TREND I-SPY

Japanese ad for iMac, 1998 iMac in 5 colors 1999 My obsession with Apple began in 1999 when I bought my first i-Mac. I don't mind admitting that the main reason I bought it was because of the way it looked.The ergonomic shape was both futuristic yet comforting and who could resist those fresh and juicy colors? Mine was blueberry but you could also have strawberry, lime, tangerine and grape. It was a eureka moment for me, that first realization that computers and electronics don't have to be beige and boring or worse still frightening and hard to use. It's quaint to think about it now but my hesitation about buying it was based on the fact that it was a hard drive and monitor "all-in-one". Based on the comments of the few computer buffs I knew back then, this could prove to be a problem later on if the hard drive broke down but the monitor was still good or vice versa. Well form won out over possible malfunction, I bought my first Apple product and I have never l

Doutzen Kroes, US Vogue April 2009 Whatever the eventual outcome of the new health bill this historic occasion will, when it comes to matters of well-being, undoubtedly lead to a major shift in the nation's collective consciousness. It might even mean that the notion of needing to be wealthy to stay healthy will be turned on its head. A national survey by the CDC polled 79,000 Americans, ages 18 and up, from 2005 to 2007. The results reconfirmed other studies that found the number of overweight Americans has jumped. The CDC's last survey, released in 1997, found that 35 percent of adults were overweight. The new survey finds that 68 percent of men and 53 percent of women weigh too much. The good news is that fewer Americans are smoking. Twenty-percent are regular smokers, several percentage points down from the last survey, and 58 percent have smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. Michelle Obama, Official White House Portrait 2009 The fight for fitness

As seen in Sunday's New York Times and edited by Andreas Kokkino, from fashion to home furnishings, Spring trends for 2010 include basket weaves, bright geometric prints, translucent plastic and hourglass shapes. The Canasta Collection for B&B by Patricia Urquiola Joseph Altuzarra S2010 The Proust armchairs by Alessandro Mendini Mary Katrantzou S2010 Johanna Grawunder's tables for Glas Italia Zac Posen S2010 Teca by Ron Gilad Stella McCartney Summer 2010

Joseph, Sloane Street , London There are certain people who have an innate understanding of what it takes to create a compelling shopping experience. I like to think of them as "retail therapists". Joseph Ettedgui, who died this week, was one such person. “He made you feel enthusiastic about fashion,” says Michael Roberts, who remembers Joseph driving around late at night in his Rolls-Royce checking out the window displays in rival stores. “This huge car would come down the street, looking like a runaway Rolls with no one at the wheel. Then you’d see the top of his head and the puff of cigar smoke.” (quote from Style.com) We might be so blasé these days about classically minimal retail spaces using chrome, glass and light that it's hard to remember that someone pioneered this winning combination. But someone did and that person was Joseph Ettedgui. His first store was designed by "Starchitect" Norman Foster of whom Joseph said, "He opened my eyes to th

Peter Newell's illustration 1890 Tim Burton's movie version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has topped the box-office again this week which started me thinking about why this story written by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll was his pseudonym) a century and a half ago, should remain so appealing to mass audiences today. The book was first published in England in 1865 and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass, followed in 1871. At this time, Victoria had reigned for nearly 30 years, presiding over the largest Empire in history. The Great Exhibition of 1851 offered people the chance to view 13,000 exhibits from all over the world, which included Australia, New Zealand and of course, the jewel in Victoria's crown, India. The nineteenth century was synonymous with change, it was a time in which the greater percentage of the country's population moved from the country to the city and what was once an agricultural society became industrialized. The sight and

Sherlock Holmes 2009, production design by Sarah Greenwood Of all the vital aspects of any movie the production design is arguably the most under-appreciated. Hoping to rectify this is interior's blog, "Point ClickHome" which is showing some of the best scenes from this year's batch of Oscar-nominated films. Sarah Greenwood, who had been nominated twice before (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) was the production designer for Sherlock Holmes. Read what she had to say about it and then click on the link for more Oscar-worthy rooms. "The hotel where Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) and Sh erlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) meet for a crucial scene in the film is actually a famous 19th-century English home once owned by Lady Astor. Production designer Sarah Greenwood left much of the space unaltered, such as the gilded paneling, which was imported from a French château. "It is the only feminine environment in the movie," Greenwood say

Prada, F2010 And Miuccia created woman... Prada F2010 was shown on uncharacteristically curvaceous models. The celebrated designer used simple, womanly shapes offset with prints that harked back to the geometric patterns she made popular in the mid-nineties at the height of late-twentieth century Minimalism. US Vogue, September 1996

The Fall 2011 show that Alexander McQueen had been working on when he died was shown today in Paris. Read the review here from Women's Wear Daily.

More proof-positive that Alexander McQueen was not simply a great fashion designer but also a true visionary comes from an article in Britain's The Daily Mail which recently reported that UK department store Debenhams has become the first major retailer to show a disabled model in an advertising campaign. 32 year old Shannon Murray has been using a wheelchair since breaking her neck at the age of 14. McQueen included the double-amputee model and athlete Aimee Mullins over 10 years ago in his Spring 2000 Collection. She wore intricately carved wooden legs! Just how many men and women are being sent home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with missing limbs is not certain but the numbers are significant enough to raise awareness of a potential new consumer group, people with special needs. Principles by Ben de Lisi for Debenhams Spring 2010 The late, great photographer Helmut Newton was famous for exploring "the dark side" of beauty. In 1995 he caused an uproar in fash