Blindman's Circus

You Know I'm Just A Dead Blog

2011-03-01T03:09:00.001-05:00

Torn Feelings Over Sci-Fi Shoes

2009-06-01T18:17:00.003-04:00

I think I may have gone off the deep end over this series of footwear by Raf Simons. The sandal and loafer are actually really under my skin while the boot has my head in a loop. The whole lot of them have me thinking of Darth Vader and the F-22. Wearable or not, they certainly have piqued my interest over the past few days. Adventurous souls can find them at sevennewyork.com

Legos Still Make Me Smile

2009-05-30T12:10:00.007-04:00

My childhood was built on a Lego foundation. I spent hours playing with Legos, not assembling the proscribed object instructed by the manufacturers, but creating my own vehicles and fortresses. I love creating new things with simple tools. I was naturally very amused by Jean-Charles de Castelbejac's recent use of Legos as accessories. That kind of playful gesture might be criticized as novelty or disposable fashion but there's no arguing with comedy and good-spirited humor.

My friend David and I were discussing David Bowie's Diamond Dogs and we both agreed that its a great album but David had originally gotten the impression that it wasn't worth checking out because of some reviews he had read years ago. The critic had accused Bowie of recapitulating his Ziggy Stardust character. When David told me this I replied simplistically: ok...so are the songs good are not? And we both agreed that they were. Criticism generally has this effect. Once you see that something is in fact good (makes you laugh, makes you smile) abstract judgements become completely useless. As David Bordwell pointed out there are too many stubborn stylists out there perpetrating reviews as serious criticism.

Coming to these pieces by Nathan Sawaya (via Brandy Shaloo) I was reminded of how self-serious some people are about art and I've become very attracted to the less lofty language of the Bahaus and Russian avant-garde of the WW2 era. There seems to be an absolute absence of self-seriousness in creating these gothic and surrealist forms out of vibrant colorful children's blocks.

Saway's work is currently touring N. American museums.

Survival of the Fittest?

2009-05-16T01:40:00.005-04:00

Everything ends. Even things that seem invincible or unimpeachable. The ubiquitous Crocs bit the dust, and so did the obnoxious domestic Hummer. The New York Times is reporting that the death of the Wall Street look is upon us. Coincidentally menswear is doing really really good right now

In a reversal of every recession in the last 100 years, figures show that men have not cut back on buying clothes as much as women have. They’re not buying power suits — they’re replacing them.

And the Old Grey Lady suggests a more expressive tact. Meanwhile Anna Wintour is teaming up with Mayor Bloomberg to excite shoppers back into stores across the city but the only thing that seems to be consistently grabbing shoppers' pursestrings is the persistent reduction of retail prices. Thus far the incentives aren't working well and shops are closing left and right. Some names are sure to bite the dust.

"Sewing is a contact sport.": Sruli Recht

2009-05-16T00:21:00.006-04:00

I'm barely getting to know this designer Sruli Recht but his influences (former employer Alexander McQueen, cyberpunk author William Gibson) and his unique approach to a number of design fields have my attention. While Recht has caught flack for his use of controversial unsustainable materials, and his style is very unconventional it can't be denied his work speaks for itself. And he's so far been prolific putting his hands on a wide variety of disciplines from typography, illustration, to accessory design.

The bottom line, however, is that I just want all of these boots, even (especially ?) the sci-fi swashbuckling ones. Check out the Sruli Recht Fashion Spot interview here if you missed it.

Images via Sruli Recht

WTF? 8 1/2 Part Deux: With A Vengence

2009-05-15T14:28:00.006-04:00

So something horrible came to my attention yesterday. Something truly despicable that made me aware of how low perhaps we've come as a civilization. I can only classify it as a form of audio-visual rape.

***EDIT: I have been informed that the movie "Nine" is not actually a sequel to 8 1/2, but actually based on a play of the same name which was heavily inspired by Fellini's film. I apologize to Will Smith, Daniel-Day Lewis, and Myley Cyrus for the indulgent rant but stand by my conclusion which still probably applies ...

In conclusion: fuck you Hollywood for your soulless disrespect for art.

In Love With April

2009-05-12T15:29:00.003-04:00

April 77 is charming the hell out of me with its latest collection. But I have a special weakness for embellishments on the classic motorcycle jacket. This particular jacket makes me want to drive out to the wilderness far away from the city lights where you can see the stars, bright and crystal clear.

Image from Archetype Showroom

The Bears Are Coming - Late of the Pier

2009-05-09T07:59:00.002-04:00

Sample Sale at Archetype Showroom

2009-05-06T20:38:00.003-04:00

Spend those pennies!

Hernan Bas at The Brooklyn Museum

2009-05-06T12:25:00.000-04:00

Hernan Bas' body of work displays a bridge between the staged journalism of consciously stylish pop art developed by artists like Elizabeth Peyton and the hyperrealism of Peter Doig and Neo Rauch. The works are both transportive and illusory. His hand is sometimes graphic yet painterly. The romantic atmosphere surrounds artifacts of the dandified sexuality and kitsch juvenile adolescence of The Hardy Boys. He describes his work in an abstract for Saatchi Gallery:

Heavily influenced by The Decadence period of literature, Hernan Bas’s paintings are inspired by well-worn pages of Wilde and Huysmans. “Why does homosexuality seem to make you pre-disposed to liking these things?” Bas questions. “As a result this work is tainted with Saint Sebastian martyr types, dying dandies and peacock feathers, all the materials that dictate a certain queer vocabulary."

The current exhibition at The Brooklyn Museum contains works from several series including The Great Barrier Wreath drawing from the spirit of Hieronymus Bosch and Picasso's blue period. It's a recapitulation of pre-Modernist painting from a very postmodern perspective. The artist succeeds in portraying a world filled with danger, young lust, and cultic mystery.

The exhibition at The Brooklyn Museum is up currently and ends May 24th.

Fashion Boldy Goes Where It Has Always Gone Before: Blondes

2009-05-06T09:56:00.000-04:00

I will never understand why the fashion industry takes such a backwards approach to diversity, with a few token exceptions designers and casting agents pretend that a small portion of the world's ethnic makeup represent the most beautiful and aspirational of personalities. Very few exceptions have broken this iron wall of sameness. Every excuse in the book has been heard. "I asked the agencies to send me ethnic models but there really isn't any" It's a broken record at this point.

Times Online reports that now designers are using the recession as an excuse to cut back on "quirky" models. The explanations are contradictory:

Dr Abigael San, a chartered clinical psychologist, says: “Blonde hair and blue eyes are known for appealing to a lot of tastes, it’s a classically beautiful look. The association with blonde hair goes back to childhood: we associate these characteristics with forces of good, honesty and trust. We’ve recently been deceived by bankers and politicians, so the need to trust is even greater”.

Blonde hair and blue eyes = good, honest, truthful. As opposed to the blonde haired blue eyed wall-street guys who look like Ken? Here, from the same article, is another curiously antithetical reasoning from Dr. Gail Brewer:

“We also live in a predominantly brunette society — so we are naturally drawn to this look, which is seemingly exotic.

So blondes are both exotic and the most safe. These are two conflicting concepts. I think designers should wrap their head around building a client base that is broad, and has some depth instead of appealing to dull conservative ethnocentrism. Recently some fashion journalists have stepped up to the plate to decry the obvious discrimination against ethnic diversity on runways. This is a problem with a long history. We all remember Italian Vogue's "All Black" Issue from last year. Imagine a world where an issue like that wouldn't be cause for any conversation, where it was unremarkable.

NYmag spoke with model Lisa Kebede in April who sees some positive change for runway diversity. She thinks that first lady Michelle Obama has been making a dent.

"I think there’s a lot more black models working and I think that’s because of having Michelle and Barack out there. I mean there’s been this issue, raised last year — how there wasn’t enough black models on the runways — but I think Barack and Michelle have really helped us, hopefully forever, to get over this hurdle for black models."

I hope she's right.

Somewhere in Griffith Park

2009-05-05T17:20:00.001-04:00

Sometimes a collection grows on you as Givenchy AW 09 is doing with me. I'm actually looking at leather leggings as plausible for Fall. Call me bonkers. More than that though I'm completely sold on the capes and much of the footwear coming this fall.

The following is an editorial from the last Arena Homme+ mag by Alasdair McLellan and frequent collaborator Panos Yiapanis. Alasdair's work can often be seen in the pages of Pop and V Magazine. His work exhibits a natural personality that brings to life daring high fashion looks. He can make a space suit look natural and down-to-earth.

Somewhere In Griffith Park
Photographer : Alasdair McLellan
Fashion Editor : Panos Yiapanis
Models : Simon Nessman, Joey Kirchner & Ryan Bertroche

Photos via The Fashion Spot

All in the Family: Coppola's Tetro

2009-05-05T02:38:00.000-04:00

Francis Ford Coppola may have a brilliant new picture here. Based on the trailers and other info skipping around the intertubes, my interest is piqued. Tetro is the story of a family at odds with each other because of rivalry, and Vincent Gallo plays a tortured artist for whom the film is titled. I've known too many characters like his in real life. Forgotten skillfully penned manuscripts and wonderful songs decades old, yet to see the light, hide in attics and filing cabinets everywhere you go.

Introducing MYKROMAG: the thrilling adventures of a young impressionable fashion magazine

2009-05-03T14:07:00.000-04:00

In a world where big name glossies are stuffed with bland ad campaigns, boring retreads of the same withered perspectives. In a world where celebrity covers rule with an iron fist, one little magazine will rise up to turn back the tide of banality. One magazine will break the rules.

Mykromag is that magazine. Coming this summer to a newstand near you.

Actually no, its web-based apparently. Which is a bit more convenient.

Its free. And...they have some really nice features with some fresh faces from around the fashion industry. They interview Bronx born model Shaun Ross and designer rising stars like James Long whose androgynous urban warriors are pictured below

Follow the link children.

Saturnalia

2009-05-03T03:31:00.000-04:00

The Seventies: sequins, ultra-wide lapels, and grotesque color schemes.

Or

The Seventies: Bowie, Motley Crue, Big Star, and Iggy Pop?

The era was one of excess. Diane Vreeland's Vogue was drenched with now-poorly aged editorials, and fashion took a strange turn. The shameful sartorial choices of the era are so awkwardly linked however with some of the best of rock and roll. David Bowie through the years was no consistent style maven. His stage persona was draped in camp gesture. Still, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Pictured below is Bowie back in the glam days with guitarist Mick Ronson wearing an unfortunate windsor knot. Bowie looks fucking rad in the photo. Check out that jacket. Its pretty badass, though the wingspan of his lapels is ridiculous he's definitely ready for a proper space quest in that get up.

Image courtesy of The Contributing Editor photograph by Mick Rock

Seeing it immediately revived the memory of this SS09 Tim Hamilton blazer that I've been lusting after. I love the Op-art quality of the converging panels on the back. Somehow it looks better without the broad lapels and embellished piping. It's like an Ellsworth Kelly. Very sharp.

