I remember the Friday nights from my pre-school days in the ’70s thusly: My parents had a waterbed in the living room. Said waterbed was covered with a velvet crushed black blanket. My babysitter, who used to iron her blonde hair with an iron on the ironing board would create a disco ball out of carefully cut aluminum foil and my god sister and I would perform Donna Summer‘s “Hot Stuff” in my mom’s platform wedges, which were better than her spiked heels, because they wouldn’t puncture the waterbed, which of course, was our stage.

Awwww, toot-toot.

In a week where discussions of slut-shaming self-proclaimed “bad girl” Rihanna have surfaced, I’m reminded that Donna Summer was a sex positive role model before I knew what sex was. Donna Summer was big sexy hair and red lips and long legs poured into spandex. She was disco’s first and biggest pop queen. And disco was permissive, and tolerant and about pleasure. Her signature classic, “Love to Love You” was practically sex in real time, seventeen minutes of ecstasy and abandonment. She was a pop star pleasure activist who made possible Madonna and Prince. Like her maxi single, Donna Summer’s double length albums broke chart records and earned her a dozen Grammy nominations and five wins. Later, like Prince, Donna would disavow her young, free self for religion. She was forced by lifelong fans to perform her raunchier disco songs, even if she did so, as I saw her do five years ago in Atlantic City, in a Sunday perfect white pantsuit.

Gone too soon at 63, her battle with breast cancer was a private one. It’s not entirely fair that she remain frozen in our minds as a 20-something sex positive feminist hero; her real life was undoubtedly as complicated and rich as our own. Still, tonight, I’ll do a dervish disco twirl in Donna Summer’s honor, praying that she rest in pleasure.

Cinco De Mayweather has come and gone with reigning pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather turning in a career defining performance against Miguel Cotto as his record improved to an astounding 43-0 with 26 of his victories coming by way of knockout. Mayweather, who is known for his impeccable defense, movement and boxing ability found himself standing toe to toe with Cotto and exchanging punches at a freakish pace. It wasn’t your usual Mayweather fight as he had to dig deep to outgun the resilient Cotto. We saw a Mayweather that we weren’t used to; a bloodied nose that had been tagged far more than any of us can remember. Regardless, the man known as “Money” put together a masterful performance and walked away with the unanimous decision victory and the ability to call himself not only one of the greatest boxer of our era, but one of the greatest fighters of all-time.

As Mayweather stood at the podium during the post-fight press conference, flashing his illuminating million dollar smile, he was asked who he would fight next if it weren’t for Manny Pacquiao (who Mayweather won’t fight unless Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum is out of the picture).

“There really isn’t anybody out there for me to fight,” Mayweather said. “So I really don’t know where my career is going to go from here. … I’ve been feeling like [I want to retire] before this fight.

Honestly, I would have no qualms if Mayweather were to announce his retirement tomorrow. Sadly, the rest of the world would brand him as a coward who ducked Pacquiao rather than a brilliant boxer that has earned his place amongst the all time greats. Boxing has this skewed point of view when it comes to when a fighter should call it quits. 99.9% of the time they urge boxers to fight for their entertainment until they lose and then turn around and say “He should have retired after his last win.” Mayweather will, undoubtedly due to the ire he draws from fans, suffer from this same dilemma.

However, the difference between somebody like Roy Jones — who should have retired after beating Antonio Tarver the first time — and Mayweather is that the fighter formally known as “Pretty Boy” could give a damn about what you think. He has enough money to make most of us his indentured slaves and just might be smart enough to realize that leaving the sports with his wits and a bulging bank account is more significant than fighting to please a bunch of fickle fans who don’t care about you.

There is absolutely no reason for Floyd Mayweather to continue fighting…unless it’s against Manny Pacquiao.

