Our friend from Portland was visiting us last week, so we took a hiatus and checked out all the latest happenings and art shows around town. We hadn’t been to the Drawing Center on Wooster Street in ages, so we stopped by. We were mesmerized by the Iannis Xenakis show on display. With only one week left (through April 8), we were lucky to happen upon it! Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary presents drawings, video, and recordings from Xenakis’ career, spanning 1953-1984. A leading figure in twentieth century avant-garde music, Xenakis was trained as a civil engineer, then became an architect and developed revolutionary designs while working with Le Corbusier. His beautiful, graphic line drawings and sketches are at once mathematical, musical, and lyrical, vaguely conjuring the deliberate precision and delicateness of Agnes Martin. If you weren’t lucky enough to catch the show at the Drawing Center, be sure to check out one of his many recordings. Jersey top by Damir Doma (thecorner.com), Suit rolled Gary shorts (coutie.com), Hobo 3 layer nylon roll tote bag and Oakley Frogskins in navy (both oki-ni.com). These Alexander McQueen sandals will create a graphic line drawing for your feet (Browns)! Or, if you want to keep it leather-free, try these simple black high tops from Autonomie Project (mooshoes.com).

Ever since we randomly heard about about these ladies a couple of years ago & discovered their videos on YouTube, we’ve been obsessed with Effi Briest! A couple of seven inches & some songs on their MySpace page were all we’ve had to keep us satiated—until now. Well, until May 11 to be precise, as that is when their first full length will be released! We seriously cannot wait because they are so amazing! It’s like Siouxsie Sioux met Buffy Sainte-Marie met amazingness and created more amazingness!!! In other words, they’re really freaking good. So give them a listen, astral project, meditate, bang a gong, freak out. Just don’t call it boho chic! Acne Dyed Scoop Neck Tee (asos.com), Wooden Animal Necklace (New High Mart), Palace Brick Cuff (allforthemountain.com), Gurkee rope sandals (Opening Ceremony), Hemp Meditation Pants (rawganique.com), and you never know where the planets (or your psychedelic tour van) will guide you or what sofa you may end up on as you wander the galaxy, so this pink Paul Smith toothbrush (coggles.com) will keep you minty fresh.

Okay, so this is part guilty pleasure post, part homage to a bygone era in our neighborhood (Harlem, NYC), part flashback to awkward junior high school discos in the gymnasium (if you’re of a certain age, you’ll know what we mean), and part ridiculously awesome graphics and color palette! (and those ladies have some fierce moves, too!!) Nothing like this ever goes down on the streets outside of the Apollo these days (although it would be pretty amazing if it did), we’ve survived those awkward junior high school dances, and we’re pretty sure this is more fun than Lady Gaga (are we allowed to say that?—will Gaga vigilantes surround our house and burn it to the ground?!?). Let’s hope not. Anyway, enjoy this tune until the next neighborhood Bar Mitzvah, practice your street dance moves, and introduce a little color and fun into your wardrobe this spring—winter is over, don’t be so serious! Tunes by Rob Base and DJ E Z Rock. T-shirt by spectacular wearable Swedish “magazine” subscription company T-post (receive a monthly designer t-shirt by a different artist each month!!) (and pair it with a big red chain!), Woolrich Jacket (via Coat of Arms), get retro with a fluoro Casio G-Shock (Goliath New York), have a custom remixed pair of sneaks fashioned by Harlem-based Remix da Kickz, and bring the look into the present spring with Henrik Vibskov’s Dyken Short. Oh, and remember—it takes 2 to make a thing go right!  (And you don’t even need Gaga to keep it outta sight!)

