Tag Archives: culture
Street Chic and Red Carpet: The September Issue Premiere
After her former assistant wrote the bestselling tell-all novel The Devil Wears Prada, which went on to become a hit film, you’d think the last thing Anna Wintour would invite into her office would be more prying eyes. Yet here we are, several years later, witnessing the reigning queen of fashion expose the formerly-clandestine inner workings of Vogue. It goes to show you that the only constant in fashion is change. RJ Cutler’s documentary on the fashion mag, The September Issue, is already getting lots of good buzz from those who’ve seen the advance release, which is not surprising given the tantalizing trailer. Wintour gamely decided to make a party of it with a screening at MoMA followed by a dinner hosted by Oscar de la Renta. She arrived with Sienna Miller, seen here in blue Thakoon. And on Anna Wintour?
Prada, of course.
47 Gastro Chic red carpet photos – Renee Zellweger, P. Diddy, the Trumps, Andre Leon Talley, Chanel Iman and more – after the jump. (more…)
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Tagged Andre Leon Talley, Anna Wintour, culture, Jason Wu, Julie Macklowe, Melania Trump, movies, New York, Olivia Chantecaille, red carpet, street chic, streetchic, The September Issue
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Calorie Counting with the Lose It! App
I just downloaded this app and am already obsessed: Lose It! keeps track of how many calories you consume each day and deducts the calories you burn. It may sound simple, but if you’ve ever been lost in a fog of misinformation, this free application will clear it up immediately. For instance, if you’ve ever wondered: how bad is that extra tablespoon of olive oil (+126 calories)/gin and tonic (+160 calories)/half of a bagel with cream cheese (+245 calories), and can I burn it off by walking to work? Lose It! will also tell you that sadly, a 30-minute walk only burns 71 calories, so chances are the answer is no.
Tagged culture, food news, iPhone apps, technology
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The Latest It Bag? The Collectible Cotton Tote
Status bags may no longer be about money, but they are still about caché. At the 2009 Siren Music Festival, must-have bags in the VIP area were plain old cotton totes. They may been acquired for free, but they denoted access: to a Marc Jacobs show (Sonic Youth tote, after the jump) or some early contact with the hot band Phoenix, whose new album imprinted on this bag, left, just came out.
Siren Music Festival 2009
Onto another subculture: The 2009 Siren Music Festival, hosted out in Coney Island by the Village Voice. There was a great roster of international bands this year, from already-popular Built to Spill to cult faves (and fashion icons) the Raveonettes from Denmark and up-and-comers like Grand Duchy and Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit.
This being Coney Island, tattoos and quirky fashion were welcome. A number of concert goers – especially the women – pulled the look off with aplomb, even in 85-degree heat. (more…)
Bruno: The Fashion World Reacts
Giving credence to the idea that fashion is part masochism, several in the fashion industry are disappointed that they weren’t parodied by Bruno, according to an amusing article in today’s WWD, “The In Kraut.” The much-anticipated fashion farce premieres tonight at midnight.
Trish Halpin, editor in chief of Marie Claire: “Getting name checked in Bruno is the ultimate fashion accessory. People want to be in the movie. It’s more insulting not to appear in it than to be insulted in it.”
Diane von Furstenburg: “He didn’t come to my fashion show. But I wish he had.” (more…)
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Tagged Bruno, culture, Diane von Furstenberg, fashion news, movies
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iMix: RIP Michael Jackson
Buy it, sync it, and blast it – this is the best of Michael Jackson, from the Jackson 5 days up until the late ’80s. Every song is worth every cent and then some.
I feel lucky to be old enough to remember the phenomenon that was Michael Jackson, especially when Thriller came out. The entire country – then the world – was obsessed with his music, his fashion, his every dance move. Kids were begging for bright red leather jackets, wearing one glove, and dancing, dancing dancing. It was like one great mass infatuation. There has never been anything like it since.
Listening to these songs now, you’ll find the music as infectious as it was when it first came out. Here are 19 of the best, in roughly chronological order. Buy it here
Tagged culture, music, playlist
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The September Issue: The Trailer!
The trailer for the Anna Wintour/Vogue documentary, The September Issue, is finally out, and it looks especially titillating. NY Mag calls it “the real Devil Wears Prada” and notes that “everyone around her seems terrified of her.”
God forbid anyone should record what most fashion editors say, because it’s never enough to just say something isn’t good enough, you have to explain why. (more…)
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Tagged Anna Wintour, Bruno, culture, movies, The September Issue
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KCRW iPhone App
KCRW, LA’s public radio station run out of Santa Monica, is a music geek’s dream come true, especially for alternative music. Their “Morning Becomes Eclectic” program, now hosted by Jason Bentley, has been breaking new artists into the scene for years with live in-studio performances. The only problem? It’s in LA, whether or not you are.
But rejoice! KCRW’s streaming music is now available not only online, but via an iPhone application, so you can listen to it wherever you are and whenever you choose. I’ve tested it for the last few days, and while AT&T service is still sucky in parts, when it works, so does KCRW’s stream – live broadcast, NPR news, or music. And it’s only 99 cents, which goes towards this great non-profit radio station.
