your teeming shores

What do the sum of an affinity for and obsession with: signage, typography, Americana, the 1970s, stretches of amber waves of grain, muscle cars, swimming pools, found objects, pornography, pancakes, formica, the entire spectrum of the color blue and outdated technology equal?

A love of Stephen Shore's photography. That's what.

style caster

Um, here are some words I never thought would come out of my mouth:

Isn't that the coolest cast you've ever seen in your life?

Reminds me of the little star fill-in tattoos on Lyle Tuttle.

I can't say that it makes me want to go out and get a cast but I appreciate a man who can decorate his plaster with style and aplomb.

who can?

Can can.
That's who.

just a couple of wild and crazy kids

*Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren

I don't really care who styled the Sex Pistols but I would give blood to get my hands on any pieces from her Pirates, Savage and Nostalgia of Mud collections. For real.

Besides, that shaved-side-of-the-head on girls? Still super sexy.

love to love you and you

part 1

part 2

*Window Water Baby Moving by Stan Brakhage

The best film about love. My favorite part: it's silent.

rest in peace chelsea hotel

News of the infamous hotel's shuttered doors just hit the left coast and needless to say, we are not pleased. Especially those of us who grew up in the Big Apple.

Apparently, the reservation board going dark has to do with the fact the hotel's pink slip is held by a new pair hands, who somehow intend to conduct major renovations on the hotel while keeping all the original objets d'art, molding, iron work etc. Hmmm.

And what about the current residents who reside in the hotel? They're allowed to stay, though most say they'll miss the revolving door of mid-westerners with fanny packs, overaged punks and just plain old NYC lovers looking to stay in the "haunted" hotel with the ghosts of Nancy Spungen and Dylan Thomas, not to mention garner a little creativity that must live in hotel's walls. Just ask Patti Smith.

The last time I went to the Chelsea Hotel was in 1999, just before my move to Los Angeles. My friend Arianna's mother was in town and I joined her family at El Quijote. I still remember the comforting depth of the sopa de ajo, laden with garlic and laced with delicate ribbons of egg. Yum.

Oh New York. How could you?

if it's baroque, don't fix it

*all images courtesy of style.com

Fashion's become's something of a madcap revolving door. Although, trends have always been recycled, revamped and re-imagined, they seem to keep running around the runway at breakneck speed. I mean, think about current trends: bold blocking, ginormous parkas, ultralong pants. I mean 1995 was less than 20 years ago!

That said, I'm glad that Gianni Versace is getting his due (again). So much of nineties fashion focused on the sort of sand, stone and bone minimalism as seen in the collections of Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Helmut Lang, and Jil Stuart. So, Versace, who seemlessly blended Rococo & Regency motifs with super sexy modern cutouts and S&M style was really a breath of fanciful air in an other subdued decade.

Recently Giovanna Battaglia was seen sporting a Versace number from his infamous Bondage collection, looking as chic and sleek as ever. While the look is not quite my style, they definitely inspire me to have a good laugh and enjoy dressing in the morning. And who knows, it may just be time to bring those studded and bedazzled Versace Chaos Couture heels hiding in the back of my closet back into rotation.