PickyFreaks

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:57:00.001+01:00

Painting: Anton Stankowski

Fall in Paris

2011-11-21T12:46:00.001+01:00

Photography: Ernst Haas

Data

2011-11-07T15:12:00.000+01:00

Data visualization=porn for nerds. Like me.
Check out Information is Beautiful or Data Visualization in the links.

The charts above are from Popular Science Magazine - here is the explanation:

Jer Thorp, Data Artist in Residence at the New York Times and creative coder extraordinaire, explains the process behind his latest piece for Popular Science in a recent article. The task at hand was to visually represent the complete archive of their publication. The final piece is anchored by a kind of molecular chain – decade clusters in turn contain year clusters. Every atom in these year clusters is a single issue of the magazine, and is shaded with colours extracted from the issue covers via a colour clustering routine. The size of the issue-atoms is determined by the number of words in each issue.

Parsley roots

2011-04-12T21:19:00.002+02:00

Speaking of foods, my friend Akiko brought me these parsley roots she bought on a (very good) Paris market, I had never heard of such things - very exotic in an urban environment!

Alix's blog

2011-04-11T21:26:00.004+02:00

Alix's blog is getting better and better - sharper, purer - She has a great eye for the simplest things of life, however important they may be. I hope leaving Frisco for Paris soon won't make her loose that light..

La Bandita

2011-04-09T10:53:00.003+02:00

La Bandita in Tuscany - if PF starts having more readers, I'll have to remove this link!!

http://www.la-bandita.com/

J'ai ce que j'ai donné (II)

2011-03-29T20:09:00.003+02:00

Illustration: Lioness, de Greg Eason

Language to be looked out and/or Things to be read

2011-03-23T16:10:00.002+01:00

http://language.cont3xt.net/

Have fun!!

Mr Mudd and Mr Gold

2011-03-23T03:20:00.000+01:00

Sounds like two native Americans sitting together, but nope...almost as good.

They claim to be sell "Heritage brands with a long tradition of turning out quality products, catering to discerning customers".

Shown here are Pendleton Blankets, the traditional Japanese game bags from Brady Bags, SOC Varsity sweater, Quoddy Grizzly Boots (in peanut), and Ebbets Fielf wool cap.

Olympia Le-Tan's world

2011-03-21T17:58:00.002+01:00

A Picky Freak with great taste and talent and more importantly her own universe. I love her blog, the well-named Olympia Press.

Smythson Bespoke Stationery

2011-03-07T12:26:00.003+01:00

Just received my calling cards, sounds so Edith Wharton!

Grzegorz Przyborek

2011-01-31T14:29:00.002+01:00

http://przyborek.toya.net.pl/index.html

Ruskovilla

2011-01-25T17:20:00.006+01:00

Ruskovilla makes the real-deal, traditional, blunt, unbleached, untreated, unadorned, organic wool and or silk baby clothes for cold winters. Made in Finland. Look out the baby rompers and sleeping bags.

Things Organized Neatly

2010-12-09T12:08:00.002+01:00

Porn for picky nerds.

http://thingsorganizedneatly.tumblr.com/

Rothco

2010-12-06T14:46:00.004+01:00

I bought the most amazing black canvas bag in NYC last year - great cotton, so simple, so sturdy, perfect feel, perfect size, no label or brand whatsoever, it was instantly a great classic that I would take everywhere - and it cost something like 30$ !

Since there were no labels, I didn't know where it originated from, and had to send a spy in the shop to scout the info for me during his recent NYC trip- and he successfully found the precious info : Rothco military bags!

The website is not very welcoming, its basically a military surplus provider, but damn, the bags are very nice, including the Air Force crew bag and the duffle bags, mine is the "parachute cargo bag"...

Good taste

2010-11-16T10:35:00.002+01:00

Franck Durand's blog.

Roasted chestnuts

2010-11-10T16:46:00.004+01:00

The old man who sells roasted chestnuts on the place St Germain des Près seems to have been there forever. These guys are all over the city, but his craft is the pickiest: he sells them in a double white paper pouch (and not some dirty newspaper cone), one to place the chestnuts in and one for collecting the outer crusts instead of throwing them on the ground. AND he gives you a lemon-scented hand wash for after! AND he works from an old triporteur car where he keeps his chestnuts under a wool blanket while they wait...for me!

Lilly-Marthe Ebener's knits

2010-11-08T18:56:00.002+01:00

The alpaca knits are amazing - Lilly-Marthe is a Paris-based fashion editor - her collection is a definite picky choice.

Shel Silverstein

2010-11-08T18:54:00.001+01:00

The Giving Tree - my favorite.

Silly Little Cars

2010-06-07T21:38:00.002+02:00

Canoe

2010-05-14T18:11:00.006+02:00

The Portland-based store sells online a nice selection of objects such as:

-a Handmade Copper Grater, "know in Japan as "oroshigane", this traditional grater is used for ginger, garlic and small vegetables like radish"

-Pendleton National Park blankets in wool

-Locally sourced Eena Canvas Bags

-Heath Ceramics, "one of the few remaining mid-century American potteries still in existence"

Merci Mitre..

Name tapes

2010-05-01T12:48:00.004+02:00

Cash's is a classic address for children's name tapes in the UK since 1870.

Tembea

2010-04-23T21:08:00.004+02:00

Tembea is a line of original Totes designed by Torso design in Tokyo.

I got their "Book" Totes for my office supplies, already hooked by the looks of them, just perfect!

They don't retail outside of Japan but you can always contact them and cry for Tote-loving relief and they might ship abroad..

