This is the sort of thing I love: a recreation of a work of art by another work of art. Here we have the original Matisse painting of a Woman in Purple Robe, whimsically echoed in an abstract floral homage. It’s magical. I especially love how the skin tone in the painting is almost perfectly-matched in the double gerbera daisies. It’s a brilliant illustration of how art can continue to live on in unique ways, and how it might multiply in joy and happiness with each passing iteration.
There’s a reason hotels use white sheets for their bedding, and it’s not merely a matter of simplifying design decisions. Studies have shown that sleeping on a cloud of white bedding produces a more peaceful and happy night of sleep. Being that such sleep is the main goal of our home, I’ve switched out our winter sheet set for a crisp, cool white collection just in time for the warmer seasons. Whether it’s a psychosomatic trick of the mind, or the phenomenon is a real one, I already feel a bit better about the bedroom. It’s brighter. Cleaner. Softer. All the things you want a bed to be.
One of the most invigorating things you can do for a domicile is switch up the bedding. In Boston we have various sets depending on season and whim, but I’ve neglected to invest in such things in upstate New York for the past few years. We’ve found a winning combination this time around, however, so we should be set for a while. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to rest easy and go back to bed.
At the crux of nature and art is the featured painting by Matisse. Currently on exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, it’s a relatively calm piece, color-wise, for the artist, but one that perfectly captures the subtle shades of a bush known less for showmanship and more for fragrance. Beyond the meeting of art and nature, there is the matter of perfume – a very important matter indeed.
Lilacs seem to remind many people of their childhood, and I’m no exception. I distinctly remember the lilac bushes in our front and back yards, and the way their flowers held the water so often falling from the sky at this time of the year. Their heart-shaped leaves were the purest form of green (enjoy them now, as they usually succumb to mildew once the humidity of summer hits).
Matisse captured their subtlety in a vase, and the accompanying gray atmosphere that early spring sometimes signifies. Rain abounds during lilac season, and their subtle shades work well against a dull sky. The softness of their visage deceptively belies the perfume they produce, and it is this exquisite fragrance that pulls me, and so many others, blissfully back to childhood, and back to the beginning.
Of a season.
Of a life.
Of a lilac.
Two pink cherry trees in full bloom framed the entrance to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The glorious double Kwanzan variety makes a dramatic specimen, especially when in the throes of its blooming passion. Here, I offer a look at the one on the left, in case you’re unable to witness their splendor in person. Tis the season of the sakura.
One of my most favorite moments of the past few months was not a crazy jaunt across the world, or a last minute second-row ticket to ‘Hamilton’ – it was a simple snippet of time that happened in the most unlikely of places: my own bedroom. (Calm down, perverts.)
I had spent the day working outside. Somehow the dirt manages to be partly muddy, and partly dry – making for the worst of all worlds – mucky stuff on my shoes and hands, and a dusty layer of airborne soil in my hair and on my clothes. My nose was running, and sweat was carrying dirt to all sorts of fun places. (Mostly my eyes; sorry again, perverts.) The day was cool and breezy, but after spreading cow manure and grappling with patches of pachysandra that have somehow persisted for over a decade, I was a sorry sight. After a winter of relative stagnancy, the stretches involved in preparing the yard for another spring season were a re-awakening of things that had assumed I’d given up on ever stretching again. My body felt sore, my hands and arms were scraped with the cuts and bruises of stubborn plants and incorrigible tools, and my allergies were just beginning to win the battle of pushing me back inside. You would not know it to look at me, but I was happy as a hooker eyeing a vessel docking for shore leave.
My runny nose ran me to the shower, and I let the hot water and soap work their magic in removing the grime of a day from every crevice of my aching body. This was the good kind of pain – the sort that nodded its acknowledgement of a day of work well done. I scrubbed my skin until it glowed like a ‘Peace’ rose, then dried off and combed my hair before sliding into a white terry-cloth robe. I padded barefoot into the bedroom and laid down for a moment, looking out the window where the sun was still shining on the backyard.
That, right then and there, was the moment of happiness and contentment that had eluded me all winter. The comfort after the exertion, the softness after the strife – it was blissful. I promptly fell asleep, which was not my intent, but that was ok too.
It was the sort of simplicity that I so often try to orchestrate, but never quite achieve – and here it was, without even trying.
Another gift of spring.
Our annual Broadway mother-son trip to New York is slated for a couple of weekends from now, and while I’m looking forward to the shows and time with my Mom, I’m also keenly anticipating our first stay at The Towers at Lotte New York Palace. In a city like New York, most people seem to consider the accommodations an after-thought, more of a place to sleep and shower than a destination unto itself. I’m somewhere between the two, though that may change with the the promise of these Towers.
Located at Madison and 50th, the location is ideal for our purposes – within reach of Broadway, but safely removed from the annoying aspects of Times Square. Billing itself as a boutique hotel within a hotel, The Towers at Lott New York Palace is the fancier section of this wondrous property, and looks to be the perfect home-away-from-home as we enjoy a long weekend indulging in Broadway and fancy dinners. (Stay tuned for a more indulgent review after we experience all the luxury.)
