Last Minute Local

I know, so much product these last few weeks! But what can I say, I'm on my grind. Or something. As a counterpart to last week's gift guide, this is all just stuff that's made and sold here in Brooklyn, with a cameo or two by some distant island they call Manhattan. I think if I weren't on the world's tightest budget right now I'd spring for the walnut valet tray and/or the In God We Trust jewelry. I already own the bookends (amaze), but if I didn't I'd be all over the Coil + Drift book display.

At the end of the day the only gift I'll probably commit to is a couple of Mast Brothers chocolate bars wrapped in twine. It's the gift that keeps on giving, because once I give it to you (mom, dad) I find one way or another to eat half of it while you aren't looking. Merry Christmas!

Chen Chen & Kai Williams metamorphic rock bookends at Creatures of Comfort. (As seen in my bedroom makeover.)

Areaware concrete desk set at The Primary Essentials.

Yield Design Co. geo stand set at McNally Jackson.

Thanks cuff and spacer ring at In God We Trust.

Medium Apple B mobile by Fort Makers.

Cups by Romy Northover at Still House.

Saito wood coaster at Personnel of New York. (Anecdote: These are my favorite coasters. They're Japanese plywood and they look just as good used as intended with my Heath mug as they do as bases for my Lite + Cycle pillar candles. I bought one at Tortoise in L.A. and then picked up three more at Personnel last week, which means there are only two left in stock for you. I'm sure they'd be happy to place another order if you're not shopping on a deadline.)

Walnut valet tray at Kaufmann Mercantile. (FYI: KM is online-only.)

Coil + Drift canyon book display at Jill Lindsey.

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.

MICHAEL ALLEN AT HOME

I'm loving the sleepy Wabi-sabi elegance of fellow #BrooklynHipsterGay Michael Allen's Williamsburg loft. I found it on FvF, of course, while looking for some inspiration for my bedroom. That lil' project is coming along nicely, for the record, but the big fat makeover I mentioned on practically day one of moving in still has no definite end in sight. That being said, I think I can 100% promise a reveal by the end of the year, how does that sound? And until then, Instagram updates and a weekly think piece about stacks of magazines and decorative planters.

I was going to say Allen's place reminds me a bit of Brian Ferry's, and then I scrolled to the bottom of the article and realized that that's at least partly because Ferry shot this. Small world. Basically, Brian Ferry is sick talented and I die. (Can we just pause for a second and just talk about how stunning that picture of the little tree in the planter next to the clock is? It like...moves me.) Also really love those hooks for displaying jeans...

ROLLING WITH THE HOMIE

You guys, Dab is in NYC! Well, he's been here for a hot second, but I'm just now getting around to blahging about it. We met up in Dumbo over the weekend to shoot some hot lewks (he was previously behind the camera here); then he dropped by my place to witness firsthand my brills decorating, but apparently mistook it for Rent-A-Swag because he left wearing my Erin Wasson x Low Luv ring (last seen here.) [ZOMG post from two years ago I'm wearing True Religion cords >_<] Just kidding, he didn't swipe it...it fits him better and maybe looks really good on him...it's like whatever. We gallivanted our way into some hella sweet spots I'd never even heard of, including Modern Anthology and the Brooklyn Roasting Company, pics below. I think I kind of love Dumbo, it has a really unique feel to it...more exploring is a definite must!

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[STREET STYLE] GRUNGY GENTLEMAN

Oversized tee + ripped jeans + loafers + blazer in hand...not to mention John Lennon sunnies! Love it. More denim inspo here and here and here.

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OUTSIDE MALIN LANDAEUS

Long story short: she's gorgeous and I'm dying.

But I mean, really—we all know onesies are #hotrightnow, but a onesie sweatshirt dress with an unfinished hem? So next level. And I'm pretty sure she's wearing these shoes, which are from Zara, but they look so wonderfully Acne-ish with her ensemble. I love the bruises on her knee and the glimpse of a tattoo we get peeking out from under her left sleeve, not to mention the no-fuss hair and minimal makeup (maybe none at all?)