Picky Is Back

2010-04-23T21:02:00.003+02:00

Voilà voilà me revoilà.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T11:00:00.000+01:00

(photo: Helmut Berger by Helmut Newton)

"To begin is the most important part of any quest, and by far the most courageous" (Plato)

2009-11-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

~~courageous~~ (delightful)

(photo: Harry Callahan)

Alix L is Roland Barthes

2009-11-26T15:20:00.005+01:00

J'aime : Masanobu Fukuoka, le lait cru, acheter des livres de cuisine, jardiner, manger du chocolat noir, Bill Withers, écouter des émissions de radio en faisant la cuisine, l'ail les oignons et les échalotes, faire des gâteaux, Alice Waters, cuisiner pour mes amis, les magasins de couteaux japonais, faire des long trajets en voiture en écoutant la radio, le métro de San Francisco, mettre des pantoufles, dormir en pyjama de grand père, l'automne, marcher dans la forêt et trouver des champignon, les pulls en cachemire, l'odeur des pulls qui sont restés longtemps auprès du feu, les draps blancs en lin, marcher pieds nus, la purée d'amande, Gourmet magazine, les figues, les espadrilles...

Je n'aime pas: les mains sèches, vivre dans un appartement sans lumière, les assiettes carrées, la nouvelle cuisine française, la cervelle de mouton, avoir froid au milieu de la nuit, le sens du service américain, les légumes du supermarché tout brillant, les tours operator, la publicité, les surgelés, les plats préparés, le réchauffement de la planète, le café parisien, les minettes...

Better Living Through Design

2009-11-25T10:58:00.002+01:00

A good interior design blog.
http://www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com/

(My own) 1001 Rules for My Unborn Son

2009-11-24T16:09:00.001+01:00

I still enjoy that blog, I submitted some rules, then thought I should just post them myself!
I was always taught that copying was complimenting...

So here is my first own Rule.

1/ Carry your own luggage (if JFK Junior did it, so can you...)

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened" (Dr. Seuss)

2009-11-21T19:52:00.000+01:00

The Believer

2009-11-21T13:25:00.000+01:00

"The Believer is a monthly magazine where length is no object. There are book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and that are very often very long. There are interviews that are also very long. We will focus on writers and books we like. We will give people and books the benefit of the doubt. The working title of this magazine was The Optimist."

(text from The Believer website)

My Parents Were Awesome

2009-11-19T13:49:00.009+01:00

My friend Claire sent me this great blog, a very well curated collage of anonymous family photos.
http://myparentswereawesome.tumblr.com
Merci..

Cookie cutters

2009-11-18T12:34:00.006+01:00

The real deal copper cookie cutters in all shapes and sizes (including "enormous") from Coppergifts.com

Gaelle L. is Roland Barthes

2009-11-16T12:43:00.005+01:00

J'aime : les bourgognes blancs, les pivoines, l'odeur de la glycine, la campagne le matin, plonger dans l'océan, prendre un crème avec le journal, les pâtes à la truffe blanche, la spontanéité des enfants, faire la sieste en été, le chèvre, les choux à la crème, David Bowie, Donna Summer, les moineaux, dîner avec ma meilleur amie, les couverts en argent, les belles mains, les livres, les oreillers en plume, les draps propres et repassés, les feux de cheminé, rire, Colette, Si je t'oublie Jérusalem de Faulkner, Cassavetes, les ânes, faire le marché, dormir avec la fenêtre ouverte, les bonnets...

Je n'aime pas : l'indélicatesse, la bière, l'accordéon, les mondanités, les mauvais lits, la vitesse, Sarkozy, les chemisettes, Jacques Tati, les ficus, les chauffards, les portes bébé en écharpes, les clowns, les pistes noires, les bagarres, les poussins...

(photo: Irving Penn)

Fuji Cheki

2009-11-15T16:25:00.002+01:00

Everyone always asks me where they can buy this camera I use for small polaroid-like photos. I found a website that sells them and ships in France.. (including film..): http://www.japantrendshop.com/

The Magnificent Ambersons

2009-11-15T15:04:00.004+01:00

My favorite part is when Orson Welles, instead of using classic, written end credits, narrates them like the rest of the film, and shows images of each corresponding job-lights, camera, edit, costumes, set, etc then each actor, to end by himself, illustrated by a microphone.

Drakes London

2009-11-09T13:43:00.006+01:00

Why do men get all the best shops, products, fabrics, colors and can actually dress like their grandfather did every day and look great?

Pierre D is Roland Barthes

2009-11-04T19:36:00.003+01:00

J'aime : les films de science-fiction, l'Egypte, Vittore Carpaccio, les e-mails, Thomas Ruff, les spaghettis, le bon vin, la danse contemporaine, les bistrots, les coquilles Saint-Jacques, les voyages en avion, les petits dîners entre amis, le jardinage, les nuits blanches, la plage, le soleil, le Japon, la lumière tamisée, Marcel Wanders, le musée d'art moderne de Paris, la moto, le bateau, les fruits de saison, Amy Winehouse, Christophe, la reine Elizabeth d'Angleterre, Hong-Kong, les nouvelles technologies, le Coca avec beaucoup de glace, la crème anglaise, le mont Saint-Michel, les grandes tours, les paysages et leurs perpectives, les dinosaures, le street wear, les sous-marins et la pêche sous-marine.

