I love these photos by Mark Shaw on 1st Dibs of Jackie Kennedy, her husband, and childen taken at Hyannis in the 50′s.

Wishing all mothers and mothers-to-be a Happy Mother’s Day weekend! And….a special Happy Mother’s Day wish to my grandmother and mother, two amazing ladies that I fiercely admire and love dearly. xo

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The Nautical trend has been hanging around for a couple of Spring/Summer seasons, and just about every clothing store you visit will have their version of the sailor striped boatneck shirt. Coco Chanel is credited for seeing the striped shirts worn by Breton sailors, and introducing her “marinière” shirt to the fashion world in 1917. They have never gone out of style. You could blame my Connecticut seashore upbringing, or the fact that my brother and I were dressed up in sailor suits when we were toddlers {see embarrassing photos below} but I am not sick of it yet.

1. Saint James Nautical Tee | 2. Sailboat wallpaper | 3. Striped pouches | 4. Compass, whistle and life preserver keychains | 5. Compass Pillow | 6. Sailboat Paper | 7. Whale tray | 8. Striped straw fedora | 9. Sailor Tote bag | 10. Rosewood Anchor falling knife | 11. Rope mirror | 12. Santa Rosa striped Espadrille | 13. Beside the Seaside Letterpress Print | 14. Forget me knot and Maritime Medallion necklaces by Madewell

{Above} Me on the left, my cousin, and my brother, just back from Newport probably. {Below} Me, in the family’s preferred toddler dress code: sailor style. {thanks a lot, Mom!} xo

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Top photo by Billy & Hells via Etsy |  President and Mrs. Kennedy view America’s Cup race, September 15, 1962, Photograph by Robert Knudsen via Apartment Therapy

{Exterior of D|R Cambridge building, photo by ESTO}

Last fall when we visited family in Cambridge, we happened upon an intriguing building at 48 Brattle Street in Harvard Square with five floors of floor to ceiling glass that appeared to be a store filled with eye popping Scandinavian design in the form of textiles, furniture and tabletop items. There was no entrance or any other info available besides some signs about it being an installation. Like so many other designers, I have always had an ongoing fascination with Scandinavian design, so when an article popped up recently in the NY times Style magazine, it was exciting to finally discover the history of this landmark building and its creator, Ben Thompson.

Ben Thompson shown in the D|R store in Cambridge, Mass. Photo by Design Research, Inc. Thompson is also known for his creation of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and South Street Seaport.

Architect Ben Thompson and chair of Harvard’s Architecture Department was the founder of a store called D|R which stood for Design Research. Inspired by Scandinavian textiles and design he discovered in Europe during the 50′s, he decided to open a retail store in 1953 with the sole purpose of making modern design accessible to American customers. The first store was located in a residential home, but years later when Thompson completed construction on a building of his own design, the store moved to its new location at 48 Brattle Street in 1969. Eventually the store opened locations in New York, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.

{Above} The original D|R Cambridge store housed in a former residential clapboard home photos by Design Research, Inc.

{Above & Below} the interiors of the D|R store in Cambridge at 48 Brattle Street that opened its doors in 1969, photos by ESTO

{Above} left photo by Michael Proulx and right photo by ESTO

{Clockwise left to right:} The D|R store on 57th street in New York City photo by George Cserna, D|R storefront in San Francisco’s Ghiradelli Square photo courtesy of © Jane Thompson via Marimekko: Fabrics, Fashion, Architecture, and the D|R installation in 2009 in the former D|R building at 48 Brattle Street photo by Richard Schieferdecker via NY Times

Perhaps the most lasting influence on American consumers is D|R’s introduction of textiles by Marimekko. Thompson met Marimekko’s founder Armi Ratia in 1958. By 1959 Marimekko’s bright textiles were displayed in D|R’s store, and by 1960, Jacqueline Kennedy was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in a bright pink Marimekko dress, creating national attention for the Finnish design house. Julia Child was also a huge fan of the store, forming a close bond with the Thompsons. For her show The French Chef, Child often used cooking equipment and furniture provided by D|R.

Life Magazine’s iconic spread on Marimekko, June 1966. Photographed in Finland by Tony Vaccaro

{The D|R installation, September 2009. Photos by Luster}

D|R’s legacy also paved the way for some of the most well-known retailers of our time. Most notably, Crate & Barrel is the closest follower with its original inception based on the impact it had on C&B’s founder, Gordon Segal. Segal began buying Marimekko textiles wholesale from D|R, and when D|R folded in 1978, Crate and Barrel moved into the storefront at 48 Brattle street for the next 30 years. If you go into any C&B store today, the retail concepts founded by Thompson are very evident in the merchandising and product choices as well as Marimekko’s textiles which they continue to infuse into their collection. Other famous D|R followers include Sir Terence Conran’s stores Habitat and The Conran Shop, Williams-Sonoma, Room and Board, MOMA Store, and Design within Reach.

For more information check out Chronicle’s book co-authored by Ben Thompson’s widow: Design Research: The Store That Brought Modern Living to American Homes © by Jane Thompson and Alexandra Lange.

{Images from Design Research: The Store That Brought Modern Living to American Homes © by Jane Thompson and Alexandra Lange, unless otherwise noted. All written content by ©Luster 2010}

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Seeing all the promos for the new movie Eat Pray Love is reminding me of my own trip to India and Nepal in 2001. Having just graduated from college and armed with a grant from the Asia Network to study and photograph women’s rights groups, I embarked on what would become a life altering trip.

Arriving in the middle of the night when all was quiet in the streets, we drove by the light of the van’s headlights through the winding streets to our hotel. I remember a feeling of total awakeness by the adrenaline of being in this exotic place. The night was heavy with humidity and I went out walking around the grounds of the hotel making my way to the beach where the sun rising over the Bay of Bengal was my introduction to the magic of this place.

The first half of my trip I spent with the Community Seva Centre located outside of Pondicherry, in southeast India. CSC is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that services 22 villages providing child heathcare education for mothers, computer training for students, medical assistance for the elderly, etc. For more information about CSC and their programs, visit their site here.

This group of women {above} live in huts which are a 15 minute walk away from this beautiful beach, yet, they had never been there. Their lives are full of domestic responsibilities, and recreational activities that are strictly for personal enjoyment/relaxation happen rarely. Made me really think about the simple pleasures in our lives that we often take for granted.

Graduating from a liberal arts college with a Studio Art degree can make you feel a bit lost, especially if you are not planning on going the gallery route. I had no idea what I wanted to do. The colors, patterns, textures, and hand-work of the fabrics in India sparked my love and appreciation for textiles and would become my future career path.

One of the most inspiring women I met, Renu Sharma, President of The Women’s Foundation in Kathmandu, Nepal. She has often risked her life in highly dangerous situations rescuing women and children who are victims of trafficking and abuse to rehabilitate them. Her safe house provides medical and psychological treatment as well as education in order for these women and children to rebuild their lives and become self sufficient. You can read about Bimala here, just one of hundreds of women that have been saved, and visit Renu’s website here.

I really hope to get back to both India and Nepal someday and visit the incredibly kind and inspiring people I met. It would be a dream come true to design and produce a line of goods that helps support some of these remarkable organizations that I miss dearly.