Candy Couture: Delicious Designs At Dylan's Candy Bar

I-Candy by Kashfia Mariam

Garment description & inspiration: The girly girl gets all the attention! This dress is fresh, vibrant, and fabulously feminine, inspired by classic floral prints and the storied extravagance of Marie Antoinette. Atop a bouquet of fragrant flowers created by swirls of sour belts and jellybeans as gems, the licorice bodice is woven to mimic a basket. Inspired by florists in the sweet summertime, I-Candy is sure to catch the crowd’s attention.
Candy used: Sour belts strawberry-banana, Sour belts apple, Black licorice wheels, Tutti frutti jelly beans red jelly beans

Jawbreaker by Jaime Barker

Garment description & inspiration: A total jaw-dropper! This garment is inspired by crystallization and rock formation, with many candy elements broken to create an ideal silhouette marked by sharp texture and edgy volume. The collar is made from different lengths and flavors of candy cane sticks bursting out from the shoulder and hugging the neck. The bodice is made of crushed candy sticks, crushed super jawbreakers and assorted rock candy. Jawbreaker is sure to crush the competition!
Candy used: Large jaw breakers, Medium jaw breakers, Small jaw breakers, Assorted candy circus sticks

Fashion Fringe by Eduardo Calvo

Garment description & inspiration: Fashion Fringe is inspired by the futuristic silhouettes introduced by Cardin and Courrèges in the 1960s. Recalling the youth and energy of that dynamic decade, the design’s circular shape is layered with thousands of fringed sour belts. From a distance, vertical line work ornaments the dress but up close the careful observer is able to appreciate the intricacy of detail in the fringe. Fashion Fringe’s multi-hued palette complements its simple yet dramatic shape
Candy used: Assorted Sour Belts

Jolly Ranchero by Julie Tierney

Garment description & inspiration: A dynamic mingling of Poofy Pops and strawberry-banana sour belts, this garment’s inspiration ranges from sugar skulls to Día de los Muertos, from McQueen to Dior, from skateboard decks to vintage candy ads. The garment’s layers circle the body like different versions of the same story, told over and over again. Ranchero feels at once faraway and familiar, just like the legends of the American West that inspired it.
Candy used: Poofy pop, Poofy rope, Strawberry-banana soup belts, Double bubble gumballs, Licorice black rope, Papa bubble pops

On display at Dylan's Candy Bar window are delectable dresses designed and created by students from the Savannah College of Art and Design. The sweet designs were created from Dylan's Candy Bar's tastiest and most colorful treats. Dylan's Candy Bar is a rainbow-striped, two-story confection founded by Dylan Lauren, daughter of fashion designer, Ralph Lauren. Lauren said that her goal was to "merge fashion, art and pop candy culture." The flagship store is located at 1011 Third Avenue at 60th Street. 

Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction 2010

BC/EFA auctioneer Lorna Kelly and actor Bryan Batt (TV’s “Mad Men”) at the Grand Auction in Shubert Alley

Broadway memorabilia flea market at West 44th Street

The 24th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction took place last Sunday, Sept. 26 in Shubert Alley in Manhattan’s theater district. Playbill.com reported that the event raised a total of $476,917 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Since its debut in 1987, the 24 editions of The Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction have raised a grand total of $8,638,669 for BC/EFA. A total of $239,342 was raised by 72 tables: Highest earners were the booths hosted by the Broadway show Wicked ($19,834) and ”Broadway Beat” ($12,171).

This year's Silent Auction included 114 items and raised $55,925. The top item sold was an A Little Night Music “Soon” musical phrase, handwritten and signed by Stephen Sondheim that went for $3,500.

This year’s grand auction, with BC/EFA auctioneer Lorna Kelly and actor Bryan Batt (TV’s “Mad Men”), featured 44 “lots,” which raised $126,650. The top-selling item was a walk-on role in the Broadway show Wicked that sold for $16,500.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised over $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Ryan Gander's Sculpture of a Ruin - THE HAPPY PRINCE

On September 15, a new public art was installed near Central Park at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza at 60th Street and Fifth Avenue. The piece is called "The Happy Prince" by sculptor Ryan Gander. The public art will be on display until February next year.

