Moodboard 0215

Sources, left to right, top to bottom: Jinyong Kim, Max Lamb, Andy Liffner, lost to Tumblr, Jamie Hawkesworth / T Magazine, also lost to Tumblr.

Moodboard 0115

Sources, left to right, top to bottom: Lena Emery, Ada Hamza, Weronika Dudka, Mark Borthwick / T Magazine, Matt Hind / Margaret Howell, Scott Hardy.

BLUE IS THE WARMEST...OH YOU KNOW

I'm on a warm-weather-just-get-here-now kick, so sue me. Pajama dressing and oversize knits for summer for all! Andrew Westermann for T Magazine, styled by Jason Rider & shot by Matthew Kristall.

A Primer on White Denim

I bought white lady jeans this past weekend and I'm literally obsessed with them. They look/fit a good bit like the pair on Ms. Thing, above—medium rise and cropped to show some ankle. There aren't any moose knuckle issues, as you can see in the photo below. (Ed note: that's always a tricky thing to ask about. I usually end up pointing to that whole region and even kind of gesticulating toward the back with longer, circular motions to avoid directly calling out 'weird shit my junk is doing' to random sales clerks.)

Anyway, as I said, there are no such issues and I'm totally on board with these once spring rolls around. It's been awhile since I last had a white pair of jeans (almost ten years ago!) so I made this handy dandy infographic to illustrate how I'm approaching my White Jeans Game this time around:

My new pair is Acne's Pop White. I tried them on in store with these shoes and this sweater and I loved everything, then did the math and realized the whole look would set me back over $1k, before taxes. I'm not married to Beyoncé so I shut that down pretty quickly, but not before taking note of these simple and sexy! tips:

01 Definitely go sans belt in white jeans. I think it's fresher, plus a belt would cut you weirdly in half, as kindly illustrated by '06 Sean. Though I guess that brown leather belt is making some weird nod to the brown tones in my Rainbow flip-flops?
02 Wear a cool loafer or chunky/heavy oxford/blucher/cap toe with the white jeans, socks totally optional. DO NOT wear motherfucking Rainbow flip-flops unless you want to look like a gay virgin from suburban Virginia.
03 Keep the color palette nice and subdued. Think navy, deep plums, black, maybe throw in some camel, get some army fatigue action going on, etc. DON'T wear some bright-ass Polo Outlet yuppie bullshit in noxious cerulean. Brights in general with white jeans...just steer away from that. You want to look French, not Floridian.

Here are a few more people, mostly Emmanuelle Alt, wearing white denim in inspiring ways:

I feel like these are all really good looks for when the weather gets up to like, 40 degrees and my wardrobe needs to be "transitional". I put together a kind of boring but not offensively bad outfit, below, in the hopes that you will click on some things and I will make money. Transparency! Top photo Tommy Ton, click for source; men's white denim photos via The Sartorialist, left and right; Emmanuelle Alt photos via here and here.

Clockwise from top-left: J.Crew, Saint Laurent, Sandro, Mismo, Uniform Wares (this watch is actually hella sick and I want it so bad), Marni (also hella sick, duh)

Moodboard 0314

A slightly springier color palette; hopeful. Sources, clockwise from top-left: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07.

Moodboard 0214

A day early, because I don't know if I'll feel like posting on a Saturday! Sources, clockwise from top-left: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07.

Let's Obsess Over G-Dragon

You guys, how did it take me so long to realize G-Dragon is on Instagram?

I found his account last week and went through literally every photo. Some may complain that he's too trendy, often seen in a to-be-expected mix of Givenchy, Kenzo, maybe Astrid Andersen—but I really love his style. I love that he'll take so many risks with his image, that it's a constantly evolving thing and he's comfortable with experimenting. Experimenting like a lot. I honestly think he's quite the queer icon, even though he isn't queer and I've never heard him speak once about his personal beliefs in English so for all I know he could be a terrible human being...but his outfits! So cute! ^_^

From left to right, top to bottom:
01 "Shooting for vitamin water," says this Insta's caption. Oh? America gets Jennifer Aniston on a beach and Korea gets G-Dragon in Commes des Garçons? LIFE IS NOT FAIR.

