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How to Dress Your Entire Squad as Different "Hotline Bling" Characters for Halloween

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The "Hotline Bling" video has destroyed a center part of the internet since it was released two days ago -- the bizarre visual of Drake dancing, often alone, for long periods of time in lots of different weird outfits (along with the phone sex call center at the beginning and James Turrell-esque visuals) have all conspired to create a perfect storm of online insanity.

All this makes for a unique addition to our Drake Halloween costume guide -- there's enough in the "Hotline Bling" video for a full 'nother squad to dress up. (For a full roundup of the maybe too-expensive-for-Halloween clothing involved, hit up Details.) Here, for your squadly enjoyment, is everything you'll need to get your crew together as the entire "Hotline Bling" video all at once, except for fire-ridiculous dad-dancing skills.

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The red Moncler jacket (which has apparently sold out in the small and extra-small sizes), the Nike Air Jordan shirt, and, of course, the sweatpants.

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Get an OVO sweatshirt (except it's sold out, so maybe just draw an owl on your normal hoodie). Throw on some striped black jogging pants (blue and red stripes preferable, but it's all negotiable in love and Drake). Add white Nikes.

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Grey turtleneck (this is apparently the actual sweater, but it costs $400, so you make the call), grey sweatpants, Timbs. Dance. It's lit.

drake speed.gifLeather Jacket/James Meme Drake
Find a leather jacket, preferably with a logo and stripes on it (here's the Pro Speed jacket he's wearing). Layer over a white or grey hoodie, throw on some black jeans and black combat boots, and you've got the final form Drake takes in the video.

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And for the women in your squad (who should totally feel free to dress up like Drake if they want to) or dudes interested in doing some drag for the holiday... get a pink shirt tied in the back. Dem light-washed jeans. And a headset. You're good to go. Just make sure you remember how to do stuff with feet. (Hoop earrings a plus.)

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Black sneakers, black crop top (or other OVO wear), etc. Most importantly, get ahold of the "Woes" hat from OVO. (Drake is really, really good at making you want to purchase items of clothing.) Go forth and bling.

11 Must-See Art Shows Opening This Week

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BoilerEvite.jpgPierogi Gallery opens a cool installation/performance called "The Raft" in their Boiler space at 191 North 14th Street in Brooklyn on Friday, October 23rd, 7 to 9 p.m. The "raft" in this video and sound piece by Rico Gatson and Chris Larson alludes to Huckleberry Finn, and features the art duo playing records while standing on a 10-foot-square platform, surrounded by four large video projections. The music is from their personal collection. On view until December 13th.

Knockdown Center (52-19 Flushing Avenue, Maspeth, Queens) has a three-day show, October 22 to 24, noon to 6 p.m., featuring six "kinetic" installations by eight artists from Quebec who "explore the perception of time, observation/surveillance, the connections between seeing and hearing." The exhibition was curated by Nicole Gingas and it's part of "Quebec Digital Art In NYC," a spin-off of the International Marketplace for Digital Art, an annual event held in Canada in the spring. The weekend's opening night exhibition and party is on October 22nd, 5 to 8 p.m., at The Invisible Dog (51 Bergen Street, Brooklyn) and on October 23rd from noon to 5 p.m., there's a big event featuring special presentations by ten artists at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP (30 John Street, Brooklyn), co-presented with the NY-based "interdisciplinary production company,"FuturePerfect. HERE's the complete weekend schedule.

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Con Artist Gallery (119 Ludlow Street) opens a show called "Glitcha" on Wednesday, October 21, 7 to 11 p.m. and running through October 28 -- when there's a closing party, also from 7 to 11 p.m.. The artist collective takes a look at "glitches" and the resulting "breakdown...rupture or change of state" through works in different media. 

Libeskind_Ny_8+copy+2.jpgBrooklyn-based artist Rachel Libeskind created a video installation for an new chamber opera called "American Gothic" that's premiering this week, October 21, 22 and 23, 8 p.m., at Pioneer Works (159 Pioneer Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn). The 60-minute work "questions the American Dream by giving voice to those denied" and features bass-baritone Davone Tines, the Canite' String Quartet and lighting and projection mapping by Integrated Visions. $30 tickets are HERE.

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Art and fashion pop-up gallery Dopplestandard (103 Allen Street) opens a group show curated by Andy Chow on Thursday, October 22nd, 7 to 10 p.m., and running thru Sunday. Check out works by nine artists including Alex Nunez, Becky Brown, Lee O'Connor, Ariel Mitchell; and ten designers including 202 Factory, Assembly, Lazy Oaf, Proef, Reality Studio and more. 

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Ed. Varie has a group photo show and book launch, "Never Going Home," on Thursday, October 22,6 to 9 p.m. at Nolita Cleaning (149 Elizabeth Street between Broome and Kenmare). The theme involves "adventure, nostalgia, and what it feels like to be home" via works by photographers Marcelo Gomes, Todd Jordan, Maia Ruth Lee, Kathy Lo, Katie McCurdy and Ysa Perez; along with a limited-edition book and six postcards. Up until November 1st. 