Crisis and Fountainheads

2009-05-03T01:52:00.000-04:00

By now you have all heard the troubling news from WWD that Thom Browne's CFO and CEO are exiting leaving the rumors to swirl about the company's ultimate future. Will it close? Will Thom Browne as we know it be no more after the well-received Pitti Uomo presentation?

I was watching The Fountainhead (starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal). It's not very good but I did enjoy a few things about it. There is a very Randyian unintentionally comedic erotic sequence involving Cooper (as Harry Roark) cutting rock in a quarry, the camera fetishizes his work, progressing to a violent makeout session, and it ends with Neal striking him in the face with a riding crop. The costume design is superb especially for Cooper and Neal (any woman with sense will want the robe she wears in her first scene). Most integral to the film however is the protagonist, Howard Roark, a symbol of Rand's masculine ideal, of defending one's aesthetic ideals in the face of shifting market trends.

Fashion has seen design houses rise and fall with the tumult of caprice. If Thom Browne does close his doors he will be in the company of many designers, some of them very great indeed. However his struggles come at a time when Menswear is the safer arena of fashion. Men's fashion is consistent for retail and actually expanding in both sales and market breadth.

Rand's Howard Roark defies the trend by being a futurist but most artists are not so lucky. Public opinion shifts so irrationally at times and shuns even legitimate work. Its the cliche of the starving artist to be rewarded in death, not by St. Peter at the pearly gate but by St. Sotheby's posthumous auctions and Sotheby's cherubs, the establishment art critics. The best thing about The Fountainhead though is not original at all but classic Aristotle. The good pursued by the artisan, by any virtuous character, is gained in the process of mastering and sustaining his own craft and the discourse of his craft. Roark's ultimate goal is satisfaction in creating dynamic architecture and defies committees and housing boards who insist he alter his designs to make them safer, more conventional. He eschews easy success and material gain for purity of his craft. Whatever end Thom Browne faces as a design house I do wish the designer luck for having a peculiar vision and sticking to it.

JPG on JPG

2009-04-29T13:01:00.000-04:00

Via Out

Odeur Autumn Winter 2009-2010 RTW

2009-04-28T16:50:00.000-04:00

The Muppet Show's Swedish chef was the first experience I had with our Swedish friends. For years my only knowledge of their ways was restricted to Swedish Meatballs and Swedish Fish. After making friends with a die hard punk kid named Karl (who is also an engineer and a very vocal socialist) I began to suspect that Swedes could be awesome and not just muppets and makers of strange somewhat bland foods. Still I tend to think of them as a typically sunny people. Dark modernism doesn't flash immediately to mind. Maybe bittersweet romanticism (themes often visited by Acne). Odeur is making me review my simplistic (possibly racist? reverse-racist?) view of Swedes. I wouldn't say the designers have a chip on their shoulder but I believe the heavier side of utility and minimalism is taking center stage. Bold flowing deconstructed shapes combine with athletic-wear comfort in a welcome marriage of two worlds.

This collection won't be available stateside as far as I know but there are a number of online stores stocking the line such as Grandpa. The prices are actually very reasonable even factoring in shipping costs. I have my eye set on the outerwear.

Images courtesy of Odeur.

Trailer for Lars Von Trier's Antichrist

2009-04-14T03:22:00.000-04:00

Lars von Trier's Antichrist - Official Trailer from Zentropa on Vimeo.

Looks creeeeeeeeepy.

Rick Owens for Showstudio

2009-04-10T17:51:00.000-04:00

Head over to Showstudio and check out the rest of the editorial and a "video diptych" both directed by Nick Knight. Owens discusses his desire to corrupt things from within. I approve. Also help me figure out whether Owens looks more like Alice Cooper or Iggy Pop.

Introducing The Drums

2009-04-09T11:47:00.000-04:00

I'm almost always happy to have two of my favorite things end up in one place. Now sometimes it doesn't make any sense, like Snuggies, which are just backwards robes (sorry to burst your bubble Snuggie-fans). Other times it works, like peanut butter and bananas. If you combined the tonality of post-punk bands with energy and harmonies of surf-rock and doowop you would end up with something like the sound created by The Drums. These kids are perfectly crafting a soundtrack for the season with romantic danceable electro-infused rock. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears clean for their debut. The EP coming out this June is curiously titled Summertime! and you can listen to it yourself start to finish here.

Kanye West aka Martin Louis the King is a Gay Fish

2009-04-09T11:33:00.000-04:00

I haven't made my dislike of Kanye "voice of the generation" a secret so it was a pleasant surprise when he fell into the crosshairs of the SouthPark guys, Matt and Trey, in last night's episode "Fishdicks". Basically Kanye doesn't understand a simple joke that's becoming popular nationwide and assumes its all about him because of his planet sized ego playing off of his microscopic intelligence. The animators also perfectly replicated some of Kanye's outfits and his friend's looks as shot by The Sartorialist a few months ago. For some reason the only video I could find plays nearly the entire episode but the first minute shows you the general trajectory. Enjoy.

Update: That's been removed naturally. Here's the Vocoder-laden spoof of "Heartless" instead.

Hyden Your Manly Bits

2009-04-06T20:41:00.000-04:00

I understand some guys like to show off their man-stems. Maybe it makes them feel sexy, virile, free. Good for you if you like to show off your hairy stilts. But my friend summed up my own opinion of these super short shorts for men, the Hyden Yoo Black Agassi Shorts: "Haha. Agassi must mean "one ball out" in Italian or something." Let em all hang out guys. Maybe this is your bra burning statement.

BRÜNO: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner...

2009-04-06T17:17:00.000-04:00

...in a Mesh T-Shirt

"I gave him like a traditional African name, O.J."

Tim Hamilton RTW Fall 2009-2010

2009-04-06T15:54:00.000-04:00

I didn't get around to commenting on New York Fashion Week too much, but one designer I felt stood above his peers was Tim Hamilton who continues to excite. 80s minimalism and German industrial design seemed to blend together quite nicely into militant boyish silhouettes. Hamilton has stuck to simple graphic prints and sober usage of color ( few blocky geometric shapes here, a splash of cherry red there).

The line is both rigorously youthful and confidently masculine, bouncing between 60s bohemian roadwarrior and Mod elegance. The patent leather boots in black, and matte leather white pairs are incredibly chic and so severe.

Chronicles of Never @ Oak

2009-04-03T11:16:00.000-04:00

In the past few weeks Oak has been receiving an exciting spread from Tim Hamilton, Unconditional, and now has Chronicles of Never. The collection designed by Gareth Moody captures the mood of medieval paganism and marries it to the deconstructed aesthetic of today. The leather Boxer-style shorts with the lace up fly have a strange appeal, almost fetishistic. The pebbled leather boots are very desirable to me though the near 500 dollar price tag is a bit out of reach. Maybe if I pray to the heathen gods they'll be gracious and grant me some new swagger?

Some Brave Apollo

2009-03-31T10:28:00.000-04:00

Would these beady eyed anglo-saxon faces lie to you? April 77 has issued a series of items inspired by the the Apollo moon walk conspiracy. The basic gist of the conspiracy is this: The event that everyone watched around the world, live on tv, was actually an elaborately staged video drama to spook the Soviets. Moon walk skeptics ask if we were able to get to moon in '69 then why is it that now thirty years later we've never returned?

Personally, I don't care. But you can explore that tangent yourself.

Back to earth. Head uncorked from the stratosphere. If the premise and silly product description are set aside (pleats certainly do not protect you from solar radiation, kids), this jacket looks really incredible. Its about time someone revived the memory that astronauts (and pilots) were once treated like rock stars, and were deployed, naturally, in some of the most popular rock songs of all time. (Space Oddity, Rocketman, anyone?) . Who better to honor forgotten rock stars than April 77?

Modern Couture

2009-03-28T15:15:00.000-04:00

It's all too easy to forget that clothes are no more than an augment to our bodies. Our body type suggests the flavor of drape and the shapes we surround ourselves with. Whether wraith thin, or broad and muscular, we all have a form. Some wrestle with it, other settle into comfort. But contemporary neuroscience and philosophers of the mind are currently challenging the boundaries between mind, body, and environment such that we should seriously reassess our identity as situated in the flesh and what lies beyond.

Electronics have become essential parts of our active life. We are in fact merging with our inventions. Some artists, such as Nancy Nisbet, and scientists like Kevin Warwick are already exploring the frontiers of cybernetics. Warwick succeeded in forming a kind of radiotelepathy using the internet with his wife at the other end of a direct link. Integrating the mind with databases and linking it to appliances has become a practical reality, so the self is extending into our tools.

The most accessible and common form of body transformation is excercise. Rick Owens was recently featured in Details declaring that "modern couture" consists in mastering your own body, promoting your own health. He goes on to say," No outfit is going to make you look or feel as good as having a fit body." It's now taken for granted that a good diet and regimen of exercise can greatly impact our daily stress levels and self esteem.

Our personal lifestyle is absolutely an extension of our sense of self. How lost do we feel when we leave home without our cellphone? How coherent are we without proper rest? These devices, technological and behavioral, are simply features of who we are. The limits of our identity is flexible, amorphous, and shifting like the transition of one season into the next.

The Lengths We Go For Fashion

2009-03-27T12:10:00.000-04:00

Lord Whimsy of The Affected Provincial's Almanack has supplied sleazerag Vice with a sampling of body mutilating fashions of the past and semi-present. If you thought you were too body conscious, then this will make you feel better (and then make you a bit sick).

Imagine if, when you were a kid, your parents used elaborate and painful methods to force your head or feet into bizarre and permanent shapes. Or imagine if the surest way to get a decent job was to stand perfectly still while your friend hacked the side of your face with a cutlass. Now imagine never washing your hair until it became a hardened crust or being completely covered in mites and lice for your entire life. Or imagine living in permanent fear that your neighbors might at any moment decide to hunt you for the fur on top of your head.

Of course this isn’t fantasy: It’s history. Over the centuries, human beings have practically turned themselves inside out—and on occasion happily turned others inside out—for the sake of status and style. Let’s take a wee stroll down memory lane.

Brave stomachs may read the rest of the article here.

Sufjan Covers The Castanets - "You Are The Blood"

2009-03-26T22:48:00.000-04:00

Just listen.

Inter.view: Mike Townsend of Inven.tory

2009-03-26T16:41:00.000-04:00

New York moves along at a fast pace. Staying in tune with the shifting forces of streetstyle and cutting edge design takes more than fluency it takes prescience, intelligence, and taste. It takes more than syncretism; you have to be what's happening.

