In Rememberance of Tinder Left Swipes

February 14, 2015, 12:38 pm

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If you spent 2014 making horrendous dating mistakes but worried you weren't spending enough money while doing so, fear no more. According to Business Insider, Tinder is scheduled to release "Tinder Plus," a paid version of the wildly popular dating app that will grant its users access to premium features and, hopefully, better dates, next month.

New features are said to include "Passport," which will allow users who have already slept with everyone in their neighborhood to meet up with users outside of Tinder's preexisting geographical limitations, as well as the long-awaited ability to do undo a left swipe.

So when you're a little wine drunk, getting swipe-happy while watching ABC Family's twentieth showing of Maid In Manhattan this month and you decide that a "musician/energy healer" with a chinstrap and three roommates wouldn't be the worst thing that's ever happened to you, or when you're that guy with the chinstrap and, after swiping left on every girl in your area you've decided that maybe it's time to have a deep heart-to-heart with yourself about your place in the dating world, don't stress. Tinder Plus has finally found the cure for "The one who was swiped away."

Until next month, let's take a stroll down left-swipe lane and revisit some of the left swipes you probably shouldn't reconsider. We second-guess ourselves enough when it comes to love -- stick to your guns on these ones.

"The Ladies Man"

This guy is draped in a shawl of (seemingly willing) females in nearly every photo on his Tinder profile. This is a sly way to send the message that "yes, women want to be around me, and, no, I am not a serial killer." Falling for this trick is up to your discretion. Some of the women in these photos may have the look in their eyes that a bank teller has when they have a gun pointed to their back mid-robbery (a total "blink once for yes and twice for no" moment). The ones who don't are usually related to him. Next.

The Hot Person with the Dumb Jokes

Okay, I understand that we can't all be incredible wordsmiths when it comes to our Tinder bios, but this person is probably my #1 least fave. They're attractive, they seem fun, but they've got a bio filled with annoying and overused Tinder jokes they stole from someone else's profile, including "my grandparents met on Tinder," and, "6'3 in heels." Sometimes silence really is golden.

The Stoner

We've all seen this person. If it's a girl with zero goth tendencies, you'll get a a ton of bleary-eyed photos, some outdoor concert shots, and, in more egregious cases, a Bob Marley quote in her bio. If it's a guy, it's basically a product placement for Huf socks. Either way, it's boring, and unless you want to spend your date binge-eating Girl Scout cookies and talking about topics you should have grown out of after 11th grade (e.g. "society"), I'd suggest you stick with your left swipe capabilities. April 20th only happens once a year for a reason.

The Ex-trovert

This person is in a league of their own. All signs pointed to a right swipe (no bad jokes, not seemingly a huge stoner) and you obliged, but you're only a few lines into texting and they've already mentioned their ex. I mean, if you're into crying after sex or having someone ignore you for weeks at a time only to contact you with "hey!" at midnight on a Tuesday, then by all means, go forth. I'm not here to judge you.

The Dog Whisperer

Animals are wonderful, but please, for the love of God, don't use a photo of your dog as your Tinder profile. Nobody wants to fuck your dog.


Kris Kidd is an author who lives in Los Angeles.

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Catching Up With the Incomparable Cathy Horyn at NYFW

February 15, 2015, 6:45 am

≫ Next: The Sunday Funnies

≪ Previous: In Rememberance of Tinder Left Swipes

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This Fashion Week marks the return of one of the most respected journalists in fashion, Cathy Horyn. It's been just over a year since Horyn retired as the New York Times chief fashion critic and she's back as critic-at-large for The Cut, where she'll be covering New York and Paris Fashion Weeks and sharing her always razor-sharp commentary on fashion and the culture at large. We caught up with Cathy between shows:

 
Did you miss fashion?
I miss the action.

What kind of action?
Talking to you. I love coming into a show. Especially a big show or a brand new designer that everyone wants to see. I love the buzz.