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UK artist Andy Goldsworthy has a show of photos and films called "Leaning Into the Wind" opening on October 22, 6 to 8 p.m., at Galerie Lelong (528 West 26th Street). The artist often uses his own body to establish a link and "intimate and physical relationship with nature." This exhibition includes new works in the main gallery, as well as others from the 70s and 80s in the side gallery. On view until December 5th.

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The Parrish Art Museum has two new shows opening on October 25th out in the Hamptons. The first, "East End Field Drawings," features over 93 works on paper by Alexis Rockman, who will also be the museum's second artist-in-residence and hold creative workshops with students who live in the area. The second, "Seen and Unseen," features works by two notable local artists: Jane Freilicher and Jane Wilson. Both shows are on view until January 18th.

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Aperture Foundation holds their annual benefit party and auction, "The Ballad, Live," on Monday, October 26th, 7:30 to 11 p.m., at Terminal 5 (610 West 56th Street). The evening honors the thirtieth anniversary of the publication of The Ballad of Sexual Dependency and features Nan Goldin's The Ballad slide show, plus a live musical performance by Laurie Anderson. Also expect DJ sets by Bob Gruen and Mick Rock, along with a live and silent auctions. Tickets are HERE

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Paul Kasmin Gallery opens two shows on October 22, 6 to 8 p.m.: "Max Ernst: Paramyths, Sculpture 1934 - 1967" at the 515 West 27th Street space and "Simon Hantai: Blancs" at 293 Tenth Avenue. The Ernst show is the first major solo exhibition of his sculptures in North America since 1993; "Blancs" highlights the late artist's multi-colored paintings from '73/'74. Both on view until December 5.

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Off Vendome (254 West 23rd Street) opens "Smokes Itself," a show of 20 photos (+a short text) by the Berlin-based artist Ellie de Verdier on October 25th, 6 to 9 p.m., and up until November 21st.





Laverne Cox Is Starring In a Rocky Horror Picture Show Remake

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Screen shot 2015-10-22 at 9.11.33 AM.pngThe Hollywood Reporter is saying that Orange Is the New Black actress -- and PAPER Beautiful Person alum -- Laverne Cox is starring in Fox's remake of Rocky Horror Picture Show, playing Frank-N-Furter, the "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania" that Tim Curry made famous in the original. The site also reports that Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert were originally offered the part but we can't wait to see how Laverne makes it her own. (Plus, we're sure she can rock a bustier and fishnets like no other.)

The cult classic just celebrated its 40th anniversary this year and the Fox remake, which is being executive produced and choreographed by Kenny Ortega (who did High School Musical), with help from the film's original producers Gail Berman and Lou Adler, will come out as a two-hour special (pre-taped) in fall of 2016.

In the meantime, break out your blush, stockings and lingerie and join the throngs that gather each year for midnight screenings of the flick around Halloween.

Amy Schumer Has A New Movie In The Works

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photo by John Salangsang / BFA

Amy Schumer's at it again -- and in the process has just solidified herself as the Queen of Comedy till at least 2017 with the official release date of her next movie, Mother/Daughter.

That's right, and even better, the forthcoming film will be directed by Warm Bodies' Jonathan Levine and is based on a screenplay adapted by Schumer and her sister Kim Caramele from The Heat's Katie Dippold. And while the official release date may seem a million lightyears away (May 12, 2017, to be exact), just know that you can tide yourself over with a few new seasons of Inside Amy Schumer in the meantime.

The Track List for Adele's New Album Will Make You Sob

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adele 25 1.jpgAfter just tossing out a teaser for her new album during a TV spot, Adele has released the full list of songs that will wind up on her new album, 25. Here's the track list:

1. "Hello"
2. "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)"
3. "I Miss You"
4. "When We Were Young"
5. "Remedy"
6. "Water Under the Bridge"
7. "River Lea"
8. "Love in the Dark"
9. "Million Years Ago"
10. "All I Ask"
11. "Sweetest Devotion"

Prepare to weep.

The Fugliest-Chic Looks Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

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Buffy Summers, everyone's favorite teen vampire slayer, also had a wardrobe of fugly-chic that epitomized 90s/early aughts style to a T -- so much so that girl definitely has severalTumblrsdedicatedsolely toher style. And since everything tie-dyed and frosty lips has come back twentyfold in our non-stop #Nowstalgia era of Internet-recycled fashion, we figured we'd find some of our favorite questionable-cute Buffy looks, in case you need a little more inspiration re: what to do what that pair of overalls you thought you could pull off. 

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Funkadelic Mish-Mash Buffy
Or maybe it's velvet? Either way some pseudo-faux fur texture is definitely a bit of a faux-pas in our book -- especially when paired with a weird green neckscarf. Very 60s-updated-for-the-90s, which fits perfectly in our decade-biting round-up of weirdly dated yet still #relevant wardrobe choices. She pulls it off though...and perhaps it's foreshadowing of Buffy's brief moonlight in 2002 as Scooby Doo's live-action Daphne?

