We recently ventured to Bushwick to catch a glimpse of the Brooklyn Artillery Art Fair, which promised to be “our answer to the art fairs of Basel and Armory, but more than that… a cache of ongoing creative events and happenings that will take place throughout the building and neighborhood.” We expected the multi-gallery show to be similar to many of the Bushwick art fairs and open showings we’d been to in the past — disorganized and housed in a dingy space, with nary a curator to be seen. However, when we arrived at Castle Braid, we found a group of bright young creatives all working towards a goal of forming a true artists collective in Bushwick, something rare if not extinct in this modern age. Read More »
Last Thursday’s Fashion’s Night Out was a citywide event wherein select stores agreed to keep their doors open till 12 a.m. while providing free drinks and entertainment to shoppers — all as a part of a larger plan by the CFDA and the fashion industry to increase consumers interest in spending. One of the most anticipated stops for shoppers was Opening Ceremony, which promised a block party featuring food, music, and the transformation of their Howard Street storefront into a “friendly neighborhood sidewalk shop.” Read More »
photo courtesy of Lauren Van Haaften-Schick
Lower Manhattan is full of construction projects, and as development slows due to the economic crisis temporary eyesores have become permanent fixtures. This is the reason why the The Alliance for Downtown New York came up with The Re:Construction Initiative, a project which recasts construction sites as canvases for public art. They’ve commissioned several projects over the next few years to beautify lower Manhattan, including four new art installations at construction sites which they hope will “bring color, movement and scenic beauty to downtown streetscapes.” Brought in to curate this exciting new project is BravinLee Programs, the brainchild of partners Karin Bravin and John Lee, who run their namesake gallery in Chelsea full time. We spoke with Bravin about this new project, and why she wants to make downtown a little bit prettier to walk through. Read More »
Jaume Collet-Serra’s horror film Orphan is a demented masterpiece not to be missed. An ode to clichés past, it proves enjoyable not only for its truly bizarre ending, but also due to the child antagonist’s electrifying sense of fashion. On Cat Party they describe Orphan‘s style as “one part Madeline, one part Anna Karina,” though we believe the faux Russian accents place this demon seed squarely in Anna Karenina territory. Regardless, it got us thinking about some of the other fashionable leading ladies of horror films past and how to recreate their looks today. Read More »
Men’s fashion week in New York featured many exciting events happening throughout town, but one in particular drew interest from those hoping to find out what we’ll be seeing from emerging designers next spring. With versions also happening in Paris and Las Vegas, the New York (capsule) show grew this year from a single venue at the Angel Orensanz center to a Lower East Side takeover with neighboring retailers offering discounts and events, and a pop-up gallery on Houston Street featuring live bands, a ‘zine station, an appearance by Bowery Bicycles, and more. Co-founder Edina Sultanik sat down with us to discuss why she started the event, where she sees it going, and whether there is an end in sight for all this neon fashion. Read More »
Last week Refinery29.com came up a list of some of their favorite female rockstar fashion muses, which got us thinking about our all-time favorite males. Though purists would say Buddy Holly, with his much imitated horn-rimmed glasses and nice-guy cardigans, was one of the first recognizably chic and marketable rock stars, it wasn’t really until the invention of MTV in the ’80s that viewers began to identify with the “rock star aesthetic” and become tastemakers themselves. Read More »
Over the weekend Flavorpill took a trip to the Met to check out the much-hyped The Model as Muse exhibit currently on view, which is being sponsored by Marc Jacobs in partnership with Conde Nast. The show is a tribute not just to iconic fashion photography, which has made the glossy magazines of today the titans they have become, but also the models who inspired these images. From the timeless elegance of Richard Avedon’s editorial work with Dorian Leigh, to the almost mythical “Trinity” of Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, the influence of the supermodel as a source of inspiration is doubtless. What IS open to speculation is the manner in which the Costume Institute chose to curate the show. Our full review, after the jump.
Read More »
The high-end retail environment is baring the brunt of consumers’ recession-induced hesitation to spend. The blood-bath clearance sales post holidays were said to be a “once in a lifetime event,” with rumors of bargain bins filled to the brim with last season Marc Jacobs hand bags going for Marc by Marc prices. This past month, Henri Bendel announced that it was scrapping its retail department all together and reducing its store to the two most lucrative floors — jewelry and cosmetics. Institutions like Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York are also feeling the pinch of a new economy, with staggering losses reported last quarter. Read More »
When you mention German nudes, Dürer’s portraits of Rubenesque women lounging au natural rather than naked hiking comes to mind. But to many in Teutonic speaking countries, the idea of Germans and nudity is synonymous. It’s a common idea that the very origin of nudism comes from Germany, ushered in as part of the 19th century movement of FKK (Freikoerperkultur) — free body culture. Nudity seems to be so ingrained in German popular culture that recently there have been plans to start an all-nude German hotel. Read More »
I’m no stranger to lavish weddings. When I graduated college I took a summer job as a banquet caterer, serving at $60,000 to $200,000 receptions. While the bride and groom always insisted on having a “hand tailored” and “unique” wedding, most of them ended up looking exactly the same to an outsider. Which explains why the trend of “alterna” weddings (smaller weddings often held in unusual locations, with zany themes) has skyrocketed in popularity in the last 10 years. Read More »
