John Painter's Blog

ALEXANDER McQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTY

Recently, I had the chance to take an after-hours tour of the new Alexander McQueen exhibit, Savage Beauty presented by the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The tour was lead by the exhibition's dashing young curator, Andrew Bolton from the Costume Institute at the Met. Alexander McQueen retail store manager Sorel Thongvan was also in attendance and complimented Mr. Bolton's curatorial insights with some interesting stories about the history of the Alexander McQueen stores, including the breathtaking store on 14th. St. 

Aside from the obvious thrill of seeing the Savage Beauty exhibit without being pressed and hurried through the exhibit spaces by the outsize crowds of people who have been flocking to see the exhibit since it opened on May 4th., I was absolutely giddy about the experience of being in the museum after dark, when the vast halls are nearly deserted. I have a child-like obsession with Night at the Museum and this experience came pretty close to fulfilling my fantasy.

 

Exhibit Experience

Without question, Savage Beauty is one of the most extraordinary fashion and art exhibits I have ever seen or felt. There are so many aspects to the exhibit, the clothing, accessories, the exhibit design, stage craft and audio/visual elements that it truly is a significant, although delightful effort just to experience it. Conceivably one could prepare in advance to see Savage Beauty by reading extensively on Alexander McQueen's history, his influences, the composition and stories of his collections and the excerpts of his thoughts and feelings that have been recorded or written about. All this prep work would certainly be a valuable head start in comprehending the exceptionally large collection of work that is on display.

Alternatively, one could come to the exhibit with no prior knowledge of the existence of Mr. McQueen or his work and be subject to a purely visceral and sensory experience. Encountering Savage Beauty unfiltered by the editorial interpretations of others is an enviable experience. As an artist and designer, Mr. McQueen sought to communicate with people's emotions and instincts and strip away preconceptions by disrupting and agitating the consciousness. When viewing the Savage Beauty exhibit, at least initially, it's worthwhile to let your critical guard down and allow the work in the exhibit to affect you in the most direct way possible. On subsequent trips through the exhibit you can take a more analytical approach to viewing the works, but don't miss out on feeling the raw aesthetic power of the exhibit at least once.

My initial experience with Savage Beauty was both a studied admiration of work that I had seen in print but was now seeing firsthand as well as a strong, almost unexpected emotional reaction to the garments themselves. To see such a vast body of work, together in one place at one time magnifies the impact and perception of the inventiveness, daring and creativity that is evident, beyond any expectations, in Mr. McQueen's work and definitely requires you to pause for breath.

During his tour of the exhibit, Andrew Bolton detailed some of the challenges that he faced in choosing and placing the works that comprise the exhibit as well some of the design and construction innovations that were used in the exhibit stages. Alexander McQueen production designers Sam Gainsbury Joseph Bennett were responsible for the majority of set design and construction in the exhibit, including some amazing display cases with ornate and highly detailed workmanship (worth taking a closer look). Mr. Bolton was careful, and considerate in his descriptions of the works in the exhibit not to dictate to people how they should interpret or feel about any particular garments, leaving it up to us to building our own impressions.

Mr. Bolton also recounted anecdotes involving Mr. McQueen and the inspirations or creation of various garments. All of Mr. Bolton's anecdotes underscore Mr. McQueen's passion and dedication to his work as well as his exceptional skill as a tailor and craftsmen. One example is a story regarding the creation of a coat for the Dante collection for autumn/winter 1996-97. After many hours of frustratingly difficult work trying to build the coat, Mr. McQueen's staff gave up in exasperation and declared that it could not be done the way that McQueen had envisioned. Mr. McQueen persisted alone and the next morning his staff came in to find him asleep on the couch with the coat, exactly as he had wanted it, completed.

As a fashion design student, the primary lesson that I came away with from Savage Beauty is the importance of doing your homework. As obvious and simple as it sounds, one of the things that sets Mr. McQueen's work apart is how well informed and well executed his influences and references are. Mr. McQueen was a veritable sponge in terms of his ability to absorb and comprehend information and he was an excellent student of history, culture, art, music and the natural world. For example. Mr. McQueen's designs with military influences, both western and eastern as well as his kimono interpretations, show an attention to detail and historical accuracy that is a noticeable differentiator.

Favorite pieces from the exhibit

The following are some of my favorites from the exhibit. I did not take any pictures while going through the exhibit. Although others who were on the same tour did take pictures, I felt a little intimidated by the explicit instructions not to take pictures. All of the pictures used below are snapshots that I took from the exhibit catalogue. The works in the catalogue were beautifully photographed by Sølve Sundsbø.

The exhibit opens with two dresses from the VOSS collection for spring/summer 2001. The dress on the left is made of red and black ostrich feathers and glass medical slides painted red and the dress on the right is made of Razor-clam shells stripped (bleached) and varnished. Mr. Bolton stated that one of the most difficult decisions in curating the Savage Beauty exhibit was picking the pieces that would be the first thing viewers see when entering. Mr. Bolton chose these two dresses because he felt that they "ticked the most boxes" in terms of being quintessentially Alexander McQueen. Some of those ticked-boxes include the classic Alexander McQueen silhouette, the use of non-conventional materials in non-conventional ways and the powerful symbolism behind the works. 

In the exhibit, the two dresses are displayed in a large all-black enclosure of side by side coffins. The display leaves it up to the viewer to interpret the meaning, the relationship between life and death, rebirth, renewal...all could be considered part of the symbolism. “There’s blood beneath every layer of skin.” - the powerful quote from Mr. McQueen about the inspiration behind the red painted microscope slides used in the red dress.

Left to right, VOSS, spring/summer 2001, dress made of red and black ostrich feathers and glass medical slides painted red and dress made of Razor-clam shells stripped (bleached) and varnished.

 

Mr. Bolton noted that the rarest and in some regards the most prized pieces in the exhibit were those from Mr. McQueen's 1992 MA graduate collection at Saint Martins College of Art & Design. It's remarkable to see these early pieces of work from Mr. McQueen next too his later work and take note of the consistency of his design principles over the span of his career, particularly his signature silhouette. Mr. McQueen's graduation collection was purchased in its entirely by Isabella Blow in 1995 for £5,000, paid in weekly installments of £100 and is now owned by Daphne Guinness who purchased Mrs. Blow's collection after her death in May 2007.

Coat, Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims (MA Graduation Collection), 1992 Pink silk satin printed in thorn pattern lined in white silk with encapsulated human hair. This coat was lent to the Met by Daphne Guinness, who purchased Isabella Blow's entire collection of Alexander McQueen garments and accessories after Blow's untimely death in May 2007.

 

Mr. McQueen is quoted as saying "Beauty can come from the strangest of places, even the most disgusting of places.". In an autumn/winter 1997-98 collection for Givenchy Haute Couture Mr. McQueen based his inspiration on a fictional fin de siècle surgeon and murderer who cut up women’s bodies and reassembled them. The showing of the collection, titled Eclect Dissect was held in a Paris medical school with medical specimens and blood red curtains decorating the stage set. The dress pictured below, constructed of lilac silk with black silk lace, jet beads, black leather and beige silk inserts depicting birds, was one of my favorites at the exhibit.

Dress, Eclect Dissect, House of Givenchy Haute Couture autumn/winter 1997-98. Lilac silk with black silk lace, jet beads, black leather and beige silk inserts depicting birds.

 

Historical references are important components of the design and story lines behind some of Mr. McQueen's garment designs. Equally significant is his fascination with the romantic and the juxtaposition of dark and light, good and evil, beauty and savagery. The following two pieces from the collections Highland Rape, autumn/winter 1995-96 and Dante autumn/winter 1996-97 are very interesting to me because of the collage of historical influence, romantic idealism and jaw-dropping skillful craftsmanship. The coat on the right from the Dante collection is the coat referenced in the anecdote that Mr. Bolton related about Mr. McQueen finishing a complex design on his own after his staff gave up in frustration.

Left to Right, Jacket, Highland Rape, autumn/winter 1995-96. Green wool embroidered with gold military braid and Coat, Dante, autumn/winter 1996-97. Black wool embroidered with gold bullion cord.

 

Mr. McQueen referenced the history and landscape of his ancestral home of Scotland in many of his garments. He dealt with the history of the Highland Clearances where the English forcibly removed Scottish farmers from their lands in his Highland Rape collection for autumn/winter 1995-6 and drew upon the cold, windy, hardbitten aesthetic of the Scottish highlands in his Widows of Culloden collection for autumn/winter 2006-7. The ensemble pictured below is a fascinating combination of fabric, texture, draping and sillouhette that is faithful to tradition without the constraints of convention. Mr. McQueen's own words about the Widows of Culloden collection are “[This] collection is . . . romantic but melancholic and austere at the same time. It was gentle but you could still feel the bite of cold, the nip of the ice on the end of your nose. . . . With bustles and nipped waists, I was interested in the idea that there are no constraints on the silhouette. I wanted to exaggerate a woman’s form, almost along the lines of a classical statue.”

