I hate to think of it, but every morning that I get up, I can't help but notice the "summer" angle of my favorite part of the summer -- the part where days get longer and hotter -- is over. You know what that means? While I'm not officially shoppping for anything really, I just got an email about a line out of the UK called Bespoken that's got me thinking about the perfect winter jacket. I've worn my Ju$t Another Rich Kidwool army jackets for two winters in a row and I'm over it.
Master shirt makers Turnbull & Asser have partnered with two close family friends to create the line that launched in 2007. Bespoken is designed and manufactured in England, under the tutelage of the designers and pattern cutters at Turnbull & Asser.
Inspired by the highly revered English brand, Bespoken was born out of a shared vision to create only the finest of garments with uncompromised craftsmanship & quality, attributes that have long been synonymous with classic English tailoring. All Bespoken garments are made of fabrics sourced from British textile mills featuring classic English cues such as double vents, slanted ticket pockets, and hallmark gingham fabric linings on blazers.
My good friends at Tretorn have outdone themselves again. Knowing how much you and I love Tretorns, they've hooked me up with two pairs to give away this week. One for the ladies and one for the guys.
They've just released their Fall/Winter 2009 collection and already shoes are flying off the shelves. In addition to the classics -- like the Nylite Canvas that I'm giving to the ladies this week -- they've added all new styles and put twists on styles from past collection -- like the Skyrma Mid Leather that I'm giving to the guys. I'm dying for this style! Classic, clean Tretorn done in black and brown leather and mid height for added cool.
Word on the street is that the Tretorn x Commes des Garcons collab sneaker is going to hit stores soon and I'm trying to get my hands on a pair for you, but no luck yet!
In the meantime, check out Tretorn's site, where you'll find and can buy the full range of clothing and shoes for men, women, and children, as well as their blog for the latest info on the line.
Check out British indie footwear line Pointer. They've got a killer mix of sneakers that are sort of skater/fashion hybrids and boat shoes that are perfect for the preppy hipster movement that's brewing right now in New York.
Pointer was created with the aim of making simple, well-designed casual shoes in response to a market then saturated with increasingly technical trainers and hyped-up limited edition sneakers.
Bold, bright prints usher in a braver tomorrow, while the subdued classics and muted tones remain for those who prefer to slip into something more subtle. New styles introduce multi-coloured threading and contrasting trims, and old favourites are upgraded with embroidered logos, a choice of lace colourways and patterned soles.
And though staying true to Pointer's principle of low-profile design aesthetics, structure and comfort have been improved across the entire line: the latest collection sees the introduction of new men's and women's lasts, moulded soles and higher recovery foam insoles with more substantial heel and arch support.
It's no secret: I'm CUH-CRAZY for Chronicles of Never, especially their tees. The graphics on the most recent collections, especially the ØDE TØ THE Ø collection -- are sheer perfection. Having only seen the tees online and being as particular as I am about t-shirts, I was worried that they wouldn't hold up in person, which I found to be false when I checked them out in person at Oak.
In case you missed it, Chronicles of Never is the line designed by former Ksubi founder Gareth Moody and, as much as I love Ksubi, CoN kicks Ksubi's ass. The line's about 4 years old now and has gotten loads of press, but somehow has managed to remain healthily under the radar and just keeps getting better, with a full range of clothes, including tees, shirts, pants, shorts, amazing shoes, and accessories.
Formed in 2006 with the concept of Neverland in mind, Chronicles of Never is loosely based upon the space in space. Angular, solid, and masculine--it is heavily influenced by architecture and geometrics, big manga dreams and a love for industrial material. Once you see pics of the tees below, that little tidbit will make a lot more sense.
I'm getting geared up for the Diesel U Music (D.U.M.) Tour show this Thursday at Webster Hall with many guests including my current faves Passion Pit. I was hooked with The Reeling then Sleephead. Now it's all about Little Secrets. Watch the bootleg video (aka a static image of the cover of their current record Manners with music in the background) on YouTube to see what I'm talking about.
Read the original post on the tour and the New York show. There's still one day left (tomorrow!) to get tickets at a local Diesel store. Click here for more details.
Check out Swedish menswear label Odeur. I came across this one last night surfing around for cool new brands.
Like a lot of the more obscure, foreign, indie brands I've been covering lately, I can't find much information on this line, but know it will soon be carried at oki-ni and is currently only sold in the US at Gamma Player in Chicago. Says oki-ni: "Founded in 2006, Odeur is a brand experiment - using a scent and its structure as a replacement for traditional word based branding. Surfaces is Odeur's 5th collection, fabrics are structured but silhouettes are loose, inspired by the fresh, clean and modern Odeur fragrance."
All I can tell you from what I've seen is that they have amazing tees, tanks, sweatshirts, and various other cotton knits, some of which are really cool and wearable and others styles that are a bit more avant-garde, never crossing the line of wearability like other brands who design in this manner.
Check out the pics below. Don't forget to check out their site, where you'll find more images of their current collection and a full list of retailers who carry the line.
My favorite Italian sneaker company -- D.A.T.E. -- has put their Fall/Winter 2009 collection online and it couldn't be better.