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Poopy Pleather Buffy
So for some strange reason, Buffy also whole-heartedly embraced in a variety of lengths of this style...with green pants in one instance. And it works in a kind of "Rachel from Friends"/ early 90s sitcom city-slicker way? Even if the label probably calls it something like "Rustic Tuscan Twigs" instead of the universally-understood "Healthy Shit" hue. 

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Puffy Cheeto Buffy
Okay, so quilted + puffed + American cheddar orange isn't usually a winning combo, but in this instance Buffy's looking like the cutest shiny snackfood to ever emerge from the Frito-Lay factory. Maybe it's just the popped collar, but we think she looks pretty fly.

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Kindergarten QT Buffy
We're pretty cool with Osh-Kosh chic, especially when there's arts and crafts involved. After all, overalls have already had quite the comeback this year with the likes ofkidcore taking over clubs and runways across the globe. Fashion and function, amirite?

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Sewn-On Flowers/Ephemera Overload Buffy
"Limited Too 4 Lyfe." 

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Mall Rats Extra Buffy
Everyone knows that "suburban Seattle mall shithead" is a good lazy-chic fall back move, especially when you're just so over being the only one to ever deal with the Hellmouth. Like seriously, who doesn't love a good runway-ready ratty look when you're running super late for class?

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Ren-Fair Buffy
If we're really talking #Nowstalgia, how about upping the ante to Buffy's Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Cloisters-sponsored Renaissance Fair get-up? Check out that ruffle.

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Lisa Frank Buffy
Okay, who doesn't love Lisa Frank's delightful rainbow animal confections? Especially when you can turn them into some primo layering fodder? Case and point, this excellent neon cheetah-printed shirt that made far too few appearances on the show. SMH, Summers.

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Wrong Season Beanie Buffy
God, there's nothing I love to hate more than an indecisive outfit in regards to weather -- aka pairing a weirdly tucked winter beanie with short sleeves and a miniskirt in a California suburb named Sunnydale, FFS. Also with that skirt that really should be a (culturally-appropriative) shirt?

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"Baby One More Time" Buffy
And last but not least we have the quintessential Buffy outfit -- the miniskirt with knee-high boot combo that screams early Britney Spears/high school 90s girl vibes. Hit (or stake) me baby, one more time.


Raf Simons Announces His Departure From Dior

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BFA_1445532590_1695412.jpg[Photo by David X Prutting/BFA.com]

Fashion musical chairs continues with the unexpected announcement today that Raf Simons is leaving Dior. It comes only a few months after the news this summer that Alexander Wang would be leaving Balenciaga, making each designer's Spring 2016 collection their last at the historic houses.

While details are scarce about Simons' decision to exit the brand, statements from the designer and Bernard Arnault and Sidney Toledano, Chairman and CEO of Dior's parent company, LVMH, and CEO of Christian Dior Couture, respectively, suggest it was an amicable, mutual decision made after they were unable to reach an agreement over his contract. WWD reports that Dior says Simons "reached this decision for personal reasons," suggesting he wanted to focus his attention on other, non-fashion interests and on his personal life, away from the relentless hustle of the fashion world's never-ending runway cycle. In a statement, Simons says:

"It is after careful and long consideration that I have decided to leave my position as creative director of Christian Dior's women's collection. It is a decision based entirely and equally on my desire to focus on other interests in my life, including my own brand, and the passions that drive me outside my work. Christian Dior is an extraordinary company, and it has been an immense privilege to write a few pages of this magnificent book. I want to thank Mr. Bernard Arnault for the trust he has put in me, giving me the incredible opportunity to work at this beautiful house surrounded by the most amazing team one could ever dream of. I have also had the chance over the last few years to benefit from the leadership of Sidney Toledano. His thoughtful, heartfelt and inspired management will also remain as one of the most important experiences of my professional career."
Praised for bringing some of the minimalist designs he was known for at his previous post at Jil Sander to the storied couturier, Simons took the reigns of the haute couture, women's ready-to-wear and accessories collections (designer Kris Van Assche is in charge of menswear) in 2012 from Bill Gaytten, who helmed the brand following John Galliano's firing after his notorious anti-Semitic outburst in 2011. While there's no word yet on who will succeed Simons at Dior, WWD is speculating that Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci may be a top contender for the role, having impressed LVMH with"his wizardry with couture -- and modern communications, using pulse-pounding fashion shows, social media, edgy advertising and his extensive celebrity connections to heat Givenchy to the boiling point." The outlet also suggests that the brand could be approaching previous candidates for the position when it was last up for grabs in 2012 -- designers like Lanvin's Alber Elbaz and Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.

But one thing's for sure, whoever gets named successor will have some elegant, modernist shoes to fill.

