Love Letter To A Leather Jacket

"Did I ever tell ya that this here jacket represents a symbol of my individuality, and my belief in personal freedom?"

The above Nick Cage line from 1990's David Lynch masterpiece Wild At Heart has to be about my most favorite quote of all time. Nothing NOTHING, is better than the first time you hear him say "in-div-iddd--uaaal-ity", as he puts the make on a smokin' hot young Laura Dern. Cage's off the cuff remark (pun!) also encapsulates everything that makes a favorite jacket so powerful-- it's uniquely yours, it embodies your traits and characteristics better than an other thing you own/vwear/ are born with. Someone else can have that snakeskin jacket, but no one can wear it with that same bad ass flair.

For awhile now I've been rocking my Mike Korres leather jacket (purchased at Annie Sez) like it's from someplace someone would admit to shopping at, and each time I think about the above quote. So far while wearing it I've been mistaken for a member of the Italian Fashion press, a graphic designer, and a rich person, and one guy on a skateboard in Greenpoint told me it was "cool as shit". 

But despite all the fashion writing I've done, I still hate the idea that what someone wears is more important than what they have to say. However, I do feel that fashion, at its best, can be a universal way to express one's creative individuality. As an ex once described it: "It's how we wear our personalities on the outside."

So for this purpose, I think there's nothing more iconic than a good leather jacket. It just seems to have such a wide range of personalities:

Fun-loving rock and roll high school student:

(Ps. How emotionally scarred would you be if Joey Ramone broke into your room and tried to kiss you? I still get chills during this scene seeing his weird lizard body perched over a young PJ Soles. Also, side note: do you know they originally wanted The Velvet Underground to be the band in R n' Roll High? It must have taken balls of steel to ask Lou Reed to be in a lighthearted teenage musical...)


Punk Rock Poetess:

Adorable young musician from New Jersey:

And finally, person who can't believe they're in Aspen:

That said, have a happy New Year ya'll!

Nail Art Is The Best Art

JK! It's not the best art. German Expressionism is probably the best art. But nail art is a close second. Many have called it "the last bastion of art solely by and for women", but I call it simply good clean fun. Today, the wonderful Tracie Egan Morrissey of Jezebel introduced us to her favorite nail art of 2012, and I've got to admit there were some real gems:

First and foremost, Zooey Deschanel's year in nail art (above). Say what you will about the woman (I despise her tweeness), she has impeeecccable nail taste.

Then there are the Joy Division inspired Unknown Pleasures nails which pretty much blew my mind way open (below):

And what would a year in nails be if we didn't include a few memes, ala the Jesus Fresco fiasco:

Then this got me thinking about my own favorite nail art of 2012...

Mostly, how bad ass this chick looks. She's like the fun friend to the Mexican goth teenager shopping for Morrissey records in creepers.

And the below number from Spain's Ghetto Nailz is like the awesome stepchild of Jodorowsky and Greg Araki. I want to be rich enough to fly to Spain and have someone do this crap for me:

But of course, where would nail art be without haute couture, the ultimate form of wearable aesthetics?:

(Above) The Margiela decal might be the most inspired, but the Dior ones you could probably sell in Chinatown. (Below) Really, really on point COMME des GARÇONS nail art complete with sparkly purse that is also by them.

And finally, my all time favorite nails, from a random email from AnOther Magazine:

Credits: Unknown Pleasures nails by Sophie Harris-Greenslade of The Illustrated Nail, Jesus Fresco nails by Madeline Pool, rest unknown.

Weird Taiwanese Hotel Has Insane Batman Room

So in my endless explorations on the internet for interesting writing fodder, I came across a strange idea that turned into a complete rabbit hole of WTF. At Taiwan's Eden Hotel, you can not only rent (per night! 50$) a fully loaded batman cave of dreams (complete with bat signal showers and skylights, see below). But you can also get a full range of rooms: ranging from Hello Kitty type creepy, to full-on holocaust porn creepy.

             (above: the bats shower, below: the "fashion room" complete with erotic wall art)

A few of the rooms were kind of creepy bordering on "maybe?", like our friend from Egypt below:

But most were some kind of mix between a Mariah Carey video:

and Fifty Shades of Grey:

So basically, unless I'm really hard up in Taiwan, count me out. Forever. Nightmares.

My Life In Iphone Photos

I'm still waiting for the PR company to send me photos from this opening on Thursday, so for now I guess these'll do.

I always feel like a jerk saying this, but I go to a lot of really fancy events for work. You'd think by now I would be used to them, but this one had a sort of high- society- meets- Tribeca- art- worldliness that I'd only ever really seen in a Woody Allen movie. Truly divine, and comically out of place.

The event? The French Heritage Society hosted:

"...the first iteration of its New York cultural event series at Le Cabinet de Curiosités the fantastical contemporary art and antiquities exhibition presented by Marlborough and Steinitz galleries at the New York Mercantile Building."

To celebrate, a few writers and a lot of elegant older women with Hermes bags were invited for cocktails, and a private tour lead by the exhibition’s curator, artist, architect and designer Thierry W Despont.

Yes the art was interesting (Shoe bugs anyone?), and the theme intriguing, but the space itself was stunning. I couldn't tell what had been added just for the show and what was a mainstay, but it had this intoxicating Versailles-meets- library- of -congress feel, with a dash of old money successful gentleman.

The show's been extended till the end of February, so definitely check it out. But wear something nice.

Le Cabinet de Curiosités

New York Mercantile Exchange at 6 Harrison Street