Louis Vuitton's Yayoi Kusama Celebration | David Austin Roses | Kate Scott Photography

No, this is not revenge of the pink dalmatians. Rather, it’s a rendering of a Louis Vuitton pop-up store, opening inside its New York’s SoHo boutique on July 10.

One of seven pop-ups globally, the boutique celebrates the LV collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who “never met a dot she didn’t like”, writes WWD. Other pink hot spots will appear in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.

On July 12, Yayoi Kusama’s major retrospective opens at the Whitney Museum in New York, with Louis Vuitton as the sponsor. The entire operation pink spots will “climax” on Aug. 23 with major installations in the Printemps flagship in Paris and another at Selfridges in London, breaking ranks and celebrate pumpkins.

Now 82 and living in a hospital for the mentally ill, Kusama has been painting since age 10, and has applied dots to canvases, tree trunks, entire rooms and even people.

See Louis Vuitton Kusama collection ad campaign on Sensuality News.  

No one would ever call us traditionalists at Anne of Carversville. And yet our eyes need a walk in the woods or a bench in the rose garden — preferably full of David Austin roses — after this digital walk on the wild side. My madhatter friend and superb photographer of flowers Kate Scott can bring order to this Louis Vuitton-induced moment of visual chaos.

With WWD introducing orgasms into a read on pop-up stores, let me turn down the temperature, sharing one of her calming, delicate, ladylike, soft and proper images. More Kate Scott. Sigh. I feel better already.

Kate Scott Photography

Kate Scott, June 2012His Nose Knows Roses

Michael Marriott of David Austin RosesAOC loves flowers to death and in particular David Austin roses. AOC friends came to know these magnificent blooms through my dear friend Kate Scott, whose images of flowers first caught my fancy early in 2011.

Michael Marriott, is senior rosarian at David Austin Roses. Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, the cultivated genius of petal pleasures explains how to smell a rose.

Dear Kate received such good news yesterday.

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Tom Ford Talks Sensuality, Sexy Older Women & Loving Fashion's Fast Pace

Designer Tom Ford, AP photoTom Ford talks fashion shop today with Telegraph UK’s Lisa Armstrong. The designer has a long relationship with London, where he will showcase his upcoming women’s wear collection. These days, Ford prefers the intimacy of one-to-ones with hand-picked magazines editors and women friends in his London showroom, to catwalk extravaganzas.

Ford has just been nominated along with Katie Grand and Sarah Burton for a 2011 BFA (British Fashion Award) tribute. The ceremony will be held on November 28. In the Designer Brand category, Ford competes with Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham and Burberry.

Ford echoes a common refrain about his relationship with a fashion world he doesn’t hesitate to criticize, saying he would die of boredom only making films. Ford has no expressed desire to slow down the fashion system, although he isn’t living life at John Galliano-warp speed.

The designer is also a health fanatic and lives for decades in a committed personal relationship with Richard Buckley. Tom Ford is disciplined about his life choices and always has been.

The perpetual Adonis is also reflective about aging, saying “My mother doesn’t like me saying this but she’s in her late seventies and her boyfriend’s in his late sixties. The point is she’s active and looks amazing, and yet we’ve taught ourselves to think that ageing’s embarrassing. That’s why I left all the wrinkles in the story shot for French Vogue of an old couple having sex”.

That editorial and —probably more consequentially — Ford’s editorial of 10-year-old Thylane Lena Rose Blondeau — may have helped good friend Carine Roitfeld exit Vogue Paris stage left. Ford says that Carine tries on all his clothes. If it’s not a love for her, the dust bin is closeby.

As for talking about sexuality, the man who generated more sexual heat at Guci than any major designer in history says that ‘sensuality’ — rather than raw ‘sexuality’ — is front and center in his mind today. Understand that the man’s hardly dead yet. Closing out his interview with The Telegraph, Ford commented on the wall of ‘heroically endowed’ nude male portraits in his office by saying

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Apollinas Stella Cake | Marilyn Monroe | Brooklyn LEIF Launch | Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz

People

Marilyn Monroe

She had to be smiling in heaven — Marilyn Monroe that is. Marilyn’s ‘The Seven Year Itch’ dress sold at a Profiles in History auction for $4.6 million plus another $.9 in fees. It was estimated to bring between $1 and $2. Marilyn’s red ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ dress also rendered the estimates meaningless, bringing in $1.2 million instead of $200,000-300,000. Audrey Hepburn’s Ascot dress from “My Fair Lady,” carrying the same estimate, sold for $3.7 million.

The dresses were all owned by actress Debbie Reynolds, who began collecting them at a young age, when she was under contract with MGM.  Marilyn Monroe is a superb example of a Smart Sensuality woman. You might be surprised to know that being taken seriously as an intellectual was a life-long dream of the Hollywood star.

Marilyn Monroe | A Smart, Sensual Blonde (includes old video of Marilyn being interviewed on ideas and her world view.)

Reflections on Female Sexual Desire: Anais Nin, Marilyn Monroe & Isabelle Allende Join Forces with Anne

Design

Brooklyn Launch LEIF

We have a nice Internet ‘progression’ story this am. Notcot delivered me to this set of mixed greens teaspoons, made in France and sold online and in person at a new shop in Brooklyn called LEIF.

Wandering over to their blog, we have a great example of a mix between content not sellling product and content that does. All the entries support the’ LEIF lifestyle’.

Now for the Big Love — no offence lovely French teaspoons.

If you look at as much fashion editorial as I do, you see Stella McCartney’s spring 2011 fruit print in your sleep. Much as I love it, there is a part of me that says ‘enough all ready’. 

Unless it’s really creative, I’m over looking at the same oranges and lemons on fabric.

As for a cake — now that’s creative! Stella McCartney was so impressed that even she Tweeted about it, writes LEIF blog. Called the Stella cake, it’s a citrus cake with lemon curd filling and orange lemon icing.

Another visually arresting, great content mix blog Apollinas has many photos of her Stella cake and the recipe. The author is an attorney in Washington and began her blog as a form of ‘relief’ from her stodgy career. Smashing!

More reading on Stella McCartney:

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The Common Good | NASA Lifts Off | Noosphere | Foldable Computers

Living

Getaways

The Wellfleet Ten NYTimes

The Colony of Wellfleet is open late May to mid-September. The cottages (from $1,250 per week)are the anthesis of ‘la glamour’ living.

For visitors in search of lost time, the colony is most certainly a last redoubt. Sitting out on the deck behind your cottage in the cool, misty morning air, with coffee steaming at your elbow, the umbrella up over the glass table and the wind soughing in the pines, you can understand why so many poems, books and articles have been written here — or, at least, read. Everything here seems to suggest that there is a right way to do things. “I’ve held onto it,” Eleanor says. “Each cottage was so separate and private. Nobody was watching to see how you dressed, or whether you had shoes on or went barefoot. And you could read all day if you wanted, or go to the beach, or sail, or do anything. The marvelous freedom to walk out of that cottage and have somebody put it in order for you. It was my idea of perfect summer living.”

Nibbles

Manet’s ‘Lunch on the Grass’, 1863‘Manet, the Man Who Invented Modernity,’ Paris Exhibition NYTimes

Art Market Shakes Off the Blues with Christie’s Sizzling $301.6 Million Contemporary Sale ArtInfo.com

Emily Crane’s Edible Micro-Nutrient Couture Fashion AOC Style

Brainiac

Noosphere

NOOSPHERE from Tatiana Plakhova on Vimeo.

“Rather, evolution experiences jumps in complexity (such as the emergence of a self-reflective universe, or noosphere). The complexification of human cultures, particularly language, facilitated a quickening of evolution in which cultural evolution occurs more rapidly than biological evolution” via Complexity Graphics

America’s Own Clash of Civilizations

Drawing a Line in Lubna’s Sand, Saying ‘No More’ to the Growing, Global Erosion of Women’s Rights in the Name of Any Man’s Religion AOC Sexual Politics

Today women are swimming, covered head to toe in Alexandria, and Christian women are afraid to come out of their houses.

I ended last year’s digital journey to Ithaca on a glorious note, with video of a moving concert in Greece, as Odyssey sped towards a Mars landing.