Did you follow fashion while you were away?
I would follow all the big news makers. Miuccia, Marc, Dior, Nicolas.

You're doing New York and Paris?
I'm kind of psyched that it's just New York and Paris. I love being in Paris and there's always a lot to write about there. I'll probably comment on Miuccia's show online. You can do that with her show -- make a couple of phone calls to Milan and comment on it.

Is fashion different since you left?
Being away two seasons the world changes quite a bit.  I think there's a constant erosion of people's attention spans -- you see it being chipped away little by little. People are absorbing a lot but they're not retaining as much and the memory bank gets full. I remember [Vanity Fair fashion director] Michael Roberts saying years ago at a show, "who are all these people?  And that happens at a faster rate now. 

The Sunday Funnies

February 15, 2015, 8:20 am

≫ Next: Kim Kardashian, David Beckham and Alexander Wang Make Children the Must-Have NYFW Accessory

≪ Previous: Catching Up With the Incomparable Cathy Horyn at NYFW

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Bye now! [Mlkshk]



All we want to do is hang out with these capybaras in their hot tub. [TastefullyOffensive]

 

Dark. [FYouNoFMe]

Damn. [FYouNoFMe]

It's not too late to change, denim overalls cat!  [YungGandalf]


Conan and the Walking Dead's Steven Yuen went to a Korean Spa together and it's the best.

 Oh dear. [TastefullyOffensive]

They're totally going to get married. [AfternoonSnoozeButton]

Kids say the darndest, most foreboding and terrifying things. [TastefullyOffensive]


Dr. Phil without dialogue is beyond insane.
 
Every kiss begins with Kay. [AfternoonSnoozeButton]

Barry Burbank parties serious. [LaughterKey]

Kim Kardashian, David Beckham and Alexander Wang Make Children the Must-Have NYFW Accessory

February 15, 2015, 2:15 pm

≫ Next: Our NYFW Party Mega Guide

≪ Previous: The Sunday Funnies

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Photo via Instagram.

As New York Fashion Week enters the weekend it's obvious what the must-have accessory is: a small child. At the Fendi store opening on Friday, Karl Lagerfeld's sidekick/ male supermodel Brad Kroenig had his son Hudson in tow. Saturday at Alexander Wang's sensational show, superstars shared the front row with little nippers. Wang's niece Aila sat on her mother's lap next to Kim Kardashian and baby North. During the show baby North looked more interested in her little animal stickers than the rock 'n' roll goth clothes Wang sent down the runway. At one point North dropped her elephant sticker on the runway and looked noticeably unhappy until Kardashian's bodyguard retrieved the little pachyderm. Alongside KK and NW sat daddy Kanye West next to Nicki Minaj, Zoe Kravitz and Natasha Lyonne. Across the runway sat model Kristina Kruse with her adorable son August.

North with Alia Wang. Photo via Instagram.



The trend continued on Sunday at the super chic Victoria Beckham show. As the show was about to begin Mrs. Beckham's dreamboat of a husband came out to take his spot in the front row (alongside Vogue's Anna Wintour) with all four of his children, in their Sunday best, in tow. We asked the international superstar if he always coordinated the entire families looks. "We don't always have it in our minds to coordinate, " he smiled, " but somehow we always end up that way." And do they all wear David Beckham underwear? " Always!" he laughed, "What else?"

Our NYFW Party Mega Guide

February 15, 2015, 12:45 pm

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≪ Previous: Kim Kardashian, David Beckham and Alexander Wang Make Children the Must-Have NYFW Accessory

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(Image by Avinash Hirdaramani)

New York Fashion comes at an interesting time this year: It coincides with Valentine's Day and the NBA All-Star games. That means there'll be a smorgasbord of parties to choose from, attracting fashion types, lovebirds and basketball fans alike. As always, we're compiling our mega round-up of all the best parties of the season -- and your odds of getting in. Keep checking back as our list will get updated daily with new parties being added throughout the next week and a half.

