Another one of my favorite stores in the world -- Dover Street Market -- has just launched their holiday theme -- Crystal Journey. The amazingly well-curated, gallery-like store also has a bunch of new products in the shop that you won't want to miss.

First up, the limited edition run of the Comme des Garcons 2 pebble-shaped bottle has been lacquered in black to contain silver words of peace, freedom and love in several languages. Not only does it smell amazing, but the bottle is gorgeous and spreading a little peace and joy, especially this year, is always welcome.

The line of Silver Embossed Wallets from CDG are also super hot. They're the perfect gift for that friend or relative for whom you always spend a little extra time trying to find them something cool and unique. I already know who I'm getting one of these for.

I'm obssessed with the Nike Court Force High Lux, which is only available in-store. There also listed on the 21 Mercer site (Nike's SoHo speciality shop) so I'm guessing you can pick a pair up there if you're in New York.

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While the total number of art fairs at Art Basel this year is down, it seems as though the party is still on. It won't be until it's all said and done that we really know how the current economic crisis, as they're still calling it, will affect one of the coolest, yet completely dispensable art fairs in the world today.

One show you can't miss: Aaron Bondaroff's IT AIN'T FAIR. New York City's Downtown Don brings his expansive community of artists, musicians, and weirdos to Miami Beach.

The second exhibition in Bondaroff and Al Moran's groundbreaking O.H.W.O.W. space in the "West of Wynwood" district, this watershed project gets celebrated curators Tim Barber, Kathy Grayson, Andreas Melas, Dan Nadel, Pablo de la Barra, Nicola Vassell, and Terence Koh to activate their various teams of artists in a huge multimedia exhibition featuring painting, sculpture, video and performance from artists all over the world with a focus on downtown Manhattan.

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In case you're unfamiliar with the coolest stores in the world, I'm here to help you find your way.

There's a sexy little shop that opened in Montreal in 2005 called Reborn that ranks as one of the hottest shops around with its well-curated roster of designers and a sleek, minimal space to show it all off.

"Poised in the heart of Montreal's historic Old Port quarter, Reborn carries of men's and women's garments and accessories from an extensive list of established international brands alongside newly developing ones, as well as a collective of talented, local designers and jewelers. A disregard for mainstream trends distinguishes Reborn from other retailers."

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While I have a great appreciation for many things, I rarely cover women's accessories, as I can't get as excited about it as I can about men's accessories, which I can actually wear. I recently saw a few lines of women's accessories that I really loved and think you will too.

I've been a fan of Canadian designer Arielle de Pinto since the first time I saw her work. de Pinto makes a line of necklaces and bracelets that is simply amazing. The pieces from her line fall outside normal conventions for jewlery, straddling a line between very chic or very low key depending on the context and the wearer. There's a certain chameleon-like quality the line possesses that allows them to work with whatever you wearing, be it a cocktail dress or a t-shirt. When I look once, some pieces look like they could be from Harry Winston. When I look again, I see a homemade piece done by a hippie chick from Los Feliz.

de Pinto was born and raised in Toronto and educated at Montreal's Concordia University. Over the course her studies in Fine Arts and textiles at school, as well as a series of disparate professional internships, Arielle developed her unique brand of hand-crocheted jewelry launched in 2007.

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Haunch of Venison keeps the killer shows coming.

Currently showing in New York Take Me There (Show Me the Way), a group exhibition of contemporary sculpture and installation featuring works by seventeen international artists including Nathan Coley, Mat Collishaw, Wim Delvoye, Anton Henning, Alexej Koschkarow, Alicja Kwade, Tia Pulitzer, and Ruth Root.

The exhibition's point of departure is the hermetic Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (1499), a beautifully illustrated narrative of a dream within a dream in which the protagonist encounters imaginary works of sculpture and architecture.

Artists and writers throughout history have represented the flowering of psychical, spiritual, and artistic transformation as a journey from a state of self-awareness to a higher consciousness - a process of revelation which unfolds in the 'Hypnerotomachia Poliphili' and which is interpreted through works in the exhibition.

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Let it be known: I'm obsessed with Natalia Brilli.

Her latest work has just arrived at chic Montreal boutique Reborn -- who are now doing e-commerce -- and it's sick. Check out images here. Avid readers will remember I covered Brilli back in July after stopping by Project No 8 on the way home from Bacaro. Check that piece out here. Her work has definitely progessed since that time. I'm sure you'll be as taken as I am.

"Born in Belgium, Natalia Brilli studied at the prestigous Cambre school in Brussels. Designer of artfully sculptural jewelry, bags, and other accessories and objects, Natalia is well known for her amazing luxury use of leather as sculpture. After three years of serving Rochas as head accessories designer with Olivier Theyskens, she decided to start her own brand in 2005." Read her full bio here.

All of her pieces are made using 100% lamb leather, all black this time around. Like gold, the leather transforms every day objects into something completely new.

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I'm sure not many of you know this, but I live in an old-school, unrenovated East Village cold water tenement building. At least that's what I've heard it called. What does that mean? It means I have to walk up four flights of stairs and my bathtub is in the kitchen. Unlike my neighbors, though, I've converted mine into a shower, as I've never been a big fan of taking baths.