We saw a screening of Marguerite Duras’ 1981 film Agatha et les lectures illimitées on Sunday night at the Anthology Film Archives here in New York, and it has us going all trad again. Leave it to the French to make banal feel so dreamy! It was the perfect film to sneak into on a rainy March afternoon. Introspective, sadly romantic, and literate as only Duras can be—quiet images of empty seaside hotel commons, desolate beaches, and grey-blue skies lingered on the screen as we pined for a trans-Atlantique flight to some elegantly shabby Old World seaside village. Take a walk on the beach and ponder la vie privée as you trace poems in the sand. Classic chambray shirt by Gitman Vintage (Frances May), vintage fleece shorts (James Perse), Quoddy navy Chukka Boot (South Willard), long handle Hickory Tote (Heritage Research), and ward off those early spring sea breezes with the perfect flannel grey pocket sweatshirt from Margaret Howell.

The swimming pools of rain falling from the sky and umbrella-re-appropriating winds didn’t stop us from checking out the Jeff Koons- curated Skin Fruits exhibit at New York’s The New Museum this weekend. Its first time in the US, the Athens-based Dakis Joannou Collection comprises one of the leading collections of contemporary art in the world. Many of the heavy-hitters were on display: Matthew Barney, Vanessa Beecroft, Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, etc., but there was also a good representation of younger artists, and many works that had never been shown before. We were particularly drawn to the 2003 piece by Swiss artist Urs Fischer entitled What if the Phone Rings? (pictured above), a human-ish candle sculpture with wicks set into its head, right heel and buttocks, which stay aflame throughout the exhibition. Our particular visit presented the sculpture with its legs almost fully melted, bouncing a humorous fluorescent horror scenario off the work’s cheeky/haunting title. In the October 2004 issue of Frieze, Tom Marton says of the work:

Urs Fischer’s work is characterized by happy accidents–slips of the hand and mind that can transform even the ugliest of ducklings into a weirdly beautiful swan…Perhaps oddly, the final proof of this is that whenever one of What If The Phone Rings’ several editions is exhibited… While in one sense the melting sculpture is a clock, and in another a meditation on the impossibility of ever experiencing a work of art in a meaningfully ‘final’ way (how can we, if its form changes the moment we turn our backs?), it’s also an affirmation that there are other forces at work in the world aside from the artist’s hand, and that these, too, play a part in the art-making process. What If The Phone Rings?, then, sees Fischer cede total control, but this is a megalomaniac’s dream, and megalomaniacs know nothing of the buzz of tumbling down a hillside, of the giddy enlightenment it bestows.

So, what if the phone rings? Flesh-colored tee by Bless (farfetch.com), pink 100% cotton trousers via Browns (roll them for spring ease and comfort), Persol sunglasses in white (unitedshades.com), dayglo pink unisex nail polish from Uslu Airlines (azitastore.com), recycled cassette tape fedora (Supermarket), and stay grounded with a pair of  Shudy rubber driving shoes in marigold. Purchase your copy of Skin Fruits: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection from the New Museum store.

This past week on the magic box, we’ve seen Sarah Jessica Parker trace her family roots all the way back to the Salem Witch Trials on Who Do You Think You Are?; we’ve witnessed a real life witch dump her outdated wardrobe for a more modern bewitching one on What Not to Wear; and on Kell on Earth, Kelly Cutrone and sidekick Andrew have kept it witchier than Stevie Nicks! And it’s not even October!–what’s going on here? In a great orgiastic ritual execution—and as a sacrifice to the virgin spring—we’ve decided to kill our television set. Actually, we’re just pulling the plug on our cable subscription because the train wreck is soooooo long and we just can’t look awaaaaay (those housewives…dear dear). What can I say? We have no self-discipline when it comes to these matters. Besides, the snow has melted here in Manhattan! Enchantment is in the air! We have potions to mix and spells to cast. Soon we’ll be chasing bunny rabbits on grassy meadows in conical hats and flying over rainbows on our broomsticks! Abracadabra! Black sleeveless shirt by Gareth Pugh (the corner.com), Salem’s Lot tee-shirt (via Apartment Berlin), Murkudis brief in black (Andreas Murkudis), and every modern man-witch needs an everyday pair of sensible black jeans—these from affordable & quality Cheap Monday (via coutie.com). We were going to complete the the look with some Rick Owens boots, but Rick Owens seems a bit too cliche in a witch post! So, we’ve decided to save you some $900 bucks & refer you to your local army navy store for those combat boots which are practically what Rick Owens is cobbling anyway. Besides, witches have always been green, so consider recycling, especially when it comes to leather! Now, kitty tails & toad legs…that’s another story.