Je n'aime pas : la télévision française, les abats, le politique, les syntagmes figés, la complaisance, le cinéma français 14-18, les nouveaux philosophes, le théâtre de boulevard, le métro, le mobilier de Philippe Stark, Henry Fonda, l'excuse du développement durable, les glaïeuls et les chrysanthèmes, l'humide, le pastiche, les pavillons contemporains, l'éclairage urbain, les poissons rouges, les panoplies vestimentaires, les sous-marques, les copieurs et les paillassons.

(Illustration: John Berkey)

Berkeley

2009-11-03T10:44:00.009+01:00

My sister Alix recently left Paris for Berkeley, California, to join the thriving food community there. She's obsessed with restaurants, eating, cooking, shopping produce and particularly with the whole "slow food" mouvement. She tells me Berkeley is the "epicenter of Picky". Oh and she (video-) showed me a special Ziplock with an expandable bottom which she uses to keep herbs fresh...
(Photos: from her blog: http://dansmongrosventre.blogspot.com/)

Brigitte O is Roland Barthes

2009-11-02T20:43:00.004+01:00

J’aime : le chocolat, les meringues, les amandes, les crayons de couleur, les champs de colza, les vergers, les mangues, la réglisse, la lumière d’été, la Colonne sans fin de Brancusi, les fantaisies du Professeur Turni, téléphoner à l’autre bout du monde, écrire des cartes postales, les aéroports, la Seine, la Tour Eiffel, les rendez-vous au jardin du Luxembourg, le lilas, les toits en zinc sous la pluie, les fous rires, les boucles d’oreille, les écureuils, le champagne, le Mexique de Manuel Alvarez Bravo, les dessins de Bill Traylor, Jean-Michel Frank, monter l’escalier quatre à quatre, le bus 68, le rugby, Biarritz, les coïncidences, les dictionnaires, le silence des églises et le calme des cimetières, Willa Cather, Jane Bowles, Yoko Ogawa, Charulata de Satyajit Ray, les diseuses de bonne aventure, les comédies musicales, les yeux bleus, Isabelle Adjani, Glenn Gould, Charlie Chaplin, Maria Callas, Kathleen Ferrier, Barack Hussein Obama et Bo, le seul chien qui donne envie d’avoir un maître.

Je n’aime pas : les araignées, les huîtres, la blanquette de veau, dîner seule au restaurant, les valises à roulettes, les files d’attente, les retours de vacances avec Bison futé, les courants d’air, les fleurs fanées, les ongles rouges, les chats noirs très maigres, les films d’épouvante, l’autorité, la bonne éducation, les filles à papa, les coqs, la vitesse, les chauffeurs de taxi qui n’ont pas la monnaie, le snobisme, les talons trop hauts, les Santiags, les mocassins en daim, les écharpes blanches en cachemire, Humphrey Bogart, les promesses, les opportunistes, les flaques d’eau, les rideaux, les magazines de décoration, les numéros de cirque à la télévision, éplucher les oignons, marcher dans la neige, jouer à la belote, les imitateurs, les petits chefs de service et les grandes gueules.
(photo: Manuel Alvarez Bravo)

SNS-Herning

2009-11-01T18:24:00.003+01:00

While at it, more winter gear, including at the Danish brand SNS-Herning, their beautiful website features the only sweaters you'll ever need (both stylistically and in a lifetime). They are all original styles of fishermen sweaters, crafted the exact same way today as they have been since 1931.

Happy Socks

2009-11-01T18:08:00.004+01:00

Shared by my brother Julien, a nice socks website. I like their logo.

Vincent B is Roland Barthes

2009-10-28T15:39:00.006+01:00

J'aime la couleur rouge, les plages, les stations balnéaires en hiver, Bergman, Resnais, Carpenter, Jim Carrey, les stations de ski en été, le Chateaubriand, Barthes Foucault Homère Ovide de Quincey, Candy S. P., les vélos simples et colorés, la crête iliaque les pieds et les chevilles, les cheveux longs ; à Anvers, la civette ou même juste le bord du Scheldt au mois de novembre, les cafés ; à New-York, tout ce que je déteste à Paris ; le laid, le bizarre, l'irritant, la pornographie, l'ennui, les très mauvais films très bêtes, Tokyo, l'Etna, le Stromboli, les bateaux-taxi, le cépage nero d'Avola, le thé english breakfast bio, les hôtels beaux ou moches, les décibels, ce qui est composite. Voler les petites cuillers. Réaliser qu'une fois cette liste — composée de quelques constantes et de beaucoup de variables — terminée, commence un travail pas si long que ça au bout duquel presque tout sera faux.

Je n'aime pas la petite robe noire, la voiture noire, la chaussure noire, le costume noir, la peinture noire, les installations noires, l'exotisme, la droite, l'érotisme, le chic, les journaux, les magazines, la déco, le mobilier de J. Prouvé, les cinémas, les poils, l'intelligible, les mails collectifs, m'adresser à plus d'une personne.

(Photo: Andy Warhol)

Roland Barthes was a Picky Freak

2009-10-28T15:35:00.006+01:00

Roland Barthes had a wonderful voice. I realized when I discovered his famous 1977 classes at the College de France in Paris are available on podcast. His course "Comment vivre ensemble" is challenging to follow, you can tell it was aimed at an audience familiar with both the scope of the subject (semiotics of litterature) and his work. But it's just as fascinating as his litterature.
I heard his voice again when a friend sent me a recording of Barthes reading his "J'aime, je n'aime pas" text in which he lists things he likes and dislikes. He sounds like a regular picky freak when in fact he thereby tries to demonstrate how his ordinary self is made up of boring details like any other individual, yet these details can create either "complicité ou irritation" in others. I have asked friends to send me their own "J'aime, Je n'aime pas" (soon and little by little featured on PF) and having read some, I can say Barthes made his point.