02 Those shoes! They sorta look like this pair of shoes I once tried on ZOMG G-Dragon and I have all the thing in commons!
03 Hanging out with Grimes, who's doing what I would be doing in that situation.
04 On the streets of Paris with Taeyang serving major lewks.
05 I don't know what's going on here. I think Rick Owens? Really into the coat and also the fact that if you squint it sorta looks like it could be Mary-Kate Olsen. In a good way. (Is there a bad way?)
06 Pharrell also has a jumbo-sized Birkin, and I love Pharrell, so...

Check out some of his videos and decide for yourself—sensationalism? Or iconic style?

LOUIS DE CASTRO

Love the styling here, and the silhouette in that second image. Plus: mandals! Next week I'll be posting thoughts on the recent men's collections, so you have that to look forward to. Enjoy the weekend! Photos © Francesco Brigida for Encens magazine.

3 INSPIRING RETAIL SPACES

You'll say, 'ooh!' 'aah!' and 'I want to go to there!'

While I can appreciate a museum-quality boutique as much as the next twenty-something in a pair of busted Cheap Monday jeans, what I really want out of a retail space—especially since I've cut down on shopping—is inspiration I can put to use with a little imagination on a limited budget. And that, Watson, is why I'm in drunk in love with these three #supercute, totally crush-worthy stores.

First up is Mirador (above), a new boutique in Greenwich Village that's pretty much totes amazeballs. It's so pretty I could die. Instead of dying, though, I walked in and gave them my business card and told them I wanted to feature them on Lonny, so head over there to check out my interview with owner Aurora Lopez later this week!

I also finally made it into McNally Jackson Store last week. I was completely blown away by the space—exposed beams, whitewashed brick, industrial lighting fixtures—and mesmerized by the merchandising. It's agonizing, how cute this is. Like, I think in some circles this qualifies as pornographic material.

And last, but not least, the spartan delight that is Assembly New York, which is basically everyone's dream closet. I love the pegs tucked into holes in the wall (and do you see what I see? That bag to the far left is the M. Hulot purse I blogged about! It's back in stock! Buy it for me!) Plus, that super minimal but effortlessly glam clothing rack...that wood bench...the floors...swoon!

HOW TO WEAR VINTAGE

The essential 5-step guide you didn't ask for and never knew you needed.

This week's outfit post has me wondering—how does one go about making someone else's decades-old clothing one's own? It's not always as simple as pasting yourself on top a Tumblr graphic, so I've compiled these handy-dandy tips for wearing vintage. Harken to my wisdom!

01 Know your references (but stay true to your own style). This look perfectly speaks to my inspirations: Marcello Clerici, the protagonist of Bertolucci's The Conformist and Tuxedo Mask. The Conformist is, hands-down, my most favorite style movie of all time. It oozes style. Pungent, intoxicating, meticulous, sexy style that'll leave you with a fashion boner for years. If you haven't seen it, rent it now. And Tuxedo Mask, I mean...come on. Can't go wrong. (Actually, when I Googled Tuxedo Mask, a lot of "cos play" came up. I'd say that's where you might go wrong. So watch out for that.)

