My Projects, An Exhibition Concept For DVF Home

For those of you who don't know, DVF has a recently lauched 'Home' line which includes what else; a very fashionable array of bedding and tabletop. If you haven't seen it yet, you should check it out.


The below is actually the 'lesser' of two schemes I drew up for one of their 2012 Maison & Objet exhibition booths. The other(chosen) scheme we'll have to wait on a little bit before posting as the booth hasn't happened just yet. So... I suppose the obvious over-riding question is how to take a brand which is so canonically associated with fashion and shift it slightly to present a different type of product... This scheme utilizes the mannequin as an embodiment of the connection to fashion; while utilizing the new product line in cleaver ways to articulate them... Plates and pillows are used to cover the 'un-mentionable' parts of the body, bedding sheets are treated as simlutaneously covering and sliding off(as clothing); and further yet, the patterns of the home line are applied directly to the bodies of the mannequins themselves. I suppose there are a few ways you could go with that last part if you were more broadly thinking about the relationship between a brand and a consumer(the kind of direct application of the brand to the consumer's life, or imprint if you will). Or even the relationship between clothing and skin. But whatever... Pulling back, I grouped in the mannequins in the extremely posed manner of fashion photography, even a little bit thinking about groupings in classical art and sculpture; all-in-all to keep insinuating fashion while simultaneously elevating the presentation of the product in a kind of museum like sense....


But I suppose my favorite parts are some of the less obvious things such as the use of a Mondrian type of architecture on the mannequin bodies. Something about the extreme geometrical definitions of Mondrian interfacing with the curve of the body really interests me. More broadly from the outside of the booth, I love the extremely narrow doorway opening for it's proportions(Egyptian inspired I think) and for the way it suggestively frames what you're about to encounter inside. In the same manner and even to a greater degree I love the excessively narrow slot window you'll see at the end of the images. At a time when brands and merchandising can't find a billboard or a store display window large enough; I actually think the most powerful way to get someone to look, is to hide(or tease). Everyone wants to peek through a crack in the wall, don't they. So the sides of this booth as you'll see are designed with an extremely narrow 4-6 inch slot at eye level; where-upon you can just see the heads of the mannequins, and tell that something interesting is happening inside...


...K, hope you enjoy!

tmds1.com

Somewhere Between Fashion And Interiors, A Visual Merchandising Concept For DVF Home

tmds1.com

Somewhere Between Fashion And Interiors, A Visual Merchandising Concept For DVF Home

tmds1.com

Somewhere Between Fashion And Interiors, A Visual Merchandising Concept For DVF Home

tmds1.com

Somewhere Between Fashion And Interiors, A Visual Merchandising Concept For DVF Home

tmds1.com

Somewhere Between Fashion And Interiors, A Visual Merchandising Concept For DVF Home

tmds1.com

Somewhere Between Fashion And Interiors, A Visual Merchandising Concept For DVF Home

tmds1.com

Somewhere Between Fashion And Interiors, A Visual Merchandising Concept For DVF Home

Shop Fashion And Furniture, Shop Lifestyle

Haven't posted in w-a-y too long. Part of the reason is below though, so let's get into it. About a month ago, I realized a few of the following things. Shopping on the internet can be a pain(so many sites/brands/etc.). To go from one individual site to another(one at a time) is relatively time consuming effort. And let's face it, it gets frustrating. Particularly for those of you trying to hide it from your co-workers. Then, there's the auxiliary problem of all that, ummm, we'll call it 'less-than-interesting' merchandise that gets in the way. A LOT of sifting to do. Now while everyone could simply cut through all that by hiring a personal lifestyle consultant or a designer like me, that takes time as well(meetings = ugh), and can also be expensive. What do you do when you just want some quick advice on a chair, and nothing else? Hmmm...

So now for all of my blog readers, and hopefully others, we have the below. It's a shopping/starting point on the internet and I'm calling it FashAndFurn. And anyone who can add 2 and 2 together should be able to guess why. We've got fashion(girls AND boys), and home furnishings in one spot. Better than that, it only takes about 1/10th of a second to switch from one to the other(Note: Big 'W'(omens) 'M'(ens) 'I'(nteriors)) on the site... To additionally ease the burden of having to engage multiple sites; we've also got tons of brands to choose from; so navigate by brand at will...
Now, in terms of quality; because I said part of the issue was weeding out the 'less-than-interesting'. I personally sifted everything ahead of time; so you're always looking at a pre-curated selection of what out there. It's a bit like having a personal shopper, but it's just online. If I didn't think it looked great, I didn't put it in front of you(on the site)...