[via WWD]



Stop Giving Amber Rose Shit For Standing Up For Herself

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When u wearing ur Instagram comments 👅 Fall the fuck back haters 😂 #VMAs

A photo posted by Amber Rose (@amberrose) on


As it was widely reported, Amber Rose, feminist hero and all-around bad bitch, took to social media yesterday to put GQ on blast -- making some very legitimate points about why she wasn't okay with the subhead they chose to use for her profile.
However, as is the way the vitriolic Internet works, Rose was soon being lambasted for speaking up for herself -- not to mention being called shit like "salty" for voicing her discontent with the piece. 





But why is she being disrespected for standing up for herself? Why is she being called a "HYPOCRITE" (all caps) and shaded by an otherwise even-handed celebrity news publication for celebrating herself in those nude photos? Because she loves and owns her body? Because she's taking back control of her own image -- one that's been constantly scrutinized and needlessly sexualized by the public without her consent?

Amber Rose should be in the spotlight for her activism -- the reason she ostensibly agreed to the profile in the first place -- and not for who she's sleeping or has slept with or the fact that she's "thick." Of course she's going to be upset when the work she's been doing against institutionalized sexism gets boiled down to a subhead focused on the fact that she was Kanye's ex and "Wiz Khalifa's baby mama" set on clawing her way to the top?

Rose if her own person, defined by her activism and courage, rather than the men she used to be involved with. Let her continue doing her thing, one "Slut, Hoe, Goldigger, Bitch Whore" red carpet dress at a time.

Kim Kardashian's Birthday Was ... Interesting

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Yesterday, Kim Kardashian turned 35, and until now, we could only wistfully imagine what her husband, Kanye West, had planned for it.

Until now, I said!

Disneyland? No. 

Overnight trip to a bed and breakfast in Sonoma? Hell no.

Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory? No. Good idea, though.

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According to Kim, herself, Yeezy -- in a surprise move -- rented out a movie theater for a screening of Jobs (?), and all guests were encouraged to dress up like "pregnant Kim."

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Her Instagram post -- a photo of a gorgeous wall of white roses (naturally) -- specified that fake baby bumps were "provided on arrival."

A sign in front of the hulking floral sculpture read "Happy PREGNANT Birthday Kim."

Can you imagine Kanye driving a Range Rover down the PCH, and shouting to an assistant on speaker phone, "Make sure it says 'PREGNANT?'"

I can.

Here is some of her squad channeling their best Kim-with child lewks.

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Props to Kylie for deciding she'd rather put the baby bump on her butt.

As we said yesterday, here's to another 35,000 more years of over-the-top birthdays and fake baby bumps to come, Kim!




Chatting With Genderfucking Go-Go Boy Rify Royalty About His "Straight Acting Party" That Lampoons "Masc for Masc" Culture

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_MG_0380-Edit-2-Edit-2.jpgIn New York City's gay nightlife scenes, there seems to exist a line between sexy boys in jockstraps cruising on the dance floor and drag queens lip syncing for tips. While gender maybe be part of our cultural dialogue in a way it never has been before, sometimes it can feel that mainstream gay culture lags behind when it comes to conversations about gender fluidity and androgyny. But genderfucking go-go goddess Rify Royalty is leading a revolution in Brooklyn with Straight Acting, a monthly party celebrating its one year anniversary this week. Straight Acting trolls gay men who uphold rigid definitions of masculinity when it comes to who they'll sleep with, all while shrieking "Yasss queen!" at the latest episode of RuPaul's Drag Race.

At Straight Acting, bearded boys in mini skirts and pastel wigs can celebrate their sexuality alongside female burlesque dancers, trans women and men, and an entire spectrum of gender identities. Ahead of the one year anniversary party tonight at Williamsburg's This N' That, which is powered by Scruff -- the very app whose dating-and-hook-up preference choices inspired the party's name -- and will feature music by DJ Nita Aviance and performances by Charlene, Manifestany Squirtz, and more, we chatted with Royalty about why he created the party, the state of gender in Manhattan nightlife, and the power of trolling.

What is your gender identity?

I'd say I identify as a cis male, but I don't know that I always have. I came into that [identity] very recently, and I'm learning to accept that that's OK. For a long time I felt very ambiguous -- I felt genderless.

Do you consider yourself a drag queen?

I do, yes, in the context of what drag is. I lip sync, I wear clothes designed for the opposite sex, I create a character and perform as that character. I don't think drag necessarily has to be feminine or masculine, and my drag has never been about female impersonation as much as it has been about character development, so to speak.

One of the problems some queer people have with drag is that it mocks femininity, and there is certainly a huge undercurrent of misogyny in gay culture that does sometimes come out through drag. How do you prevent the drag you're doing from receiving similar criticism?

For me, I don't take the dress up portion of drag to the extreme of hiding a bear and making sure that things are contoured to look as feminine as possible and wearing pads to make my body as womanly as possible. For me, it's about taking elements that I enjoy like clothing and hairstyles and makeup and twisting them around and making a drag character that's not necessarily a woman, but something along the lines of [Rocky Horror Picture Show's] Dr. Frank-N-Furter or something. I try to make sure that my acts aren't directed toward women, they're more about me.

