Thursday, August 13, 2009

Luxirare

This one has been making the blogger rounds but still I feel that it's entitled to a post. I'm talking about Luxirare, that genius concoction of a blog. Its name is presumably a combination of the adjectives luxurious and rare, those two elusive qualities we seek in our lives and the things we possess. Rarity is an easier word to define- something that's exclusive, precious or exotic; available in limited supply and possibly difficult to obtain. What about luxury?

Luxury connotates wealth and abundance but as Luxirare shows, this is not necessarily the case. Sure, Luxirare owns an array of spiffy, high-tech and no doubt costly home appliances to assist in her food preparation, and her ingredients are top-grade. I'm certain that she uses high-quality fabric for the garments she creates as well. Still, to me luxury comes not from the cost required to upkeep her lifestyle but from the enjoyment and sense of refinement she creates in her life. Her taste and appreciation for finer things like exquisite flavour in food and beautiful, immaculate construction in clothes separate her from vulgarity, and what you get instead is quiet luxury. If you think about it, having a really good dish where the ingredients are fresh and blend together perfectly is a luxury in itself, especially in modern life whereby mediocre-tasting takeouts or fast food is common. Likewise, the feel of a beautiful garment on your skin is magical, particularly if that garment is the only one in the world (as Luxirare's clothes are).

Enough with me talking and on to the visuals. When visiting the page, one is greeted by this bold header which sums up the essence of her blog. Killer clothes and fine cuisine- an intoxicating mix, if you ask me.


Luxirare likes to reinterpret traditional dishes and put her own twist on them. In the most recent post she makes her own version of potato chips: thin wavy strips of potato with flavourings like cilantro, red peppercorn, prosciutto and vanilla seeds embedded in them. If these names are drawing a blank in you, then you definitely need to check out her blog. You'd emerge better informed about gourmet food.


Compared to some other blogs she doesn't update that frequently, but everytime she does it's a real treat. The stunning photography alone will leave you amazed by the detail in food that you've never noticed before. I think the right word here is pornographic. The process is a work of art in itself and the final product always blows my mind. Besides, Luxirare's work is hardly conventional and often avant-garde. Her past creations include a pyramid-shaped pistachio cake and a jacket embossed with names of Michael Jackson's famous songs as a tribute to the music legend.

Of course, another signature feature of Luxirare is the lovely packaging. She puts a great deal of thought and effort into it and tags everything she makes with her own label, as if to affirm her authorship or ownership or maybe just to finish it off nicely. I don't know if she realizes that this induces a craving in me to own her products.
I think that bloggers like Luxirare are constantly experimenting with the possibilities of the medium in terms of both form and content. The success stories that emerge are changing perceptions of what a blog can and should be. I'm excited to see what crops up next in the blogging world.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The problem with Luxirare is her ignorant use and endorsement of real fur. Unfortunately this taints the forward-thinking way she uses design and food with a backwards anthropocentric philosophy. Ultimately this leaves me with an impression of her as a talented, but spoilt and privileged personality.