I LOOKED AT THE SUN THROUGH FILTERS
November 14, 2009
We hope to keep this winter’s drear away by evoking the warm, breezy, fuzziness of the better bits & pieces of the euro-lounge revival of the mid-90s, ushered in most interestingly by the era’s darlings, Stereolab (think 1996’s Emperor Tomato Ketchup). Stateside, the sartorial mood continues to hover between fuzzy-faced grunge revival and the Americana traditionalists (not that we don’t love boutiques like Odin or lines by Rag & Bone—we do, but it’s starting to get stuffy in here!). While the boys continue to play dress-up with the detritus of nu-rave tribal and grunge for the first time around, and the men continue to beat the trad thoroughbred horse to death, sipping classic cocktails, and watching Mad Men in their Thom Browne, we have our sites set on something, well a bit more colorful, a bit less pensive, a bit more euro, a bit more high-fi. The mid-90s was an era much more optimistic than the recession-shrouded present. There was the feeling that an intelligent technology was going to change the world in brilliant ways, and it was! Stereolab’s sci-fi, day-glow tinted point of view was all right for the times, and the fashions. We are starting to see nods here & there to the era—Marni’s Spring 2010 line with those round, space-age sunglasses and Dries Van Noten with the amorphous post-op-art prints, and even a little bit with Marc Jacobs with the mylar and polka dot sportiness of his latest collection. At any rate, it’s a mood we hope to feel and see more of! Cull your inspiration from Stereolab’s 1996 video for their single Fluorescences. Annitian tri-colour sweater (wok-store.com), acetate sunglasses by Marni, Philip Lim Box T-Shirt (Refinery 29 Shops), wool trousers (Uniqlo), blue border shoes by Lanvin (colette.fr), Arne & Carlos scarf (via Alogha Rag), and Flouro ski beanie (Topman). To be vacuous. To be infinite.
HARLEM MAGIC
November 12, 2009
What? Did you think we had died or something. Please. We have merely been spending the past three (okay four) months packing up our atelier (okay virtual atelier) and schlepping it 3000 miles across the great, vast USA from San Francisco to New York. There have been postal addresses to change, brownstones to furnish, and closets to fill (seasons!), and our new nabe to celebrate—Harlem, USA. Besides, if you make yourself scarce enough, people will take notice when you return. Wink. Wink. South Harlem’s Mount Morris Park Historic District is a bastion of new inspiration and a delight to call home. So, gents (and lady gents), when you are next in New York, be sure to make it Uptown. Don’t believe the guide books or boring New Yorkers who tell you not to venture past 86th street (and, especially ignore those passe fools who believe the only culture to be had is below 14th) because Uptown is in the throes of a new Renaissance. Just keep that information on the downlow–we don’t wish to spread the magic too thin. Suit by Harlem resident extraordinaire and designer-to-watch Jose Duran, overcoat by Haversack General Garments (via oki-ni.com), Bolan Boot by Fiorentini+Baker (Gimme Shoes), Heattech Turtle Neck in Brown (Uniqlo), Fred Perry Trilby Hat (via oki-ni.com), and keep an eye on Harlem’s fashion-forward with N Boutique, slated to open this winter at 171 Lennox Ave. For inspiration, check out art by Harlem Renaissance descendent Romare Bearden (his Illusionist at 4pm from 1967 pictured above).
FIREWORKS
July 4, 2009
Fourth of July. 1947. Los Angeles, California. While the denizens of the City of Angels gather to marvel at the tableau of pyrotechnics unfolding beyond the palm trees, you—cast between flashes of light and darkness—are suspended in a feverish teenage dream. In your hypnosis, you walk a tight rope through your own unconscious. Along the way, riddles become visions and logic gives way to magick. Untracing the symbols projected on your body, you enter the portal marked “GENTS,” leading you to the light along the salty waves crashing against ancient shores. Cotton shirt with vintage polka dot lining (Atelier New York), Indigo Classic Button Fly Jeans (Jean Shop), White Lace-Up Oxfords (Rachel Comey via Gimme Shoes), and add some provocative mystery to this classic look with a Silver Agate Stone Neck Ring (Authentic Africa). See Kenneth Anger’s avant-garde short film Fireworks for inspiration (available from Criterion Collection).
CHROME’S ON IT
June 30, 2009
If you haven’t heard of Brooklyn-based Telepathe, well, you obviously haven’t been paying attention. While “the next big thing” rarely delivers very much at all, especially in the music BIZ—these ladies have paid their dues for years, striving for something out of the realm of the ordinary while still keeping dancefloors off the m-eff-freak-n chain. We’re thrilled to see them making waves in the otherwise snoozey indie-electro circuits of late—and just in time for summer. Afterall—whether you’re summering uptown, downtown, or out of town—shouldn’t summers be rioutous, danceable, and just a bit dangerous! Oui Oui Oui! Pair those Henrik Vibskov Africa pants (via Aloha Rag) with an unexpected pair of pristine patent oxfords (Yves Saint Laurent via Browns), a Vivienne Westwood Marl Sweater (a la Boheme) with just the right balance of construction and deconstruction, and a multi-colored beaded choker (from New High Mart), and Williamsburg becomes…well, Williamsburg—but with three months of sunkissed-days, blissed-out nights, and a brand new beat. Download Telepathe’s Dance Mother—the summer begins right now!