At this point in his career, there are no real opponents for Mayweather that anyone cares about outside of Pacquiao. Not a single fighter has the resume to coerce Mayweather out of his extended vacation. Sergio Martinez is “new” to the boxing greats list but is too much of an unknown here in the state and heavier than Mayweather. Andre Ward is still a young pup who will perhaps be great one day, but not at Mayweather’s expense. Nobody really wants to see Mayweather-Ortiz II. Unless Mayweather hops in his DeLorean and heads back to the 80′s to fight Hagler, Duran and Leonard, if it doesn’t say Pacquiao, it doesn’t makes sense.

So, here’s the question, if Floyd Mayweather were to retire, would you put him on your all-time pound-for-pound list?

I’ll tell you what, he’ll certainly be on mine. Comparing Mayweather’s boxing prowess to the likes of Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Duran, Johnson, Chavez, Robinson, Ali, Louis, Pep, Dempsey and Armstrong may sound ludicrous at first. But upon further inspection, Mayweather has earned the right to be amongst these names, with or without Pacquiao.

Name a fighter that has shown the kind of dominance Mayweather has had throughout his career. When tasked with opponents that could give him trouble (Diego Corrales, for instance), Mayweather rose to the occasion and pitched virtual shutouts. Say what you want, but what Floyd Mayweather has accomplished is unprecedented in boxing when it comes to being undefeated for an extended period of time.

The gold standard of undefeated fighters, Rocky Marciano, went 49-0 in a career that started in 1948 and ended in 1955 (ages 24-32). Julio Cesar Chavez went undefeated in 90 professional fights from 1980-1994 (age 18-31) before losing to Frankie Randall. Sugar Ray Robinson won 91 fights in a row from 1943-1951 (age 21-30). Joe Calzaghe retired undefeated in a career that spanned from 1993-2008 (21-36) as he went 46-0.

Floyd Mayweather started his career in 1996 at the age of 19 and hasn’t lost in 43 fights as of 2012 at 35 years of age.

There are two key points that make “Money” stand out amongst the rest. For one, no fighter has gone undefeated for longer. Mayweather has gone sixteen years being undefeated. Only Calzaghe can say he was undefeated for almost as long at fifteen years. However, we can all agree that Mayweather has fought better competition than his UK counterpart. No, Mayweather will never touch the 90+ fight winning streaks that Chavez, Robinson, Jimmy Wilde and Pedro Carrasco put together, but he doesn’t have to fight nearly as often as they did to keep the lights on.

Notice something else different about Mayweather and the others? None (sans Calzaghe) have been able to remain undefeated past the age of 32. According to Wired, French researchers have defined the age of peak performance hovering around 26 (with the range of reaching the athletic prime gauged between 27-30). Most agree that after 30 there is an irreversible downturn in physical ability and the game then becomes much more cerebral.

Mayweather is 35, in a far more physically demanding and dangerous sport and has yet to show any signs of slowing down. For anyone who believes that Mayweather may have lost a step against Cotto, I would argue that his half-step lost is still four steps ahead of the competition.

At this point, without a Pacquiao fight, what will he gain? Anyone he beats is because he was supposed to. The only person that can beat him right now convincingly is Father Time, and he’s been waiting on Mayweather’s doorstep and is on the verge of breaking in.

Mayweather has to pick and choose wisely, should he decide to continue his career.

Photos: Courtesy of Hogan Photos

Lauren Kelley is a Texas-based artist, whose imaginative and engaging work includes animated video, sculpture and collage. Kelley attended the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and studied art at Maryland Institute College of Art. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited at the New Museum, Spellman College Museum of Fine Art and most recently in a solo exhibition at The Kitchen in New York City. She also oversees the art gallery at Prairie View A&M University.

Kelley’s 2011 animated video “Froufrou Conclusions” is part of the exhibition “Twisted Sister,” which opens at Dodge Gallery in New York on May 19 and runs through June 24. Works by Life+Times-featured artists Wangechi Mutu, Xaviera Simmons and Mickalene Thomas are also included in the group show. “Froufrou Conclusions is a short video work that explores ideas about the space between what is acquired verse notions of desire,” she says. “The notion of desire is woven into four nonverbal vignettes. The work is fun to digest, but stems from a discontent place.”

Kelly’s work has narrative structure that is both humorous and heart-wrenching, inspired by literature that places historical events in modern-day context. Here, she speaks to Life + Times about her process.