Clockwise from top-left: Me shopping vintage in Florence (this is the store in which I bought my Fendi muffler) // a still from The Conformist // Tuxedo Mask // another still from The Conformist

02 Less is more. Not to be confused with the rule below, this applies more to the actual shopping experience. You should always be on the lookout for simple, versatile pieces that you can wear in a multitude of ways. (Keep this in mind—we'll be talking about it more next week!)
03 Accessorize within an inch of your life (but then take one thing off). It's super fun to stock up on vintage pocket squares, ties, scarves, tie clips, glasses cases, hats, etc., but exercise caution. I was thinking of maybe wearing a pocket square with this look, but then realized that's the definition of trying too hard.
04 Don't be afraid to mix decades. These pants are from the eighties and I think the blue velvet jacket is too, but together they help create a look that's totes old-school glamour. Cary Grant aficionados, eat your heart out.
05 Don't be afraid to wear lady clothes. These pants are actually lady pants. High-waisted and pleated, as God intended, yet I wouldn't have found them if I didn't shop both sides of the aisle.

[NOW PLAYING] HAERTS

The other night I was out with a friend in Williamsburg and we found ourselves, as gays in Williamsburg are wont to do, hanging out at Metropolitan. We met up with another one of his friends and the conversation quickly turned to music, but this was a music discussion amongst gays in bands in Brooklyn in 2014 and half of it flew over my head. Scratch that, all of it flew over my head. Like, soared over it like an eagle. A coked out Lindsay Lohan eagle trying to combust at the furthest reaches of the earth's atmosphere. Then I was asked what music I listen to. In these situations I'm usually like, "Hehe, like, everything? I mean, like, I don't know." I don't know why 'What kind of music are you into?' has always seemed like a loaded question to me, but there you have it. So today I'm getting over that fear and posting what I've been listening to virtually non-stop over the last week: the band Haerts.

Their EP came out last year; their sound is kinda 80's and it's kinda poppy and the vocals are really strong and there's a shoegaze-disco remix of two of the songs so I can die happy. I've been bouncing between All The Days and All The Days (Lissvik Remix) and Wings and the amazing Wings (Wildcat! Wildcat! Remix) [both below], which sounds like a deep cut from Au Revoir Simone's awesome remix LP Night Light (Snap! Lingo! What's a LP?) Anyway, yadda yadda I like 'em and you could check 'em out if you want. Also listening to the new Blood Orange album, duh, a lot of Lorde because I finally gave in to that and also also Rain's new single bitchessss. Ph. © Sumeja Tulic.

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THE ONLY RESOLUTION THAT MATTERS

Buy less. Way less. And never look back.

I was thinking I'd make a list of cute style resolutions for the new year, but what I really need to do—what I want to do—is scale back. Scale back on the buying and the lusting after and the continual process of convincing myself that if don't get this one thing then I'll simply die.

To convey how serious I am about this, I have culled from the internet this quote from Thoreau: “I make myself rich by making my wants few.” (That's Henry David Thoreau, not Justin Theroux—FYI. But here's a funny pic of Justin Theroux anyway, because the internet.)

Not that I'll ever quit shopping cold turkey—as a matter of fact, I may have just bought something online—but! But I had been watching that item like a hawk for the better part of three months and it was on sale for more than 50% off. See, I need to start making all of my purchases like that! Because whomever said hindsight is 20/20 was full of shit. In my experience, hindsight is a rose-tinted haze that leaves you longing for The One That Got Away, ever more eager to fill the Balenciaga blazer-shaped hole in your wardrobe. And now, a borderline completely irrelevant clip from Sex And the City that I felt like including, just because shopping.

Here is a list of things I'm currently lusting after that I probably definitely don't really need:

01 Asymmetrical cropped sweaters

02 White jeans (I mean, if I found a really good pair I'd say this could be an actual necessity)

03 Any tote that isn't a simple, black leather tote

04 Tops with "architectural" sleeves

05 Capelet

I love shopping, I do. But consumerism, like its “ism” counterparts “Reaganism” and/or “Communism,” is a tricky beast. You get into cycles and fall under the misapprehension that you have to have things and then forget to donate to Tsunami relief like an asshole. In 2014, I resolve to not be that asshole.

