Vladimir Kagan's Blog

Apple - My Bête Noir!

Bitch – Bitch –Bitch

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, March 28, 2012

 

If you are frustrated… how do you vent your aggravation? - Write a Blog!

 

I’m back moaning about Apple and the Ghost of Steve Jobs.

 

Apple is a cash cow. Every year, this bovine invents another operating system (OS) to keep it ahead of the competition. In my lifetime, I have gone through a half dozen felines, from cheetah, puma, jaguar, panther, tiger, leopard, snow leopard and now Lion --- soon to be obsoleted by Super-Lion (they have finally run out of cat’s names). Each year, simplicity gives way to an ever more convoluted system. Lion hits the jackpot. It has rendered my Internet “Me” system obsolete and won’t permit my computer to talk unless I allow the Lion to roar with “Cloud”.

 

For entertainment purposes, I am sharing the upgrade process with you:

 

 

Yours truly standing in line at the Apple Store - please note the maître D' taking names for appointments. (You'll recognize him by the I-pad in his hand)

You cannot appear at an Apple Store without an appointment (unless you are there to make a purchase) I came in with credit card in hand to convert my “me” provider to “Cloud”. This necessitated buying Lion. (It’s not as simple as it sounds!) “What is your ID? What is your password?” (For security purposes, that can no longer be just your name, it must include upper and lower case letters plus at least one number) I unfortunately have a different password for every gadget… it is a labyrinth. In no time, I exhausted my window of opportunity and Apple in the Cloud shut me out for twenty-four hours. The next visit must be made through an appointment. A polite young man in an Apple T-shirt and an I-Pad in hand set me up with my next rendezvous… Next day I was unfortunately 15 minutes late and lost my allotted slot. Like a naughty schoolboy, I had to stand in the corner until a new schedule could be arranged – Mercifully, the gurus at the Genius Bar took pity and listened to my woes. We can install your Lion but it will take an hour and a half! (OK Starbucks here I come). When I returned, eager to take my Lion home, “it needs only a few minutes more to complete”. Three hours later I escorted my Lion home - I was assured nothing would change…henceforth things would only be better.

 

I arrive at home and guess what? Things DID change – Not for the better! The new system only convoluted the old user-friendly programs with frustrating subtleties that left me high in a Cloud trying to figure out what has changed. Naturally, this necessitated another appointment. The process is simple: “go on line, type in the name of the store plus some other codes and you will be connected for your next appointment,” Not so fast… I managed to hit the “Tilt” button three times in a row and could not get through. Thankfully, I had the store’s phone number… but you can’t just talk to a human being… you must answer a disembodied inquisitor’s questions to get you to the right source…. For one hour I followed instruction to no avail. Finally on the fourth try, I got an appointment for a “One-on-One” consultation. This was duly confirmed by Email… but it read: Genius Bar. To clarify this error, I repeated the phone process and managed to talk with a sweet voice who assured me that it was OK - One-on-One is arranged through the Geniuses. (The first appointment available was Sunday, diabolically planned to screw up my weekend.) Of course, the Genius Bar was not the correct place for a tutorial, but a Geniuses graciously offered to help within the 15 minutes allotted to the appointment.

 

The long and short was a lesson in how to develop patience beyond what you ever thought you could ever muster: One-on-One is only available with the purchase of a new computer (did I tell you Mr. Jobs was smart?) My contract had run out last year after three months of not using it!

 

….I am now at home, back to base one, trying to work myself through my ‘improved” Lion program… that my friends is why I am boring you with this Blog!

 

 

Erica Wilson on YouTube

Erica's Magical World of Needlwork 

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, February 17, 2012

 

Erica Wilson at home with flowers and wool - her favorite pallet for colors

If you’ve ever done needlework… If your mother did… If the name Erica Wilson kindles fond memories…if you’ve ever loved Erica …. (never mind that this adorable woman is also the mother of my children and my late wife).

 

I HAVE A TREAT FOR YOU!

