As always the Winnetka Illinois Antiques Show is fun filled and a pleasure to exhibit at. My associate Sean Mclaughlin looking dapper behind the counter and myself....not taking a very good picture..but all suited up is a rarity! A great new cluster of threee matching carved bakelite hinged bracelets in khaki green, brilliant orange and buttercream are but one group of new items acquired here....watch for more new things!
See Route 66 West's new acquisitions! Come visit us at Winnetka next weekend! Oct 21-23 at the Winnetka Community House...spring for a fab evening and cme t the glamorous cocktail reception opening Thursday night October 20! Here are just a few of our newly acquired treasures!
A bevy of beauties...all available at Route 66 WEST...big bold brooches.....Schreiner, Juliana, Kenneth jay Lane and the like...all are sexy and unabashedly faux retro style.....some have bales and can be worn as pendants....others not...Ask prices and ye shall receive!
Although bakelite is most often deemed "The Plastic Jewel"//and commands all the buzz and big headlines when big prices are realized for it..or articles and books like my own "The Bakelite Collection" tout its wonderfulness....cellulose acetate, the material utilized here for the petals in these plastic floral brooches of the 1960's should definitely not be overlooked as collectibly worthy. Ressembling transparent colored cellophane and formed by heat into curvilinear shapes and formats make it a delicate, fragile plastic material much less sturdy than the thermoset forever solid bakelite...and it is classified as a thermoplastic...i.e. a plastic than can refer to a liquid state after being a solid, while bakelite will never return to a liquid form and has molecular bonding of a tighter, more permanent nature., The double headed green pin is signed Vendome, as are many of the pins which have metal work stems.. but all are made similarly. They are embellished with a variety of different accents: clusters of stones, pearls, individual large and/or small stones and enamelwork. Others have imitated the 60's inexpensively made flower pins.....including the revered House of Chanel and the designer FABRICE...so dont overlook these beauties: Cellulose acetate flowers--many different shapes, sizes and colors available..so write me and ask!!!
I couldnt find a straight on shot of Patrick Swayze as Miss Vida Boheme in "To Wong Foo Thanks for the Memories Julie Newmar" wearing this dainty, but classic Miriam Haskell necklace which I provided for the film, but the shot shows it just a bit. I provided several Haskell necklaces and earrings for Miss Vida in this classic, kitschy 1994 flick....including a more eye popping Smoke crystal pendant suspended from 2 double starnds of smoke crystal graduated faceted beads,..as well as a classic simple 2 strand baroque pearl necklace, worn several times in the movie. My friend Connie Parente provided some of the more sparkly statement necklace and earring sets worb by Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo and other ladies in the cast.....and it was among my first sorties into the world of cinema prop rental or sale. I have since, done many more of them, including all the bakelite worn by characters in Woody Allen's "Radio Days" and "Hannah and her Sisters" as well as more recently for the hit show MADMEN for busty, beautiful actress Christina Hendricks as super hot bosomy redhead "Joan..the office manager". Her gorgeous volutptuousness and red hair were a natural for another of my more tailored areas of jewelry sales and study, copper art jewelry, highly relfective of mid century modern 1950's and 60's styling. Heres a picture of her not in character, but wearing a Matisse/Renoir copper and enamel necklace for a fashion shoot capitalizing on the shows super cool RETRO appeal!
For the more decorative sorts of blog-followers who fancy a looking glass of ultimate style....peruse this Rococo Revival Gilt Gesso Parlour mirror.....circa 1860....straight out of a Chelsea, NYC, NY brownstone on 22nd street between 9th and 10th Avenues....approximately 6 feet tall and 30 inches wide....originally meant to be hung between two floor to ceiling parlour floor windows in glamorous , grand old New York City.....transported to my Chatham Center NY home where it has reflected countless bouquets, pretty people and fine antiques for several decades at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st Centuries. Imagine trying on that opulent Miriam Haskell necklace or armful of bakelite bangles and posing in front of this golden gem of 19th century art and design! Its a big item to ship......but could be picked up and or crated for delivery if your heart goes pitty-pat from its gorgeousness......Ask questions.....it could be yours....as it will NOT be travelling from 1812 NY to 1961 Palm Springs homes....and WILL be sold in the east.....
All of you who follow my exploits in the wonderful world of couture costume and luxuriant plastic jewelry know of my deep and abiding connection to Judith Hendler and her ACRI-GEMS creations of the late 70's and early 80's, I offer for your viewing a TRULY RARE EXAMPLE..,,not available in any store in the period...but made by Judith for very special customers and occasionally..herself....to be worn at special promotional events or for a unique evolved collector of her jewels in the era in which they were created. This breastplate necklace of inverted dyed pink arcrylic triangles embellished with lemon yellow and amber rhinestone acrylic cabochons is a masterowrk of Judith's eye, design sensibility and oeuvre. There are matching earrings, of course, but they are not pictured here....and most probably would be worn separately rather than together..but as collectors and appreciators of fine jewels....even if one doesnt WEAR a set...its nice and smart to OWN a set...and choose when and how to put it all together. Almost a foot long..this necklace is not for the faint of heart or low key sort....its for the wearer who wants folks to freeze in their tracks at the sight of it...witness shortness of breath and bulging wide eyed stares at the sheer breadth and scope of this most opulent of acrylic wonderments, This is available for sale at Route 66 WEST in Palm Springs...and the only other existing version of this design is in Judith's own personal collection..in all clear acrylic...so in fact..this is a one of a kind piece. Should you require information on sizing, pricing and more pictures...ask away.....as you will never see another one like it! JUDITH HENDLER acri-gems.....simply put...the most lavish of luxe luminescent period plastics.