There is so much inspiration, celebration, hope and sensuality in this video that pays tribute to the great civilizations of Egypt and Greece at a time when women’s rights were far better than now. (before monotheism)

It seems appropriate to post this video today, when Endeavor blasted off on NASA’s next-to-last shuttle flight. Recovering from her gun wounds to the brain, Gabrielle Giffords was in attendance —  in my America, which is becoming an armed fortress.

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More Sex Please! Health Benefits of Sex on Aging

Sensual & Superyoung

Derby Drink Up!

Drinks for Your Derby Party, Beyond the Julep WSJ  May 7, 2011

The Derby, Futurity Cocktail and Jockey Club Cocktail #2 are good alternatives to complicated Mint Juleps on Derby day. Drinking and racing have always been inseparable. With the great Zenyatta out of the running this year, we may drown our spirits all weekend.

Moderate amounts of alcohol can be good for libido — but remember one or two. After that, the sensual party can fizzle easily if you’re bedroom bound.

More Sex Please!

The Joy of Researching the Health Benefits of Sex WSJ May 3, 2011

I must say that WSJ is far more enthusiastic writing about drinks for the Derby party than Melinda Beck is in making the case for the health benefits of sex. Still, Beck writes of sex as a ‘roll in the hay’ so let’s talk about it on Derby day.

The question is does sex make people healthier or do healthier people have more sex. However one gets there, good health and sex, combined with looking younger, do go together. Why must the relationship be linear versus organic or holistic?

Superyoung Sensuality | Sex & Exercise Can Take Away 10 Years AOC Sensual & Superyoung

The very name Sensual & Superyoung comes from the work of Dr. David Weeks, who researched the lifestyles of 2000 married couples in Britain.

Inclusion in the study came from a panel reviewing a current photo of the participant and estimating the age to be 10 years younger than the real age. Those married folks enjoyed a lot of sex — three times a week on average — and they also exercised. 

Sex and exercise were the two strongest predictors of looking superyoung. As for the health benefits of loving sex between partners who truly enjoy their sensual time together, I believe the case is stronger than Beck builds.

Unlike France, a country that openly advocates sexual activity in marriage and focuses on helping new moms return to sexual activity in marriage for her sake, America has little interest in researching sexuality.

“If I told you we have randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multi-center trials on these questions, there is no such a thing,” says Irwin Goldstein, a urologist and editor in chief of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The biggest obstacle is lack of funding, he says. “If ‘sex’ is in your grant proposal, it’s very hard to get it approved.” WSJ

Loving Relationships | 32 Health Benefits of Sex AOC Health

Sexual Wellness Power Foods

A Kitchen to Bedroom Primer | Sexual Wellness Power Foods AOC Health

Sensual & Superyoung Sex, Healthy Diet Foods AOC Health

Because of the inherently sceptical nature of Americans thinking about the health benefits of sex, I won’t call sexual wellness power foods aphrodisiacs. We Americans resist embracing any kind of folklore, or even the health benefits of yoga or acupuncture. Ancient traditions mean nothing to us.

Yet there is sound science that suggests that libido and a healthy diet are connected, and not all foods are created equal. We share the health facts of certain foods that are part of my daily diet.

Female Sexuality Revealed Online, Marilyn Monroe & FBI, Bad Sugar

People

Marilyn Monroe

Bombshell Tapes Reveal New Marilyn Monroe Mystery AOL News April 26, 2011

Marilyn Monroe’s death on Aug. 5, 1962 remains one of the most mysterious and controversial ‘suicides’ in history.  Stories abound that Marilyn was taken alive to the hospital, then back home to die. Who knows what really happened?

Famous hair and makeup artist George Masters’ nephew turned over a set of tapes between them, prior to Masters’ — now destitute and drug addicted — death in 1998.

Details emerge of a trip not previously known about the day before Marilyn died, returning again on Frank Sinatra’s private jet to Lake Tahoe at the Cal-Neva Lodge. She was there with Sam Giancana, who was the head of the Mafia.

