Butterfly Blue

If you enjoy Live Jazz and the great taste of Soul Food with a Caribbean Kick, then this is the place for you. Butterfly Blue, is a small cozy restaurant/bar in Harlem, it's located on 150th street and Amsterdam Avenue. Yes I have been doing alot of cultural pieces on Harlem, so check it out.
There's a happy hour drinks special between 6-9pm, and the drinks are amazing

Taste of Harlem

Triple shot latte, a pen overflowing with words waiting to be dispersed on paper. All sorts of artists and thinkers sit at the society cafe on the corner of 114th and Frederick Douglas Boulevard. The ambience alone was the selling theme for me. Cafeteria-esque wooden tables are located right in centre of the cafe, light jazz playing in the background, the chef and the servers move in unison within clear sight. The owner comes over and speaks to me, as if he knew that I was a tourist to this side of town, he then gives me some insight on the cultural background of Harlem. He happened to be the owner of a night club called 67 Orange, which is located exactly a block away on 113th street.

The man with Sole

British shoe designer, Nicholas Kirkwood, is showing up and putting on a show. His designs are impeccable, and not to mention the sole, it's like walking on cloud nine and causing a traffic jam doing so. Kirkwood has blessed Rodarte with their "Punk Duchess" shoe line, worked on Belstaff and Phillip Lim's 2008 Spring collection, and continues to wow shoe lovers with his decadent designs. He's been called the Da Vinci of shoes, so need I say more?

The state of Fashion

As I sat down to brunch with a pen-pal, we endeavoured in a conversation of the present state of fashion. The theatrics at Christopher Kane, Comme de Garcons and Galliano were some of the names brought up. Where is the line being drawn? I've been an avid fan of "style" and I feel like fashion has come to a point where there is no line being drawn as far as what's wearable and what's just a show. I took a gander at the RTW trends and even that's a bit over the top. What happened to the simple chic that graced the backs of old hollywood starlets? The house of Chanel that's known for it's classicism has become Crazy (for a lack of a better word). I feel like experimenting in fashion is key in order to set yourself apart, but I feel like it's come to a point where designers have just thrown every, and anything together just for an "effect."

Minimal

There's one element that never goes out of style, and that is classicism. This season, for Milan Fashion Week Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein gave us this clean palette, but didn't forget that shapes are a key element to giving an edge to classic looks. Raf Simons at Jil Sander is an utter genius, the color palette was magnificent, and the contour more dynamic than mount Everest. Tomas Maier at Bottega Venetta incorporated menswear in s/s09 womens ready-to-wear and it was brilliant.

New Givenchy Ad

So I was concerned of how Givenchy would progress considering the strong statement they made in their fall/winter 08 collection. I feel like they've taken the high road by not drifting too far from the statement they made in 08. Here's an image of the spring ad.

michael kors

He utterly bores me. I was looking at his collection for spring 09 and I must say he gives a bad name to american designers. Often times there's a comment made of his classic looks, but in reality I find this to be boring, and an utter lack of originality. Yes I'm feeling a bit like a cynic and it just amazes me how the lack of progression or edge is the consistent theme in his designs. Images won't be posted, because people don't read enough, and by me giving you visual it's almost as if I'm promoting this bore.

Haute Dior

I think this is the best Giselle Bundchen ever looked

The Anti-Christ?

Hello Kitty is the anti-christ!!!! Screamed the drunken image of myself. This cartoon characterize cat is everywhere. There's a MAC line dedicated to her, there's images of her everywhere and a vodka all for this little bitch. She's cute I must admit, but she's the biggest collaborator of 08/09. She's recognized in every culture, without regards to religion, sex or social status.

My weekly "touching base" with my dad led to something quite exciting. Apparently as we speak they're filming for the upcoming film Coco avant Chanel in the streets of Paris.

Clemence Poesy, this French actress(Harry Potter and the goblet of Fire) is the girl of the moment. She made her mark as a model being the spokesperson for Chloe's fragrance. Now you'll find her gracing the front rows at Fashion Week,photographed with Karl Lagerfield; rumors are she's his new muse.