From http://www.nycgovparks.org/art

“High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.” So begins the best-known children’s story by the renowned literary figure, Oscar Wilde (1854–1900). It seems fitting that British artist Ryan Gander (b. 1976) has taken inspiration for his first public commission from the tale of an enchanted monument. Here Gander has re-imagined the final, climactic moments of Wilde’s story where the statue is destroyed. Aided by a friendly swallow, the prince has given away all of his jewels and gilding to alleviate the suffering of the city’s poor. No longer impressive to city officials, Wilde’s denuded metal statue is melted down. In Gander’s version, the statue appears to be stone; the fallen swallow and the prince’s indestructible heart lie amidst the rubble. On closer inspection we see that the “ruin” is a single massive object: a sculpture of a ruin. In this way, it functions like a plastic toy ruin, at once descriptive and frankly artificial. Gander’s wry evocation of Wilde’s tale still resonates in our own period of economic inequality. At the same time, it presents a contemporary approach to sculpture, where the role of the public monument remains an open question.

German-American Steuben Parade of New York 2010

Over the years, the annual German-American Steuben Parade has grown into the largest event of its kind in the United States. The colorful parade last Saturday featured hundreds of music and dance groups, the wildly costumed and masked Karneval groups, the folks in their historic Tracht, the marksmen and all the other marchers on Fifth Avenue. They come together every year to celebrate German-American culture and traditions, and to applaud the achievements of German immigrants. The parade is named in honor of General Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, who fought alongside General George Washington in the Revolutionary War and helped the Americans gain independence from Britain.

New York Times Readers' Interpretation of the I ♥ NY Logo

In today's issue of the New York Times, several interpretations of the famous Milton Glaser's I ♥ NY logo are featured in the Metropolitan Section. The New York Times invited readers to imagine commingling Mr. Glaser's logo with other New York brands or slogans. Submitted designs included corporate logos for hotdogs, Saks Fifth Avenue, Apple computers, and there were political slogans supporting same-sex marriage and the proposed Islamic center near the World Trade Center site. Mr. Glaser, 81, designed the original logo in 1975. 

Broadway Open House Theatre Tours - Winter Garden (Mamma Mia) and August Wilson (Jersey Boys) Theatres

Winter Garden Theatre, home of "Mamma Mia"

August Wilson Theatre, home of "Jersey Boys"

This morning, from 10:00 AM until noon, three Broadway theatres offered  free open house tours. Above are some images taken during the tour of the Winter Garden Theatre and the August Wilson Theatre. The tour featured an informal lecture about the history of the theatre and an exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse of what goes on in the playhouse. A Q&A session followed the informal presentation. The event is part of Back2Broadway month festivities.

"DEGAS: DRAWINGS AND SKETCHBOOKS" and "ROY LICHTENSTEIN: THE BLACK-AND-WHITE DRAWINGS, 1961-1968" Open at The Morgan Library and Museum

The Morgan Library and Museum main entrance on Madison Avenue

Cover of Fall and Winter Schedule featuring Roy Lichtenstein's "I Know How You Must Feel, Brad" (1963) graphite pencil, pochoir and lithographic rubbing crayon

Two exhibitions opened today at the Pierpont Morgan Library and Museum, "DEGAS: Drawings and Sketckbooks," and "ROY LICHTENSTEIN: The Black-and-White Drawings, 1961-1968." The former features more than twenty drawings by Edgar Degas (1834–1917) from the Morgan's collections that capture the artist's dynamic and varied use of drawing and includes some of the most quintessential subjects - from his earliest portraits of himself, family members, and friends to his later intensive studies of dancers and performers. The Lichtenstein exhibit presents an important series of large-scale, black-and-white works as a group for the first time and examines Lichtenstein's less known exploration of the medium of drawing. Created during the early and mid-1960s, the fifty-five drawings on view offer a revealing window into the development of Lichtenstein's art, as he began for the first time to appropriate commercial illustrations and comic strips as subject matter and experimented stylistically with simulating commercial techniques of reproduction—the famous Benday dots. The work represents an essential and original contribution to Pop Art as well as to the history of drawing. These exhibitions run until January 2011.

The Morgan Library and Museum is located at 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street.

