The (Byzantine) Dream

Have I died and gone to heaven?

I just can't believe what I see! Mosaic tiles on a dress !

The glamour and sophistication of this outfit is more than a dream!

And the collection includes shoes ! I wonder if they are close to what the real shoes in Byzantium looked like. To what Anna Comnena or Empress Irene or Theodora wore.

Of course !

Pinch me. I am still dreaming.

If the devil wears Prada, the heavens wear Byzance Chanel Collection.

Follow your dreams.

Set your goals according to your heart's desire
and forget about how sensible it may or may not sound.
There has to be a way to do it
feel, think, act


Do not ever "let the past bury its dead"...you know what I mean!

What was the source of inspiration for Chanel Byzance Collection ?

View my previous post here and listen to Karl Lagerfeld's interview.

View more chanel on their website here

A detailed British historical documentary on the Byzantines from youtube here

Mt. Olympus, sea of Pieria, mosaics: a heavenly mix

First of all I must thank blogger A Brit Greek for sending me these pictures she took last year. The mosaics illustrated are from ancient Dion in Pieria, Greece. I never got round to posting them until now. Feels like "old times" here in Mosaicology when I first started this blog and was mainly focused on history and places.

Since Dion is close to the sea, let's take a swim in the seas of Pieria! The most notable are Litochoro and Platamonas.

The most prominent attraction of the region however is none other than Olympus mountain.

Information about Dion and its mosaics
http://www.ancientdion.org/

Pieria Hotels and Tourism information
http://www.hotelsline.gr/root/newhotel/mx/m_Pieria_tour.asp
http://www.vacationsingreece.gr:

The driving distance from Dion to main city Thessaloniki is 59 miles / 94 km.

I will end this post with something that made me happy. I stumbled upon a blog of the city council of Dion-Olympos where there was a post on mosaic courses held this summer.

I loved the picture - mosaic making process at its best! and I am sharing it with you!!!

The courses have started on the 10th of June. I recommend my Greek speaking followers to visit the blog http://dionolympos.blogspot.com and the mosaic courses post here.

(Οι Έλληνες αναγνώστες μου μπορούν να επισκεφθούν το ιστολόγιο του δήμου του Δίον-Ολύμπου εδώ όπου θα βρουν πληροφορίες για τα σεμινάρια ψηφιδωτού που δυστυχώς έχουν ξεκινήσει στις 10 Ιουνίου, δεν πειράζει, καλό είναι να γνωρίζουμε ότι υπάρχουν αυτές οι υπέροχες πρωτοβουλίες!)

"Motherhood" with Uma Thurman, the movie all full-time moms should see

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While writing this post my little one is climbing on the desk and will soon be all over the keyboard. Need I say more? !!! This is a 2009 film but those who have not seen it, they must!

ps: Sorry if you could not see the picture when I initially posted...imbd regulations.

It's opera time!

Stella Georgiou, a wonderful soprano and a friend of mine who is based in Italy, sings Othello. I wanted "the world" to listen to her voice. (Stella can be contacted via email here).

Enjoy!

Transform your coat with mosaic

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Revamp your or his coat (can it be done on a T shirt?) by adding two squares as if mosaic tiles like this gentleman here. For the ladies, opt for a glittery effect. I love it. Perhaps I could even try this!

Madam Butterfly

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Sharing a beautiful image from Madam Butterfly.

A beautiful pebble mosaic

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Chrysanthi is one of my most recent followers and she made these wonderful pebble mosaics that I have been meaning to share with you.

See more pebble mosaics on mosaicology here

Lace dress by Walid and a black and white mosaic from Villa Adriana

Half Panel Dress by Walid

quoting from couturelab.com: 
 
Walid’s luxurious adornments incorporate the ornament of 18th century design, textiles and beading. His one of a kind pieces are inspired by his lifelong love for all things historical, combined with a natural desire to travel.

black and white mosaic floor from Villa Adriana
stylised vegetation theme

Villa Adriana or Hadrian's villa

(following text and pictures © September 2003 Jack Tsen-Ta Lee)

Villa Adriana, probably the largest and most sumptuous villa in the Roman Empire, was built by Emperor Hadrian and occupied by him for a short time between 135 CE and his death three years later.  Hadrian was a great traveller and a keen architect, and parts of the villa were inspired by buildings he had seen around the world.

The Caserma dei vigili (Guards' Barracks).
Each of the rooms had elaborate mosaic floors.

The soothing pool of the Pecile, which was a reproduction of
a building in Athens.

The Canopo (Canopus), a copy of the sanctuary of Serapis near Alexandria in Egypt.