Mind Blowing to borrow an expression of total anmazement from the 70's sans hallucinogens ! What an incredibly beautiful and charming country. Even managed to find both Japanese and American kitsch amongst all the carefully considered beauty.

The SHIOYA DINER......found while strolling one of the best kept secret art islands of Japan, Naoshima, where works by some of the most famous artists in history have a museum built especially to display their work.

The pink flamingo, the universal symbol for kitsch, caught my eye, and you can see what pulled me in.

I then met Shimpei "Buddy" Nakamura, who having had an American style 50's/60's store in Tokyo, returned to make over a family home into a 50's diner. "Buddy" as he is known for his love of Buddy Holly and the music he plays on his jukebox, has visited the US a number of times and brought back the necessary kitsch to transform this traditional Japanese home. I showed him my blog and we had a great time discussing our mutual love for kitsch. His English is quite good, which is rare in Japan. So if you ever go to Naoshima, stop in and say hi or send him an email at ratmotorbeat@hotmail.com.

In my personal lexicon, kitsch can also extend to those works of art that I find extremely cool, and in no way demeaning, so please go with me on that. This is by the famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, whose work I love, and has two installations on the island of Naoshima. Some people call her the "polka dot lady" as she has a fondness for them in her work.

Here I am in front of her second work on another part of the island. If I could have a garden back in France filled with her polka dot vegetables, I would smile every day !

Nam June Paik....the father of cybernetic video art. A world class artist displayed in the top museums of the world had a piece in the island's museum. My photo does not do it justice, as there is a fish tank inside the window with live fish that are properly cared for.  I may have to take a page from his art and try this at home.

Hungry ! I was, every day. There were so many beautifuly enticing treats, some of which I had no idea what they were, but they looked and tasted good, so I didn't really care what they were made of. If you look closely you'll see the lips on the left and the skull and cross bones on the right. They have a way of taking anything from any other country and improving on it.

Ok, not edible ! These are poofs/chairs that I spotted in a furniture store. Japan is just an explosion of color. Nothing drab here.

More chairs in great colors. Remember this is the land of Hello Kitty, so everything has got to be cute and colorful.

Needless to say, if you haven't visited Japan, please put it on your "bucket list".

I got back to France just in time for brocantes in the rain, so my Japan pics came in handy.

Sayonara

a bientot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with everything "the devil is in the details" and kitsch is certainly no exception, and the details are what makes something kitsch or not (cool or really lame). So above are cabinet "handles" that I bought from the 1€ collection, that the seller thinks came off the bodywork of an old Chrysler car. MMW has a great eye, and when I brought them home she saw the potential as handles for a 50's cabinet we bought in Denver 20 years ago. Kudos (chapeau in French) to her for the idea, and I love em on there !

Details again, this time I'm talking about the globes on this lamp. I found the lamp about 3 years ago, and while it was in working condition, it only had one globe ! So as the spring bases that hold the globes are of a certain size, it took me almost 3 years to find enough of the globes with the right size base to display and use it. 

Speaking of searching, it's getting harder and more expensive to find stuff I can't live without ! With the price of gas/petrol here at all time high levels. (No sympathy for Americans reading this...whatever you're paying, we're paying double that !)  So more and more, hard core thrifters such as myself are sometimes spending more on fuel to get to the brocantes then on stuff at the brocante. The amount of crap seems to be growing exponentially !  (ok....rant over...not quite ! Last weekend found almost nothing, thus more stuff from my place...done!)

SHOE THAT MMW HATES ! Is it possible that a woman can hate shoes !!! Well she hates this one. Anyway, I like it and cleverly (?) found an old fish tank, turned it on end, and made sort of a display out of it. What do you think ?  Anyway, it's out of her line of sight, so we're cool.

What's with the old typewriter craze going on !  I guess I have been influenced by all the design sites using these dinosaurs as "deco" as the French say. For 5€ I couldn't pass it up, especially since I see them being resold on the web for $200 and up !   Even found a Sotsass "Valentine" for a friend for 20€ !

'Mystéres de New York'...being a NY boy...had to buy a few, as I loved the covers. I did some research and found out they were published in a 22 part series, that were made into serialized silent movies in France around 1916 ! I should have bought the whole set and sold them to Scorsese !