The minds behind Inven.tory are owners Mike Townsend, Whitney Singer, Jon Daou, and Erin Berkery. Last fall they launched a brand which hit the ground running, targeting the thirst for wholesale priced overstock. Imagine a perpetual sample sale. They opened their first store on Kenmare and Elizabeth, bringing together brands like Idol Radec, Corpus, and Acne. It worked and so they opened the doors of a second location on Lafayette in a massive space with simple laid back decor.

I spoke with co-owner Mike Townsend to discuss the neighborhood, Inven.tory, and his views on style.

Q: New York has been a fashion mecca for a long time but not many people have heard of Nolita. It's a little neighborhood which has over the past decade developed into a unique pocket of New York culture. What originally attracted you to Nolita as a location for Inven.tory?

Mike Townsend: My gravitation to Nolita was based on the places my friends and I ate like Lovely Day (before the fire), Rubys, Bread and Cafe Gitane. The neighborhood also has a great feel to it with great restaurants and cool boutiques. It also helps when your business partners do real estate in the Nolita area.

Q. Did all the restaurants play a factor? There's a lot of excellent little restaurants in the area.

MT: I think my answer to the first question answers this! It definitely is a plus, the great restaurants, but wasn't really a factor in our decision to set up shop here.

Q. How did the idea for Inven.tory emerge? I think the wholesale direction its a brilliant move for the area and the times, but what thread connects the labels that you've brought together?

MT: The idea of Inven.tory started after we had hosted a few sample sales at OpenHouse Gallery with Whitney Singer and Erin Berkery. We realized that young designers needed another outlet to sell overstock than sample sales. That's when we created the idea of a curated boutique with wholesale prices. As for choosing labels, we go after designers who we personally admire and wear, but also designers whose overstock is on trend. We also have future collaborations with some young designers.

Q. Was it scary expanding to another location so soon? I know little about running a business but I've heard expansion is supposed to be scary.

MT: No, it wasn't scary! We saw it all as a great opportunity. We have a very confident team- Whitney Singer, Jon Daou, and Erin Berkery.

Q. What's permanent in men's style?

MT: I think footwear is the most permanent in men's style. It is one of the way men can be fashion forward and have fun with their style.

Q. If you could resurrect one element of menswear that's gone the way of the dodo what would it be?

MT: At the moment, I feel that a lot of elements have been re-used and tweaked throughout the years whether it be from the 70's or the 90's. I don't think I have any one specific element because almost everything has been resurrected at some point. I really like how designers such as Robert Gellar and Rick Owens take the best of the past and incorporate them into new ideas for today's fashion.

Q. Trends you could live without? And by 'live without' I mean piss you off.

MT: I can't stand when people don't dress age appropriate.

Check out Inven.tory's stores found at 237 Lafayette St and 19 Kenmare or follow them online @ inventorynyc.com

Beverly Hills Housewife For Sale

2009-03-25T06:27:00.000-04:00

David Hockney's Beverly Hills Housewife painting, part of the gorgeous series "California Dreaming" is soon to go under the auction hammer at Christie's following the death of the original owner and subject of the painting Betty Freeman this past January. Hockney was good friends with Freeman a major patron of the arts. She was an angel to the great painters and modernist composers of the mid-20th century. Fans of Mark Rothko and John Cage owe her a priceless debt.

This painting was probably the centerpiece of her private collection but its striking and humorous faceoff between a mounted antelope head and Mrs. Freeman evokes so many bizarre tracks of thought. The housewife as a trophy. The housewife as a decorative fixture. Its an odd uncomfortable joke but a rich one as well. I am all but certain I've never seen more than two paintings from this series and very few important Hockneys at all. I hope this winds up in a major international show so I can finally get a chance to see more of Hockney's most well known work.

For more info on Betty Freeman and/or how you can spend your millions this May click here.

Linda Farrow x Everybody

2009-03-25T01:01:00.000-04:00

Linda Farrow Vintage has more partners than a Mormon patriarch but I love their promiscuity and will continue to love it as long as it continues to spawn new profiles and playful Harringesque primitive scrawlings. Seven New York has a gross number of styles from David David, Raf, Bernhard, Henry Holland and more designed to make me look for a better job

The brand was relaunched in 2003 after Simon Jablon, son of Linda Farrow herself, discovered in one of his families warehouses the remains of glamour past. Soon the brand became a launch pad for original collections and fruitful collaborations with some of the shiniest avant garde designers of today.

AnOther Man: Hedi and Herzog

2009-03-24T12:06:00.000-04:00

AnOther great issue from AnOther Man for Spring and Summer has arrived and this time its free, which is very kind. The issue features the work of superstylist Nicola Formichetti and some shit shot by some guy named Hedi whom is rumored to have some sort of clothing line project to unveil later this year. Whatever the situation may be he and Nicola sure can take pretty pictures together.

The mag also contains an Elizabeth Peyton inspired editorial and a discussion with one of my favorite film directors Werner Herzog (Red Dawn)and Errol Morris (Mr. Death; Vernon, Florida). The two discuss cinema verite, contrasting so-called "realism" with the ecstatic truths of the late Grizzly enthusiast Timothy Treadwell.

I had the pleasure of seeing Grizzly Man premiere at the National History Museum several years ago and a subsequent Q&A with Herzog himself. My question for him went unasked: Who would win in a cage fight a grizzly, or a bengal tiger?

Film fanatics unfamiliar Werner should consider reading his fantastic book Herzog on Herzog in which he discusses his craft, films, and his ideal version of film school which would include boxing classes. Next to Tarkovsky's Sculpting in Time its one of the richest discussions of a filmmakers approach and theory to making a movie.

Extra Mustard On My Lindenberger S'il Vous Plait

2009-02-22T11:27:00.000-05:00

Spring's face is almost upon us and its absolutely smeared with mustard. J. Lindenberg dives into the color trend with a pair of smart narrow trousers for your consumption. He also has seen fit to supply this washed voille shirt in another color I'm fond of: indigo. The washed, crumpled look may not be for everyone but that's why Jesus created steamers. Mr. Lindenberg is also serving up these sateen shorts in black. All items are available to order now at Oak.

Peter Bjorn and John

2009-02-21T03:27:00.000-05:00

This is a meager offering in my digital drought. As I complained in a tweet my laptop adaptor/battery issues are keeping me a low-key presence. I beg your apologies and offer Japanese Teddyboys for peace and mutual understanding.

Nothing to Worry About (download the song here)

Lay it Down

A few violent themes seem to be emerging as signs of a tough guy narrative to run consitently through the soon to be released PB&J record "Living Now". If "Living now" is as consistent as their last effort this Swede trio deserves to blow way up.

Mangina Attack

2009-02-15T00:21:00.000-05:00

It doesn't matter what season it is. The label name (in this case Yiga Azrouel) doesn't matter. The cool cuff detail is irrelevant. The quirky pocket doesn't matter. This pant has a khaki vagina. Priced at $360 USD, its the cheapest sex-change for your buck. If you can live with a khaki vagina.

American Double Vision: Thom Browne & Ralph Lauren

2009-02-11T06:31:00.000-05:00

I completely missed the memo on Thom Browne venturing into womenswear with Black Fleece but Cintra Wilson visited his shop for a review. Her conclusion is muted optimism but what really interests me is the contrast she draws between New York designers Ralph Lauren and Mr. Browne, their aesthetic and their ideal suited male.

It’s a slightly gothic twist on the Old Money Athletic Club look, originally reified into postmodern absurdity when Ralph Lauren stuck crusty leather bridles and yellowing crew-team photos on mahogany paneling and pronounced it a lifestyle.

But Black Fleece appears too sensitive for sports. Mr. Browne, like Mr. Lauren, nurtures a fetish for the trappings of Old School Preppy, but the Thom Browne alumnus seems to be a bit more pale, less muscular and more (ahem) eccentric. Picture a cross between Pee-wee Herman and Nurse Ratched, only more obsessive-compulsive

Its a fair observation, though I do not share Wilson's apparent antipathy for Ralph Lauren's perspective, it does serve to highlight the radically different take on American sportswear that Browne has carved out. His niche doesn't glamorize Americana as Lauren is prone to do through amber tinted lenses, instead Browne fetishizes Ivy League exaggerating quirky features into stylish neurosis and turns 60s white collar garb into ritual costume.

Two looks from Ralph and Thom's SS09 collections

Ralph Lauren built an empire on wide ties, elitist country club imagery, and snapshots of sporting memories. He built the power look of the 80s, and his suits remain popular with corporate customers. He carved out an entire narrative for his brand. Personally I find it rather admirable that the Ralph Lauren man can go from the ranch, to the bar, and to the office at the drop of the hat. I sadly hear a lot of young people find Ralph Lauren boring but for me there's nothing boring about buttoning into a Purple Label suit. Call me crazy.

Conversely, it's not surprising that many traditional tailors oppose Browne the designer. Browne says uniformity, not individuality, is the definition of beauty. However, his consistent preoccupation with the quirky accidental and his mechanized view of beauty is very different from the system of a men's clothier. But furthermore, Browne is deeply attatched to off-beat superficial artifacts of preppiness. This was more than apparent in his SS09 "tennis" collection. On the otherhand what is strangely alluring about Browne is just that, the odd subversion of conventional American sportswear circa 1960 into a sometimes uncomfortable mix of pageantry, kitsch, compulsive habit, and asphyxia.

two looks from Thom Browne's Moncler Gamme Bleu collection

While Browne and Lauren couldn't be more different, I feel completely at home with both creators, and I've been inspired by both. There is no reason why gender-bending arty design and more subtle elegant design can't exist in the same world. American fashion, particularly in New York, needs to be able to press forward and express itself more liberally, but there's no reason why certain standards and hallmarks can't be enjoyed simultaneously.

Hipsters In Space

2009-02-05T06:53:00.000-05:00

"Someone's infringing on our theme"

Honestly, its the funniest thing I've seen in ages.

The Ever-Stylish Coal Guy

2009-02-03T20:16:00.000-05:00

I've spoken a bit before about how I don't quite get the workwear trend pushers though I appreciate their enthusiasm for style in general. A Continuous Lean, Get Kempt, Jack Davis, and their readers have a deep appreciation for American made clothes and have done well to promote neglected brands. The latest issue of Newsweek even spotlighted ACL author Michael Williams and I believe the attention is well-deserved.

However, the overall look promoted to me is not visually classic, its rugged but also rather shapeless. Its a kind of anti-fashion trend and in someways reminiscent of the grunge era. It incorporates suburban work elements, but instead of doing so out of necessity and connoting middle-class youth apathy and sexual curiosity, workwear cobbles earthy traditional maculinity with practicality. However, I've never been a fan of the lumberjack look since it first started emerging years ago on the streets of new york. I'm fine with plaids and checks, sure. But the combo of workboots, a beard, and a flannel shirt was jarring to see on fashionistas. It seems strange to romanticize the mundane daily grind of American industrial workers into a style guide. The Trad shares a similar thought

There's a whole lot going on over at Michael William's blog, "A Continuous Lean." Michael's a good kid. He's a smart kid. And if you read the comment page about his recent quote in Newsweek Magazine you'll discover he's a, "take no crap" kid. Check it out. I'll wait.