It seems like your drag and exploration of gender is more about genderfucking then female impersonation.

I like being a boy in heels and a boy who challenges masculinity as opposed to trying to be feminine. I think being feminine is beautiful and I think that masculinity has its own responsibilities that people have bestowed upon it, and I want to challenge that and say, "I don't know about you, but I don't think masculinity has to be this way." The way that I'm giving it to you can still be sexy. Create your own masculinity. I'm not saying that I've created something new -- genderfuckery has been around forever -- but currently it's missing in New York City nightlife, and there's a divide between drag queens and men in general. It's "he's a go-go boy and she's a drag queen" and those worlds can't mix. But I said no, I'm going to do something different.

And that prompted you to create your party, Straight Acting.

I was working a lot of parties and strictly being booked to go-go dance, and I was getting bored of being expected to wear certain things and behave a certain way to generate interest and entertain people. I also really loved performing and fagging out, and I needed a platform where I could do that. So I started performing more in Brooklyn and creating more looks, and I had ideas for performances in my head, and people were giving me a platform to do them at these parties. I think my first gigs in Brooklyn were Hot Fruit and Bathsalts, and I was fully embraced doing whatever I wanted to do, and it was fun. But I was still go-go dancing, and I started noticing that some people had stopped booking me because the fantasy of the sexy go-go boy that they had had kind of deteriorated. And I'm ok with that, that's their loss.

It seems like Straight Acting came out of you wanting to express different forms of sexuality that weren't being represented anywhere else.

Well sexuality and gender and drag and identity -- I wanted to make a party for everybody, really. Specifically for people who wanted to challenge their gender roles and gender identities.

Straight Acting obviously uses the language of hook up apps, where people feel comfortable really harshly defining what they're into. Straight Acting really trolls that "masc for masc" culture -- can you talk about the power of trolling and why those assholes deserve to be trolled?

Since apps have been a thing, people feel very comfortable with that kind of dialogue, which can be very hurtful. I'm not shaming anyone for being masculine, I'm more about celebrating [different interpretations of masculinity and femininity]. No one on those apps is saying "femme for femme" or "femmes welcome" -- there seems to be a desire for "masculine" men. Using words like "straight acting" and not actually behaving in that way is giving them the middle finger because we're gonna do what we wanna do, and hopefully they'll realize that behavior is silly. There's nothing "straight" about getting on all fours and getting fucked by another man.

Isn't it crazy that that's the language? People who are literally looking to get bent over and plowed want someone who is "straight acting" when the least straight thing you can do is take a 9 inch dick up your ass?

I've had people not be interested in me because I wear nail polish. I think when I was a younger gay I allowed those things to bother me, but now -- I'm cute, I'll find someone else who doesn't give a shit about my painted nails, and maybe wants me to paint their nails. And that's Straight Acting.

One of the genius things you've done with Straight Acting is having your hosts put photos of themselves in crazy looks on Scruff and use that as a promotional tool. Did you ever leave one of those photos up and get some interesting responses?

Sometimes my hosts don't have Scruff and I'll chose a picture and use it on my account. Usually I change them back quickly, but one time I made one for Untitled Queen and I forgot to change it, and people were messaging me saying "I think you're great, I wanna get to know you." And I had to say, unfortunately that's not me in the photo, that's another queen, but I'll let her know that you fancy her. I'm seeing more trans people and more queer people on the apps, and that makes me really happy.

Do you think that Straight Acting as a party could happen in Manhattan?

I think it needs to. It's a very Brooklyn party, but it definitely should happen in Manhattan. I feel like that's where it is needed the most.

In Manhattan nightlife there are much stricter lines between the sexy "boy" parties and the drag shows, but it feels like that's starting to blur. Now you might see an ad for a huge circuit party and the go-go boy will be wearing heels. Is that the Straight Acting effect?

I hope so. That makes me really happy to see. I make an effort to invite a lot of boy boys, who don't do drag all the time, and have them as hosts, because I know that they'd be willing to dress up, and I want them to post the pictures, so that other people will see them and say, "Oh, he went to this party in heels and a wig and he's still sexy!" And I can't expect to do all of that on my own, it's a community effort, making sure the party is present and accessible to everyone.

We were talking earlier about how there's a lot of ugly misogyny in gay culture but your parties always seem to include cis women in your line-ups. Can you talk about that decision?

It's very important that women are included -- both cis and trans women -- in our scene and in our world. A lot of gays want to dress like women but don't want to party with them. The problem isn't as big in Brooklyn as it is in Manhattan -- there's a lot more diversity in the Brooklyn scene. Straight Acting is about overcoming obstacles and breaking down gender norms, so I think women are very important to the party.

When Straight Acting started you had a dark room set up on stage -- do people actually hook up there or is it just part of the fantasy?

It was part of the fantasy of the party, that people could fag out and hook up in looks. I thought that would be really sexy and cute. But as the party grew, the dark room was not as successful, but I also didn't set out to make it that way. It was there if you needed it, and a lot of people didn't need it. A lot of people were just making out on the dance floor, and I was just happy to be creating a space where people could dance, get closer to each other, make out, and take someone home.