J'aime : la salade, la cannelle, le fromage, les piments, la pâte d'amandes, l'odeur du foin coupé (...), les roses, les pivoines, la lavande, le champagne, des positions légères en politique, Glenn Gould, la bière excessivement glacée, les oreillers plats, le pain grillé, les cigares de Havanes, Haendel, les promenades mesurées, les poires, les pêches blanches ou de vigne, les cerises, les couleurs, les montres, les stylos, les plumes à écrire, les entremets, le sel cru, les romans réalistes, le piano, le café, Pollock, Twombly, toute la musique romantique, Sartre, Brecht, Jules Verne, Fourier, Eisenstein, les trains, le Médoc, le bouzy, avoir la monnaie, Bouvard et Pécuchet, marcher en sandales le soir sur de petites routes du Sud-Ouest, les Marx Brothers, le Serrano à sept heures du matin en sortant de Salamanque, etc.

Je n'aime pas : les loulous blancs, les femmes en pantalon, les géraniums, les fraises, le clavecin, Mirò, les tautologies, les dessins animés, Arthur Rubinstein, les villas, les après-midi, Satie, Vivaldi, téléphoner, les choeurs d'enfants, les concertos de Chopin, les danseries de la Renaissance, l’orgue, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, ses trompettes et ses timbales, le politico sexuel, les scènes, les initiatives, la fidélité, la spontanéité, les soirées avec des gens que je ne connais pas, etc.

(Roland Barthes par Roland Barthes, Seuil, 1975)

Place Vendôme

2009-10-14T23:35:00.003+02:00

Hints of past grandeur.
(Photo: Marcel Bovis)

Dr. Seuss

2009-10-06T10:04:00.001+02:00

Dr. Seuss will litteraly make me cry of laughter. I love his books.

Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss, (tongue twister to be read out loud)

Fox
Socks
Box
Knox

Knox in box.
Fox in socks.

Knox on fox in socks in box.

Socks on Knox and Knox in box.

Fox in socks on box on Knox.

Chicks with bricks come.
Chicks with blocks come.
Chicks with bricks and blocks and clocks come.

Look, sir.  Look, sir.  Mr. Knox, sir.
Let's do tricks with bricks and blocks, sir.
Let's do tricks with chicks and clocks, sir.

First, I'll make a quick trick brick stack.
Then I'll make a quick trick block stack.

You can make a quick trick chick stack.
You can make a quick trick clock stack.

And here's a new trick, Mr. Knox....
Socks on chicks and chicks on fox.
Fox on clocks on bricks and blocks.
Bricks and blocks on Knox on box.

Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir.
Try to say this Mr. Knox, sir....

Clocks on fox tick.
Clocks on Knox tock.
Six sick bricks tick.
Six sick chicks tock.

Please, sir.  I don't like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn't quick or slick, sir.
I get all those ticks and clocks, sir,
mixed up with the chicks and tocks, sir.
I can't do it, Mr. Fox, sir.

I'm so sorry, Mr. Knox, sir.

Here's an easy game to play.
Here's an easy thing to say....

New socks.
Two socks.
Whose socks?
Sue's socks.

Who sews whose socks?
Sue sews Sue's socks.

Who sees who sew whose new socks, sir?
You see Sue sew Sue's new socks, sir.

That's not easy, Mr. Fox, sir.

Who comes? ...
Crow comes.
Slow Joe Crow comes.

Who sews crow's clothes?
Sue sews crow's clothes.
Slow Joe Crow sews whose clothes?
Sue's clothes.

Sue sews socks of fox in socks now.

Slow Joe Crow sews Knox in box now.

Sue sews rose on Slow Joe Crow's clothes.
Fox sews hose on Slow Joe Crow's nose.

Hose goes.
Rose grows.
Nose hose goes some.
Crow's rose grows some.

Mr. Fox!
I hate this game, sir.
This game makes my tongue quite lame, sir.

Mr. Knox, sir, what a shame, sir.

We'll find something new to do now.
Here is lots of new blue goo now.
New goo.  Blue goo.
Gooey.  Gooey.
Blue goo.  New goo.
Gluey. Gluey.

Gooey goo for chewy chewing!
That's what that Goo-Goose is doing.
Do you choose to chew goo, too, sir?
If, sir, you, sir, choose to chew, sir,
with the Goo-Goose, chew, sir.
Do, sir.

Mr. Fox, sir,
I won't do it.
I can't say.
I won't chew it.

Very well, sir.
Step this way.
We'll find another game to play.

Bim comes.
Ben comes.
Bim brings Ben broom.
Ben brings Bim broom.

Ben bends Bim's broom.
Bim bends Ben's broom.
Bim's bends.
Ben's bends.
Ben's bent broom breaks.
Bim's bent broom breaks.

Ben's band.  Bim's band.
Big bands.  Pig bands.

Bim and Ben lead bands with brooms.
Ben's band bangs and Bim's band booms.

Pig band!  Boom band!
Big band!  Broom band!
My poor mouth can't say that.  No, sir.
My poor mouth is much too slow, sir.

Well then... bring your mouth this way.
I'll find it something it can say.

Luke Luck likes lakes.
Luke's duck likes lakes.
Luke Luck licks lakes.
Luck's duck licks lakes.

Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes.
Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.

I can't blab such blibber blubber!
My tongue isn't make of rubber.

Mr. Knox.  Now come now.  Come now.
You don't have to be so dumb now....

Try to say this, Mr. Knox, please....

Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew.
While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew.
Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze.
Freezy trees made these trees' cheese freeze.
That's what made these three free fleas sneeze.

Stop it!  Stop it!
That's enough, sir.
I can't say such silly stuff, sir.

Very well, then, Mr. Knox, sir.

Let's have a little talk about tweetle beetles....

What do you know about tweetle beetles?  Well...

When tweetle beetles fight,
it's called a tweetle beetle battle.

And when they battle in a puddle,
it's a tweetle beetle puddle battle.

AND when tweetle beetles battle with paddles in a puddle,
they call it a tweetle beetle puddle paddle battle.

AND...

When beetles battle beetles in a puddle paddle battle
and the beetle battle puddle is a puddle in a bottle...
...they call this a tweetle beetle bottle puddle paddle battle muddle.

AND...

When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles
and the bottle's on a poodle and the poodle's eating noodles...
...they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle
bottle paddle battle.

AND...

Now wait a minute, Mr. Socks Fox!

When a fox is in the bottle where the tweetle beetles battle
with their paddles in a puddle on a noodle-eating poodle,
THIS is what they call...

...a tweetle beetle noodle poodle bottled paddled
muddled duddled fuddled wuddled fox in socks, sir!

Fox in socks, our game is done, sir.
Thank you for a lot of fun, sir.

Fall in Paris

2009-10-05T22:21:00.004+02:00

Fall is coming.

(photo: Alfred Stieglitz)

In'ei raisan

2009-09-29T22:43:00.003+02:00

I just started a new blog entitled In'ei raisan and posted at: http://ineiraisan.tumblr.com/

This Guy Bourdin image won't help you understand what it's about, even though it is featured there as well, but the title might be explicit for some. If anyone wants to guess or knows what this other blog is precisely about, please post a comment here.

Ziploc

2009-09-27T17:16:00.007+02:00

Ziploc is one of my favorite invention, the smartest thing for a picky life. I don't understand why they haven't entered French homes yet (or barely). I remember my step mom bringing them back from the US, we washed and re-used them until the next trip. I recently discovered they make them in X-large sizes for many other picky uses, and now I'm getting mine shipped over...

The American landscape & Julius Shulman

2009-09-26T14:26:00.010+02:00

Julius Shulman is the great grandfather of modern architectural photography and a recorder of early California modernism. Rizzoli shows, in "A Constructed View" how Shulman first documented the works of masters such as Richard Neutra, John Lautner, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe and Oscar Niemeyer.. Architectural photography is particularly attractive when viewed in long series, like shots taken in a ghost town.
The US have the most photogenic history, over a century of stricking visual records of the country's evolving landscapes & people.
(photos: Julius Shulman, Winogrand, Joel Sternfeld, Denis Hopper, Edward Curtis)

Jerusalem by Alpha Blondy

2009-09-25T11:33:00.009+02:00

In the early 80s, my mom married a medical student who had created a pirate reggae and rock radio. It was called Boulevard du Rock, and I remember talking on air and announcing upcoming playlists as a kid, I loved it. I just rediscovered the Jerusalem album by Alpha Blondy, featuring great hits such as "I love Paris", "Travailler c'est trop dur" and "Boulevard de la Mort"..
(photo: Alpha Blondy)

Cire Trudon

2009-09-24T20:39:00.013+02:00

Trudon, "the oldest wax and candle maker still in operation", was created in Paris in 1643 and became the official royal wax manufacturer of Versailles in 1719. To this day, they continue to supply the Eglise Saint Roch on the rue St Honoré where the original shop was opened. Recently, they started producing scented home candles, blending smells to create atmospheres inspired by themes such as Marie-Antoinette, British Royal gardens, former European colonial outposts etc. Their obsession with quality has brought them to continue making natural (not parafin) waxes and to use cotton threads.

"J'ai ce que j'ai donné" (Jean Giono)

2009-09-23T11:27:00.004+02:00

(IKB 79 by Yves Klein)

Paula turns 1

2009-09-22T22:42:00.000+02:00

Happy birthday ♥

(drawing: Kamrooz Aram)

The new Picky Freaks logo

2009-09-21T16:13:00.002+02:00

Swiss talent

2009-09-21T15:14:00.005+02:00

Thanks Mathieu for taking the time and bringing your talent to Picky Freaks. I hope it brings many Swiss readers to the blog! Maybe if I add a flag for them to find their way..

The Simple Connoisseur

2009-09-17T18:24:00.007+02:00

Picky Freaks Unite!
Just discovered this blog curated by a financial consultant in Salt Lake. He has outrun me on several ideas, Hans Hartung for one, Audubon prints for another. Perfect taste in cars too.
Check out his second blog too, Dependable Goods.
(all images: thesimpleconnoisseur.blogspot.com)

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored" (Aldous Huxley)

2009-09-15T21:57:00.004+02:00

Still very in love with but does it float...
(photo: Lauris Paulus)

Globe-Trotter cases

2009-09-14T10:54:00.019+02:00

Mathieu P. introduced me to these hard yet lightweight travel cases made in the UK since 1897. The website claims Queen Elizabeth II used them on her honeymoon, Winston Churchill used the 18" attaché when Chancellor of the Exchequer, even Edmund Hilary used them to reach first base camp in 1951 when climbing the Everest (the original North Face!!).
Mathieu P. lives in Paris but moans all day about his missed Switzerland where pastures are greener and people are nicer (well no doubt compared to Paris). He is the pickest freak ever, he starts off by hating everything and everyone before considering, eventually, sometimes, that some things or some people could be slightly be more worthwhile. In any case, things being SO much better in his homeland, he wanted the ball point pen "825" made by the Swiss company Caran d'Ache to make it into Picky Freaks, but I was only midly inspired, however important I think cheap, basic, staples can be.
Mathieu works for Paradis magazine (soon on PF) as art director, he promised a logo for Picky Freaks..

