PEACE OUT, 2013

Since I celebrated the year's end with my zine (have you read it yet? shared it with your cousin? good) I'm just posting some snapshots of new friends and old friends, if only to remind myself to get out of the house more often in 2014.

Long story short: Miley Cyrus's tongue ain't got nothin' on me (and Mac). Big ups to all y'all for reading along—it's much appreciated, as ever! LMK what you'd like to see more of on the blog in 2014, and be sure to follow along on social so that I can get internet famous off selfies. Thx and happy new year!

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Playlist 004

I finally compiled another playlist! You can listen here. 8tracks seems to be working this time, but lemme know if you have issues. Photo © Daniele Napolitano.

01 I Wanted You To Stay On The Other Side | Summer Heart
02 The Place | Inc.
03 Hold On | Sbtrkt feat. Sampha
04 Minneapolis Belongs To You | Elite Gymnastics
05 The Reflection Of You | Bear In Heaven
06 Hammock | MillionYoung
07 Journal Of Ardency | Class Actress
08 Speak A Little Louder | Diane Birch

COZYING UP TO FUR

A faux fur throw for my desk chair, specifically—not big daddy's chest hair (wink). In all seriousness, the look is seasonal and cozy, but also rustic and big-city chic at the same time. They look great on pretty much all the seats! And, TBH, I'd go for a real fur throw if it were vintage...is that bad? Reduce, reuse, recycle? What's nice is that the look can also be achieved with a furry throw pillow. Images via (clockwise from top-left): 1, 2, 3, 4.

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CARVEN OPENS IN SOHO

The other weekend my friends and I were in the newly-opened Carven store in SoHo, getting our freak on with a bone-inducing amount of merch. The space itself is gorgeous in that modern-imposing way luxury stores have a way of being, but the scale of everything—and all the pink—made it feel more like Claire Courtin-Clarins' closet and less like a Prada pop-up. I bought this shirt, which could easily be D.I.Y.-ed, but #YOLO. What I love about it is the extended hem detail, which makes the proportions feel a bit more Eastern-inspired.

When I was on the subway I saw a man in traditional Muslim dress—I believe this is a Salwar Kameez?—and realized that the print on his top was really similar to the print on my top. So, long story short, it's a small world. Kinda crazy.

Anyway, the incipient influence of traditional Muslim dress on Western menswear—which we discussed here—was noticeable right when I walked into the store and saw the above outfit. At first I wasn't sure if it was a woman's look or a man's (a wonderful ambiguity I felt throughout the store), but when I realized it was indeed men's shirting I couldn't help but feel like designer Guillaume Henry has been "sipping the Kool-Aid"? Is this a sea change in the world of Western men's dressing?

Further example of the "extended hem" at Carven can be seen in this sweatshirt from last season, which is cropped to let an attached shirt bottom peek out:

It's pretty cool, right? Not as good as the shirt, but food for thought nonetheless. And here are some more snaps of the interior, which, as I mentioned, is really pretty:

Definitely check out my piece I linked to earlier for more on this and then take a look at this post on shirt lengths by the ever-articulate Charlie Porter, whose blog you should bookmark immediately if you haven't already.

What do we think? Is this a sign of the (globalized) times or a passing fad?

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Hee Park x Carbon Copy

Some Friday food for thought: Neck layering (turtlenecks under collared shirts under sweaters)—yea or nay? (Also witnessed here). And I'm really into these ultra grid-y urban shoots lately (as seen here and here [and here]). Tom Barker styled by Kevin Kim and photographed by Hee Park for Carbon Copy magazine.

The Corner Office

After last week's post about my old apartment I realized that I've been putting this off for way too long. Behold: an itty-bitty corner office vignette! I change the look of my room pretty frequently; it's an ever-evolving space, so instead of doing one giant post about the entire thing I'm just going to start sharing "bite-size" parts of it. Sound like a plan? Awesome.

Clockwise, from top left:
01 My desk! From Strawser & Smith; chair and lamp (same style seen here in Jason Yates' house tour on FvF) from the Brooklyn Flea. The art I picked up for $10 at a flea market as well—I don't know who the artist is, but the date on the back of the frame it came in is April 20, 1976.
02 Currently reading the new issue of apartamento, atop one of my favorite fabrics I have, which I'm currently using as a headboard, actually—more on that later!
03 Love this big leaf, atop a stack of Inventory magazines.