 

Erica was the Doyenne of Needlework; she was to Needlework what Julia Childs was to cooking.  She took Needlework out of the attic, the pastime of grandmothers and made it fun, fashionable and acceptable to everyone. Her groundbreaking first book, Crewel Embroidery sold over a million copies. She followed it with sixteen other books on a diverse subject of needlecrafts… all intended to demystify the art and make it popular for young and old. Books were followed by easy to do kits that were sold in every department store and boutique around the country… Erica traveled to every nook and cranny of America spreading the gospel. I walked in her shadow. On rare occasions I was invited to share a microphone or TV interview. She was The Star. She was recognized in the tinniest backwater in America, the Hebrides, Queensland… wherever we traveled.

 

In the 1970’s she created her own TV series for WGBH and PBS. It was the most popular series after Julia Childs… Erica’s studio was next to Julia’s. Her shows were seen all over the English-speaking world… the BBC picked it up for all of England, Scotland, Wales, Australia and New Zealand.

 

Each segment is filled with wonderful techniques and lovely “Erica-isms”.

 

From Bargello:

“It’s like eating peanuts, you can’t stop once you begin. The kettle will boil over… the children will murder each other… but never mind, we must finish our Bargello”

 

From Shisha:

“ Shisha. It’s not what you think…. It’s nothing to do with sneezing!”

 

Erica’s greatest wish over the years was to re-issue her PBS series. She preserved the shows in every available format – ¾” Professional tapes, Beta Max, VHS, and finally CD.

She fretted over this for neigh forty years… it just never happened. Cost excesses, distribution issues and alas, my lack of support and concern about cost effectiveness got in the way of moving her wish forward.

 

Then came YouTube and her eyes widened – “this was the media!” We all agreed but it took time – finding someone to convert to digital, then getting them to do the work! Two months after her death, miraculously, we finally got it done! The response has been instant. HOW SHE WOULD HAVE LOVED IT - her dream come true!

 

She is smiling down on each and every one of us as we watch them!

 

Give yourself a treat and log onto the link: 

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/EricaWilsonNantucket/videos

Erica teaching her fabulous children's classes in our garden in Nantucket... Perhaps you'll recognize yourself as one of the pupils!

An Ode to Womanhood

The Inequities of Being a Woman 

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, February 12, 2012

 

I freely admit that I am an old-fashioned male chauvinist! (My dear women’s libber fans… Please don’t be angry or stop reading this Blog). I liked the idea of men’s clubs and saw no need for women to penetrate them (though our clubs have become better for their membership) so why should they have women’s clubs that exclude men? (But that is beside the point).

I understand women’s frustration about “glass ceilings” and discrimination in the work place. I also understand, hiring a pretty woman of marriageable age is a high-risk investment: they get married; they get pregnant; they move with their husband’s job; they beget children and are focused on two careers; etc. etc… You must admit, it is a dilemma for the human resource department…. This too is outside of the parameters of this article.

I worship the female body and as most of my male brethren, consider the breast the epitome of feminine beauty. That their primary function is a Mammal mammary gland is secondary to their ability to entice men.

 

I am touched by the sheer inequity between men and women!

 

Here’s where the injustice sets in. One in eight women suffer from breast cancer. They suffer their loss stoically as though it was ordained.

Add to this God’s punishment, the pain of bearing children. The pain is excruciating… no man has ever gone through it unless like me, having had kidney stones. Women willingly subject themselves to multiple repeat performances of this painful act, in the interest of propagation. No complaint – just a woman’s fate.

 

Raising children, though often shared now a day by spouses, is still a woman’s task… How often I rejoiced when the babies screamed for a feeding and only Erica had the natural supply of nourishment? When they were sick with fevers, Dad would not do. When school started, whose regular responsibility was it to take them and pick them up? Deal with teachers, parent’s meetings, scrapes and scraps? Mum, who had a full career as a TV personality, author, lecturer, and ran two retail shops plus a mail order business. She was an Iconic figure in her needlework craft and a first rate mother!

Naturally, I was “too busy” working and gladly left these trivia’s to Erica. Was it fair? Hell no! Did I concern myself about her burgeoning career? Not really. Was I a good father? Ask the kids: Marginally. Yes, I taught them skiing, sailing, made them love running and hiking… because these were the things I loved most. We took the children skiing every weekend in the winter and sailing in summer – we took then on exotic trips when ever either of us had to travel. Did we do ball games, soccer practice, or swim meets? Never. 