Ensemble Widows of Culloden, autumn/winter 2006–7, Dress of McQueen wool tartan; top of nude silk net appliquéd with black lace; underskirt of cream silk tulle.

 

While many of the topics and subjects that Mr. McQueen covered in his collections involve harsh contrasts and unexpected proximities, there were often elements of whimsy incorporated in differing portions. The whimsy in Mr. McQueen's collection The Girl Who Lived in the Tree for autumn/winter 2008-9 is delivered in a larger portion than in most of his other collections and gives the collection it's own unique characteristic. The dress depicted below is perhaps the softest piece in the collection and has an intriguing combination of influences that are inspire curiosity. Mr. McQueen describes the collection as the transformation of a feral woman who was living in a tree and then becomes princess when she decides to descend to the earth. A quote from Mr. McQueen about his inspiration reveals his historical reference points with "doomed" women of the past "like Catherine the Great, or Marie Antoinette". I feel that the collection, The Girl Who Lived in the Tree pulls back the covers on the fairy tale myth and shows the reality that everything, including beauty, comes at a price.

Ensemble, The Girl Who Lived in the Tree autumn/winter 2008-9. Overdress of red silk woven with silver jacquard borders; underdress of ivory silk tulle.

 

Challenging conventional ideas about what is beautiful was a one of Mr. McQueen's greatest talents and one of his lasting contributions to fashion. The VOSS collection from spring/summer 2001 dealt squarely with this topic and yielded some of Mr. McQueen's most interesting work. The ensemble pictured below is one of my favorite because it combines conventionally ugly shapes (box, straight lines) with conventionally ugly visualizations (moss on a rock) and adds extraordinarily beautiful and intricate embroidery, colors and materials to the mix - disrupting the senses.

Ensemble, VOSS, spring/summer 2001, Jacket of pink and gray wool bird’s-eye embroidered with silk thread; trouser of pink and gray wool bird’s-eye; hat of pink and gray wool bird’s-eye embroidered with silk thread and decorated with Amaranthus.

 

Mr. McQueen's historical knowledge and respect for tradition shows through in all of his work. The dress pictured below (close-up view) from the collection titled Scanners for autumn/winter 2003-4, is not only an exceptional example of skilled, detailed workmanship, but is respectfully accurate in its use of the traditional construction techniques used by the Japanese in their warrior outfits. 

Dress, Scanners, autumn/winter 2003-4. Brown and gold silk/cotton threads embroidered with gold metal sequins. 

 

Mr. McQueen's inventiveness and eclectic inspirations result in unusual and thought provoking presentations. The collection It's Only a Game for spring/summer 2005 drew upon the chess game scene from the Harry Potter movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to create a scenario placing different types of women on the same plane facing off against each other. The ensemble pictured below, depicting an American footballer was worn in the showing of the collection by a model playing the role of King on the chess board. 

Ensemble, It’s Only a Game, spring/summer 2005, Bodysuit and obi-style sash of lilac silk satin and chiffon embroidered with silk thread; shoulder pads and helmet of fiberglass painted with acrylics.

 

 Video exerpt of the It's Only a Game spring/summer 2005 runway show featuring the chessboard theme.

 

The concept of a simple silhouette and straight forward design that, upon magnification becomes increasingly complex and intricate is a technique that Mr. McQueen mastered. The close-up shot of a dress seen below, from the Eshu collection for autumn/winter 2000-2001 has clean and elegant lines and a color transition from yellow to brown that looks to be simple and straight forward when seen on a woman in full view, however upon closer examination the glass bead embroidery intertwined with brown horse hair reveals an exquisite and complex texture, described by Mr. Bolton as a "tour de force of the couture."

Dress, Eshu, autumn/winter 2000–2001, Yellow glass beads and brown horsehair.

 

The time consuming and labor intensive technique of torn lace, where individual pieces of lace are cut into pieces and reassembled was pioneered by Mr. McQueen in his Highland Rape collection for autumn/winter 1995-6. The dress pictured below from this collection is a gorgeous example of how the tedious work involved in cutting and reassembling the lace pays dividends in the look of the finished product. The technique of torn lace was used again in other dresses designed by Mr. McQueen and the expertise in handling lace developed by the house of McQueen was on brilliant display in the ivory silk Chantilly lace-appliquéd   bodice of Kate Middleton's wedding dress.

Dress, Highland Rape, autumn/winter 1995–96, Green and bronze cotton/synthetic lace.

 

The exhibit concludes with a miniature recreation of the runway stage for Mr. McQueen's Widows of Culloden collection for autumn/winter 2006-2007. On the recreated miniature stage is a fully working version of the pepper's ghost 3D hologram featuring Kate Moss that was the finale to the actual runway show. The 3D hologram is projected by the extraordinary Musion Eyeliner 3D projection system. The scene with Kate Moss moving eloquently in an ivory silk organza dress is accompanied by the beautiful and heart wrenching theme from Schindler's List. Overall I feel that Savage Beauty is an exhibit that is best appreciated alone, with no distractions and all the time in the world to absorb it's subtleties - this is especially true when viewing the final piece featuring the Widows of Culloden hologram.

 

Video excerpt of the finale from the Widows of Culloden runway show for Alexander McQueen's autumn/winter 2006-2007 collection.

 

Presentation of selected garments from the collection of Daphne Guinness

Following Andrew Bolton's tour of the Savage Beauty exhibit there was a short presentation by Kate Nobelius and Daphne Guinness where Daphne discussed her long standing relationship with Mr. McQueen as both a patron and a collaborator. Mrs. Guinness showed a small selection of pieces from her collection of Alexander McQueen garments, including some that she acquired when she purchased Isabella Blow's collection. In her presentation Mrs. Guinness offered several touching stories about Mr. McQueen's kind and caring personality as well as his passion for his work and his loyalty to those who were close to him. Mrs. Guinness recounted her first meeting with Mr. McQueen, which was a happen stance occurrence that she was unprepared for. The sensation of this first meeting and the impression that Mr. McQueen left on her is a moment that Mrs. Guinness stated has remained clear and vivid in her memory to this day.

Daphne Guinness and Kate Nobelius discussing some of Mrs. Guinness's Alexander McQueen garments worn by models to Mrs. Guinness's left.

Models wearing a selection of Alexander McQueen garments from the collection of Daphne Guinness - in the Charles Englehard Court in the New American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Savage Beauty curator Andrew Bolton, of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Gorgeous Alexander McQueen embossed stationery from the event invitation.

Chinese bakery-style cream cake recipe

Firstly, I want to say that this cake recipe is not my recipe. I found the recipe on a blog named My Edible Memories, written by a very talented baker, Lucy. Lucy has created her own fabulous tutorial for baking this cake, which I would definitely recommend reading. My goal in writing my own tutorial is to add some of my personal tips and tricks to Lucy's original recipe and to share these tips with my friends who have expressed an interest in baking this cake themselves. 

The Chinese bakery-style cream cake can best described as a fruit and custard filled sponge cake with a light whipped cream frosting. Variations on this style of cake are commonly sold in Chinese bakeries, including Tai Pan and Fay Da which are the two most popular chains in Flushing and Chinatown.

I am not sure what the proper Chinese name is for this style of cake or if there even is one - there doesn't appear to be a lot of documentation on this style of cake except for the few blog entries and baking how-to's that can be found on the Internet. The Koreans have a specific name for this cake which they call the Saeng Cream Cake (쌩크림 케이크) or fresh cream cake. When I was originally researching the recipe for the Chinese cream cake, I came across the following very well done tutorial on how to make the Korean fresh cream cake.

Preparation

In order to properly make this cake and have adequate time to attend to all of the details that can make the difference between just a good cake and a great cake, allow for about 4 to 4.5 hours from start to finish. The more times you make the cake the quicker you will be able to do it, however do not be tempted to rush too much at the cost of quality.

Certain steps of the recipe, particularly the baking of the meringue cakes, require things to be done quickly. To ensure that you do not fumble looking for ingredients or cooking utensils during these steps, it is important to have everything ready in advance so that you can execute the steps with as little delay as possible. 

Shopping list

This list includes many basic ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen, therefore you may not need to do much shopping at all in order to make this cake.

