Project Mayhem

I knew the team at Project Runway wanted to amp it up a little this year in terms of the designer contestants on their show, given the nature of it's insane popularity. But I was especially surprised when I was skipping around the doll sites today, and found out that that ROBERT BEST will be competing to show at Olympus Fashion Week this September.



Robert Best, is no stranger to the fashion scene. He was Isaac Mizrahi's assistant designer when Isaac was super high fashion in the nineties, and makes appearances in the cult documentary, Unzipped, the prequel to Seamless.He's had a line of couture dresses out for a few years now, but is most known in certain circles as the creator of the collectible line of Silkstone Barbie Dolls, which are said to have saved the collectibles Barbie market from imploding. I first started collecting his dolls when I was sixteen, in Taiwan, and had a disposable income.



You can imagine how shocked I was when I learned that he graduated from Judge Memorial High School from my college counselor, who attended school with him back in the eighties. Yes, he was born and raised in Bountiful, Utah. Now I know who to root for this season. Keep your fingers crossed bitches...he's gonna rock. (As long as he can make a dress in 48 hours and withstand the scathing criticisms and orange skin of Fraulein Klum and Herr Kors.)

La Lohan

Lindsay's been all over the news, what with her role in "Prairie Home Companion" which I saw on opening day. She's good in it-- really good. All of you Anti-Lohans will be proven wrong in the coming years. And the girl knows her designers if any of you keep up with the gossip-- she tells her stylist what to buy versus the other way around. And she actually looks good. Lindsay, you are in my top ten Style Icons, and since I have yet to name the others-- You're #1.

Here's some snippets of June's Harper's Bazaar, and Interview Magazines...both of which I have.

New City Revolution

New York City is a place where people come to compete for their dreams, or party until they forget their dreams. It's a place they experience for a few years, and move on from, or end up getting sucked into, like one giant toilet that flushes into the Hudson River.


I just finished unpacking my stuff in Brooklyn for the summer...and I have to say it will probably be nice to get out of Manhattan during the hottest months of the year. Not just because of the sweltering humidity, loud as hell midnights, or gangs of homeless people/tourists, but because of the unstoppable, never ending pace.

Standing on the corner of Prince and Mulberry for six hours every Saturday and Sunday means I get a lot of people watching done. This weekend, I saw Iman in person (She buys things at Rickys), Fabrizio Moretti alone and hot, and Heather Graham Cracker. Alongside the somewhat celebs were tourists from every nook and corner of the globe, and probably every state. There were those with fake Louis Vuittons, and real Balenciagas, hipsters, hobos, and families alike.


It's hard to believe I've only been here for four months, and still find myself longing for bits of the place I left behind....the City of Salt, Mormons, and Thrift stores galore...ye olde Salt Lake. Maybe it's running into fellow ex-Utahns, on the street, or at my new job, who all seem a bit nostalgic for the day to day existence--of living in the middle of a desert, nestled in mountains, and making up your day as it goes along--more or less. Lately I've been in a little bit of a depressed NY funk--and I think it was because I realized that no matter what great a city you live in---you won't stop missing your good friends and great times from back home.


Which is why I am dedicating this blog entry to the Fabulous Jesse Walker-- inspiration and friend. He just ended his insanely successful line of Just Wanna Dance parties at the W Lounge in Downtown Salt Lake, and premiered his art/sound installation on the walls of the public library, titled "Reflective Skin". Here's nine hundred hurrahs to Jesse Walker, International Superstar DJ, Artist, Photographer, and Creative Superhero Genius.

He is also the author of a blog that covers all the awesome, kitschy, beautiful, and scary things that make up what is Salt Lake. I know that I-- and countless other Ex-Slats, look to his brilliant photography and keen insights when they're missing exactly what they're trying to find--home. Thanks for making it feel a little closer.

New City Movement

Cat Power

Happened upon an artist who seems to have been surfing with this whole creepy/cute vibe a lot longer than most. Her name's Marion Peck, and her haunting visions of children, KITTIES, and other animals will be sure to inspire you, make you long for some long lost innocence, or make you shudder. Check-check check it out.

Marion Peck

Two Parties: One Hot Shirt

So, I am neither a socialite nor club goer, merely a cute boy who likes to dance. But I've found myself going out a lot more than what should be alotted, given my fragile health. Cough, cough. Here are my reviews for one big party, and one not so big party that I recently attended.