So you see... Michael has this thing for work clothes that I don't really understand. I busted my ass for 20 years so I wouldn't have to wear the clothes he loves so much.

Mad Men Costume Designer To Dress Non-Fictional Characters? Me? You?

2009-02-03T18:48:00.000-05:00

From Glamour

STF: Designers from Michael Kors to Thom Browne have acknowledged that your work on the show has inspired them...um, how does that feel!?
JB: Last night I met Anne Hathaway [at the SAG awards] because one of my best friends does her makeup. And I was with January Jones and she said "Oh Anne this is Janie, she does the clothes for Mad Men," and Anne Hathaway was like, “How does it feel to be responsible for changing the face of fashion?” and I was like, “It feels pretty damn good, thanks Anne!” It has been incredible, and I’m just glad that it’s really touched and inspired so many people. That’s really the gift.

sTF: Can we expect to see a line of clothing come out of this, or a collection inspired by the show? What kinds of projects do you have going on for the future?
JB: I’m working on some things right now…I hate to be so mysterious but I can't really say! It would have my name attached to it though.

Whatever the project is I will certainly be paying attention. Janie's care for detail could be put to good well in tailored looks for men or women. Hopefully men...not ladies...

Barbarian-Kara: Mihara Yasuhiro SS09

2009-02-01T16:18:00.000-05:00

Mihara Yasuhiro has impressed me again, this time by blending tribal primitive simplicity with proper moto details. Incorporating disparate components into an attractive whole. The perforation on the boots and the steel toe on the sandals are both welcome surprises.

Something about the collection reminded me of a different sort of enterprising mind. T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

"All men dream; but not equally."

Certainly Mihara was dreaming of approaching a raw landscape, and meeting it with a careful strength. The pieces all have an acted upon, aged quality as well. Its a rare moment when something as straightforward as a boot can be transportive.

Off-Road Strategies

2009-01-31T18:37:00.000-05:00

Those gentlemen brave enough to assemble smart accessories, good ties, well crafted hats, and beautiful shoes know the right pairing can complete a look as a glass of wine can finish a meal. A sober navy silk tie might add a good balance to a potentially shrill outfit. A curiously detailed pair of oxfords can breath life into a look based on a dull charcoal flannel.

A recent post by Hard Liquor Soft Holes had me thinking off the radar as he experimented with some different outfits based on a drop crotch pant from CdG for H&M. More often than not, a piece can overwhelm a look or lock our heads into a particular trend portrait. A preppy sweater suggests a smart tie, nerdy glasses and so on, but there's nothing stopping us from showering it with safety pins for a DIY project or pairing it with something more military and edgy. How about ditching Harvard for Machu Pichu?

Trends don't need to dictate our personal looks. Adding personality to a look just takes a little creativity. Doing something unexpected even in the small details can add a touch of excitement to the daily routine. Besides, no one wants to be a cliche.

Cardigan by Richard Chai @ Odin

Western Style Hat by Alexander McQueen @ Brown Fashions

Western Rogues Gallery 8 Eyelet Boot @ Revolve Clothing

The Odysseus At The Rogues Gallery Showroom

2009-01-31T18:08:00.000-05:00

Starting Friday the 13th at Rogues Gallery's showroom, the Odysseus, a series of landscape photos by Mikael Kennedy, will be on display. It will also be a great chance to check out Rogues Gallery's nautical inspired Fall collection. Any chance to pretend you're not trapped in a concrete jungle this winter must be exploited.

Experience both in person at 33 West 26th St. on the 4th Floor.

Gaziano & Girling

2009-01-31T14:05:00.000-05:00

There's something to be said for comfort. Dressing up can be a bit masochistic as we squeeze our feet into a pair of shoes that are slightly small, or perhaps decide to wear a tie and jacket rather than a loose fitting t-shirt. We suffer for our style. I have often said that comfort is not the first thing that comes to mind when composing a look. But on occasion a shoe just fits so right. Sometimes elegance isn't sacrificed for comfort as is the case with these custom made dress boots by Gaziano & Girling Leffot says can't stay in the shop. Their customer claims

“Since I’ve been wearing G&G my feet no longer bother me”. That’s a strong statement and a testament to the fit and support that’s truly unique to Gaziano & Girling shoes.

Not only do they look great, but they “feel” great as well, and that’s exactly what investing in quality footwear is all about.

Even if they weren't, I can't stop lusting over these beautiful boots, the weight of the double sole, and perfect length of the toe.

Leffot is located at 10 Christopher Street New York, NY.

Bad Boys or Good Seeds

2009-01-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

Over the past year the male catwalks have been given over to models with that bad-boy-next-door look. Jethro Cave is in the ranks of Ash Stymest, Cole Mohr, Josh Beech, and Tyler Riggs but he's actually been in the game for three years. He was seen everywhere from CoSTUME NATIONAL to Gareth Pugh this season. Fashion has embraced boys that embody both boyish androgyny and an inherent sense of humor and style. I'm surprised at how at home these kids are on the catwalks as much as editorials. Jethro was profiled by Times Online UK last September:

He’s a proper peacock, this one — he gets his suits from charity shops (“I just buy ’em and wear ’em”) and doesn’t mind spending a few hours on a look. Today’s get-up — before being replaced with a Topman suit for these pictures — consisted of a beat-up leather jacket (bought in Brighton, where his dad lives with his wife, Susie Bick, and their two sons), skinny jeans, boots repaired with gaffer tape, a bum bag featuring an Aussie flag and a self-administered undercut. At a recent festival in Oz, his alter ego was “Joffle, king of the troglodytes”, resplendent in a cloak and with a staff. The urge to wear a dress can also be strong. “Well, you’ve got to frock up sometimes,” he says.

I single out the aussie raised Jethro Cave because he has three things to set him apart.

A) A distinctive head of hair. Here he is shot by designer and photographer Hedi Slimane.

B) The sense to compose this outfit.

C) A cool dad.

Embellished Men: Wooyoungmi RTW Fall Winter 2009 2010

2009-01-30T08:07:00.000-05:00

It's not often that ornament finds its way into the halls of menswear. Recently I've been speaking a bit towards the effect a hat, or lapel emellishment can have on ones overall look. After the Milan and Paris shows, its patently clear that menswear designers are moving towards a decorated male image in spite of other more sobering trends, men's accessories are stretching into a territory not explored for decades. Woouyoungmi showcased all of these emergent features in beautiful hats and lapel pins in her collection which bridged Korean folk culture with modern streetwear.

Another significant trend: capes. They're all over this season,and Wooyoungmi put them center stage with a variety of militaristic capelets in leather and wool, cut in a variety of styles. They added graphic contrast and provided a clear canvas for detailing.

The show is not perfect, the first look down the runway bore no connection to what followed, but the collection has a lot to offer for a variety of settings. The designer also continued the movement towards sensible double breasted suit jackets but paired them with leggings. It wasn't a look many men will risk at the office. A pair of trousers with a elasticized ribbed knit cuff.

White House Casual Friday: The Fall of Western Civilization

2009-01-29T04:45:00.000-05:00

According to the NYtimes:

Over the weekend, Mr. Obama’s first in office, his aides did not quite know how to dress. Some showed up in jeans (another no-no under Mr. Bush), some in coats and ties.

So the president issued an informal edict for “business casual” on weekends — and set his own example. He showed up Saturday for a briefing with his chief economic adviser, Lawrence H. Summers, dressed in slacks and a gray sweater over a white buttoned-down shirt. Veterans of the Bush White House are shocked.

And so am I. I do not approve. Kennedy buried the top hat. What sartorial standard will Obama bulldoze? I am picturing a louche president in cargo pants and sandals in two decades. There's a scene in the film Faces by director John Cassevetes where a man complains in embarrassment about his son wearing sneakers off the tennis court as informal attire. Our grandsons will shame us by doing away with shirts altogether. USATODAY, harbinger of doom asked its readers not too long ago whether flip flops were appropriate business casual attire. The end is nigh.

I would not call myself a traditionalist, but you have to draw the line somewhere. Doesn't the national office deserve some sort of formal mystique?

For all of us normal people in the workplace, its better to be overdressed than underdressed. Casual attire is only nominally more comfortable than business formal wear, anyway. No one at your job will reprimand you for being the best dressed guy at work. Taking that extra step can be an extension, and expression, of your attitude towards your job at the office both your client and your employer can see the seriousness of your attire (which hopefully matches your work output).

When it comes to output Obama has a lot on his plate. So far he's done well, signing into law today The Ledbetter Act which (finally) ensures equal pay for equal work, and signing an executive order to shut down Guantanomo Bay. But we wish style could be elevated along with the quality, and morality, of American political culture. Perhaps our standards are too high?

Gareth Pugh To Helm Dior Homme?

2009-01-28T07:35:00.000-05:00

The blogoverse is rumoring that Gareth Pugh, who has just only a couple of days ago released his first menswear collection may soon replace Kris Van Assche at Dior. Exciting news for the young brit and his fans. Fashionisto culls from Grazia and EDerek Blasberg that LVMH is ready to shake things up It couldn t come at a better time for Dior as it becomes clear Van Assche is not finding his footing with men's collection which started out rocky with his 90s hip hop obsession and has gone nowhere since. Except to retrace, unconvincingly the steps already trod by Hedi Slimane. Dior Homme became sadly dull under Van Assche.

Pugh would be a major break from that cycle in a way that LVMH hopes would mirror the strange success of Galliano for Dior's womenswear, bringing fierce artistic vision to push the the line forward. While Galliano's aesthetic is retro-costume dippinging into fashion's past, Pugh is one of the few names consistently building futurist worlds, though to differing levels of success. He always brings drama but wearable clothes are rare. His first men's collection, seemingly inspired by Hellraiser, is dangerous and dark. Leather pieces embellished with pins defy the rules of comfort. The makeup is a bit haunted house, but Pugh shows rare shapes for a men's show, and also an array of beautifully strange quilted coats. The most desirable being the trench displayed above, though others compete for attention with bizarre sharp shoulders not unfamiliar to fans of Pugh.

What do you guys think: Can Pugh take on Dior Homme?

McQueensbury Rules in Motion

2009-01-24T15:40:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't seen it, here's the video to McQueen's great Fall 2009-10 show. Watch it quick before its taken down again, eh?

Rick Owens RTW Fall Winter 2009 2010

2009-01-24T07:31:00.001-05:00

Drama Queen? Rick Owens prefers that label over Goth. That label fits uncomfortably the expressive hand present in every look of his Fall 09 collection. Where's the drama? There are searing hot leather jackets here, true to Owen's rock roots, though even there he contorts shapes. Every look is storied, layers of black shift around the figure in all glamorous textures. The clarity of his voice is found year after year on the catwalk.