• All purpose flour (1 lbs. or more)
• Granulated sugar (1 lbs. or more)
• Confectioner's sugar (1 lbs. or more)
• Heavy cream or Heavy Whipping Cream (1 pint)
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• Unflavored gelatin (found in the Jello section of the supermarket)
• 1/2 dozen large eggs
• Unsalted butter
• Whole milk
• Salt
• Jar of fruit preserves (strawberry or apricot)
• 1 honey dew melon
• 3 or 4 kiwis
• 1 lemon
• 1 medium sized box of strawberries
• 1 box of parchment paper

Baking tools and cookware

Required

• Two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. Preferably the professional style pans that are made from aluminum and that are *NOT* non-stick coated. The lack of a non-stick coating will allow the meringue cake to stick to the sides of the pan when baking and help hold itself up vs. colapsing on itself.
• Medium sauce pan, two (or more) stainless steel prep bowls (or glass if you prefer). 
• Hand mixer or stand mixer with wire basket whip. While having a stand mixer is not a requirement, it can be a big benefit in terms of allowing the cook to work hands free as well as providing more consistent whipping performance.
• Utensils: Wire whisk, rubber spatula, measuring cups, chef's knife or pairing knife, pastry knife for smoothing frosting, kitchen brush, peeler (for peeling the kiwi).

Optional

• A hand-powered egg beater can be beneficial for smoothing out the lumps in the custard, however it is not required. 
• Melon baller (small and medium) for creating melon balls.
• Sieve for straining the reduced fruit preserve glaze. Small paint brush for applying the glaze.
• Pastry piping bag and medium/large size decorative tip(s).
• Spinning cake platter or lazy susan to make decorating the cake easier.
• Cooling racks for cooling the cakes.

Making the cake in four easy steps

The creation of the Chinese creme cake is composed of four separate steps. I have found that executing the steps in the order listed below makes the best use of overlap and waiting time and results in the fastest end to end time for making the cake.

Step 1 - Prepare the custard

The custard is the filling that goes in between the two cake layers, along with the fruit. The custard in this recipe is a sugar/vanilla custard that should appeal to most tastes. As an alternative, a taro-root based custard can be substituted for a more authentic  Chinese taste. Since the custard needs to chill for at least two hours, it makes sense to get it out of the way first. You can even prepare the custard the night before making the cake. Bring the custard out of the fridge about 15 minutes before you begin assembling the cake so that it can warm up to a spreadable temperature.

Ingredients for custard filling

• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup of all purpose flour  - it is better to use all purpose flour vs. cake flour as cake flour does not have enough protein to help support the meringue cake and using cake flour will result in a denser and flatter cake.
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup of whole milk
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla or vanilla paste - when using vanilla paste, you can use slightly less than 1tsp as the paste is more concentrated.

Directions for making the custard

1. Warm 3/4 cup of the milk over low heat in a sauce pan and add the dry ingredients while whisking to create a smooth mixture.

2. Once combined, bring the mixture to a boil for an instant while whisking constantly to keep the mixture smooth, then lower the heat and cook for another couple of minutes to thicken the mixture and then remove the sauce pan from the stove. *Note: if you are using copper or cast iron (Le Creuset) cookware, be mindful of the fact that these materials retain a lot of heat and be sure to periodically whisk your custard mixture for the first few minutes after removing it from heat or it will continue to thicken and possibly form lumps.

3. Mix the egg with the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and combine with the mixture in your saucepan. Return the saucepan to the stove and whisk vigorously over medium heat until the mixture returns to a boil. It is important to continually whisk while heating the mixture in order to ensure that the mixture is as smooth as possible. If your arm tires from whisking, you can alternatively use the hand-powered egg beater to smooth out the mixture, but be very cautious about spilling the mixture from beater too aggressively. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from heat.

4. Add the vanilla to the mixture and transfer to a bowl. Cover the bowl with Saran wrap (if possible the Saran wrap should touch the top of the custard mixture to prevent the formation of skin). Refrigerate the custard for at least two hours or longer (overnight) if desired.

[Upper left], milk, sugar, salt, flour mixture reaching first boil. [Lower left], using hand-powered egg beater to supplement whisking and smooth out custard. [Right], custard reaching final consistency.

Step 2 - Bake the meringue cakes

The light and fluffy texture of the Chinese cream cake is achieved by using meringue style cake. Meringue is a mixture of sugar, flour and whipped egg whites. The whipped egg whites give the meringue it's light and airy body. 

Preparation and sequencing is of the utmost importance in the baking of the cakes. The whipped egg whites can quickly loose their air and therefore must be mixed with the rest of the ingredients and transferred to the oven for baking as quickly and gently as possible. Therefore, be sure to pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees before starting the baking steps and have all required ingredients measured and close at hand.

Ingredients for meringue cake

• 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1tsp of granulated sugar (split into 2 even portions)
• 6 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites - a simple way to separate eggs is to put two bowls side by side and crack the egg into your hand over the bowl that will contain the egg whites. Let the egg white slip through your fingers while keeping your fingers spaced close enough to hold the egg yolk. Once all the egg white has slipped through, place the egg yolk gently in the egg yolk bowl.
• 1.4 tbsp butter, melted
• 1.4 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste.

Directions for baking the cake

Cake batter and baking

1. Prepare your cake pans by cutting out two parchment paper liners to fit on the bottom of the pans. Before putting the parchment paper liner in each pan, spread butter on the bottom of the pan only, not on the sides. Place the parchment paper liner in the pan and spread butter on top of the liner and then dust with flour, shaking the excess flour out of the pan.

2. Prepare all ingredients in advance and place them within reach of your workspace. Let the eggs warm up to room temperature before separating the yolks and whites as it will be easier when the eggs have warmed up. Put the sugar in two separate containers, and put the melted butter and the milk in their own small containers or glass bowls. If you are using a stand mixer for whipping the your egg whites, crack your eggs and put the whites directly into the mixer bowl.

3. Mix half of the sugar with the egg yolks until the mixture has a pale yellow and smooth consistency, add the vanilla.  (set aside). Make sure that you use a fairly large mixing bowl for the egg yolks as you will eventually need to add the whipped meringue and flour into this bowl.

4. Whip the eggs whites until they reach a foamy consistency, but not so far as to achieve stiff peaks. Add the remaining sugar in several additions, while continuing to whip until you achieve stiff peaks.

5. Add half of the whipped egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture and slowly and careful fold in with the rubber spatula. Add in the melted butter and the milk.

6. Gently fold in the remainder of the egg white mixture and continue to fold, scraping the sides and the bottom of the bowl, until fully combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the two cake pans and place quickly into the oven for baking. Before placing the pans in the oven, shake them lightly from side to side to help even out the distribution of batter in the pans - this will help ensure that the cakes bake as evenly and flatly as possible (to minimize the need to level them with a knife after baking is finished).

7. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, use a cake tester to check for readiness towards the end.

After baking

1. Once the cakes are finished baking, let them cool in the pan and remove them to cooling racks.

2. Using a serrated bread knife, or your fingers, remove the brownish film that forms on both sides of the cake. This can be done by rolling the film off in sections or by making a clean cut with the serrated knife. If you leave any part of the brown film on the cakes, it will harden and become noticeably chewy in the finished cake.

3. In a small sauce pan make a simple syrup with two parts water to one part sugar. Dissolve the sugar in the water over low heat and add the juice from half a lemon once dissolved. Brush the simple syrup onto all sides of the cakes to help keep them moist.

4. Place the bottom layer of your cake onto a rotating cake tray or lazy susan (to make decorating the cake easier). Place parchment paper strips around the edge of the cake with the borders of the strips sitting just underneath your cake. These parchment strips will prevent the frosting from sticking to the cake tray and make for a nice clean edge once they are removed after you have finished the first part of frosting the cake (do not leave the parchment paper in place while putting any decorative edging on the cake with a piping bag or removal of the paper will disturb the edging). In lieu of the parchment paper strips, a wet paper towel can be used to clean up frosting that spills on the cake tray.

Step 3 - Cake Assembly

While the cakes are baking, you can use that time to cut your fruit in preparation for cake assembly. There are many options with regard to which fruits to use in the Chinese cream cake as well as how to cut and display the fruit on the cake. Some common options for fruits include honey dew melon, kiwi and strawberry. Cherries are also a good decorative choice. 

Some potential fruits to use in your cake, honey dew melon, kiwi and strawberries as well as the lemon for the simple syrup.

Directions for assembling the cake

1. Cut the fruit (this step can be done  while the cakes are baking). Assuming that you are using honey dew melon, kiwi and strawberry as your fruits, the approach that I prefer for cutting the fruit is to make balls out of the melon using a melon baller, make half circles out out of the kiwi slices and make wedges from the strawberries.

2. Place the first layer of the cake on your cake plate or lazy susan. Using about 1/2 of the available custard, spread a thin layer of the custard on top of the cake layer (you can use the back of a large spoon to do this). Spread the custard so that it covers the cake layer to within about 1/2" of the edge. Leave some room around the edge so that the custard can spread out when you put the fruit and second cake layer on top of it. *Note: remember to bring the custard out of the fridge about 15 minutes before starting assembly of the cake.

3. Add the fruit of top of the custard. I prefer to intersperse the melon and kiwi in the center of the cake and put the strawberries around the edge, however any method will work.

4. Using the remaining custard, spread a layer on top of the fruit and smooth it out with the back of a spoon.

5. Add the second cake layer on top of the bottom layer with the custard/fruit/custard filling in the middle. Check the cake for level at this time. If the cake is not level, you can use pieces of fruit to shim it until its level (strawberry wedges work best for shimming). At this point the cake is completely assembled and ready for the final step - frosting and decorating!

Assembling the cake in three steps, 1) Add custard on top of first layer, 2) Add fruit on top of custard, 3) Apply another layer of custard on top of the fruit and then add the second layer of the cake.

Step 4 - Frosting and decorating the cake

Once the cake is assembled, it is time to make the whipped cream frosting, frost the cake and apply the fruit decorations. Since the whipped cream needs to be cold when you are making it and working with it, it is a good idea to be prepared to decorate your cake as soon as you finish making the whipped cream. Have all the tools you need ready, including an icing knife and pastry piping bag and decorative tip.

Ingredients for whipped cream frosting

• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin - can be found in the supermarket in the Jello section.
• 2 cups (1 pint) of chilled heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2.5 tbsp of confectioner’s sugar

Directions for preparing the whipped cream frosting

1. Place your mixing bowl and wire whisk(s) into the freezer for about 5 to 10 minutes before using them to prepare the whipped cream. This will ensure that the cream stays as cold as possible. 

2. Add the unflavored gelatin to a small bowl with the 2 tbsp of cold water. Let it soak for about 5 minutes and then dissolve the gelatin into the water by holding the bowl (carefully) over a pot of simmering water to slowly heat it while continuously stirring. Once dissolved, the gelatin and water should be almost clear. Set aside and let cool to a luke warm temp, but do not let the gelatin cool or sit too long or it will harden.

3. Take your chilled mixing bowl and wire whisks out of the freezer and add the 1-pint of chilled heavy cream to the mixing bowl. Beat the cream in your mixer or with your hand mixer in the following manner.

a. Beat the cream slowly until it just starts to form bubbles (30 sec.).

b. Increase the mixing speed to medium until the wire whisk leaves some trails in the cream (30 sec.).

c. Increase the mixing speed to high and mix the cream until it becomes billowy. Add the sugar and vanilla carefully while continuing to mix until the cream becomes just stiff. The cream will begin to stiffen within a minute of adding the sugar. As soon as the cream is just becoming stiff, add the dissolved gelatin while continuing to mix. Once the gelatin is added, the cream will further stiffen and dry out. After adding the gelatin, continue beating the cream for about 30 more seconds or until you are satisfied that it is stiff enough, but not too dry or clumpy.

4. Once you are finished with beating the whipped cream, use it immediately for frosting the cake, or refrigerate it for later use. If refrigerating the cream for later use, be mindful of the fact that the cream may stiffen slightly when refrigerated, but it will loosen up again once you start working with it.

Directions for decorating the cake

1. Begin by applying a generous layer of cream on the top of the cake with your icing knife and then covering the sides of the cake. Smooth the top and sides with the icing knife (it is helpful to continuously wipe your knife with a rag or paper towel to prevent bits of frosting from leaving trails while you are attempting to smooth).

First step of frosting the cake - Apply a layer of frosting to the top and sides and smooth.

2. Apply decorative edging or shells or any type of frosting decoration that you choose using your piping bag and a large sized decorating tip.

Example of decorative edging and florets on a finished cake.

3. (Optional) Once the base frosting and decorative frosting is finished, you can put the cake in the refrigerator to chill for a while before beginning the application of the fruit. It's a good idea to chill the cake if the frosting steps took a long time (15min or more) and if you anticipate that adding the fruit will also take you a while. The frosting will begin to break down if left at room temperature for too long.

4. Add the cut fruit to the top and/or sides of the cake. There is no right or wrong method for adding the fruit to the cake, basically anything will work. I prefer to add the melon balls around the outer edges with the kiwi in the middle and strawberries at the center.

Example of fruit decorations on the top and side of a finished cake.

5. The final step of decorating the cake is to apply a thin glaze to the fruit to make it glisten. This glaze is prepared by adding equals part of water and fruit preserves (strawberry or apricot works well) to a small sauce pan and boiling the combination until it reduces. Poor the reduction through a sieve into a small bowl. Use a small paint brush or other similar brush to apply the liquid to the fruit.

Prepare the glaze by straining a fruit preserve reduction into a small bowl. Use a small paint brush to apply the glaze to all pieces of fruit on the cake.

6. Once the fruit on the cake has been glazed, put the cake in the refrigerator for a hour or two to allow it to chill and firm up before serving. The cake is best served the same day, however it will survive overnight in the fridge if necessary.

 

Congratulations! Your cake is now finished. Enjoy.

Kitchen Arts & Letters, the rewards of persistence and Grand Livre de Cuisine

Earlier this week, I was in the city for work and running early for my afternoon meeting. With extra time on my hands, I decided to do some browsing of the stacks of books at Kitchen Arts & Letters on Lexington Ave. between 93rd and 94th Streets. As a side note, for those who love to cook or who love to read cook books, Kitchen Arts & Letters in New York City is an absolute treasure and I would highly recommend a visit. There is no other cook book store with such a comprehensive, diverse and unusual collection of domestic and international cook books. Moreover, the helpfulness and knowledge of the staff cannot be overstated - as will be evidenced later in my story.

While I was browsing at Kitchen Arts & Letters, I noticed a well used copy of Alain Ducasse's Grand Livre de Cuisine sitting high up on a shelf in a far corner of the store. In the back of my mind I had been planning (one of these days)  to pick up a copy of Ducasse's hefty (12lbs.) compendium of French restaurant recipes, however I had never seen one on the shelves of any bookstore before. Moreover, I had heard that copies of the French language version of Grand Livre de Cuisine were nearly impossible to find in the US, especially affordable used copies. Delighted that I had made this unexpected find, I pulled the book down from the shelf and continued browsing for a while.

When I finally went to checkout, I placed the heavy book on the counter and timidly inquired with the store clerk about the possibility of a discount due to the book's rough condition. The clerk was very kind and stated that a discount would of course be in order. While he was leafing through the book to check it's condition and judge the magnitude of discount warranted, the clerk noticed an inscription from Alain Ducasse to Nach Waxman, the owner of Kitchen Arts & Letters. After some discussion with the store's manager, it was decided that, unfortunately, they could not sell this book to me given it's sentimental value to Mr. Waxman. The Store manager was exceptionally helpful and understanding of my disappointment, he explained to me that years ago Ducasse's restaurant in the city supplied the store with a limited number of copies of French version of Grand Livre de Cuisine, however they had stopped doing so a while ago and the supply had since run out. The manager also explained that the publisher in France was not inclined, for whatever reason, to send any copies of the book to their store. The manager suggested that I might go myself to the restaurant an inquire about any extra copies of the book that they would be willing to sell me, however this prospect was a little too intimidating for me. I left the store feeling somewhat dejected after all that excitement and went along to my afternoon meeting in Midtown. Thankfully, the story does not end here...

After finishing up my meeting and stepping out into the busy crowds of office workers heading for the #6 Subway to start their evening commute, I found that I was still feeling disappointed about having left the store empty-handed. I was torn between taking the subway one stop downtown to Grand Central and heading home early or making the slog all the way back uptown to Kitchen Arts & Letters to see if I could put my name on a list to be contacted should they ever come across another French copy of Grand Livre de Cuisine. Despite being completely convinced that it was a waste of time, I decided to head back up to the store. Upon entering the store for the second time that day, I greeted the store manager by apologizing for pestering him before proceeding to ask about the likelihood of finding another copy of the French version of the book . The manager's very honest reply was that there was pretty much no chance of another copy coming into the store since the restaurant supply had dried up and the French publisher was not sending them any books.

As I was about to leave and head back home, feeling even more dejected after suffering a second defeat in my attempt to obtain the book, I half-heartedly asked the manager if there was an English language version of the book in the store - so that I could head home with something more than an empty Metrocard to show for my efforts. After looking around the store for over 10 minutes, the manager submitted that he was unable to find any English copies of the book and acknowledged that even he was a little disappointed at the fruitlessness of the search. Just as he was about to give up and send me on my way, the manager decided to take one last look through the store's basement. Somehow, during this final last-ditch effort to search every inch of the store, the amazing discovery of a French version of the book in excellent condition was made. Neither the manager nor the store clerk knew of the existence of this mysterious copy of the book in the store's basement. Needlessly to say, I was delighted and felt completely vindicated that my persistence had paid off. I waited breathlessly for the manager to check the book for an inscription to the store's owner, which would have rendered it unsaleable, just like the first copy I had found. In a final stroke of luck for the day, the copy of the book turned out to be inscribed to someone other than the store's owner and was therefore determined to be suitable for selling to me. I left the store and headed home feeling very grateful to have found such a beautiful used copy of the French version of Grand Livre de Cuisine which I was able to buy at a very nice discount.

 

Rewards of persistence - my recently found copy of the French edition of Grand Livre de Cuisine and the inscription page signed by Alain Ducasse with his regards to some person who's name is unintelligible.

 

Having already savored the novelty of finding this wonderful book under such fortuitous circumstances, it is time to move on to savoring some of the recipes within. Some critics and reviewers of Alain Ducasse's book consider it to be poorly written, poorly photographed and generally not well thought-out in terms of it's objective or target audience - as compared to Julia Child's meticulously researched and extensively tested (by her) Mastering the Art of French Cooking. For example, while Ducasse's book has many wonderful recipes, a great many of them call for ingredients, preparation time and cooking steps that are not practical for the home cook. Of course, none of this matters to me as I love the book and the classic, if not challenging, French recipes that it contains.

One of the first recipes in the book that caught my eye is Foie gras de canard des Landes. This simple recipe rests upon the quality of the ingredients that it calls for, primarily high quality duck foie gras and duck fat from ducks raised in the Landes region of France, where, coincidentally M. Ducasse was born. So fundamental is this dish to French culture and French life that it is listed as the chosen dish for a theoretical final meal at Senderens in Paris by this blogger...

 

The recipe for Foie gras de canard des Landes in Grand Livre de Cuisine. The recipe includes notes for the proper cooking of foie gras as well as the final presentation of the dish in aluminum foil. The foil does double duty as part of the final heating step of the dish as well as the presentation piece.

 

Another recipe in the book which is worth mentioning is the ambitious Côte de bœuf du Charolais poêlée, palets de céleri-rave et échalotes confites, châtaignes, jus gras de braisage d’une queue de bœuf. If the title of the recipe itself, a real mouthful, is not intimidating enough, the ingredients and preparations that it calls for should give even the adventurous home cook reason for concern. Assuming you are lucky enough to find the meat that the recipe requires - beef chops from a Charolais cattle (an almost pure white coated breed of cattle originating from the Charolais area in the Burgundy region of France, but now also raised in the US and Australia), you have only just begun the challenge of completing this recipe. Luckily, a very skilled cook has posted this simplified version of the recipe which makes it a tractable dish for any resourceful home cook. 

The recipe for Côte de bœuf du Charolais poêlée, palets de céleri-rave et échalotes confites, châtaignes, jus gras de braisage d’une queue de bœuf with detailed instructions for bringing out the flavor in the beef and beef juices - yum!!!

 

The next exciting cookbook on the horizon for me is the formidable Modernist Cuisine. I will write about that book just as soon as my reserved copy arrives.

EXPRESSIONS DENTELLE: Claire Catoire / Pascal Auvé lace exhibit at FIT

Claire Catoire, a French lace dress designer currently has some of her work on display in the lobby of building 4 at FIT. The exhibit is a collaboration between Claire Catoire and French photographer Pascal Auvé. Auvé's photographs are featured alongside Catoire's dresses in the exhibit. The exhibit runs from April 4th through April 17th, so there is not much time left to catch it. 

According to the exhibit description, Catoire's designs are in the tradition of French lace heritage typical of Northern France. The theme of the exhibit is a "dream-like anthem to lace" titled "EXPRESSIONS DENTELLE". Despite the tight space in the lobby, there are actually quite a few garments and photographs on display. Definitely worth the trip just to see the dresses up close.

The following are some pictures that I took of my favorite pieces in the exhibit. 

White lace cocktail or evening dress by Claire Catoire

Detail of bodice of white lace cocktail / evening dress by Claire Catoire.

Full body view of white lace cocktail / evening dress by Claire Catoire.

Full body view of white lace dress by Claire Catoire. I love the design and construction of the skirt with multiple layers of different textures and transparency.

Front and rear views of black lace cocktail dress by Claire Catoire.

Front and rear detail views of black lace cocktail dress by Claire Catoire.

Collection of lace dresses by French designer Claire Catoire.

My favorite of Pascal Auvé's photographs on exhibit. Copyright: Pascal Auvé

Mao Zedong Badges and Pins

During our recent visit to Beijing, Joanne's parents were very kind to bestow upon me their collection of Mao Zedong badges and pins from the cultural revolution in China. The collection that they gave to me consists of over twenty-five pieces made from plastic, tin and porcelain. The majority of the badges feature the left profile of Mao. Images of the right profile of Mao were considered taboo during the cultural revolution due to the prevailing leftist political sentiment.

The following excerpt from Bill Bishop's very thorough history of Mao Zedong badges summarizes the significant role that these badges played during the cultural revolution - 

"Badges carrying the image of Mao Zedong first appeared in China before liberation. They were produced sporadically until the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, when in late summer 1966 they began to be manufactured in massive quantities. From the summer of 1966 to the summer of 1969, factories, work units and army units across the country stamped out over several billion badges in tens of thousands of varieties. Mao badges were an integral part of the cult of Mao. In his history of the Cultural Revolution, Yan Jiaqi includes a section entitled "`Displaying Loyalty` and Thought Control". According to Yan, "not long after the start of the Cultural Revolution...it suddenly became the rage to have a `little red book' in hand and a Chairman Mao badge pinned to the chest." According to one very rough estimate, in 1969 over ninety percent of people wore Mao badges."

In light of the historical context in which these badges were created and worn, they are indeed a very interesting piece of world history. In testament to the important place these badges have in the history of China's government and peoples, a few examples are part of the permanent collection at the British Museum as well as many other museum's collections.

With regard to my new collection of badges, I plan to organize them into a window frame and display them as a part of our family's life and history in China.

My collection of Mao Zedong badges and pins, given to me by my in-laws in Beijing.

Stylish Hobbies

Prior to leaving on our two week vacation to China I had composed some themes and concepts for a fashion editorial assignment for one of my classes at FIT. I enjoyed our vacation so much that I lost track of the assignment and it's due date. When I returned from China I found that I had only two days left to pull it off. I had not done any of the prep work required for the original editorial themes that I had envisioned and therefore I was forced to scramble.

Suffering from jet-lag and an acute lack of time I improvised an idea and enlisted Joanne's help to make it work. Joanne and I did some last minute shopping at the mall to pick up some tights and see if anything interesting could be found at Forever 21. After our quick shopping trip, Joanne braved the freezing cold weather wearing too little while I composed and shot the various parts of the editorial.

The improvised concept was to create an editorial based on a sequence of images with an unexpected and disruptive element that causes the viewer to see the clothing in the image from a different perspective. The disruptive elements ended up being various props from some of my personal hobbies, including a 20 year-old video camera, an R/C car and helicopter and our '87 Red Alfa Spider. All of the shots were very rushed and done without much if any consideration for the background (my original theme concepts had called for consistent and relevant backgrounds). Moreover, all shots were done with available light using a standard lens and gratuitous PS work.

The following are a few of the final images from the completed editorial assignment.

 

Joanne posing in the hallway to our kitchen with a 20 year-old Sony BVW-200 video camera that weighs over 15 lbs.

 

A few more images of Joanne with the video camera. These shots were inspired by the Colour Block editorial styled by Grace Coddington for the September 2009 issue of Vogue (featuring the cameraman who shot The September Issue movie).

 

Joanne posing in front of our Alfa Spider. The car itself is the epitome of Italian style, with a timeless Pininfarina designed body that is instantly recognizable. Joanne managed the perfect pose to make this shot work.

 

This is my least favorite shot from the project. I wanted to include a shot featuring the full length of the car, however I could not figure out how to make it work. I dislike the bold red type and the checkered-flag border, but could not come up with better.

 

Here Joanne is posing with my FG Leopard R/C car. In this shot Joanne's face was not supposed to be out of focus, however this was the only decently composed shot that I had for this look and I had to go with it. In retrospect, the out of focus actually works to the advantage of the shot, drawing more attention to the clothes.

