Miu Miu: Walking in Memphis

After rocking the world of fashion in 1989 with her sleek nylon handbags and her ready to wear collection, Prada designer Miuccia Prada brought a new dimension to The House of Prada in 1992 with the introduction of her designer fashion label Miu Miu. Focusing more on strong color combinations and bold prints, the Miu Miu label has allowed Miuccia to explore new youthful design motifs that frequently contradict the classic lines of Prada. For Miu Miu's 2006 Spring line Miuccia didn't have to look far from her label's home base of Milan for inspiration. Revisiting the patterns and fabric designs of The Memphis Design Group from the early 1980's, Miuccia brought the bold powerful look of Memphis to the runway. Below are images taken from the 2006 Spring line fashion show in Milan, to the right of each image is a sample fabric designed by Nathalie du Pasquier in 1981-1983 for The Memphis Design Group that shows the direct correlation to Miuccia Prada's Miu Miu 2006 Spring line.

Compared next to the green and orange Miu Miu shirt is Nathalie du Pasquier's "Zambia" Pattern

Compared next to the red and green Miu Miu shorts is Nathalie du Pasquier's "Zaire" Pattern

Compared next to the orange and blue Miu Miu dress is Nathalie du Pasquier's "Zambia" Pattern

Miuccia also paired many of her Miu Miu male models with jewelry for the show that were very Memphis in design. The image above shows one of the models from the show compared with the Ettore Sottsass "San Marco" Brooch from 1985.

Walking in Memphis!

We would like to thank Memphis collector Dennis Zanone for the use of his Nathalie du Pasquier Memphis fabric patterns. For available Authentic Memphis Jewelry Designs please feel free to visit our website.

Love Living in the 80s
www.the80sgallery.com

Back to the Future...with Robert Longo

Robert Longo recounts to W Magazine "Instead of ripping you off, we want to hire you" said Tomas Maier Creative Director of Bettega Veneta to Robert Longo as he sought to work with the artist on a new ad campaign. Working with the Italian fashion house to bring back the graphic style of his 1980's Men in Cities series for their Fall & Winter 2010 line, Longo and Maier's collaboration brings the timeless appeal of Robert Longo's early 1980's work to the forefront of contemporary fashion.



Above on the left is one of Robert Longo's original Men in Cities charcoal and graphite on paper drawings from 1981, on the right is one of the photographs for the Bottega Veneta ad campaign.

Patrick Nagel Illusion...The Magic of David Copperfield

A wonderful segment from David Copperfield's TV special "The Magic of David Copperfield". Appearing along with David Copperfield and CJ the Orangutan from the 1981 remake "Tarzan, the Ape Man", appears a larger than life Nagel woman as a prop for David Copperfield's card trick. Enjoy!

ACME Studio: CNN Style, 1987

Filmed in 1987 at the New York International Gift Fair / Accent on Design, CNN Styles host, Elsa Klensch interviewed Lesley Bailey and Adrian Olabuenaga, founders of ACME Studios, Inc. The story covers the jewelry that ACME focused on at the time and the design revolutions that inspired them.

She Wore a Black Bustier...Original Patrick Nagel Canvas

The design roots of this original acrylic painting on canvas from 1983 came from a smaller original painting on board that Nagel did for Playboy's September 1983 Playboy Forum. The image from Playboy is posted below.
This image was then later cropped and printed in the 1990s by Playboy under the business name of "Special Edition Limited". An image of the print is seen below.
The canvas painting that we're currently offering features a more limited color palette than the Playboy piece, but is a much more refined painting with a stunning face and contrast in tonal quality, as can be seen in the detail photo of her face below.
The canvas painting measuring 43"x31" is in excellent condition. The canvas is signed and dated "1983" and is stretched over a wooden backer, which is a signature element of Nagel's canvas works.

On the back of the wooden stretcher the painting is marked with the cataloging number "N231" as can be seen in the image posted below.
We have included a photo of Nagel at a show signing with this canvas hanging behind him during the event.
Patrick Nagel
Original Acrylic on Canvas
43"x31"
Signed and Dated 1983

For additional information please email: the80sgallery@yahoo.com

Dorothy Hafner...The Art of Tea

Hand Made Porcelain in Hafner Studios, NYC 1981-1991 this Tea Set titled "Fireflies, Jelly Beans and Arthur Murray Dance Steps" is pictured here with a matching plate. The Tea Pot measures 9" Long by 3.5" Deep by 8.5" Tall with the Handle. The set is in museum quality condition and was secured directly from Dorothy Hafner. Knowing that this was one of the last Tea Sets that she created in the series it is a wonderful addition to any 80s showcase...even if it is signed 1991!
The underside of the Tea Pot is signed 1991 in ink and faintly inscribed in the porcelain. The photo below shows the ink signature on the underside of the Tea Pot.The underside of the Sugar is signed and dated 1991 in ink and is inscribed in the porcelain. The photo below shows both signatures on the underside of the Sugar.
The underside of the Creamer is signed and dated 1990 in ink as can be seen in the photo below.
This set is available for $950. Please email the80sgallery@yahoo.com for addition information or purchase requests. Love Living in the 80s!

Dorothy Hafner...Are You Being Served?

While Dorothy Hafner has stayed current as a designer by continually growing and evolving to keep her designs cutting edge, we find the porcelain designs that came out of her New York studio in the 1980's as refreshing today as the day they were fired! We have recently added three original Dorothy Hafner porcelain platters to the gallery that we're very excited to share. The first design shown below is one of Hafner's most acclaimed and sought after designs. This platter is a part of a series titled "Fireflies, Jelly Beans and Arthur Murray Dance Steps."

Originally designed in 1981 this pattern was created from 1981-1991. This particular platter is one of Hafner's earliest pieces from the series as noted by her early block signature and 1981 date on the underside. Featured in countless editorials and design books this pattern can be seen at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and the Newark Museum in New Jersey. This platter which measures 10.25"x10.25" is in museum quality condition and is available for $350.

Not to be over shadowed by the "Fireflies" piece above, the "Kyoto Homage" pattern, designed in 1980, toured nationally in shows by the American Craft Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 1980. This design pattern can also be found at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Newark Museum in New Jersey, and other nationally recognized museums and collections.

Measuring 10.25"x10.25" this "Kyoto Homage" platter from 1982 is hand signed in ink and in the porcelain on the underside as pictured above. This platter is in very good condition with only very light crazing in the white ares. This piece is available for $300

The third platter that we're introducing is Dorothy Hafner's "Chevron" pattern. This pattern was made exclusively for Tiffany & Co. from 1982-1991. With such exclusive distribution, this is a very rare pattern and is wonderful to find in such great condition 27 years later.

Measuring 10.25"x10.25" this "Chevron" platter from 1983 is hand signed in ink and in the porcelain on the underside as pictured above. This platter is in very good condition with only very light crazing in the white areas. The piece is available for $300. Please feel free to email us at the80sgallery@yahoo.com with any questions about these unique Dorothy Hafner platters.

Fireflies, Jelly Beans and Arthur Murray Dance Steps $350

Kyoto Homage $300

Chevron $300