The boots: slouchy, yet agressive. Necklines fall to mid torso, warmed by handsome fur scarves, or cloaked within one of Owen's beautiful coats. Duvet coats. Crock print coats. The fabric falls asymmetricallly that way, slips this way for a wrap-style jacket. Owens claims Brancusi as inspiration for his work. That reference makes a great deal of sense in the floor length tunics. The rise of simple verticals, columns of black, cut from space, is a persistent image. A large gold crown hangs at their neck. Brancusi's instructor Rodin likewise stands as a source, given the rigidly sculpted male form of the show.

La Bande De Musee

2009-01-24T04:43:00.000-05:00

Its taken a while but after Robert Crumb broke the gate down comics have been gaining recognition as art from elite institutions all over the world. Winsor McKay never dreamed of the attention, scholarship, and admiration. Still there is a status available to Japanese, and European artists that American cartoonists only dream of. Now that gap edges slightly wider as the Louvre has opened this past thursday an exhibition entitled La Louvre Invite La Bande-Dessinee avec les artistes Eric Liberge, Benar Yslaire, et Araki Hirohiko creator of the uber popular manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventures. Many of the images and strips depict characters in action with the Louvre as a backdrop, and a few make much needed improvements on that Mona Lisa thing.

While we have had such exhibits before in the states, nothing quite stands up to the prestige of the Louvre.

The exhibit is open to the public until April 17. Via Coxsoft Art News.

WTF: Raf Simons RTW Fall Winter 2009 2010

2009-01-24T03:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, its settled. When the shows rap up in Paris, I will dedicate several posts to this feeling of disappointment and vicarious embarrassment. Disappointment is nothing new to fashion followers, students, designers, sellers, or buyers. We funnel it into catty repartee. Disappointment pays bills for critics ( though not the blogging sort usually). However, when someone like Raf Simons shows you an unremarkable suit paired with a hideous sneaker something is fucked up. There is no amount of cynicism that can compete with the jarring images of these clothes. You feel the pinch.

I was going to share an elaborate illustration involving a suffocated kitten, then I thought perhaps a more apt description would point towards the haphazardness of the collection, but I think I'll save my energy and vitriol.

The sleeves are the only thing that carries visual impact and for the most part they didn't work as tacked on features. Much more salient was the two tone concept. Even in neon it looked clean and smart in a conventional slim sleeve but it was overpowering in the voluminous versions.

No comparison between this and that.

Blaak FTW Fall Winter 2009, 2010

2009-01-24T02:12:00.000-05:00

The Blaak man (sorry) will be wearing a tribal look this year. Sachiko Okada and Aaron Sarif have been steadily building the house year after year, incorporating evocative references in details, and providing collections full of wearability. This years show developed a tribal flavor; a shamanistic, and occultic narrative. The looks are nicely complemented with coherent accessories.

Did you notice the studs? It might remind you of Prada's collection shown a short time ago in Milan. A poster on FashionSpot pointed out a striking similarity between Prada's collection and Blaak's Fall 2007 collection which included studded shirts and pants. Well, have a look yourself...

Time for a serious question: does Miuccia Prada hate Blaak people? Yes or no?

Obama's Negotiating Style

2009-01-23T15:10:00.000-05:00

A New Look: Yves Saint Laurent RTW Fall Winter 2009 2010

2009-01-22T14:07:00.000-05:00

Stefano Pilati returns this season without a trace of the seventies art world playboy of last year. But the sensuous has not been supplanted with a utilitarian sheen, bell-bottom trousers are succeeded by generous long shorts cut to reveal just a hint of calf. It reminds me of a statement the designer made when first joining Saint Laurent...

Calves are a devastatingly undervalued body part. They are so beautiful. Women, at least, can wear skirts. But we have to wear our pants long, long, long. Why?

Color-wise there was a beautiful silk shirt in rich plum, which also the jackets, a house staple. A bold elated blue overcoat paired with a similarly hued plaid flannel shirt. But color as we have learned this season is an extravagance not to be expected. Most pieces are charcoal, black, and white.

Accompanying the show is a video starring Michael Pitt (who still appears as he did in Last Days as Kurt Cobain), in which the actor is admired offscreen by a female speaker. The erotic element is a subdued force of tension between classic pastiche and youthful grunge gesture. The restrained sexual energy is framed by respectable architecture but beneath the surface it threatens.

Does the show have the same slow burning, slow stewing effect of a dark romance? There is an admirable riskiness to the collection but whereas past collections elevated the YSL man to opulence and bygone glamour this show shifts towards a new direction with quieter luxe details and a harder palette.

All images via WWD

Op Art: Hugo by Hugo Boss RTW Fall Winter 2009 2010

2009-01-22T12:04:00.000-05:00

A little optical illusion for Fall? While Moschino opted for a bit of french surrealism tromp d'oeil, both Raf and now Boss have been exploring more German wells of inspiration. Though while Raf drinks deeply from Weimar, its a topic he has mined successfully for years, Boss's attempt with Op Art and industrial new wave is rather uneven. Delivering a black and white convection of lines which throw off the eye more than invite a curiousity.

A note should be made at this point, though the topic will be addressed later as I gather the dominant trends for the season. Suddenly everyone is doing capes. Burberry, Etro, McQueen, and now...Boss? Now I love capes, but I'm wondering if the general buyer will want to throw one over his shoulder, and his client's. There were some notable pieces in geometic patterns, a series of taut angular jackets, like a hard edge bolero, and series of knot-less ties also piqued my interest.

You Will Go To Mykonos

2009-01-20T22:25:00.000-05:00

Fleet Foxes' self titled debut was one of the few albums that got me excited last year. Robin Pecknold's choral melodies, the panoramic lyrics, and the bare bones folk flavored rock ensemble work so well together. It's just fucking absolutely beautiful music. I forgot to post this on Sunday but its still worth watching so here's Fleet Foxes performing Mykonos on Saturday Night Live.

Alexander McQueen RTW Fall Winter 2009 2010

2009-01-19T21:00:00.000-05:00

Even with the painful memory of SS09 still fresh on my mind, little could temper my enthusiasm for an Alexander McQueen show inspired by Jack the Ripper. The runway was ashen gray path lined with Victorian streetlamps. What walked down that aisle is a true show, something lacking so far in Milan. McQueen presents beautiful suits in black, grey wool, a variety of checks with narrow shoulders and slim fitted trousers.

There were great seperates; fantastic shirts in stripes and plaid. One might want one of each waistcoat shown in plaid, gray, and muted checks, but also fawn over the leather version, and a vest transitioning, like Jekyll into Hyde, into a jacket and then into a cape. The knitwear has its own story: Robe-length cable knit sweaters, one slick waxed sweater, some tattered shawl collar cardigans fastened with leather weave a story of security gained by brute force. The shoes and boots are gorgeous. Several monkstraps were shown in black and antiqued leather. The boot with twenty plus eyelets is seductive. Tying all the looks together is a wide range of homburgs in every earthy color with pinched crowns.

It was a show that had a lot to say about the violence of male power fantasy. McQueen explores the erotic violence even to the point of being crass (brocades symbolized both blood and semen), the butchery of western pioneerism, and sportsmanship (as a craven eyed boxer arrived midshow). Through this morose, yet decadent, meditation McQueen proves that producing an appealing and wearable menswear show can also be provocative and fun, and that's a tradition worth revisiting.

Images via The Fashion Spot

Gucci RTW Fall Winter 2009 2010

2009-01-19T15:42:00.001-05:00

Restraint, sustainability, and tradition are the overwhelming themes present so far in Milan. these are words that Frida Gianni barely pronounces in her slightly scaled back rock and roll parade. Highlights included contrast color shirts, synthetic fibers in jackets and slim trousers. Square boycut jackets were paired with satin lined leggings in some looks. Its New Wave with ostentatious materials from start to finish, a brash paradox that Gianni has tapped into for several seasons but the air of economic sobriety turns the volume down to just the right level. Not all of it works (the belt loop chains are tacky rock groupie, inauthentic) but the young socialisto Gucci kid will find a lot to be happy about.

Prada RTW Fall Winter 2009-2010

2009-01-19T08:28:00.000-05:00

With economic times at hand few designers this season are taking exceptional risks on the catwalks. Instead we have seen a return to familiar flavors, looks, and house standards. Prada's 'Survival' show is a return to the male image of her 90s collections with updated cuts and technology. The suits were on trend with double breasts and peak lapels and of course very saleable in charcoal and black. Aside from the occasional orange stripe the show was severe and dark.

Studs appeared first on shoes, and then covered everything from topcoats, to trousers, and even oxford shirts. And there was a headband with black leather tassles hung from the back ready for the Roman Coliseum. While the show returned the Prada male towards more traditional macho concepts, that of the biker and the gladiator, they were scaled down and spread out so much as to become mere texture in ubiquity.

The show was dreary and the Survival title is more an apt description of the safety of the show more than the empowerment of the Prada man. In this economy I suppose, who can really blame the pantheon of big name designers for being safe?

Images via WWD and Dazed Digital.

Salvatore Ferragamo RTW Fall Winter 2009-2010

2009-01-19T00:13:00.000-05:00

The off-center ties weren't the only thing askew at Ferragamo. The show contained several passable moments but is mostly distinguished by non sequiturs. The sportswear elements were seemingly for an entirely different show, or customer. Still there were a number of interesting if not deal-making facets to the collection. Here are some of the highlights from the show.

Gianfranco Ferre RTW Fall Winter 2009-2010

2009-01-18T14:02:00.001-05:00

Gianfranco Ferre's men's line is as old as I am. I was born the year it launched. The line has gained a reputation for class and elegance, much like myself. Ferre was known for dynamic constructions and built this pastiche into a formidable luxury line but Ferre for men has not been known as trendy, much less futuristic. When Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi took over as creative heads April of 2008 they decided to stretch the brand in new directions.

They had this to say about the legacy they have inherited:

"We are honoured and happy to carry forward the name of a great brand like Gianfranco Ferré," they said tonight. "[He] has always had mythical status for us. His natural aptitude for the grandiose gesture, his sense of the dramatic, architectonic severity, and his peerless knowledge of materials are now for us a great source of motivation. We would like to be worthy of him." (via Vogue UK)

This is what they said with fabric:

The treatment of knitwear is of course gorgeous and Ferre. But the slender, lithe silhouette is brand new composed of slick trousers in shiny fabric. The designer pair took a big risk, in my opinion it was worth it and worthy of the house name.

Fashion Fail: The Oven Mit Pant

2009-01-18T12:16:00.000-05:00

Pajama wear has been all over menswear collections for the past year but the slept on look has made its debut in Dolce & Gabbana's quilted pant, a mixture of oven mitten and mattress. It's so cozy looking!