This is not another eulogy for my wife, but her departure showed me how spoiled I was… and am. I don’t make beds, I don’t hang up my clothes, I don’t do the dishes and when the kids were small, I certainly never changed their diapers! She would do everything for me… trifling and major…uncomplainingly.

 

As I am fortunate to live part of my time with my daughter and her family, I now see that her commitment is just as selfless as her mother’s. Drive three girls to school every morning when she really deserves an extra hour’s sleep… Pick them up, do their homework with them, coax them on through depressions when marks are not straight A’s. Squire two teenager’s social life in an age when all their compatriots are running wild. Deal with a sub-teen’s desire to be bigger, better and more fun than her sisters.

Dads are great but Mother is on the firing line toiling with the crucial details that go into raising kids. Has Mom got a career? You bet – Besides being the Major Domo of the house she is running a successful business… It is the fate of all women to grin and bear this cross in life.

  

Mom as the family entrepreneur!

 

 

My heroes: All women coping in this iniquitous world.

 

 

 

 

Gstaad – the Swiss Village of Snow and Boots

"Gstaad – My Love"

the ubiquitous bumper sticker that everyone, who has ever visited, sticks on the back of their car

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, February 6, 2012

 

Snow, snow, snow… (better than rain, rain, rain as reported from Paris). Add to this mix a bevy of glamorous women and chic men and you have a glimpse of what this amazing resort town is all about. Davos may flaunt its financiers and VIP Diplomats; Gstaad thrives on glamour and glorious skiing.

My son Illya, who was cajoled into accompany his father on this trip, enjoyed the solitude of skiing in deep powder snow, often in pea-soup fog and zero visibility… Three days of solitude since sensible Gstaaders don’t go out in those conditions. But Illya’s easel and paintbrush are never far away and he captured some amazing snow scenes in oil on canvas. (I am not allowed to show you these, as he is adamant that they are still works in progress and won’t allow me to photograph them.)

 

THE PALACE HOTEL - GSTAAD  

Driving into Gstaad from any direction, you are overwhelmed by the sight of the majestic Palace Hotel, perched atop a hill, visible from miles away - the Hotel is ubiquitous to Gstaad.

The drawing is from a candy wrapper dating to the Hotel's origin in the 1913

 


This was the view from my bedroom balcony... Lots of snow, but the tops of the mountains were perpetually shrouded in clouds

While Illya was skiing, I was basking in the lap of luxury at the Palace Hotel and dining with friends and a plethora of European nobility including a Prince and Princess, a Baroness, a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) and an Italian Duke in their glamorous Chalets tucked into the hillside of often hard to reach single-lane treacherous mountain roads.

 (discretion prevents me from showing photos)

The Kagan family are old Gstaad hands and have been going there winter and summer for over forty years… this visit was different: I can no longer ski.

The one remaining sport left for me was people watching… more precisely: “girl watching”. (Mind you, this was only in the interest of writing this Blog!) There was no dearth of beautiful women dressed to the hilt in fur, body-clinging jeans and boots. Boots are an absolute necessity for trekking about in ankle-deep snow.  However, while in other alluring watering holes like New York, Palm Beach and Miami the women wear five-inch heals, in Gstaad heels are attached to knee-high boots. (I wanted to take photos for your edification, but was thwarted by my conservative family who prevented me from being so “gauche”.) Hence, I am reduced to drawing a cartoon.... a poor substitute for the photos I wanted to take!

The hip Jet-set enjoying cocktails at the Palace bar

Gstaad was the final stop of our three week long sojourn of Europe. However, Switzerland is more than Gstaad and we loved the drive from Geneva into the Berneser Oberland.

I always marvel at the impressive Architecture of the factories we pass on the road into the mountains

And once in the mountains, the tranquility of the snow scenes

Even Geneva was covered in a blanket of winter-wonderland snow.

