stop by to see our collection of holiday housewares and gifts. We're super excited about the aluminum Christmas tree and rotating color wheel! And we've found some pretty amazing vintage linens and wrapping paper. Below is a sampling of some of the glassware and gifts we're especially found of.

YouTube Holiday Find

Tis' the Season

Join us on December 10th for drinks and holiday cheer.
We'll be pouring from 6—9.

Cheers!

Thanksgiving Holiday Hours

We're going to be closed Thursday and Friday for the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tribute to Irving Penn

In October the photography world lost one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century. Irving Penn passed away at the age of 92. Having studied under Alexey Brodovitch, Penn began shooting for Vogue during a defining decade in American fashion and editorial design—the 1950s. He continued working until his death leaving behind a body of work that will influence many artists to come.






For more information go here and here. To see a collection of Penn's portraits go here. To read the Vogue tribute go here.

An Apologetic Offering

Sorry for neglecting the blog for the past week—the real job got a bit busy. I promise to make it up to you over the next few weeks as Shag prepares for the holidays.

First up: Thanksgiving. Check out this commercial for Kaiser Foil I found on YouTube.

Jens Risom's Prefab Weekend House

Just found these amazing shots of Jens Risom's prefab weekend house. Makes me want it to be the weekend.


via The Selvedge Yard