I love Diane’s post ‘riche biche’ on 90s fashion– specifically surrounding the glory days of Versace couture.
Now if only I could get her to post a little more…
A very recent obsession/inspiration is 0FR Bookshop and their publications– one like my recent acquisition “Guide Paris.” As you may or may not know, I’ve been working on my own guide, and have had my eyes peeled for others that have been able to set a real standard– this is probably it! They have employ a beautiful aesthetic in everything they do, and have great taste..
Oddly, the day I picked this up– I went home and googled them to find that the owner Alexandre Thumerelle was in that day’s edition of T-Style’s “The Insider,” one of my favorite series. Nice coincidence.
Check them out..
Here are some pages I scanned from TUNE magazine (an older Japanese street style mag affiliated with Fruits), presumably for some kind of inspiration.. Though many of these ‘themes’ feel a little dated, drawing 5 years later– the styling is still pretty on point. Also worth noting, at the time I’m sure seeing this probably felt quite a bit more ‘shocking’ then it does now.
I watched Downtown 81 last night– amazing film & look at New York of the time.. Basquiat is the central character (who was apparently 19 years old at the time) and with the pairing of the No Wave scene at its height– the whole thing is incredibly nostalgic.. Not to mention there is that ‘downtown’ attitude/vibe/thing that people talk about these days– but doesn’t exist in anyone under the age of 35…
Amazing editorial by Craig McDean in the October issue of Interview Mag, definitely worth picking up to see the shots in a larger format.
A couple of years ago I travelled with Converse to the Bread & Butter trade show in Barcelona in order to survey their booth as well as the rest of the scene at large. In general I found it not unlike the Arab Parrot’s experience at the Magic Trade show in Vegas, and I came away feeling quite underwhelmed by the majority of the exhibitors, projected trends, products, and the “brand experience” people were attempting to sell. Thankfully it was in Barcelona, so naturally it was still a great trip. A few things did manage to stick out at the show– I came across one of them cleaning house the other day: This is a small stamp that is used to apply the fragrance Comme des Garçons “Man 2.” I can’t remember the story of the collaboration between the brand and designer Ana Mir, but I think it had something to do with a local magazine putting it all together. Its such a cool, simple idea.
Milan II
I don’t think I would have had nearly as much fun without my faithful steward Carlo, who I first made friends with in ‘05 when I was living in Barcelona and reconnected last year when he moved to NYC.
Caffe Novecento
Everything style-wise seems generally more interesting in Europe, case in point– Carhartt. The jacket in the window is a recently released collaboration with EYE- Comme Des Garçons.
Subway espresso! I’m waiting for these to start popping up in NYC… they would surely make a killing.
Bar Atomic– sort of reminded me of places in Portland.
I kept asking Carlo to take me to a rather unique and locals only type of place. ‘Trattoria Bar’ certainly fit the bill, with crazy art on the walls and the whole place run by this old lady… she was also the waitress and chef– it was kindof like eating at your crazy Milanese grandmother’s. Really amazing.. try finding that shit in a guidebook!
Some beautiful looking apartment.. I suppose the photo doesn’t quite do it justice, but I’ll post it for memory and feelings sake.
The last stop of the night was at Plastik Club. Apparently the night to go is Sunday when the DJ plays a free-for-all mix of tunes, and everyone gets loose. Luckily it was Sunday, and that was basically what happened..
I just flew to Milan, more or less on a whim– a trip lasting two days, followed by another day in London.. then back to NYC. Then to Dallas the following day. Crazy right? Honestly, it was totally worth it. A great, albeit quick trip. Flying in really set the tone with spectacular aerial views of the Italian Alps. Landing in Malpensa meant a 45 minute train ride into the city, luckily there were more spectacular views.. this time of satanic graffiti! Got busy right away with a tasty lunch at 10 Corso Como with Diane. For being so on point, they dropped the ball really hard after delivering the wrong black amex (of a certain well known Japanese fashion buyer) at our table as we prepared to pay our bill.. It was pretty funny to us though. How we roll– our buddy Marco’s vintage Mini-Cooper. This picture makes the interior look pretty big. Being that it was fashion week, we made sure to hit some bad fashion parties. Actually, they weren’t all that bad, but certainly tested our patience in terms its overabundance of crowded dance floor shoving and sleazy Italian dudery (I’m sure you can define that). The next day Diane played on a TV show. Its called “Quelli che il calcio” and is pretty much based around Football… the whole thing was pretty confusing, honestly.