While it may be sexy in movies, let's just say the tub is ugly at best. I've been saying forever that if you have a really hot tub, you can pull off having one in your kitchen. I just found a tub that (with new floors, of course) would make my kitchen/bathroom situation something to be envied.

Ladies and gentlemen: the Vieques Steel Tub by Italian designer Patricia Urquiola for Agape. "Steel tub, with white finish on the inside and dark grey finish on the outside, can be complemented by a teak shelf and backrest. A contemporary restyling of the old-fashioned bath tub, for a decidedly unconventional environment." I want it so bad I can't deal. Rarely am I into tubs and bathroom items, but this stuff is insanity.

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Arkitip No. 0049 is out and this time it's amazing! For the issue, Arkitip has teamed up with legendary artist Peter Saville, who has designed the cover and curated the issue.

"Peter is best known for creating the seminal designs of Factory Records' recording artists including Joy Division and New Order. His proclivity for subtle rebellion against the design status quo kept his designs on the edge throughout his career, and fans eagerly awaiting his next direction. He has always felt that 'our cultural history could inform our commercial or everyday reality,' and he has continued designed from this standpoint.

Creating visual communication for popular music, has put him in a unique position to influence the minds of young people. Most people grow out of the designs that adorned their walls in their teens or early twenties. But Saville's work borrowed from cultural references which influenced the viewer by presenting them with an artist or typographer that they may not have been aware of.

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Remember the first Supreme/Bad Brains line back in April? It sold out instantly, which is why they've decided to have another go at it, this time with new designs. Make sure to get there early tomorrow morning and bundle up, or you'll get shut out in the cold again this time.

The second installment of the Brains/Supreme series will consist of two t-shirts and a hooded sweatshirt. All items were produced from original artwork supplied by Bad Brains.

Available at the NY, LA, and web stores on November 24th. Available in Japan store locations on November 29th.

Check out images of the pieces here and good luck!

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Everyone loves Gareth Pugh.

I'm not sure who wears his clothes, but that's the practical side of me speaking. We need more Gareth Pugh's in the fashion world. I don't care if nobody ever wears a single piece he's made -- although the stuff looks great on the models -- he's an innovator and is pushing fashion in a new direction that has and will inspire legions of other designers and artists for years to come.

Unfortunately, though, Pugh doesn't get much press stateside and I'm too cheap to pay the sky high prices for the cool London magazines. Thank God for SHOWstudio.

SHOWstudio has just launched the latest in their series of fashion videos called Insensate.

Featuring the maverick and morbid creations of fashion's favourite enfant terrible Gareth Pugh, our latest fashion film project Insensate is a white-knuckle excursion into a gothic fairyland conjured up courtesy of Nick Knight's cover story for October's Dazed & Confused.

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I had a computer virus last month that brought my laptop to a screeching halt! Luckily, I didn't lose my data, but I was without my Radiohead MP3s for a few weeks and didn't realize how much a part of my life (and of my happiness) depends on them. What's that saying about love and being apart, again?!?!

In case you missed it last night, the first in a series of three (3) new Radiohead videos -- Weird Fishes -- premiered on MySpace, and it happens to be one of my favorite songs from In Rainbows, although at one point or another every song on there has been or will be my favorite. Check it out here. It's a little trippy and equal parts art and music video, which is a perfect match for Radiohead.

Next up: videos for 15 Step and Videotape will premiere on MySpace on November 25 and November 28 respectively.

The creative teams behind the videos are ,b>Tobias Stretch from the US for Weird Fishes, the German team of Wolfgang JaiserClaus Winter for Videotape, and Kota Totori from Japan for 15 Step.

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I've been on a music documentary kick lately. I'm not sure if there are more music documentaries out now than before or if my obsession has spiraled and I'm actively seeking them out more. Either way, I love seeing interviews and performances by artists -- a few of whom I've seen live or in interviews -- but most I've only listened their recorded tracks or seen their MTV style videos.

I think I saw Fugazi in college, but my memory isn't serving me so well these days. Besides listening to CDs and MP3s, I knew little about the band whose music I love so much, but that just changed. Fugazi: Instrument is one of the best band/music documentaries I've ever seen. In addition to filling in the major gaps in my knowledge of who Fugazi are and what they're all about and how incredibly fucking cool Ian MacKaye really is, the filmmaker's style is spot on and more than just a documentary. At times, it is just a documentary, but at others it's more like art, with it's grainy, color-washed concert footage and Warhol style video portraits of a hodge podge of the band's fans.

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I don't cover sample sales as a rule, but this weekend is chock full of them and with the economy the way it is, this information is more valuable than ever. Here are three that you definitely won't want to miss!

3. Obedient Sons & Daughters 16 Hour Store
     Saturday 11.22 10AM - 6PM and Sunday 11.23 10AM-6PM
     237 Lafayette Street (between Prince and Spring)

2. Tim Hamilton
     Saturday 11.22 and Sunday 11.23 12 - 6PM
     195 Chrystie Street #502-E

1. Surface 2 Air
     Saturday, November 22 12 - 7PM
     5 Crosby Street #6D (between Howard and Grand) / Cash Only

By now you've heard of the Helmut Lang / Absolut online collaborative art project ALLES GLEICH SCHWER. If not, click here for my original post and here to access the official site.