Life+Times: What kind of short stories do you look at?
Lauren Kelley: Things run across the gamut. I have a lot of respect for [author] Octavia Butler. The series of short stories in “Bloodchild” are fertile. Norton Anthology hips me to a lot of really beautiful people that I didn’t pay attention to in high school, a few [Franz] Kafka short stories. I’m really all over the map with how to figure out how to craft an image and what it means to be a storyteller. I’m always hungry for things with fabulous imagery and pace.

L+T: What about the story inspires you to make visual work?
LK: I don’t know if I’ve ever had a linear approach to developing a story. Paying respect to literature at large, I’ve kind of taken it for granted. I’m trying to incorporate a writer’s genius to what I’m doing now. Before all of that, it might start very basically with materials, just tinkering in the studio — be it running across a set prop, and building a story around that set prop and giving that object a voice, a greater spirit.

L+T: How does that process change? Or is there an aspect that remains consistent in all of your work?
LK: I believe a major consistent thread is the love of the materials. Intuitively working has always been intrinsic to my practice. That’s where it starts, the desire to touch things, the desire to engage with the kind of blind, mindless making. Some artists do not need a studio. Deena Lawson, the photographer, doesn’t need a studio. Her studio is the world. I’m really the opposite. I really need an interior space that’s private and allows me to process what’s out in the world in a private place. That defines my process -– the decision to collage, to make objects, and sometimes return back to the video and animate. I’ve always been an interdisciplinary artist; there’s so many thing to digest. I have to experience everything with my hands.

L+T: Tell me about your subject matters. There’s a question, there’s irony and wit and a bit of magical realism in your videos. You’re teasing the imagination.
LK: All of the work is originally started under a very specific umbrella, informed by a specific moment in history. What does it mean to assess the image of black people or black women at large? As I continue to make this work, why the dolls in the first place? Speaking to this moment of integration and what it means now —Brown vs. the Board of Education and the shift in perception and studying the sense of black perception, via psychological perception and use of these dolls. There was a famous study done that revealed on paper that there was a massive inferiority complex amongst people of color. That test was done again fifty years later. The test was conducted in 2004 and the results were too similar. That was a catalyst for me to play with the zany nature of all of these issues. I don’t feel compelled to stick so staunchly to that particular moment, but what remains now is the residue of the effort, the human strength and the bizarre parameters that people have to exist within that. What becomes more provocative is homage to history, larger conversations about scale and space — human space and world space. I feel freer when I have to room to play.

L +T: How about your sculptural works? These are much more textured and conceptual.
LK: They are expansion in the name of space. They gave me opportunity to elaborate on things that are less obvious in the videos. I’m in love with exploring. All of those things are wildly delicious. I get to play with that more when I work sculpturally and with collage. Sometime the objects and sculptures are opportunities to redo video work. I adore movement and opportunities to make a dot.

L+T: You approach collages as storyboards at times, there’s a suggestion of motion as opposed to stillness. There’s a sense that something is happening in your work.
LK: I adore movement. I don’t think that art is supposed to stand still. Artists are constantly frustrated about not having a response from viewers. I love the idea of movement occurring between stories or the ricocheting that can happen with a viewer. “The Kitchen” show was optimal where I got to have the video in the same space as a collage and the wall mural.

Beginning in the early 1900s, banker Henry Graves, Jr. amassed perhaps the greatest collection of watches in the world, specifically Patek Philippe Swiss timepieces. After passing into possession of his grandson, Pete Fullerton, a selection of 13 watches—some valued as much as $800,000—will go on auction at Sotheby’s in New York on June 14th. Here, Life + Times takes a look at the utterly timeless treasures.

Three days after he performed reconstructive surgery to repair the most important anterior cruciate ligament –and meniscus tear– in the Chicago Bulls’ franchise, orthopedic surgeon and Bulls team physician Dr. Brian Cole, gave an optimistic assessment of Derrick Rose’s future– but sealed Chicago’s hopes of a championship next season.