Not sure when it ships to retailers, but my guess is late August/early September. As far as I know, for those of us in the US, the only retailer that carries the line is Bloomingdale's, but that could have changed and they havne't yet updated the list of stockists on their site.
Founded by four friends in 2006, D.A.T.E. takes its name from their initials: Damiano Innocenti, Alessandro Zanobini, Tommaso Santoni, and Emiliano Paci. The foursome first met in London in 2004 and decided to create D.A.T.E. inspired by the look of '70s sneakers and London street culture and nightlife. Simple forms embellished with colorful materials and accents, such as printed textiles, linen insets, and laminated gold calfskin.
As you'll see from the pics below, the line just keeps getting better and better.
Check out Australian menswear brand Asuza. I can't find much information about them anywhere online, but their graphic tees caught my eye.
The fit of the tees looks hot and the graphics are simply awesome. The few that are my favorites -- which you can see in the pics below -- are simple but powerful. Gone are the overdone crazy graphic tees of the past several years, being replaced be either no graphics or one color graphics that make more use of repitition, space, and negative space than they do of chaotic lines, text, and such.
According to their site, they're only sold in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China. I'm shocked they haven't made their way to the European and US markets yet, especially given their reasonable price point of $56. At least that's how much they cost when you buy directly from the designers via the Grand Social.
The Grand Social is an online marketplace for Australia and New Zealand. When you buy from a designer on the Grand Social you are buying directly from the label because it's their store, which is cool!
Time for a little gratuitous self promotion. I was asked to donate a print to a project called No Fin No Future in Japan and after reading their mission statement decided to give them a copy of my diptych Untitled: The Heartbreakers + The Ramones. They're just finished up hosting a booth at the famed Fuji Rock Festival this weekend and are now preparing for their fund raising event on 07.30.09.
PangeaSeed, a Japan-based nonprofit organization, is ramping up its inaugural activities in Tokyo this summer with events tailored to spotlight the organization's dedication to increasing awareness of the plight of sharks. Of the 400 shark species, more than 100 are endangered, with many species so overexploited it may be impossible for them to recover.
The events will showcase the issues surrounding shark finning in Asia and other parts of the world, where sharks are killed to satisfy culinary and medicinal demand. In finning it is common to cut the fin from a still-living shark, then discard the rest, as the fin is worth many times over the shark as a whole.
On 07.30.09, PangeaSeed will host its first event, No Fin, No Future at Super Deluxe in Nishi Azabu, featuring never-before-seen art and photography from global artists such as Mr. Brainwash, Josh Keyes, Ju$t Another Rich Kid, Dave Kinsey and many more.
Who knew: Diesel has an online radio station or as they call it a "social music network". The crew from London is currently in New York hosting shows from the window of the new 5th Avenue Diesel store through Wednesday.
Discover, download and share tracks from a rapidly expanding international community of the the best new music artists. Popular music rises as the community decides what they like most, and users influence which artists will get additional support from the many benefits and opportunities on offer. Musicians, no matter what their music style get a platform to host their music, promote news and events and connect with existing and new fans from a vast international music hungry community.
No rules radio. Broadcasting live from our London studio to both online, mobile-web listeners and to Diesel stores worldwide. Free from commercial playlists, we play what we want, when we want. Traveling the world to attend music festivals, interview the best bands (signed and unsigned alike), featuring the best music submitted to the community, and bringing you exclusive tracks. Additionally you can stream our specially curated mixes or download the podcast.
Read all about it here. I love it when a big company with deep pockets does something cool like this. In true Diesel style, they're using the radio station as an opportunity to give back to their loyal customers.
Enter the D.U.M. Tour (that's Diesel U: Music, of course). It began in Berlin on 07.03.09 and it set to hit New York this Thursday, 07.30.09. From now until the end of the year, the D.U.M. Tour travels around the globe making stops in Tokyo, Helsinki, Oslo, Madrid, Beijing, London, and several other major cities.
If you know me, you know one of my theories in life is that wanting is usually way better than having. Getting something can be such a let down, not because the thing you got was bad, but because it becomes real and you get over it and need to move onto something else. As you see from this site, I spend a lot of time wanting. If you saw my wardrobe, you'd know I want WAY more than I get.
The two things I just realized I want after checking out the latest products section on oki-ni are on opposite ends of the spectrum: a classic pair of Vans and a fancy pair of Margiela shoes.
First up, the super cool, incredibly affordable ($62 plus shipping) Vans Era sneakers in grey and baby blue. Hot hot hot.
The Era is an update of the authentic featuring canvas uppers, a padded collar, outside heel and the Vans classic waffle sole for comfort, strength and support. The shoe is shown here in a grey and blue colourway with a white outer sole. Made by the legendary Tony Alva and the Dogtown Crew - the Era became skateboarding's first shoe back in 1976.
So much music and all coming from Brooklyn. Check out Travis Stewart aka machinedrum.
Travis Stewart, better known by his stage name machinedrum, sometimes capitalized Machine Drum, is an electronic musician and one of the artists who helped launch Merck Records. He is also the owner of New York-based Normrex Records.