FRUITPUNCH THE ZINE

I know what you're thinking: This is just like last week when Beyoncé dropped her album without hyping it at all, I know. It's like crazy similar and kind of embarrassing I have one more thing to add to the already super long list of things I have in common with Beyoncé lol awkward.

So, yeah, I turned my blog into a 'zine to commemorate the year that was 2013. It's still digital, because IDK how to get this kind of thing printed and I'm pretty sure it would cost a million dollars to do that. OMG wait Yoncé's new album is only available online too, isn't it? You see you guys, I'm not even trying. It's right below here and I'd love it if you take a peek and share it if you like it. Which you will, duh.

But what's inside?
Interviews with Richard Haines, Joy Gryson and Shana Tabor, not to mention a selection of my favorite/best street style shots from the last year AND a whopping 20+ pages of #GPOY action PLUS ten diet tips you never knew you needed AND exclusive shots of Sandra Bullock without makeup on! (Some of this is lies.) Enjoy!! P.S. If for some reason it doesn't load (hehehe, load) correctly below, here is the link.

Camel By Calvin

I started watching Twin Peaks recently and feel really under the influence of Lara Flynn Boyle and Kyle MacLachlan. The show has this great 50's-by-way-of-the-90's styling that I'm really into, though I don't know if I totally captured it here—I just feel like I'm channeling it, which is probably more appropriate, anyway.

 

The coat is a thrifted Calvin Klein lady coat from the Salvation Army...it has these really great sleeves and jumbo pockets and is 100% wool and made in the USA, natch. I'd been on the lookout for a big camel coat this season and was waiting for this Zara number to come down (waaay down) in price, but serendipitously stumbled upon this baby when I went to meet a friend for lunch. Dreams do come true!

TopShop has a similar looking coat, if you're interested! Photos Angelica Domingo / This Fruit Blogs.

P.S. Here's a pretty good roundup of Twin Peaks style, if you're into it.

LET'S CALL BULLSHIT ON CHANEL

Let me start this off by saying that I'm using this specific incidence of racial insensitivity as a sort of jumping off point for a lot of thoughts I've been having thanks to Jezebel round-ups of racist teens on Twitter. No, seriously.

Who wore it more racistly? At left, Caroline de Maigret closes the Chanel show; on the right, Karlie Kloss walks in the Victoria's Secret fashion show.

So the Chanel couture show was "Cowboys & Indians" themed, a racially blind trope that's been played out for the better part of a century—how are we not over this yet? Maybe it's because Karl Lagerfeld isn't from these here parts, but the big uproar is over the headdresses worn by two models to close the show. Now, this isn't a discrete incidence of misappropriation as it applies to Native American cultures—this shit happens pretty frequently. There was a huge uproar at the Victoria's Secret fashion show last year when model Karlie Kloss was sent down the runway in a headdress. "[It's] a marginalized image that exposes a preconceived, inaccurate depiction of a historical event," noted one writer*, referring to Kloss's intended 'Calendar Girl' representation of Thanksgiving. "It also fails to acknowledge the persecution and violence that subsequently occurred." *I had this quote incorrectly attributed before and have subsequently lost the fuck out of it somewhere on the internet. Will keep looking—do let me know if it's yours!

You appropriate something when you rob it of its specific sociocultural context, thereby claiming it for yourself. What does the phrase "Native American headdress" mean in American popular culture at this point? What does "Navajo print" mean? Well, now they mean nothing. They are props to sell Shell majority stakeholders' wives ten-thousand dollar purses.

Why was Chanel even doing this whole Dallas-themed thing in the first place, you ask? "American stores and clients ensured the success of [Coco] Chanel’s comeback—a mutual love affair symbolized by her being awarded, in 1957, the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion, which she traveled to Dallas to receive." In other words, it was really a watershed moment in Cowboys and Indians history and thank God Karl Lagerfeld took the time to commemorate it with this. "Historically, Ralph Lauren has owned this fashion territory," said Style.com's Nicole Phelps, noting that, "Lagerfeld seized upon it with gusto but also with characteristic deftness." To which I say: characteristic deftness or *cultural deafness*?? ZING. She then quotes Lagerfeld himself saying, "It's a reinvention of something I don't really know, but that I like to play with." No shit? Then say you were inspired by Fievel Goes West, motherfucker—not history.

