Teo' Jasmin: Interior Design meets Fine Art

As most of you can attest, I love classics and all things of infinite beauty. Old Hollywood, vintage clothing and fine art are but a few of the accouterments that garner my attention.
So imagine my delight when I was passed a copy of Teo' Jasmin's 2010 catalogue of goodies!

In case you are not familiar with them, Teo' Jasmin is a Parisian digital design company specializing in emblazoning captivating subjects such as Wonder Woman, Superman and the

lovely skylines of Paris & New York amongst others on furniture, pillows and canvas.
Teo' Jasmin's products conjure up the glorious days of Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. The bewitching, bold colorful images would liven up any space within your home or office and these days we could all benefit from a bit of whimsy.

But make no mistake...these products are of museum quality and made with the finest materials.
Months ago I wrote a post about shopping on the iconic Avenue Montaigne, well now I shall have to add Teo' Jasmin to my list of fashionable places to shop for my interiors.
It's definitely KimmyStyle!

A Few of Kimmy's Favorite Things..

Hey Jude..with the face of an Adonis, a sexy, sly grin and that artfully smooth british accent what is there not to love?

And for added measure he's a brillant thespian.

My two favorite roles featuring Jude have to be as the incredibly attentive book editor Graham who acquires Cameron Diaz's heart in The Holiday and as Dickie Greenleaf, the trust fund, coast hopping, two-timing ivy league college dropout in

The Talented Mr. Ripley.

By the way, I never watch this movie in complete darkness--it's an excellent movie but a bit creepy. Jude is a true performer's performer. When he steps into a role I feel as if I've known the character he's depicting for a lifetime. It is obviously an artistic accomplishment for one to be able to act so well and his gift is fine tuned..better than a Broadwood Grande.

Jude Law was born in Lewisham in Southeast London on December 29th, 1972. He had his first role in television in 1989 in a role based on a Beatrix Potter children's book entitled, The Tailor of Gloucester.

Jude will return to the London stage in May to portray Prince Hamlet in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet at the Donmar Warehouse.

Jude has one stepson and three children with former wife Sadie Frost.

I always look forward to his next work and I won't have to wait very long and neither will you.

His next film offerings are awaiting release.

You can find them here

Dega's Le Petite Danse

The graceful beauty of a ballerina is truly something to behold. But when that ballerina happens to belong to Edgar Degas it brings a whole other aspect to the aforementioned. Dega's Petite Danse is as beautiful an art piece as they come in my eyes. I fell in love with her fresh out of junior high when I was forced to watch a PBS program on the painter/sculptor.

It was a stormy day out and I am now glad I was told to come in from the rain for I fell in love that day--twice, with Edgar Degas and The Little Dancer.

She was merely fourteen years old but held the beauty and grace of someone who has lived a lifetime. She is my most favorite art piece and has been for decades. She is poised and fluid even in her most perfect stance.

Degas concieved her via a ballet student from the Paris Opera where he often drew and painted. Originally made from a reddish-brown wax she was sculptured in the nude. And in order to make her appear more naturalistic he dressed her in a three-quarter life-size wax sculpture in real fabrics such as creamy colored silk used for her bodice, gauze and tulle for the tutu and fabric to fashion her slippers. Her hair was tied with a thick, satin ribbon--how beautiful.

It is a most moving work from Degas, one I will certainly cherish for the rest of my days.

You can read more about Edgar Degas.

Incredible Interior Design

"I love the exquisite furniture and tables of glass,

interior design executed well

cannot be surpassed."~KDJ

Oh the spaces you can show with well placed pieces of furniture, art, a great paint color or wall covering and exceptional lighting that showcases these products that makeup your home.

In my opinion, you are the one that has to live within this space so it should reflect and mimic who you truly are and what you love.

If you love the classics you're probably a good fit for traditional which varies in themes from modernistic to retro. If you're more modern/contemporary it consists of clean, simple lines--think Herman Miller, Cassina and Fritz Hanson.

I prefer french country mixed with a little neo-classical, a little Edwardian and a little Baroque. Don't ask, I don't understand it either but it works for me!

Everyone has different styles and themes and that's the beauty of it being...different.

Basically, whatever your style is you must be comfortable in your own space because afterall, you have to dwell there.

I've visited homes where the interior designer took over and there was very little imput from the homeowner and what they ended up with were items and furniture they really didn't want, and in the grand sceme of things they did not want to ruin the "vision."

It's your space, it can be quirky or kitchy or country. It's completely up to you.

I think of interior design as an outward embodiement of your personal style..what could be more perfect than that?

And finally, the coup de gras..The Gourmet Cupcake

Okay, this is the 21st century someone should have invented smell-o-vision by now. We can invent applications for the I-Phone that will allow you to flick a lighter with the wave of your finger but no smell can be transmitted through the television or computer monitor, how appalling.

The gourmet cupcake has held a supreme soft spot in my heart and stomach every since I was a child and my Easy Bake Oven turned my supposed coconut cake into an overstuffed half baked cupcake.

