INSPIRATION

DO: The Art of Bulgari: La Dolce Vita & Beyond, 1950–1990 at the De Young

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The Art of Bulgari -- featuring 147 pieces spanning 5 decades -- opens this weekend at the de Young Museum. Born in Greece, Sotirios Voulgaris (1857–1932) came from a line of Greek silversmiths, and in his twenties moved away from his hometown to Italy, changing his name to the more Italian-sounding 'Bulgari' - trademark written for the brand as 'BVLGARI', using the latin alphabet (V=U).

His first store was in his hometown of Paramythia, Greece. In 1884 he founded BVLGARI and opened a store on via Sistina in Rome. In 1905, his two sons Costantino and Giorgio helped him move the store to via Condotti where the current flagship still stands. 

Post World War II, during which Costantino Bulgari and his wife hid three Jewish women, Bulgari benefitted from the economic boom and became a leader in Italian jewelry design. They started using cabochon, shaped and polished gemstones, bold colors and heavy gold, releasing unique designs inspired by Greco-Roman classicism, a blend of old world style and new world creativity. By the 1970s, Bulgari pushed innovation even further and continued to create quirky, fun pieces that reflected the current trends and pop-culture.

With the death of Giorgio in 1966, his son Gianni led the company as CEO and grew it to international status by opening shops worldwide, focusing on product design and streamlining the watch business. By 1987 Gianni sold his stake in the company to his brothers Nicola and Paolo. In 2011, LVMH acquired Bulgari for $6.01 billion.

And so goes the story, hometown jeweler to worldwide brand name! I'd love to hear more about the family politics, inside inspiration and growth during the pivotal years. For now, I'll check out the exhibit on display at the de Young, feast with my eyes and dream about the drama behind the magic.

 “You can’t simply live on past glories; that’s foolish. To be a success, you have to combine the worlds of the past, present and the future. That is the challenge, and there are many horizons.” --Nicola Bulgari 1995

The Art of Bulgari: La Dolce Vita & Beyond, 1950–1990 September 21, 2013 - February 17, 2014 de Young Museum -- Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr 415-750-3600 Tuesday–Sunday, 9:30 am–5:15 pm until Admission: $20-$22 adults; $17-$19 seniors; $16-$18 college students with ID; $10-$12 youths 6–17. General admission is free the first Tuesday of every month and the first weekend of every month if you bank at Bank of America.

If Cuyana were Beyonce...Etxe would be Solange

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Solange. I've been following Cuyana for a while and I love everything they are doing -- except I'm not crazy about any of their pieces. They had a showroom opening party on my birthday, and I was there a bit scared I would see two amazing female owners doing exactly what I am working on doing. 

But they aren't. Not even close. They are doing something very cool, and I'm glad to see similar ideas getting traction, but they are only inspiring in the way they are able to present their products, not in the products themselves. To quote a friend "The most interesting thing here is the dress the host is wearing". Which, looked like a dress I always see on Rent the Runway, and thought about getting for New Year's Eve last year (instead I found this awesome sequins ice skating dress that fit me like a glove).

Everlane also just released their leather wallet line, 'handmade' in Spain (at a factory) with Italian leather, which again, is inspiring and great, but just not something I'd want, and I own a men's wallet. It's just not all that different than what I can get elsewhere. Which is why I designed the San Francisco Mini Wallet, locally handcrafted and inspired -- everyone loves it and people that own it literally use it everyday. You can get your own here at our online shop: http://shop.etxe.co/

Point is, often there is someone doing something better than you, someone that has more money and more resources. Yet, I know there is still room in the market. Because that friend? She's my target market. Not because she's a close friend, but because she wants something different, something inspired, locally made, and actually handcrafted, something that makes her want to dance like Solange, and not Beyonce...I'd reveal more about what she wants, but you'll just have to wait and see!

Wanderlust Wednesdays: a trip to historic Mission circa 1850-1920...

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Travel time from anywhere in San Francisco: Instant if you have a time machine, otherwise impossible. Ideal trip length: 6 weeks, there's lots to do, but eventually you will miss the internet. Nice to haves: shoes you can walk in and gold nuggets. Directions: Start at 14th between Mission and S. Van Ness.

I recently stumbled upon this amazing side called Old SF where you can find historic photographs of San Francisco. It is completely interactive and you can toggle the year in which you want to travel!  All of the photographs on Old SF are  from the San Francisco Public Library's San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection. I am assuming they got permission to reuse the photos or fit nicely under the Fair Use law. I will instead link to the photographs hosted on the SFPL site, so click the links and pretend you are on a treasure hunt.

Start in 1875 when Woodward's Gardens was in its heydey. It took over 2 square blocks and  looks like the most amazing amusement park--they had carousels, trolleys, a reptile house, aviary and of course, camel rides. See photo here.

Those gorgeous homes on Howard between 17th and 18th after the 1906? See them sad and crooked after the earthquake here.

Wonder what Valencia between 17th and 18th looked like in 1906? See the photograph here.  Or Mission at 18th in 1910? See it here.

Maybe you'd like to take a trip to the Willow's, check out the trolley here.

It's crazy to see photos from both before and after the 1906 earthquake. More historic photographs can be found oldsf.org and foundsf.org and learn how Old SF geo-mapped the photographs here. You can always browse images form the SF Public Library's San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection here.  And read some interesting facts about historic amusement parks, resorts and gardens of San Francisco here.

yessss...empty lot to be filled with animated gifs

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The Grey Area Foundation for the Arts and New Hive have teamed up to make all our dreams come true: transform an empty lot (in the mission, obviously) into an animated gif playground.

So if you are already trolling tumblr accounts all day, why not try your hand at the creation side and submit your own animated gif to be exhibited? They'll even have a number of workshops where you can learn, share and hack your heart out.

Outdoor exhibit/party at the New Hive  1975 Bryant St Saturday,October 12th 8pm-12am Buy $5 tickets here Facebook invite here