ABSOLUT vodka is proud to launch a radical medium to view and experience art, as a new online virtual gallery goes live, showcasing Helmut Lang's Alles Gleich Schwer. This, a bold new exhibition of artworks, will be brought to a global audience as part of the artist's vision of an ABSOLUT WORLD, eradicating traditional barriers between viewer and art, consumer and gallery – accessible to all for a three month period.

You can read the official press release here. There are many more images up than I noticed the first time around, some of which are pretty incredible. A few of my favorites: NEXT EVER AFTER (2007), LIFE FORMS (2008), and THREE (2008), which I have to say are some of the hottest things I've seen in a while.

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Bowie fans mark your calendars: this is a one night only event. Bowie just gave some videos to MoMA and, in conjunction with the current Looking At Music exhibit, they're having a special one night only screening you do not want to miss!! Thurston Moore is introducing the early music videos donated by DB.

Held in celebration of the recent gift from the David Bowie Archive of music videos to the Museum, this program presents a special selection of works by the celebrated musician, actor, and producer. Bowie, who began playing the saxophone when he was thirteen years old, worked as a commercial artist before studying mime and, later, playing in bands.

In 1969 he co-founded Beckenham Arts Lab in South London, a crucible for experimentation that hosted artist studios, poetry readings, and events such as light shows, theatrical and dance performances, and puppet shows. For several of his videos, Bowie collaborated with the photographer and filmmaker Mick Rock, best known for his photos of 1970s glam and punk icons including Iggy Pop, Queen, the Ramones, Lou Reed, and the Sex Pistols.

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From Stuart Semple's Cult Of Denim collaboration, up now through 11.16.08 at Selfridges, comes a limited edition tee ($150) and a hand screened print ($960) -- on denim, of course!

Eight leading men and women's denim brands, including Levis, Diesel, JBrand, and Seven for All Mankind have teamed up for the first time with the Pop Artist Stuart Semple, in a creative collaboration that explores the versatility of denim in fashion and art.

Stuart Semple's artworks painted on vintage denim, stretched as canvas, pay tribute to the iconic fabric; he has researched the archives to unearth the key images, motifs and slogans that best represent each brand's identity. With consumerism and objects of desire as frequent points of reference in Semple's work, expect a true fashion-artdenim Mash Up.

First off, if you're in London, stop by Selfridges and check out the show in person. Denim as canvas? Amazing.

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The People V Hanratty returns this week with a sexy all Swedish mix. In case you've had your head under a rock, musically speaking, Sweden is hot hot hot right now.

TPVH's list consists of some of the most indie Swedish bands and tracks that I guarantee even the coolest of you out there aren't familiar with.

10. Träd Gräs och Stenar / Life Force #3 Live Yeah so this doesn’t quite fit, but an extremely important track for Swedes and psych music in general. It is very long, and my recording is worst than shit, but really this is Swedish political/art/anarchist music from 1970.

9. The Amazing / Dragon If I am not exactly sure where this came from, I believe it is a Dungen, side project. Either way it sounds like it was destined to be lost and rediscovered 30 years from now. A true classic.

8. Wildbirds & Peacedrums / My Heart This song should make you miss someone.

7. The LK / Blakboy Vs The Snow - Just an excuse for me to get another versus in the mix. Simple Swedish pop, I like Swedes talking about Blakboys I am sure it is extremely exotic to them. Like marsupial soup or something to us.

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Not to be confused with Timberland -- the hip hop and redneck one -- The Timberland Boot Company is a manufacturer of boots and shoes that was started in the UK in 2005. The other Timberland was started in 1918 in Boston. How they picked their name or haven't been sued by Timberland is amazing to me. I have a feeling if they get any bigger, there will be a trademark suit for sure. Check out the company's history. I'm still not quite sure about it all.

Either way, The Timberland Boot Company has a few really hot styles out right now that are making me think that I should break my 100% of the time sneaker habit.

"At the heart of the collection is footwear crafted with materials produced in the industrial age and improved with modern methods. Details like Vibram soles, or the ergonomically fitting moulded leather midsole, encompass the art of the cobbler and are steeped in every collection. The Timberland Boot Company collection is a perfect excuse for the wearer to reconnect with the way his shoes are fashioned and offer meaning through craftsmanship, while maintaining individuality."

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Despite the dark, gloomy weather that is London this time of year, if I had time, I'd hop a plane right now to check out the massive Francis Bacon retrospective currently on at the Tate Britain.

While I've never been a huge fan of Bacon, in looking through the images on the Tate's site, I've had a chance to see the breadth and scope of his work and must admit that I'm turning into a bit of a fan. As with food, music, and many other things, my taste in art has changed dramatically since I was first introduced to Bacon's work, which is part of the reason for my new found interest.

Francis Bacon is internationally acknowledged as among the most powerful painters of the twentieth century. His vision of the world was unflinching and entirely individual, encompassing images of sensuality and brutality, both immediate and timeless. When he first emerged to public recognition, in the aftermath of the Second World War, his paintings were greeted with horror. Shock has since been joined by a wide appreciation of Bacon's ability to expose humanity's frailties and drives.