On Tuesday, Dr. Cole spoke at Rush University Medical Center alongside Bulls general manager Gar Forman and head athletic trainer Fred Tedeschi, in a room filled with anxious reporters, and delivered the prognosis for Rose’s recovery. The short answer to everyone’s question was:  it would take eight to 12 months for the NBA’s former MVP to fully recover. The long-term answer was somewhat daunting. Dr. Cole predicted that from an athlete of Rose’s caliber, there is no exact timetable for complete recuperation. That full recovery is not only solely based on how the knee responds to rehabilitation, but more on how the player heals psychologically.

“While he will hopefully be at a very high level in 12 months, it still may take slightly longer to be at his pre-injury level,” Cole told reporters. “There’s only so much that willfully is under our control. [The rest is] all about physiology, how the body responds and confidence issues. There’s a lot of variability.”

Although, the Bulls are equally hopeful that Rose will return to an MVP level, they aren’t counting on the Chicago native returning next season. And they aren’t even planning for it. Forman explained that the Bulls’ plan to keep the core of the team –that delivered the league’s best regular-season record in consecutive seasons– together with an eye toward the future. “We’re hopeful at some point he’ll be back,” stated Forman. “The biggest thing in my mind and our mind with an injury like this is we’ve obviously spent a lot of time putting this team together. Everything was looking at the big picture, long term, and it’s our job to stay focused on that and continue to look at what we feel is a long window of opportunity to have success.

“Have we taken a hit in the short term? Without question. Will we make decisions based on the short term? We won’t. Our decision will continue to be based on the long term, and a big part of that is Derrick.”

Derrick Rose is and will be the Bulls point guard of the future, but in the interim, who will lead this Chicago team to a third-consecutive best regular-season record?

The point position is one that Forman and the Bulls front office will have to address immediately. Without Rose, the Bulls became only the fifth No. 1 seed to lose to an eighth seed– as the Philadelphia 76ers eliminated them in Game 6 of their first-round series. Rose’s backups of C.J Waston and John Lucas III were destroyed by the Sixers backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams, and management can’t expect to lead the Eastern Conference again with those two at the helm. So now, the Bulls must look to make a trade or turn to the draft to upgrade at point.

With the penultimate pick of the first round, Forman’s picks at point guards will be slim-to-none. Unless they figure out a way to make a move for the best point in the draft in Kendall Marshall of North Carolina, the only other prospect worth looking at is the 6’3 Damian Lillard of Weber State, who averaged 24.5 ppg, 5.1 rebounds and four assists a game his junior year. The Bulls would do better looking in the D-League.

Another scenario is to bring in a veteran point guard, who can manage the team until Rose returns. Enter Jason Kidd. Kidd’s experience and championship pedigree is what a GM would want on his team. It’s a gamble worth taking. Aside from being the best point guard available this summer –at no cost– Kidd’s veteran leadership and basketball I.Q. alone will help improve the Bulls. Coupled with the fact that he would be the best backup to compliment and mentor D. Rose, Kidd is Chicago’s best option at this point.

With Rose out for the entire 2012-2013 season, which point guard do you think could hold down the fort in his absence?

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade received a rude awakening in their Game 2, 78-75, loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. The dynamic duo –who carried the Miami Heat to victory in Game 1– came to the realization that life without Chris Bosh isn’t so easy.

Combined, James and Wade scored 21 points in a spirited fourth-quarter comeback attempt. James had 10 points, six rebounds and three steals in the final period, while Wade chipped in 11 points. The athletic duo teamed up for nine of the Heat’s 11 assists and seven of Miami’s 10 steals as well. Despite their offensive prowess, they both came up short during the waning minutes of Game 2. LeBron missed a pair of free throws with 54.3 seconds left with the Heat down one, and D.Wade blew a layup with 16 seconds left that would’ve tied the game. Moments later, the Pacers celebrated stealing home-court advantage by evening the series at a game apiece.

