frank - an arts & style journal from the genteel

Meet frank. An arts and style journal. Real perspectives. Fresh commentary. Intimate approaches. Global stories. From The Genteel.

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[thisfranklife]

HEY folks! We're just talking a little break, be back in a couple of weeks. 

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer. 

xoxo,

frank Editors

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Nothing like a fresh perspective.

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  VENICE BIENNALE 2013: The ENCYCLOPEDIC PALACE

  EVERY two years, the Venice Biennale becomes the epicentre for contemporary artists, collectors, critics and enthusiasts. Curated by the youngest artistic director in 110 years, Massimiliano Gioni, this year’s biennale features 158 artists representing 88 countries (10 of which are making their very first appearance). This year’s theme, “The Encyclopedic Palace," is an ambitious pedagogical collection of works by both distinguished and lesser-known, self-taught artists. 

Writer ALEXANDRA SARABIA discusses this year’s biennale and several notable artists showing at the exhibition in Venice Biennale 2013:  The Encyclopedia Palace.

Photography via TheGenteel.com.

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THE ECONOMICS OF ENGAGEMENT

SEARCHING for engagement rings should not be a stressful ordeal for women, right?  However, for some it is--begging the question, “Why should only women be expected to wear an engagement ring?”

It has been built into our culture that only women need to be proposed to with a ring of some sort. Historically, a common law called the Breach of Promise to Marry gave women a certain level of social security because once a proposal was made, the groom-to-be would be open to legal action from the bride-to-be if he cancelled the engagement. However, the law became outdated and women needed to find an alternative means of security. Historically, the ring offered a form of collateral and insurance. But, what about now?

Writer GRACE CARTER discusses the history of the engagement ring and the emerging trend of “man-gagement” rings in The Economics of Engagement.

Photography via TheGenteel.com.

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NEW YORK - I met Julie Choi on Prince Street in SoHo while she was waiting to meet up with some friends. Julie had just gotten a new haircut and was more than happy to take some photos! Today she is wearing a colourful printed blouse by Equipment, top by Theory, an H&M skirt, Zara sandals and a J.Crew handbag. A perfect summer outfit to match the perfect summer hair. -George Elder, Photographer.

Photographs by George Elder, for TheGenteel.com.

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WRITER ALEX KORCHYNSKI breaks down the best of Spring/Summer 2014 at London Collections: Men for The Genteel. Featured here: Hardy Aimes, Gieves & Hawkes, Rake, Hackett London and Spencer Hart. 

Collage: Jeanine Brito.

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This and That

Every week, the editors of frank share The Thing most tickling their fancy. 

My pick for The Thing this time around is more like Things. Although all aspects of our business is online-based, I'm still personally attached to analogue, and artifacts of charmed life. It's all in the details. I love the little wooden mug and spoon.

- Mona Chammas. 

Photograph via Emmas.Blogg.Se.

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The sciences are the “how,” and the humanities are the “why” — why are we here, why do we believe in the things we believe in. I don’t think you can have the “how” without the “why.”

George Lucas in defense of the humanities (via explore-blog)

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  ISABEL, I WISH YOU HADN’T

  FAST fashion collaborations are starting to become the norm for mega-successful fashion designers. Already, an impressive roster of designers, from Karl Lagerfeld to Marni, have partnered with H&M in particular. The next designer to take the plunge with the popular fast fashion retailer? Uber-cool Parisian designer Isabel Marant and we're not happy about it.

Writer ALINA KULESH shares her thoughts on the Isabel Marant / H&M collaboration and why she fears her beloved fashion designer may have chosen unwisely in Isabel, I Wish You Hadn’t. 

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Share your thoughts here or here, or tweet @ThisFrankLife / @TheGenteel / @AlinaKulesh. 

Photograph via TheGenteel.com.

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HANDBAG PORN: FIVE CENTURIES REVEALED

  
OVER 300 handbags make up the collection at the Simone Handbag Museum in Seoul. The image above shows just a fraction of that immense collection--the collection ranges from the mid 16th century all the way to 2012! But, as Editor IRENE KIM points out, the purpose of the museum isn't just to look at beautiful bags. There is a history that exists as a result of the collection; a documentation of the evolution of fashion and the passage of women's lives through time. 


For more on the museum, read KIM's full article here: Handbag Porn: Five Centuries Revealed.

  Photograph via Simone Handbag Museum.

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EKATERINA Panikanova's book paintings are our latest fascination. Don't get us wrong, we sincerely believe that books are for reading, but Panikanova's art is terribly difficult to not admire. 

The artist lives and works in Rome and St. Petersburg and exhibited her work for the first time at the tender age of five. Talent? No doubt. 

Images via Flavorwire.com. 