Lastly, the concept is super easy. Jump on, find something you like, and click it. The site will transport you as directly as possible to that product on the internet while keeping itself open in the background; so you can come back and look some more. Super easy. The interface is 'stuff'-free/clean and modern with NO pop-ups, blinking things, or whatever else... Just white and to the point, the way I like everything design...

Some images and sample merchandise below, hope you enjoy!

Shop Fashion And Furniture, Shop Lifestyle At FashAndFurn.com

Splash!

F2 Home Page. Click the image to check it out, and easily navigate into the shopping portal...

Shop Fashion And Furniture, Shop Lifestyle At FashAndFurn.com

A Clean Easy-To-Use User Interface Design

Shop Fashion And Furniture, Shop Lifestyle At FashAndFurn.com

FashAndFurn Merchandise, Play By Givenchy

Shop Fashion And Furniture, Shop Lifestyle At FashAndFurn.com

FashAndFurn Merchandise, A Modern/Elegant Lighting Fixture From Nuevo Lighting

Shop Fashion And Furniture, Shop Lifestyle At FashAndFurn.com

FashAndFurn Merchandise, A Great Relaxed Gucci Watch For The Boys

Shop Fashion And Furniture, Shop Lifestyle At FashAndFurn.com

Shop Fashion And Furniture, Shop Lifestyle At FashAndFurn.com

Men's Fashion, Cashmere Sweaters From InhabitNY

Came across these the other day and thought I'd share. I know personally I get a little nervous when someone tries to find a sweater for me. Probably most guys do. There's always that reasonably high chance that it will look 'dorky'(for lack of a better term); or be yes, Charlie Brown like. But I love the below, and would be happy to open a box and see any of them this holiday season. They're all from InhabitNY(smaller brand, like the smaller brands lately), and they're all cashmere(equals cozy/comfortable). So check them out if you're shopping for him(who's hard to shop for)...

INHABIT

Men's Fashion, Cashmere Sweaters From InhabitNY

INHABIT

Men's Fashion, Cashmere Sweaters From InhabitNY

INHABIT

Men's Fashion, Cashmere Sweaters From InhabitNY

INHABIT

Men's Fashion, Cashmere Sweaters From InhabitNY

Mondrian Inspired

Bit of a hiatus last week from the blogosphere. But as those of you who know me best are well aware, I like to go MIA from time to time. Just for a little bit. So anyway, back down to business. Busy weeks last couple, and LOTS of new ideas inspired by recent projects. Like today's theme, which is Mondrian. Now, I can't exactly tell you how I got to Piet, as I can't disclose who I was designing for; but when I got there I completely fell in love. Let me disclose, it's been a LONG time since I've looked at Mondrian, or tried to use it in design. But I think that time has come again. I like the big bold geometry going on here. The tension of shifting things just slightly off of symmetry. And then of course, what I'm loving the most is the idea of lineweight. Those black lines at varying thicknesses. The way they are outlining shapes and spaces(nice abstract idea on it's own across all of the design disciplines). In terms of what's out there relative to Mondrian, there isn't exactly as much decor and fashion as you'd think. Particularly on the runway, which I was really shocked by. Turns out you have to go ALL the way back to the 1960's to see Mondrian in Yves Saint Laurent. So I gathered up what I could find, and am generally working on the assumption that we're early to the party on this trend... Hope you enjoy!

Thomas-Michael

...

Mondrian Inspired Decor And Fashion, Mondrian, Number 2.

So here we go. This is the painting I always think of when I think Mondrian. It's easily my favorite. Relative to the others, I love this one for it's refinement, and extreme size variation in the color fields.

Thomas-Michael DelSordo

Mondrian Inspired Decor And Fashion, Mondrian Inspired Pattern.

Here's the sketch that I was working with for a recent project that inspired the whole post. You can see that just this variation in lineweight and balancing of spatial field sizes does amazing things in terms of creating spatial/graphic texture as well as 'depth'.

cappellini.it

Mondrian Inspired Decor And Fashion, Cappellini Cabinet.

Now into some products that we can all use. This and the below are some gorgeous Mondrian inspired cabinets from Cappellini.

cappellini.it

Mondrian Inspired Decor And Fashion, Cappellini Cabinet.

Another great Mondrian piece from Cappellini. I could see using this in a room that has zero other reference to Mondrian. Where it could just kind of be bold on it's own, and contrast.

polyvore.com

Mondrian Inspired Decor And Fashion, Ruthie Davis Pumps.