Next get ready to sex it up as a 16th century male gigolo:

Now I'd like to take a glance back, if you don't mind, to a collection that really grew on me: this look by Prada from several seasons ago. The leggings. The fuzzy sweater. What's not to love?

What's that you say? Its actually a look from Marni's latest fall collection? Jesus Christ monkeyballs, what's Marni doing with Prada clothes in their collection? Is that legal?

Covetable: Missoni RTW Fall and Winter 2009-2010

2009-01-18T07:23:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've been there too. Your friend convinces you to go out, but you argue you don't have anything to wear. They toss something out. You feel good about it. The night rolls on and you start feeling even better about the outfit. A number of people compliment you on it. Suddenly, you kind of need that borrowed garment.

For me that moment came most recently when I borrowed a missoni sweater from a friend. Ever since then I've kind of needed those insane patterns in my life.Though I'm not interested at all in the patchwork section of the show, there are a plently of pieces to keep my love burning. You can always count on Missoni to bring color into autumn and winter. It's like clockwork. From the torquise jewel tone trouser to the red shawl collar sweaters. This show had a great seasonal palette.

Burberry Prorsum RTW Fall Winter 2009 2010

2009-01-17T20:36:00.000-05:00

After a deeply personal narrative, Christopher Bailey returns to the foundation essence of the Burberry collection. Classic, yet distinctive outerwear. The design house's check is blown up into an oversized pattern on shirts and cashmere scarves. Plaids weren't the only thing altered proportionately. The cable knit weave was expanded and there's the familiar Bailey signature of lengthy cardigans and pullover sweaters.

Bailey's trip down memory lane also veers into some folksy territory in the form of knit cumberbunds. Some chances are taken but the theme is clearly revisitation. It's a traditional collection and certainly an apropos direction at the present.

Hollow Man: Jil Sander RTW Fall Winter 2009-2010

2009-01-17T18:43:00.000-05:00

This was a serious collection with a focus on the male power image. The cinched waisted coats accentuate the torso and give way to hints of- and then a shape fully recognizable as - a peplum. Its a sophisticated look, a sculpted masculinity formed with Bauhausian immediacy.

Emergent earthtones ground the color story but there were some lighter moments in the form of brisk pastel hues. The colors are transitional rather than punctuated expressions in contrast to a similar but fiery statement made in his Mark Rothko collection for his own line last year.

The true star of the collection however is in the construction not the chroma. Especially when the eye rests on the muscular space created in the sleeves of these drop shoulder knits. Its as if a muscle suit was built and the stuffing subtracted, an interesting play on form. Simons is the master of modernist tailoring building challenging yet appealing shapes for his ideal man.

Graffiti Artist Breaks Into The National Portrait Gallery

2009-01-17T14:47:00.000-05:00

Say what you will about Shepard Fairey's Saks bags, some have called them shallow graphic design. Criticize the altered "Hope" image found on the Time cover, some have said its a step down from the original Hope poster. You might be annoyed at the length of Fairey's jacket sleeves, or the stress he's putting on his pocket lining with his iPhone and rental car keys. But today street art just won a place in The National Portrait Gallery. And that means something.

The desecration of Venus de Milo, to Robin Hood of Locksley and Maid Marriane's love scrawl in Nottingham, all of it has built up to this moment. When graff writers from brooklyn were being shot by New York city police did they imagine this? Could they have imagined a world in which their distinctive cultural humor and bravado would be linked with one of the most popular incoming presidents ever, and the first black president of the biggest world power?

My first encounter with Shepherd Fairey was probably somewhere slightly north of Gramercy Park in Manhattan. A simple stencil sprayed on a traffic light bore the face of Andre the Giant and beneath it the word "obey". I saw it stenciled all over the city. It was so prevalent that many including myself took to calling Shepard "Obey". By then it was already ubiquitous and therefore slightly on the boring side to street art enthusiasts, but the image spread to that stage of reception because of its distilled subversiveness. It makes its point. There's a big threat hanging over your head if you don't tow the line. A big muscleheaded guy with a deceptively infantile face.

With this being the central theme, and the mode being stylized propaganda its odd to have it again turned to sell Saks merch. It shows the creative directors at Saks have a good sense of humor. Maybe the event is more flattering for them than Shep? Yes the Time magazine was a bit muddy, and yes Sheps sleeves are too long, but how can you not be at least teetering on the edge of satisfaction seeing a street guy tag a national archive, as uncomfortable as realizing public acceptance for an underground art form might be.

Weiner Signs On For Mad Men Seasons 3 & 4

2009-01-17T04:42:00.001-05:00

Okay. I feel much better now. Looks like the Golden Globes made an impact, for once. Matt Weiner signed a new contract to rejoin the Mad Men production. Variety Reports-

After months of negotiations, "Mad Men" creator and exec producer Matthew Weiner has cut a two-year deal with Lionsgate TV that will keep him at the helm of his Emmy-winning AMC drama.
Details of the pact were sketchy Friday, but it is said to cover Weiner's services on "Mad Men" for the show's third and fourth seasons as well as other TV development. It also includes a component for a feature project through Lionsgate.

According to Vulture this contract also increases the budget for the show. There was some mention of CGI. Don Draper's digital-sidekick a la Jar Jar Binks? Probably not. I'm guessing Weiner's desire for digital fx has something to do with fleshing out the historical setting. How often do you see the cast walking around New York? Not so much. Or maybe they'll create some unique perspectives on historical events?

Whatever the case, Weiner is signed on for two seasons and I am gonna celebrate with a bottle of Wild Turkey and a virgin pack of Marlboros.

Primary Colors

2009-01-16T19:27:00.000-05:00

We get used to a certain kind of color or form or format, and it's acceptable. And to puncture that is sticking your neck out a bit. And then pretty soon, that's very acceptable. - Lee Krasner

Dr Marten's Primary Pascal series look much better than the previews suggested. I was afraid they were a bit pastel but the hues are just bold enough. My current Dr Marten obsession carries on. The blue pair could work really well in a monochromatic outfit.

Martens is hardly alone in pushing a wide spectrum of color this spring. Philip Lim elaborated on this year's color trend, shifting from mustard, dandelion, to squash.
Van Assche surprised with an uncharacteristically colorful Dior Homme collection, Antonio Azzuolo painted a refeshing picture with electric blues and strawberry reds. His collection needs no defense. Its really just enjoyable to look at.

Its' was a year of constant discovery for me as I've locked onto young brands like Undercover, represented in the cardigan above, or Grey Ant whose sunglasses I've taken a shine to. Some older labels like John Lobb have recaptured my interest with killer accessories like this red suede boot.

Green is the official color for brands telling a rugged story. Its the color of the huntsman, the ranger. The shades accounted for in todays market represent simplicity and a romantic naturalism. Its not an accent, its a foundation.

Opening Ceremony Hearts You

2009-01-16T12:17:00.000-05:00

Print this out.

Use it to redeem 50 dollars off discounted items totaling 200 dollars or more.

Also, get your hands on the New Arrivals from Alexander Wang, Band of Outsiders, BOY, Opening Ceremony, Issey Miyake's Cauliflower, Kolor, John Lawrence Sullivan, Fjall Raven, Proenza Schouler (LA Only), and Red Wing by Nom de Guerre (LA Only).

Opening Ceremony NY
35 Howard St., NY, NY 10013 tel. 212.219.2688
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am-8pm Sunday 12-8pm

Opening Ceremony LA
451 N. La Cienega Blvd., LA, CA 90048 tel. 310.652.1120
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am-7pm Sunday 12-7pm

Thanks to Douglas @ COACD

American Legend Andrew Wyeth (July 12, 1917-January 16, 2009)

2009-01-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

PHILADELPHIA — Artist Andrew Wyeth, who portrayed the hidden melancholy of the people and landscapes of Pennsylvania's Brandywine Valley and coastal Maine in works such as "Christina's World," died early Friday. He was 91...

...Much of Wyeth's work had a melancholy feel-aging people and brown, dead plants, but he chose to describe his work as "thoughtful."

"I do an awful lot of thinking and dreaming about things in the past and the future _ the timelessness of the rocks and the hills _ all the people who have existed there," he once said. "I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure in the landscape...the loneliness of it...the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it; the whole story doesn't show.

"I think anything like that ...which is contemplative, silent, shows a person alone... people always feel is sad. Is it because we've lost the art of being alone?"

(via HuffingtonPost)

Neoboy and the Poptones

2009-01-15T14:05:00.000-05:00

Jun Takashi posted images from his upcoming collections for Undercover "NeoBoy" and "Poptones" for Spring Summer 09. As usual I'm not only interested I'm impressed and there are a number of remarkable pieces included in these dual collections. Poptones harkens back to the early days of the rock and roll generation. An assembly of various plaids are present. Sharply tailored jackets are paired with slouchy voluminous trousers. Metallic threading and materials evokes images of sparkling Cadillac chrome.

Neoboy devolops a more dramatic urban approach but retains some pop symbolism.

The pairing of leggings, tall shafted boots with cutoff shorts is a winner for me. I'm a sucker for well employed digital printing.

More reassembled motorcycle jackets with knit sleeves from Jun. This time with much more restraint.

The First of the Gang

2009-01-15T02:51:00.000-05:00

With the shows fast approaching for many of us outsiders and insiders of fashion there is a sense of excitement, or expectation. We can expect to see a continuation of familiar trends and some attempted directional statements. With the luxury market enduring so many losses last year, buyers are waiting for something messianic. Behind the scenes further the stylists and designers will be scrambling to put last minute touches on looks. Hemming garments, waiting for other garments to arrive, waiting for models. Waiting. A year ago the designer was just beginning to think concretely about the collection.

Now the collection arrives before you at the tent, or in your inbox on your laptop, or on your television screen and you pore over it. Say that there is a genuinely unique idea presented by the designer, like translucent oxfords. There appears to be a limited number of responses to the idea as detailed in this essay by Otto Von Busch*.

* If the fashion expression is too unique, it is not fashion. (it is too
original)
* If the fashion expression is too popular, it is out of fashion. (it is too
popular)
* If an accessible status group wears the fashion, it is in fashion. (it
functions; imitating the once we like, differing from the ones we dislike)
* Fashion expressions are somehow “contagious”. But at the same time
it cannot be too original or too popular. (as in rule 1 and 2)

A successful new fashion expression has a life of its own. It must be able to withstand a certain saturation level to last more than a few cycles. It has to do its part in the imaginations of fashionistas/istos. Some expressions like the casual use of blue jeans outside of the workplace become essential statements, they will last for a remarkably long period, cycle after cycle. They will do so despite the boredom of some eccentrics (including myself). Other trends like neon are too extreme for most tastes and remain an occasional public curiosity, not a mainstay.