His debut album was released under one of his aliases, Syndrone. The style of which could best be described as tracking Autechre stylized glitch but adding a bit of venous melody. Syndrone's debut, Triskaideka started off small but within a matter of years sold out of 1,000 copies and was soon licensed by a respected European IDM label called Djak-Up-Bitch.
In 2000 he began collegiate study at a prestigious audio mastering school and acquired many new instruments and samples. Out of this squalor of college living came his next musical project, Machinedrum. This alias can be described as hip hop accentuated by mutant drum patterns, dense IDM style melodies, and MCs freed in the digital world to slip-up and double-back on their rhymes. His first release as Machinedrum was entitled Now You Know.
Art lovers mark your calendars. MoMA has just announced a show entitled Bauhaus 1919–1933: Workshops for Modernity marking the 90th anniversary of the influential Bauhaus school that will be chock full of masterpiece works that you won't want to miss.
The Bauhaus school in Germany - the most famous and influential school of avant-garde art in the twentieth century - brought together artists, architects, and designers in an extraordinary conversation about the nature of art in the modern age. Aiming to rethink the very form of contemporary life, the students and faculty of the Bauhaus made the school the venue for a dazzling array of experiments in the visual arts that had a transformative effect on the 1920s and 1930s and profoundly shaped our contemporary visual world.
The exhibition brings together over 400 works that reflect the extraordinarily broad range of the school's productions, including industrial design, furniture, architecture, graphics, photography, textiles, ceramics, theater and costume design, painting, and sculpture.
I went to a pretty sick party last night thrown by SPIN, who I have to admit I didn't even realize anyone read anymore or if it was still in business, in the bar/lobby area downstairs at the newly minted Jane Hotel. Three words: sick, sick, and more sick. The space is incredible. While I still love the lobby bar at the Bowery Hotel, this one kinda puts it to shame and has a very similar look and feel, which is what makes both of them so hot.
For starters, the space is relatively huge for a hotel bar. There's comfy, chic furniture all over and a space downstairs and one up to hangout in. The party last night was one of the more rowdy, fun parties I've been to lately and the space was the icing on the cake. If you get a chance, stop by and check it out.
If you're unfamiliar with the hotel, it used to be -- and partly still is -- an SRO (Single Room Occpancy) that the developers have managed to turn partially into a hotel of sorts. Each room is 50 square feet with no private bathroom. Guests share really chic, well-renovated bathrooms -- there's one per floor -- along with the remaining SRO tenants. To some, this may sound too low brow, but when you hear that the price of a room is under $100/night and you're pretty much in the Meat Packing District -- which means nothing to me, but you know tourists -- it's a pretty great deal.
New York design collective Nom de Guerre haven't quite shipped their F/W 2009 collection yet, but oki-ni is "Johnny On The Spot" and already has it listed on their site for pre-order.
Nom de Guerre is a New York based creative collective who combine basic and diverse influences from art, fashion and various New York City subcultures to create their product.
Founded in 2003 in downtown Manhattan, Nom de Guerre has the look of a high end Army & Navy outpost with an emphasis on utilitarian basics - they offer simple, conceptual pieces with insightful, unusual detail.
As anyone from New York knows, it's the former owner of Isa (Isa Salabe) and a few of the folks who have worked with him over the years designing this line that is under the radar, yet very successful and always well-designed. If you're in New York, stop by their store at the corner of Broadway and Bleecker. It's under the Swatch Store. The sign says it's a copy shop, but as everyone knows by now -- well except 99% of the tourists who pass by -- it's not.
I sent a text to one of my trusted music sources last night with a plea to get me out of my current musical rut. It's something of a miracle, but 4+ months after downloading Swoon by Silversun Pickups, it's STILL in very heavy rotation on my iPod and at home. If you haven't heard it, get it now.
I think it's been at least a month since I downloaded something new and, although I've been avidly listening to music on MySpace, I needed a major fix, which is exactly what I got. The fix?? Passion Pit.
I've seen the name around as an opening act for Phoenix. Every time I heard Passion Pit though, I thought "Wasn't that the cheesey diner in 90210?" Wrong! Thankfully, we have friends who make us do things that are good for us because these Cambridge boys make sick music.
What is this? Another lost LP from Brian Wilson's sandbox phase? If only things were that simple. What we're really alluding to here is Passion Pit's first proper full-length, Manners, a bird-flipping break from the blogosphere by a 21 year old with much more on his manic mind than girls, girls, girls.
So I was listening to Beirut on MySpace this afternoon and happened upon his tour dates, which consist of the Pitchfork Festival and the Treasure Island Music Festival. Forgetting that SF had a music festival and remember the lineup last year was killer, I clicked through to check it out. It didn't dawn on me until I checked the site again just now that it's not the Outside Lands Festival that I wrote about last year, but a new -- I think -- one that will take place in October.
I just looked around the site further and the festival actually started last year. Click here for pics. The lineup last year included Aesop Rock, JUSTICE, CSS, Okkervil River, Hot Chip, The Kills, TV on the Radio, and Vampire Weekend. Geez not bad for an opening year.
This year's lineup is just as good with MGMT, MSTRkrft, Girl Talk, The Streets, Passion Pit, Dan Deacon, The Flaming Lips, Decemberists, Beirut, Bob Mould, The Walkmen, and Grizzly Bear, among others. Click here for the full lineup.
