Style Icons: Female,Style Icons: Male »Best of Couture

Oh Givenchy, you make me so very happy. Poodle ladies by the river… it doesn’t sound glamorous, but the photo speaks for itself.

Chanel hasn’t been my favorite lately, but this collection had so many awesome looks I had a hard time picking. I went with this all black number that made me think of Isabelle Adjani in the mid 1980’s.

Because I’ve never forgiven the Halle Berry monstrosity that everyone was shitting themselves over, Elie Saab has never been a favorite. But there’s no denying there were some exquisite gowns this collection such as this one seems to float on the model even as it’s elaborately embellished.

Frankly, I liked Giambattista Valli’s resort collection more, this over the top finale is pretty grand.

Not totally sure how I feel about Dior, it calls to mind Lacroix of the late 80’s but with different silhouettes and less shiny stuff. This look is pretty great though.

Now, usually when I see an Armani show, I prepare myself for 800 looks all in slate grey, mostly pant suits, but I was surprised with the Japanese inspired collection and found a lot of the quirky looks very nice.

Azzedine Alaïa gave us some great shapes with his collection like this narrow waist feathered jacket.

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Posted on July 20, 2011

Places to Visit »Block Island

Off the Coast of Rhode Island

Block Island is not the easiest place to get to (it requires a ferry ride and a reserved spot for your car about a year in advance) but once you’ve arrived the long journey is forgotten and only peaceful, lazy, summery thoughts fill your head.

Most of our days were spent with the family at our rental house (PS, do NOT rent from Phillips Realty lest you want a bunch of bogus charges) where we bbq-d, fed the local ducks, and Van, showing his true city kid ways, found himself weary of this thing you call “grass” and a lover of trees.

Otherwise we could be found dining on seafood (see my wrap up here) and at “Baby Beach” a beautiful stretch of sand you’ll find underneath the Stephen King-esque abandoned Surf Hotel.

It’s the beach closest to town on that side and is perfect for babies and children (hence the name) because the water is calm, the waves gentle.

We loved spending afternoons here, Van especially, who was kicking and giggling in the ocean so much he had to take a beach nap with his pops.

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Posted on July 19, 2011

Songs »She Was Born To Be My Unicorn

by Tyrannosaurus Rex (1969)

We all know and love Marc Bolan and T Rex as a glam band but I was pleasantly surprised when Pandora offered up some early folky stuff.

It’s stunning how contemporary this song sounds, and with a title like She Was Born To Be My Unicorn, echoing the rebirth of the kind of new, wealthy, witchy hippiedom that draws pretty girls to maxi skirts and tarot readings, I’d be less than shocked if this ends up playing the next time I am at a hip coffee shop/cocktail bar/tapas place.

It happened with Pentagle and I never expected to hear that outside our apartment.

Sadly I’ve found the album not easily available.

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Posted on July 19, 2011

Drinks,Spend a Couple Hours »Sherry Tasting at Brooklyn Kitchen

100 Frost St, Brooklyn

All you know about Sherry is wrong.

Or, scratch that, all you know about Sherry is right, it is syrupy, weird and usually can be found sitting for decades in a grandmother’s cabinet, BUT there’s so much more to Sherry than that as I found out at a recent Brooklyn Kitchen Sherry Tasting and Class.

Because of age old laws, only over turned in the 1990’s, Sherry makers didn’t have the right to bottle their own goods. Not shockingly these laws were written by distributors who would bottle all the Sherry, adding sugar and other junk and export it to England under names like Harvey’s Bristol Cream.

There’s a new crop of Sherries out there though, the ones we sampled coming from Gutierrez Colosia (and all available at Vine Wine on Lorimer) and they are complex and delicious. My favorite was Oloroso Sangre y Trabajedero (Blood and the Worker). It was the farthest of the bunch from the taste of wine and actually tasted more like a brandy, but not quite.

The room hushed and all were blissing out on the Bodega Cesar Florido Moscatel Especial, a sweet sherry that was heavenly with the gorgonzola dulce they offered.

