Colorful Inspiration

Picasso said that “The purpose of Art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls”.
We couldn’t agree more; we can get so caught up in our day to day lives that we sometimes need to get away from it all and find art to be a perfect form of escape. Art allows our minds and imaginations to wonder and go wild. It gives us inspiration and new ideas.

Last weekend we visited It is and it isn’t, an exhibit by American artist Nick Kuszyk at Saga, a modern art gallery in Jaffa. Kuszyk, aka RRobots, became well known for his colorful robot-themed street art which has now become a gorgeous part of New York City’s urban landscape.

While we loved Kuszyk’s robots and other adorable creatures, we were really taken with the geometric and architectural turn his art has taken.

We loved the colors the artist uses in his work and how the graphic qualities made the paintings look three dimensional.

All this was especially beautiful and powerful when set against the gallery’s heavy exposed concrete architectural style.

We’d love to see your favorite artists and styles, share them on our facebook page!
xoxo
V & R

Instagram of the Week: Dancing Shoes

Happy friday ladies and gents! Man are we happy it’s the weekend!!

After the hard and stressful week we had, all we feel like is putting on our most fabulous dancing shoes and going out for a girls’ night out on the town!

This week’s pick was taken at a gallery opening we attended as part of Tel Aviv Fashion Night Out event. The gallery featured an exhibit by contemporary artist Eran Shakine whose pieces were very much fashion-forward.

Case in Point: painting of John Galliano modeling his own creations!
Wishing you all a wonderful, restful and happy weekend!
xoxo
V & R

What We Wear in Madrid

Last month we were in Madrid for architecture week, a wonderful series of exhibits and conventions celebrating the city’s architecture and looking towards the future of architecture. Of course we took advantage of our visit to explore this beautiful city!

Architecture

Madrid has a beautiful range and mix of traditional European and contemporary, Hi-tec architecture. One of the most intriguing events of architecture week were tours exploring the city’s most prominent buildings, and seeing the progression of the city’s architecture throughout its history.

Madrid airport: inspiring first steps in Spain.

Gran Via

The city’s most hustling and bustling main street is filled with all the must have shops (Zara, H&M, Pull & Bear, etc) as well as some of the city’s most beautiful traditional architecture.

The detailing on the buildings is so beautiful that we couldn’t stop taking pictures!

Calle Mayor and city center

Reality vs. illusion.

Plaza del Sol.

Caixa Forum

Caixa Forum is a museum and cultural center located on Madrid’s beautiful Paseo del Prado boulevard and one of the city’s most interesting contemporary buildings.

The beautiful geometric structure was built by architects Herzog & de Meuron. It was built on the foundation of an old abandoned electrical station and the architects incorporated the steel aesthetic into the interior design as well.

We loved the Caixa Forum’s museum store and spent hours going through the architecture and fashion books.

Next to the Caxia Forum is a building covered with a vertical garden: a green wall designed by botanist Patrick Blanc.

To us this really signifies the future of architecture and landscape design, especially as urbanization develops and cities get more and more overpopulated.

Reina Sofia Museum

This museum underwent modern renovation and expansion by architect Jean Nouvel and now has a beautiful rooftop overlooking the city, as well as a wonderful courtyard and sculpture garden.

Besides its design, it was definitely our favorite museum in the city. It houses important pieces by Spanish artists such as Picasso, Dali, and Miro, as well as modern art and photography exhibits.

Hide and seek among the Richard Serra.

The Royal Palace

Beside the beautiful architecture of the palace and its lavish interiors, we loved the royal gardens.

El Retiro

A beautiful park which sits on the Paseo del Prado, it is a wonderful place to relax, have a picnic, or go for a nice stroll.

A pleasant surprise: a modern art exhibit at the park’s gallery.

Salamanca

El Retiro park leads up to Salamanca neighborhood, one of Madrid’s most expensive areas.

If luxury shopping is what you’re after, this is the place to go. From local labels to international designers, the boutiques in this area are beautiful.

Cool display at Camper.

Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.

Salamanca garden.

Chueca

This is a central neighborhood which has become well known for being a gay friendly neighborhood. This area has some of the coolest restaurants, bars, cafes, and boutiques, as well as very cool street style.

Markets

As in every traditional European city, some of our favorite attractions are the markets. Madrid has an abundance of them, some offering food and drink and some clothes, home goods, etc.

Mercado San Miguel

This hip market and architectural gem has a delicious assortment of food and drink and seems to be the place to be at all times of the day and night.

El Rastro

This giant market spreads along several streets and reminds us a bit of London’s Camden Market. Here you can find everything from authentic high quality leather goods to graphic T Shirts, to 3 euro shoes (!!!). We clearly had to be dragged away.