The best part about this festival? It's on Treasure Island which is in the SF Bay between San Francisco and Oakland.
On one of my jaunts around the web, I happened upon jewelry designers Alex + Chloe's site and found that they've grown big time and, in addition to jewelry, are now doing a line of t-shirts that are pretty hot.
You'll find both men's and women's tees -- mostly the same graphic in the same or different color ways on shirts cut for him and for her -- in black, white, with a few pink and other colors thrown in. It seems to be a trend now that most designers are sticking to mainly black and white tees as the core of their collections. While it may seem a bit dull, during these tight economic times, it's a wise move. Having done tees myself and having done an array of colors, the bulk of the orders (roughly 80%) are always for black and white.
I can't tell whether or not these tees are stock bodies or a design that Alex + Chloe made themselves, as I've not seen them in person. They do state that each "piece has been custom dyed, hand printed, and specially treated for softness. Variations in the color and texture of each shirt and print is normal. Please embrace the difference in these pieces for their own unique character." So be forewarned, but to me that just means they're much cooler than tees that have been factory-died only.
Check out New York artist Charles Lutz. He's incredibly talented and he's got what it takes to make it big. Just give him a little more time and I guarantee you'll be hearing his name a lot more.
Lutz went to Brooklyn's Pratt Institute and, upon graduating, landed a job as one of Jeff Koons studio assistants. For those who don't know, by studio assistant, I mean painter. It's well known that Koons doesn't paint or make any of his own work, relying on the talents of artists like Charles to paint for him. The level of skill these guys and gals have is quite astonishing, which you know if you've ever seen any of Koons paintings. The details, the colors, and the precision looks more like the work of a machine rather than a human.
Charles Lutz is a New York based artist whose work has been exhibited through out the United States and abroad. Lutz's works deal with the very nature of the current economic, social, and art markets at the time of their creation. The works are a visual record of the current time. Lutz addresses issues like commerce, luxury, greed, lust, as well as the contemporary art market through painstaking techniques, utilizing a thrift and sensibility that only a midwest upbringing could have afforded him.
Check out LA indie band No Age. I came upon their MySpace the other day and think they rock. Kinda remind me a bit of Super Chunk on some songs, which is a major compliment.
No Age is a two-person noise pop group consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles and currently signed to Sub Pop records. They take their name from the title of a 1987 SST Records instrumental compilation, which Spunt discovered while working at Aron's, a record store in Los Angeles. They have been listed as mainstays of The Smell, along with HEALTH, Mika Miko, Silver Daggers, Abe Vigoda, BARR, and David Scott Stone.
Their strong ties with the Los Angeles underground community centered around the Smell and their DIY ethic is a throwback to the 1980's strong hardcore and punk underground, and, indeed, that inspiration shines through on much of their music.
Celebrity cyclist and cancer survivor and advocate Lance Armstrong has teamed up with Nike and, I have to admit, I'm rather shocked at what they've come with. Before looking at the pics and reading the information, I guessed it was going to be cycling gear or a custom sneaker, but man was I wrong.
Lance Armstrong and Nike unite to launch STAGES, a global art exhibition to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer.
Over twenty renowned artists have donated their time and creativity to express the LIVESTRONG message and raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which is committed to inspiring and empowering people affected by cancer.
Who? you ask. Cai Guo-Qiang, Andreas Gursky, KAWS, Catherine Opie, Raymond Pettibon, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, Tom Sachs, Kenny Scharf, and Christopher Wool, among others. Click here for the full roster and to see the work they've created for the exhibit and here to read more about it.
Great news for fashion lovers: New York designer Robert Geller is set to launch a line of unisex t-shirts under the name Robert Geller Seconds. If the pics below are any indication of the fit and the fabric, looks like they're going to be hot hot hot.
Robert will be launching a new collection of t-shirts, which will hit stores in Spring 2010.
The collection will consist of six unisex styles and four women's styles being offered in a variety of colors including; Off White, Dove Grey, Heather Grey and Petroleum. These modern cut unisex t-shirts are made of soft-washed Japanese jersey that feels just like your favorite worn-in t-shirt. They are produced at high quality factories in Japan. T-shirts will range in price from $85 - $149.
In case you're not familiar with Geller or his line -- which means you've not been following this blog closely or for long because I'm a huge fan -- here's a little background info.
Robert Geller was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1976. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Geller began a traineeship at Marc Jacobs. In 2002, Robert became a partner in Cloak, the menswear line that would go on to win the 2003 Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award as well as the Vogue/CFDA grant in 2004.
This must be my lucky month: not only did someone from a PR company in LA who reps Reebok contact me and send me a pair of Commitment Mids after I covered them a few weeks back, but someone I know here in New York hooked me up with someone at Reebok who has offered up a pair of the Commitment Mids for this week's give away.
I'd say whoever the winner is and I will be twins, but the ones I have are black and white and the ones you'll win are the white and blue ones shown in the pic below.
