Spring 2012 New York Fashion Week

From New York Fashion Week// The Designer's Sketchbooks-
Tracy Reese, Nanette Lepore, Cynthia Steffe
Pamela Roland, Elie Tahari, Rebecca Minkoff
Ella Moss and Charlotte Ronson

Spring 2012-Pantone Color Report

Top Three Color Picks from New York Fashion Week 

Tangerine Tango (17-1463)

Cockatoo (14-5420)

Driftwood (18-1210)

One-Piece Swimwear by Missoni
Boots by Nicholas Kirkwood

From my Shopstyle 2012 Lookbook–Flights of Fancy

Black Dresses by Theory
Evening Dresses by Lanvin

First Bikram Yoga Experience

After being a traditional Hatha yoga student since my early twenties I finally decided it was time to take the plunge and give Bikram a try. I want to get out of my comfort zone and really find a challenging practice, but challenging does NOT even begin to explain my first class today.

First thing, I noticed how much the room felt like a prison since they basically lock you in the room for the 90 minutes. They only allow you to have water between poses as to not disturb the others, who as the teacher explained, are hard at work and don’t want to see a slacker (like me) drinking water while they are slaving away. The teacher kept saying over and over that the key to our success was to push ourselves harder and farther then we felt comfortable with, which goes against the grain of any Hatha class I’ve ever attended where the poses are never suppose to hurt and if they do, we are instructed to modify them. In this class no modifications are recommended.

So what’s the method behind the madness? I haven’t done any research yet but maybe this was originally a method used to train gladiators for the arena? Or perhaps a form of passage into enlightenment by being able to withstand high thresholds of pain and still keep calm and carry on as the saying goes. Either way, it’s a new year and perhaps 2012 is the year that I will find a peace in the midst of a drill sergeant instructor and the Homosapien oven, oh I mean, the yoga studio.

AMOA and Arthouse Merger

On November 1st these two non-profit organizations have merged together. The Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) and Arthouse in the new year get a face lift with new branding and a new name. I will be excited to see who does their identity and environmental design.

As per the press release, " With a strong vote of confidence, both boards approved the merger, with a primary goal to exhibit and program modern and contemporary art for the citizens of Austin, Texas, and far beyond. With an annual operating budget of $3.2 million and zero debt, combining the two organizations will save more than $1 million in operational costs in the first year alone. "

Membership benefits will be better than ever and current members will be invited to both Arthouse and AMOA events and receive discounts on art classes.

The current exhibit is called Anxiety in Photography. September 10- December 30, 2011

FunFunFun Fest!!!

M83 performing at Auditorium Shores, Austin Texas


Last weekend's annual FFF Fest was not at Waterloo Park but instead at much larger Auditorium Shores. The change in venue left me a little cold. Since Texas has had a severe drought for half the year it was more like a dust bowl than anything else. However, the music this year kept with tradition and had lots of up and coming artists like Austra, MNDR, Childish Gambino, Neon Indian, Yacht and Picture Plane on the Blue Stage. Headling performers included Passion Pit, Odd Future, Slayer, Danzig Legacy, Spoon, and Public Enemy.



MNDR, Franki Chan, Austra, Public Enemy,

Thing to do in Dumbo area of Brooklyn

Dumbo stands for Down Under The Manhattan Bridge Overpass. This area is becoming a hot-spot for artists and galleries. When the weather is nice take the East 34th Street ferry to Fulton Ferry Landing/Dumbo. You'll get some nice views of the East River, Empire State building, the United Nations building and once you're in Brooklyn you can walk over to the park. In the summer the park is busy during the day with kid's day camps but also festivals such as the BRIC's Celebrate Brooklyn.

It's a short walk to P.S Bookshop (76 Front Street, between York St & Main St). This book store caters to those interested in books on art, architecture, graphic design, performing arts and a fairly ample fiction section broken into many different genres. I happily found Steven Heller and Mirko Ilić's Genius Moves under ten bucks but they also carry rare and limited editions of books in a wide range of categories.

A quick turn of the corner and you're at Zoë (68 Washington Street). To a non-New Yorker this store typifies the cliche of the chic understated tastes of the edgy New Yorker. Of course, everything in the store were well known high-end labels but it is a well edited collection.


Next go to the galleries in the area. A.I.R Gallery, Suite 228 is part of the Front Street Galleries. A.I.R Gallery is an artist run gallery for women. Gallery Hours during this exhibition: Thursday 5:30 - 8:30pm, and Fri - Sun, 11 to 6pm.

Other galleries of interest, LAND (League Artists Natural Design) which is an organization which helps adults with developmental disabilities express their creative impulse. I especially liked the aluminum foil creations in the window on display.

For a bite to eat stop into the once artists supply shop turned cafe called Al Mar (111 Front St.)
This Italian bistro has good coffees, pastries, sandwiches and a totally funky artsy vibe without any of the granola crunch.

After lunch walk to Pearl Street where you will find Olga Guanabara (63 Pearl Street) which has a wonderful collection of tree-stump modern furniture, home accessories, whimsical artwork on display by Mauro Baiocco and even some Brazilian purses. Right next door if you are a lover of vinyl do not pass Halcyon. Here's some history for ya: "Headquartered since ’04 in Dumbo, the brand’s second concept space, integrating the DJ-centric record store from the previous embodiment with an expanded gallery and design boutique that define the avant-garde of Brooklyn street aesthetics." The store's river rock/pebble floor with astro turf is a nice touch too. Two large marshmellow-shaped plastic white chairs sit in the entrance seeming to invite conversation.

Winding down the afternoon stop in at Almondine for a treat. They offer Croissants, Éclairs, Fraisier, Mille Feuille, Tarts, Mousse and so much more. This is not a place to stop however if you have gluten-free dietary restrictions or are on any sort of diet for that matter. :P

What a lovely neighborhood which has a lot of character without all the attitude.

By Juanita Fralin