Misshapes:

Okay folks, the kids are cute, the drinks were moderately priced, and the music was...meh Eighties Night meets Hot 100. This used to be a raging party, and apparently it's just gotten kind of lame. No, it actually got really lame. I went with some of my gay (happy) friends that I don't usually see in the city, and was so disappointed this time 'round that I ended up buying TOO many cheap drinks, TOO early in the night. I didn't want to take off my sunglasses because I didn't want any one to recognize me, and I didn't want to recognize anyone. When I spilled my fifth g&t, all over the ground, and found myself surrounded my hipsters gasping "sacrilege!" I no choice but to flee the bar. Maybe next Saturday.



Motherfucker 6th Anniversary:

The theme was Truman Capote's Black and White Ball. Except this time, instead of Audrey and Jackie O, there were a gang of trannies and professional Vogue-ers! Damn. It was at the Roxy, which is a pretty big space in the meat packing district. I went with an upgraded crew of happy friends, and actually had a blast. The music was all the right eighties, dance, and dance rock, seamlessly mixed together. Everyone went balls (and boobs) out for the theme, and bitches know when people get into themes parties get bumpin.

*Motherfucker pic by Nikola of www.ambrel.net. Please don't destroy my blogutation because I used the pic without express permission. Just check out her site friends.

Rainy Daze

The rain's been pouring down on NYC for four days straight, and today the clouds are still ominous and scary. I was trying to compile an adorable and trendy rainy day to do list for Yangabang, and then realized that such a thing is impossible; as rainy days are neither trendy nor adorable. So here's a to do list of 5 things I actually did this rainy weekend, in random order.

1. Smoke Hookah.

What better way to be stuck in doors than inside a smoke filled den, intimately lit, with your favorite Saudi or Lebanese music strumming away overhead. If you want a light smoke, go with something herbal like Jasmine or Mint. Double Apple is better with friends, and while you're at it, have a Turkish Coffee to ensure lively conversation.



2. Watch a Footballer's Wives Marathon.

Sex, bitchery, shirtless Euro hunks, and deliciously tacky clothes. British people are crazy, so their #1 soap is definitely something to be committed to. In just four hours, I watched Tanya Turner do a gang of coke with her talon-like manicure, kill her old grubby husband by literally 'fucking him to death', move in with Conrad Gates (the show's David Beckham) and drive his ex-wife Amber (A Bollywood version of Posh Spice) to attempted suicide. HOT.





3. Bleach Your Whites.

Come on, you know those whites need a good soak in some clorox. Pit stains begone! Mystery stains vanish! Soak them hot in your tub if you want to kill two birds with one stone so you can finally get rid of that grimy ring that's been there since...the last rainy day.




4. Try a New Drink.

As I am a committed wino-- I decided to jump on the whiskey train on The Rainy Friday Night. Just two glasses, and I didn't feel that drunk...yet definitely knew some of my brain cells couldn't see straight. I knew I was going to be a cheap date when I 'wobbled' on the way home! Oh Jack...you are so...warm.




5. Clean.

You know you should. Even if every thing looks clean, there's still that rat doodoo under the sink, or that mold on your toilet, or those eyebrow hairs on your sink. Maybe you should vacuum the shag rug or pull out couch, or do those binge eating dishes you've been avoiding. Or you could just take advantage of my alternative #5 thing to do in the rain: Get Laid.

The Holiday Cruise Resort

Fashion shows used to only happen at the most obvious times of the year. But in the 21st century, and even in New York, fashion shows seem to be happening all the time. In the last few weeks, designers showed their resort collections--I mean holiday--I mean cruise--Or no--does holiday actually happen around the holidays?? And if so, is it crazy Barbie Holiday--all foil and velveteen clothes?

In any case, most New York designers opt for photographs of the collections sent out to buyers and select press, but this 'season' (I'm still not sure if I want to consider resort a season) the two head honchos of European Fashion, John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld, flew in their collections, top models, and make-up folks for fully staged fashion shows.


Dior--all wearability, some punchy colors, and funky hairstyles. He's going into a violently eighties direction--and I'm not sure I mind. I have to admit, the metallics were a little blinding at first, but he seemed to perfect their level of excessiveness to a point where it was visually alluring.