Either way, Reebok's back and they're not playing around. Whether it be marquee athletes in the 80's and 90's wearing shoes from the Jam Series or Dee Brown pumping up his Omni's in the 1991 Slam Dunk Contest, we know that Reebok and basketball go hand in hand. This summer in retro-sport, Reebok brings back the basketball models like the Commitment, the Pump Omni Lite and the Sir Jam in flashy, streaming colors that will blow up the courts.
Art lovers listen up: global art initiative X opened its roster of solo shows for the summer on 07.09.09.
X is an initiative of the global art community, with a goal to inspire and challenge us to think about new possibilities for experiencing and producing contemporary art. In the creation of the not-for-profit organization X, artists, curators, museum professionals, gallerists, collectors, art historians and critics are reaching across traditional boundaries to form a consortium interested in responding quickly to the major philosophical and economic shifts impacting culture.
For its summer phase opening on July 9th, X is pleased to present solo shows by Tris Vonna-Michell, Luke Fowler, and Keren Cytter.
On the fourth floor, British artist Tris Vonna-Michell will present an exhibition that expands on the artist's investigation into language and convoluted narratives. Working across different genres such as performance, visual poetry, and sound art, Vonna-Michell has been exploring the ways in which stories and events are remembered and re-told.
If you're in the market for bespoke shoes, you'll want to stop by the Esquivel Made To Order Trunk Show featuring shoes from their men's and women's collections this Friday and Saturday at the Indigo Showroom here in New York.
Esquivel's collection of striking classics with a modern twist, are hand made for the discerning buyer whose tastes go beyond the confines of off the rack similarity. Bringing Esquivel's work to fruition encompasses over 100 detailed steps. Each pair is meticulously created in his Southern California shop using only the finest materials available. Hand cutting the uppers, massaging the leather into shape on the lasts, and then cutting and finishing the outsoles provides a finished product that bares the detailed markings and subtle imperfections of the laborious craftsmanship necessary to create each pair.
The current collection is grouped as Daily, Classics, and Artisan. For the past 15 years Esquivel has been perfecting the old-world craft of shoemaking, while expanding its design boundaries. "I'm always learning, exploring and experimenting with new ways to combine my favorite elements of the old with the new, to design a product that surpasses both," says Esquivel.
Check out the Constantines. According to their Wiki, they've been playing since 1999. Well before the age of the overnight sensation internet band, these guys are clearly dedicated musicians who are going to make it happen or, as 50 Cent says, die trying.
With their self-titled debut, released in 2001, the Constantines were making cool Canadian indie rock when Canadian indie rock wasn't cool. The mix is on the artier side of post-punk, with Bryan Webb and Steve Lambke trading vocal duties, sometimes loud and proud, other times meditatively mumbly. Pop melodies flit in and out, sometimes seeming to work toward a big chorus only to be torpedoed (as on Hard Feelings, the opener on last year's Kensington Heights) by an almost classic-rock guitar line. And just when you think you have a bead on the band, they'll drop a cover of Islands in the Stream on you.
If for no other reason, you've gotta check out their MySpace for the Islands in the Stream -- the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers duet from the 80's -- remake.
Just when I thought I'd heard of every t-shirt line out there -- except for Alexander Yamaguchi which I covered yesterday -- I stumble onto the site of an Milanese shop named Antonioli and find a line of tees called Dead Meat whose tees and graphics I love and whose "manifesto" I love even more.
Dead Meat is the gem of the fashion industry. It's the button-hole flower. It's the stone mark of the new born fashion system aiming to take the place of the old and creaky empty fashion: Dsqua***, D***& Gab***, and many others.
Art and communication bind together to become a new form of expression in fashion. Dead Meat uses t-shirts to express its art. It's about a new step towards the regaining of human values in the empty and ephemeral fashion world. It's a humanistic and desperate attempt which is asking for the divine cruelty's truce against Sisyphus.
Now, let's lower the level and stick to the way Dead Meat discloses the emptiness of fashion through the spontaneous aggressiveness of t-shirts.
A new batch of Common Projects has just arrived at oki ni. Despite my recent pooh poohing of high priced sneakers while advocating more affordable, yet equally hot styles, Common Projects always manages to have a handful of styles that nobody can rival.
If for some reason you're not familiar with the line, Common Projects is a collaboration between designers Prathan Poopat and Flavio Girolami. Combining their collective industrial and graphic design backgrounds, the pair formed the company in winter 2004. Inspired by utilitarian design and luxury products, the designers set out to create minimalist design basics and accessories.
Inspired by fundamental architectures found in everyday objects, each product is infused with tailoring and executed using the finest materials and processes. Common Projects offerings are practical yet luxurious. The line endorses the companies dedication to basic footwear architecture and marks each shoe with a proprietary gold stamp on the heel.
Click here to see the full range of styles available at oki ni and check out the pics below of my favorite styles. They're SOOOOO hot. The only part I'm not that crazy about is the price tag. Yowza!
Provincetown has a few surprisingly sophisticated stores for a town of roughly 3,000 people. Given the cadre of stylish people who pass through, though, it's not a huge surprise that the stores can sustain themselves.
One such store is ITEM (209 Commercial Street), who have an amazing selection, including a line of t-shirts by LA based designer Yuji Yamaguchi, who formerly designed a line under the name Alex B and now designs under the name Alexander Yamaguchi, which I'd not seen or heard of before.