 

This is the view from my bedroom window in Geneva

 

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I am writing this little farewell to Europe on a comfortable SWISS airliner flying at 36,000 feet back to the real world and the exciting design work that awaits me.

 

 

Paris in a Small Nutshell

 A Love Story

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, February 6, 2012

 

It rained every day… but what else can you expect of Paris in January? A soft gentle rain, good for farmers – bad for tourists, but great for attendance at Maison & Objet.

  Now that we've got the tourist trappings out of our system, let's visit Paris

A week in Paris is not enough, but neither is a month... As anticipated, I spent most of my time nurturing my exhibit at Maison & Objet and had virtually no time embracing this great city.

 

To keep me company, I had my son Illya as my companion. While I toiled at the show, Illya had time to do two amazing paintings on the Seine.

 

Top: Sein in the Rain - Bottom: Sein at Dusk - oil on canvas by Illya Kagan

As beautiful as the city of Paris is, the outskirts are ugly, ugly, ugly; soulless high-rises looking like slums, interspersed with bleak office structures emblazoned with massive in-you-face neon signs reminding you that the electronic world belongs to Korea. 10 lane highways, most past their prime, move traffic in each direction at a snails’ pace.

 

Enter the city, and you are swept into a fairytale landscape of Châteaus, Palaces, grand old apartment houses adorned with elegant architectural details and heroic sculptures. Gilt abounds. The city’s strict adherence to its six-story height limitation guarantees that nothing dominates the skyline except the gilded domes of historic buildings, quaint slated roofs, the spires of the multitude of churches and of course, the Eiffel Tower.

 

      With forty-two million tourists annually, Paris is the most visited city in the world.

 The architecture is magnificent, a tribute to its past wealth and good taste.

 

Thanks to the advent of the French window, Paris IS the city of balconies! These gracious windows open inward like a giant door, exposing a floor to ceiling vista, Paris apartment houses are adorned with balconies; some tiny with enough space only for a flowerpot, others generous enough to hold delicate wrought iron furniture. Each balcony boasts its own opulent iron grill, beautifully endowed with scrolls, flora and fauna - a tribute to the craft of the ironsmith.

 

 

Balconies abound everywhere...All you need to do is look up - instead of looking into shop windows!

 

A “Les Must de Paris” is a visit to the new Hermes Flagship store on the Rive Gauche, at 17 Rue de Sèvres, designed by Denis Montel, he used steam-bent wood strips like the ribs of a sailboat, to fashion huge cocoon-like tents to create a unique buying experience. The merchandise is sparse and almost secondary to the space. The store was resurrected out of an old 1935 swimming pool, keeping much of the original architectural details in place.

 

Like the ribs of an ancient wooden galleon, the store's interior is created our of delicately steam-bent wood strips

 

Walk or drive along any street and I am mesmerized by the originality of French pharmacy signs easily recognized by their green pulsating neon lights. Never two-alike. Each contained within the confines of a 30” bold green flashing cross… they are true collectible street art.

 
Parisian pharmacy signs that flash and pulsate in ever changing patterns

 

Hotels in Paris are defined by their stars: five stars are the Luxe of deluxe - expect to be pampered at every step. Go down the line and service and amenities drop off. Three-stars could denote anything short of a fleabag, but alas, it harbors some of Paris’ most enchanting, often historical hostelries, located on narrow streets on the Rive Gauche, one of my favorite is the Hotel D’Angleterre, once the home of the British embassy before the French Revolution. It was ostensibly where the final peace between the fledgling American States and England was drawn up to end the Revolutionary War! Beautiful plaster moldings define the once glamorous sitting rooms; a tiny two-passenger elevator is crammed into the space once housing a dumbwaiter. The charming internal garden was less so in the drab winter. Flowers abound in the summer and afternoon tea is served with great style. We had the rafted attic room that looked out on the same views that inspired Hemingway to write his “A Moveable Feast” from the same hotel.