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TEAR SHEETS

I was home for the holidays last week, which is to say I was reunited with all of my crap...all of the magazines, all of the oversize printed shirts and overlooked awkward sweaters and pants that were hemmed too high and art from college and art from the years immediately after college (that looks like it's from middle school) and books (and yearbooks), knick-knacks and tchotchkes. Old plane tickets, old movie tickets, travel pamphlets, pay stubs, three pairs of scissors, a rogue beanie baby...what have you. I rooted through it all, trying to exorcise years of bad taste and questionable life choices, whittling it all down to one box that I wouldn't want to lose in a fire.

And then there are the tear sheets. From the magazines. The stacks and stacks of magazines, seven years worth of Personal Fashion History that I can't part with. This is just a sampling of that madness. Literally less than half of half of all the images I've pulled from W, Vogue Paris, Vogue Italia, V...Karlie, Christy, Kate, Eniko, Isabeli, Mariacarla and Daria, Daria, Daria. I'm thinking I might do a little video of my collection someday soon, partially to better explain myself and hopefully come across less like a hoarder and partially because I think, if you're reading this, that maybe you also have a stack or two of magazines laying around that you can't seem to let go of.

Also: I'm still doing this to organize a lot of my favorite clippings, mostly interiors though, and think it's far superior to keeping everything in a shoebox—Binder Finder makes these incredible wooden binders that I'm loving right now, in case you're in the market.

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ANNEMARIEKE VAN DRIMMELEN

Dutch photographer Annemarieke van Drimmelen is slaying me right now. I first saw her work in a Dutch Vogue spread and immediately fell in love with her moody, evocative portraits. You may also recognize her work for Rika Magazine, like that first shot of Caroline de Maigret. You can see more of her work here and find check out a bunch more of my current photographer crushes on Pinterest. Psst—also, in case you were wondering: first outfit post of the new year on Monday!

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Moodboard 0114

Here's something new I'll be trying this year—monthly moodboards! An attempt to put to better use all of the stuff I'm finding on Tumblr and Pinterest. January: (dis) and (re) orientation; new momentum. Sources, clockwise from top-left: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06.

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.

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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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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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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FRUIT FANCIES No. 9

Winter is here, y'all—and so, therefore, is coat season. This means that I, your #fblogger #fbuddy, am feeling compelled to tell you all about which coats are cute, which ones are lame, and which ones are kinda in between. Harken to my wisdom!

Coat Thom Browne // Bag WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie // Scarf Acne // Boots Saint Laurent // Jeans Balenciaga // Eau de Toilette Comme des Garçons

This look is super simple, which I love, and draws heavily on what I think of as classic English references—the houndstooth coat, the military boot, the less-classic-but-still-English "punk" skinny jean. It's pretty well monochromatic, which I get off on, and is super-luxe without being overtly so. Also, just for the record, that WANT clutch is actually pretty affordable (and totally gorgeous.) The EDT I literally only discovered this past weekend—I actually reworked my lil' collage here to fit it in. I am completely and totally consumed by desire for this frag. No joke. When I think about it, I want to touch myself, that's how good it is / LOLZ #TMI.

Another really good fragrance I recently discovered is Like This, Tilda Swinton's collaboration with Etat Libre d'Orange. It's Tilda, so obvs it's unisex, and it basically smells like the complete and total opposite of CDG Black—perfect for those days you don't want catching a whiff of your own wrist to incite overwhelming sexual desire. Anyway, while I love the Thom Browne coat, I think I may be leaning this season more toward really oversized lady coats.

Zara actually has a pretty nice, albeit overpriced, drape-y robe coat that's a little bit boner-inducing (and actually a wool/silk blend, natch.) I've told myself I'll get it the second it goes on sale...unless I find something better / actually cut for a small man and not a woman. Below you'll find Christophe Lemaire delivering his signature blend of casual cool, plus some other coats/jackets I'm into. Are you ready for coat weather? Or are you kind of over it already? Image sources on ma Pinterest, clockwise from top-left: 1, 2, 3, 4.