The line is just perfect. For starters, the fabric is incredible. Some of the tees are basic organic washed cotton in the right weight with the perfect amount of washing to make them feel like you've had them forever, but not so treated like some lines that become trendy and tacky. Some of the unprinted styles have the most amazing detailing, stitching, and unfinished seams. Others are made out of slub cotton, which I've loved for a few years now. I love the fits and the collars lines are on point, using a mix of crew, rounded and V.
One of the vanguard artists in the U.K.'s genre-swirling Wonky Pop movement, Dan Black's combination of pop, rock, dance, and hip-hop flavors came to light in 2008 with his hit single Yours. After spending four years playing guitar in the alt-rock band the Servant, Black left London for Paris. The 2008 solo track HYPNTZ -- a mix of the lyrics from the Notorious B.I.G.'s Hypnotize with a sample of Rihanna's Umbrella underneath -- announced his return home.
The funky single Alone became his first official release thanks to the Polydor label, then Yours landed at the end of the year. Black began 2009 by joining Boy Crisis and Master Shortie on the U.K. Wonky Pop Tour.
Make sure to check out Black's site, where you'll find images, videos, music clips, and news.
Kiehl's Creme de Corps Soy Milk + Honey Body Polish
I don't talk about products much -- aside from fragrance -- but like a lot of you, I'm a total Kiehl's addict. Even after L'Oreal bought the company several years ago, I stayed loyal because they've got such good products.
While I'm not the type to buy 100% of everything from them, for the most part I like their lotions, face washes, masks, and such. I stopped by last week to get a tub of my favorite shaving cream and, as is the case when checking out, the cashier will hook you up with various samples in the hopes that you get something you like and buy even more stuff from them.
While I'm usually not easily swayed by the samples, I got a nice sized tubed of the Creme de Corps Soy Milk + Honey Body Polish and am hooked. Having gotten a nice sunburn in Cape Cod over the 4th -- thanks to my friend's lack of skill in putting lotion on my back -- invetiablly, I started to peel. Having a lathery body polish to help exfoliate all the dead skin has been amazing. In addition to the gentle scrub mixed with foaming cleanser, the smell is incredible.
Film buffs listen up. MoMA is presenting a series of films in association with The New York Film Critics Circle that you won't want to miss.
The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), the nation's oldest and most prestigious association of film critics, turned seventy-five this year. From the beginning, the Circle has given annual awards to the "best" films in various categories that have opened in New York.
To mark the Circle's milestone anniversary, the Department of Film asked each of the current twenty-seven members to choose one notable film from MoMA's collection that was a recipient of a NYFCC year-end award. Some screenings are introduced by the contributing film critics.
Click here for the full list of dates and time of the screenings. Some of the films are being screened on more than one day, fyi. The screenings have already begun and run through the end of the summer.
Given summer has kinda just started, I don't really want to talk about long sleeve shirts yet, but these Rick Owens tees, while being long sleeve, are light enough to be worn during the summer, as you'll see once you look at the closeup pics of the fabric below.
There are two styles here: one is the classic long sleeve tee in unribbed cotton (pics 1-4) and the other is the same tee made out of the most amazing ribbed fabric I've ever seen (pics 5-8), which comes in two colors.
Soft long sleeved (and long length) ribbed t-shirt with an unfinished hem and cuffs and a ribbed crew neck collar. Side seam is twisted for an asymmetrical finish, a classic Rick Owens tee.
If you're anything like me -- and I hope you are -- it's been a l-o-n-g time since you've actually sat down and watch music videos. I've not had cable for years, for starters, and even those of you who do have it know that that station called MTV hasn't played videos in years. Thankfully, we can watch videos at our leisure anytime online, but it involves more thought than plopping down in front of the TV and having it all served up to you.
That having been said, I put the Radiohead: The Best Of DVD on my Netflix queue a while back and after watching it last night realized I'd only ever seen one Radiohead music video ever -- Fake Plastic Trees.
Radiohead: The Best Of is a compilation album of English alternative rock band Radiohead. The album features singles, album tracks and one B-side the band released from 1993 to 2003 while with EMI. The first disc, also available separately, comprises the majority of the band's charting hits, while the second disc concentrates on less commercially successful singles and other tracks.
I got an email from Vampire Weekend with the subject line "Discover LP" -- which I thought was announcing a new record -- and was so excited. Being the worst information skimmer in the world, I didn't realize it was announcing a new record, just not by Vampire Weekend, who I found out are working on their new record, but had sent out the email to their listserv announcing the recent release of Discovery's new record entitled LP. Very tricky.
Discovery it turns out are Rostam and Wes from Ra Ra Riot, who have spent years working together as Discovery and after all those years have finally released their first record, LP, this past week. Congrats.
I've heard the name Ra Ra Riot lots, but haven't heard any of their music. To learn more about them, check out their Wiki, their official site, and their MySpace. I love how they're from Syracuse. That's hot.
Back to Discovery. Turns out Rostam is in Vampire Weekend -- he's the keyboardist -- which now explains the email.
