rag & bone

It's back to Africa according to David Neville and Marcus Wainwright of Rag & Bone. Their usual flair for impressive tailoring and urban outfitting was given a dash of safari for spring. This wasn't your Banana Republic take on safari but rather a mod, mid 60s affair that would befit an evening of cocktails in the jungle with Dean Martin. Khaki and cream dominated the collection with strokes of jet black for proper punctuation. The clothes were utilitarian in their approach but very handsome and clean in their execution. Windbreakers worn with just the right short or a short sleeve button down fashioned as a pajama top complemented the tried and true structured suits and vests Rag & Bone are so good at. Although the menswear was strong and a slight progression for the label, it was the women's collection that faltered. You wanted to love it because it was Liya, Isabeli, and Angela at their sexiest, but even the 60s Bond Girl hair and overly simple smock dresses couldn't save their forecast for what women want for spring. The styling was off with either ill-fitting frocks or distracting headscarves. A pair of white tuxedo pants paired with a shrunken pajama top was one of the few standouts but you hope that eventually the ease and practical vision Rag & Bone has for men will translate to their womenswear. After all, 007 is nothing without just the right girl, right?

Gold Digger on:
Abaete
L.A.M.B.
Marchesa
Erin Fetherston
Sari Gueron

new york, new york explained

Americana in shreds at Thom Browne Spring/Summer 2008

This month The Look-See will join forces with Bitch, Please and Gold Digger to analyze, fawn over, and examine the best, the boldest, and the fug that fashion has to offer for next season during New York, Milan, and Paris fashion weeks. Fashion has never seemed so present in our culture with trendy shops like Forever 21 and H&M ruling the collective style consciousness of young America, the blogosphere becoming the new tastemakers, and more media attention on what's in and what's out when it comes to fashion. We may not be sitting front row but our eyes our peeled and our sartorial sense is finely tuned. Enjoy.

first look: control

"Control"
dir., Anton Corbijn
2007

Joy Division + Samantha Morton + Anton Corbijn = YES, PLEASE!

you can't tell me nothing

Kanye West at the British GQ Awards
I would never match my sunglasses with my belt, but it's really the jacket, the shades of gray and the one pop of color he should have stuck with, the azure colored belt, that stand out. Further proof that gray is the color for fall.

the woman

Couldn't you just stare at that body for hours?

When her authoritative figure isn't commanding your eyes, I suggest you pick up the latest issue of Interview magazine. Monica Bellucci and Tim Blanks engage in idle chit chat peppered with great gobs of intelligence and perspective from one of the rare and truly international beacons of sex and celluloid luminescence.

An excerpt:
Tim Blanks: I'm curious as to why you once said that being an actress is a sublimation of femininity.
Monica Bellucci: I think it's easier to be an actress than an actor. I think that acting goes with femininity in some ways. Women are natural actresses. As Richard Burton once said, "An actor is something less than a man, while an actress is something more of a woman."
TB: I actually think men tend to be so narcissistic that acting comes quite naturally to them, whereas women are much more who they are. I think men perform and women are.
MB: That's why it's natural for a woman to become an actress. If she just pushes a bit, she's there. (laughs)

She's Italian, she quotes Richard Burton, and she's got that body. Now that's what I call a real woman.

the man

There is no other working male contemporary actor quite like Clive Owen. The dark gaze, the mysterious intensity, the grown-up subtedly are all there. His latest film, the frenetic action triller "Shoot 'Em Up", looks completely ridiculous but I'm sure as in all of his performances, there is something there to watch that will be utterly and completely compelling. Caryn James's recent profile on Owen doesn't reveal entirely new information about the actor, but perhaps that's the point. Spoiling his hidden and muted style would definitely burn out his star quality that usually tears through the screen. He knows it's all in his eyes and it's our privilege as his enraptured audience to look into them and see something alluring, honest, and captivating.

photo courtesy of clive-owen.org

"Shoot 'Em Up"
dir., Michael Davis
2007

Choice Clive Owen moments (among many):

"Children of Men"
dir., Alfonso Cuaron
2006


"Closer"
dir., Mike Nichols
2004


"The Follow"
from the BMW Film Series, "The Hire"
dir., Wong Kar Wai
2001

le gallo rosso

Tucked behind The Butterfly Garden Cafe and just behind the alley of The Bristol, a true dining secret can be discovered. Le Gallo Rosso's location may seem inconvenient or easily missed in the Highlands dining scene, but the location adds to its unique and sumptuous quality. Brightly colored laterns hang from vine covered walls in the entrance, encapsulating you in a cove of benevolent Italian bistro cuisine. The stucco walls are washed in a salmon color mixed with veritable rooster accents lending itself to a comfortable and homey decor. Patrons are allowed to bring their own wine (free of corkage fees), making any guest feel as though they are truly at a gathering for a good meal and festive evening. The restaurant is small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in sheer savory delight on their brief but perfectly edited dinner menu.