 

Joanne and I struggled to make this shot work and could not come up with any good poses. This was the last pose that we tried and I think it ended up working out the best.

 

I had originally envisioned the helicopter playing a more prominent role in the editorial, however it proved to be very difficult to hold and pose with and this was the only shot we were able to make with it. In this shot the strong cold wind that made shooting outside so uncomfortable ended up helping us out by blowing Joanne's hair to add to the "flying" context of the picture.

China

I recently returned from a wonderful family vacation in Beijing, China. This was our first trip to China with the kids. We spent the majority of our time in the neighborhood close to Joanne's parent's apartment and away from the busy center of the city. Therefore we had time to enjoy the many different pleasures of daily life in China. The following are some pictures and notes on some of the things that we enjoyed during our visit, including food, street style, dogs,  cars and bikes, bird watching, glasses and fake iPhones.

 

1. Food

When we started planning our trip to Beijing a few months ago I began doing some research on where to find the best food in Beijing. I read about some fantastic home style restaurants hidden in back alleys and other great culinary delights, however I ended up procrastinating too much and never had a chance to write down any of the places that I wanted to visit. In the absence of any information on the specific restaurants that I had read about, we followed the recommendations of relatives and friends and did some exploring on our own. We had many great meals and also enjoyed shopping in the farmer's market and super market. The wide range and freshness of foods, especially fruits, vegetables and meats available in average neighborhood in Beijing is on average far better than what can be found in all but the best markets in the Tri-State area. 

 

Breakfast

Almost every morning we walked out to buy a fresh hot breakfast. The short walk in the brisk morning air was the perfect way to work up a healthy appetite. Some of the things we regularly ate included various salty and sweet buns, fried dough (油条 - youtiao) and an egg and flour pancake wrap that is made to order on a circular hot skittle.

Breakfast images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) fried dough (油条 - youtiao) vendor, (2) breakfast shop with rotating skewer of marinated turkey slices, (3) buying sweet and salty buns and (4) a selection of buns for sale. 

 

Zha Jiang Mian 炸酱面 (fried sauce noodles)

Zha Jiang Mian is a traditional Beijing dish and is the perfect way to stay warm in the chilly March weather in the city. There is a very good authentic Beijing style restaurant right across the street from Joanne's parent's apartment that serves Zha Jiang Mian. The noodles are served with the fried bean/pork paste and various ingredients on the side. Before eating, the sauce and ingredients are all mixed in with the noodles. This was one of my absolute favorite dishes during our trip.

Zha Jiang Mian images: Left to right, (1) The noodles and separate ingredients, (2) The ingredients mixed in with the noodles - ready to eat!

 

Shanxi (山西  Shānxī) Noodles

One of the staples of the cuisine of the North Western Chinese provence Shānxī is a homemade style of thick noodles that is served with a unique type of vinegar that is used with almost all Shānxī food. The noodles have a delicious taste and robust texture that makes them very filling. Coincidentally, there is a Shānxī restaurant right next to the Zha Jiang Mian restaurant across the street from Joanne's parent's apartment - extremely convenient and tasty! 

Shānxī noodle images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) Joanne enjoying a fresh bowl of Shānxī noodles, (2) close up of noodles on chopsticks, (3) corn bread buns.

 

Shaanxi (陕西 Shǎnxī) Cuisine

Not to be confused with Shānxī, Shaanxi (Shǎnxī) is another North Western provence of China with notable and unique cuisine. We ate lunch at a very authentic and very crowded Shānxī style restaurant in the down town area of Beijing. The restaurant had an open kitchen where the sound of flour being vigorously kneaded for making fresh buns could be heard from the dining room. Moreover, all the waitresses in the restaurant had the same traditional Northern-Chinese haircut. In addition to enjoying many dishes from the fabulous menu, we drank Choujiu, a sweet milky rice wine with lunch - a quick way to warm up on a cold day.

Shǎnxī cuisine images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) Liang Feng (cold bean curd noodles), (2) Pork mutton burgers, (3) A waitress with the restaurant's distinctive haircut, (4) The open restaurant kitchen.

 

Farm Fresh Cuisine

After making a quick trip to the Great Wall to take some pictures, we stopped for lunch at restaurant that uses only ingredients from the restaurant's own farm. While there are many of these "farm-style" restaurants near the Great Wall and Ming Tombs, we were guided by a friend who knew one that was actually authentic (apparently there are many "pretend" farm-style restaurants that cater to bus loads of tourists). The restaurant that we ate at was exactly the type of homestyle Chinese cooking that I was hoping to have during our trip to Beijing. Our lunch was fantastic and the low key, rustic country side atmosphere of the restaurant was very relaxing. In terms of food, this meal was probably the best of our whole trip.

Farm cuisine images: Left to right/Top to Bottom (1) A stewed whole chicken, literally everything but the feathers, (2) Corn meal soup, (3, 4) A fresh fish and a picture of the nearby reservoir where the fish was caught, (5) Fresh vegetables, (6) Minimal rustic decor, (7) The entrance to the restaurant.

 

Fast food in Beijing

The kids suffered a lot from the time change and resulting jet-lag and therefore they were not always eating as well as they normally would. To help make them more comfortable we made a few visits to McDonald's and KFC in Beijing. While KFC has made significant changes to adapt their menu to the local Chinese market, including serving congee for breakfast, McDonald's has resisted any assimilation and remains remarkably consistent in their menu and the taste of their food. One notable difference between Chinese McDonald's restaurants and their US counterparts is the presence of attendants who clean the tables after people are done eating, relieving patrons of the tremendous burden of carrying their trays five feet to the trash bin. The McDonald's uniform for female attendant's is a very cute pink neru collared blouse, pleated skirt and knee-high socks. 

In addition to McDonald's and KFC, we also visited a Yoshinoya restaurant in a nearby mall for a more asian-style fast-food experience. 

Fast food images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) A McDonald's branch in Beijing, (2) Sitting down at Yoshinoya, (3, 4, 5) A female McDonald's attendant dressed in their standard cute uniform.

Farmer's market and supermarket

Farmer's markets and large super-markets are abundant in Beijing. So much so that buying fresh groceries on a daily basis is a very practical way of cooking and eating. In my opinion, the singular most impressive sight in Chinese super-markets is the butcher's counter. The quantity and variety of meats available is extraordinary, especially in terms of pork.

Market images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) Fresh herbs and vegetables, (2) Slicing winter melon, (3) Nuts and beans, (4) Mushrooms, (5) Roasting seeds, (6) Tea eggs, (7) The butcher's counter at a local super-market, (8) Fresh fruits.

 

Restaurants in Beijing

There are so many restaurants in Beijing, large and small, fancy and simple that there is a great deal of variety available within close proximity to almost anywhere. It would be very easy, and not too expensive to eat every single meal out and never cook at all. 

Restaurant images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) Shānxī restaurant with staff outside for the customary morning meeting, (2) Xīnjiāng restaurant at night, (3, 4) Casual lunch spots.

 

2. Street Style

Street style pictures are always a big challenge for me since I lack the courage to ask strangers if I can take their picture. I found this challenge to be even more formidable  in China where my limited Chinese language skills presented yet another obstacle to confronting people on the street. To keep things simple, the only lens that I brought on this trip was my 50mm Zeiss macro planar.  Without a long lens to shoot people from a distance I shot mostly from the hip. Shooting without looking through the viewfinder with a manual focus lens is very much a hit and miss approach and I missed a lot. Consequently, I did not get nearly as many street style pics as I had hoped, but I did get a few that show the general trends on the street in Beijing.

The styles seen on the street in Beijing are very eclectic, with a lot of Japanese influences seen on younger men and women as well as a mix of European and Asian influences in business and casual day wear and evening wear. Amongst the wide range of styles there are some consistencies dictated by the urban Beijing environment (dry and windy) as well as the by the fact that most people in Beijing do significantly more walking or bike riding than the average New Yorker. For example, there are no bare legs to be seen anywhere, even in 65 degree weather. There are almost no high heels aside from kitten heels or boots and there is an overwhelming preference amongst women for pants or tights with shorts - skirts below the knee are almost never seen. Furthermore, scarfs and shawls are in abundance, although sometimes concealed, to be used to wrap the head in the even of an impromptu dust or sand storm.

Street style images: Left to Right, (1) Young girl with leather shorts, leather jacket. Love the zippers on the jacket, (2) Girls in business attire.

Street style images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) Example of short skirt and tights, (2) Totoro shirt under jacket, (3) Mish-mash of colors, (4) Another example of tights.

