Selfridges Celebrates Shakespeare 400th Anniversary with the Most Creative Campaign Yet

 To honour Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary, Selfridges has made its biggest and most creative campaign yet … They are opening a temporary in-store theatre and a series of collaborations with designers, musicians and drama groups.

The campaign, created in-house, also sees Selfridges collaborating with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) and The Faction theatre company. Shoppers will be able to watch a play being rehearsed and musicians playing in the store throughout the event.

The window displays will include one-offs from Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen, Maison Margiela, Marques’ Almeida, Dries Van Noten, Erdem, Craig Green, Givenchy, JW Anderson, Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens, and others.

The windows will launch in two phases (Act I and Act II) with the first inspired by Bard’s romances and comedies and the second by the tragedies.

The campaign started from 4th of July but will stay until 24th of  September. It will be the longest-running creative project yet for the Selfridges… I just can’t wait to see it when I’m back in London.

One of the brands collaborating with Selfridges for their campaign is Olympia Le-Tan. She has turned to the great bard’s most famous works to inspire a capsule limited edition bags that are exclusively sold at Selfridges during that period.

 

My favorite Shakespeare play of All Time is Othello!! Othello to me is what Romeo and Juliette is for others!…. Who doesn’t want to be loved the way Othello loved Desdemona?…. Anyways I just couldnt help my self … got the full Shakespeare collection!!! …

Book of the week: To kill a Mockingbird

Haper Lee, the reclusive author of two books – both amongst the most controversial of their time – has passed away on Friday at the age of 89. For an author who only published two books in her life, Lee’s place in literary history is assured by the quality of the two and the effect they had on American society.

1961’s To Kill a Mockingbird is considered to be the greatest American novel. It introduced the world to Atticus Finch, a principled lawyer who defended a black man against a rape charge in rural Alabama. Most American schools today mandate Mockingbird as required reading.

The book was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. Here Harper Lee is pictured with Gregory Peck, who starred in the movie and won an academy award for best actor for his role as Atticus Finch.

Book of the Week: Dinner with Jackson Pollock (Assouline)

Jackson Pollock the artist needs no introduction—but perhaps lesser known is Jackson Pollock the gardener, baker, and entertaining dinner-party host. From starters and entrees to side dishes, breads, and desserts, Dinner with Jackson Pollock features more than 50 recipes collected from handwritten pages scrawled by Jackson; his wife, artist Lee Krasner; his mother, Stella; or traded among their many friends in the town of Springs on Long Island, interspersed with Jackson’s masterworks, still lifes of Pollock’s home, and beautiful photographs of each delectable recipe, plus delightful tales from Jackson and Lee’s family and local friends, for a truly unique and insightful portrait of a great artist.

Here is one of the recipes from the book

Pea Salad with Russian Dressing

This recipe comes from Pollock’s own mother, Stella, which she kept in a red faux-leather book together with other handwritten recipes and newspaper and magazine clippings. Serves 2 to 4.
Ingredients

For the Salad:
2 cups fresh baby spring peas, shelled
1⁄2 cup American cheese, cut into small chunks
3 tsp onion, finely chopped
3 tsp sweet pickles, finely chopped
8 pecans
2 cups shredded cabbage, if desired

For the Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
4 tbsp chili sauce
1 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp red onion, very finely chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 dill pickles, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions:
This salad may be combined all together in a large bowl before serving, or the elements layered individually onto the plates before adding small dollops of dressing. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Book of the Week: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

It’s not Halloween without this classic book and cartoon!. Nothing else sets the mood for me and my little gang 😉

Here’s the 1st part of the cartoon just to freshen your memories!

Book of the Week

 

I think that I have a lot of catching up to do because I haven’t blogged in …. well forever!!! I’ve been meaning to post about this book for almost 2 years now! (oops). And although it’s not new anymore I’m posting about it today because I think that this is the book that started an entire genre of titles aiming to teach us how French women dress, what French women do and don’t do, what food they eat, what food they don’t eat, all claiming to have the answer to “je ne sais quoi”!

 How to Be a Parisian Wherever You Are: is a collaboration between Caroline de Maigret and Parisians girlfriends Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, and Sophie Mas… It’s a fun light-hearted book … for those of you who haven’t read the book yet here are 5 tips from the book just to give you an idea of what’s it about:

1. “Be aware of your qualities and your faults. Cultivate them in private, but don’t obsess.”

2. “Au naturel is the fruit of hard labor, meticulously passed down from generation to generation.”

3. “Like Coco Chanel, do your utmost to avoid dinners with more than six guests around the table.”

4. “Parisian women never try to appear to be something other than what they are. In truth, more than wanting to look young—which is but a fleeting illusion—they want above all to become the best possible version of themselves, outside and in, at any age.”

5.  And finally “Take time to take time, because nobody else will do it for you.”

I know that we are talking about books now but I wanted to show you the new collaboration between Caroline de Maigret and Lancome which I love

It’s called MES INCONTOURNABLES DE PARISIENNE from Lancome

It consists of the palette above and other products as well.

To me, this palette sums up the book beliefs of what French beauty stands for: simple, timeless, and natural beauty and the appearance of effortless elegance.

PS: watch the ad that Caroline made on Lancome’s website … I loved it and thought that it was so funny!

Book Of the Week: How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

There is something truly magical about Christmas stories… My kids just love reading them over and over again…. This story, in particular, is a favorite …. maybe because they are Dr.Suess fans or maybe because they just love the movie so much!!!…who knows!!!

Dr. Suess writes a whimsical Christmas tale in his word-play style that everyone always enjoys…..The Grinch hates Christmas and wants to stop it from coming. So he forms a devious plan: to impersonate Santa Claus and steal Christmas presents. But to his amazement, he did not stop Christmas from coming!….. He realizes something new. That maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. That maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!

via Amazon.com

Book Of The Week: Pro/Con Kid’s Journal

Ok, this isn’t technically a book…. But I thought it might be useful for parents like me to know about it!!!….This Pro/Con Journal is supposed to be a great tool for introducing the concept to kids. It says that it could enable them to make right choices!!!…hmmm let’s see…. I’m ordering a few copies right now… and I’m hoping that the journal is everything it says it is!!! 😉

Via Kid Crave.

Book Of The Week: Rebel Chic

Katharine Hepburn is another one of my style icons!!!…. She was glamorous when she wanted to be and tomboyish when she didn’t and as a result, she developed a personal style and public image as a style rebel…. She never intended to change the face of American fashion; she just didn’t like wearing skirts!!!. I love this quote from the book that Hepburn told Calvin Klein “I realized long ago that skirts are hopeless….. Anytime I hear a man say he prefers a woman in a skirt, I say, ‘Try one. Try a skirt.’”

Via Amazon.com

Book Of The Week: ABOUTFACE

Scott Barnes is the makeup artist to the celebrities… I didn’t think that I would like this book or find it useful… but I actually did and highly recommend it 🙂

Via fashionizers.com.

Book Of The Week: Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day

Richard Scarry’s books were our favorite when we were kids… We used to love reading them and we used to pretend to be those characters when we played!!!… I still get excited when I find his books!!!! I love reading them to my kids… because it almost feels like I’m sharing or reliving my childhood with them!!! 🙂

Amazon.com