How happy does it make you feel to see two boys in heels and wigs making out on the dance floor?

Especially the hairy legged boys in mini skirts, who are feeling hot and feeling their damn fantasy! I've done it -- I never really make out with people at Straight Acting, I don't have time because I'm always running around. I've hooked up with a few boys I knew, who were in dresses and it was so hot, there was lipstick all over the place. And I've gone home with boys too, I just tell them, "Wait for me, I'll go home with you at 3:30."

For more information on Straight Acting's anniversary party tonight, go HERE

Instagram Unveils A New App For Making 1-Second GIFS

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Instagram's latest app Boomerang is a new take on video that keeps things short and sweet. The app allows the user to take 1 second videos using your phone's camera and then endlessly loop. The app works by taking a burst of pictures and then stitches them together to make a mini-video that saves directly to your camera roll. Perfect for action shots and animating your photos, the developers insist that Boomerang is not a gif-maker but a new way to capture the moment. The latest app in a growing trend of super short video platforms (i.e. Vine, Snapchat) Boomerang put everything in an infinite loop. Forever. And ever. And. Ever.

If your still a little confused as to what Boomerang is, exactly, don't worry. Here's a handy video of some 20-30 somethings demonstrating all the possibilities of Boomerang-ing!
 


With News of His Exit, a Look at Raf Simons' Legacy at Dior

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rafdiorexit.png[Photo by David X Prutting/BFA.com]

There is a particularly poignant scene in Frederic Tchengs' excellent documentary, Dior and I, chronicling Raf Simons' first haute couture collection, where he cries tears of joy after a print by the artist Sterling Ruby is finally realized and draped on a model. After being told for weeks it was impossible to produce, there it is walking before him and he is thusly moved. It is one of the most powerful moments in the film and what, as someone who does not design clothes, I took as a true glimpse into the process of someone who does. I think of this scene whenever a new Dior collection bows in Paris; I imagine how Raf has felt every last print, button and panel deeply. Perhaps he didn't always feel these details to the point of tears but his heart was in every bit. And with the surprising announcement that his spring 2016 collection would be his last there are obviously questions as to why. Could a heart so porous and vulnerable ever really be at home in such a global machine of a brand? Simons cited personal reasons as why he was leaving and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise. The mere fact that there was no leak of the news until the official announcement this morning is news itself.

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A look from Raf Simons' debut at Dior
 
What his departure means most immediately is a few weeks of speculation about possible replacements -- some likely (Riccardo Tisci and Phoebe Philo are never NOT on these lists) or some unlikely, though LVMH will have a hard time finding a more interesting, if head-scratchy, decision than their crosstown rival Kering did this month naming Vetements' Demna Gvasalia as head of Balenciaga. Or since there is the feeling that this decision came out of the blue with no succession plan, will they take their time as they did post-Galliano (over a year) and wait until they find someone just right?

Protracted speculative talk aside, Simons' legacy at Dior is clear, now that it is fully contained. He took the tumult of the preceding years, which some could argue worked in his favor having nowhere to go but up, and brought in a modernity and sensitivity that was dormant during the Galliano era. His debut collection, revamped Bar Suit and saturated pigments are among the many highlights, standing out much the same way as his pulsing house music did on his runways, something that heretofore no one would associate with Dior. He brought the house's ideals of femininity to earth for everyone to see and it was just as beautiful as Galliano's bombast or Mr. Dior's stoicism, if not more so in its reality. He replaced fantasy with elevated reality and brought warmth and heart to a house that was on creative life support, giving Dior the careful redirect that it needed. And so who is anyone to say why he could not do that for himself? It seems there is very little at play other than the realization that his dream job became less so after a while. Perhaps Simons' greatest revival from the Dior archives, one some thought lost, is this: the graceful exit. 



Marie Yat Is Creating Underwear That Doesn't Cater To The Male Gaze

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photos via MARIEYAT

Fashion's been making a lot of strides toward agender and unisex clothing as of late, so it only makes sense that underwear is the final frontier -- and one Central Saint Martins grad has finally made that a reality

Designer Marie Yat recently created lingerie that pays no mind to the male gaze (lacy thongs, begone) and instead provides the same level of comfort most male underwear has. However, it will still provide the sensual elements of traditional female lingerie (thanks to Yat's use of seamless designs and pastel fabrics) so that you can still get a secret confidence boost from your cute skivvies, all while enjoying a snug, comfy, and most importantly, unisex fit.

"One of the core ideas of the label is to combine the delicate details of lingerie and the relaxing feel of a piece of unisex underwear," Yat told Dazed. "Whether it should be restricted to being gender-specific or not, is entirely up to the perceiver."

Talk about fashion meeting function at its finest, right?