TUESDAY

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Jourdan Dunn's 'Cell For Gratitude' Event
EXPECT: Jourdan Dunn and other leggy super models will descend on Amy Sacco's No. 8 for Dunn's second-annual 'Cell For Gratitude' party, whose proceeds will go toward fighting sickle cell disease. It's a cause that hits home for the model -- her son, Riley, suffers from the ailment -- and this year she's teamed up with eyewear brand Illesteva and label Rochambeau on a collaboration, which will be unveiled at the party. Oh, and before we forget -- you might get the chance to rub shoulders with Rihanna and Cara Delevingne: the singer and model both stopped by the inaugural event last season. 
WHERE: No. 8, 357 W. 16th St., New York City
WHEN: Tuesday, February 10th from 9pm-midnight
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 30/70

WEDNESDAY
ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: COOLS NYFW Kick-Off
EXPECT: The digital fashion retail platform, which asks tastemaking creatives to share their favorite items and brands that you can buy, celebrates the launch of their new mobile app with a banger at the Boom Boom Room.
WHERE: Boom Boom Room, 442 W. 13th St., New York City
WHEN: Wednesday, February 11th at 10:30pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 40/60

ALREADY HAPPENED -- SEE PICS HERE!
WHAT: VFILES After Party
EXPECT: Kids who look like they came from cyber space -- by way of the '90s -- will dance around to DJ sets by A-Trak, DJ Hoodboi and other special guests. If previous seasons are indication, the party will be packed -- and very turnt up.
WHERE: Space Ibiza, 637 W. 50th St., New York City
WHEN: Wednesday, February 11th at 9pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 30/70

THURSDAY

(A pic from last season's NYNY party; Photo by Madison McGaw/BFAnyc.com)

ALREADY HAPPENED -- SEE PICS HERE!
WHAT: NYNY Fashion Week Kick-Off Party With Makonnen & the Timo Weiland After Party
EXPECT: A glamorous hodgepodge of fashion editors, models, designers, hip-hop heads, socials, DJs and random party kids will head to Up&Down to toast Timo Weiland's Fall collection and catch a set by rapper Makonnen. Too bad the party's not on a Tuesday. 
WHERE: Up&Down, 244 W. 14th St., New York City
WHEN: Thursday, February 12th at 10pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 45/55

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Westbrook Frames Launch Party
EXPECT: Oklahoma City Thunder champ and best-dressed player in the NBA, Russell Westbrook, celebrates his limited-edition sunglasses collaboration with JackThreads with a party in a Soho townhouse. Kanye consigliere and Off-White designer, Virgil Abloh, will be DJing and treats will come courtesy of cronut guru Dominique Ansel.
WHERE: 214 Lafayette St., New York City
WHEN: Thursday, February 12th from 9pm-midnight
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 40/60

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: MADMAUS NYFW Party
EXPECT: Rising designer Christopher Lee Sauvé shows off his special collab with nightlife queen Amy Sacco at her venue No. 8. If the invite is anything to go by, there'll be lots of cute kids in mouse ear hats, a nod to Sauvé's 'MADMAUS' collection.
WHERE: No. 8, 357 W. 16th St., New York City
WHEN: Thursday, February 12th at midnight
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

(Jonathan Simkhai and models; Photo by Carly Erickson/BFAnyc.com)

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Jonathan Simkhai After Party
EXPECT: Models, editors, bloggers and fans of Simkhai's athletically-inclined, feminine designs will head to the Electric Room to raise a glass to his Fall collection.
WHERE: Electric Room at the Dream Downtown, 355 W. 16th St., New York City
WHEN: Thursday, February 12th at 9pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Essential Homme's NYFW Party
EXPECT: Cute boys and the girls (and boys) who love them will celebrate the magazine's spring fashion issue with a party featuring music by Twin Shadow, Angel + Dren and a surprise performance. Last season's special guest was Ja Rule, FYI. 
WHERE: Gansevoort Meatpacking Rooftop, 18 Ninth Ave., New York City
WHEN: Thursday, February 12th at 9:30pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 35/65