D.Wade’s postseason shooting woes continued on Tuesday night. He shot a dismal 8-of-22 from the floor, bringing his playoff average on jumpers to 25 percent on 12-of-49 shots and 21 percent on 4-of-19 in the two games against the Pacers. Adversely, James’ stat line once again proved why he was recently crowned his third league MVP award. King James poured in another comprehensive performance finishing with 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists and six steals –only three players have ever hit those marks in the playoffs: Ewing in 1990, MJ in ’89 and “The Glove” Gary Payton in 2000. But despite his impressive outing, LeBron once again failed to deliver when it mattered most.

James went 4-for-8 from the free throw line in the final period –including the two misses down the stretch– and his last shot attempt came with 3:35 remaining in the game, which was a missed 3-pointer. While he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron was the go-to-guy to close out games. According to ESPN Stats & Info, in playoff game-tying or go-ahead situations in the final 24 seconds of the fourth-quarter or OT, James took 11 of Cleveland’s 24 during his time there. In Miami, he’s only attempted 1 of those clutch shots, accounting for only 14.3 percent of the Heat’s field goal attempts in those situations. In order for the Heat to advance to the next round, LeBron has to challenge himself in pressured situations.

Granted, having to play extended minutes at power forward certainly took a tool on James. But for the super-athlete that has played –and defended– every position during the regular-season, there are no excuses for his lack of execution down the stretch. “You go, you practice them and you go to up the free throw line and you shoot them how you practice,” James, who is just 10-of-17 from the charity stripe in the final minute of one-possession games this season, told ESPN. “You hope for them to go in, but the last two didn’t go for me. You want to come through for your teammates. I’ll get the opportunity again.”

Miami was without Chris Bosh, who’s sidelined indefinitely –perhaps for the rest of the series, possibly longer if the Heat advance– after he strained a lower abdominal muscle in Game 1. Bosh’s presence was sorely missed. The Heat shot a dismal 35 percent from the field, were outrebounded by the Pacers 50-40, and besides James and Wade, no other Heat player scored more than five points. This was the first time in Heat franchise history that only two players scored more than five points in a game –regular-season or playoffs– and the just the fourth time in the shot clock era. At this point in the postseason, it’s imperative that someone else, other than the Big Three –or should I say the Big Two without Bosh– step up.

The Pacers outscored the Heat 28-14 in the third quarter, shooting 10-of-18 from the floor for 55.6 percent. Miami went just 3-of-17 for a woeful 17.6 percent in the period. Besides, James and Wades stellar fourth quarter performance, the rest of the Heat failed to score. When the Big Two went cold towards the end, Miami didn’t score in the final 2:41. Starting point guard Mario Chalmers missed a crucial 3-pointer in the waning seconds that would have tied and forced the game into over time. But instead Chalmers’ brick dropped the Heat to 1-for-16 from behind the arc on the night and 1-for-22 in the series.

Big Men Ronny Turiaf, Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem combined for only seven points and 12 rebounds. Sharp shooter Mike Miller went scoreless. And Shane Battier, who converted on Miami’s only 3-pointer, led the bench in scoring with five points. In the playoffs, that lack of production won’t cut it. And relying on James and Wade to carry the load will have Miami exiting the playoffs earlier than expected.

The Thriving Child: Parenting Successfully through Allergies, Asthma and Other Common Challenges was borne out of several life-changing events for its author, Erica Reid. After witnessing her children battle food allergies and other common ailments, she was prompted to reevaluate how her family — including her husband, music empresario Antonio “L.A.” Ried — were approaching food and child-rearing. The outcome is a book that looks at steps to nourish your children, but also presents options on how to help them cope with food allergies and build their creativity through everyday activities. Life+Times caught up with Mrs. Reid to discuss her inspiration, the differences between eating organic and fresh, and how to get your kids to really like vegetables.

Life+Times: What inspired you to write this book?
Erica Reid: [It was] the journey that I was on with my children. I did so much for them and I was like, ‘There’s no way that I’m the only parent out here suffering and clueless and on a journey or searching to do better [for them].’ And I realized I had too much information bottled in me, and I said ‘There’s no way I can keep this for myself and my children.’ I know how much we have reaped and benefited and we have to share it. I had no idea it was going to be a book.