You all know that I am forever a lover of bakelite jewels and particularly love bangle bracelets....and along with the geometric variety posted several days ago...I have always been captivated by the fossil like, frozen in time magical quality of reverse carved fish bracelets. This one is a killer......and has an unusual provenance. I have owned it before....in the 90's....sold it...re-acquired it back in 2010--and now it sits in my safety deposit box, being beautiful, waiting for that special customer who request "the most fab reverse carved fish bracelet you've got MATT". For bakelite afficionados....it first was sold to the famous ..or infamous Dennis Masellis, collector extraordinaire who shall we say got into a bit of hot water with his financing methods in the 90;s.....it was then sold at the famous William Doyle auctions of his incomparable collections in 2001-2002 to recoup monies for , ahem..the offended and aggrieved parties, (An important law firm..).....and was SOLD to long time top collector Susan Kelner Freeman at that time.Last year, when Ms., Freeman de-0accesioned her collection via Bonham's auctions....it returned home via a large check back to me...its original owner...and is waiting for the next important collector who needs the ultimate fish bracelet to grace their collection....so it waits patiently...occasionally being photographed for its odd, frozen amber like beauty......and glowing apple juice coloration......I also illustrate the wondrous category of reverse carved and painted bangles with a stack of ultra-beauties...all brilliantly colored florals, on apple juice, a bouquet of beauty to grace any ladies arm, or collectors showcase! Bakelite is many things to many people.....enjoy its amazing diversity! If so desired...ask questions and prices too!
When I moved to Palm Springs California from Chatham NY, I slowly began an evolution......I was becoming an orange person! No..I dont mean an orange person like those Asian or Mexican girls with jet black hair who want to be blonde California gurlz like we see on TV...all spray tanned and highlighted who emerge from the salon an odd shade of peachy orange.....(maybe a little like Beyonce's artificial hair color?)..I had a theory a few years back that the multi-ethnicization of America was being foreshadowed in California by these 'orange girls' and that most of America was gonna be that color by 2030....and it looks like we're well on our way!
No...the orange I like is mid century modern super orange....not quite international orange like caution cones or life jackets...but a rich, bright, vibrant orange orange......the kind we use and live with on a daily basis in oh-so-cool mid century modern Palm Springs...in upholstery fabrics, in powder coated outdoor metal retro furniture, in pillows, as accent colors for our super hip doors and ultra-mod restaurants...orange rules Palm Springs and Southern California in general I have some friends who shop for all orange utilitarian objects..like orange plastic drinkware, orange hangers, even orange q-tips! They live in a house decorated in only 2 colors...blue..and orange..(complimetaries on the color wheel)..accented by white and clear...colorless-colors....so the predominant effect is the high contrast punch of these 2 super shades.
It was with that kind of persona in mind that when I discovered German Art Pottery of the 1960's..sometimes sub categorized as "FAT LAVA"..that I knew I had found my orange fetish a worthy category to obsess on. Deemed this volcanic-like term because of the super vibrant magma like colors, pumice ashy glazes, super textural finishes and surfaces.....Fat Lava seemed PERFECT for our homes in California as accent pots...the way Fiesta, Bauer, Glendale, and Catalina Pottery had all seemed 15-20 years ago...but offered a newer, fresher, more modern 60's-70's FEEL. Instantly...I acquired lots of it...mostly from Germany and Canada....as not that much was imported inot the States.....and I now have a section of my shop devoted to selling it and infecting others with orange fetish. Companies like Scheurich, Bay, Carstens, Roth and Ceremano are among dozens of firms which produced this ware in the 60's and 70's in Germany...in large numbers....but the pottery somehow was deemed 'uncool' for many years, and was supplanted by Italian Bitossi, English Poole and other European pottery as THE fashionable art pottery for the MCM modernists to live with.....and relegated to the scrap heap of pottery nerds likes lists.,...and not given much respect. Well my friends Forrest Poston, of Gin-Fors Odditiques in Indiana, and the extra gorgeous and lovely Reyne Haynes Hirsch from Houston and I, Mr. Matt of Palm Springs, have for a while, (Forrest for a long while)...been trying to give this pottery a little respect....with our websites, galleries and shops featuring it in a high impact decorative way...and its popularity is GROWING...and selling! Several books have been published and DVD's as well have been produced showing just how gorgeous FAT LAVA can be....and that dissemination of pictures and information has jump started and multiplied interest over the past year or so.. Several shows and exhibitions have taken place in Europe...where most of the collectors are,...and have also added intrique and established 'validity' for this all too long overlooked category of European pottery. Interested in learning more? Join Facebooks open group WEST GERMAN POTTERY...and youll meet all the pottery nerds, be able to buy the books and dvd's, and learn more than you though you ever needed to about these lovely vessels. There are subcategories too within the main category....and Ill illuminate you all about those items in another later post...but for today...enjoy these 3 Scheurich orange pots...and another orange and brown one....vibrant with volcanic verve....and see if the stuff suits you.....Questions....write me at route66antiques@aol.com or on Facebook..and Ill lecture, lecture lecture you MORE!
Ill let the ebay ad do all the talking for me here...just take a look!