It is indeed a jungle out there, so you have to be prepared no matter what! We strive to style a wardrobe for every nasty/amazing occasion that  may present itself. What to wear when the pipe bomb explodes in the parking garage? Or, when you find out your boss’ child was swallowed by a shark at beach camp? Or, when you’re CENSORED and the lights go down on your performance art piece? We have to ponder the pipe bomb and shark swallowing situations a bit more (we’ll get back to you), but you might ask artist Ann Liv Young—errrr, her performance art alter “Sherry”—about the latter sitch. She should know as the lights went down (down as in the C word) during her performance at PS1 in New York last weekend. First of all, meet Sherry (pictured above from her blog). Sherry created a little ruckus (’cause that’s what Sherry does)…or rather, the audience responds and Sherry responds back. This manifests itself in many different ways. This time, Sherry peed in a pan, masturbated, and got into an altercation during her performance with the artist (Georgia Sagri) who performed just before her. If you live in New York and you follow the art news, you undoubtedly witnessed it at Brooklyn is Burning (the event during which the performances took place), or you’ve read about it all in the many art weeklies and blogs circulating about town. Basically, this happened. And, then this happened. And, then this happened. There are differing opinions depending on who you are, and since we weren’t there, we basically have to go with the most fun—and that means Sherry! So Sherry, what do you wear when the lights go down and you’ve been put in the dark? Purple standard jeans from A.P.C. (via azitastore.com), printed polka dot tee (Wok store), Henrik Vibskov green polka dot poncho (farfetch.com), Tendence rainbow watch (luisaviaroma.com), Tom Ford acetate sunglasses (Colette), and red canvas sneakers by Supreme. And by the way, you can have your very own date with Sherry for $50—such a steal…and with Sherry, you never know what could happen! And that’s why she’s so much fun!

The Sustainable Futures exhibition opens later this month at London’s Design Museum, showcasing cutting-edge and forward-thinking movements in ecologically conscious architecture and design. The show celebrates the excitement of how design can positively contribute to a more sustainable future. Sadly, fashion is lacking from the showcase—albeit as the scope of the show is to mostly highlight architecure and green building practices. Still, the fashion industry needs to step more boldly into this dialogue. True, Green Fashion Week just took place last month in New York and that is to be applauded, but many of the major players in the industry still haven’t moved beyond simply using the green chic bandwagon in some of their ad campaigns, regardless of whether any of their business practices and manufacturing are green at all. It’s time for fashion to fully embrace sustainability in actual practice, rather than in just empty rhetoric. Author Celestyna Brozek penned an excellent article at Green by Design about how fashion, often overlooked in its historical importance, is actually one of the most important tools for the historian, as it is a visual display of democracy, but also acts as a harbinger of paradigm shifts. The article goes on to applaud Alexander McQueen’s vision:

Style.com reviewed his Spring 2010 collection with these words: “Then the models came out, dressed in short, reptile-patterned, digitally printed dresses, their gangly legs sunk in grotesque shoes that looked like the armored heads of a fantastical breed of antediluvian sea monster. McQueen … was casting an apocalyptic forecast of the future ecological meltdown of the world: Humankind is made up of creatures that evolved from the sea, and we may be heading back to an underwater future as the ice cap dissolves.”