I still can't talk about that incident to this day. I will just disclose to you that my whole family was in attendance and our neighbors and I was extremely embarrassed.

That being said, there is just something about having an individually, decorated little cake that is all yours and it's always fresh. They can be dainty, in various shapes, colors, flavors and sizes. It's like coming home when you peel back the wrapper to reveal the soft, fluffy cake and that icing--triple the yummy goodness with every bite.

Nowadays there are few things of goodness that arrive in small packages, cupcakes top the list, next to Tiffany boxes of course.

There are three things in life I never share: whomever I am dating, chinese food and gourmet cupcakes.

Afterall, some things are meant to be selfishly NOT distributed amongst others!

xoxo KimmyStyle

[Photo Credit:]

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Gloria Vanderbilt: Empress Of Survival

“No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has.”
Henry Ward Beecher

Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was born on February 20, 1924 the only offspring of railroad heir Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt and wife Gloria Mercedes Morgan Vanderbilt.

Little Gloria as she was often called had a half sister, Cathleen Vanderbilt who was born from her father’s first marriage to Cathleen G. Neilson in 1903. They later divorced in 1919.

When Reginald died in 1925 at the age of 45 from cirrhosis of the liver, Little Gloria inherited 4 million dollars at the age of 15 months. Her mother governed the trust fund considering Little Gloria was a minor. And it was during this time that Gloria traveled to and from Paris for years along with Little Gloria, her nanny Nurse Emma Sullivan Kieslich and her sister Thelma Morgan and reportedly squandered large amounts of money entertaining men throughout Europe.
Little Gloria’s paternal Aunt Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a philanthropist and sculptor wanted custody of Little Gloria after feeling her Mother’s frequent jaunts traveling and spending excessive amounts of money were not conducive to her niece’s upbringing.

Soon a sensational trial ensued in 1933 that would depict Gloria’s mother as an unfit parent and after more treacherous testimony from Nurse Kieslich and Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt’s own mother Laura Delphine Kilpatrick custody of Little Gloria was awarded to her Aunt Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.
Little Gloria moved into her Aunt Gertrude’s estate in Old Westbury, Long Island where her cousins also dwelled in their homes amid the vast mansion and rambling acres of land.
Gloria attended Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Connecticut and The Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island.

She would also attend the Art Students League in New York City.
As Gloria became older she took control of her trust and cut off monetary support to her Mother temporarily but would later take care of her in her latter years.

Her mother would live in Beverley Hills with her sister until her death in 1965.
Gloria continued visiting her mother periodically in Beverly Hills and it was upon a visit
in 1941 while lounging by the pool she would meet and later marry agent Pat DiCicco who was billionaire Howard Hughes press agent.
He reportedly beat her and was quite temperamental. While waiting for him to come to bed on their wedding night she awakened the next morning alone still to find him in another room playing gin rummy with Groucho Marx.

They divorced in 1945 when she was 17 years of age.
Gloria then married Leopold Stokowski, a world-famous conductor who was 62 to Gloria’s 20 years of age. They were married for ten years and had two sons, Leopold Stanislaw in 1950 and Christopher in 1952. They too would end in divorce in 1955.
Gloria would marry twice more to Director Sidney Lumet in 1956 and to Wyatt Emory Cooper in 1963. The Cooper union would yield two sons as well, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper in 1965 and Anderson Cooper in 1967.

Anderson would grow up and become a noted anchor and news show host for CNN. Her husband Wyatt would die during open heart surgery in New York City and her son Carter would commit suicide in 1988 by jumping from the family’s 14th floor apartment while his mother tried desperately to stop him. Gloria believed it was brought on via side effects from a respiratory inhaler medication.
Gloria would somewhat recover and delve into her artwork through painting and her works were adapted and licensed for Hallmark. She would later enter into the fashion world with Hong Kong based clothes manufacturer Murjani and create her signature Vanderbilt jeans with the swan insignia as her logo.

It would prove to be lucrative as she raked in 10 million dollars in 1980 alone. But soon thievery would rear its ugly head when Gloria entrusted her therapist and his lawyer friend to oversee her finances as they would later rob her of everything and neglect paying her taxes as far back as 1979.
She was forced to sell her sprawling summer home in South Hampton, Long Island and her six story Manhattan townhouse.
Today Gloria Vanderbilt has rebounded and has carried on with her life with tenacious resolve as only she can. She has written several books including A Mother’s Story, It Seemed Important At The Time: A Romance Memoir, Once Upon A Time and Obsession: An Erotic Tale as well as a few others.

Gloria Vanderbilt has weathered many trials in her life as a youngster and as an adult and has surpassed every tribulation with dignity. She is a charming, talented visionary who manages to reinvent herself and adapt to any of life’s arduous situations.

It seems Little Gloria is truly, magnificently happy at last..

Photo Credits: Gordon Parks Mtyndall

Sources: Time Wikipedia

NY Social Diary telegraph.co.uk