"Saturday Strut" by Judith Steinberg

One of the artworks featured in FIGMENT NYC 2010 on Governor's Island is this sculpture called "Saturday Strut" by Judith Steinberg. The piece is made of painted steel, and was executed in 2003. The exhibit is presented by the Sculptors Guild.

Free or Pay-What-You-Wish Museum Hours in NYC

This is the newly renovated EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO New York, one of the museums that offer free or pay-what-you-wish admission in the city. Currently on exhibit is "Nueva York (1613-1945)",  which documents the powerful role of Latinos and Spanish-speaking people across four centuries in helping shape New York City into the most culturally diverse and vibrant city in the world. The exhibit features art works, documents, books, artifacts and art installation by Puerto Rican artist Antonio Martorell. The museum offers free admission every third Saturday of the month. The museum is located at 1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street.

Here is a day-by-day listing of the museums that offer free or pay-what-you-wish admission (updated summer 2010) from NewYorkology.com:

Free museum hours day-by-day list for spring/summer

Every day of the week you can find a New York City museum, park or zoo with free or pay-as-you wish hours. That’s in addition to the museums that are always free or operate under a suggested-donation policy.

Several museums also offer free days on special occasions.

Museums with free or pay-what-you-wish hours

(All listed prices are the regular adult admission rates.)

Mondays
Museum at Eldridge Street - Free tours every half hour from 10 a.m. to noon extended to 5 p.m. (normally $10)
Yeshiva University Museum - Free 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $8)

Tuesdays
Staten Island Museum - free from 2 to 4 p.m. (normally $2)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free all day (normally $8)
Museum of American Finance - Free 10 to 11 a.m. (normally $8)
Closed until Sept. 15: China Institute Gallery* - Free 6 to 8 p.m. (normally $7)
May, June, September and October Wave Hill - Free 9 a.m. to noon (normally $8)
Off-peak months: July & August Wave Hill - Free all day (normally $8)
Morgan Library & Museum - Free access to the McKim rooms (Mr. Morgan’s library and study) from 3 to 5 p.m. (full museum access $12)

Wednesdays
Bronx Zoo - Admission by pay-what-you-wish donation all day (normally $15)
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust- Free 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
Staten Island Zoo - Free 2 to 4:45 p.m. (normally $8)
Museum of American Finance - Free 10 to 11 a.m. (normally $8)
Van Cortlandt House Museum - Free all day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (normally $5)
Yeshiva University Museum - Free 5 to 8 p.m. (Normally $8)
NY Botanical Garden - Free grounds access all day, but “This does NOT include admission to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant Gardens (April–October), or Tram Tour” (grounds-only access normally $6)
Queens Botanical Garden - Free admission from 3 to 6 p.m. (normally $4)

Thursdays
Museum of American Finance - Free 10 to 11 a.m. (normally $8)
Closed until Sept. 15: China Institute Gallery* - Free 6 to 8 p.m. (normally $7)
Museum of Arts & Design - Pay-what-you-wish 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $15)
New Museum - Free 7 to 9 p.m. (normally $12)
Museum of Chinese in America - Free all day, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (normally $7)

Fridays
Museum of Modern Art - Free 4 to 8 p.m. (normally $20)
Whitney Museum of American Art - Pay-what-you-wish 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $18)
Morgan Library & Museum - Free 7 to 9 p.m. (normally $12)
New York Aquarium - Pay-what-you-wish 3 p.m. until closing (normally $13)
International Center of Photography - Voluntary contribution admission 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $12)
Folk Art Museum - Free 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (normally $12)
September through June only: NY Hall of Science - Free 2 to 5 p.m. (normally $11)
Rubin Museum of Art - Free 7 to 10 p.m. (normally $10)
Suspended July 4 through Labor Day: Asia Society - Free 6 to 9 p.m. (normally $10)
Museum of American Finance - Free 10 to 11 a.m. (normally $8)
Yeshiva University Museum - Free 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (normally $8)
Bronx Museum - Free 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (normally $5 suggested)
First Fridays only Neue Galerie - Free from 6 to 8 p.m. (normally $15)
First Fridays only: The Noguchi Museum - Pay-what-you-wish on the first Friday of each month, all day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (normally $10)
First Fridays only: Children’s Museum of Manhattan - Free the first Friday of each month 5 to 8 p.m. (normally $10)
Third Fridays only: South Street Seaport Museum - Free admission from 5 to 9 p.m. but only on the third Friday of each month, sometimes with free harbor sails (museum admission normally $10)