And for dessert ! Dessert dishes !  Couldn't help that one ! When MMW put them on the table days after I bought them, we could not help but notice the gaiety the mango ice cream brought to the presentation ! After all, this is France, and presentation is very important.  Now they have become our faves ! Unfortunately there were only two, so now I have a new search !

a bientot

Hopefully you didn't think I forgot you, but there are no brocantes in most of France during the winter.

It's really difficult if you're addicted like I am. I wake up at 5h am (normal time during the season) and realize it's winter, and I have nowhere to go, but back to sleep. I've never suffered from any kind of withdrawal symptoms, except this, and so I can't even imagine how bad it must be for a real addiction. Later on I go up in my grenier (attic) or garage, and look for stuff that I forgot I bought last season, and make believe it's new stuff for free !  Usually, it needs repair, cosmetics, or just rotating with something inside that I'm tired of looking at.  Enough.....the season has restarted and I'm back out there and hopefully will be finding some cool stuff for me to play show and tell with you !

Here's my grandson Aricot (aka the Bean) in a vintage suitcase that I made into a bed for him, and the best part is that he loves it !  Didn't have to force him to pose for this picture. I took a couple of comfortable cushions, put them in the bottom and voila ! He's a Papillon and Mr Personality !

One of the many styles of old French architecture that catch my eye as I walk around the village brocantes.

Can you guess what this is ?  I couldn't at first. Turns out it's a pre 1900 foot operated dentist's drill. I started joking with the seller that I wanted to see if really worked, and would he give me a teeth cleaning to prove it. Got so carried away with my own humour, that I tried to help him sell it by offering passerbys free cleanings - no takers !  He wanted 200€ firm, so I passed....a conversation piece that most don't feel comfortable talking about - with or without gas or alcohol.

Speaking of uncomfortable conversation pieces, check this little beast out. I know taxidermy is on trend now for some, but not for me. My dogs would probably rip him to pieces !

Now this 50's French filing cabinet really popped for me. The seller had spent a lot of time wirebrushing it down to bare metal, and it was quite tempting, but all the drawers were the same size, and I really like to have stuff that is interesting but also useful. Industrial is really on trend here in France now, and the sellers are pulling stuff out of old offices, garages, factories, etc, and putting prices many times what they were a few years ago. Fortunately I've liked industrial lamps for years, thus I'm happy to see the value of my collection rising exponentially.

Kitsch yes, but .......not for me !

No, this was not stolen from the Louvre, more likely the Bob Marley collection ! I liked it but the seller's price reflected how cool he thought it was ....50€  He must have smoked some of her joint,when he came up with that price ! It was a print too !

Old butcher block tables are easy to find and cheap over here. Shipping to the US, not so cheap !

 

Nice display.....sure sign of a pro dealer, thus higher prices. But he had a nice collection.

 

If you are interested in me finding something unique for you, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.I'll try to find it for you and put you directly in touch with the dealer. I'm in this for the fun and the challenge of the hunt.  I've got a bad back, probably from carrying too much furniture home, so feel free to deal direct. I'll get the contact info for you. Then you can use google translate, if there is a language problem.

A bientot !

PS A special shout out to JP in Quebec, who will be sending me pics of his rare croissant collection !

 

 

If you are reading this then I haven't scared you away with my feeble attempt at modeling my own vintage clothing finds. Actually, the reaction was quite good.....to the clothing, not the model. That's ok, that was the point !

Also, I haven't been posting as much, as I haven't been finding much. It seems that the brocantes are more and more populated with those selling used children's clothes and toys, more than anything else. It's been disappointing to spend more on fuel, 6 euros a gallon here now ($8.25.. So no American whining please) and not find anything !

This past weekend the offerings were much more interesting.

Arriving at first light I thought I was dreaming, as one of the first stands I came across, was a young man with the largest selection of the queen of French industrial lighting since 1950, Jieldé.

He must have had more than 50 or 60 lamps, all in pristine condition. Normally I see dealers with one or two, but this many at one time was almost overwhelming. I casually tried to find out how he was able to find so many, and he just smiled. No surprise !

I've been collecting lamps for years, and especially love the industrials ,but fortunately I was ahead of the curve on collecting these, and now the prices are rapidly ascending. If anyone is interested in acquiring a vintage Jieldé let me know, as "I can make you a deal"

Now guess what this is ? Dominique, a dealer friend of mine, who knows I love kitschy things, came up and tapped me on the shoulder to test my powers of observation. I sort of guessed, but then she opened it up, and you'll see it's a unique lady's woven straw handbag.