The Chanel show kind of grossed me out. I mean, I worship Karl, but I think not eating has really done something to his designing ability. Some of the looks are cute, but the styling was all over the place--and the colors were violent eighties in a horrifically Pretty In Pink way. And those shoes? Karl...to much time in the dungeons...

I was getting a little disenchanted by this point. And then I remembered that aside from resort--couture season is starting up soon! Before any of the Euros flashed their dance, our Isaac Mizrahi showed his super luxe made to order collection at Bergdorf Goodman, filled with mod influenced modern clothing-- a trend I happen to love. The clean lines and coolacious color blocking just made me so happy inside. Maybe I don't mind fashion all year round.

Sexcessories

Just thought I'd post some fashion art I did for this company that makes bracelets and cuffs out of old vinyl records. Let me know what you think..these are just a few preliminaries so keep your browsers open over the next few weeks for more updates. Check out his stuff at--

Wrecords By Monkey

* Stealing art is tacky.

Gwen Stefani, You Like-uh Me!

Okay. I loved her catchy dance album for about three months. Three months of drunken-dance party-debauchery. Three months of Gwen singing about how crazy her bananas were and how much she wanted Johnny to "drive into me" at the "drive in movie."

I thought her collaboration with LeSportsac was too umm...I don't know, "I wish I was Takashi Murakami" but still pretty cool, and I even forgave her all over the place LAMB collection actually designed by Zaldy that was terribly unfocused and shakily executed. (It looked like three fashion shows at once. Not one, not two, but THREE fashion shows.)

And then I started to see through the cuteness of bright, jumbled colors and dancing Asian girls to realize that somewhere along the line...The Pregnant Blonde had gone too far. The wheels of distaste started to turn when I read up on her latest accessories venture, "Harajuku Lovers." Again, more Imitation-Japanese cutesy artwork, with blatant references to her only solo album. Nothing new, but definitely tackier, which is what bothered me. I decided to do a little investigative reporting to see if there was a legit explanation for the success of her bad taste.

The real Harajuku girls loathe Stefani and her stylploitation of their image. Numerous reports in the actual Harajuku shopping district in Japan bring back the same results. The Fruitsy dressers hate what she is commercializing, and scoff at her attempts to built a fan base in Japan, which has so far proven embarrassingly unsuccessful.


And then I read up on her actual Harajuku Girls. You know who they are, the sweetfaced Asians who work out, mop the deck, and bow, yes BOW to La Stefani in her funkytronic pop videos. Apparently, none of the girls are ACTUALLY JAPANESE. They are American born Chinese...and I think one of them might be an American born Korean. And unsurprisingly, each are under a CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT to keep their English speaking mouths closed at public events. Enough unsaid.

And as much as I want to hate on Gwen for this, and selling her body, soul, and image to the world, I can't. Because if the Faux Harajuku girls all picked up camp and moved on, who would replace them? More white girls? Or worse, Faux Blatinas?

In the end, the customer decides. And as much as Gwen is photographed in her own line, toting her obnoxious accessories around the world, you know she does all her shopping at Vivienne Westwood in Paris, where she can stop at Christian Dior's boutique around the arrondissement; A world away from the real Harajuku....

Martha Kurihara

Often referred to as "Japan's Martha Stewart", Harumi Kurihara is Japan's most famous housewife. She has authored over 40 cookbooks and sold a total of about 15 million copies. Aside from her own brand of kitchenware and linens, there are actually four restaurants in Japan that cook her food exclusively.

And her recipe for success? Simple, natural, traditional and not so traditional gourmet cooking. She makes high-end and homestyle cuisine available to the wannabe chef who wants to stay as far away from a microwave as possible, and not suffer from endless ingredient searches and hours over a stove.

Here's a recipe/excerpt from her Celebration of Contemporary Cuisine.
If you try it, you just might like it.


Recipe: Soy Egg Appetizers (Shoyu Tamago no Zensai)

"I love appetizers and party food. As well as enjoying choosing the tastes and colours of the food itself, I take great delight in deciding on which plates to display it. These eggs are just so simple to prepare but are stunning to look at, with different coloured toppings. You can experiment with other ideas, such as pickles, olives and cress. I happen to love any kind of egg cooking, but this is one of my favourites."

