New York based artist Wallace Whitney has a new solo show opening at Horton Gallery in New York. ‘Dream Feed’ opens on Thursday October 14, 6-8pm and runs through November 13, 2010. 504 West 22nd Street, Parlor Level, New York, NY 10011 T: 212-243-2663 www.hortongallery.com
Founder and creative director François Nars will debut a limited edition NARS Bento Box Set just in time for the holidays. Inside the handmade bento box are two Kabuki cups hand-poured with a new exclusive-to-NARS lipstick formula in highly pigmented shades containing Vitamin E. Only one thousand sets were created for sale in the United States and just over two thousand in total were created worldwide. The set will be available November 1st for $125 at narscosmetics.com. This Spring Nars will also launch the brand’s first flagship boutique located at 413 Bleecker Street.
I love Belle and Sebastian. To me they are the better version of Morrissey and The Smiths which I admittedly never liked when I as in high school (though I really love the video for the song ‘Panic’). I think Jack Black put it beautifully in Nick Hornby’s film version of High Fidelity when he called it “sad bastard music” in his genius opening monologue, one of my all time favorite scenes in a film full of brilliant gems. Granted ‘sad bastard music’ may sound somewhat derogatory but I think not. There is nothing wrong with sad bastard music, especially when it makes you sublimely happy. Yes, an oxymoron for sure but what isn’t these days. Plus, how genius is that line, “sad bastard music”. It all just makes me happy. Their new album Write About Love comes out today in the US.
Hawaii has always had a magical aura and gotten its fair share of attention, especially as of late. The new Hawaii Five 0 is the number one show in America at the moment and now there is one more reason to hop a plane and rub shoulders with their gorgeous cast. The Waikiki Edition hotel, a partnership between Marriott International and hotelier Ian Schrager, had its soft opening a week ago and a grand opening will take place this weekend on October 15th. It is only appropriate that the multi talented actress Taryn Manning inaugurate the opening by DJ’ing the event. Taryn plays Steve McGarrett’s sister Mary Ann McGarrett on the reincarnation of Hawaii Five 0 and her much anticipated first episode aired last night to loud applause and appreciation. The new boutique property features a private beach, a nightclub and full service spa, along with a restaurant by Masaharu Morimoto as well as an outdoor movie theater and ballroom. The Waikiki property is the first of the Edition hotels to open and will be followed by the Istanbul Edition in Turkey opening later this year with other Edition hotels planned for Mexico City, Barcelona and Bangkok.
G-Star RAW Sustainable collection for Spring/Summer 2011 is well done, well priced, wearable and best of all contributes to our never ending dialogue on the environment and reducing consumption on one level even as we promote it on another. The line reduces the use of conventional cotton and is comprised of three small lines, each with its own specifics: RAW Organic (blue label), RAW Nettle (green label) and RAW Recycled (orange label). RAW Organic uses only natural processes during manufacturing, minimizing the need for pesticides and other pollutants. RAW Nettle combines organic cotton with nettle plant fibers, to create a heavily reduced environmental footprint, while RAW Recycled blends post-consumer denim waste that has been broken down into cotton fibers with organic cotton to give a second life to the original material. These pieces along with the full G-Star Raw collection will be available at the LA store at 7966 Melrose Ave between Hayworth and Edinburgh and online. G Star is also opening three new West Coast stores over the next few weeks.
Kim Kardashian is the cover subject of the November issue of W magazine, their third annual Art Issue. The cover is described as an artwork by the always-brilliant conceptual artist Barbara Kruger who has added her signature stark verbal graphics onto a photograph by Mark Seliger. This is undoubtedly the only way W can get away with having Ms. Kardashian as the cover subject is by excusing it with the Art Issue. Kudos to W for attempting to attach cultural relevance to a cover subject which has very little to say that is at all relevant. Inside, a portfolio by Mark Seliger features Kim Kardashian dipped in silver paint and inspired by artist Jeff Koons‘ Silver Bunny and of artists Gilbert & George’s Singing Sculpture. This begs the issue of what is really art and who gets to decide. And perhaps that is the point. We know Ms. Kardashian increases newsstand sales within a certain demographic and with the Art Issue W‘s editors can shamelessly increase those much needed newsstand sales while grinning sheepishly behind the guise of “art”. Well done. Jeff Koons was once married to an Italian porn star so there seem to be lots of dots to connect here.
I’m a little obsessed with the song ‘Buttercups’ by Fran Healy from the band Travis. ‘Buttercups’ is the first single from his debut solo album Wreckorder, that just came out on October 5th. Fran Healy is playing this Monday night at Bardot in Hollywood.
Jil Sander Spring Summer 2011 and Maurizio Pecoraro Spring Summer 2011, Above
Rochas and Gregory Parkinson, Above, Stella McCartney and Vanessa Bruno, Below
This is one of my favorite shoots I did in 2003 for Russian Elle. It was a simple idea and before the days of digital so all of it was shot on my vintage Rolleiflex and a newer 2 1/4 film camera. It was raining or drizzling almost the entire day but that ended up working out great because it created this beautiful reflection. I didn’t have any lights so everything was natural and I wanted to use the rooftop view as a make shift studio backdrop and was standing with my camera below the model, shooting through an open window on the top floor of the building. The dress above is Yves Saint Laurent and the one below is Valentino, both straight off the Paris runways which is where I had just seen the collections a few weeks prior to this shoot. I still love the gorgeous green color and the cut of it, the way the wind caught it perfectly for me. Even when it seems mother nature is working against you, in the end, everything always works out the way it should.
When I was in high school all the hot guys wore Polo by Ralph Lauren. It scented the hallways and classrooms with it’s preppy take on high school boys of every variety and still takes me back to stolen glances and the anticipation of a crush. Last night Ralph Lauren celebrated the launch of the Big Pony Fragrance Collection in LA at Chateau Marmont with a dinner hosted by the cute boys of One Republic. There are four scents in the collection all with a slightly familiar feel but done in a new way. The Sporty Fragrance with Lime and Grapefruit, The Seductive Fragrance with Dark Chocolate and Musk, The Adventurous Fragrance with Mint and Ginger Root and The Stylish Fragrance with Mandarin and Kyarawood. Carolynn Spence, the Chateau’s amazing chef, prepared a four course dinner with elements of all of the above for each course. One Republic not only serve as the unofficial spokesmen for the fragrances but provided the track for the new ad shot by Bruce Weber.