Thus far, there are two schools of thought. There are the aesthetically forward, but mostly polluting, exploiting, fur-addicted major players in the scene. And, then there is the other camp: green-do-gooders who manifest their creations mostly in a populous, folksy, crafty, often-etsy-store manner, which rarely ends up being aesthetically forward, and begs the question of whether its fashion, or just clothing? There are exceptions of course to both camps, and I don’t mean to demean either one as both parties bring exceptional qualities to the table. But, c’mon! The industry needs to catch up with architecture, product design, graphic design–why does the fashion industry currently feel it can be so lazy and apathetic and deserving of a free pass? Isn’t fashion about seeing things anew, being forward-thinking, challenging ourselves to be brash and embracing a bolder future?

I love the Rick Owens and Gareth Pughs of the world (not that there are that many). But, what if we could have the visual forwardness of Owens and Pugh, but with an ecological forwardness as well? The industry needs to question its addiction to animal products and the exploitation of our environment. Otherwise, the fashion industry is merely just a regressive commercial enterprise.

I want art.

I use the image above of the Ann Demeulemeester store in Seoul, South Korea (designed by Mass Studies) as inspiration for this montage as a reminder of what fashion can and should be. Green nylon suit by Loden Dager paired with a contrasting 100% cotton tee-shirt (Alternative Apparel), Rachel Comey vegan captoes with green rubber sole (Steven Alan), Bosky bamboo low-rise briefs in fetching green (by Piado), vintage brass feather charm pendant (AK Vinatge Jewelry) …and look boldly into your bright new future with these Bamboo spectacle frames (via Yii Collection).

In a last homage to winter before we embrace spring entirely, we explore the tableau of Philippe Grandrieux’s 2008 film Un Lac. Set in a remote mountain forest somewhere in Northern Europe, we are thrown into a series of disjointed scenes vaguely reminiscent of Caspar David Friedrich canvases: awe-inspiring—yet foreboding—icy summits, otherworldly snow clouds, placid winter lakes, and lonely souls left vulnerable in the unforgiving splendor of nature. In this universe, language breaks down, and knowledge and being are experienced exclusively on the visceral level. We become out-of-focus creatures wandering in the snow, dizzy and clamoring for our very survival. Desperate and beautiful, grotesque and sublime. Pleasure Principle assymetrical button down in soft black flannel (Bonnie & Clyde’s), Prophecy-Basin organic jeans (Loomstate), Vegetarian Shoes Timbercat Boot (Moo Shoes NY), Vibskov blue 100% cotton jacket (Farfetch), and a glacier-white watch from ToyWatch (Aphrodite).

When I was a boy, I started a forest fire. It was an accident. I stole a box of matches from the kitchen cupboard where my mother kept them, filled a bucket of water, and journeyed off into the woods behind my house in the rural South Carolina town where I grew up. I must have been about ten years old. Maybe eleven. I had no doubt I could start a bonfire and control the flames. I was a boy, and that is something boys innately know how to do, right? It’s like primordial. The fire in a boy’s bones. My bonfire was beautiful and secret. It’s smoke signal my soul visualized before me. Until my mother called me out of the woods to accompany her on an errand in town. I poured the bucket of water over the flames and watched them die. I kicked dirt over the blackened mound. All was still. I was sure.  I left… When we returned and pulled into the drive, I could see there in the distance the ring of flames flickering between the trees. Neighbors had begun to congregate in the yard to gawk. I was filled with an excited shame. I ran into the woods and began to stomp the flames with my feet. My white little boy sneakers melted and turned black. My mother screamed for me to come back. But I never did. Somehow, we manged to extinguish the flames and save the forest and all of its creatures, but my boyhood perished in that ring of fire. If I were a stylist to mother nature, I would dress us all in rings of fire. Knitted top with slit side by Rick Owens (Browns), Chatac Ectabit jean (Atelier NY), Chronicles of Never brushed black metal pendant (Oki-ni), Swiss Army Camper Knife in black (SwissArmy.com), storm proof matches (REI), Creative Recreation sneaker in white…watch them melt into the forest floor.