If you promise not to tell, I'm going to tell you a secret: my memory isn't what it used to be. TMI, literally. I've been at this so long and have read so many emails and seen so many fashion sites and listened to so much music, I can't remember whether or not I've covered Darker My Love yet.
While I'm pretty sure I have, I don't remember in what capacity. I stumbled back on them today from Silversun Pickups MySpace -- both bands are on Dangerbird Records -- and remembered how fucking amazing this band is and asked myself why they're not huge. I just remebered the live set I listened to from the studio at KCRW's indie music show Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Though they come from all over the U.S. – Andy and Tim Presley from the Bay Area, Jared Everett from Pennsylvania, Rob Barbato from Boston and Will Canzoneri from Mississippi – they all came up through the same portal: back room and basement shows, forgettable bands and passion they can't shake.
Sometimes I think Fugazi is 10 times better than Nirvana could ever have thought of being. More like art than music, there's something about these guys that never gets old, no matter how many times I listen.
I just had a moment and popped in my favorite "sleeper" FugaziBlueprint track and sang every word as loud as I could, pretending like I have no neighbors; realizing half way through that the slow, clawing build is one of my favorite things in a song, whether it be from slow and soft to hard and fast or vice versa.
I've gotta keep my Cape Cod tan going and am heading to the beach Saturday with some friends who are in from out of town, but if I hadn't already made those plans, I'd be on the bus headed to the Salon WE-ARE-FAMILIA at Open Space in Beacon.
Addressing the spatial tropes of domesticity and familial dynamics, WE-ARE-FAMILIA will transform Open Space into a "living room" of seamlessly integrated furniture, art and design including new works by Holly Stevenson, Yoh Nagao, Peter Kienzle for Superette, Jesse Brown, Marc McAndrews, Hisham Bharoocha, Amy Rupple, Chris Yormick, Nightwood and SEEE.
WE-ARE-FAMILIA will also debut its Keepsake Box No. 5 of 25, entitled "Video Box" (designed by Fabian Bedolla and Jennifer Garcia), an elegant assembly of found objects and discarded furniture fragments retrofitted with a video touch screen to showcase films by Parisian director Olivier Babinet and Brooklyn, New York's video artist Rashaad Newsome.
Check these guys out. Another favorite of Silversun Pickups and, again, shocking that I've never heard of them.
There's a band out of LA called Twilight Sleep and I'm totally into them. I have to say, though, given they don't have a website and are only on MySpace, they might want to put a bio on MySpace to make it easier to write about them and know what they're all about.
As I've stated many times, I'm a curator of information and don't have much desire to be a music critic or wax poetic about music. That having been said, here's what a few other folks have said: "...their signature sound: plaintive Bjork-like singing and outer space keys, mixed in a minor register. Marcellino's voice was breathy, bolstered by interesting drum breaks, heavy, echoey bass lines, and electric guitar." and "A lusty siren of the Siouxsie Sioux variety guides you through this dreamland dripping with rockin guitars and fanciful synthesizers and politely crashing drums. My favorite track here might actually be Broken Record which mellows things out for awhile with a gloomy seranade to the stars. Worth seeing live if you have the chance..."
You know I'm a sucker for high-end scents, especially those with hints of incense or wood in them that veer off the normal path. Charismatic British bespoke fragrance line Boadicea The Victorious has launched a special library of no less than nine oud or agarwood perfumes for winter 2009.
What is oud/agarwood, you ask? According to Wikipedia, it's "the resinous heartwood from Aquilaria trees, large evergreens native to southeast Asia. The trees occasionally become infected with mold and begin to produce an aromatic resin in response to this attack. As the infection grows, it results in a very rich, dark resin within the heartwood that is commonly called gaharu, jinko, aloeswood, agarwood, or oud and is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes." Sounds amazing, although I have to admit I've never smelled it.
The collection was made exclusively for London department store Selfridges and is availabe now. The 9 fragrances it comprises are titled as usual after moral characteristics. Elegant for example is touted as "...probably the most luxurious perfume in the world. Prepare to be indulged." And you know how I love indulgences!
Interview: Bear from OAK and A.OK By Charles Worthington III
What is your background in fashion? Did you go to school? What did you study? I studied Fashion Merchandising in Philadelphia and in London for a semester, which is where I learned the most. I grew up a Southern boy, and took baby steps up to New York. I have been here a little over three years. Worked retail for years, then wholesale sales, now wholesale and buying for the new store A.OK.
What drives you to work in this industry and how do you stay on top, in an industry that is shrinking? I think for me it's all about the company I work for. No day is the same at OAK which is great for a guy like me. I thrive on change, definitely not a cubical kind of guy.
What is your role at OAK, and how did you end up there? I'm currently the "Brand Manager" for our newest store, A.OK. I buy product, manage the A.OK stores, merchandise the spaces, style the shoots, etc. I also run our wholesale showroom. In our showroom I represent 10 designers including the OAK label, selling collections to clothing stores across the globe. I began in the showroom back in January.
What is A.OK? easy. accessible. inclusive. unisex. vintage.
youth. A.OK is located in the basement of our Bond St. OAK location and in the back of our Williamsburg location. It also has its own section on our website. It is a highly curated selection of clothing and accessories from known and unknown brands at a more accessible price point in keeping with OAK's styling.