It’s alleged that Marilyn was about to talk about her relationship with the Kennedys, that she was given an enema with Nembutal. According to Masters, he believed that the FBI took Marilyn down.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Too Much Gwyneth Paltrow! The Daily Beast

Gwyneth Paltrow lensed by Peter Lindbergh is new ambassador for Coach

Given her enormous talents, why does Gwyneth Paltrow struggle to get respect in America? Tricia Romano speculates about why so many people are down on the upper-crust, blue-blood, blond Hollywood actress who just became an ambassador for Coach brand.

Crystal Renn

Anorexia in Thirds | 1/3 Die, 1/3 Relapse, 1/3 Recover AOC Daily Musings April 26, 2011

The NYTimes wrote a very sobering and scholarly article on recovery from anorexia, prompting us to declare our concern that the media and bloggers are getting major advice on anorexia from Crystal Renn.

We’ve been unsettled by Crystal’s recent conversations and comments before reading the NYTimes piece. Anorexia is a tremendously complicated disease, very similar to alcoholism.

We are wrong to keep focusing on Crystal Renn, who is a long way from a full recovery, based on facts about anorexia.

Sensual and Superyoung

Human Sexual Desire

The Online World of Female Desire WSJ April 30, 2011

Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam have written a new book ‘A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World’s Largest Experiment Reveals about Human Desire. 

Our Internet searches reveal much about us and so does neuroscience and brain scans. Understanding these facts gives us a much better understanding of sexuality and especially female sexuality where what we say and what we do are frequently at odds with each other.

One of the most interesting topics I’ve covered in my consulting work on female sexuality is that semantics mean everything. 

2006 Internet search stats confirm that women hate  the word porn, hitting the return key only 4% of the time in the 23 million searches for the word porn.

Having spent more time researching adult sites than I ever want to admit to, I understand totally why women detest the word porn. It’s gross out there.

The astute researcher digs deeper into women’s habits in the Internet’s erotic arena. If I told you that in 2006 women executed 50% of the 75 million searches for the word sex and 56% of the 14 million searches for teen sex, are you surprised? Read on: Sexy Doublespeak | American Women & Sexual Honesty.

Bad News Sugar

Is Sugar Toxic? NYTimes April 13, 2011

Researchers like Robert Lustig believe that being fatter isn’t the primary driver causing insulin resistance and the complications of disease. An in-depth NYT magazine article asks in it’s sugar that causes insulin resistance leading to cancer and other diseases. It’s dramatic to ask if sugar is poisoning our bodies, and the article doesn’t draw a firm conclusion.

But smart people like Anne, who are following the sugar story eat as little of it as possible for over a decade.

Nature

Flower Power in America

Lowe’s, Home Depot Locked in Annual Arms Race WSJ April 27, 2011

America not only goes to war over cupcakes but now gardening. Gardening is big business in America.

‘For Home Depot, the world’s largest home-improvement chain with $68 billion in annual revenue, and Lowe’s, the second largest with $49 billion, the stakes are large… . The National Gardening Association estimates that 28% of all U.S. households planted flowers last year … An industry rule of thumb is that for every $1 customers spend on plants, they spend about $3 on accessories like watering hoses, shovels and gardening gloves.’

Tom Ford Exposes Soulful Substance In "A Single Man"

Updated on Tue, December 15, 2009 by Anne

I simply adore Tom Ford. Madly, in fact.

As the Fashion Director of  Victoria’s Secret in the 1990s, I wandered the streets of the world a total believer in Tom Ford’s sophisticated but blatantly provocative look at sexuality. With a few exceptions, Ford always knew just how far to push the sexual envelope, leaving the viewer on the edge of erotic tension.

via Daily YummoUnless you were a completely uptight, repressed sexual personality, Tom Ford coachs you into sexual awareness. Even if you chose not to open Pandora’s Box, you know what lays smoldering in the darkness. As Shakira said recently, “libido is the engine of the world”.

It’s true that Tom Ford is often accused of being a modern-day, superficially erotic dandy, but I never say him that way. His persona and creative mind always seemed plentiful to me and in balance.

A few years ago, Tom Ford astonished the fashion industry by walking away from it and a working relationship that no longer worked for him. All the details are in today’s NYTimes feature Tom Ford’s Directorial Debut Is Silencing His Critics.

(nudity under the fold)

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