HELLA GAY THO

Last week a friend of mine lamented that my blog "used to be gay," but was of late, "just fashion and interiors." I was taken aback—and I also felt a little bit guilty. I really haven't had time to sit down and tackle pretty much anything that's been on my mind recently, and not just because I have a 9-5 job to get through first. (And by 'get through' I mean 'give 110% to', don't get me wrong.) Then I read this piece that Rashida Jones wrote for Glamour.com, of all things, and I was all like, "Hell yeah, I wanna do more shit like this!" And then I was all like, *aneurysm* because I don't even know where I'd begin. I have like, six vlogs in me at this point just waiting to get out, but every time I think "I could do that now!" I just end up masturbating because fuuuuck, dude, doing shit takes so much effort and what if I forget my point halfway through my diatribe against OKCupid and then I'm just this guy who's been sitting alone in his room all afternoon talking to himself in front of a computer?

I am aware that more "gay" content has been less frequently updated than some might like and that not everyone wants to hear about how I'm wearing mittens for winter or why I'm repotting my baby cactus farm. But I'm working on it. I swear. And in the meantime, yes, I'm going to write about my #supercute bedroom makeover ideas because I like decorating my bedroom and obsessively think about it in between checking my Instagram to see if any hot Asian guys liked my selfies. (I make these jokes on purpose, I'm telling you.) Here's some proof that this blog is still a gay blog:

Ok, that's all—a brief update to let you know what's on my mind. And read that Rashida Jones piece I linked to! You won't regret it. (Even though it's not gay.) Photo Bruce Weber for CR Fashion Book.

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NEW HAT + SCARF SITUATION

Winter weather sucks balls. Dress accordingly. John Smedley beanie, merino wool scarf by Grahame Fowler (it's not an infinity scarf, FYI—I just have it wrapped up all circle-like because it's cozier that way). If you are in need of anything made of wool or a sick-ass pair of shoes (exhibit A, exhibit B), go to Grahame Fowler. Most stuff is made in fancy old England, plus the shop floor is covered in layered Persian and Turkish rugs and it's gorgeous.138 West 10th Street, next to Jack's Stir Brew. Not a paid endorsement, just a fangirl. That is all.

P.S. The sportcoat is A.P.C., which you've seen a million times, but just FYI—Steven Alan has a really similar style on sale right now. Similar fit and everything. And I'll shut up about Steven Alan now, Scout's honor.

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Lessons from My Old Apartment

I used to have a studio apartment. Long term readers of the blog will know this. Apparently, as these photos attest, I was pledging Tri Delt while I lived there. I mean, wow, it's pretty and all, but looking back it's just like—where did all these flowers and colors and baubles and shit come from?

I'd say half of it was being surrounded by the stridently preppy trappings of a Southern college town and the other half was operating under the influence of a certain type of lady blog. Honestly, I think the environment you create for yourself is equal parts what you see around you, what you put in front of yourself and what you have access to/the skills to make for yourself—and I don't have the skills to make anything, except paint choices.

The biggest lesson learned has to be about furniture. In my old place it was much harder to source great pieces, so I ended up with a lot of hand-me-downs and stuff I just settled for. I'd then work some D.I.Y. magic to make it all look fancier than it really was. (My green bench [below] was actually a featured before and after on Design*Sponge, not to humblebrag or anything.) My M.O. in the new apartment has been to go for "great bones" pieces—furniture that doesn't need any work or zhushing, maybe just some polishing now and then.

After furniture, my taste in art and home accessories seems to have changed most dramatically. I mean...a disco ball (from Target)? A Keroppi lunchbox? I had a framed portrait of ballerinas on my desk. I can't even explain that one. I had nothing from the seventies, no abstract nudes and not even one succulent. What?! That's crazy talk. A few of my old "decorative accents" are being used in my new room, but I'm bringing them together in very different ways. Another décor carry-over is the chinoiserie/Orientalism thing (see foo dog, cherry blossom print [above]) I feel like I inherited from my dad. And, of course, I still love books and having tons of them just hanging around everywhere.