Also passed around were spiced green olives, dates, more cheese, and buttery jamon from the shop. Mmmmmmmmm.

Most tastings I have been to try to make it a laid back experience, but Brooklyn Kitchen probably does it with the most ease. Black Sabbath was blasting downstairs and everyone in our small class was having a fun time.

I had originally used my generous gift card for a Breakfast Making Class (I was so super excited to learn how to make amazing eggs of all kinds) but it was canceled. I picked this Sherry class because it was something I knew nothing about. I’m glad I did.

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Posted on July 18, 2011

Books »Samaritan

by Richard Price (2004)

Man, Richard Price can write. Not only can he deliver the most believable dialogue and let us visualize his settings, but at times, you can feel what it’s like to actually be his characters… even if you’d rather not.

In Samaritan, our protagonist Ray Mitchell seems like some self-critical self portrait: a man who grew up in the projects, became a writer on a hit series, all while messing himself up with cocaine. Now he’s clean, he’s back living near his old neighborhood and he’s out to make good with the world.

Making good with the world, however, lands him in the hospital – the victim of a severe beating. A childhood friend, Nerese, now a barely respected police officer, makes it her final duty to solve the crime before retiring to Florida.

Only problem is, Ray won’t cooperate, and so the well crafted mystery that defines any great Price novel begins.

In lesser hands this tale of race, memories, mismatched love, and martyrdom could be preaching and false. With Price, it’s genius, only slowing when we spend a shade too much time with Ray’s pontifications.

Since reading Lush Life, I seem to do about one Price novel a year (Clockers is the best so far) and I hope to continue that as long as he has books for me to relish.

 

 

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Posted on July 18, 2011

Drinks »Upright Coffee

860 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn

I know Greenpoint doesn’t need another great place to buy coffee, but we’ve got it with the Manhattan Avenue sliver of a spot Upright Coffee.

The lattes are great and they sell their own beans as well as various baked goods.

A stroll down nearby lovely Milton, Greenpoint’s loveliest street is a nice accompaniment to an eye opening treat.

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Posted on July 16, 2011

Books »The Face That Must Die

by Ramsey Campbell (1979)

Ramsey Campbell’s John Horridge is one of the most believable psychopaths I’ve read. His extreme homophobia and irrational paranoia make it a disconcerting, but interesting read, as most of The Face That Must Die takes us into his inner thoughts and ravings.

It’s little wonder that Campbell based the character on someone with schizophrenia that he knew well, his own mother. The perspective is eerie and realistic.

The other characters: drug abusing boyfriends, artists, and struggling young women and the settings, like a depressing housing estate, are equally vivid in the hands of Campbell, who is highly regarded in the horror genre (this is the first I’ve read by him).

The strange photo real montage illustrations by JK Potter, however, do not really reflect the mood and descriptions in the book, which takes place in the 1970’s in Liverpool. They will however raise the eyebrows of anyone looking over your shoulder at what you are reading.

I’d be curious to read more from Campbell, as this is a unique, unnerving take on the oft repeated serial killer novel.

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Posted on July 15, 2011

Restaurants »Block Island Round-Up

On Block Island, it’s all about seafood and I am going to steer you away from the mediocre to the great.

Starting with Ballard’s, which is often party central, I’m talking dudes with tramp stamps (a phenomenon we speculated and joked about all trip), and views of all sorts of revelers on Ballard’s Beach. You might think the place was a mere tourist trap, and even if it is, it’s got the crab legs to make your summer blissful. Great oysters, chow-dah, mussels, and steamers too. And of course, once can’t pass up their Del’s plus vodka.

Another Old Harbor favorite is Finn’s, which also boasts great steamers and fried whole belly clams with a great outdoor deck. We also got huge shrimp for their market for barbecuing.

We started our trip with a dinner of great fried clam strips and weird but good doughboys from Rebecca’s. Heard their lobster rolls aren’t so hot, but just hop across the street to the Del’s spot for a pretty good one.