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[h/tDazed

100 Years of New York Nightlife: How the '70s Was a Decade of Glitter (and Powder) Amidst Decay

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In our October 'Nowstalgia' issue we're taking a look at 100 Years of New York Nightlife, tracing after-hours trends to their beginnings and analyzing the ways our nocturnal habits of the past continue to influence our habits of the present. We've already kicked things off with the Roaring '20s and the exclusive Post-War era; below, we look at the glittery, disco-tinged 1970s. Check back for future decades each day.

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CBGB, ca. 1980. Photo by Harvey Wang


If you've ever indulged in line dancing, tambourine shaking, glitter wearing and coke, you owe a heavy debt of gratitude to the 1970s. That's when nightlife put on a happy face to combat the jaded air of ennui that loomed over the culture like a rain cloud. It was the decade filled with the detritus of Vietnam and the Watergate scandal, and since all faith was lost in the government, the masses were driven to check their minds at the door of glitzy discos and simply boogie till they dropped. New York was particularly seedy and depressed at that time, but like a mirage in the desert, up rose Studio 54 -- the ultimate disco, set in an old TV theater, which was milked for theatrical effects, from the descending set pieces to the drugs, sex and dancing on different levels that the cognoscenti quickly called home. The lavish Steve Rubell-Ian Schrager playpen was sinfully exciting, once you got past the outdoor throng thanks to being someone, knowing someone or simply looking hotter than shit. Once inside, it was a democracy on the dance floor, as you did "the Hustle" alongside major celebs to the elaborately orchestrated, female-vocals-driven songs about love, regret and sex in the bushes. It was there that I bumped into Liza Minnelli, danced with Margaux Hemingway, ogled Michael Jackson and Dolly Parton and desperately tried to get photographed myself.

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A crowd outside Studio 54, 1978. Photo by Allan Tannenbaum


Starting in disenfranchised communities consisting of blacks and gays, disco ended up bubbling above-ground and drawing in the throngs, everyone conjoined by the giddy swirl of thump-thump merriment and carefree fun. No one knew about health hazards to come, nor did they care much about the concept of rehab, so they simply partied to the max, afraid of nothing except the thought of waking up the next morning. Gays were considered quite fab at this time (a new development, in the post-Stonewall era) and had developed their own sub-universe, indulging in raunchy sex places (like the Mineshaft and the Anvil) and cruisey discos (Crisco Disco), but also mixing with the other team at clubs like 54, the runner-up disco Xenon and other cathartic hot spots like Les Mouches and Le Jardin. Everyone was equal under the glitter dome, and as they lined up to dance "the Bump," they were bonded by the beat as well as by a sincere inability to feel the least bit self-conscious about their wacky hedonism.

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Andy Warhol and Divine at the re-opening of the Copacabana, 1976. Photo by Allan Tannenbaum


Of course for every trend there's a counter-trend, so new-wavy dance clubs emerged to cater to narrow-tie-wearing punks who preferred minimalist dancing and posing to flat-out whoop-whooping. Lovably dingy CBGB had been going strong since 1973, soon to be joined by Hurrah in '76 as a haven for bands and the too-cool-for-school crowd. Two years later, Steve Mass opened the Mudd Club on a ratty side street in Tribeca, where it flourished as a glorified dive where avant-garde filmmakers and their friends could exude some 'tude and mix with celebs like David Bowie and Debbie Harry in between catching the edgiest musical talent on the planet, like the Talking Heads, the Contortions, dna and my own band, the Must (until a bartender told an absent Mass that we sucked, and that was the end of our bookings there, which was fine).

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The Psychedelic Furs at the Mudd Club, 1980. Photo by Allan Tannenbaum

I would regularly barrel between the two worlds -- the glitz of 54 and the austere aesthetics of Mudd -- loving them both because of their unique electrical charges. Connecting the two places was an affinity for great music, glamour and the art of being in the right place at the right time.  And the influence is still felt. The '70s patented the idea of dancing as a communal delight, and it took fun-seeking to an extreme, setting a standard that some (admittedly denial-prone) partiers still strive for today.  And since Top 40 pumps out of a lot of dance clubs these days, it harkens back to a time when disco hits -- which were big on the crossover charts -- played and we squealed with recognition, then flailed our arms around to act them out as we danced. It's not for nothing that some dance clubs are still called "discos."  There are all-new rules, but it's the same feeling.

A Few of Taylor Swift's Most Questionable PR Moves, from Petting the Weeknd to Her #SQUAD

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In case you've been under a rock this week, R&B superstar The Weeknd gave us another SMH moment -- but unlike the other instance, this one doesn't involve dating an 18-year-old. Instead biggest-pop-star-in-the-world Taylor Swift was the focus, as The Weeknd recounted a brief meeting with her in an anecdote that will make even his biggest detractors cringe in sympathy -- thus beginning our countdown Taylor's, uh, most questionable moments this year.

Petting The Weeknd's Hair
According to his Rolling Stone cover story, the Weeknd and Taylor met one night, and were pretty drunk and hitting it off. "But when she started petting my hair, that's when I was like, 'I definitely need a drink.'" As Jezebel notes, Taylor has, in fact, proudly told this story herself (in an interview with Ed Sheeran, naturally), but didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it. There's probably only one way to handle Taylor Swift playing with your hair like a pet...