And if you didn't know, Malin Landaeus is one of the best vintage boutiques in Brooklyn. The shoe selection is impeccable, there's deadstock vintage eyewear from Sweden, and she has some great jewelry by Erica Weiner. And if you stop by on a Sunday afternoon, Landaeus serves tea and (homemade) cake! You can also follow the store on Tumblr and Twitter, and find out more about Landaeus herself in her StyleLikeU profile.

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[STREET STYLE] BEDFORD AVE

The hair slays me. (This was taken months ago, not during this weekend's ninety-degree heatwave, FYI.)

In God We Trust

Shana Tabor is owner and founder of Brooklyn-based label In God We Trust. She's funny, down-to-earth and talented - and maybe the first person I've ever wanted to legitimately describe as "rad."

After buying one of the brand's shirts (seen here in last week's outfit post) and talking a little bit to the sales staff about its 'Made in the USA' tag, I decided to set up a tour of the IGWT studio. Because if this blog is about anything, aside from pushing my gaymo agenda, it's about pushing my liberal hipster agenda where I shop locally and try to convince you to do the same or else all the whales will die. Shana was obliging enough to let me stop by her label's Greenpoint, Brooklyn storefront-cum-studio to find out how it all gets done, who's behind it and what's in a name.

Shana went to school for jewelry design and used to work as a wholesaler. In a sort of "reverse-scaling" move, she started In God We Trust small - really small. “I’d make like, three of one dress and when we sold one I’d replace it.” That's changed now, but the company still produces on a tiny scale relative to the production standards most of us are used to.

"In the garment district, in New York anyways, it's still kinda hard to find people that will work with small runs," says Shana. "To go overseas to do production you need huge quantities...so I knew that wasn't even a possibility." All of IGWT's materials are sourced in the city, and all of the metals used for castings are recycled. They work with different sources in New York to find textiles and have everything that's not produced in Greenpoint produced in the garment district.

Click through to continue reading PLUS there's a video!

SHOPPING AWOKE VINTAGE

Williamsburg's own Awoke Vintage had a lil' soiree last night and Chels and I dropped by to "pop champagne" and try on sO mAny cLoThes! Awoke's selection is small, nicely curated and very on-trend - a lot of printed shirts for the menfolk, mostly from the '80's and early '90's. There's more for the ladies (cute dresses and tops), but every time I've stopped in I've found at least one item to obsess over. This time around I fell hard for the leather jacket above, in the perfectest shade of bright blue EVER, but refrained from purchasing because of budget realities (sad emoji.) I did, however, pick up this adorable lil' number:

It's kind of like a Topshop riff on a Kenzo print, but from the late eighties. I'm into it; red is my color. Full disclosure: I found both of these items in the ladies' section, per usual, BUT the shirt was only there because it's a kid's size (#winning) and it's not, like, my fault cropped leather jackets look so good on me. After shopping we ran into Spoonbill and copped some Rifle Paper Co. (Mother's Day is coming up, y'all!) and then spelunked our way into Catbird where I bought this candle. Check out some images from Awoke's awesome last lookbook, shot by Jackson Eaton, below!

Photos Jackson Eaton; Awoke Vintage is located at 132 North 5th St.

THE BLUE HOUR

Brian Ferry's Brooklyn apartment on Sight Unseen, a totally awesome new-to-me website that you should check out. That mantle is so wabi-sabi...the living room so inviting...the bedroom so clean! And this is a boy's house, you guys.

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INSTAGRAM LIFE VOL. 5

The last time I did one of these it was 2012, which is complete insanity. I'm starting off the post with the above images because they sort of convey a sense of hibernation and hibernating is what I've been doing all winter. Also I've been taking care of plants and cats, sooo...it all makes sense. Below you can check out some of my outfits that I haven't shot for the blerg. For some reason my selfies do really well on Instagram...mb u guyz r kinda gay for me or something, IDK. Wearing, clockwise from top left: Natural Born Elegance bow tie, Saturdays Surf NYC sweater with leather shorts and tights, Banana Republic tie with J.Crew cardi and Uniqlo belt, and trying on a neon orange quilted workwear jacket with Doc Martens, #trendybish.

These are some things I ate and liked; croque monsieur from Paradis on the left, and strawberries and blueberries with vanilla ice cream on the right!

These are two supercool Japanese people I shot in some supercute outfits that make great use of pattern - also they wear their bags in the same way!