This major retrospective gathers many of his most remarkable paintings and is arranged broadly chronologically. Bacon's vision of the world has had a profound impact. It is born of a direct engagement that his paintings demand of each of us, so that, as he famously claimed, the paint comes across directly onto the nervous system.

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If, like me, you were busy two Fridays ago at noon -- that's when tickets to the Patti Smith NYE shows at Bowery Ballroom went on sale -- and you're now left without anything cool to do on the most overhyped night of the year, you've got a chance to make it up to yourself.

One of my favorite New York indie bands from the 90s -- Blonde Redhead -- is headlining a show at Terminal 5 that you won't want to miss. Unless, of course, you'll be somewhere downtown seeing someone whose tickets went on sale two Fridays ago at noon, that is.

Blonde Redhead is an American rock trio comprised of Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace. The band takes its name from the song with the same title by DNA, a no wave band from New York.

Blonde Redhead caught the attention of Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, who went on to produce their self-titled debut album in 1993. On their third album, Fake Can Be Just as Good, they were joined by Vern Rumsey of Unwound, who filled the role of guest bassist. On their fourth album, In an Expression of the Inexpressible, Guy Picciotto of Fugazi was hired as producer. Picciotto also produced the band's records Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons and Misery Is a Butterfly.

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Even with the globalization of hip, there are still subtle yet noticeable differences between cultures. One thing that's always been a dead ringer for picking out a European in the midst is by the style of his glasses. There's something markedly different about the design aesthetic when it comes to eye glasses and sunglasses that is distinctly European.

I checked out a very chic line of glasses and sunglasses out of Germany yesterday at Agentur V's Press Days called Mykita. While some of the early collections are very European in look, they've moved towards a more distincy personal style for S/S 09. Certain eyeglass frames still have that Euro flair, but many do not, and the sunglasses are as universal in look as any I've seen. The most notable aspect being the lightness of the frames, coupled with a sturdiness that's unmatched.

"A highly innovative functional design comprising simple plug connections made complex soldered joints and screw connections redundant, while the frames themselves were cut out of stainless sheet steel before being folded into form. As well as being incredibly light, the latter could be adjusted to the wearer thanks to a wide variety of configuration options." In addition to being some of the coolest shades I've tried on, they're some of the lightest most durable sunglasses I've ever put on.

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If you like movies about New York as much as I do, you've probably seen the classic 1974 Thriller The Taking of Pehlam 1 2 3. If you haven't, get it now. It's one of Tarantino's favorite movies and heavily influenced Resevoir Dogs. Not to mention, you'll want to check out the original before going to see the upcoming 2009 remake starring John Travolta, Denzel Washington, John Turturro, and James Gandolfini.

"Walter Matthau portrays the cynical and grumpy Lieutenant Zachary Garber, a New York City Transit Authority policeman. His routine is interrupted by an unexpected hijacking of a subway train (on the number 6 line). The police rush to deliver the ransom of one million dollars in unmarked bills of low denominations in an hour's time, dispatching a squad car for a frantic drive uptown from the financial district, as Lieutenant Rico Patrone (Jerry Stiller) attempts to negotiate by radio from transit police headquarters, distracting the hijackers' attention."

Read more here and watch the trailer.

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My new favorite museum -- MUSAC -- has a few shows up at the moment you should know about.

I covered 24 horas 10 minutos by Salvador Cidrá and Love for eternity by Terence Koh both opening 09.27.08 and running through 01.11.09. Read all about them here. Also showing is Paul Pfeiffer. Monologue, the first solo show in Spain by the American artist.

Conceived as a select overview of the artist's production from the past decade, this exhibition, which also includes recently produced projects, examines some of the fundamental pillars of a body of work that is outstanding in the United States art scene, where it is among the most recognized and influential of its generation.

Paul Pfeiffer belongs to a generation of artists who have explored and experimented with the use of new technologies in a creative process that unfolds in media as diverse as video, installation, sculpture and photography. For his most widely recognized work, the artist digitally alters old film footage or T.V. sports events from which he eventually erases the main characters of the scenes, dissecting the role played by the mass media in the contemporary obsession and cult of celebrity.

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I just got back from Agentur V's Press Days @ People's Revolution, where they were showing Henrik Vibskov's S/S 09 collection. Very exciting and I'll get to that later in the week. First, though, I've been meaning to cover the new e-store that's popped up to accompany Vibskov's site that you should know about.

"The V-Store online shop is a satellite of the HENRIK VIBSKOV BOUTIQUE in Copenhagen and Oslo. Its aim is to reach out globally to all corners of the world with exciting products, special editions, old classics, books, magazines, shoes, skin-care and make-up, from a range of local and international designers, artists and creators, which we think create a new, progressive and beautiful collection of pieces."

"The HENRIK VIBSKOV BOUTIQUE has been open since 2006 in Copenhagen and opened in Oslo in August 2008. Both stores reflect the universe of Henrik Vibskov – they are the only two places in the world where you can preview the unedited collection. To broaden the palette of what we find unique we have mixed in pieces from a long range of designers and artists."