Filson's Wool luggage

2009-09-11T16:16:00.003+02:00

Just released for Fall 09.

1001 Rules for My Unborn Son

2009-09-10T22:10:00.003+02:00

A very amusing blog.

Quoddy boots

2009-09-09T17:14:00.010+02:00

Getting ready for Fall with another picky pick by Thomas: Quoddy boots.
Here's the Quoddy 100% Picky story:

In 1909 Harry Smith Shorey started making his own shoes in Downeast Maine. Today, the tradition continues in Perry , on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay, smack dab on the 45th parallel; half-way to the North Pole and as far east as you can travel in the continental U.S.

The Passamaquoddy tribe of eastern Maine have an ages old heritage of craftsmanship, from their moccasins to their birch bark canoes and containers to their famous woven baskets, all done without man-made materials or adhesives. Craftsmanship combined with a high level of artistry are what made these products special and allowed them to perform so well in the sometimes harsh conditions encountered in the big woods and ever changing ocean of Maine.

Harry was a big believer in the performance and quality of handsewn moccasin construction. It is legendary for its comfort, durability, and ability to conform to one’s foot over time for a true custom fit. Quoddy continues this long tradition of handsewn craftsmanship today.

(Courtesy of Quoddy inc)

Nat Sherman

2009-09-09T15:28:00.006+02:00

The Nat Sherman shop on Fifth Avenue in NYC is quite something. They offer you a smoke as soon as you've entered the premises which feels like the ultimate act of rebelion nowadays, or like entering Gatsby's library. Their beautiful specialty cigarettes could almost make me regret that I do not smoke.

"The past does not repeat itself but it sure does rhyme" (Mark Twain)

2009-09-07T10:29:00.004+02:00

(photo: Blasts by Naoya Hatakeyama)

niwraD

2009-09-04T11:41:00.005+02:00

Sea-sourced toothpaste.
Are we headed back to where we came from?

Daniel's homegrown tomatoes

2009-09-01T16:48:00.007+02:00

Including the world-famous "Solange cocktail tomatoes" specie, grown & sold exclusively on the Golfe du Morbihan.

Advertising

2009-08-31T20:34:00.006+02:00

As a kid I loved watching advertising films, maybe more so than classic children movies. Some commercials from the 1980s have left me a strong impression. These films mesmerized me, like a window into a glamorous adulthood. I remember very vividly two in particular:
-the 1980 (I was 4!) Nestlé Dessert chocolat ad where images alternated between a couple shown in Chinese shadows and chocolate melting over a brioche with a rapid raspy music like a cooking whisk on a drum (as shown above)
-the 1982 Heineken film featuring Robert Palmer's music, where the women looked just so self-assured and strong. I think this film became quite culte although it's almost impossible to find it online..(see link)
I realize now how sensual these were for the time..

Il Bussetto coin case

2009-08-31T19:29:00.005+02:00

Il Bussetto is specialized in handmade fine leather items such as these elegant coin cases, completely void of any visible seam and dyed using organic substances such as chestnut and mimosa.

Picky support

2009-08-26T10:02:00.006+02:00

A Picky Freaks friend shows support by sending me regularly what she calls "presque Picky" ("almost Picky") postcards and notes. She is quite the educated eye, her interest is very flatering.
(Photo: Bernard Plossu)

Delphi Lodge & Fishery

2009-08-25T19:17:00.013+02:00

I recently had a very picky freaks/James Ivory/sartoria(rea)listic experience in Ireland, precisely in Delphi, a small and reclusive mountainous region and North frontier of Connemara.
A typical large and classic mansion-lodge owned and run but some fly-fishing celebrity (who was busy fishing in the Bahamas during our stay), it opens year long a few bedrooms to fly-fishing enthousiasts. The landscape around is breathtaking. We arrived on a very grey day to witness three men, dressed head to toe in the proper fly-fishing attire (see below in Picky Freaks), struggling against rain and wind and strong currents on the river in front of the lodge's lawn, the "gullie" bravely driving the boat back in the current again & again until the salmon would accept to bite (apparently the salmon bites the bait because of some defense mechanism and not to eat the bait as salmon refrains from eating when swiming upcurrent in fresh waters-so I was told that evening by a Bavarian gentleman).
The house has a wet room for outdoors clothing (and toweling the dogs..) and tables to weight, clean and wrap your daily catch.
I didn't fish but I did take part in the evening drinks (7:30 pm by the fireplace) and dinner (8:30 around the large dinning room table) at which I was served the largest lobster I had ever seen.

Paul Outerbridge

2009-08-15T21:19:00.003+02:00

Simrane

2009-08-15T20:25:00.003+02:00

Simrane, located rue Jacob in Paris, sells all kinds of linen products made from Indian printed cotton. The quality and variety of prints are surprising, the shop stacks them from floor to ceiling, it's hard to pick among all the "pareos" (sarongs) and tableclothes, dresses, bed covers. The clientele seems very faithful to the shop, which has been there for ages, at least for as long as I can remember. I have a pareo who's just travelled on it's 20th summer journey!

Korres Yogurt Gel

2009-08-15T20:15:00.003+02:00

Korres -the first homeopathic pharmacy of Athens- makes wonderful natural products based on Greek flora. The cooling after sun yogurt gel is divine in texture and in smell.