(Serves 4)

6-8 small hard-boiled eggs
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon caster sugar


Suggested toppings:
salmon roe
cream cheese
olives
cress
pickles



1. Shell the eggs. Mix the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar together, making sure the sugar dissolves. Put the eggs with the marinade into a large plastic bag. Leave to marinate for 2-3 hours, moving the eggs around in the bag from time to time to ensure an even colour.

2. Remove the eggs from the bag and cut them in half lengthways. Place on a serving dish and decorate the yolk with a teaspoon of salmon roe, cream cheese or any other topping you choose. Serve as finger food or with salad leaves as a starter.

Paging Ms. Nagi

What does it mean to be a celebrity in the 21st century?

For Hollywood, as the bubble of fame gets bigger, so does the talent quota. You have to make a movie, record an album, learn a choreographed dance for your music video, lose weight for high fashion photo spreads, and sign your name over to hundreds of different licensing companies for their use in fragrances, accessories, and apparel. All at the same time, all while you're getting younger and younger.



The bar is also being raised for artists. 32 year old Nagi Noda of Tokyo Japan started out as an art director and designer for indie CD labels and small print advertising firms. By taking inspiration from every day life and infusing it with her own twisted perspective, she has gained critical and commercial acclaim in a variety of industries including film, television, fashion, toy design, and advertising.

Her grotesque television spots and print ads for La Foret Harajuku are all the buzz on the streets of Tokyo, along with her adorable Hanpandas; stuffed panda animals that are half-mutated with other creatures. See the cuteness @ www.hanpanda.com


Her short film, Ex-Fat Girl, is both hilarious and contraversial.

Check it out here: http://www.partizan.com/partizan/films/shorts/?nagi_noda

I Think I'm Turning Japanese

Every major designer from Ralph Lauren to Heatherette is jumping on a ship to Japan. Karl Lagerfeld has been promoting Chanel on the islands since he was fat, and Gwen Stefani has been exploiting Harajuku girls since she went solo with her design and singing career.

But the Japanese phenom is nothing new, anime has been around since the seventies, kung fu movies have been influencing western cinema for even longer; it's only just now that luxury retailers (excluding Louis Vuitton) are waking up to the wide range of middle class that saves their yen for a purse that white folks wouldn't touch out of expensive fear.

The next few entries will cover a few different topics surrounding Japan's place in the international mainstream, starting with the 'underground' multi talented artist Nagi Noda, music video director, installation artist, fashion photographer, and toy maker. She's been one of the most influential women in Japan's art scene over the last five years, but is only just beginning to expand her international career, most recently with a debut of some of her work at Collette in Paris. Stay tuned.

Project Karl

Everyone better be tuning in to the Sundance Channel this fall. As reported in The Fashion Week Daily, "Signé Chanel", a five part series to begin airing in September '06 will follow Captain Lagerfeld and Team Chanel's Fall/Winter 2004-2005 Haute Couture collection from concept to creation.

Karl Lagerfeld has never stopped grabbing headlines in his 40+ years in fashion, always designing, losing weight and setting trends leapyears ahead of his competitors in the industry. And sometimes, to his advantage, he jumps on a trend while it's already on the rise, adding HIS attention to a moment, making a smoldering trend on fire.



He famously lost over two hundred pounds to wear Dior Homme seconds before Msr. Slimane's skinny suits were all the rage. When hi-low fashion was threatening to burst like a dollar store bubble with Mizrahi's Target-Couture, Karl redesigned his wardrobe for H&M and watched as dozens of fashion crazies raided the place. (I have the women's sequin tux jacket--all occasion--fucking gorgeous.) He podcasts the Chanel show, and at the after party for Lagerfeld Collection here in New York, he gives away forty iPods to his exclusive guests; he owns the 40 ipod, with a 400,000$ price tag and max of 1.5 TB(?) of music. And he just auctioned off several million dollars worth of furnishings and properties, trading his baroque antiques for slick, modern, couture priced chrome chairs and coffee tables.

A friend recently asked me what would happen if Karl Lagerfeld kicked the bucket. What would happen to Chanel? Fendi? Fashion? I couldn't think of a valid response, other than, he probably will not ever die. KARL FOREVER!

CFDAmazing

The nominees for the CFDA awards, "Fashion's Oscars", were released this week, generating, like always, buzz and rumors throughout the industry. The particular standouts were Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler, nominated for Womenswear Designers of the year, along with Marc Jacobs, and Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein.