From fashion, you can find these Mondrian inspired Ruthie Davis pumps which are really cute. I love the color variation in these in how she's deviating slightly from the default primary color scheme. I did something slightly different with the color fields, but we'll have to wait a little to see those...

polyvore.com

Mondrian Inspired Decor And Fashion, Kara Ross Clutch Handbag.

A clutch handbag from Kara Ross. As everything Mondrian, excessively clean, refined, and elegant in design.

ysl.com

Mondrian Inspired Decor And Fashion, The Original 1960's Yves Saint Laurent Mondrian Dress.

I was sure I had seen a Mondrian dress before but couldn't come up with it until I found the original. A YSL dress from the 60's. Thinking we're not too far off from seeing this on the runway again...

Thomas-Michael DelSordo

Mondrian Inspired Decor And Fashion, An Interior Sketch For A Mondrian Rug.

And lastly as I usually do when I have a new theme in mind, a couple of super quick sketches in 3D in a default interior setting. Thinking I'd like to design a Mondrian rug...

Thomas-Michael DelSordo

Mondrian Inspired Decor And Fashion, An Interior Sketch For A Mondrian Rug.

Really loving it, what do you think...? Hope you enjoyed...!

A Few Chic French Country Chairs

Hi. My name is Thomas-Michael, and I have an addiction to french country. Just kidding. Well, not really. Truth is I'm not exactly sure what it is about these pieces that I overly enjoy, but I do. They've got so much character. They're rustic and worn, but still as chic as anything slick and contemporary. They also have all of those incredible hand-crafted details that are so amazing. So, as I usually do when I remember to, or when it's just on the mind like it was this morning; I go check out this amazing little website I found about a year ago that has a small but really beautifully curated selection of antique provincial pieces. All merchandised gorgeously. It's truly a secret little find, and it's called 'The French Garden House'. It's where the below chairs as well as other things I'm sure I'll be posting about in the near future came from. So, just a quickie, a few chairs to get started for today; and for anyone who wants to visit the site on their own, there is a link provided immediately below each of the post images.

Thomas-Michael

frenchgardenhouse.com

Shabby Rustic Chic Antique French Country Chairs.
So here we go. I'm starting off with this gorgeous white on white Louis XV French style bergere. It's just really elegant, isn't it. Like I said above, I also love the way these chairs are merchandised. Love that newspaper wallpaper in the background.

frenchgardenhouse.com

Shabby Rustic Chic Antique French Country Chairs.
This is almost slightly medieval I think in it's form. Very strict and serious looking. Love it. I'm showing the back because I love the old wooden frames on these chairs. Really gorgeous.

frenchgardenhouse.com

Shabby Rustic Chic Antique French Country Chairs.
Some of the beautiful details in the chairs that I was referring to above. The caning is amazing here. Love everything about these chairs.

frenchgardenhouse.com

Shabby Rustic Chic Antique French Country Chairs.
And lastly for today's quickie post, a gorgeous vintage Louis XV upholstered daybed. This is such an incredible piece. Look at the curvature and the detailing on the frame. And so chic with that old gold gilt. All really beautiful. This is a theme I'm sure I'll have to come back to again, very soon.

Fashion Accessories, Gucci Watches

Ladies first. I'll get to some men's watches in the not too distant future, if not next post.

So, as we all know, there are a LOT of predictable looking watches out there. I'll leave certain notable watch brands nameless, and say rather, I decided to scope out Gucci instead.

Turned out to be a great decision. As rather than a canonical batch of tradition, I found more than a few gorgeous shapes, material combinations, and interesting details. The Gucci watches are classic. But not in a boring way. A little different, and fashionable. There are a lot of distinct styles to choose from for being just one brand. And within each style, a matrix of variations. I like multiplicative distinction. And I love variation. In terms of design, I think they rise above the convention of simply needing a watch, or of having a nice/expensive one purely for the sake of it. These each have a stylistic impulse that signals accessory or jewelry more than function or repetitious nostalgia. They each have an aesthetic life onto themselves. And they're all highly noticable, fun, and playful. While still remaining elegant and sophisticated at once. In short, I think it's a best of both worlds situation...

Now, in terms of where to find them. I grabbed all of these from the same place for everyone's shopping convenience. So all you have to do is click on one of the below images and it will take you straight to that particular watch with all of it's relevant information, in a new window, on the Blue Nile website. Clearly as evidenced below, they have a great selection to choose from.