Street style images: Left to Right, (1,2) Examples of more urban style. Unfortunately, it seems that lens-less bold frame glasses are just as popular in Beijing as in New York.

Street style images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) Quilted faux-leather jacket and tights, (2) More tights, (3) Animal prints, especially dogs are the most common tote theme that I saw, (4) Plaids and prints on knitwear are very common (I wish I had more pics of knit-wear prints).

Street style images: Left to Right, (1) Tights, ruffled skirt and boots, (2) Typical example of Beijing urban wear - practical for walking, bike riding (shoulder strap bag, casual shoes).

 

3. Transportation

Beijing has many different transportation options, some better suited than others to different purposes. For long trips within the city nothing beats the speed and convenience of the subway. The only downside to the subway is that some lines, particularly the #1 line that goes to popular down town tourist spots are extremely crowded. For medium length trips the buses are ideal and very inexpensive. Both the subway and bus lines use a well designed proximity card reader system, however the buses and subway inexplicably do not use the same card! Short trips or trips to areas where buses and the subway do not go are best served by taxis. There is no shortage of taxis in most areas of Beijing and from what I have experienced over the years, the taxis are fairly priced and very courteous. 

When I first visited Beijing over ten years ago, Joanne and I went almost everywhere on bikes and there was plenty of company from other bike riders. While there are still a fair number of bikes on the streets of Beijing, they are becoming increasingly marginalized - replaced by cars, motor scooters and electric bikes. Moreover, traffic congestion and the rules of engagement for traffic intersections (i.e. no rules), make riding a bike a somewhat dangerous proposition.  

The rapid increase in the number of cars in Beijing is immediately noticeable as is the prominence of high-end luxury cars. Even SUVs have become common place on the streets of Beijing despite their impracticality for parking and navigating narrow streets. 3-Series BMWs and C-Class Mercedes are replacing the once ubiquitous Peugeot and Citroen sedans as the preferred car of the young urban generation. Sadly, automatic transmissions are now common place and petrol is vastly more popular than diesel (diesel is 3 RMB per liter more expensive than petrol). With government controlled prices for fuel in China there is no need to contend with the nonsensical station to station variations of gas prices in the US.

Bike images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) Despite being prohibited, it is common practice to have riders on the back of bikes, (2) Folding bikes are very popular now, (3) Traditional Beijing bike, inexpensive and practical, (4) Bolding riding amidst traffic.

Transportation images: Left to Right, (1) A young couple waiting for the subway, (2) A family making the most of available seating space on their motor scooter.

Car images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) 5-Series and 7-Series BMWs are everywhere, (2) I really wish this 120i Coupe was available in the US, (3) A young lady driving a Porsche, (4) More like the kind of car that used to common in Beijing 10 years ago, (5) A bold mockery of a police car - I was really surprised to see this on the streets in Beijing.

 

5. iPhones

One of my objectives during my trip to Beijing was to buy either the parts to replace the glass front/back of my black iPhone 4 with white (as Steve Wozniak famously has done) or to buy a high quality fake white iPhone. Despite having some inside help, I was unable to get the parts that I was looking for, however fake white iPhones were very easy to come by. In China there are several tiers of fake iPhones, ranging from high-end versions that actually run iOS and cost between 5000 - 6500 RMB (about $600) to very low quality fakes that run Android and cost from 700 - 1500 RMB. Because of the high cost of getting a good fake iPhone, I ended up not buying one, but I did enjoy browsing the huge indoor malls in the electronics district.

Electronics images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1, 3) Inside the vast malls in the electronics district - virtually impossible to navigate without a guide who speaks/reads Chinese, (2) Various fake iPhones for sale.

 

6. Dogs

I was pleasantly surprised to see how many dogs there are in Beijing since dogs have traditionally not been popular as pets in China. Small breeds, especially asian breeds seem to be the most popular, however I did see quite a few Collies and even a few Golden Retrievers. One of the great things about China is that there is generally not a lot of fuss about things that would probably make most people in the US aghast, such as smoking indoors, windows that open on high rises and parking your car on the sidewalk. One of the benefits of this relaxed mentality towards daly life is that you see people taking their dogs with them everywhere, including walking them in the mall, in restaurants, etc. 

Dog images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1,2) Dogs on the street in Beijing, (3,4) Dogs in a mall in Beijing.

 

7. Bird Watching

I went to Beijing unprepared for doing any serious birding watching. I did no prior research on what I could expect to see in Beijing and I did not bring a field guide. Moreover, I did not bring any long lens for my camera and therefore had no hope of taking any decent bird pictures. Despite not being prepared, I did enjoy seeing a good range of bird species in Beijing. I was not able to find a field guide in local book shops until the end of my trip and therefore I did not identify most of what I saw (I am a novice bird watcher and I cannot recognize many species without the aid of a field guide). Without question, the Black-billed Magpie (pica pica) is by far the most common and most visible species in Beijing. The Black-billed Magpie is a relatively large and easy to see bird and its frequent antics make for great bird watching.

Bird images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1,2) Black-billed Magpies in Beijing, (3) Advertising in the subway for a show on bird photography, (4) The field guide that I eventually purchased - even though the text is mostly Chinese, there is English text with all the plates, so it was still usable for me.

 

8. Eyeglasses

When I last visited Beijing ten years ago, I bought a pair of eyeglasses made from real glass. I was so pleased with the characteristics of the real glass (doesn't scratch easily, has a nice solid feel) that I decided to buy another pair during my most recent visit. I went to the same eyeglasses store that I had gone to ten years ago. Real glass eyeglasses not nearly as popular as they used to and according to the staff at the store, very few people order them any more (too heavy, too dangerous if they break). The store where I got my glasses is run by an eye research institute and as a result the examination is very professional and accurate, however the selection of frames is very limited. Nonetheless, I found a pair of frames that I liked and got my glasses five days later. Joanne also had her prescription checked and got a new pair of glasses, however she wisely she chose plastic lenses. 

Eyeglasses images: Left to Right, (1) My new real glass eyeglasses, (2) Joanne having her eye examined.

 

9. Daily Life

Some miscellaneous images from daily life in Beijing

Images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) Corner newsstand, (2) Practicing traditional songs in the park for the upcoming Communist Party anniversary, (3) Covering up as dust swirls in the street.

Images: Left to Right/Top to Bottom, (1) Buildings as seen from the park, (2) Winston taking a break inside a local mall, (3) Varying colors and textures of buildings, (4) Joanne's parent's 40+ year-old wok atop a high-output cooktop burner typical of Chinese homes.

My Favorites Dresses from the 2011 Oscars

The following are my favorite dresses from the 2011 Oscars. I almost always tend to prefer classic lines over daring shapes and I feel that Red, Pink and Beige are traditional old Hollywood colors that always look great. That being said, I think that there were some exciting and inspired innovations in the dresses worn this year.

 

Classic Elegance - Anne Hathaway in Valentino 

Anne's Red Valentino dress, which is similar to her previous Oscar choices is the epitome of classic elegance. The short train and rose-like gathering above the train adds just the right amount of seriousness to this fun, but classic dress. Anne is pictured below on the red carpet and with the designer, Valentino Garavani (right).

Inspired and Innovative - Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Haute Couture

Cate's dress from the Givenchy Spring 2011 Haute Couture Collection by Riccardo Tisci is stunning both for it's bold, but classic lines and innovative embellishments. Riccardo's inspirations for the collection were Japanese Robot toys and the Butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno. Cate's dress was not universally liked by Oscar fashion watchers, but it certainly was noticed by everyone. There's only a brief glimpse of Cate's shoes, not sure what they are, however the chrome does work well with the dress, especially in the context of the Japanese Robot Toy theme.

 

Coming-of-age Cute - Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa

Hailee's Marchesa dress shows a fun and youthful look, which I think suits her well as she is still so young. Nonetheless, I feel that the elegant bodice and unique patterning on her dress give her a touch of old Hollywood glamour. I am not sure about her choice of shoes. The 4-inch Ferragamo heels seem to be too much for the dress, but they do match well with her Ferragamo clutch.

 

Vintage Glamour - Florence Welch in vintage Valentino

In keeping with her signature style, Florence Welch wore a beautiful layered vintage Valentino dress. The beige coloring and intricate bodice are pure old Hollywood and she completed her look nicely with gorgeous sequined medium height heels.

 

Stunning and Sophisticated - Jennifer Hudson in Tangerine Versace

Jennifer's Tangerine Orange Versace dress is a beautiful example of skillful draping and construction. The dress perfectly accentuates her amazing figure and the color is bold and unusual without being the slightest bit garish or out of place at the Oscars. 