L+T: So then, at what point did you say this should be a book?
ER: My grandfather passed away. And when he passed away, I just remembered getting up one day and saying, ‘I’m going to write a book.’ I remember telling [my husband] L.A. [Reid] that and he looked at me and said, ‘Yeah, right.’ It went in one ear and out the other. I didn’t know what I was doing, so I grabbed my computer and I started purging. I honestly think I was going through an emotional transition and mixing feelings dealing with death. I think that it just transpired to release by writing and expressing and the next thing you know, I developed a book!

L+T: Your book deals with living — particularly, eating — in a holistic fashion. For example, you stress the importance of “eating with the seasons.” Can you explain that?
ER: For food that is grown elsewhere and transported,  you’re not getting it fresh. And you’re not getting it in season. For example, we’re in New York City and pineapples aren’t grown anywhere under the clouds here. They’re grown in certain parts of the world in certain times of the year for a reason. It’s what the food supply is supposed to be for the people of that community, of that Caribbean island. If you look at the Caribbean, it’s tropical. We don’t have the right climate here and by not eating this way, you can have skin problems like eczema.

L+T: Another point that you stress is how what your kids eat affects their psychology.
ER: I never relate to food in our home as “weight.” What I try and do is teach my kids, “Why do we eat in the first place?” Food nourishes our bodies, our mind, our spirit and I always say to them: ‘A car cannot keeping going without gas. It may get you to that point, but barely. Your body can shut down. It is a machine and it requires certain things to keep it maintained.’ Mentally, when you consume certain foods, it affects your moods. It takes you up, down, and it can cause a chemical imbalance depending on what you’re consuming. So many children are misdiagnosed today because of food. We’re feeding them so much sugar and we think because we’re not giving it to them in soda or we don’t have the actual white granulated sugar…if you look on the back [labels] of pretty much everything and you add it all up, you’d be surprised at how many tablespoons or cups you’ve given to your kids or even yourself in one day.

L+T: Like what?
ER: Yogurt. You see so many ads about getting the right amount of probiotics, but how much probiotic or active cultures is really in the yogurt and not loaded with sugar? Certain foods can get away with just listing a little bit of an ingredient or saying it’s all organic and having other things.

L+T: Eating organic also comes up often. How would you suggest that someone could do that if organic markets aren’t readily available?
ER: Organic is expensive. Period. It doesn’t matter where you are, it comes with a price tag. Look at what you’re consciously purchasing that is organic. For example, a banana — you don’t eat the skin, so does it matter if that’s organic? I don’t think so. I would suggest eating healthier, more green, leafy vegetables and more fruits instead of things that are processed. So, I’m not saying that you have to have organic. I think you can have a healthy, balanced, clean meal that’s not organic rather then eating something that is organic, but full of sugar, especially when you don’t know how much of it is organic. You have to look at yourself and family and financial situation and figure what you want to do. Health is not a luxury and in our country, we need to see what it is that takes precedent. It’s not always easy, but if you want organic, look in the frozen section –- get some frozen organic peas. Do the best you can. Some of us are going to McDonald’s after work, so weigh your options. Don’t get the full meal, the shake, the drink, the French fries. I’d say get the French fries and make your own chicken nuggets and steam some vegetables, like kale or broccoli.

L+T: You really like kale…
ER: I love kale! It’s how I get my calcium. We’re taught that you have to get your calcium from milk from a cow but it’s found in green, leafy vegetables and other items.

L+T: Kids don’t grow up loving kale and broccoli, but somehow you’ve convinced your kids to enjoy it. How?
ER: It’s called respect and you recognize that children, like adults, have taste buds. It’s not about conning them or presenting it in pretty way — you have to be good about presenting it in a tasty way. I’ll tell you what did it [for my kids]: it was lemon. My kids got into being able to take a lemon and be self-sufficient and independent and squeeze it onto their fish, broccoli, etc. And then we invested in a lemon squeezer and they had a ball with that!