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I love to be a broken record. It's the only way to get a point across sometimes.

By now, everyone knows that plaid's hot hot hot this season and will continue its reign at least through spring, if not longer. I wrote about several stores a few months ago that are the best for buying plaid shirts in a variety of price ranges: from over $100 ones at Stock (143 East 13th Street @ 3rd Ave) to $15 ones at the thrift store whose name I don't know at 12th Street and 1st Ave.

What I found out yesterday is that my favorite of all the shops Argosy (428 East 9th Street) -- he buys incredibly good pieces and his prices are insanely affordable -- has pulled out all the punches with two full racks of plaid flannel shirts that rival the ones at Stock, but cost between $25-35 instead of the $100+ at Stock.

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The first in a series of Ksubi Pop N Shop pop up stores, LEST WE REGRET, opened last week in Melbourne. The store, which is constructed entirely out of refuse and disposable materials, is designed to reject accepted retail norms and to comment on the impermanence of interior retail design.

LEST WE REGRET, located at Don't Come — the Schwipe gallery in Melbourne City, takes over half of the gallery space for 12 weeks, and houses the latest in Ksubi, along with one-off and exclusive pieces.

Anticipated to launch globally, Ksubi's Pop N Shops will open for three months, the first in Melbourne, with Brisbane and Sydney soon to follow. Each new location will feature an original interior concept designed by the Ksubi collective.

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German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans has a show up at LA's Regen Projects called half page that's a must-see, especially given the lack of art by major art world figures being shown in LA at any given time. It's Tillmanns' 5th solo show at the gallery, it's being shown concurrently in both gallery spaces and consists of new videos and new photos.

Tillmans' photographs are wide ranging from formal abstracts that play with color, light and the process of photography to intimate, candid images. Seemingly casual, his installations are characteristic of his unique and personal aesthetic. Tillmans shows a selection of large-scale photographs at Regen Projects II. Abney Park and dark peonies are striking black and white photographs which originated from a photocopy; the appropriation and enlargement results in a total flattening of the image. The texture of the photocopy creates a medium onto itself, ultimately breaking down the image to tiny dots of pigment.

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While I realize some people's flatscreen TVs rival indie movie theater screens, we're not quite there yet, although if you've got a loft and a projector, you might be close.

What I'm getting at is that there are a lot of films that are much better when seen on the real big screen. I'm talking about special events with movies that are rarely shown in theaters any longer, such as the lineup for IFC New York's The Scariest Decade: Horror Films Of The 80s.

One of my favorite movies of all time -- Videodrome -- opened the series this past weekend. Given todya's date, you missed it on the big screen and now you have to rent it at home. It's one of Cronenberg's best -- starring James Wood and featuring Debbie Harry -- and is so 80s with its trippy sci fi plot and bad by today's standards special effects. Click here to read more about the film. If you've never seen it, you're really missing out.

Next up, another of my favorites Child's Play. While the series did get watered down a bit by the time Seed Of Chucky rolled around in 2004, the original is a great horror movie. I don't care what anyon says, that doll is scary.

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LA's Peres Projects has a new Culver City location and two new shows on the horizon.

First up, at the new gallery, Entertainment Weakly -- a solo exhibition by Houston-based artist Mark Flood that will include mixed media drawings, paintings, sculpture and installation from the past and present.

Flood is a Merry Deformer, romping through the art world's carefully arrayed aisles with a stencil and a can of spray paint, rearranging its face. The works exhibited here cover three decades of Flood's output, from the defaced advertisement drawings of the early 1980s to brand new assemblages fashioned from the local Texas debris of Hurricane Ike.

The group exhibition Sack of Bones comes from a viewing of Paul Rachman's 2006 film, American Hardcore, in which Mark Flood appears as an interviewee on the topic of 1980's punk rock. Toted around, thrown in the corner, recovered as relic or disposed of as useless, a sack of bones is unavoidably deformed.

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Low budget = two of my favorite words.

Not to diss or discredit Dario Argento's genius and contribution to the world of slasher movies, I use those words to describe the genre in Italian films and literature in which Argento's films are categorized: giallo, which in Italian indicates crime fiction and mystery. In the English language, however, it is used in a broader meaning that is closer to the French fantastique genre, including elements of horror fiction and eroticism. The word giallo is Italian for yellow and stems from the origin of the genre as a series of cheap paperback novels with trademark yellow covers. Read more here on giallo and here on Argento.

Argento's L'Uccello dalle piume di cristallo (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) -- his directorial debut -- is a masterpiece of suspense, as famous for its voluptuous and symbolic use of color and music as it is for its blend of surreal violence, mystery, and eroticism.

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Leave it to the ever stylish, super cool Japanese to round up 100 of the best artists in the world to design custom images for a range of credit cards.

Japanese powerhouse department store Marui decided that their Plain Jane EPOS Card design wasn't cutting it. Always in pursuit of customizing and stylizing everything, Marui teamed up with New York agency Big Coporation to ensure their card holders could out cool other credit card holders the world around.

"Gravure/Big Corporation has announced today their curation of artists based or represented in the USA for the groundbreaking 100 Design Cards project for EPOS Card, Japan. The project, a limited-edition of 100 credit card designs by top global artists, is the first-ever limited edition credit card and the first project ever to combine contemporary art, fashion and culture with a financial product."