What is your favorite line to wear right now? I don't know if I'm really loyal to any one brand? I'm a "mash up" kind of guy anyway. I just got these amazing Chronicles of Never leather shorts that I LOVE!
Get ready to be hypnotized and won over by Australian chanteuse Tania Bowers aka Via Tania. I've been listening to her latest record Moon Sweet Moon and, slowly but surely, I'm hooked. Not to say that I didn't like it on first listen -- it's the type of music you know is good instantly -- but the more I've listened, the more I love it.
Born in Australia to South African parents, she began playing with her sister Kim in vowel-free, noise-pop outfit SPDFGH around Sydney in the early Nineties, opening for the likes of The Breeders and Bikini Kill even before she was legally allowed to drink.
Post SPDFGH she worked on a spare, thoughtful self–released EP under the name Sunday. Relocating to Chicago at the end of the Nineties she set about piecing together an album as Via Tania, with producer Casey Rice and various Chicago musical luminaries, with a focus on production, electronics and sound, and the songs acting as vessel for said sounds. The album Under A Different Sky was released in 2004 to acclaim, on the Chicago based label, Chocolate Industries.
High Glitz: The Extravagant World of Beauty Pageants
I just got the latest catalog from powerhouseArena Books in Brooklyn and the image on the back is scary to say the least. It's taken from a book of photos by Susan Anderson -- with a foreward by Simon Doonan -- that takes a look inside those crazy child beauty pageants, but takes one level further, picking the subgenre of glitz to highlight. Subgenres? Huh?
High Glitz: The Extravagant World of Beauty Pageants is a close-up and intimate look at America's child beauty pageants, and in turn our society's obsession with youth, beauty, fame, and fortune. Susan Anderson's vibrant portraits of pageant contestants twist notions of sexuality and identity, with a new perspective on this uniquely American subculture.
"High Glitz" is a subgenre of child beauty pageants characterized by couture "glitz" costumes and a broad array of cosmetic preparations including, among other tricks of the trade: glamour makeup, elaborate hairstyles, and "flippers" (false front teeth veneers). Anderson's stunning visuals are complimented by a "High Glitz Style Guide," defining and providing examples of the following categories: Beauty/ Formal Wear, Western Wear, Sportswear, and Swimwear, with a special section on hairstyles such as the "Barbie" and the "Up-do."
Can you believe I've been doing giveaways for over a year?! That's insane. While I wish I could give everyone who emails something every week, given the numbers of emails I get, it's impossible. Even if you haven't won recently, keep emailing. The person who sends in the most emails for giveaways will win something hot very shortly. No hints, but trust me on this one.
Up this week, I've got 3 copies (retail value $30) of the latest edition of the Journal of Popular Noise's limited edition, bi-yearly audio magazine featuring spoken word by Andrew W.K., Ian Svenonius, and Walker & Cantrell and photography by Roe Etheridge, Flora Hanitijo, and Bryan Whitson.
This time around, there will be a Letterpress version (edition of 100) and a "zine" version (edition of 400). Within the package are 3 issues, each in the form of 7" vinyl records. Every issue conforms to the same prescribed editorial structures but is composed by a different artist or group.
I'm in love with a band from the UK I found today on MySpace called Amusement Parks On Fire. They're one of Silversun Pickups favorite bands, so you know they've gotta be good. If you're into shoegaze, you're going to wet yourself when you hear these guys.
Formed by Michael Feerick in 2004, who wrote and performed all the instruments for the self-titled debut album, Amusement Parks on Fire now writes and performs as a five-piece group: Michael Feerick (guitar/vocals), Daniel Knowles (guitar/production), Peter Dale (drums), Gavin Poole (bass) and Joe Hardy (keyboard).
The band began as the solo project of Michael Feerick in 2004, who wrote and recorded nine songs on a small budget with friend Daniel Knowles engineering the sessions. The self-titled debut album was released in the UK on INVADA Records, a label run by Geoff Barrow of Portishead in 2005. The band signed to V2 Records in 2005 and recorded their second studio album Out of the Angeles at Sigur Ros' Sundlaugin studio in Iceland and toured Europe and America extensively.
I just got a tip from Charles -- who just spent the week in Paris Fashion Week Homme checking out the hottest new collections including a day chez Rick Owens -- about a line called Tuesday Night Band Practice. While in their third season, it's the first I've heard or seen of the line, which isn't surprising given they currently have no US retailers. That'll all change next spring when Bonnie & Clyde's in Chicago starts to carry the line.
Tuesday Night Band Practice (TNBP) was born when 4 designers from the UK and Australia (one of whom is rumored to be one of the original Ksubi designers) met and bonded over their love of fashion and music. They began designing a capsule collection, which was immediately picked up by some of the best stores in the world.
Currently selling their third season, they are now stocked in over 70 stores globally, including heavy hitters like Harvey Nichols, Loveless, Feathers, Pollyanna, and And-A.
The line consists of tailoring and suiting, denim, knits, and, of course, the super hot tees you can check out on their site and in the pics below. The fit, fabric, details and graphics on these tees all look right on point.