Our Attic room overlooking the rooftops of Paris in the same hotel that inspired Hemmingway back in the 20's

A festive farewell to Paris was given us at a Dinner in the elegant Italian Embassy with the Ambassador hosting our Fendi, Kenzo, Kagan entourage. The building has a glorious history. It was originally called the Hotel de la Rochefoucault-Doudeauville, also known as the Hotel de Boisgelin, named after the family that lived there at the end of the 18^th century. France gave it to the Italian government in 1937 in exchange for the Farnese Palace in Rome. Today, it stands as a reminder of the glory and opulence that was 18^th Century France. 

 

The elegant Italian Embassy where we were given a festive farewell banquet.

At the banquet, I met one of my great fans, French actress Carol Bouquet, who avidly collects my furniture

Paris abounds with museums, but my favorite is the Musee D’Orsay. A magnificent Beaux-Arts abandoned Railway Station, destined for demolition but saved and recycled into a museum under auspices of George Pompidou, then president of France. In 1978 a competition was organized and won by the young team of French architects: Pierre Colboc, Renaud Bardon and Jean-Paul Phillippon and uncharacteristically, the amazing interior was designed by a foreigner (in a country where pride of homegrown artists is almost messianic.) An Italian woman architect: Gae Aulenti was selected to design the interior space. Her respectful treatment of historic details integrated seamlessly into a modern museum, has allowed the art to dominate, but you are never far away from the building’s origin. The collections cover a relatively brief period of French Art – (though the largest in the world) - Impressionist and post-impressionist from 1848 to 1915. We were enthralled by the sheer productivity of artists such as Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Seurat. Our time was regrettably limited as we needed to catch our train to Geneva… but no visit is complete without seeing the enchanting Café Campana on the 5^th floor, built into the enormous clock tower – we sipped a quick cup of hot chocolate and watch the minute hand slip perceptibly around its trajectory, reminding us that it’s time to go!

 

The Musee D'Orsay (obviously NOT photographed by me in the rain) created out of an old abandoned train station 

The great arch of the train station sensitively converted into a museum for impressionist art

The cavernous Clock tower space recycled into a fun restaurant

Illya enjoying a hot chocolate in the Café Campana located in the Clock tower

Some quick miscellanea before we say good by to Paris

Fortuitously, my daughter Jessica was in Paris at the same time as we, showing her jewelry and accessories at the Premier Classe Fashion Show at the Porte de Versailles,,, here we are enjoying dinner at Paris' newest hip eatery - L'Eclaireure

And finally... a parting shot... if you missed my Blog on Maison & Objet, you will have missed this gem!

I kid you not... this was a daily event at Maison & Objet... body painting a model to match the marble wall...the exhibit must have sold tons of marble

 

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And finally, a smooth train ride on the TGV took us from Paris to Geneva… Read the Gstaad Blog as a farewell to Europe… (until April's Salone di Mobile in Milan).

 

 

 

Paris - Maison & Object 2012

Maison & Objet 

 A non-objective overview

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, February 1, 2012

 A huge complex of seven exhibition halls make up the Maison & Objet Home and Fashion Showcase at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. I am certain that what I did not see, could fill a book… I saw only a fraction!.... But for what it’s worth, here is my report:

Maison & Objet is a home furnishing Fun Fair, filled with irresistible objects for the home from ceramics, to glass, to textiles, window treatments, decorative pillows, jewelry, fashion accessories, real flowers, fake flowers, gourmet teas, topless models promoting marble…. You name it; you can get it at Maison…. And there are the lugubrious furniture exhibits, recognizable by their size and opulence. My show was located in Hall 7 where most of the major furniture companies were housed… I never had a chance to leave the building, every time I tried, I was called back to greet a client or press person.

My exhibit, Vladimir Kagan New York, was one of a trilogy sponsored by the Italian manufacturer Club House Italia. The display was an impressive 200 square meters, but I was dwarfed by my sister exhibits of Kenzo with 800 square meters and Fendi a full 1000 meters.

A frontal view of my space featuring one of the three animation projections

To put the finishing touches on my space, I arrived the night before to cast my Magic Wand over what had already been accomplished. My Italian design team did an amazing job; there was little I could do but scatter a few crumbs on what already was a perfect exhibit. The crowning feature of my show was the amazing animations of my sketches, sketches which I kept Emailing from the USA, (not quite knowing what to expect). They were mesmerizing!*  Three partition walls served as the screens for this ever changing display of cartoon-like, animation display of my sketches. Truly worthy of an Oscar in the Animation Category in next month’s Hollywood extravaganza.