The early adopter is the not necessarily self-concious, at times they may merely act as feels natural to them, by wearing a familiar item in an unconventional way, or altering an item out of curiosity. Other times they look at what is common and normal and they feel a spiritual revulsion. They forge a path by choice away from the pedestrians. The early adopter must carry self-confidence and also curiosity. Too much concern for the thoughts of others represents a limit that will not allow experimentation. That fashionable man is a follower, not a pioneer. A bold move into either bad taste or an area too extreme for mass consumption will find some life in the underground trendsetter crowd, those who spit on traditionalism.

When do you, as a consumer or creator, tap into new style expression? What are your boundaries? What makes you uncomfortable?

AMC You're Driving Me Crazy

2009-01-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

NYMAG reported that as of yesterday Matt Weiner is still not signed for Season 3 of Mad Men. According to Weiner he has done all that he can to negotiate a contract and the ball is in AMC's court. "I don't know anything about next season — I don't even know if it's happening."

Okay I'm starting to freak out here, how am I gonna live without moments like these:

I need my fix of racism, misogyny, and harsh parenting (on tv) dammit!

Excuse Me, Pardon Me Givenchy

2009-01-14T13:38:00.000-05:00

I've actually really grown to enjoy Givenchy's latest collection since it was unveiled many moons ago. Partly because of these gladiator oxfords, and also because of the collections bold direction, I came to respect the looks marriage of boyscout, lace, and roman warrior.

But nothing really explains why this guy is burping in their latest ad campaign.

I Wanna Be A Rough Rider

2009-01-14T12:37:00.000-05:00

No. Not those Rough Riders. I'm talking about Teddy Roosevelt's hard-nosed calvary.

I saw a pair of boots by Tom Ford last year that took a hold of my imagination. I've never been as taken with a pair of riding boots before I saw those. What made those riding boots so unique was their combination of the classic shape of a riding boot with some of the grittiness of a motorcycle boot. Unfortunately aside from the chance meeting at Bergdorf Goodman's, I've never been able to see those boots again. That hasn't kept me from looking for close substitutes. I feel like the following examples would fit right in on the trail.

Rogan x Frye

John Lobb

Sometimes You Get What You Pay For

2009-01-13T03:23:00.000-05:00

The year Uniqlo first opened its flagship in Soho, New York they released a collaborative t-shirt collection. It was very well received for the humor, and also understated graphic patterns. Uniqlo in New York has gotten a bit better in terms of supplying a better variety of cuts and interesting pieces as they realized the market was welcoming to them, but the later tee collections have strangely never matched the first.

Maybe print design is something the company is just not good at editing. But most of the shirts look like they could be found at Urban Outfitters (though for three times the price).

The only one that stood out to me was, naturally, this women's zebra print shirt.

I wouldn't pay 15 dollars for any of these. Why bother Uniqlo? There are screenprinting guys with folding tables on Broadway with better designs than these. Hire one of them. That gripe aside Steven Alan's capsule line and the rumored Opening Ceremony fling are both firmly on my radar.

How To Make Grandma (Or Vintage Clothes) Smell Nice Again

2009-01-12T23:34:00.000-05:00

One of the unfortunate drawbacks to shoping thrift and vintage is the smell of garments just released from the miserable mothballed wardrobes of the elderly (actually I had a 22yr old roommate in college who stuffed our dorm room with fucking mothballs giving my new clothes that special aroma). Mad Men costume designer Jamie Bryant provides the key to killing that mothball stink. A huge thanks to FashionIndie for finding this info!

Apparently spraying a cocktail of vodka and water is the solution. So spritz Nana and she'll smell fresh as morning dew. Or use it to freshen up these sick pieces from Housing Works and Zeen.

Housing Works currently has some great garments for sale like this dark purple colored blazer.

Its so on trend it hurts. I would only have a few alterations done, but otherwise its a perfect substitute for some of the natural organic shapes we saw from Lanvin and Burberry last year.

I'm really focused on flesh tones and earth tones this year. I'd be thrilled to have this around to work with. If you live anywhere near New York and you haven't added Housing Works to your regular list of vintage shopping targets...I pity you. Go sit in the corner. No, I'm kidding. Go out and shop with them. It's for a good cause.

Zeen continues to amaze with their network of sellers. It seems very well curated to me.

A little bit Alex Olch? Except not. But very cool nonetheless.

Love, love, love Ralph Lauren. Always. And I love this jacket.

Goodbye Muxtape. Hello 8tracks.

2009-01-12T22:30:00.000-05:00

Remember Muxtape? The short-lived site that allowed you to create you're own cassette tape ready playlist? It's supposed to be coming back in a short while with a new business model but in the meantime there's a new site which just came out a little bit ago that lets you do something rather similar. Its called 8tracks.

After creating a profile you upload your favorites (New Kids On The Block, Smashmouth, Boyzone, Enya etc) and arrange them into something listenable (promise not to judge you).

Here's something I slaved over a little while ago.

How long will this site last? Only baby Jesus knows.

***Edit***

Someone from 8tracks just left a comment:

Hi Ian,

Many thanks for the coverage!

We're licensed (unlike Muxtape and Playlist.com) under the US compulsory license for webcasting (the thing that governs internet radio, and under which which Pandora, Live365, Last.fm etc operate).

Scoop on the legal stuff here: http://8tracks.com/legal.

Thanks bro.

Mad Men Wins Again

2009-01-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

One of the best television series of all time, Mad Men won yet another Golden Globe. Lead Jon Hamm lost to Gabriel Byrne early in the night but the show picked up the big win for best Dramatic Series. I am desperately hoping this will convince AMC to upgrade Matt Weir's contract demands. I don't want to imagine re-establishing that universe without the show's creator and writer, though I'm sure he's got a lot of rival offers on the table.

On another note, did anyone catch Mickey Rourke's outrageous outfit? He looked fucking brilliant (in a don't try this at home sort of way), and I'm so glad that he won. He's a true talent and deserves a comeback.

First Look: Sebastic Autumn and Winter 2009/2010

2009-01-11T14:55:00.000-05:00

Say the words "men's" and "lingerie" in the same breath and one is likely to conjure up an image of cross-dressing. Until recently that would be the only conjuration with any basis in concrete reality. Sebastiaan Kramer and Sjaak Hullekes, who studied at the Academy of Arts and Design in Arnheim, Netherlands(the school has also produced Lucas Ossendrijver and Viktor&Rolf) joined creative forces to bridge the gap between luxury and men's underwear with Sebastic.

While not the first to treat the subject in satins and silks, with this collection entitled "Adonis" they may be the first to do so from a high fashion point of view. They are pioneers in creating current shapes, and editing out annoying embellishments like logo printed waistbands. The rich, grown up color story is welcome too.

Sebastic makes their debut at WHITE homme in Milan and RENDEZ VOUS homme in Paris later this month.

Jay De Feo's The Rose

2009-01-11T06:41:00.000-05:00

The artist photographed in front of her masterpiece.

Has a painting ever moved you emotionally? Has one ever stopped you in your tracks and knocked the breath out of you?

It happened to me once. I was visiting the Whitney to see a Lucas Samaris retrospective a number of years ago. I've mentioned Samaris before briefly. He was known for a number of things, his fantastic collage boxes, autopolaroids, and his pastels.

One of Samaras' incredible boxes.

The boxes were process driven collections of small items like pins.

After viewing that impressive collection I made my way down stairs to peek at the rest of the exhibitions. It was my first visit to the Whitney. On the ground floor I turned into a room and there it was. Jay De Feo's Rose. I had never heard of it before.

I'm not known for being terribly sentimental, or easily phazed. I try not to fawn, or dote. I just couldn't help it. I was shocked. There's nothing like it. It's a painting that weighs more than two thousand pounds. It's more than ten feet tall. Jay worked on it between 1958 and 1965. She worked on one painting for eight solid years. Eight years.

It is one of the most immediate objects I have ever encountered, the most immanent. I gasped out loud. I'm neither spiritual, nor religious, but there is something that you might call supernatural about The Rose. I thought it was radiating light.

When the painting was first shown it was viewed as a monster. It was out of the mainstream. Dated. De Feo had worked on a piece until its impetus was passe. She never blew up. She is basically a footnote in art history but she is incredibly relevant as a message to the excesses and blindness of the art market. Value fabricated by deceptive dealers and handlers, mountains of hype surrounding an empty name can never compare to the impact of a work with as much visual impact, beauty, ugliness, and scale as the Rose by Jay De Feo.

Hood-By-Air Spring and Summer 09

2009-01-10T23:55:00.000-05:00

I am a complete rookie to Hood-By-Air, but after spending some time today looking over the past and present collections I'm getting a good feel for their vision. The Hood-By-Air wearer is looking for a taste of something urban but refuses look backwards. Instead contemporary athletic looks are adapted into something unexpectedly luxe. The looks are edgy. Futurist.

Architechtural elements like pleating and surprise zippers make the shorts and trousers the real standout area. There's also a button up which makes a direct homage to Viktor & Rolf. Fusing progressive conceptual design, with urban streetswear is paying off. Part Gaultier, part Rick Owens. It all looks great.

All images courtesy of Hood-By-Air. (Via Hypebeast).

A Clean Slate

2009-01-10T22:20:00.000-05:00

"The attitude that nature is chaotic and that the artist puts order into it is a very absurd point of view, I think. All that we can hope for is to put some order into ourselves." - Willem de Kooning.

I'm currently drooling like a mental patient over these all white Dr Martens. They really threw me back to my college days. Maybe its just that they're docs or that they are perfectly blank like a virgin canvas, but I can picture these being worn in my studio, and carelessly allowing splattered paint to give the boots character.

A. Dr Martens. Classic Eyelet Boot in White. Ok-ni

B. Uniqlo. Denim Shirt. Uniqlo.

C. A.P.C. Petit Standard Cords. A.P.C.

D. Carol Christian Poell. Object Dyed Bull Leather Double Claw. Atelier New York

Back to Back Bad News

2009-01-10T13:57:00.000-05:00

This Spring 2009 cover will be the first reversable cover for Vogue.

Change is in the air. The recession has been hitting the fashion industry hard. Obedient Sons & Daughters is no more after being nominated for CFDA/Vogue Fashion fund last year and continuing to build a reputation for sophisticated casual menswear and womenswear. The Hutsons couple do plan on unveiling a new line February on the catwalks so stay tuned. Bill Blass shut its doors again even though Peter Som's collections have been well received there. Retail took a nosedive this holiday season. And though many of us enjoyed the absurd sales we know that reduced prices is bad for business. Design houses all over are cutting staff and they are reducing their printed ad presence. Fashion journalism also feels the sting.

WWD reported today that Conde Nast has found a solution for Men's Vogue magazine.

Condé Nast has found a way to keep Men’s Vogue alive after shrinking the title to a twice-a-year publication in October. The spring issue will appear as a reverse-bound issue attached to the April issue of Vogue. It will be the first time Vogue has published a reverse cover.