The nod to Proenza is especially interesting, as they received the Perry Ellis Award for being 'new talent' only in 2003, and the CFDA/VOGUE fashion fund award a year later. But given the fact their work critically and commercially stands out amongst young designer crops that are only getting bigger, it comes as no surprise. And having Anna Wintour and Carine Roitfield personally hail your genius doesn't hurt your chances of getting places.

The duo is also the subject of a new documentary called "Seamless", made by the same crew that brought you fashionista cult classic "Unzipped" back in the 90s. It follows three competitors for the above mentioned CFDA/VOGUE award, Alexandre Plokhov of menswear label CLOAK, Geoffrey Beene protege Doo-ri Chung, and of course, Proenza Schouler. I (shockingly, shamefully) have yet to see the film, but it's only a matter of hours before it's Netflixed and sitting on my coffee table for a sit-in wine and movie weekend. Any excuse to see Lazaro Hernandez on film. Sigh.

A Complete Look

It was reported this week in WWD that Nicholas Ghesquiere, the brilliant mind behind Balenciaga, made known to all fashion publications worldwide that the clothes from his fabulous Fall 2006 Collection will not be sent out for editoral as pieces-- meaning that if Vogue wants to photograph Gemma & Sasha in any of next season's clothes, they have to use the ENTIRE look, no styling, no separates. Even if they want to photograph a bag, it has to be shown with a COMPLETE ensemble from the "reference" collection, or only with other accessories from the line. It seems a little snobbish, but the clothes are so hot, I really can't disagree. I mean, can you imagine one of those fabulous hats paired with an ugly Chloe dress? Please. A big merci to Monsieur Ghesquiere for taking a stand against the paradigm that is the Fashion Industry.

Staten Island Fairy

When my green haired roommate, Kirsten, told me Staten Island was actually New York's landfill of the old days turned suburb, I was shocked. Shocked I didn't know. Because I should have known. Peter, my Bostonite buddy, was in town to welcome me back to the East Coast, and we all decided it was such a beautiful day last Friday that we simply had to walk from the Lower East Side, to Battery Park, to catch the free ferry of Staten Island. And of course, in New York, getting there is half the fun.

First, we wandered through Chinatown, where Kirsten directed us to an ice cream parlor, the first and original of its kind, uniquely titled The Original Chinatown Ice Cream. The flavors were all those we Asians adore, green tea, lychee, taro bean, red bean, ginger, and much much more. Tasty delight.



Eventually, and I mean eventually...it was a long walk, we made it to the South Street Seaport, where Kirsten and I unsuccessfully tried to board a ship on it's way to Peking. I guess they didn't let us on because the thing's a relic and doesn't actually move.

Finally aboard the ferry, a lot of wind and dramatic hair was going on, which I loved. If you have hair as fabulous as mine, wouldn't you love being windblown? We decided to get off at the landfill, and explored until we discovered a thrift store Everything Goes. I was going mad for their eighties dresses, until I got my hands on a MIU MIU trench, for 15$. Maybe you can find treasure in a landfill.

Oh Mildred

Now, I know there are a lot of gays out there who like a good dose of La Joan Crawford, but let me tell you, no one knows Crawford until they see Mildred Pierce. Made in 1945, this movie transformed Mommie Dearest from Hollywood fluff to Hollywood heavyweight. It was on Turner Classic Movies' 31 Days of Oscar, and co stars a very young Ann Blyth as the vicious Veda, Mildred's love her hate her daughter who is the bitch of all bitches. Mildred, scorned by her husband, decides the best way for revenge is to open up a restaurant, make it into a huge corporation, and spoil their daughter sick, taking the blame for her money laundering, murder. Butterfly McQueen, a somewhat famous black actress from back in the day, ("I don't know nothin about birthin no babies...") is a fucking riot as Lotte the maid and it's all mad, good fun. Don't even get me started on the fur coat. Viktor and Rolf were obviously just as crazy about it as I was. Check out this monster from their Fall 2006 collection.




My favorite scene in the flick was when Mildred and Veda are having a face off on the stairs of their sweeping southern California mansion. "Get out!" Shouts Joan, "Get out before I throw your things out the window! Get out before I kill you!"

Oh yes. I'm definitely naming my future cat Veda. And I'm Mildred.