Best meal, though, next to those succulent crab legs, goes to Three Sisters, a tiny outpost of sandwiches during the day, and an amazing fish cook out menu at night. We had blackened bluefish, grilled zucchini, awesome clams, and incredible slightly teriyaki tuna steaks which made me obsessed with making tuna this summer.

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Posted on July 15, 2011

Desserts »Payne’s Donuts and Aldo’s Bakery

on Block Island

Our recent visit to Block Island was a blast (more info coming soon). I expected a great time with the family, the ocean, and seafood but was surprised to come home raving about donuts and pies.

Aldo’s Bakery supplies the pies – we had an excellent blueberry one with a buttery crust that was heaven a la mode with their homemade ice cream.

The true gem though, are the fresh “killer” donuts from Payne’s in the New Harbor. Now, I have had many a great donut in my time, but these warm, sugar dusted treats rank among the top five at least.

I had three(!) in one sitting, truly living it up when on vacation.

These are so addictive that they could make anyone fat within a few months, so it’s a mixed blessing that they aren’t available closer to home.

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Posted on July 13, 2011

Style Icons: Female,Style Icons: Male »Best of Resort Part IV

So resort seems  to be an amorphous season, with new shows arriving all the time. So if you thought it was over, like I did, think again! Here are my favorites from the later comers.

Starting with Marni who does great things with proportion and pattern with this modern belted dress which is so, so adorable I can barely stand it.

Balmain was also exciting with print and was pretty much stunning over all. This tribal, futuristic mini is mind blowing.

Carven is officially one of the shows I will wait for with baited breath. This vintage inspired lemon suit is darling and one of many outstanding looks I had to select from.

DSquared, not usually my thing, but I really adore these Pepto-Bismol wide legs. Paring with a denim shirt is clean and cute. Of course, in real life, on me, these would look a bit different (ie awful) but it’s genius on her.

Not my favorite Viktor and Rolf show, though I love the illusion created by the giant wainscoting that the models were mere inches tall, but this bra top maxi combo is amazing. What I would want to wear to a beach soiree with millionaires.

There was lots of good stuff at Cynthia Rowley (but not the consistent dum-dum scowl on all the models) like this pretty dress in a unique royal and mud color combo. Love that bright orange heels are paired with it.

Antonio Marras definitely has a sense of humor and this all pattern ensemble expresses it while still being weirdly wearable. Makes me want to go extreme matchy matchy this summer.

Well, I hate to say it, because I agreed with Dior’s decision to can Galliano, but didn’t some of this resort collection feel, well… moderate? Not so when it comes to this embellished gown though, which is stunning and elegant which retaining a loose casual edginess with it’s unstructured silhouette.

Francesco Scognamiglio is a new name to me but one I’ll be watching. Some looks felt awkward, but the over all vision of his neon, 1980’s by way of the future collection was stellar. And, good gods, those shoes!!

Mugler is a pale shadow of the former glory, but I do dig this creepy hands mini dress. Someone tell Alek to smile because she looks rad.

Marios Schwab offered a most beautiful and strange under sea print. Grounded in black, it makes you feel like you’re floating in the deepest ocean and it looks best in this draped mini skirt.

Everyone has their quirks. For me, I’m almost universally unkind to shiny fabrics, it just looks cheap to me but, there are always exceptions and this Giles black number is one of them. I love the strong origami shape.

 

What’s there to say? While some of the latest from Christopher Kane looked a little bit like he was having a laugh, this hombre rainbow sweater is great.

I love when classics get turned upside down and Antonio Berardi does well goofing around with the old lady Chanel jacket.

While it saddens me that the true inventive genius of Alexander McQueen is forever gone, the house has carried on his legacy beautifully. This lace skirt and edgy overcoat was one of my favorites.

Temperley was just lovely. There were more casual frocks I pine for, but as most shows end on a wedding dress, so will I. This one strikes a perfect balance of classic prettiness and modern, offbeat style. One of their best collections to date.

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Posted on July 12, 2011