roll call

Where have I been? Busy.

i saw the light

Peek Table Lamp, $29.99
cb2
Don't ask why, but it took me forever to settle on a lamp I liked for my new apartment. It's the only one I wanted for my room, so it had to be jusssssst right. This lamp from CB2 is coolly designed with a partially transparent metallic shade that illuminates my room in a soft, calming light. Now I'm free to see the world!

the beach

Hold my calls, please. I'm headed to Coney Island for the afternoon...

naomi, naomi, naomi

The wind was calm, the sky was blue, and the next thing I know, Naomi Watts walks by me on the street this afternoon. All the real babes are in this city.

via NaomiWatts.org

god bless america

10 things I love about America:

• Hilary Rhoda
• The collaborative works of Steve McQueen and Sam Peckinpah
• Bacon Cheeseburgers (on a sesame seedless bun, of course)
  
• Converse All Stars
• Bulleit Bourbon
• J. Crew Button Downs
• 70's era Stevie Wonder
• Whit Stillman
• Mid-Century Modern Art
• New York City

Happy 4th!
W.

call me

I think this card would cause Bateman to sweat. I'm officially a grown ass man.

buy! buy! buy!

Reverse Seam Outside Pocket Short Sleeve, $119
Plaid Cotton Skinny Tie, $29
Short Mac, $229
All by Steven Alan
STEVEN ALAN PRESALE! And with the Save Fashion Sale that will count me as a customer as soon as the men's items arrive at the end of the month, HOW DOES THIS CITY EXPECT ME TO NOT GO BROKE?????

moz attacks

I'm still not sure how to put into words what the experience of seeing Morrissey at Carnegie Hall was like. This will do for now, I suppose.

women i love: the english rose in brooklyn

I was walking home last night from Trader Joe's and I passed Rebecca Hall on the street. Tall, caught in mid-laugh at a joke a friend must have told her, and unfussy, she looked stunning in a low key, but refined sort of way. Dressed in black dhoti pants, Doc Martin style boots, and a cropped leather jacket; in a word, she was breathtaking. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", but I decided to revel in the moment of seeing such a fine actress and beautiful woman in my little neighborhood on what was a gray, blah Saturday.

nine to five

I don't know if it's a conflict of interest to ramble on about the particulars about what is I'm doing to advance myself career-wise in this city, but I guess I can say I intern for a company in which fashion and public relations are cozy bed partners. I'm learning a ton about about how both industries operate, but more importantly it leads me down the strangest paths sometimes. Somehow I found myself in Mario Sorrenti's photo studio this morning picking up a package. Which Mario Sorrenti, you say?

Kate Moss and Mario Sorrenti
photographed by Mario Sorrenti
Purple, Fall/Winter 08/09
Yes, it would be that Mario Sorrenti. Unfortunately, I did not see Mr. Sorrenti or Ms. Moss, but I did manage to get an eyeful. I could swear up and down I saw Malgosia Bela in repose in front of the makeup mirror. You know I feel about Malgosia. I was only there for a brief spell, so I couldn't glean much in terms what they were shooting for, but I did manage to catch a glimpse at the racks of Spring/Summer 09 pieces that instantly come alive in person. The murderous Prada heels? They were there. The furry Chanel heels? Yeah, those too. The Rodarte leather tights? Uh, huh. The Yves Saint Laurent cage coat? That was the last thing I was able to see before I felt the collective photo and fashion assistant's eyes escort me to the door. If only they knew my gawking was pure admiration. Oh well, maybe next time.

snow angels

It was cold today. They're hot.

For more click here.

bag it

Somewhere in Central Park, a giant spaceship with gleaming blue lights and snow white shell landed several weeks ago packed with contemporary art and an army of attendants dressed in Chanel nylon jackets to patrol its site. On a rather blah, rainy day last week I visited this space oddity or as Chanel creative director, Karl Largerfeld and architect Zaha Hadid would refer to it, the Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion. Its primary function is to embody the spirit of the Chanel 2.55 bag--nomadic as its curious wearer, spacious and yet contained in its ability to carry various contents, and pleasing to the eye--as envisioned through a traveling space (it was only here for three weeks and now will move on to London, Moscow, and Paris) that contains the works of several contemporary artists doing their own idiosyncratic riffs on the classic bag. Lead through the guided tour by the tough as concrete voice of Jeanne Moreau, it's definitely an interesting way to spend an afternoon, but I'm not sure what I was supposed to make it of it all. Most of the art did incite some thought, but was it art, advertising, an out of place celebration of wealth and high culture for those that can afford it and are a part of the cultured cognoscenti that will surely understand its supposed point, or a simple creative whim on part of Mr. Lagerfeld? Whatever it's supposed to be, it was a welcomed spectacle on such a day when Central Park was lined with dreary-looking, wet trees and post-rain city sludge on the walking paths.
For more on the Pavilion click here.

rain on me

3 things I learned about when it rains in NYC:
1. Why didn't I get those $28 rain boots at the Marc Jacobs store the other week? Shame on me.
2. Not owning an umbrella is not smart, but don't be stupid enough (no matter how wet, and I was pretty damn wet) to buy one of those p.o.s.'s that are sold on street corners.
3. It can rain everyday if that means that the clouds will part again and I'll have another model encounter. While on an errand for work, I passed newcomer Arlenis Sosa on Grand in between Lafayette and Crosby. It was too cold for my tongue to fall outside of my mouth, but my eyes were transfixed on her natural beauty for our brief moment. I mean, this is who we're talking about:

the candy man can

Mo's Bacon Bar at Vosges Chocolate's
Applewood smoked bacon, Alder wood smoked salt,
Deep milk chocolate, $7.50
Bacon and chocolate? Shouldn't this be illegal?

the real me

How do we like? I figured new city, new look. I'm still tinkering with a few things, but check out the new tags section. I had no idea that all I think about is Milan Fashion Week, Movie Trailers, and Women I Love. Speaking of such women, I highly recommend checking out Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky." It's an honest, funny, and ultimately moving film about the power of optimism in spite of the ugliness and cynicism that has become the cultural fog no one can seem to snap out of with the exception of star Sally Hawkins as Poppy, the effervescent and eternally happy school teacher. A film that opens with its heroine blissfully riding on a bike with the wind passing through her hair, perma-smile stretched across her face, and the eccentricity of a true independent soul gleaming from within is the perfect expression of freedom as true happiness. Hopefully we can all keep smiling and keep rowing as she so succinctly puts it at the film's end.

young folks

My new favorite song to listen to in the morning while trying to shove my way onto the A train.

the pick up artist

Sketches by Richard Haines
What I Saw Today
I'm glad someone else finds this city so inspiring.