L+T: You also talk about letting your children dress themselves to express creativity.
ER: Dressing yourself is creative expression. They have a vision. They see these clothing items and they put together these things based on how they feel. You better believe that my kids have walked out in…you name it. My son has dressed in character costumes in 100-degree days as Darth Vader or as Michael Jackson and I let him go out like that because I don’t want them to think that what they creatively put together has something wrong with it. What I had to teach was there’s a time and a place where that’s appropriate. If we were going to a fancy restaurant, you cannot wear something like that, and then I explain why.

L+T: If your child follows a well-balanced, healthy diet and nurtures creativity, how does that end up affecting society overall?
ER: My daughter will come home and say, ‘Oh my god, the kids in class wouldn’t sit down and they were giving the teacher a hard time. They ate so much sugar at lunch.’ She will make a comment because she has seen the effect of what food can do and how it can alter your mood. I’ve made our home the place where we can eat to sustain ourselves.

Erica Reid photo: GOMILLION and Leupold Studios

Shimon and Ariel Ovadia have had no formal training in design. While they spent time observing their father’s garment business, these two Brooklyn-based brothers have managed to shine through their lineage and in doing so, have launched their own label, aptly titled Ovadia & Sons. In 2012, Ariel and Shimon were named GQ’s Best New Menswear Designers in America and they’ve positioned themselves as making gear for real dudes – timeless, classic, and ever so sophisticated.

Life+Times: It’s all about the fit and details – and you guys, plain and simple, nail it. What makes your product unique?
Ariel: One of the reasons that we started Ovadia & Sons is because the clothing we wanted didn’t exist. We have our vision of the way we want clothing to look, feel and fit. We use high quality fabrics and pay close attention to fit, detail and design. We love to borrow from the past and recreate it, so there is a fresh yet familiar feel.

L+T: If you had to choose one iconic guy who represents the Ovadia and Sons customer – who would it be and why?
Shimon: Its’ tough to choose just one. For me its guys like Gary Cooper and Clark Gable. Those men had personal style and a certain coolness to them.

L+T: What are your five rules to getting dressed?
Shimon and Ariel:
1. We believe that you can make your own rules. Just know what works for you.
2.Confidence. You need to feel confident in what you’re wearing.
3. Always feel comfortable in what you’re wearing. Make sure you’re wearing the clothing and not the other way around.
4. Dress according to your mood. It will change your day.
5. Don’t spend too much time with fashion trends. They come and go like the seasons. Classic is always in style.

Shimon: The brand has an identity and the vision is clear. From the cohesiveness of the collections to the quality and fit of our products, it clarifies the message that we’re giving.

The hopeless expression that was transfixed upon Kobe Bryant’s face said it all.

Kevin Durant, the NBA’s MVP runner-up, and Russell Westbrook combined for 52 points, as the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 116-90 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals series on Monday. Bryant and a much-improved Andrew Bynum each scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers (with Bynum grabbing 14 rebounds) but the look of despair on Bryant’s face served as an indication that the window for him to obtain his sixth championship is closing– rapidly.

Two games after trailing by as many as 28 points in a blowout loss in Game 6 in Denver, thing got worse for the Lakers, who were down by as many as 35-points at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday night. Kobe and company responded to their last thrashing by defeating George Karl’s talented Nuggets 96-87 in a thrilling Game 7 on Saturday night. Now, the Lakers will need another big bounce-back performance for Game 2 in OKC on Wednesday night.

“I’ve been on the receiving end [of playoff blowouts]. I’ve also been on the end [when] we’re dishing it out,” Bryant told ESPN. “My experience is telling me to stay patient and think the game through. We’re going to have to make our adjustments.”

In 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers were pushed to seven games by the Houston Rockets during the Western Conference semifinals. They were blown out in Game 6 and had to go back to L.A. for a decisive Game 7. The Lakers struggled then with inconsistency and displayed little effort on both sides of the ball, before advancing on to win-it-all, giving Bryant his fourth title. On Saturday, it wasn’t just Kobe’s heroics that helped L.A. overcome adversity, but instead it was the return of defensive stalwart Metta World Peace that rallied the Lakers past Denver and provided relief to a struggling squad. On Monday, not even World Peace could save the Lakers.