It has a leather handle, and she bought it from an old woman who got it during the 50's. Dominique was walking around with it, and when I asked how much it was, she said 150,000 euros ! She loved it too much to sell ! Who could blame her !

Caught my eye immediately, as this painting brought me back to my art deco, Caribbean phase, which I seem to have moved away from. Kind of like seeing a beautiful ex girlfriend, and appreciating why you were attracted, and also why you moved on. Hope that makes sense to you.

I'll be delicate about this next find. I love the old France, when all the shopfronts were wood, and the names of the shops were painted over the entry. I saw this little handmade shop, and when I got closer to it (still first light) I realized that it was a miniature sex shop ! The more I looked at it the more amazed I was. It measures 28cm x 20cm x 16 cm. All the woodwork is miticulously done, and it even has electric soft recessed light inside.

What's even more bizarre is that it is completely stocked with 100's of minature magazines and objects, also miticulously arranged on shelves and counters. There are other products, which I will spare you the description of, but from the standpoint of workmanship, the attention to detail is truly amazing.

When I came home with this, I really wondered how MMW would react. But even she was more amazed than shocked at the amount of time and effort that had gone into crafting this true curiousity. Unfortunately, my dealer friend had no idea of the provenance of it. I hope you noticed how tasteful my presentation of this was. No closeups !

If the Tate or MOMA has an exhibition of unusual kitsch - I'm entering this baby !

a bientot !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully you were not expecting leggy Russian or French models on the catwalk here ! Sorry to disappoint ! Yeah, it's only going to be vintage me with vintage clothing finds. I do keep my eyes open for the real Hermes handbags, but finding a Birkin or Kelly, will be like hitting the lotto !I may have mentioned how I like to freak French women out by casually picking a random dress off the rack and asking "How much is this Chanel or Dior ?" Works every time !

As my daughter is a fashion trend forecaster and streetshooter, I have been following the recent fashion weeks in NY, Paris, and Milano, and I enjoy looking at beautiful women in beautiful clothes, thus the theme for this post.

Actually, these are old golf shoes, that I bought and then spent the afternoon removing the cleats. They now do well as regular vintage two-tones.

This coat was truly a score, as I only paid 5 euros for it, and in researching the provenance, I found that it is a cashmere coat, whose newer models sell at Brooks Bros for around $1800. The coat is in perfect condition and fits. I bought it from a charming older Italian woman who was getting rid of all her deceased husband's clothes. I think because I can speak some Italian, and we laughed together, she gave me a special price, as she felt I would give it a good home. Grazia Signora !

French Navy coats from the 60's. I bought this a couple of years ago, as it's warm, and I liked it. I wore it to NYC last year, and was stopped and complimented on the street so many times I lost count. My daughter was amazed, that her father from the "sticks of France" wearing a flea market coat, was almost "GQ" cool in Manhattan!

French railroad workers rainsuit from the 50's. I have not worn the whole "ensemble" at once, but the jacket is really waterproof. It was never worn, and I bought it from the original owners grandson.

This is a French military dress uniform jacket from the 60's. In the pocket I found an invitation to a soiree dated  June 1, 1964, from the President of Madagascar in honor of the President of Liberia. The required dress code for the evening was stated on it, and obviously worn by the invitee it had belonged to. I think it will look cool with jeans and a t shirt.

Hand knit by MMW for me ! Domo-kun's big brother or similar. I love these Japanese characters, contagious from my Japanophile daughter. So I asked MMW to knit him on the front. Every weekend I look for skein's (pelotes/balls) of wool at the brocantes, as the knitting trend for young women has not hit here yet. Thus the young women are always selling off their grandmother's wool at a fraction of the store price. I am MMW's biggest supplier now. Thus I get sweaters, scarves, hats, etc. Works for me !

Yeah, more military jackets, starting to see a trend here. Just recently got these, but I have already placed an order for knitted peace symbols, and knit flowers with MMW. These will be pinned on the lapels in contradiction of the military look. Reminiscent of when I put flowers in the muzzles of rifles during anti-war demonstrations of the 60's and 70's. Once a hippie, always a hippie !

a bientot !

