Fabfrocks at Home loves....Johan Potma

Hi guys,
When we are in Berlin last month, Mike and I interspersed our site seeing with visits to endless markets: both Christmas and otherwise. It was a wonderful way to spend a weekend, and I brought home far more than I should have.

One of the best things I brought home though was the picture above: it made me laugh, and I don't know about your house but in ours it's true too: we can never seem to pair our socks!

It's a print by Johan Potma, who is a Dutch painter and illustrator who lives and works in Berlin. Johan co-owns the Zozoville gallery in Berlin, and has worked with Pepsi, Playboy, and Nickelodeon. I love the way all of his illustrations have so much personality:


I admit they're a little geeky, and furry monsters aren't to everyone's taste. But I only paid 10 Euros for my print, which was a ridiculous bargain. And I like them so much, if I'd had the room and the wall space, I'd have brought home a couple more!

Want one of your own? You can see and buy more of Johan's illustrations on his website.

Love Tor xxx

Sorry for oneself

Hello blogosphere,

Three days is a lifetime on the internet. I know that. Trouble is that I'm ill. I travelled from Norwich to my grandparent's house by train and during the latter leg of my journey some bastard bastarding yuppie chose to sat next to me with his off-the-peg suit, Daily Telegraph and generalised aura of evil. He then proceeded to cough his yuppy lurgy all over me without covering his mouth with the inevitable result: I'm a sick and snotty young woman.

Don't cry for me, for I have Lemsip. Still, it's a pain in the arse and with your permission I'll wait a few days before getting down to Topshop Adventures Part Deux. I want a clear head and a full grasp of basic grammar to properly do justice to the subject.

Bloody yuppies. I feel so yicky. At least Patrick Bateman had follow-through.

Love,
Becky.

Tiny Wings of Fury

Hello friends,

As I look over my vast (vast!) body of work on this blog, I notice a preponderance of sexy cartoon ladies and Prada each occupying their own pithy internet post. Now, watch, marvel and exclaim as I don my official Robert Altman cowboy hat o' disparate narrative lines and make a post that ties sexy cartoon ladies and Prada together in a veritable burst of fashion-osity.

That was maybe the worst paragraph even written but it's true. Today class, we are learning about James Jean, the illustrator who features so prominently in Prada's S/S 08 collection.

When I first saw the Prada collection, as usual, I didn't quite get it. I'm a First Glance Prada Moron. And, as usual, once the ideas slowly percolated through my brain, I began to love it. You see, I love the hard edged urban warrior thing that usually underscores the Prada aesthetic and this whole curvilinear fairy thing threw me for something of a loop.

But if you look closely at the fairies that adorn these outfit you'll see they're hardly winsome wish granters and milk teeth gatherers. They're barely female, kind of like beautiful foetuses their poses speaking of anguish or violent sexuality.

And here I was thinking Miuccia had gone soft on us. It's like the girls wearing the apocalyptic fuzzy felt outfits of last season stripped off, threw their clothes in a flaming trash can, inhaled the fumes and this is what they saw.

Credit: AP

There's an excellent article in this quarter's POP magazine that visits Mrs Prada and her fabulous slippy slide in Milan. However, when it sidebars into talking about the illustrations, there is no mention of James Jean, only Michael Rock and 'the collective' 2x4. Curiouser and curiouser. It was only a chance click on a tiny story at the New York Times website (check out their style section redesign - it's fabulous) that revealed his identity. Jean's website is well worth a look - he's an Eisner winner comicbook artist as a gosh-darn regular Fine Artist too. You can buy his work from (exchange rate willing) £25 for a print to £2,500 for an original piece. If I had the scratch my friends.....I shall have to sate myself with his beautiful website. Here's a sneak preview:

Crayon Eater Drawing (already sold, damnit)

12.5 x 17 in.
Blue Pencil, Graphite, Pastel on Rives BFK
Description: Mixed Media drawing created for "Crayon Eater."


Recess 4 Gym ($52)
12"H x 16.5"W
Ultrachrome Print on Cotton Rag paper
Description: Signed and Embossed

Secret
12 x 13 in.
Ultrachrome Print on Cotton Rag paper
Description: Signed and Embossed.

Find more gorgeous images, things to buy and James jean's blog at: Process Recess.

The lesson? Ambisextrous curivlinear = good. Miuccia Prada = never wrong.

Your internet pal,
Becky.