This market only opens on Sundays and showing up early is a must, to avoid the huge crowds.

Nightlife

Spaniards sure know how to party! They spend morning to night in bars, restaurants, cafes, drinking all day long! Don’t miss out on the city’s fabulous nightlife.

One particular must visit are the flamenco shows. We of course had to go for the best and visited Corral de la Moreria, a gorgeous traditional venue which also serves dinner and drinks and features the most prominent dancers in the country.

The smartest thing to do when traveling is to check for any special events or attractions that take place during the visit. We were lucky enough to attend a special Hermes exhibit featuring the fashion house’s luxurious leather goods.

The only downside is the insatiable craving we now have for the Birkins and the Kellys!

What to wear

This time of the year the city is getting colder and starting to get more rain. The most wise thing to do is wear layers that you can peel off and pile back on towards the evening and night.

Looking for more amazing places to visit in Spain? Check out our post on Barcelona and Montserrat. Follow us as we report from more awesome destinations around the world!

For more What We Wear follow our facebook, twitter, and instagram!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

xx

V & R

Tel Aviv Fashion Night

Last night we attended one of our favorite fashion events of the year: Fashion Night Out Tel Aviv, the kick start event for Tel Aviv Fashion Week. This is only the second year the event takes place in our city, last year’s event was such a success that it was bound to become an annual fashion tradition!

As in last year’s event, FNO was held at Kikar Hamedina, Tel Aviv’s central square of luxury shopping.

The square’s luxurious boutiques opened their doors to fashion enthusiasts, society ladies, models, journalists, and innocent passers-by enjoying the celebrations.

This year’s event was extra special though, as it featured a modern art exhibit by artist Eran Shakine, held at the square’s Zemack Gallery.

We really enjoyed this exhibit; you know how much we love our art, and especially art inspired by fashion. The bronze heels sculptures could be likened to three dimensional fashion illustrations.

“John Galliano trying on one of his creations” Genius!

We browsed the amazing sales the boutiques had to offer. We were obviously blinded by all the Gucci, Burberry, Lanvin, Prada, etc, but our favorite boutiques were the ones selling local labels, from the well-known to the obscure, and really unique clothing.

Mother to be Vera admiring the lovely kids’ clothing boutiques.

Amazing prints and textures at Manoush.

Some store displays were especially festive and eye-catching!

Theatrical drama at Amor.

We sipped some bubbly (Well, Rony sipped bubbly while pregnant Vera enjoyed her soda). and developed a serious sugar high from all the amazing sweets!

Vera wore a maxi button-down flannel dress with a rhinestone studded denim jacket, fringe booties, thin waist-cinching belt, gold jewelry and a leather tote.

Rony wore a vintage bow tied blouse with a striped skirt, asymmetrical cut studded leather jacket, high heeled booties, striped quilt bag and a hair bow.

Follow us as we report on more events from the upcoming Tel Aviv Fashion Week. Coming up next are photoshoots with our favorite designers!

Keep up with us on facebook, twitter, and instagram!

Have a wonderful, fashion-filled weekend everyone!

xoxo
V & R

Mad as a Hatter

For the last in the series of exhibits we attended as part of the educational and inspiring Holon Fashion Week, we had the great pleasure of visiting world renowned Milliner Stephen Jones‘ hat exhibit.

Mr. Jones is one of the most important milliners of the 20th and early 21st century. He has designed hats for the likes of Dior couture and Vivienne Westwood, as well as icons like Grace Jones, Diana Ross, Lady Gaga and Boy George. His designs have been exhibited at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum (more from the museum here), and was invited as a guest of Holon Fashion Week, to educate the local fashion community on iconic fashion-making.

Photo courtesy of Holon Fashion Week.

The exhibit showcased a collection of some of Jones’ favorite hats, in varying materials and styles.

We were really impressed with the craftsmanship and design behind the hats but what we loved the most was the humor and fun that Mr. Jones infuses into each and every single one of his hats. And that’s what fashion should be, no? Fun and never taking itself too seriously.

Some of our favorites:
A matador inspired hat adorned with a silk flower, the perfect match between strong and bold and feminine and pretty.

Oversized metal eyelashes.

We wished there was more on display, Jones’ stunning creations left us craving more!

The exhibit was held at the Holon Design Museum which always houses intriguing design exhibits. You may remember this museum from the awe-inspiring Yohji Yamamoto exhibit we attended.

While we were there we decided to visit another exhibit, this one by Ron Arad, the industrial designer/architect who designed the museum itself.