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The folks at Zeitgeist Films sent me a copy of the just-released on DVD documentary Billy The Kid -- Jennifer Vendetti's poignant look at the life of one typically atypical American teenager.

"Jennifer Venditti's award-winning documentary is a provocative coming-of-age story—an odyssey into the soul of an American teenager. Following fifteen-year-old Billy as he bicycles through the quiet streets of small town Maine, we watch him traverse the frustrating gap between imagination and reality, grappling with isolation and first-time young love. By turns exhilarating and disturbing, we see the world from the intimate view of an expressive and seemingly fearless outsider."

As I said to my dinner companions last night, this movie is real life and is the perfect antidote to shows like Gossip Girl, which I can admire from afar, but can't watch because of its lack of any basis in reality. While I appreciate fantasy on TV, I long for something other than sugar-coated depictions of life as it has never been and will never be.

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Straight from the horse's mouth. It'll be live at 1pm today. Get your engines ready!

On Thursday, November 13th 2008, Odin New York launches their new eCommerce site. ODINNEWYORK.COM showcases select designers and products available at Odin boutiques.

Over the course of the coming weeks, added functionality and new user tools will be implemented into the site, as well as frequent designer and product updates. Currents designers featured are Robert Geller, Engineered Garments, Nepenthes New York, Entermodal, and Band of Outsiders. Next week Obedient Sons, Richard Chai, Common Projects, and Philip Crangi will be added.

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Audiophiles listen up: my friends at the Journal Of Popular Noise has given me three (3) of only 300 copies of the soon-to-be-released issue Vol. 1 Fall/Winter 08 to give away to all you music lovers out there.

Based in Brooklyn the Journal Of Popular Noise is a semi-annual audio magazine inspired by the traditions of pop music, printed periodicals, and the delight of a finely crafted artifact. Editions are currently limited to 300 letter-pressed, hand-numbered copies. The Journal Of Popular Noise is set to release their fourth edition, which will include artists Climax Golden Twins, PWRFL Power, and Linda & Ron’s Dad.

Checkout the piece I did on the upcoming issue here. They're currently taking pre orders for the issue and are having a release event at super hip Santos.

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I was with a friend on Sunday looking for a place to have brunch when I saw one of the coolest jackets I've seen in a while. I saw a small label just above the hem on the right sleeve and, if my eyes weren't mistaken, it said Pendleton. I had to ask, as I didn't believe my eyes.

He said it was Pendleton Japan, but perhaps he bought it in Japan, as I can't find a line or company called Pendleton Japan. Nonetheless, I'm slightly hooked on Pendleton. With all my talk about going back to the basics, this chance encounter was a stroke of luck, as I'd never have come across Pendleton otherwise.

Pendleton -- a 150 year old American company specializing in the production of lightweight, luxurious 100% pure virgin wool clothing we produce -- has been about as far off my radar as could be. I know the name, but that's where it ends. "Historically, Pendleton products were distributed through selected department and specialty stores. The 1980's saw Pendleton apply its considerable retail experience to building a retail division that encompassed both company and privately owned specialty stores."

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In case you didn't know, I'm ca-razy about Tretorns. I remember them back in the day and the timing for their resurge couldn't have been more perfectly timed. The look of the classic Nylite Canvas style, which 5 years ago I wouldn't even have considered wearing, is perfect.

I stopped by the Tretorn store in SOHO (150 Spring Street) last week for a preview of the Spring 2009 collection and was pleasantly surprised to find not only the classics, but new variations on the classics that are going to give hipster sneaker lines a serious run for their money with much lower price points without a compromise in style.

First, there's the Nylite Canvas. It's the classic. For S/S 09, they're doing the white on white, which I love, and have thrown in a slight curve ball doing black and navy bodies with a white "stripe". Very cool and hip.

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Everyone knows man about (down)town Glen O'Brien, and if you don't...just pretend like you do.

O'Brien knows everyone who's cool from the late 70's, 80's, and 90's from the downtown scene, was a music critic back in the day for Interview when Warhol was still at the helm, wrote for High Times for a short period, directed cult New York film Downtown 81 starring the late great Jean-Michel Basquiat, is currently featured in GQ as The Style Guy, and has come full circle as Editorial Director of Interview Magazine (post Sischy) sharing the top spot with Fabian Baron. Have you noticed how drastically the book has changed since they took over?!

Phew. That was exhausting. Could this guy get any more hip or what?? Well, yes, he could. O'Brien hosted an obscure, but very influential "cable access TV show in New York City that ran from 1978 to 1982 called TV Party.

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As the temp outside drops, it's time to retreat back inside for a few months.

What better place to spend your time than at the Chinatown Brasserrie warming up while sipping ice cold drinks. CITY Magazine is hosting a VIP tasting event tomorrow featuring frosty Cape North Vodka cocktails, shaken and stirred by noted mixologist Rain.

"This premium wheat vodka is exceptionally smooth and makes a great base for some equally exceptional cocktails. Cape North has a little bit of everything, including the distinction of being distilled from golden French wheat, cut with Swedish spring water and delicious citrus and vanilla notes."