Favorite Collection from New York Fashion Week

For a recent class assignment I had to pick my favorite designer/collection from the recently concluded Fashion Week in New York. My pick is Rag & Bone's Fall/Winter 2011 Ready-to-wear collection by designers David Neville and Marcus Wainwright. The collection was shown Friday February 11^th, 2011 at the Lincoln Center Damrosch Park main tent venue.

 

Rag & Bone Fall/Winter 2011 Ready-to-wear Collection 

For me the Rag & Bone Fall 2011 Ready-to-wear collection was the most exciting collection shown during Fashion Week 2011 in New York. The Rag & Bone collection mixed classic patterns of plaid, tartan and herringbone tweed with bold colors and geometric shapes as well as futuristic ribbing to create a look that is very contemporary, but is anchored by traditional materials and textures and conventional garment types. Moreover, I think almost all of the looks in the collection are very wearable and particularly desirable for the New York winter weather this year. 

Rag & Bone designers David Neville and Marcus Wainwright sited Inuit costumes and 1970’s ski uniforms as inspirations for their Fall 2011 RTW collection. One of the key reasons that I feel this collection is so successful is that the garments are very practical for fall/winter wear – leg warmers/leggings, suit jackets/pants, medium length skirts, tight fitting sweaters and tight fitting motor-cycle style jackets. All these garment types are very easy to wear, easy to mix and match and very practical for day-to-day wear in the fall/winter season in an urban environment (i.e. nothing too big or too loose to hinder jumping into a taxi or riding on a crowded subway).

 Another characteristic of this collection that is a key factor in its success is the unexpected harmony achieved by mixing contrasting materials, shapes, patterns and colors. I feel that the designers drew from their own design history, the traditional patterns and materials of their homeland (UK) and mixed those influences with bold and daring concepts such as white/pale skins of the Inuit costumes and the large color stripes of the 1970’s ski uniforms to create looks that blend traditional elements that make people feel comfortable and reassured with fun and adventurous colors, patterns and shapes that afford a great deal of personal expression. Overall, I feel that the pieces in this collection could be very satisfying to a person who needs or wants to dress conservatively, but who also wants to express their contemporary and adventurous sensibility to the limit that a practical ready to wear outfit will allow.  

The following are some of my favorite outfits from the collection

 

Photo: Marcio Madeira/firstVIEW.  (above) My absolute favorite look from the collection - Urban Ice Princess look with pale colors inspired by Inuit costumes mixed with contemporary motorcycle style jacket and futuristic looking mixed pleat/strapping skirt. 

 

Photo: Marcio Madeira/firstVIEW. (above) Very comfortable looking outfit with a mix of traditional tartan and solid colors and contrasting patterns. Some hints of the ski outfit inspiration in the bold stripes on the jacket (echoed on the boots).

Photo: Marcio Madeira/firstVIEW. (above) Another one of my favorite looks from the collection, this outfit really demonstrates the fabulous contemporary/classic look that is achieved by the unexpected mixing of different patterns, colors and textures.

 

Photo: Marcio Madeira/firstVIEW. (above) This look mixes bold and fun colors from the 1970’s ski uniform inspiration with classic tartan and a medium length skirt to create a very practical and fun outfit. The ribbed leggings add futuristic and contemporary element that gives the outfit a truly unique style.

 

 

My visit to the Balenciaga Exhibit

Last week I visited the BALENCIAGA: SPANISH MASTER exhibit at the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute on the upper east side in Manhattan. This was a fabulous exhibit that was hosted in very beautiful and fitting space, occupying all three floors in the Spanish Institute's landmark neo-Federal townhouse. 

The exhibit was curated by Hamish Bowles, Vogue's European Editor at Large. There are a great deal of pieces in the exhibit, including dresses and accessories that represent Balenciaga's work from the 1930's through 1960's. 

As a new student in Fashion Design, I found one of the most valuable aspects of the exhibit to be the great lengths that the curators went to in order to demonstrate Balenciaga's influences and inspirations alongside his actual works and/or sketches. The examples and descriptions of Balenciaga's key influences in the context of his finished works provide an interesting perspective on the fashion designer's creative process.

The exhibit also includes a screening room on the top floor of the Spanish Institute decorated in the likeness of Balenciaga's Paris Couture Salon. On display in the screening room is a 1 hour and 30min loop of footage from showings in Balenciaga's salon. The footage is fascinating for the intimate glimpse it gives of the carefully orchestrated private showings of Balenciaga's clothes, a striking contrast to the modern day runway show.

Since I was not able to take photographs at the exhibit, I took pictures of the pages of the exhibition catalogue to show the pieces that I liked. All photos in this post were taken from the exhibition catalogue.

The following are some examples showing the juxtaposition of Balenciaga's inspirations and influences from various cultural aspects and regions of his native Spain alongside his creations. Following these examples are some pictures of my favorite pieces in the exhibition.

 

Influences from Religious life in Spain

(above) The painting of Saint Francis Standing in Ecstasy by Francisco De Zurbaran next to a Balenciaga coat of wool duvetine from 1950. The draping of the Balenciaga wool coat shows influences from the drape of the monk's robe.

 

(above)  The painting Cardinal Luis Maria De Borbon Y Vallabriga by Francisco De Goya next to a Balenciaga evening coat of scarlet silk ottoman, winter 1954. The structure of the Balenciaga evening coat, especially the top piece shows the influence from the Cardinal's official uniform.

 

Influences from Dance in Spain

(above)  A photograph by José Ortiz Echagüe, Andalucia-Sevilla Bailadora en Traje De Bata next to a Balenciaga evening dress of black silk organza and white cotton pique, summar 1951. I feel that some of the most exciting dresses that Balenciaga designed were influenced by the costumes of flamenco and bata dancers. In this photo by José Ortiz Echagüe the traje de bata (costume of the bata dancer) provides a very literal influence for the skirt section of Balenciaga's evening dress.

 

Influences from Bullfighting in Spain

(above)  A photograph of a bullfight in the Maestranza Bullring in Seville Spain show the colors and embellishments that may have inspired this Balenciaga evening ensemble consisting of a romper of black silk charmeuse and bolero of pink silk faille, winter 1960.

 

Spanish Regional Influences

(above)  A drawing titled "Chevrier Des Environs De Valladolid" by R. De Leon shows the woolen coat style of a Spain provence that may have served as inspiration for Balenciaga's cocktail ensemble consisting of a dress of brown cigaline and white mink and a jacket of white mink, winter 1967.

(above)  A photograph by José Ortiz Echagüe, Pais Vasco La Tabera De Orio shows the garb of peasants from the Basque region of Spain. A studio drawing of a day dress of beige wool shows Basque grab influences in the lines and drape, from Balenciaga's studio, winter 1967 .

 

My Personal Favorites from the Exhibit

The following two dresses are my personal favorites that were on display in Balenciaga Exhibit.

(above)  A dress of bronze silk cloque and copper bead embellishment, winter 1966. The detail on this dress shows influences from the dress of the Spanish Royal Court, which was an inspiration for Balenciaga. Given the significant amount of bronze and copper metal on this dress, I can only imagine what a workout it was to wear it. It is too bad that there is no color photo of this dress available, and I was not able to take one in the exhibit, however the cut-out of fabric in this photo gives some hint at the rich bronze/copper color of the dress and the unique oil application process called blackening, that was applied.

 

(above)  An evening dress of pink silk moire taffeta, summer 1963. As in the previous picture, the photo here does not do justice to this dress. The extraordinary light and fluffy texture of the dress and pink hues give the impression that the model was wearing soap bubbles. 

 

Hats

In addition to the many wonderful dresses on display in the Balenciaga exhibit, there were a number of gorgeous hats. In the exhibit, the hats were placed as part of complete outfits or in groups of similar design/influence, however the same treatment was not done in the exhibit catalogue. Therefore, I have attempted to group some of the more interesting hats along with their influences in this picture.

(above)  From left to right, "Chignon" hat of black chiffon and pink chiffon with black velvet, 1953. A hat of black and white straw, 1948, showing clear inspiration from the matador's hat. A hat of black faille and ostrich feathers with a yellow satin ribbon, 1950. 

 

Additional Favorites from the Exhibition

Some of my other favorites dresses from the exhibition.

 

(above)  Balenciaga evening coat of scarlet silk ottomon, seen in a photograph from Life magazine, September 1954.

 

(above)  Balenciaga evening dress of embroidered white satin with bronze taffeta sash, winter 1950.

 

(above)  Detail from the above-mentioned dress.

 

(above)  The famous Balenciaga "Infanta" evening dress of pink silk satin and black silk velvet, picture from the pages of Vogue, September 1939.