Natural Fashion

SPOT THE DOG and SILVERFACE THE CAT
“English Bone China with a Japanese twist,” is how these baubles by Reiko Kaneko are described by UK online retailer Rockett St. George.

PLAY MORE
Note pads by Amsterdam-based Trapped in Suburbia.

ORBS
You’ll find both 'functional' and 'decorative' items for sale at the Paul and Kate Studio on Etsy. These orbs are from the 'decorative' (completely useless) category. But who cares--they are so textural and mysterious, and absolutely perfect for someone who really doesn’t “need” anything. You might want to combine the Prehistoric Planet (top) with a copy of "The Little Prince." And you can safely assume that the recipient of the Caramel Barnacle (not really an orb, its flat bottom makes it more like a scone), doesn’t already have one.

FILAGREE BALL
This vintage pendant, from TopsyDesign on Etsy, is so Rosemary's Baby. If you're giving this to a pregnant woman, don’t forget to fill with tannis root!

Rosemary’s baby, 1968
A while back, when my research of the Funny Girl logo landed me in the world of vintage movie posters, I was struck by the prevalent use of duotone in posters of the late 1960s and early 1970s. I don’t quite know what the reason was for the trend--there were four-color posters as far back as Birth of a Nation. And it wasn’t just for low-budget movies with lines like “Leaves nothing to the imagination” (Negatives) and ”She uses men like pep-up pills” (Stolen Hours). The poster for Bergman’s Persona was duotone, as was the one for Rosemary’s Baby.
I’m thinking it had something to do with the transition from illustration to photography, as the artwork of preference, but I’d be very interested to find out the real reason, from some one out there in-the-know.