LITTLE ASHES
June 27, 2009
It is 1925 and you are visiting Dalí and Ana María in Cadaqués. The days are filled with the magic of the Mediterranean sun, the echoing sea, and breathtaking bicycle sojourns through the lush hills with your mate—the great Dalí! These are days when life is art and poetry is written with each breath. Oh, to be alive with the beauty of youth and intellect and passion! In your great cinematic dramatist mind, you record it all, every moment, every flash of light, each tickle of the wind. Upon your return to Madrid, you will unleash Oda a Salvador Dalí to the world, for you are Federico García Lorca and you have just accepted an invitation to a dream. Low-rise hemp chinos (rawganique.com), classic white linen shirt (Banana Republic), Italian Spectator shoe (jpeterman.com), Barathea brace in khaki via Albert Thurston, and a vintage pale yellow tie, to be worn loosely on an open collar, will complete the mood of carefree elegance amid the splendor of youth and romance. For inspiration, see director Paul Morrison’s film, Little Ashes, or take a copy of Lorca’s Selected Verse with you to the nearest secluded beach.
BUSTER BLUE
March 10, 2009
“No man can be a genius in slapshoes and a flat hat.” We beg to differ. Behind the gags, this Great Stone Face was actually a great dreamboat! Buster Keaton surprisingly brought elegance and intelligence to all the slapstick goofiness, and in our book, he’s THE comedic looker of the silent era. With his signature porkpie (all of which he designed and fabricated himself throughout his career), he’s our man of inspiration this spring–besides, we could use a few good laughs! Vegan Dennis shoe in black by Novacas (mooshoes.com), Raf Simons white shirt (Sarah Coggles), Lova tropical weight jacket in black (eluxury.com), Peckham Rye silk tie (Browns), and an exclusive felt Buster-style porkpie hat in steel grey (busterstuff.com).
TICKLEY FEATHER
December 26, 2008
We’ve got magic inside our bones somewhere…at least when we keep Tickley Feather in our Last.fm rotation! The swirling colors, big fluffy skies, and tingling breezes of spring haunt us this winter inside crumbling mansions of a new historicism—and we like love it! Annie Sachs charms us with the obscured aerial murkiness of an afternoon daydream as we watch the ice form on the daffodils. Keep winter dreamy with an alpaca fringe scarf and Stodja hat in charcoal grey (Atsui Tokyo), Guidi Schnürstiefel boots (Andreas Murkudis), a Dries Van Noten purple cardigan (South Willard), Henrik Vibskov striped trousers (Kronkron), and be sure to add Tickley Feather’s debut to your iTunes.
PORTLANDIA
December 21, 2008
Where the evergreens gently penetrate clouds of greying skies, sending tickley, dewey mists across the verdant meadows and hills; where there are never too many great books or cups of coffee; where progress is an art and art is progressive; where architecture and environment are one and the same; where Walt Curtis channels the ghost of Walt Whitman; where the forest and the city coexist–Portland is sublime! Go there immediately, and when you do, don’t forget your faux fur-collared jacket in olive from A.P.C., French Farmer’s Shirt & Donegal Trousers via J. Peterman, Hobo shoes from Esquivel, and a practical tote for transporting your favorite records–rooms at the Ace Hotel come equipped with turntables. We love Portland!
MEDIUM COOL
August 30, 2008
With the 2008 Democratic National Convention just behind us, and a newly unified and stronger-than-ever Democratic Party rallying behind the charisma and inspiring voice of Barack Obama, we are wholly embracing the urgent message of change. Haskell Wexler’s 1969 film Medium Cool, set in the summer of 1968 and leading up to that year’s tumultuous Democratic Convention, depicts a conflicted nation where issues of race, gender, war and political violence are thrust to the forefront in a collision of the generations. Old guard versus new vision, and the battle of myth and reality in a race for the securing of the American Dream—either of the past, or the future. We’re banking on the future! Yes you can, with this blue tartan blazer by Alexander McQueen (Browns), William Rast vintage jeans (Bergdorf Goodman), slim fit polka dot shirt by John Anthony (www.john-anthony.com), vegan faux suede oxfords crafted in Portugal (via mooshoes.com), and Band of Outsiders navy and white bow tie (www.exluxury.com). Check out the original trailer for Medium Cool at YouTube and secure your own piece of American history by ordering your own copy here.
MILK PLUS SOMETHING ELSE
August 16, 2008
Post Ludovico technique: your nights sipping moloko plus at the Korova Milkbar with droogies Pete and Georgie are all over. These days, you’ve traded your tower block fascist dystopia for a comfy modular Shangri-La, whiling away the hours listening to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and exercising your free will with clean lines and geometric liberty. In an act of aesthetic violence, slaughter the streets with a Stanley Kubric tee and Dick Day red sneakers (via Freudian Kicks), white fatigue-style trousers (A.P.C.) and Andrea Bronzi “Out Time” Alessi watch in red (nova68.com).