Celebrating Her Friend Kendrick's Politically-Charged Album

To Pimp a Butterfly is a lot of things, but it is not a bright and happy album, nor is it an album that you should respond to instinctively by parading through nature drenched in sunlight. It's often harsh, difficult to listen to, and is aggressively political in ways that don't quite jive with Swift's mass-friendly message. Being a pop star is fine, but don't pretend you're all about "The Blacker the Berry."
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Taylor Versus Nicki Minaj
A few months ago, T. Swift caused quite the social media stir with her, err, call-out of Nicki Minaj, who was tweeting about the implications of her viral "Anaconda" music video being snubbed by MTV for a "Video of the Year" VMA. Minaj felt that the video's exclusion was a larger reflection of white-centric media, and its aversion to celebrate black female artists, different body types, etc. etc. Swift apparently took it as a personal attack to her "Bad Blood" video being nominated, and a not a comment on the whitewashing of mainstream pop culture, launching into a string of "hurt" and "I've done nothing but love & support you" tweets. She later apologized to Minaj for misunderstanding, but it was painful to watch play out on twitter in front of the world.

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"Bad Blood's" Kind Of Twisted Take On Feminism
Speaking of "Bad Blood," the infamous music video also happens to be a pretty bad example of the brand of "feminism" Taylor is claiming to ship. She ran into some criticism for promoting her exclusive #SQUAD of supermodels and famous pretty people as merely women supporting women. And even though Swift has recently claimed the song is about an ex, Katy Perry was cited for a long time as the inspiration for this "fuck off" anthem -- which leaves the song with a vaguely icky, Mean Girls aftertaste. A sentiment that's just intensified by her emphasis on her genetically-blessed girl gang, which breeds an "us versus them" mentality that is ultimately pretty unfeminist.

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The "Wildest Dreams" Video
Also tangentially related is Swift's "Wildest Dreams" video, which premiered during the VMA ceremony and showed her re-enacting the "glamorous"African Queen-style romance films of the 1950s. Which is all well and good, except, uh, she forgot to include any African people...in a narrative set in Africa. It was a move that led to several accusations of racial erasure and white-washing, which was also refuted in a pretty questionable manner by her director Joseph Kahn:


Justin Bieber Released a Dance Video For His New Track, "Sorry"

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While we await the release of Justin Bieber's new album, Purpose, on November 13th, the Biebs has shared the video for "Sorry" featuring a crew of syncopated dancers who look like they could double as Shop Jeen models. Give it a watch above.

Travel Back To The 90s With The New Tommy Hilfiger Capsule Collection

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via mytheresa.com

For all you wannabe Tommy Girls out there, travel back with the brand to their (1997) heydey with their brand new capsule collaboration with mytheresa.com

That's right, you too can own one of eight new-old Hilfiger designs which include everything from hefty velvet bomber jackets to itty-bitty bandeaus to cropped sweaters (not to mention matching shirts). So check out a few of our favorite pieces below and snatch the limited editions up before they're gone (again)!

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[h/t Fader


Watch the New Video For Adele's "Hello"

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The video for Adele's "Hello" is here and we're already crying. And will continue to cry until her new album, 25, comes out on November 20th. And then we'll cry some more. Set fire to the rain, grab a kleenex and watch our queen make her triumphant return in full, sepia-toned glory.

The First Horror Museum Will Be...In "The Shining" Hotel

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The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado is primarily known as the hotel that inspired Stephen King's horror bestseller The Shining, but now it can add another item to its travel brochure as the world's "first horror-themed museum". That's right, the place that inspired King's classic book (though not Kubrick's film adaptation) is getting an even spookier makeover.

Already home to the horror-themed Stanley Film Festival, the hotel is also planning to incorporate a film center, which the organizers have said will include a $24 million museum, film archive, and film production studio compound. Now that gives me the heebie-jeebies.

[h/tRolling Stone

Kylie Jenner Has Hair Tattoos and We Have So Many Questions

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photo via Scünci

So according to Refinery29, the hot new hair thing ain't ombre, sideshaves or ostentatious seapunk colors, but something called hair tattoos. And the celeb shipping this tress trend? None other than Kylie Jenner who sported the new temp look recently.

But if you're an out-of-the-trend-cycle, skin-tattooed old person like me you're probably wondering WTF "hair tattoos" are and how exactly they work, which is where Scünci comes to the rescue. Yep, everyone's favorite hair tie manufacturers are the one supplying Kylie with what is likely a lifetime supply of shiny stickers for her hair. All you got to do is buy a pack ($4.99 at Ulta), get it wet and slap it on your desired spot. Um, and presumably have really well-conditioned, stick straight hair...

And while we're still a little weirded out by how it actually works (like, would it slip right off my greasy bedhead??), you have to admit that they actually kinda okay-looking if you're, you know, into Coachella vibes year-round.

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