Mylayne's birds

2009-07-29T23:50:00.007+02:00

Jean-Luc Mylayne's photography of common European birds, published by Twin Palms Publishers for his 2007 Houston exhibit, is beautiful. The artist shoots very little, dedicating his time to observing and getting acquainted with his models until he can shoot them from very close, once they are no longer afraid of his busy self. Each photography is patiently composed and shot to achieve a pictural effect, after which the bird usually flies away, never be seen again.

(photo: Jean-Luc Mylayne)

Custom LLBean Tote

2009-07-29T17:31:00.008+02:00

My summer 09 custom version of the classic tote: blue body, black bottom, yellow handles & monograming.

The Big Easy

2009-07-27T10:22:00.020+02:00

Unlike any other city in the United States, New Orleans is a refuge from the visual, moral and social aggressiveness of America’s best friends: “textbook middle class” standards & corporate consumption.
New Orleans is poor, wild, hot, haunted, free, proud; nicknamed the third world of the US, it houses the most extreme people, the freaks, the hard-core liberals, the music junkies, and generally all those who chose the road less traveled. The Beat generation was here, shooting in the garden district. Any local will tell you the city is haunted, and not just by the ghosts of Faulkner, Tennessee Williams or Anne Rice.
You can drive in decrepit neighborhoods where people still live as in 1950 and end in the best bar you could imagine, better than a nightmare experience by David Lynch, the music, the light, the pool table, the whole thing will blow your mind. Every street corner is a visual experience.
I lived in New Orleans from 1998 to 2000 and it remains one of my most moving memories. This is my first trip back.
(art by Banksy in New Orleans)

Embossing

2009-07-17T11:22:00.006+02:00

Instead of corresponding with traditional printed cards and stationary, I like to apply a "dry seal" using a clamp-like embossing device, which creates a permanent relief on any paper, card or book. It looks beautiful, enhances the texture of paper, like a Braille drawing, and feels much more mysterious and unique.

Futura & Garamond

2009-07-15T18:21:00.005+02:00

The original Garamond typeface became widespread when the French court of Francis I started using it for their printing, in the 1540's. It was originally commissioned as a Greek typeface and known as the "Grec du Roi". Obviously, the typeface has travelled throughout Europe and has been copied many times, offering today an array of various Garamond type.
The futura typeface was create by Paul Renner in the 1920's. It was said to be Stanley Kubrick's favorite font.

Shiso

2009-07-10T19:45:00.006+02:00

I planted my own shiso recently with seeds sent to me from Japan. It's quite the patience test, it grows very slowly and will surely be eaten very quickly. Even the tomatoes and figs outside my windows are growing faster!

Shells

2009-07-09T18:30:00.017+02:00

While waiting for the real stuff (in August)...

Flip Flops

2009-07-08T12:03:00.008+02:00

The French company La Sarraizienne was the original maker of the famous "méduse" (jellyfish) shoes worn by kids since the 50s and reproduced by others ever since. My mom had found the weirdest style, she would actually wear them with socks in the summer, and it looked quite interesting.
La Sarraizienne also manufactured these all rubber flip flops which are by far the finest I've found. The rubber is very soft and flexible, the sole is perfectly shaped, the colors are great. I bought my first pair, in all white, on a farmers market in Bretagne. The old man warned me that the company had closed since 2003 and these were the very last pairs. He didn't lie, it took me forever to find an old stock, sold by a British website (link included).

Moon

2009-07-07T18:18:00.004+02:00

Today the moon is full in Paris. My poetic iphone widget "Moonphase" gave out the werewolf alert.

Bumper stickers

2009-07-06T21:56:00.015+02:00

I ♥ bumper stickers.

Paper weights

2009-06-30T17:42:00.004+02:00

I love paper weights. Serious picks would be crystal domes by John Derian.

Alternatively, I like using Schleich plastic animals and dinosaurs, they are large and heavy and their quality and level of details are great.

Acceptable cars II (Paris)

2009-06-30T17:16:00.007+02:00

I must add the Simca 1000 to the list of acceptable cars as I have just purchased this particular one. It's in mint condition even thought it first hit the road in 1967.

Labour and Wait

2009-06-30T16:50:00.011+02:00

London-based Labour and Wait shop sells nice "hamish style" house products and delivers worldwide, including the Savon Noir Mou (see below), and the same Dual Pencil Sharpener I had as a kid.

Bag lady

2009-06-25T11:53:00.008+02:00

I want a shoulder bag from Chapman's hand crafted English bags (in chocolate brown).

Art & Commerce

2009-06-23T16:42:00.007+02:00

If you are fed up with the all automated banks we have nowadays, where answering services have replaced humans; If you are fed up with outrageous fees charged on every operation on your account; If you are fed up of waiting in line to deposit your check with other gloomy looking individuals; Then open an account with the Banque Vincent Bergerat! It's probably the very last privately owned bank in the world. The BVB promises to use your money well and in amusing ways. The BVB has no hotline, no monthly statements, no account numbers, no offices or agency (oh and your money can never be redeemed)! The perfect bank.
(For further details, please visit the link Vincent Bergerat)

Our view at 9:58 pm

2009-06-23T15:11:00.011+02:00

I remember reading once that, when hiring someone to join his large staff at his Berlin studio, the artist Olafur Eliasson asked the candidate questions such as "how do light and weather affect you?". His studio employs people specially dedicated to observing and recording the sky, the changes in lights, as well as professional meteorologists. It's rare to find individuals who will attach such importance to light and weather, usually considered a shallow conversation topic. When you live in a large city, light is extremely important. It is to me, I've been nicknamed "weather girl" quite frequently. But it's like any mood sustaining drug, it has to remain private in order not to bore people. In any case, I couldn't do without the large piece of sky I see from my appartment, like a fourth wall. June through September, mornings and before sunsets, dozens of swifts fly at a crazy pace above the square in front of my place, screeching with pleasure when the sky is clear. It's quite a show.

