CURRENT OBSESSION

EASY RIDING THE FENCE

Look Good In Leather - Cody Ch...

So, I finally got my first leather jacket. I suppose I've been on the hunt for the perfect one for a few years now, as it is not a purchase one should just rush into. Drum roll please as I present it here....Mine is from Urban Behavior. I decided I had to have it after I toured their amazing LA showroom and it just spoke to me. It is the perfect length, the perfect feel (soft enough to roll the sleeves), and the perfect balance of simple design with the right amount of character.

Now, a leather jacket isn't quite a wardrobe staple, but more of a cherry on the top of a well styled one. Everyone can pull off a pea coat, but a leather jacket has equal potential to make a person look super cool (yay!) or like a super dork (yikes!).

Because of this double edged danger, finding the right one can be quite a journey...and it is only half the trouble. Before one even starts the hunt, they'll need to decide whether or not they even want to own one. So what we have here is not only just a style dilemma, but also a moral one.

Temple Grandin is all over the media these days thanks to HBO's biopic. Not just famous for having autism, Ms. Grandin made leaps and bounds in the humane treatment of the cattle she so dearly loved and related to. Humane is the key word here. Gaining headlines along with Temple is the term "Flexitarian." This is a newer idea in Vegetarianism where eating humanely raised meats is considered. The buzz word here is Sustainability. Is it better than fields of chemically and genetically altered veggies?

So, humane and sustain...I think I respect my coat enough to keep it around for a long time...the fact that I got a sweet deal on it helps too...I can absolve myself from any blood money guilt.

As for style...I have to admit that my main inspiration for wanting a coat as been deeply rooted in my early and thorough love for Grease 2. I desperately wanted to be a cool rider! Unfortunately, I was way more Stephanie Zinone than I was Michael Carrington. Now that I have grown up and into as much machismo as i can muster, I think my coat is the perfect marriage of both characters...

...and I suppose that too could be what I've always wanted...for this iconic couple to be together, or ever, and ever...

My coat makes me this happy.

STYLEPHILE - OBEY PROPAGANDA

FAIREY PLAY

This past weekend (Feb. 19th) was Shepard Fairey's opening reception at the Zaha Hadid designed Contemporary Art Center in my home town of Cincinnati, Ohio. To commemorate the event and his show "Supply and Demand" a limited edition poster (above) was created. Personally, I love it. I think it captures the architecture of the building, I'm into the mood of Communist propaganda, and it makes me proud of my little city...

The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II

Not only did we get a poster, but Cincinnati now plays host to a handful of his murals as well! Here is the artist braving the ice and snow to slap up some of his work at 13th and Main Streets. The party was a MADHOUSE with a line around the block...and down a block...and down another block... As frustrating as crowds can be, it was quite refreshing to see so many people in such a conservative town lined up to participate in something I assumed was so out of the box for them. Well, you know what they say about making ASSumptions.... The man himself DJ'ed a set and because the crowd was so large they kept the party going an extra hour and a half! Way to go CAC! Hope your prosecco hangovers weren't so bad...

Now, its funny how things always seem to line up. While shopping last week in LA, I was really impressed by the Obey Propaganda collection I saw at Atmosphere in Los Feliz. The line just keeps getting better and better!. Basic grey is one of my favorite colors for spring and Obey always has such good ones. The ultra thin sweatshirt (creature comforts crew) has to be at the top of my list of must haves...While they lack the bold graphic prints that really define the brand, the little pocket t-shirts and tanks are also amazing.

And while the jeans are terrific (loving that light blue wash!) the Juvee short are the way to go. How good is this?

ARTSY FARTSY

BUGGER OFF

Pheromone by artist Christopher Marley caught my eye recently. I'm fascinated by the continual struggle between man and nature, and this particular aesthetic posited by the entomologist/artist is a beautifully tight argument for harmony between the two. Part science project and part design concept, Marley hypnotically arranges these seemingly mystical creatures into lucid sense. The images really make you think of "Grand Design" on multiple levels.