THE POP-UP FLEA

Michael Williams' Pop Up Flea is this weekend! I dropped by the space on 82 Mercer yesterday to scope all that hot bearded action and damn, it did not disappoint. There were also clothes and shit—but hot mountain men! Everywhere!

Ok, on the real real, yes—PUF is a great place to find hot tattooed dudes who dress really well and smell like a sexy version of the outdoors where nothing craps on the ground, BUT it's also playing host this year to a ton of great vendors. There are quite a few mad decent vintage purveyors (I considered getting an Indigo-overdyed Brooks Brothers sweatshirt and then was like, "Nah") as well as stalls from the likes of L.L. Bean Signature, Club Monaco and Shinola. Ursa Major and Harry's are there for all of your grooming needs; you can find jewelry from Digby & Iona and Fine Light Trading (from whom I bought a turquoise pinky ring, natch); and Terrapin Stationers have really awesome stationery (think "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" engraved on business cards). Inventory Magazine had a little booth being manned by photographer Dave Potes, who shot their incredible story on Mark Borthwick from the last issue, and Man of the World magazine had a whole midcentury-chic lounge set up in the back of one room where you could buy literally everything you sat on. (Well, not *everything* hehe.) (Joke!)

The Pop Up Flea will be going today and tomorrow, Dec. 7 & 8, at 82 Mercer Street. More deets here.

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3 Ways to Dress for Winter

In case it ever gets around to actually being winter, here are three ways to wear three very different kinds of coats to get you through the season. Full posts: 1, 2, 3.

[STREET STYLE] THE MEN'S STORE

Here's some serious scarf-tying inspiration for ya—and I'm so in love with quilted everything right now. More on that later.

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L'OFFICIEL HOMMES ITALIA

Are you over suits with sneakers? I've never tried it, but my interest is piqued—for now. And another thing, re: the look in picture two. So the ribbed hem of his varsity-esque quilted jacket stops a good bit above the bottom of his sportcoat and I'm wondering if this is ever ok, IRL. I've always stuck to outerwear that is at least as long as my blazer underneath...but maybe it's ok for the bottom of your suit jacket to stick out if the look is monochromatic? #DeepThoughts. All photos © Laurence Ellis.

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SO PERFECT IT HURTS

Literally. I'm dying. Also of note: Ok, I don't know if you ladies are as finnicky as I am about your purses, but it turns out that the WANT clutch I blogged about here is actually made in CHINA. What!? What? Hashtag double take, hashtag letdown. I thought all of WANT's bags were de facto produced in Montreal or wherever they're based, but apparently bishes ain't heard Bey's Upgrade U in a hot minute. This beauty is made in Portugal, like all good bags, and is perfectly sized for my phone, my wallet, my coin purse, my lip balm and my keys.

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QUENTIN DE BRIEY

I am so enamored of Quentin's work, which I discovered via Pinterest (of course). He does portraits and interiors brilliantly and seems kind of threateningly cool. Speaking of great photography, I haven't been able to shoot much lately, which sucks, but I do hope to be able to dream up some projects in the new year (which is right around the corner, FML).

I'm also really feeling the need for a new camera, as my Rebel T1i is just not cutting it anymore. I just ordered two lenses from Canon (eek! commitment!) and am scouting refurbished 5D's on eBay. I'm also pretty keen on bargain-hunting for a film SLR. Indulgent, yes, but everyone whose work I really love shoots with film, at least sometimes...any online camera shopping suggestions?

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ALL BLACK EVERYTHING

Except for those green shoes...and the beanie and socks. But other than that, today's look is all about post-gothic otter pup realness, with shades of Ashley Olsen channeling Rose McGowan circa Doom Generation. If that sentence means nothing to you, don't ask questions—just click through for more pictures!

