Flower Arrangements by Azuma Makoto

Posted on 27/10/2016 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

Flower Arrangements by Azuma Makoto

Well ‘Flower Arrangements’ is probably a bit of an understatement. Maybe his work is better qualified as art (if we need to label, which we do) Azuma Makoto’s work ranges from sending a 50 year old bonzai tree into space to putting 10,000 mini jars filled with flower petals in the shopwindows of Colette in Paris.

iced flowers 1

for Dries Van Noten’s ‘Interpretations’

‘Collapsible Leaves’ at Salvatore Ferragamo at Isetan Shinjuku, Tokyo

azuma makoto represents the stages of decomposition using flowers + leaves

Flower Bottle Tree for The Imperial Hotel Plaza

azuma makoto sends 50 year old bonzai tree into space for exobiotanica project

For the last Dries van Noten Fashion Show he repeated his project ‘Iced Flowers’; flower arrangements captured in large blocks of ice. These ‘Iced Flowers’ were showcased along the runway and were so overpowering that we even didn’t noticed the garments….oops (That’s how we, fashionangels at Mimi Berlin, got aquinted with Azuma Makoto’s work)

The making of “ICED FLOWERS” January 10 & 11, 2015. At 483 Furuike Ogose-machi, Iruma-gun, Saitama, Japan / Masuda seisakujo (via youtube.com)

(images via azumamakoto.com / designboom.comproject-bonsai/ theaviso.com/ designboombox-flowers)

More art woth flowers on this blog

Rupert von Rom Dries van Noten Inspirations on exhibit in Antwerp

Posted on 28/04/2015 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

Dries van Noten Inspirations on exhibit in Antwerp

Inspiration Orientalsm; Art; Madame Jasmy Alvin, 1925, Kees van Dongen/Gladys, 1999, Jacky Nickerson. Dries van Noten

Inspiration Orientalsm, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Orientalsm; Montana for Gibo

Inspiration Nureyev; Wallpaper; reproduction of fabric design from manufacturer Prelle , 1924 by Maurice Dufrene for the house of Truchot.

Inspiration Mexico, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Spain. Painting by Picasso, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Butterflies, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Butterflies; Damien Hirst/dress; Schiapparelli S1937

Inspiration Graphic; on the left; Dresses; Balenciaga/Grés 1980/Cortina 1966. Art; Tauri-R, Victor Vasarely, 1966

Inspiration Graphic, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Gold, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Gold; dress 1952, Pierre Balmain

Inspiration Gold; Mugler; W1978/Piripiri, women’s coat, 1919, Greece.

Inspiration Gold, Dries van Noten

Dries van Noten

Installation; Moving Portraits by David Michalek

Inspiration Marble women; curtain i chains “Odalisque” by Philip Bradshaw

Inspiration Marble men, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Jimi Hendrix, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Grunge;Vase de Fleur by Ignace-Henri Fantin Latour, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Uniform; Rohtko

Inspiration The Piano

Inspiration The Piano; Collar by Worth, 1895

Inspiration The Piano: 1920s booties and a movieclip of Visconti’s “Le Guepard”

Inspiration A midsummer’s night dream, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Camouflage/Sport Couture

Inspiration Sport Couture, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Sport Couture; Afternoon dress, Vilmorin by Christian Dior/Nicla’s Iris, 1990, Cy Twombly

Inspiration Camouflage, Dries van Noten

Inspiration Camouflage

Inspiration Summer Flower

Inspiration Summer Flower; Nick Cave, 2008

Inspiration Summer Flower; Balenciaga/Patrick de Barentzen/Yves Saint Laurent W1980/

Inspiration Summer Flower, Dries van Noten

The other day we, Mimi Berlin, visited the exhibition “Inspirations” by Dries van Noten, in the couturier’s home town of Antwerp, Belgium.
What a great exibithion! And SO marvelously well designed!

Usually in fashion you have to make do with inspirational images on paper, but Dries van Noten shows us the real thing; On show, next to his designs, are Picasso, Damien Hirst, Balenciaga, Balmain, Worth, and many others …….all in the flesh!
Many inspirational movies and fashion shows are beautifully incorporated throughout the transformed fashion museum. Also the sense of smell is an important factor; a scent to accompany your vision can be smelled by touching different walls.
If you haven’t already; make sure you go and see the Inspirations of Dries van Noten. The exhibition was initiated and realized by Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris (01/03-02/11/14), we were told it’s a bit different and smaller in Antwerp. But the new version in Antwerp stays true to its original incarnation in Paris, highlighting the sources of Dries Van Noten’s inspiration by juxtaposing his creations with emblematic past and present works of art and fashion, again curated by Pamela Golbin (chief curator of 20^th-century and contemporary fashion and textiles at Les Arts Décoratifs.) and adapted for the MoMu by Arter, the agency that designed the original exhibition for Les Arts Décoratifs.

Dries van Noten Inspirations, MoMu, February 13 – July 19, 2015.

Our must-see expert Rüpert von Rom posted earlier on “Inspiration” including a video of Dries van Noten talking about the exhibition. Continue reading →

Rüpert von Rom’s Must-See of the Month: Dries van Noten

Posted on 22/04/2014 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

This month’s must-see is more of a MUST NOT MISS. The Dries van Noten exhibit in Paris.

Dries van Noten is the kind of man that makes you want to spend everything you’ve got on anything that wears his label. Van Noten is the one and only for many fashion insiders. And now, as must see of the month, you can get up and close with his designs in the recently opened exhibition: Dries van Noten Inspirations. It’s Van Noten’s men’s and women’s collections combined with important pieces from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs textile collection. A true inspiring event that should be seen by anyone with a love for refined beauty. Like me.
When you go wear something from Dries. Wear everything you’ve got from Dries when you go!

Baci, Rüpert

Musée Les Arts Décoratifs, March 1, 2014 / August 31 2014.

Mail from Ulrike: The Poor Man’s Bias Cut & Sew

Posted on 27/12/2013 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

Mail from Ulrike. To be more precise: snail mail from Ulrike Träge. Since Mimi Berlin has no money/no cent/no dime/nada/noppes, our dear Ulrike showed us the crisis sewing pattern technique for making new clothes during hard times. A couple of years ago she invented a re-cycling technique called; The Poor Man’s Bias Cut & Sew. Only applicable when all your clothes are totally worn out, or if you gained or lost tons of weight! Otherwise the best advice is of course to not cut up your clothes so you can save up energy for other useful things: Like to make money by selling homegrown young plants or your old magazines.

for Mimi Berlin

Von Ulrike, in an enveloppe, made of paper

Ulrike’s The Poor Man’s Bias Cut & Sew is based on crisis pattern making examples from the 1930s

Ulrike’s The Poor Man’s Bias Cut & Sew is based on crisis pattern making examples from the 1930s

Anyway, for us the time has come. We are going to have to use The Poor Man’s Bias Cut & Sew technique on all of our Dries van Noten clothes. NO, not The van Noten’s! we hear you scream. Yes, we have to, they are made from the most durable quality of fabric we own, we answer, whispering with a trembling voice, to your question. Keep you posted! xoxo Mimi