This is not the only time actual insects have been used in art. Damien Hirst has long been utilizing butterflies in his remarkable (and my favorite) works. While Marley's work leans towards science, I think Hirst's references to religion are quite brilliant too.

But, if you aren't so crazy about real bugs, you can take the argument in a more abstract direction. Here are some examples of some ultra luxury items that can bug you out with out freaking you out...

VERSACE PLATE

CARTIER INSECT COLLECTION

Finally, If you don't like bugs at all, Marley has some FABULOUS things out of flowers, shells, fossils, and (love) minerals.

You can buy this one for me on the wesbite...

CURRENT OBSESSION

EYE SPY

If anyone saw Tom Ford's A Single Man, and I'm sure a ton of you did (and should) I'm sure you also saw the SWEATER that Nicholas Hoult (aka Kenny) was wearing. Now, the whole film was quite stunning, but any time that fuzzy cloud was on screen I was compelled to keep staring at it. It was really tense. I didn't know if I loved it or hated it. Finally, when he tore it off on the beach I had a minor panic attack about it getting covered in sand. Lucky for me it didn't creep into many more scenes, but it burned a deep, wonderful scar in my brain.

I have decided that I do indeed LURVE the sweater, and lucky for me Viktor & Rolf have done a tamer version of the fuzzy-wuzzy for Fall 10/11.

ANGORGEOUS.

HOME

TAKE A SEAT

I must confess, I DO love Antiques Roadshow. First, it has to be the subtle way cash is involved. They can put it on PBS, but it is still a game show. Second, the stories. Who doesn't enjoy a good Cinderella? I love when some random piece of history, because of some random twist of fate, goes from holding spare nuts and bolts in the basement to causing hysteria among auctioneers and appraisers (an assumed mellower crowd). Finally, sometimes you just see things that are cool that you never would have come across otherwise.

My secret affinity towards the show is now peeping out into my taste for furniture - much to my surprise. Typically a Knoll man, I was kinda confused the first time I looked at a silly little decorative chair and thought, "that's good."

I haven't really come to terms with patterned fabrics on them yet, though oversized geometric shapes could be good - like two or three block colors a - could be good, I'm really feeling the vibrant solids on these old school seats...

AU NATURALE

CHAI-TOWN

A friend of mine just informed me that January is even colder than December. The horror! I was so good keeping myself warm and fuzzy over the holidays, that I (sugar)plumb forgot that the new year does not mark a new season. Well, ready or not, I'm gonna move on...

I'm currently ready to slide into some Spring '10 by Mr. Richard Chai. GQ calls the look "deceptively simple looking, but built with inventive structuring and stitching." I can't disagree. And, what better place to wear these structural wonders than on the perfect balcony?!

Goodbye Romeo's skinny jeans, hello modern romance. I'm thinking more of a Juliet meets Pip, and they live in Miss Havisham's house playing out an Evita scenario...

All these balconies are from Philadelphia so maybe your could toss in a little bit of Rocky Balboa attitude, mixed with some founding fathers' snobbery? How's that lookin'...?

...Perfect.

CURRENT OBSESSION

'TIS THE SEASON

Last minute gift ideas are always appreciated, so I submit to you the newest tees from Peter vs. Toby - a sexy little line from down under that has quickly become a personal fave. While T-shirts may seem like a no-brainer, finding the perfect graphic shirt is always a pain in the A+. These are so fun...AND while the prints are universal, they wont be omnipresent.

AU NATURALE

KNITTA PLEASE

Undone -- The Sweater Song (Al...

It is getting BLUSTERY out there! It only took a few months for winter to catch up with me (I guess global warming is good for some things), and now that we are mid-holidays, the chill + the invites to Ugly Sweater Parties = me rethinking the "Holiday Sweater."

I'm a fan of bold. I love color, and I'm feeling big/chunky knits right now. The flip side is that a bold sweater can say a lot or even a little too much, think Bill Cosby. So, how do you manage to stay bold yet not step on anyones eyes?