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Trucking Fashion Along

Unlike department stores or bigger retail chains, items that make it into the trucks tend to reflect more personal tastes; less inventory space demands more scrutinised curations. Vintage wear, handmade accessories and collections by young, independent designers give a rare feeling of inclusion. You're invited to sift through a treasure trove of one-of-a-kind pieces and learn their stories. Instead of going through racks of the same dress, searching for your size, you have a quasi-personal stylist by your side - the truck becomes a showroom, and you the star. - SEMMI W. in Trucking Fashion Along. 

Hop on for a ride as writer SEMMI W. explores the minds of fashion entrepreneurs who have rejected traditional retail models, choosing instead to make a mark on the road with their mobile fashion truck, in Trucking Fashion Along. 

Photograph via FnFresh.com.

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Artist: Elnaz Massoumian. Photograph: Patrick Macaulay. 

  The Third Space

  CURATED by Sanaz Mazinani, “The Third Space” visual arts exhibit in Toronto features works by six female, multimedia artists of Iranian descent.

Photograph courtesy of Riley Wallace.

Employing diverse modalities such as photography, sculpture, drawing, collage and video, the works of Soheila K. Esfahani, Negar Farajiani, Gita Hashemi, Elnaz Maassoumian, Naz Rahbar, and Sona Safaei-Sooreh, examine life in the diaspora. Contrasting the concepts of homeland with settled land, reality with fantasy and the here and now with the elsewhere, the artists explore the complexity of living in a global village and the multiple identities inherent in multiculturalism. Themes of home, place, memory, impermanence, identity, land and topography inspire diverse symbolic and psychological spaces. Can the innate duality of the emigrant experience and multiculturalism be ultimately reconciled?

Photograph courtesy of Patrick Macaulay. 

The Third Space is part of the Tirgan Festival, July 18-21, 2013.

- Ana Manao, Toronto. 

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There's Something About Red Lipstick

IN our Rules of Style series - where frank solicits (life)style words of wisdom, five at a time, from passionate people doing what they love - red, bright lipstick seems to be constantly re-appearing. 

When bored, try red lipstick. It’s the easiest way to look like a new person. I’ve tried lots of lipsticks and my favorite is Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick. It doesn’t bleed or smudge all day; it bonds to your lips like superglue. 

- Writer and Creative at Warby Parker, Molly Young.

Lipstick is your friend. Until about a year and a half ago, I never wore lipstick - I thought it was garish and gross and I was afraid it made me look old. One day I borrowed a friend’s Yves Saint Laurent Le Rouge and, well, I never looked back. Lipstick, it turns out, actually makes you look alive and vibrant and even kind of cool and sexy. I mean, you can be wearing ripped-up jeans and a threadbare T-shirt, but put some bold red, bright pink or neon orange lipstick on and you’ll instantly look like a million bucks.

- Writer and Editor, Raquel Laneri. 

The face. A bold lip will make you feel confident. 

-Fashion Designer, Caitlin Power. 

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VIKTOR&ROLF IS ALL DOLLED UP

  
SINCE 2008, fashion's avant garde design duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, of the eponymous Viktor&Rolf label, have been playing with dolls. Of course, not in the same way as children do - Horsting and Snoeren are playing with ideas of proportion, longevity and archival. The project initially started for their 15 year retrospective, exact runway looks are replicated in miniature for dolls. Everything from hair and makeup to stitching is precisely translated onto the 70 centimetre dolls.

Thanks to Writer ANA MANAO and her piece for The Genteel, Viktor&Rolf Is All Dolled-Up, it's been brought to our attention that the doll collection is temporarily on display at the Royal Ontario Museum. Toronto readers, you have until July 1st to see the dolls firsthand. 


  Photograph via Torontolife.com.

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The Colourful World of Christian Louboutin

FROM June 20 to September 15, Design Exchange (DX) in Toronto will be hosting the celebrated Christian Louboutin exhibition. Making its way over from London, DX is the exhibit's first stop on its global tour. 

We had the pleasure of attending the media preview and press conference with DX's president, Shaula Levy (left), curator Donna Loveday (middle) and Monsieur Louboutin himself (right)! 

Through 250 iconic pairs of "Loubies", thematic displays and an amazing hologram of modern Showgirl, Dita von Teese, the exhibit explores Louboutin's development as a designer, his key inspirations, painting a rich picture of his colourful career.

Don't miss the "Fetish" room in the back - a dark space showcasing Louboutin's most playful and kinky designs. On the way out, stop by the gift shop to pick up a Louboutin postcard or even a Louboutin fetish Barbie! 

-Alina Kulesh, Toronto.

Photographs by Alina Kulesh. 

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EMERSON FRY KIMONO

  Every week, the editors of frank share The Thing most tickling their fancy.

Emerson Fry's silk kimono took my breath away from the moment I saw it. So timeless and elegant, even the choice of navy-and-white is perfect.

- Irene Kim.

Image via EmersonFry.com.