 

What you see in the old box above are old bars of soap (savon) of the type Savon de Marseille. They have truly a miraculous power ! Here's the backstory. A number of years ago we were having aperatifs with some French friends, and MMW was complaining about often having foot cramps during the night. Nanou, our hostess, suggested putting pieces of Savon de Marseille in the foot of our bed under the covers. We laughed thinking she was just joking with us, or suggesting an old French wives tale, but she was very adamant that it was true. At a brocante a few weeks later I spied some of this "magic mojo" savon, and asked if it contained palm oil, as Nanou had specified, was told yes, so I bought some. Later, we cut a couple of slices off the block and laughingly put it in the bed. That was about 4 years ago, and neither MMW or myself have had a foot or leg cramp since !!! ( Your mileage may vary)

Here's some more 1960's French cleaning products that the seller must have found stashed in an old warehouse. Don't know if there is any known "mojo' other than washing clothes in the creek for this stuff.

No old products above will cure this, but this is actually the name of a village I was passing thru on the way to another brocante. I think that anyone from an English speaking country would not even consider buying a great house in Herpes, if that was their mailing address ! I can vouch for this firsthand as we did look at a nice house here, and then found out what the name of the village was !

OK, so I come back to my car after taking a picture of the Welcome to Herpes sign, and this guy is giving me a dirty look for making fun of his village.

A very cool 1940's rocket lamp with attached picture frame. Great condition, and I really wanted it but he was asking 125 euros, so not in my budget.

Not kitsch, but classic old French exterior lights, and all 3 were in great condition.

I met this dealer, Bernard Henry:   B.henry37@sfr.fr,  who also was selling the rocket lamp pictured above, and puts together framed boxed sets of old children's toys. He also specializes in old military coats, etc, which I will be showing more of in my next post. Pls contact him if you are looking for any of these type items, as everything he has is in excellent condition and unusual.

Vintage deco baby carriage. Now what could I use this for, other than the obvious ?

 

a bientot !

 

 

 

 

I suppose it was bound to happen, a greeting card for those of us addicted to kitsch, well sort of. Hopefully none of us who are "accumulateurs" are really over the edge, as I have seen some shows which profile those who do have a "hoarding" problem, and my heart goes out to them, and I'm happy the producers of these shows shine a light on this problem in a sympathetic and helpful way.

Although I admit to having my fair share of stuff stashed in my attic and garage, I, as many of us who enjoy decorating do, like to play "musical chairs" with our acquisitions. I find this happens to me the most during the winter, when the brocante season is over, and I have no new stuff in the car on Saturday and Sunday morning. It's fun to rearrange and change groupings of furniture and stuff collected stashed away and almost forgotten, and then stand back, and feel the satisfaction of creating a new 'vignette', so to speak.

SORRY NOT TO HAVE POSTED IN A WHILE ! Having lived in France 14 years, I'm 'bien integré' or have adjusted to the summer kickback attitude. I even noticed that I'm receiving less spam in my inbox during July and August !

Here's an example of finding just the right spot for the lamp I showed you a few weeks ago. For me, and MMW, this works and I like the grouping. I had tried a few other spots, but then, voila !

A vintage toiletry kit. I try to use everything I find. This makes MMW happy (sometimes a bit overwhelmed) but I want it to be useful. So I brought it home cleaned it up, added some of my stuff to it and now it has become very useful, (and a bit stylish, I hope) voila !

While we're in my bathroom, I wanted to point out the old French 50's red soap dispenser. Works like a charm, as it's old tech. Fill with soap, and then pivot it down for the amount I need.

Another grouping that I'm still working on to perfect. I found an old 50's childs cabinet in pitiful shape, worked on it a while and then repainted it in black and white. Now it sits on an old trolley I found and cleaned, with champagne swizzle sticks, an old airplane, and flanked by two Bertoia chairs (found in the US 30 years ago, but they will always be with me) Since this is a blog about stuff I find here, thus they are mostly cropped out to be correct.

Grace Jones ! Love her music, love watching her perform, and as she has lived in France for so may years, she is part of French pop culture. I found an old vinyl of hers with a wonderful cover and have mounted 3 of the sides of the cover and displayed them on small easels around the house. Hey, I am a Gracehead, what can I say !

