by Christian Lacroix (2007)

If Christian Lacroix wants to talk fashion, I am listening, or in the case of the exquisite and inspiring Christian Lacroix on Fashion, I am looking. I found this all color coffee table book for a surprisingly cheap 25 at a local shop and have been gazing at the contents ever since. Any fan of incredibly detailed clothing and sartorial history will find themselves equally transfixed.

Divided into themes like “colour” ( “The red that I love to use everywhere… comes from my mother.. She always dressed me in red, or at least a touch of red, which had a cheering effect”), “Checks, plaids and tartans” (“Eccentric yet conservative, checks and their Scottish cousin, tartan, re the essential embodiment of British dandy chic.”), “ceremony”, “graphics”, “patchwork”, “cobwebs”, “black”… the book features short, colorful descriptions and beautiful photographs of beautiful clothing.

From ivory garden party dresses from the 1900s, capes from the 1880s, the work of Mainbocher, Chanel, Gres, YSL, Heim, Vionnet, Worth, Dior, Rabanne, Ungaro, Balenciaga and of course, many from Lacroix himself – there is so much style here it will make your toes curl with excitement.

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The Great Stone Face

Buster Keaton has been called “as beautiful but as inhuman as a butterfly” a fitting and poetic description of my personal favorite comedian of his time and genre. While his life was not all roses (he struggled with alcoholism) his work was influential and bring happiness to many.

His heyday was the 1920s but he continued to work well into his later life. My personal favorite appearance is as one of the “Waxworks” in Sunset Boulevard.

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124 Meserole Ave. Greenpoint, Brooklyn

I feel bad – Our neighbors, Greenpoint’s Eat Cafe,  deserves a much better representation than this grainy, dim iphone images, but my camera batteries were dead and Shaun came to my rescue with his phone, so please forgive me. It’s a particular shame considering how lovely a picture the dishes would make. Fresh vegetables, flowering greens, and other delights adorn the plates of Jordan Colon, owner chef and part time farmer.

Rustic and laid back, the one time record shop has an informal feel. The space is unfettered with a soundtrack, warmly dim, and sparse. There is no wait staff, just an order window with the ever changing locavore menu posted on chalkboard next to it. We opted for the suggestion of splitting the entire menu: a yogurt beet soup that was my favorite of the night – I wish I had a bucket in my freezer, a homemade wheat focaccia with a strong melted cheese and garlicky greens, a green spelt salad, potato gnocchi with asparagus and a wonderfully maple slathered apple tart with a bunch of cute and sweet fresh garden strawberries atop. It fed the two of us well. I also recommend an iced tea to wash it all down, or take advantage of the byob policy.

The menu will definitely quench the taste of the healthier crowd and even with a small list of items, has plenty (actually all during this visit) of options for veggies.

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at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

I will always be giddily happy with any museum or gallery show that lets me ogle unbelievable bead work, divine draping, stunning silhouettes, and incredible fabrics. The vintage clothes, from the 1900s to the 1940s presented with great headpieces and backdrops at the Met’s American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity made me and friend Stacy dizzy with pleasure and whispering about details we col hardly contain our excitement about.

Still, like all the fashion oriented shows at the Met, it was not without its flaws. I can only guess that the Costume Institute is limited in its funds compared to other wings, because the shows are always boxed off into some very tight corridors that become at times wildly packed with visitors exclaiming that “no one would really wear that” (ha!). Any room with video playing gets instantly bottle-necked and with no room to really stand back from the garments, much patience is needed to get a good, unobstructed view.

We were a little surprised to find the first “Heiress” room filled exclusively with Worths (not that we’d say no to a Worth or, pun intended under estimate his Worth as one of the most amazing couturiers if his time) but there were other designers of the era. The room for the suffragettes pretty much screamed “boring!” – all the wool suits were pushed in the corners with little fanfare, but my biggest gripe was the abrupt and undignified end. After the dreamy Starlet clothes of the  and 40s, we’re accosted by a bright screen of alternating images of modern beauties (like Jennifer Aniston, of course) and a blaring loop of the title sharing Lenny Kravitz song. After all this dimly lit beauty what were they trying to say? That true style ended in the over 60 years ago and now it’s all pop and noise? Probably not the intention.

Still, with the unusual limited time frame of the show (would have assumed The American Woman had some sartorial significance for the past few decades) and the limits of the space, once again The Met delivered with the actual clothes and styling, both amazing. Worth a visit before it closes August 1.

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Vintage Heaven Online

The Frock has, for years and years been one of my favorite places to look at truly stunning vintage clothing online, dreaming of where I’d wear each piece to. Run by artist, former paralegal and man of great taste Christian Madrigal, the site grew out of a colletion of Edwardian capes gone wild. Since then, it’s a beloved source of vintage for film makers, magazines, and the rich and famous – Dita Von Teese names it her favorite spot for vintage. Below/after the jump are just a few favorites (including an Oleg Cassini that would be my wedding dress number two if I were allowed to remarry Jim every few years and a Mary Quant that I actually unwittingly own – it’s without a tag), but there are hours of browsing to be had on the site and if you have a special occasion that calls for a bank breaking gown, look no further.

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directed by Kathryn Bigelow (2008)

There’s not too much I can add to the dialogue about Kathryn Bigelow’s little movie that could, The Hurt Locker. It’s won almost every critical award, including the Oscar for best picture and when I say it’s suspenseful, spare, intriguing, action packed, and phenomenal, I am sure a thousand other people have said it before me. Of course, the hype doesn’t make any of the praise any less true. It’s a great movie worthy of it’s reputation.

The only thing I can possibly disagree with is the surprise. Jim and I have always known that Bigelow knows how to direct action!! – her Point Break foot chase is one of the best chases put to screen. I was surprised however by the cast of cameos in the film who alongside the less recognizable actors fleshed out realistic human beings without the “character establishing” tropes of most Hollywood movies in place.

You’ve probably already seen it, but if not, it’s well worth your time.

by Dio (1983)

Green screen demons (in this case a demon named Murray, the bad’s mascot), two handed swords, battle axes, Barbarians, rats and cat eyed monks – yes, Dio’s Holy Diver has many things to comend it as one of the greatest metal videos of all time.

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Metal Royalty

If you’ve ever done the heavy metal devil horns hand sign (and I am pretty sure you have) you must give thanks to this man, Ronnie James Dio, who popularized it after taking cues from his grandmother, who used the gesture to ward off the evil eye. The powerfully voiced and long locked frontman to Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio, Dio passed away last week after an up and down struggle with stomach cancer.

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