Grace Jones' New Single

Season of the Damned

Robot brought to my attention the other day of the signs to look for when the end of the world is to come, the twins will fall and people will be lovers of darkness rather than light.
This season, we've gotten a hit of it, and I guess that I too will be damned, because Givenchy's Fall/Winter collection gave me chills, John Galliano's Couture line had me on the edge of my seat. And Stefano Pilati's homage to YSL, well that was just in a class of its own.
So let's take a gander at this passing season in fashion. The damned, the mourning the exoticism of it all.

Rodarte

Let's talk about the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte. Their Punk Duchess collection is definitely a sight to see.

Courtney Love: ELLE UK

"There's so much aggression and anger there. If I wasn't able to turn that VENOM into art, I'd be dead. If I'm not making MUSIC, I'm a toxic person to be around."-Courtney Love.




PHOTOGRAPHY by Jan Walters

Holey Tac(ky)-tics

So I'm left with the question when do we call it trashy and when is it trendy? Because with the state of fashion being the way it is, nothing surprises me. I respect goth-glam, and even some aspects of grunge, but when you begin to look like an overworked and underpaid prostitute then that's where the line should be drawn. I posted a bulletin on lookbook.nu for photos of this new trend, and this is what I received. There's definitely a fine line between glam and trash, and I've seen some people overtly crossing that line. Grunge doesn't necessarily mean straight out the garbage, as a fashion trend it definitely requires some polishing. Not because you're a fan of the "trend" or lifestyle of Courtney Love & Kurt Cobain, doesn't mean that you have to look drugged up.

Louis Vuitton: Spring 2009 Ad Campaign

So I realized that I took alot of credibility from Marc Jacobs in the previous blog. However, using Madonna as the new Louis Vuitton Spokesperson for Spring 2009, well that was just genius. Vuitton dished out $10 million to Madonna for this campaign, and we get to see her crotch, so I think she was underpaid.
Here's a little sneak of what to expect in Spring. Photographed by my favorite fashion photographer: Steven Meisel.

Louis "WTF" Vuitton

Has anyone took the time to see what the fuck is going on at the house of Vuitton these days? I feel like this is the new home for the 80's babies. Seems like classicism is a thing of the past, because this is utter madness. Let's start off with the doors at Vuitton in Soho, I swear it looks like somebody vandalized it. I love Marc for his controversy but this is just plain crazy. It's either he's an attention whore or he's lost his mind and he's no Einstein.
Stephen Sprouse is an artist in his own realm, but I feel like for Marc to do collaborative work with him, it should've been on a label with more edge, Vuitton has it's signature print, and I love what Marc did on the signatured totes. However this wasn't necessary, the company was up 80% last year. I think Marc should've taken this madness to his own line, where the edge and unexpected is expected.
I hope Vuitton doesn't play a Perry Ellis circa 1992.

McQueen

McQueen is known for his risque looks labeled with his own name. What can I say, Alexander McQueen never fails to hold your attention season after season. His knack for the theatrical sets him apart from the dimes per dozen in the industry. McQueen has come a long way from being fired from Givenchy, he reminds me of a certain other genius in the industry: Marc Jacobs, does it ring a bell? Fired from Perry Ellis for his grundge '93 line. What can I say, it's human nature to be attracted to a rebel; and McQueen is a magnetic field.
Below is a few looks from his Spring 2009 Collection.

Urban Outfitters' Catalog

Perhaps one of the best catalogs I've ever seen produced by UO. With this holiday catalog I've noticed a shift in trends. This season has thrown in fall and summer looks into winter wear; as well as an allusion to the movie "Cabaret" with Liza Minnelli. Laces have become a key fabric for this season. I guess it's time for me to pull out my black lace dress that's been hidden in my closet for about a year now. The black widow is no longer mourning; instead she struts.
Here's some pics from the pages of December/January's issue: