romance

A Closet Visit Film No. 1 from Claire Cottrell on Vimeo.

very excited to have found this blog- the blogger finds amazing stylish ladies and photographs them in their favorite wardrobe pieces.  Great idea- and really inspiring!  Apparently, she has made two small films- so lovely- for some reason- this one reminds me of fall time....
I really find it dreamy and sweet.  Check out the blog:  closetvisit.com

featured item

the "lady-like" blouse has several romantic details.

Made of silk crepe de chine, the feel and drape of this blouse is nothing

short of luxurious.

Although the pleated detail of the sleeve adds a feminine character to the blouse,

a tongue-in-cheek moment happens at the neckline

in the form of an "untied bow tie"

meant to hint at a late night of parties

this blouse is great tucked into a high wasted trouser or pencil skirt 

or left untucked with a great pair of jeans and boots for a slightly more casual approach

either way- you really cannot go wrong with a feminine hint a masculine nod

happening all at once in one great top.

Available in silver, midnight blue, and garnet red

fall 2011

for more images 

www.freidesigns.com

to purchase

www.shop.workshop-chicago.com

DOSE

 

frei will be at Dose market this coming Sunday selling

deeply discounted past season items

along with current fall pieces.

Come check us out!

Outlaws and Patriots

CURRENTLY SHOWING AT PACKER-SCHOPF GALLERY

NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 22ND

Bill Harrison specializes in doing highly realistic life size charcoal pencil portraits. His new series of portraits of bikers (Harley, not Schwinn), is called Outlaws and Patriots. His goal is to do an "unsympathetic portrait;" that is, a portrait in which his sympathies lie neither with nor against the subject. No mocking, nor glory; He simply portrays them as they appear, in high detail, and lets their own innate dignity carry the piece. His subjects are older, generally in their fifties or more. Someone once said, "When we are young, we wear the face God gave us. By 50, we wear the face we deserve." Harrison finds that the faces of people in their middle age or older are full of character, evidence of a life lived well or badly or both, and this is what is portrayed. What really interests him about the bikers is the tribal aspect of the subculture. Their hair, their leathers, their patches and pins all function to set them apart from the typical citizen. In many ways they're the kind of people who would've been cowboys back in the old West. They are generally tough independent men, often misfits to some degree, who generally want nothing more than to be left to live their lives as they see fit.

Bill Harrison received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Illinois in 1977 and spent the next 20 years as an illustrator. Working almost exclusively in 'stipple', constructing nearly photo-realistic drawings of food, people, and products using only little tiny black dots. Since the bottom has dropped out of the illustration world, he is making the transition to the fine art arena.

seasoned stars

Thursday, September 8th

Angela Finney-Hoffman (proprietress of the lovely Post 27)

and I hosted a "studio warming/ fall 2011 debut party" at the shop

all kinds of friends and fans came out to view the new fall collection, sip on

a seasonal cocktail of apple cider, cognac, sparkling wine, and rum garnished with slices of apple,

and take in the installation/ performance

I had several ladies with artistic backgrounds come in to create a celestial installation grounded

by seasonings, grains, and seeds

It was very autumnal and harvest-y

I had a few ladies making paper stars, while another lady created a large mandala of seeds and dried grains on my cutting table

another station consisted of two gals wheat-pasting the paper stars and adhering grains and dried seasonings to them to decorate them

another lady hung the seasoned stars to dry

all of this was installed among Post 27's interior vignettes and home accessories

it was magical and fun and the fall collection worked perfectly

in the mix

the fall collection is for sale currently at Post 27 in Chicago

and will be up online at www.workshop-chicago.com shortly

a special thanks to all the help and involvement of my multi-talented posse:

Colleen O'Sullivan lent her hair and makeup talents

Stephanie Acosta made it all happen

My gorgeous models Chiara Keeling, Marisa Munoz, Joy Davis, Karen Faith,

 Leslie Bembinster, and Nadine Lolino

Krisite Kahns took the amazing photos above....

such a talented crew- what would I do without you??