In his mind, Kobe was able to see a jagged journey to a championship in’09. But, after L.A. wasn’t able to close out the Nuggets early last week, and after their woeful defeat in Game 1, Bryant’s vision of the Lakers’ future is not as clear as it once was– and he’s beginning to sense that his quest for six just might be in jeopardy.

At age 33, the huge degree of responsibility Kobe took on during this lockout-compressed season –Bryant took 36 percent of L.A.’s shots while on the court and posted a Usage Percentage of 35.7– has severely worn him down. On Monday, it was Bryant who had to check Westbrook, and the Thunder All-Star point guard either got by Bryant himself or had a teammate set screen– with no Laker defender there to step up. At one point Westbrook ran Kobe into a back-screen, and then soared for an alley-oop pass from Durant with no one from the Lakers’ frontcourt coming over to help. Kobe was furious at the lack of defensive help. As evident in his post-game comments, after the L.A. failed to finish off the Nuggets in Game 6, Bryant is sick and tired of carrying the Lakers’ load. He turned a question about the return of Metta World Peace from a seven-game suspension into an indictment of his teammates: “He’s the one guy that I can rely on night in and night out to compete and play hard and play with that sense of urgency and no fear,” Bryant said of World Peace.

Was Bryant’s comment a slap in the face to Pau Gasol and the Lakers young center, Andrew Bynum? Absolutely. Was it necessary? Totally. For Bryant, success is valued in the number of titles one accumulates. It’s part of his #Kobesystem philosophy. Like the latest campaign for his Nike sneaker demonstrates, Bryant’s firm belief in mastering “success at success at success” is deeply routed in his pursuit of excellence. Over the years, the Black Mamba has become a different animal, but still remains the same beast. If the ultimate goal of winning a championship isn’t attained, in Kobe’s eyes, the entire season is viewed as a complete failure. He plays to win. And he expects his teammates, he goes to battle with night in and night out, to possess or adopt the same mindset.

Kobe has shown legendary durability for a player of his type. His streak of excellence is virtually unmatched. While Bryant’s only 33, he’s in his 16th full NBA season, including two lockout-shortened ones. He’s played the equivalent of more than two and a half seasons in postseason games alone. By comparison, Michael Jordan played only 13 full seasons and only 11 were in his prime with the Chicago Bulls dynasties. In fact, Kobe has played 34 more postseason games than Jordan –and counting. But Jordan never lost in the Finals. And Kobe has– to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 Finals. MJ has always been Bryant’s measurement of success in basketball and has served as his greatest-inspiration, as well as his primary target to catch. But as the Lakers continue to struggle this postseason, Kobe’s pursuit of MJ may fall short.

This season, Bryant averaged 27.9 points per game –his sixth best scoring average of his career– second only to Durant’s 28.3 ppg, who Kobe conceded the scoring title to by sitting out the last game of the regular season. To nearly lead the league in scoring in his 16th season is unprecedented. According to ESPN Stats & Info, heading into this season, the highest scoring average for a player in his 16th season or later was 23.4 ppg by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1985-86. The highest average for a guard that late in his career was 14.8 ppg by Reggie Miller. Which means Bryant is still a bad man on the court, but without the right pieces around him, the individual accolades mean nothing to Bryant if the Lakers get knocked out of the playoffs. Kobe is trying to lead the Lakers to their third championship in four years. And to do so he will need an all around team effort, especially from Gasol and Bynum, who have both, turned in subpar performances this postseason.

Now Bryant and the Lakers will have to get past Durant and the juggernaut Thunder. For the first time in a while, the Lakers are the underdogs in a playoff series. It’s the veteran and playoff-tested Lakers versus the young and athletic OKC– who is exacting revenge for their 2010 playoff loss to the Lakers. Does the Black Mamba have enough in his arsenal to will his team passed the mighty Thunder– and ultimately to the crown?