Interiors

2009-06-19T19:04:00.005+02:00

If I didn't have all these silly wall moldings representing flowers and fruits in my appartement, I would love to paint a room the "David Hicks way", blue with black bordering. I don't know what I like best, his interior design or the 70s deco photos!
(photos David Hicks archives)

Espadrilles

2009-06-18T17:27:00.004+02:00

Hu, I know I've spoken about them before, but now is the time to wear espadrilles. (and you won't necessarily look like you've mistakenly put your sister's shoes on...)

Ode à la Seine

2009-06-15T16:04:00.006+02:00

My father is a Parisian from birth and he never lived anywhere else. He despised people with "résidence secondaire" and was positive that living further than 5 kilometers from the Jeu de Paume and La Hune bookstore would drive him to a state of mental and intellectual meltdown. He revised his stance when he found an amazing piece of heaven in the Vexin Français. He didn't really cheat himself either because his garden basically ends on the bank of the river Seine where he goes cruising on a small wood boat, equiped with an new electric engine to ensure quiet spying on birds and animals.

Blenheim Bouquet

2009-06-12T15:09:00.011+02:00

Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligon's has been my perfume for years. I didn't even know it was a men's scent until recently because it was handed over to me from my stepmom (the Original Picky Freak) who started wearing it after decades of marriage to Guerlain's Shalimar.
Blenheim Bouquet was created in 1902 and takes its name from Blenheim Palace, the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough.
The best part is the advertizing done by Penhaligon's, which claims (I love it!!!):
"There comes a time in every man's life when he should choose something to be faithful to. A look. A lover. A fragrance. Blenheim Bouquet should be that fragrance. It is the scented equivalent of an exquisitely cut heirloom suit. Hand-stitched, tailored to perfection, beautifully structured and fitted flawlessly to the masculine body. Unique to ever generation that has worn it".

(photo: Charles, 9th Duke of Marlborough, by John Singer Sargent)

Pilates

2009-06-08T22:39:00.003+02:00

If you really want to have Joseph Pilates' body at 82, you need to be extra picky about who teaches you. After years of practice, I'm only starting to fully get the idea behind it and realized that you can easily think you had the postures right when you didn't. The main thing is, your teacher must constantly correct you until the posture is perfect, even if you spend 20 minutes on getting it right, because once you do, the move always feels right and smooth and easy. If not, you got it wrong.

Hunting attire (Sartorial wisdom 3)

2009-06-08T22:02:00.004+02:00

The great Archival clothing blog can drive a sartorial freak crazy. It recently included entries on old Hunting World catalogues which reminded me of this specialty wear store on Boulevard Saint Germain in Paris that fascinated me as a kid, I always wondered who bought specific "clothes for warm countries", as the store claimed. Everything looked so old school, a real remains of the days...

Yashica T4

2009-06-07T14:04:00.006+02:00

I love cheap cameras, and shooting film. I used to be obsessed with my 35$ Polaroid camera, now I take my Yashica T4 wherever I travel or wander. It's a great camera but it also looks like the kind you would offer an 8 year old. It's Terry Richardson's favorite tool.

Right esthetics

2009-06-04T19:34:00.005+02:00

Anything can look good if designed right. The Japanese are very gifted for creating common yet beautiful objects, as illustrated by these cleaning brushes. These, and the most useful Tawashi vegetable brushes, can be found on the exciting Korin website (check out the uniforms for hats and chef slippers!!!).

Parisianism

2009-06-03T22:48:00.006+02:00

Matthieu doesn't enjoy seeing old movies at home and much prefers heading to the Quartier Latin to ancient movie theatres. Traditionally, we will either lunch or share a renown chocolate éclair at the Balzar.

Proper wear (Sartorial wisdom 2)

2009-06-02T12:37:00.012+02:00

As in Japan, our house was totally "outdoor shoes free" and each member of the family had appropriate indoor footwear - slippers from a children's shop called Ted et Rosie for us kids and usually espadrilles for the parents. Espadrilles are still considered in our family as THE handsomest way of dressing a foot and being confortable. As kids we were expected to wear proper nightwear and a "robe de chambre" on top which we usually hated because it came in the way of play and because kids are always feeling too warm anyways. I guess a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt was acceptable too.

(photo Despatin Gobeli)

Scooter animism

2009-06-02T11:03:00.007+02:00

I like to believe objects have a soul. It doesn't have anything to do with value, only with projected memories, affection, or the help, support or company that an object may have brought.
My scooter looks like he worked as extra in Wall-e, a real piece of yard junk: loose pieces, the back light holds with wire, the whole front part is tapped together, the side mirrors no longer match, brake fluid leaked on the plastic casing and ate at it. I haven't locked it in over two years because no one in his right mind would steal it.
But it was a gift, it became part of my life in this city and it never, never let me down. Paris is a dangerous city for moped drivers, and I was never hurt with it. I can park it for 3 weeks in front of a train station in Paris and come back, and there it is, standing, waiting. Nothing compares to the feeling of driving a scooter around Paris, at night in the summer, when the air is hot and the streets are empty.