Every entree comes included with salad and freshly baked bread, a rare find in the neighborhood. The salad comes wrapped in a beautiful bouquet of fresh mixed greens, pine nuts, and gorgonzola cheese that unravels perfectly on the plate from the ribbon of cucumber. It's just enough salad to satisfy your initial hunger but also enough to complement and hold over your appetite for the main course.

The House Salad with a sweet but tart Balsamic Vinaigrette
My party of eight selected everything from their gargantuan lasagna infused with layers of pasta; ground pork; veal; fresh tomato sauce; and cheeses, their wild mushroom and truffle oil alfredo, traditional spaghetti and meatballs (the size of softballs) and a ravioli special that was beyond perfect.
Lasagna, $13.95
Wild Mushroom Alfredo, $13.95I chose the chicken entree that was cooked in a white wine, sun dried tomato, and artichoke sauce served with risotto and green beans. The flavors were well worth not ordering a traditional pasta dish.
Chicken Entree, $15.95
Dinner concluded with some of the best tiramisu ($5.95) I've ever had. The portions in general were large but it wasn't obnoxious, more so exciting that in the morning leftovers would be the real treat from the previous evening. Everyone was satisfied with their meals as well as the friendly and warm service. As we left wafting in the utter delight that was our dining experience, the charm and well-executed service and food begged for another visit. With food like that the temptation will not be difficult to resist.

Le Gallo Rosso
1325 Bardstown Rd.
Louisville, Ky

conventional and unconventional at the same time

If only Miss J. were there giving the prospective models some much needed walking tips.

it's britney, bitch.

Britney Spears, "Gimme More"

Who would have thought the bubblegum pin-up of the late 90s would have evolved into a cultural whipping post for all things wrong and evil in the world? Britney Spears managed to shock and entice us with her Lolita brand of pop sexuality, but now with two kids, twice divorced and her cooter available to all via the easiest Google image search, where does she stand amongst the new female titans of pop (Fergie, Gwen, Nelly, Beyonce)? Her contemporaries morphed into would be movie stars (sorry Mandy), sexpots not quite in on the joke (yes, that would be you Jessica), and wait--relevant, multi-platinum selling, genre-defying superstars (thank you, X-Tina), therefore this would seem somewhat of an opportune time to jump back into the game and prove to the world that you were once the leader of the pack. Granted, her sound is not entirely discernible (breathy come ons and slick production?), but throughout her career she has contributed some of the most perfectly odd-sounding and catchy pop/dance music, namely "Slave 4 U" and "Toxic." Unfortunately, with her current fall from pop grace (the shaved head, the crotch flashing, the K-Fed, the baby bottles filled with Coca-Cola) it's so much more difficult to not be distracted by her wild public life when she do desperately wants to turn attention to her "craft." Word of a comeback album has been in the works for a while and if there is anyone who could resurrect her career it is super producer Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, who co-producer such pop gems as "Promiscuous" and "My Love." This song could have easily been produced for any r&b honey or pop princess but that trademark Spears come-hither pulse in her voice is there and makes this song not entirely forgettable or regrettable, on her part. It's catchy and will probably be a hit on the radio, and in a way reminds us of a Britney from days gone by. This isn't retread but she is in no way pushing popular music forward at any stretch of the imagination. My suggestion to Ms. Spears is although she seems to have found the right sound to woo our hunger for decent pop music, it's the public's interest, or disinterest at this point, that she will have to woo over. The veil of mystery has been lifted a little bit on Ms. Spears as of late, so here's hoping she has a few secrets left in her and her life of meltdowns, rehab, and bad wigs are things of the past.

spring forward

Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos, formerly of Trovata, have started their new label that is less preppy surfer and more contemporary urbanite. Naturally, I'm anticipating the arrival of their new spring line that is previewed on men.style.com. Although it's intended for next season, some of the pieces would fit comfortably into a fall wardrobe. The white cardigan, the dark denim, and the thin sweater vest seem very right now but also indicate this is a debut to watch.

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