This is a private event, but I got persmission from an insider at CITY to post this for my readers.

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Perhaps you could call him the Rick Owens of his day, but no matter if you agree with that or not, Stephen Sprouse left a lasting mark on fashion that few are certain to forget. Even if you knew nothing of his early Day Glo designs, velcro closures, and downtown club runway shows, if you're anything like me, I'm sure you've got an image of his 2001 graffiti sprayed bag for Vuitton -- commissioned by the not yet demi god of the fashion world Marc Jacobs -- etched into your brain.

"Stephen Sprouse's initial Day-Glo bright, sixties-inspired, graffiti-printed fashion collections for men and women wowed fashion editors, store buyers, and fashionistas alike, but he always had mixed business success. His initial collections (1983 - 1985) were huge critical hits, sold at only the best stores. His 1983 collections were sold exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel in New York City on a small scale."

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Check out this mix by new this.hearts.on.fire. music contributor The People V Hanratty.

10. The XX / VCR (Young Turks) Okay so one of the lyrics in this song is "lets drink tea and talk about Big Love" I neither drink tea nor have ever watched Big Love, but am so down with that. Also they are touring with one of this.hearts.on.fire. favorite

9. Golden Filters – Solid Gold – (Modular) / Endlessly cool, would be the ideal song to walk slowly thru some mythically cool club.

8. The Chromatics / Running up that Hill (Kate Bush Cover) (Italians Do it Better) Easily one of the best covers you will here all year. The Chromatics music dispenses effortless sexual energy and works perfect for the context of this song. If you are into this check out the rest of the bands on their incredibly well named label – Italians Do It Better.

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I don't often do 100% replicas of other blog's/magazine's pieces, but I think everyone needs to know about this, especially given the current financial situation.

In case you don't subscribe to New York Magazine or read it online: "Instead of stocking your closet with five $430 Paul Smith dress shirts and three $1,065 suits, buy one of each—and get them copied in different fabrics. Twice a year, Biemonte Wong's Tailor, a respected shop based in Hong Kong, camps at the Hilton New York in midtown."

"Make an appointment to drop off your favorite pieces and choose from their wide range of materials. The clothes will be fabricated in Hong Kong and shipped in three weeks. Dress shirts start at $64 (shipping included) and suits at $500.".

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New York artist Cory Arcangel's new multi media show Adult Contemporary opens at Team Gallery next Friday. If you're a fan of Arcangel's work, you won't want to miss this one. It's his first solo show in New York in 2 years and it looks to be his best yet.

Team is pleased to present an exhibition of new film, video, photography and prints by Cory Arcangel. Adult Contemporary seems a particularly appropriate title for this latest exhibition of new work by the now 30 year-old darling of new media art, for Arcangel can be seen here as either having a) finally grown up, or b) having fully sold-out.

Arcangel states: "Imagine me buying some video equipment off of eBay, turning it on, pressing some random buttons, and then calling whatever comes out my 'work.' This mind-set is the spirit of Adult Contemporary.

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Today's the day where I cover stuff I don't normally cover, but can't pass up a good thing when I see it.

Although I think skating and everything to do with it has been played beyond the point of no return, I'm a huge fan of zines, especially zines from the 80's, when the culture was in its heyday. They were so raw and so real and filled a void that mainstream, well-funded magazines didn't even know existed until it was too late.

Printed Matter is pleased to announce there is xerox on the insides of your eyelids, an exhibition surveying American underground skate culture zines from the 1980s, curated by Rich Jacobs.

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You know I don't cover much by way of samples sale, but every so often one comes along that I can't pass up.

Case in point: super cool New York showroom 495 News is having a sample sale that you do not want to miss, unless you have something against paying seriously discounted prices for some of the hottest lines in the game, that is.

For 3 days only, The News will host their semi annual sample sale, where they'll be cleaning house of some of my favorite lines around: Shipley & Halmos, Common Projects, Band of Outsiders, BOY by Band of Outsiders, Cheap Monday, Clu, Millions of Smiles, Shipley & Halmos, Vena Cava, Wayne, and much more.

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After many emails asking when I'm going to have something just for the ladies, I've managed to get my hands on a hot little cardigan (retail value $135US) from green Australian line Gorman for this week's giveaway.

Gorman likes it green & serene. Gorman have had a good look at what it means to go carbon neutral. We choose our suppliers carefully to make sure we are working with companies that are doing their thing for the environment too, from stationary suppliers through to freight forwarders. We no longer consider a new supplier if they don’t have an environmental policy.

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It's that time of year again folks. The godmother of rock n roll -- Patti Smith -- plays the Bowery Ballroom for her annual New Years Eve extravaganza.

Okay, maybe extravaganza isn't quite the word I was looking for, but Smith and her band throw one of the most rockin' least pretentious New Years Eve parties I've ever been to with a super laid back, diverse crowd. Not to mention, the show is over by 1am so if you want to go out after and party all night, you won't miss out. With yesterday's election results, I'm sure Smith, who is not afraid to mix rock and politics on stage, will give one of the best performances of her life in celebration of Obama's win.