Get ready to rock.
KCRW iPhone application available on iTunes.
Tagged culture, iPhone apps, music, technology
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Street Chic: David Byrne Concert in Prospect Park
What happens when David Byrne throws a free concert in Prospect Park to open the season of Celebrate Brooklyn, a summer of music, dance, spoken word, and film at the band shell? Approximately ten thousand people show up to see an amazing show. The concert, which was free because, as Byrne joked, “Given the cost of concert tickets these days, the poor hedge fund guys and investment bankers can no longer afford them. So made sense to do a free show, as the tour has been going incredibly well and we can afford it.”
Not only was there valet parking for bicycles, Byrne himself biked to the concert. (He lives in DUMBO.) Because of huge monitors and speakers set up in the surrounding fields, even fans squeezed out of the band shell could see the show.
The wait was suspenseful, but fortunately, we had people watching to entertain us in the meantime. Here are some of the best outfits on the scene – and some good clues to what to wear at outdoor shows this summer. Plus! A brief video of Byrne shimmying to vintage tunes “Crosseyed and Painless” and “Once in a Lifetime.”
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Tagged bikes, Brooklyn, culture, music, street chic, streetchic
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Bruno: The Trailer!
If you went to the movies this weekend, you may have seen it: the trailer for Sascha Baron Cohen’s much-anticipated Brün0 is out! And boy, is it he out. Some highlights:
- Brüno adopts a baby from Africa – and picks it up in a box at the airport luggage carousel.
- Behind-the-scenes footage of Brüno at the Agatha de la Ruiz show in Milan, featuring a Velcro jumpsuit.
- Brüno in Orthodox Jewish garb with exposed midriff.
- Brüno in a thong. Several times.
- Brüno in the military.
- Brüno on a hunting trip.
- Brüno at a swingers’ party.
Check out the trailer, after the jump. (more…)
May Playlist: Theresa Anderson, Miike Snow, Lykke Li, and More
This is what I’ve been listening to in May 2009: a mix of artists from Sweden, Scotland, New Orleans, Paris, and LA. One recorded an album in her kitchen, using wine glasses and beer bottles for percussion. Another is a rockabilly sensation…from London. Several of the bands are “overnight successes” that actually put in years of work to get that moniker; others are teenagers. Thanks are owed to KCRW and D. for the discoveries. Hope you’ll check out the mix on iTunes and enjoy. After the jump: the mix plus more details about the artists.
Michelle Obama: 100 Days of Style
One of the best things about attending New York Fashion Week is that guilty little pleasure of a mag known as Fashion Week Daily. Imagine real-time fashion and gossip analysis a la US Weekly, but featuring people you actually know/see all the time. It’s delicious!
The folks behind Fashion Week Daily are putting out a new book, Michelle Obama: 100 Days of Style, which hits stands today. There are 116 pages of photos, details about all her outfits, and behind-the-scenes interviews with her favorite designers. Since Fashion Week Daily already talks to these fashion insiders on a regular basis, we’re looking forward to their witty interviews with the designers. Alaia, step off!
'80s Fashion: Top 10 Most Influential Movies and TV
Word of a new “Gossip Girl” spinoff set in the ’80s had us doing some research. There were a gazillion movies – especially teen movies – in the ’80s, but which of them made a true impact on the way people dressed? After the jump, a rundown of the most influential ’80s movies, TV, and music videos from the time – because power suits and rubber bracelets had to come from somewhere.
"Gossip Girl" Spinoff Focuses on '80s Fashion
Excellent news today: “Gossip Girl” executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are creating a spinoff show based in the ’80s, premiering this fall. The TV series will focus on the misadventures of a teenage Lily van der Woodsen (played by Brittany Snow) in ’80s NYC and LA, where she’s a preppy Blair Warner type with a naughty older sister (Krysten Ritter) whose style is more Desperately Seeking Susan.
With Los Angeles-based Meredith Markworth-Pollack working magic as the costume designer, the as-yet-untitled spinoff (more…)
Texts From Last Night
If you’ve ever wanted to eavesdrop on crazy text message exchanges, here’s your chance. TextsFromLastNight.com has a whole bonanza of anonymous, reader-submitted texts on timely topics like Bea Arthur, swine flu (STD or no?), and hooking up in a McDonalds parking lot.
Here are a few of the choicest submissions from the past couple days:
(619): Good news! Whoever used this stall at Target earlier…not pregnant!
(201): she was wearing a cheetah print one-piece and i slept with her anyway. big mistake.
(561): Saw a dead body on the way to the casino. I think that’s a good sign.
(317): Thanks again for letting me crash last nite. Sorry I banged your little brother.
(760): can “i’m close!” be our safe word(s)?
(760): oh geez, wrong person.(774): im sorry i hit your dog last night,,,i didnt even see it
(508): I dont have a dog?
(774): WTF(301): Bea Arthur died yesterday
(240): You shut your stupid mouth
(301): Betty White is next, I just know it.
(240): Betty White will never die! She’s like Dick Clark. Rue McCalahan is next.
Tagged culture, technology
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