What’s so interesting about Ron Arad is that in everything he designs, whether it’s architecture, furniture, or art, he employs what we like to call “new age artisanship”.
Computer softwares and technologies are employed at every stage of the work process, from planning to design to implementation and production. This becomes very interesting with the different materials Arad uses, from metals to plastics to video projected onto silicon cables.

Ron Arad furniture design

Chairs made out of old car seats: The leather originals and a metal prototype.

Gorgeous chaise made out of bent metal sheets. We wish we could take this home!

Rony wore a feather print blouse with an oriental flower print maxi skirt, studded high heeled mary janes, Marni for H&M necklace, and leather oversized clutch.

 

More intriguing Holon Fashion Week exhibits here and here.

Coming up next: the extravagant events of Tel Aviv fashion week, up close and personal with some of the designers we’re most inspired by, and our favorite fall/winter fashions!!
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xoxo
V & R

For the Love of Fashion

Holon fashion week is going at full force and after visiting intriguing jewelry and shoe design exhibits, up next on our busy schedules was New Love: an exhibit featuring the concept “new love”, as seen and expressed by fashion people, artists, photographers, and designers.

Tamar Karavan, the stylist and fashion photographer curator of the exhibit, said that she chose artists and designers to feature in the exhibit who all share the same sentiment; that “new love” is something that gives you a “high” of happiness, euphoria and curiosity and at the same time makes you apprehensive and unsure.

White dress by designer Dorin Frankfurt, with painting and installation by artist Yoav Hirsh: the perfect “marriage” between fashion and art

One of Karavan’s pieces were featured in the exhibit as well: A one-piece bathing suit where the stitching is a medical drawing of the heart with its arteries and blood canals, and by it a photo of Tamar Karavan, modeling the bathing suit.

Another beautiful and inspired piece was a dress made out of paper by young designer Odelia Arnold, as inspired by poetry written by famed stylist Mayan Goldman.

Our favorite piece in this exhibit was Fontaine de Sang (French for Fountain of Blood), a stunning hand-sewn silk couture piece with a bleeding heart. This piece was designed by Mor Kfir, who recently graduated with a degree in fashion design.

Another recent fashion graduate, Mayan Levi Alentek, exhibited hand-knit watermelon heels, very humorously named “kitchen wear”.

We’re sure we’ll see a lot more from these two creative minds in the future.

Vera wore a layered midi skirt, striped top, silver chain necklaces, red ballerina flats, black tote and knit cardigan.

Rony wore a bustier blouse, pinstriped skort, cage heels, layered rhinestone necklaces, and a vintage Chanel bag.

The exhibit was held at an amazing gallery, a beautiful space with a gorgeous garden.

This gallery is very aptly named The Farm, it is a bit of rural land in the middle of the city. While the place was a bit hard to find, it was definitely worth our efforts!

More fashion parties, events, and of course amazing designs coming soon on the blog! Follow us on facebook, twitter, and instagram!

xoxo
V & R

Holon Fashion Week: Fashion Exhibits

Hello fellow fashion enthusiasts!
Fashion weeks from all over the world are filling up our schedules and all the fashion websites we come across. The Israeli fashion weeks won’t disappoint either, from the more conceptual fashion week in Holon to the fashion extravaganza in Tel Aviv! We bring you reports with the inside scoop!

Fashion Week is a very exciting time because, other than runway shows and celeb sightings, each city hosting fashion week also opens a series of fashion and design exhibits for all the public to enjoy. These amazing exhibits show a new and different look into the Israeli fashion industry.

Couple Of

We attended From Sketch to Shoe, a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the design process that goes into the creation of shoes at fashion house Couple Of, one of the most unique shoe-makers in Israel.
The exhibit featured beautiful illustrations that designers Shelly Satat and Eilon Combor develop and perfect as part of designing their “perfect shoe” – one that is both unique and functional, and the technology used to create the final product – CAD tools and laser cutting.

The exhibit was held at Holon Institute of Technology, one of the best design schools in the country, where the courtyards are decorated with innovative projects.

One of our favorites: a garden chair made out of old CD’s, bringing together recycling, design and innovation.

From Jewel to Practicality

Our next stop was an amazing jewelry exhibit inspired by puzzle games. The exhibit was divided into four groups of puzzle games, each group exhibiting different variations of jewelry styles.
The idea behind the designs is simple yet very sophisticated and allowed designer Yael Fridman to create beautiful pieces that any girl would love to wear.

The exhibit went further to discuss the possibility of jewelry becoming a game or a toy rather than just an object of aesthetics.

Fridman’s jewels were designed and developed using computer technology and 3D printing machines both during the research process and while creating the final product. This was intriguing to us because, much like in the field of architecture, computed aided production and manufacturing is the way of the future and is sure to change how we think and create as designers.