I found some inspiration in what is called "Urban Knitting" or "Yarn Bombing!" This amazing little graffiti trend is popping up all over the glob and knocking my F* socks off! The daring, bold and deliberate nature of this knitting is so awe inspiring; not only for what it brings to the streets, but also for its ability to really have fun and play with urban icons.

clockwise: Les Hommes, Gianfranco Ferre, Missoni, Robert Geller, Thom Browne, Miharayasuhiro

Now, getting back to the sweaters...or seasonal icons...I'm taking a lesson from these urban knitters and going bold and brave and knitted this fall! Here are some amazing feats done with just two sticks, some yarn, and a lot of imagination...oh, and the yarn-bombing isn't half bad either...

Alexander McQueen

Etro

Vivienne Westwood

Missoni

ARTSY FARTSY

FIGURINES

I am a sucker for a good figurine. I like the kitch, I like the chotch, and I like how looking at cute little things can spark up memories a lot better than a picture on a desk or table or shelf could. Above is "Duckie." Inspired by my ex who pointed out that this smug little expression was just the look I always make, he is one of my very favorites.

I'm not the only one on Team Figurine. While my argument for them is based on the meaning you put into them, Barnaby Bradford makes a great argument for the inherent meaning they can seemingly possess and the exquisite irony that can manifest from them. Below are two pieces from his collection The Good, The Bad, The Belle.

Do It Again, I Didn't Press Record

According to the 31-year-old, the works in his collection were developed to represent today's youth and how it is usually seen by the older generation.

The artists said: "It's been interesting to see different people's reactions to the models. Some people think they're horrific and others think they're funny. I think people are shocked because the models catch them off guard - they're seeing these usually traditional, pretty porcelain models in a totally new context."

He acquires the original porcelain models from car-boot sales as well as from charity shops. Then Mr. Barford dismantles them and starts transforming the "naive" image of childhood into more humorous and contemporary image of today's kids, equipping his figures with modern attributes like mobile phones and fast-food meals, which he thoroughly makes. SOURCE

Happy Meal

CUTE.

CURRENT OBSESSION

PETE RANDY

Photo: Justino Esteves

I am loving on this artist right now. Not only is he super stylish (check out the interview/shoot on homotography), but he has a song called Merman! This former frontman of Belgian band Dandy Boy is right on point. Next stop for me? Antwerp!

PR-ESS

VMAN Magazine issue #16 on newsstands November 17th

Milan Vukmirovic, creative director of Trussardi 1911 styles and photographs a collection of his own. Starring model Simone Bredariol of D’Men, we get another look at the colorful spring range that takes into account a lighter, more vibrant mood – illustrating a willingness to explore and be playful within the realms of menswear.

Don't you just love feathers? www.vman.com

STYLEPHILE - ATO s/s 2010

ATO-MIC

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)

Spring and Fall:

to a Young Child

Margaret, are you grieving

Over Goldengrove unleaving?

Leaves, like the things of man, you

With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?

Ah! as the heart grows older

It will come to such sights colder

By and by, nor spare a sigh

Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;

And yet you will weep and know why.

Now no matter, child, the name:

Sorrow's springs are the same.

Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed

What héart héard of, ghóst guéssed:

It is the blight man was born for,

It is Margaret you mourn for.

p.s. how cute is ethan james?!

CURRENT OBSESSION

WICKED GOOD

I like when you find good things in ironic places. It has been hard for me to find perfect obsessions recently since I seem to always be looking in the same places and it all starts to look the same...

Enter the L.L. Bean catalog. I was mindlessly flipping through it while waiting in a friend's parent's living room (I mean, I had already exhausted the Pottery Barn Kids) and these popped out at me!

They are kind of an extension of these leggings from forever ago (ok, less than a year) and I can totally imagine myself stalking prey in them. They are a little yuppy, a little white trash, a little Where the Wild Things Are, and a little bit Guns N Ammo...and they are actually called the Wicked Good Moccasins!!! ...Does the prez of L.L. know what the interns are getting up to over there in Maine? I LOVES.