For those unfamiliar with Smith -- which means you must be new to this blog! -- Patti Smith, whose seminal rock & roll album, Horses, was released in 1975, was presented with the prestigious insignia of Commander of the Order of the Arts and Letters by French Cultural Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres at a ceremony in Paris on July 10, 2005.

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Abstraction is rearing its head -- not into Alaska's airspace as Putin did in Palin's pea brain imagination -- but into the consciousness the downtown art world, more specifically into Deitch's air space with a show by New York painter Elizabeth Neel.

Make No Bones, an exhibition of new paintings by Elizabeth Neel, opens at Deitch Projects on 11.06.08. Neel is one of the most accomplished of a group of young American painters who are revitalizing abstraction in contemporary terms.

Neel's paintings represent both the internal and the external. She indulges a curiosity to explore what is under the skin and filters it through art history, Hollywood artifice and natural science. From broken bodies to polluted landscapes, she blurs the line between form and content – the paint both describing and becoming its subject.

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Another month, another hot Supreme collaboration. This time around the #1 New York streetwear shop has teamed up with musical legend and original hipster Miles Davis -- or the Miles Davis Foundation to be exact -- on a series of CDs and t-shirts.

Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in Jazz from World War II to the 1990s. Outside of his genius as a musician, Miles was an iconic figure in terms of his personal style and his attitude and defined what cool really was.

In light of the 50th anniversary of the release of Kind of Blue which is regarded by many as one of the greatest records of all time, Supreme along with the Miles Davis Foundation, and Sony Music will re-release a Limited Edition series of three of Miles' most influential records, marking three distinct moments in his musical evolution - Kind of Blue originally released in 1959, Nefertiti originally released in 1968, and On The Corner originally released in 1972. Each CD cover is a unique, exact replica of the original 12" Album Cover.

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5. Ambreen Butt (Dirty Pretty) / I covered this when it opened at Anna Kustera (520 West 21st Street). Check it out here. If you haven't seen it yet, do stop by.

4. Jean Dubuffet (Monumental Sculpture from the Hourloupe Cycle) / I'm a big Dubuffet fan, but didn't like the sculptures currently showing at PaceWildenstein (545 West 22nd Street). These works are not meant to be presented in a gallery, for starters, and up close, the material used to make the pieces is clumsy and looks cheap. They look like something you'd see at a state school college campus from the 70's. Up now through 11.08.08.

3. Mario Merz / I'm not a big fan of the Arte Povera movement. Found objects to me usually look like junk in a gallery or arts and crafts done by a 10th grader. A few artists -- masters perhaps -- manage to make me eat my words, which is always a welcome surprise. The current Mario Merz show at Gladstone Gallery (525 West 24th Street) is amazing. Merz may be part of the Arte Povera movement because of the materials he uses, but it's not the first thing that comes to mind upon seeing the show. Don't miss this one. I can't find a closing date on the gallery's site, but the show opened on 09.18.08 so I'd say go sooner rather than later or you're going to miss out.

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Terence Koh's ASS (Asia Song Society) has an opening tomorrow that you must checkout. As always, there's not much pre game info I can give you, including the address.

I'll give you a hint: go to Chinatown tomorrow at 6pm and walk around until you see hipsters drinking bottled beer overflowing from a store front space onto the street. The opening's from 6-9pm, so you should have enough time to canvas the neighborhood and find it...AFTER you vote. Think of it as an art world treasure hunt, instead of a top secret opening you're not invited to.

Here's the official word from Asia Song Society:

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I made a long overdue trip to Chelsea this past Saturday to see what's up. As always, it's a mixed bag, some good, some bad, and some that didn't even draw me from the street into the gallery.

10. Joan Mitchell (Sunflowers) / This wasn't up over the weekend. A bland Louise Bourgeois show called Echo was. While a huge fan of Bourgeois, if you didn't see it, you didn't miss anything. Checkout the promo image on the C&R's site for the Joan Mitchell show. Abtraction at its best, unlike the muddy palatted show of one British painter that just went down at Gagosian. It opens tomorrow and runs through 12.20.08.

9. Olaf Breuning / Breuning's current show at Metro Pictures (519 West 24th Street) is a truly mixed bag. While generally not a big fan of Breuning's actual work -- I do like his approach and concepts -- this show is definitely worth seeing. A few of the large photos and some of the wall paintings and sculptures were quite appealing on a visual level, as well as for their social commentary. I wasn't crazy about the rows of small drawings, but then again I'm not a big fan of "small art". Checkout pics here. Up now through 11.08.08.

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With a potentially world changing US election around the corner, politics is on everyone's minds these days, including hipster skinny jean makers Cheap Monday.

The Swedish denim label is offering an exclusive Cheap Peace by Cheap Monday limited edition jean at Barneys nationwide available on November 4th. With a custom INCREASE THE PEACE patch, the jeans will be available in two styles: very stretch black and very stretch blue. Retail price is $65. Let's not forget, Cheap Monday took the world by storm for a reason: they're hot jeans at an insanely affordable price point.

The Cheap Peace jeans are exclusive to Barneys and will hit stores just in time for Election Day and the upcoming holiday shopping season as part of Barneys Peace and Love: Have a Hippie Holiday theme.

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