Kind of like two poor families sharing a single house. Times are rough people. Even Karl Lagerfeld has moved to a smaller home. Though he's keeping his three hummers, butlers, and maids. Lagerfeld says that this recession might even be a good thing for fashion. "I see it like a cleaning up - it was too rotten anyway - so it had to be cleaned up" - a little ray of sunshine from the troll king of style.

Sweet & Evil

2009-01-10T13:09:00.000-05:00

Something about the combination of skulls and chocolate drives me crazy. I feel like the kind of person this appeals to doesn't do a lot of valentine's day shopping, but if a special someone did decide to give me this for v-day I would be smitten for life.

Choccywoccydood is a London based chocolate obsessed pastries and confections company. You can find their goods at their own online store.

(via Coolhunting)

And Then He Was A She

2009-01-09T06:45:00.001-05:00

Ash Stymest photographed by Hedi Slimane for Vogue Hommes Nippon.

Are men being feminized? How you answer that question depends on what you think a man can be. Conservatism has a small definition that pits beauty against being a man. It forces a gender war into the equation. The paternal instinct fears men being weak which is the same as being like a girl.

Conservative standards of male style have little chance of lasting forever. Don't wear baggy jeans gives way to don't wear skinny jeans. Don't grow out your hair. Grow out your hair and don't you dare put on a skirt. The most constant thing in fashion is change. Sometimes men were even supposed to be pretty, to be a peacock. Male beauty was once a subject of general appreciation and of the artistic "male gaze", as Germaine Greer described in her book The Beautiful Boy. In western society this liberty declined with the rapid ascent of early modernism, but its surged again into a degree of acceptance.

Male beauty isn't a topic of consideration, appreciation, or discussion. Especially among men. The difficult middle path seems wisest here. There will always be men attracted to the iconography of the hunter/warrior, but others will find a kind of sensuality in battle as the Greeks did. There's one largely accepted art form that's driven along this road in our times. Rock and roll entertains the dissonance, and finds pleasure in it.

My Country 'Tis Of Thee

2009-01-09T03:18:00.001-05:00

My suspicions are growing stronger and stronger. The stars and stripes just don't look cool. Even on a weiner dog it's obnoxious. It should be cute. But its just annoying. I feel bad for the little weiner.

Thanks to A Continuous Lean for uncovering this beast on the twitter. I have to agree the offspring of Duckie Brown x Florsheim is one ugly ass baby. And some person with lots of money and no taste will give them a good home. The worst thing about these is that they were originally made to commemorate the end of WWII. This was their idea of celebration. A slight stain on the history of Americana, perhaps.

If someone can show me an example of the Yankee banner looking stylish on anything I'd be stoked to be proven wrong.

P.S. speaking of Twitter, don't be shy and follow my twits. I don't bite. At least not on the first date.

Flower Power Revisited

2009-01-07T12:44:00.000-05:00

I hate Hippies. Its true and maybe its a majority opinion, but I don't care. The Hippy transmitted through the decades to give us the annoying stoner white guy with dread locks. That's their legacy.

That said I love the fucked up pop art grunge version by Love Thy Neighbor (thanks to Fashionisto for the heads up). SS09 shows a good range of washed out denim, plaids, and trousers in a variety of fits. Its a very relaxed look. Unfortunately Love Thy Neighbor's stockists are on the other side of the planet. Come to New York guys.

On a different floral note, I've been developing a fixation on floral pins. Kate Cusack (no relation to Joan and John) has stolen my heart, and my lapels, with these zippers turned flower pins.

Standard Pieces

2009-01-07T00:02:00.000-05:00

Hardware transformed into high end jewelry. I wonder how David Smith would have felt about the simple manipulation of raw material into handsome accessories? It brings a new angle to deconstruction in fashion, putting the elements of construction on centerstage.

From top to bottom:

Philip Crangi Hooked Leather Bracelet

Maison Margiela Nail Cuff

Alex and Chloe Bauhaus Ring

Maison Margiela Nail Ring

Maison Margiela Barbed Wire Ring

Years of Acceptance: Morrissey IX

2009-01-06T22:16:00.000-05:00

The album explodes at the start with Something Is Squeezing My Skull. There's a kind of punk frenzy joined with Moz's expressions of chemical unhappiness. Desperation and urban hysteria is laid out in searing statements of dissapointment. Compositionally its one of the stronger tracks on the album. He sings "life is nothing much to lose" on Mama Lay Softly On The River and "we'll be safe and sheltered in our grave." The gray world described is neither pretty nor safe. The single I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris feels like Morrissey at his best. Its taut, evocative, and swooning. The rejection received turns at every point into rejection projected and delivered.

The album picks up again with When Last I Spoke To Carol a song about domestic romance hanging by a slender thread. The track dances along to a spanish rhythm before escalating with brass. You Were Good In Your Time is one of the better narrative driven experiments. A slow burning candle for washed up artists all over.

As a whole the album is good but not great but consistency has never been a strong point for Morrissey, even going back to the earliest Smiths albums. Morrissey fans will enjoy the mixture of pining and backstabbing on his ninth studio album and there are several surprising moments fueled perhaps by recording allegedly in few takes with the band playing altogether in the studio.

Apple Introduces Macbook Wheel

2009-01-06T15:04:00.001-05:00

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

A little pricey for me. How long until the Macbook Shuffle?

Fashion Fail: Wolverine McQueen

2009-01-06T05:30:00.001-05:00

SS09 with Alexander McQueen was a little awkward. There was a progression of hourglass shapes culiminating with that monstrosity you see on the bottom right above. Still, I defended Alex against the naysayers. I thought some of the hourglass pieces could be worn. I was mistaken. The graphic image in simply unflattering on most likely a wide range of body types and something else occured to me while staring probably too hard at the computer screen:

Golden Years With The Old Legends

2009-01-06T03:40:00.000-05:00

The new Moz album is out on the interweb. I only have had the chance to listen to it once through so I won't comment on it. But expect a full review by sundown tomorrow. Its not the only album to come out recently from an aging new wave legend, by nowI trust all of you have listened and/or purchased David Byrne and Brian Eno's latest collaboration. You probably heard about the big fancy building that Byrne turned into an instrument. He's a genius. He's made some great albums. If you rewind history, and take a seat on the set of The Old Grey Whistle I still think you see something that no amount of theatrics can provide.

When other "cool bands" in rock were still camping it up in glitter and costume, the Talking Heads hit the scene wearing slim fitting trousers and cotton polo shirts. They were effortlessly cool without the stupid outfits. Their sound was raw. Byrne's voice was peculiar and dramatic. It wasn't dramatic because he was trying to sound scary. It was odd because it was so honest that it tore through the rule books. The percussion section was literally married, Chris Frentz and Tina Weymouth. And Jerry Hanson played his heart out too, and he was good.

Here they are debuting Psycho Killer at the Old Grey Whistle many years ago.

Clean Lines: Hundredstensunits

2009-01-05T13:12:00.000-05:00

British design group Hundredstensunits is soon to begin production of what looks like a very chic collection of furniture and housewares. The pieces are stark and graphic, like a simple line drawing come to life. Think utility meets elegance. Be sure to check out their website for more details, no pun intended.

George Lois

2009-01-04T17:15:00.000-05:00

Real life Mad Man. George Lois saved a troubled MTV with a fresh ad campaign in the eighties featuring some of musics biggest names. He is author, photographer, and respected advertisement creator. His iconic Esquire covers spanning 1962 to 1972 were game-changing.

"I've always thought of Andy as a bold innovator and a smart thinker, but he was a far cry from a Marchel Duchamp or a Manray" Paradoxical, he may be. He views Pop Art as a malnourished son of Dadaism but views advertising as an art-form (as opposed to a science). Lois dared to believe advertising could be art before Pop Art was imported to the U.S. "Advertising is poison gas. It should absolutely attack you; it should rip your lungs out!" George Lois' Esquire covers are on display at the MoMa until March. You can also view his work at his website here

Clear Weather Dreams

2009-01-04T06:22:00.000-05:00

A. J Press Nappa Driver's Glove w/Knitted Cotton Insert (J Press)

B. Filson Antique Tin Cloth Blazer (Filson)

C. Kris Van Assche Grossgrain Rose Pin (Luisa Via Roma)

D. Steven Alan Fall Reverse Seam Shirt (Steven Alan)

E. Timberland Earthkeeper Rippler Chukka (Cloggs)

F. Corpus Navy Slim Straight Leg Jean (Oak)

"Outside, the wind is slackening, the snow diminished to small flurries. The blizzard of the previous night has blown over, though the oppressive gray skies hang low still. This is but a temporary lull." - Haruki Murakami, Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World.

Grammar Nazis

2009-01-03T16:09:00.000-05:00

Nothing is worse than a religious style sentinel, no matter what their particular passion. So why do they amuse me so much? All of us have different tastes and preferences, things that drive us mad. The problem is when that list is so long that there's no room for any colorful artform.

Following a recommedation from Language Log (a fantastic site for those interested in writing and language btw), I landed on this great article on arbitrary style rules.

And there it is: A new usage rule, fresh out of the oven and ready to feed to the unsuspecting masses. It reminded me of a recent e-mail from Kevin, whose high school English teacher had a similarly inventive usage theory. She rejected the sentence "The pitcher threw no strikes," he recalled: "She asked me to show her how to throw 'no strike.' She said the correct way to say it would be, 'The pitcher didn't throw any strikes.' "

This doctrine, of course, was just plain nutty. No in this construction means "not any," as it has since Old English. No grammarian or usagist has banned it. Yet Kevin was successfully browbeaten: "For years I avoided writing things such as "The store had no bananas," "I have no opinion," "I ate no onions," he wrote.

But a surprising number of the old, familiar usage rules are just as arbitrary as this one. When the idea of tidying up English caught on, usage guidance became a kind of sport, with grammarians trashing one another and pitching their own ever subtler refinements.

Raf Simons AW 08-09 Collection @ Seven

2009-01-03T02:15:00.000-05:00

That's right. Raf Simons' badass A/W 08 collection is now available at Seven and everything is 25% off. The collection has a lot going for it: bold modern shapes, a Mark Rothko inspired color story, all for a stunning visual impact. The clothes are explosive.

Star Lapel Digital Tweed Jacket

Digital Tweed Turtleneck w/zippered pockets

Brown and Orange leather clothes w/ cashmere lining.

These might actually be my favorite items. The two tone effect works well. The orange contrasting with the brown reminds me of liquid fire.

Maroon funnel collar jacket.

Pheonix Jacket

Love the brushtroke flame print and the "funnel" collar. Covet.

Nehru collared burlap blazer

The trousers of this collection deserve a mention now that I've seen them outside the runway photos. They have large pouch pockets upfront that form a fresh silhouette like a modernized jodhpur or riding pant. The square shape compliments both the padded and unpadded jackets rather well.

The collection is militant, fresh, and very wearable. It reminds me why I first started watching Raf Simons to begin with.