*(The word Mesmerize comes from an 18^th century German hypnotist Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer, who performed feats of amazements for his audience.) 

In my gallery display, we succeeded in showing 25 designs ranging from my classic Serpentine Sofa, Barrel Chair, sculptured coffee table and the newly re-introduced sling dining chair and table - all dating from the late 40s into the 50s.

A full view of my exhibit with the every changing animated wall projections

Two new dining tables from the 50's featuring sensuously sculpted rims and leg details together with my very polular Sling Dining Chair suspended in a carved walnut frame

My favorite illuminated Buffet in satin lustre Rosewood designed in the late 60s. The Candelabras are from my original store in 1948. In the foreground is the cushion version of my iconic Serpentine Sofa.

 

A juxstra position of the newe and old: the Barrel Chair from 1947 with two elements of the new  Nantucket Section Sofa grouping  2011

The familiar Serpentine Sofa paired with its High-back cushion cousin

A small vignette showing the floor height mirror with the La Ronde Swivel Love Seat and some Kagan lamps

The show introduced three architecturally inspired cabinets, a cantilevered glass and wood dining table, a wood and Plexiglas coffee table, a Cubist Club and Dining chairs were also shown. These designs date from the 60’s and 70s.

We also re-introduced lamps, candelabras and a standing mirror, all adopted from designs first seen in my shop on East 65^th Street in New York in 1948. There were four new elegant Kagan Rugs hand-woven in Thailand especially for this exhibit. And to bring my designs into the 21^st Century, a curvaceous sectional sofa grouping, that was the hit of the show, was designed this past Fall.

The furniture was set off by highly polished black marble and white walls. The cloud-like effect of the ceiling mirrored the curvilinear spirit of my designs. Comments on the space were most flattering and it stood in contrast to the magnificently decorated room-settings of my sister companies.

 

KENZO

Kenzo hit it just right with a brilliant distillation of the Japanese esthetic into furniture scaled for a western room. The colors are exquisite and the trademark Kenzo prints were a refreshing touch in an all black environment.

 

FENDI

Fendi is all about glamour and opulence. You could sense the flow of wealth in everything from the textiles, luscious rugs, sensuous finishes, attention to details from table settings, chandeliers, lamps and accessories. The moment one steps into this forbidden space, (no one gets in without an invitation) you are encapsulated in luxury.

 

I barely had time to tour our own pavilion #7 but managed to find a few exhibits that caught my eye.

At the entrance in the public space, was an inspired piece of installation Art, created entirely out of corrugated cardboard.

 

Chinoiserie with an amazing twist: Francis Chen, a Taiwanese entrepreneur partnered with Jean Boggio, a French designer, to weave a dream spirit of Chinese culture into a uniquely inspired non-western indium.

For sheer simplicity, I found a small cubicle of space BY DAHA dedicated to a display of a simple wood block serving as end tables and various forms of totems… very refreshing.

 

Roche Bobois played to its high-tech audience with a fascinating expandable glass dining table called Echoes that featured an exposed “bank-vault” mechanism with moving gears that pulled the table apart and inserted a glass table leaf at each end. (Their website was too sophisticated for me to be able to cribbage a photo of the table… may be you can?)

Missoni was always Erica's favorite... you cannot beat them for color!

Ralph Lauren was predictably in his own comfort-zone…. Nothing earthshaking but cozy stuff to relax in and enjoy a cigar. Everyone can feel like a millionaire.

 

The textile stands in our building were too many to describe, but all had exquisite quality fabrics and hangings for the decorators that visit the show.

 

I cannot resist showing you my favorite marble display! It took an artis two hours per day to body-paint each of the three models to blend into the color of the marble.

On the visitor side, there were the usual scattering of American manufacturers and designers, slyly looking for new innovation and inspiration.

See ya next at the Milan Fair in April!