More fashion exhibits coming up next, stay tuned on our blog, facebook, twitter, and instagram!

xoxo
V & R

Blazer Yourselves

Happy Thursday fellow fashionistas, it’s almost the weekend!
Being the girly girls we are, we love to offset our girly outfits with masculine pieces! Some of our favorites, especially in colder months, are blazers. What’s better in the midst of winter grayness than jackets that are colorful and attention-grabbing?!

Bright colored jackets are a bit more casual, which allows you to dress down a very dressy outfit and make it more day to day ready.

Here are some of our favorite colorful blazers:

Vera wore a bright green corduroy blazer with a cream dotted sheer blouse, denim button down skirt, gray tights, brogues, layers of silver jewelry and an oversized frog ring.

Vera’s blazer has a very Victorian feel, which nicely offsets her outfit’s retro and modern accents.

Rony wore a blue cropped blazer with a bright pink patterned cardigan, studded A-lined mini dress, print blue tights, leopard print platforms and lots of big rings.

Another way of wearing Rony’s outfit is by adding a waist cinching belt – making the look less loose and more put together.

Rony’s jacket is very light so layering allows her to wear it in all seasons.

Photos taken at Lev Ha’ir Quarter and Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv.

Have more ideas on how to wear bright colorful jackets? Share them with us!
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xoxo
V & R

Light Between the Islands – A Grimanesa Amoros Exhibit

What We Wear was honored to attend the opening of international artist Grimanesa Amoros’ exhibit at Tel Aviv’s Litvak gallery.

The exhibit, titled Light Between the Islands, consists of installations of “islands” of bubble forms of various sizes with varying drawings imprinted on them.

The bubbles are arranged in modular units and layers scattered around the space with changing light scenes achieved by LED lighting that deeply change the feeling of each island of bubbles – from solid forms that seem to permanently occupy the space to floating ethereal bubbles. The reflective concrete floor of the gallery intensified the visual effects.

Visitors of the exhibit took an active part in it, walking around the islands and creating their own shadows in the space and changing their own appearance as the lighting changed.

Vera under the exhibit’s dramatic lighting

Rony admiring the art

We absolutely loved Amoros’ exquisite work and the play on lights and shadows and prints on different forms. The rhythmic organization of the forms in the space truly made us feel as if we were walking on dark water between islands of magical light.

The exhibit is currently on display at Litvak Gallery, a gallery with special focus on glass art. Litvak gallery has featured international glass artists such as Dale Chihuly, Howard Ben Tre and Vaclav Cigler, as well as other world renowned artists.

Vera at Litvak Gallery

An additional exhibit on display at the gallery was Czechoslovakian artist Vaclav Cigler’s Spheres, part of his exhibit Light and Space. Cigler’s exhibit features geometric forms made from cut solid optical glass of various transparency and translucency.

What we always find interesting in these exhibits is how each visitor has their own take and perspective on the art. As fashion bloggers who have been disciplined in architecture, we saw the forms as beautiful jewels nesting on beautiful architectural structures.

Fashion imitates Art

Present at the opening were international artists such as Amoros herself and Israeli London-based designer/architect Ron Arad, whose works we have reported on in past posts.

To achieve classy looks we both chose modern LBDs for this opening. Here’s what we wore:
Vera wore a strapless bow tied taffeta dress with a leather jacket, black high heeled mary-janes, and print tights. Vera accessorized with gorgeous jewelry by one of our favorite local jewelry designers, Ariversa.

Rony wore a studded collar dress with a black cardigan, black tights and studded slipper flats. Rony accessorized with an oversized studded cream clutch and gold cuffs.

For more on Litvak Gallery visit the English website or the Hebrew website.
For more on artist Grimanesa Amoros visit her website.

Follow us for more on art, design, travel, the latest trends and fashions and What We Wear!

xoxo
V&R

Yohji Yamamoto Exhibit

What We Wear visited the Yohji Yamamoto exhibit and came out feeling inspired!
The exhibit featured pieces designed by Yamamoto over the past two decades and included a variety of garments, from coats to dresses to pieces designed for his Adidas collection, to menswear.

We were absolutely in awe of each and every piece and the thought and craftsmanship that went into creating Yamamoto’s masterpieces.

The exhibit was held at Holon Design Museum, quite the masterpiece in its own right. The museum was designed by Israeli architect and designer Ron Arad and was the perfect backdrop for Yamamoto’s creations.

Rony’s day at the museum outfit: romper with cutouts, slipper flats, and leather satchel.

A beautiful Ron Arad exhibit we visited.

Coming up next: collaboration with our favorite young and hip designer, the perfect office outfit, travel, fashion, street style and much more fabulousness! Follow us for more!

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xx
V&R