As predicted, my originally-unimpressed stance toward Madonna’s sartorial choices has softened and refined itself into one of gentle admiration. While I never hated it, I wasn’t instantly wowed, which is rare for a Madonna outfit. It’s sort of what happened last year, when it took a few viewings and a closer inspection to reveal the full glory of what was going on. In this instance, I was too quick to consider it a lesser rehash of one of her classic moments (in this case, the formidable get-up of her ‘American Life’ period). This is actually much softer than that, and her hair and makeup are flawless. I still think ill of the grill in her teeth (in certain photos this just reads as spinach), but her canteen was filled with a rosé, and that nifty fact makes up for all sorts of mis-steps in my mind. Created by Moschino, it’s better than this particular year, but in the end will likely filter down as one of the lackluster years. Still, Madonna in camouflage is better than no Madonna at all.
It’s an oft-made assumption that the biggest night of fashion is the Oscar Awards, but that’s simply not true. The first Monday in May, and the night of the Met Gala, actually holds that title. This is when people take risks, go completely wild, and usually make more of an impression on me than the relatively tame Oscars game. To that end, this is an evening of whimsical and daring enchantment for the fashion-lovers.
With its unexpectedly-tricky avant-garde theme (Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons) the Met Gala presented some sartorial challenges for most attendees, which is odd, because it’s such fertile ground for over-the-top architectural opportunities. Rihanna and Katy Perry came through, but everyone else fell a little flat, even Madonna. (Though hers is usually a grower, especially upon closer examination.) Anyway, here are some of the looks from the most fashionable night of the year.
It’s almost time for our annual Mother’s Day Broadway trip, and I’ve already made the selections (and, more importantly, ordered the tickets) for the shows we are seeing. This time around we are splurging on the accommodations (Lotte New York Palace) and the fact that we are seeing three musicals. I tend to choose at least one play to ease the wallet and the general bombast of an all-musical weekend, but this year we need that escapism.
Our triumvirate of musicals includes an 1812 comet, dueling make-up mavericks, and one grandly delusional diva in the form of the following:
For ‘The Great Comet’, I just want to see Josh Groban in all that padding, and hear him sing in person for the first time ever. ‘War Paint’ is starring Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone, and was created by the team that so enchantingly brought ‘Grey Gardens’ to Broadway life. Finally, what more can I say about ‘Sunset Boulevard’ and Glenn Close that hasn’t been said already?
I’m looking forward to all of the above, and I know my Mom is too. A few fancy days in the city are exactly what we need to ring in the warm seasons.
In a snowdrop,
In a line of daffodils breaking through the ground,
In a bright white Lenten rose.
The sights of the season are glorious to behold.
On this first of May, as we begin one of my favorite months, a look back as is our Monday tradition. The Delusional Grandeur Tour culminates this month with its final flourish. I closed out April in Boston, and we shall return a couple more times before the end is at hand. For now, the week in review:
It began in the Windy City, where beauty and forgiveness found a way, and an artful lunch proved a formidable balm.
A very pretty post of Bryce Thompson.
Sexy blokes, Round one.
Sexy blokes, Round two.
Hunks of the Day included Francois Imbeau Dulac, Aaron Renfree, Frankie Cammarata, Dan Murphy & Charlie Carver.
The most exciting news, however, happened in the dark of night, on a blissfully warm evening: the first swim of the season.
The day started off rainy and cool, but steadily warmed as the hours ticked on. Andy had begun heating the pool as soon as we heard the weather report was calling for the possibility of fine weather. It paid off as the water reached a perfect 87 degrees, and the outside flirted with the 70’s. I slipped in for the first swim of the year, and it felt divine.
The scent of a wood fire carried over the water – someone in the neighborhood was burning for heat or atmosphere, and it smelled both of fall coziness and a spring night. Torn deliciously between seasonal worlds, I floated in the deep end, momentarily free from the usual gravitational burden of walking through life. April hadn’t even ended, and I was already in the pool. I savored the moment quietly, not wanting to tempt the fates with hubris.
Not content to limit the Sunday sexiness to one post, here is the second part of our salacious day. It begins in fine and fit fashion, with a couple of shots of an instant-favorite, Griffin Barrows. He’s appeared in far less before, such as within this post.
Another favorite in these parts: Chris Evans, whose Twitter take-downs of our #ClownInChief have been both riotous and inspirational. He’s been here a number of times, mostly as a hunky anchor of posts just like this.
Also helming several best-of collections is David Gandy, one of the world’s most prominent male models of the moment. He’s managed to hold on to that throne much like Tyson Beckford – physically-blessed boys who maintain their looks and careers despite the ruthless cunning of time.
Charlie King earned his Hunk Royalty with his feature post (and these sexy GIFS).
Giving the ‘Z’ in this ass to ‘Z’ collection is perennial feature guy Zac Efron, seen here in tight wetsuit madness.
Aside from the regular Hunk of the Day feature, things have gotten entirely too safe-for-work around here. We need to add some ‘Not’ very soon, hence this sexy post. The new ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ has put me in a Christ Pratt frame of mind, but since he hasn’t done any onscreen nudity since this tease, you’ll have to make do with a GIF that shows off his body even through the tight shirt. Let’s make a GIF show of this post, and touch on some former Hunks who deserve a second look.
Hugh Jackman is another marquee hunk who has gone all naked in a GIF like the one below, taken from one of his many nude turns as Wolverine.
Aaron Renfree’s first, and very recent, crowning as Hunk of the Day celebrated his dancer’s physique.
The inside-and-out beauty of Ben Cohen has found numerous moments to shine here. I give you two more.
Another classic from across-the-pond, I give you the Speedo-bursting brilliance of Tom Daley.
Mr. Daley has appeared here more than most, for all the reasons one might suspect.
We close out this post with this glorious GIF of Joe Jonas and his recent turn as Guess underwear model.