MARSAC ! Next weekend is Marsac, the biggest brocante in SW France. It's sort of like the Brimfield of this country. I went 9 years in a row, but have not gone for the last two, but am contemplating going this year for the sake of this blog. You might wonder why I stopped going, and I'll tell you if you're interested in reading on. Marsac is huge and a two day event. Exposants must set up Friday night, and the price for spots is a bit high, so as a result, the majority of the exhibitors are dealers. Thus the prices are dealer prices.... high, and if you buy anything that is difficult to carry, it's always a long walk to the car. I must admit, I've never really found any great deals, and being a bargain hunter, it's not my ideal scenario. On the other hand, I've seen a lot of very cool stuff, and have learned a lot, but not bought much.

This year, if I go, I'm thinking of doing it as a photo and video experience, and posting it here after I have edited it. Sure my eyes will be open for deals, but one never knows. Hopefully, I'll have a good short video for you, and that will be satisfying !

a bientot !

 

 

 

 

Something I may "have to live without !"

This is one of my favorite things I have ever seen, but it's not mine unfortunately. It belongs to my friend Christophe, who I met many years ago when I bought a lamp from him at a brocante. Although we have the same taste in Mid Century, and thus often compete at brocantes to find something first, we are still friends. We just try to stay ahead of each other or get to the brocante first. As we are friends I do get invited to his house and thus get to drool over the Martini fan. I have never seen another one. Maybe someday ! I have tried various tricks to get him to sell it to me, but he loves it too much.

Christophe also makes lamps when he is not following his acting career here in France. After seeing his latest lamp creations, I think he has found another art to follow.

If you are interested in ordering a lamp from him, he does not have a website yet, but contact Christophe Sardain via email

c.sardain@orange.fr

Maybe if I sell enough lamps for him he'll sell me the fan !

 

It's summer here in France an everyone is on vacation - so that's it !

 

a bientot !

Le Cochon qui Rit ! Translated "the laughing pig" was a popular French children's game from the 50's and 60's. Everyone got all the parts of the pig, and then rolled the dice to see who could put the pig together first. I love the colorful plastic little guys, and whenever I can find a set I get them. Needless to say they are all over the house ! French robots (via China) ! What can I say, I have fallen into the faux vintage robot collecting trap like so many others. They too are just another accumulation that MMW has ruled that I dust. One day I was at a brocante (to you it seems that's everyday for me) and I told madame that I was not sure about buying something as my wife told me, that " if I buy it, I dust it !" I did buy something from madame and asked her to hold it for me, until I finished making my tour. When I came back to pick up my sack from her , I noticed that two paper towels were in the bag with my purchase. I looked at her, and she said "for you to dust with!" with a big smile.

Dice stuff catches my eye all the time. I have loads of things with dice on them. The French arguably may have the most culinary instrumentation and accessories in the world, and thus one can always find a utensil that may have dice or whatever on the end. The smaller set in foreground are for picking little olives which are served with aperitifs. The long ones in back are for stirring the myriad of drinks.

Circa 1930's, 40's telephone which I have hanging on the wall next to my computer and sometimes pick up for fun when I'm talking on Skype. It's in great condition, and my friend Nick got me started on this accumulation. I might have mentioned he's been able to hook up his old telephones to actually work with Skype.

Mao- who else ! Ok, it was bought by my sweet daughter at a flea market in Beijing, when she was there, at my request. Don't ask me why, as she did. I just think it's cool.

MMW hates this ! (You may too !) Thus I've placed it in a carefully less prominent spot. So why did I buy it ? I liked the colors and the look of it as it seems very 1940's French. Maybe the painter's perspective was a bit out of focus due to wine, or invading Nazi troops, but art is subjective, isn't it ?

Don't dis me too much after the painting above as I find many diamonds in the rough, with a well trained (used) eye. This little lamp caught my eye a while back, and I got it at a very low price, and took it home. I liked that it was completely adjustable without any knobs or tighteners, the articulation seems to stay in place by the angle and the weight. I must be losing my vocabulary, as I can't think of the word for it. It just stays in place. The other day I just happened to notice one on ebay for a very high price and learned that it was made by Pirouett of France in 1930. So I patted myself on the back, and was forgiven by MMW for buying the painting.

 

a bientot !

 

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