Progress in the Bedroom

No, this isn't about my sex life—it's about decorating, silly! Because singledom is so much more fun when you have throw pillows to distract you from the desperately haunting specter of loneliness. The other weekend I shared this itty-bitty sliver of my bedroom on Instagram, so I wanted to blog about my inspirations because I'm a self-indulgent bastard I know you're curious. The main attraction is the shelf over my bed, obvi, which my co-worker and her hubby were nice enough to help me install after we finished working on my at-this-point-mythical drapery project. Also of note here: My beloved GP & J Baker Peony Blossom pillows, which I brought up from my parent's house, and my new Small Spells planter from Steven Alan home. It works just so perfectly for my money tree (previously seen in the boring white plastic container it came in).

I bought the shelf at The Container Store because it looked like a floating shelf—like there'd be no visible hardware. But there is—and what's worse, it's a super shiny silver that you can't really hide. So this guy sat on my floor well past the return-by date and I figured I'd end up trying to hawk it on Craigslist. Then it occurred to me to just dip the bottom portion of each bracket in the remaining paint I had from doing my walls, et voilà! Now the hardware really isn't noticeable at all.

Aside from following through with the floating shelf-spiration I shared on the blog last month, I was also under the influence of artist Mary Nelson Sinclair's apartment. I've loved her space since I first saw it (proof), despite the fact that it's a bit out of the norm for me. It's eclectic and full of art (plus: white walls); apparently you can't go wrong with a turquoise foo dog + abstract/blobby art in shades of pink. My foo dog came from an antiques store, but you can shop similar ones here. The painting, by Jack Ramsey, I bought at a thrift shop, but if you're looking for abstract art I really love Karina Bania's work (or you can just gaze longingly at my art + illustration Pinboard). And I'm not done yet—I've still got plans for a headboard and there's a light that needs to be hung. Stay tuned!

BLAZERS AS OUTERWEAR

It's about thirty degrees out as I write this and I'm snuggled up by the roaring sexual fire that is Hugh Jackman's chest hair (read: alone in my bed). What's on my mind, aside from naked Hugh Jackman (seriously though, is there any other man you'd rather have keeping you warm at the onset of winter?) is a boiled wool blazer that could function as a suiting separate and outerwear. Obviously, if it's thirty degrees out, you probably want a fairly heavy-duty coat—but for the sake of this post let's just pretend it's October in Paris and you aren't going to die a slow and agonizing death curled up on a curb in the fetal position if you're sans a full-length duffel coat.

The examples I've found include Enrique Campos in Paris, looking brills in gray, white and navy, and Angelo Flaccavento in what looks to be a heavier wool suit. This train of thought started when I came across Steven Alan's Joaquin Blazer (below), which fits me incredibly well and is totally gorgeous, but I'm about seven years away from being able to afford it. It's a 75/25 wool/polyester blend, which makes me hesitate because I'm always railing against polyester...but it's also made in the U.S. and is tailored so, so well—plus I just love those pockets! The look is vintage-y, but the cut is contemporary...I could wear it with black pants, jeans, quilted apron front man-skirts layered over pants—the possibilities are endless! I just need to hawk some isht on eBay first...

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THE PRIMARY ESSENTIALS

Last week I had the pleasure of stopping by the launch party for The Primary Essentials, a boutique right around the corner from me in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. You guys, it's so cute I literally can't even. I want to buy everything, but also the space is so gorgeous that I feel like we should have readings there and maybe a craft corner in the back. We can make textile art on hand looms and braid each other's hair. It'll be brilliant. Stylist Lauren Snyder opened TPE because she thought our neck of the woods could use a dose of the design aesthetic more commonly associated with Williamsburg (aka New Soho.) (But, seriously, have you been on Bedford Avenue on a Sunday? F**k that noise.) You can read an interview I did with Snyder here and below you can see some pictures from the party:

So does The Primary Essentials stock the primary essentials? That depends—how do you define necessity? TPE offers a meticulously curated selection of lifestyle products—from a Japanese skillet to a ceramic coffee dripper—and you could totally outfit the majority of your apartment with them. But the trendiness of a certain brand of "boutique" homesteading (thank you, Pinterest) has me wondering if we're seeing a renaissance of simple pleasures or just a fetishization of homewares. I like to think it's the former.