Saturdays
Guggenheim - Pay-what-you-wish 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. (normally $18)
Jewish Museum - Free all day, from 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. (normally $12)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free 10 a.m. to noon (normally $8)
Museum of American Finance - Free 10 to 11 a.m. (normally $8)
Wave Hill - Free 9 a.m. to noon (normally $8)
NY Botanical Garden - Free grounds access from 10 a.m. to noon, but “This does NOT include admission to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant Gardens (April–October), or Tram Tour” (grounds-only access normally $6)
First Saturdays only: Brooklyn Museum - Free admission and programs from 5 to 11 p.m. on the first Saturday of most months (normally a suggested $10)
Third Saturdays only: El Museo del Barrio - Free 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (normally a suggested $6)

Sundays
Frick Collection - Pay-what-you-wish 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (normally $18)
Studio Museum in Harlem - Free noon to 6 p.m. (normally $7 recommended)
Queens Botanical Garden - Free admission from 4 to 6 p.m. (normally $4)
Morgan Library & Museum - Free access to the McKim rooms (Mr. Morgan’s library and study) from 4 to 6 p.m. (full museum access $12)
September through June onlyNY Hall of Science - Free 10 to 11 a.m. (normally $11)

* Please note the China Institute Gallery is often closed for long stretches between exhibitions.

Since NewYorkology’s last survey of free museum hours inNYC, in September 2009, only a few museums or gardens raised their base entry fee and none cut free hours.

The New York City Fire Museum raised its suggested admission to $7 from $5.

Wave Hill gardens raised admission to $8 from $6.

The Folk Art Museum raised admission to $12 from $9.

Update as of June 16: The China Institute Gallery is closed through Sept. 15, 2010. The Staten Island Museum’s free Tuesday hours were added to the list.

Update as of Aug. 23: The Museum of Eldridge Street has extended it’s free hours to 5 p.m.

Conservatory Garden, One Of Central Park's Secluded Wonders

"Three Dancing Maidens" by Walter Schott (1861-1938), bronze, 1910

The Conservatory Garden, the only formal garden in Central Park is located at Fifth Avenue and 105th Street. The 6-acre garden takes its name from a conservatory that stood on the site from 1898 to 1934. The central section of the Conservatory Garden is a symmetrical lawn outlined in clipped yew, with a single central fountain jet at the rear. It is flanked by twin allées of crabapples and backed by a curved wisteria pergola. To the right of the central section is a garden also in concentric circles, round the Untermyer Fountain, which was donated by the family of Samuel Untermyer in 1947. The bronze figures, "Three Dancing Maidens" by Walter Schott (1861-1938), were executed in Germany about 1910.

Union Square is SUKKAH CITY (Temporarily)

Sukkah is a temporary, elemental shelter, erected for one week each fall, in which Jews gather to share meals, entertain, sleep, and celebrate Sukkot, the harvest festival. Biblical in origin, the sukkahs have traditionally been made with sticks and leaves and twine. A sukkah design competition called Sukkah City is being held in New York City, and 12 finalists have been chosen. The architects had to follow the Jewish law, which requires a sukkah to have at least three walls (two full and one partial) that can resist strong winds. By day the roof must provide more shade than sunshine. By custom it must also allow views of the stars at night. The 12 radically temporary structures are on display for two days in Union Square Park.

The Jason Wu Doll (Exclusively At Bergdorf Goodman)

Jason Wu's limited edition doll dressed from his resort collection is on display at a Bergdorf Goodman window. Mr. Wu was named the Best New Designer of the year for women's wear. He became a household name not only in this country, but also in his native Taiwan, when his ivory dress was selected by First Lady Michelle Obama for her husband’s inauguration. Jason Wu designs are described as polished and ladylike—dreamy day dresses, embellished coats, and glorious gowns—ideal for any socialite or would-be socialite. Originally from Taiwan, Wu began designing clothing for dolls, using them as mannequins. He later studied at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York City. His clothing line is carried in high-end stores including like Bergdorf Goodman.