And here's some street style next to some streets, boom.

This is some art I saw and liked, mostly at the Met, but then the photo in the upper right-hand corner is graffiti - but it's so beautiful, no? Art is everywhere, the wind whispers...

You can find all of these (and more!)[and follow me!] over on my Instagram profile, @thisfruitsnaps.

De Gournay Grows in Brooklyn

I have a confession to make: I am obsessed with Miranda Brooks. It's a slightly weird thing to say about a landscape designer, I admit, but the feeling is there in a very real ripping-pages-out-of-Tiger-Beat-and-plastering-them-all-over-my-walls kind of way. (Well, not my walls, but I do have Brooks' entire wedding—also featured in Vogue—torn out of the magazine and saved in a binder.) The lady just has such good taste! For example, harken to the custom de Gournay wallpaper in her master bedroom and the home's Parisian-esque white oak floors:

Even their young daughters (one of whom the article declares, "particularly fond of Nureyev") have hand-printed custom wallpaper in their rooms. True to Vogue form, there are plenty of other editorial gems, such as, "The countertop - however many feet - is unfinished 300-year-old white oak, which Brooks cleans the old-fashioned way, following instructions from her butcher, Staubitz... (They are big fans of Staubitz; Halard messengers the lamb to Muriel Brandolini on the Upper East Side)," and, "The base of the tub is painted a deep night-sky blue to match the indigo-dyed Japanese mosquito netting that Brooks has patched together to make curtains."

It's like taking a Nancy Meyers movie as an adrenaline shot to the heart.

High-falutin' it may be, but damn if that ain't a fine house. All photos © François Halard / Vogue.

[STREET STYLE] EARLY WINTER

Holy granola! It's my first-ever shoppable* street style! (*Ok, so "shoppable" isn't a real word, but humor me.) I scoured the internet to find items similar to everything this guy's wearing and put it in a magical little widget because I love this guy's outfit so much. I feel like I could steal the whole thing, plus he's blazing hot and Latin, so he sort of is me, but in an alternaverse where I have superior beard-grooming skills, good hair and can't trace my lineage back to any elf kings. That sweater, the jeans, those tassel loafers? Marry me! Shot on the street in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

STEPHEN EINHORN

British jewelry designer Stephen Einhorn's work has graced the cover of Ponystep magazine and the pages of British Elle. He designed the jewelry for Florabotanica frontwoman Kristen Stewart's epic, Snow White & The Huntsman, and has had his pieces featured on HBO's True Blood. Needless to say, you can imagine my surprise and delight when the company was in touch to share their product with little ol' me.

The jewelry is produced entirely in workshops in London where, "everybody makes tea for everybody else" - from the designer to the apprentice. The company is committed to reducing their carbon footprint and using recycled metals, such as the sterling silver from which my knife-edge medium bracelet is made. Speaking of which, look at how pretty this bracelet is! I'm in love with it. It's like Tiffany's for boys and fills a gap in my jewelry collection - or, really, just sort of lords over it with its ice-queen realness. You can check out some of my other favorite pieces including this bull ring and the beautifully detailed golden bones ring at Einhorn's online store.

Photos Pete Oliviëra. Shot at one of my favorite Brooklyn coffee/lunch spots, Dépanneur. See some of my other jewelry posts here and here.

BUFFALO CHECK

photos Pete Oliviëra // jacket (seen here and here) N/A // necklace vintage // shirt (seen here) Comme des Garçons SHIRT // pants vintage from 10 ft. Single // boots (seen here) Forfex at Opening Ceremony

Buffalo plaid is one of my favorite fall/winter fabrics. The graphic two-tone check is classic in red, but here in blue on a pair of women's pants from the eighties it has the punk appeal my 'drobe needs. I'd been on the hunt for a hammertime-esque pair of pants in a good plaid when I came across these babies at 10 ft. Single (285 N. 6th St., check it out.) They're really high-waisted, so I have to wear a longer shirt with them to balance the look, otherwise it's too easy to tell that the last person who owned them was sixty-five and named Miriam. The result is a spin on my "model off duty" outfit from a few weeks ago, with a bit more of a fashion-y edge. What's your favorite fabric for the colder months?