Thomas-Michael

Left To Right:
Gucci Ladies' Twirl Collection Watch
Gucci Women's Steel Watch
Gucci Women's Chiodo Watch

Fashion Accessories, Women's Gucci Watches.
I'm starting off with the three most distinct watches. All a little mod in terms of shape and materials. Maybe even 'Art Deco'. All extremely clean stylistically. I love the stripes on the first one and how it's all one width, like a bracelet. Super refined. The middle watch in gold has very beautifully subtle mod details like those oblong rounded corners. And on the right, I love how minimal that face is, and how it allows that big bold circular shape to come through. All really clean and gorgeous design here...

Left To Right:
Gucci Women's Petite 6800 Series Watch
Gucci Women's Bangle Watch
Gucci Women's 6800 Series Watch

Fashion Accessories, Women's Gucci Watches.
I absolutely love the shape on these. And the materials, particularly on the first two. The shapes remind me of the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi. Biomorphic and 'Art Nouveau' I think. Really clean faces here again. The shapes bordering between lavish and refined in such a careful balance. Really beautiful.

Left To Right:
Gucci Women's Signoria Watch
Gucci Signoria Diamond Square Mother-Of-Pearl Dial Women's Watch
Gucci Women's Signoria Watch

Fashion Accessories, Women's Gucci Watches.
Definitely 'Art Nouveau' here. Really classic. The shapes are completely amazing. And I love the way that square face is at once floating and locked within them. I particularly like the one with the leather strap. The mixing of materials between the hardware and the strap is nice I think. Gives it a certain texture relative to the other two. But honestly can't take my eye off of that interesting geometry. It's skeletal in a really soft beautiful way.

Mixed:
Gucci Women's Synthetic, Leather, Steel, And 3900 Series Watches

Fashion Accessories, Women's Gucci Watches.
And lastly, these are the simplest of the batch. But still very playful in terms of materials, colors, face texture, and the extremity of that narrow proportion. Super slim, thin, and sexy. Think they would all work equally as well in dressy and casual situations.

Now remember, you can scope any of these watches out on the Blue Nile website simply by clicking on the respective image above...Best, Thomas-Michael

Mens Fall Fashion, Military Inspired Jackets/Coats

And one for the ladies as well. Last image.

I'll admit it, I'm a complete sucker for military inspired fashion. No idea why. Maybe it's because it's one of the few themes we can get away with when getting dressed, whereas women seem to have tons of options. Or maybe it's because of the the excess array of straps, buttons, and whatever else that seem to give it a real sense of the mechanical or of explicit functionality. How male minded does that sound? Whatever it is, a jacket with just a little bit of military design inspiration gives you the opportunity to differentiate yourself against the apparent total monotony of men's fashion on the street. The military design inspiration is clean, crisp, no fuss except the explicit kind, and strong; so it works exceptionally well for a man in terms of what we would ordinarily look for in a piece of clothing. Now, it's a theme, not a costume; and there are a lot of over the top versions out there. So I tried to keep the selections to implied design inspiration rather the excessive, hope you enjoy!

Thomas-Michael

riverisland.com

Mens Fall Fashion, Military Inspired Jacket/Coat. Here we go. This one is from River Island and we can see right away some of the details that enhance the jacket. The gold buttons, striping on the wrists and shoulders, and the mandarin collar all signal military design inspiration. I love this one because it's just inspired details here and there. Only where absolutely needed. Really clean.

riverisland.com

Mens Fall Fashion, Military Inspired Jacket/Coat. Here's the exact longer cut version of the above jacket. I personally like the shorter of the two, but this one would be incredibly useful in the rain.

farfetch.com, By Balmain Paris

Mens Fall Fashion, Military Inspired Jacket/Coat. From English to French it seems. Definately a little bit more literal here, but I still like it. This is more the type to throw on casually with jeans or whatever. The cut and the little extra regalia make it come to life.

balmainonline.us

Mens Fall Fashion, Military Inspired Jacket/Coat. Also from Balmain, this one I love. Super simple and not too much of the theme. Just enough. Would be great for the fall.

thisnext.com

Mens Fall Fashion, Military Inspired Jacket/Coat. Also love this one. Think it's kind of reminiscent of a past generation of military uniforms with that long line of buttons. So classic.

jcrew.com

Mens Fall Fashion, Military Inspired Jacket/Coat. Now, aside from pea coats, navy, and blazers, you can also go fatigues inspired and more sporty or widely usable. This one is from J. Crew, and I really love it. Love the color and the way it sits on the torso. Could wear this anywhere eight days a week, and be super comfortable.

asos.com, By Liquorish

Mens Fall Fashion, Military Inspired Jacket/Coat. And lastly, one for the ladies. Just because I thought it was so adorable. And because if you had to be one of those matching couples, this would probably be the ideal complimentary choice.