(Creatures of the Wind's Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters; Photo by Joe Schildhorn/BFAnyc.com)

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Creatures of the Wind After Party
EXPECT: The CFDA Award-winning designers will celebrate their Fall collection with a party at East Village tiki bar, Otto's Shrunken Head.
WHERE: Otto's Shrunken Head, 538 East 14th St., New York City
WHEN: Thursday, February 12th from 9pm-1am
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 45/55

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Todd Snyder After Party
EXPECT: Brookyn psych-pop band The Midnight Hollow will perform at a party celebrating the menswear designer's Fall collection.
WHERE: BonBonniere, 92 Ludlow St., New York City
WHEN: Thursday, February 12th from 9pm-11pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: ONE.1 Mens NYFW Party
EXPECT: Really, really ridiculously good-looking male models will take a break from their catwalk duties when One Management throws them a party at Gold Bar.
WHERE: Goldbar, 389 Broome St., New York City
WHEN: Thursday, February 12th from 9pm-11pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 60/40

FRIDAY

(Suno's Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty; Photo by Neil Rasmus/BFAnyc.com)

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Suno After Party

EXPECT: Models, socials, editors and other fans of Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty's cult label will gather at No. 8 to celebrate the new collection.  
WHERE: Electric Room at the Dream Downtown, 355 W. 16th St., New York City
WHEN: Friday, February 13th from 11pm-4am
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 40/60

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: John Varvatos After Party

EXPECT: Head to the former home of CBGBs -- now John Varvatos' Bowery boutique -- for the designer's after party and a special surprise performance that begins at 9pm. If his previous campaign collaborations, which have included the likes of Willie Nelson, KISS and Iggy Pop, are anything to go by, the concert should be pretty awesome.   
WHERE: 315 Bowery, New York City
WHEN: Friday, February 13th at 8pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: SUITED & Stand For Education Magazine Launch Party

EXPECT: Brand new publication SUITED celebrates its launch with a party in collaboration with non-profit Stand For Education, which promotes education in South Sudan. The pairing isn't incidental -- the glossy's debut issue includes a big feature on South Sudanese models Mari Malek, Mari Agory, Nykhor Paul and Atong Arjok, all of whom are advocates for their home country.   
WHERE: Dune Studios, 121 Varick St., 7th Floor, New York City
WHEN: Friday, February 13th from 8pm-11pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Barneys New York Hosts a Cocktail Party In Honor of Russell Westbrook
EXPECT: Before he takes the court at tge All-Star game, NBA star -- and budding eyewear designer -- Russell Westbrook will celebrate with Barneys New York.  
WHERE: Gramercy Park Hotel Terrace, 2 Lexington Ave., New York City
WHEN: Friday, February 13th from 7pm-10pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 30/70

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Concept Korea After Party Hosted by Fern Mallis
EXPECT: NYFW founder Fern Mallis hosts this bash for the collective of Korean designers showing at Lincoln Center this season.
WHERE: Le Bain at The Standard, High Line, 848 Washington St., New York City
WHEN: Friday, February 13th from 7pm-9pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 55/45

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Maybelline & MADE Cocktail Party
EXPECT: Cleveland Cavaliers player JR Smith and model -- and former PAPER Beautiful Person -- Gigi Hadid host the "Tip Off," a chance to celebrate ahead of MADE's two days of fashion presentations and runway shows at Milk Studios on Saturday and Sunday. Jus Ske and Va$htie will provide the night's soundtrack.
WHERE: Milk Penthouse, 450 W. 15th St., New York City
WHEN: Friday, February 13th from 8:30pm-10:30pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 40/60

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Mongol After Party
EXPECT: Mongolian designer Bayarmaa Bayarkhuu celebrates her new collection for Mongol.
WHERE: Gansevoort Park Avenue, 420 Park Avenue South, New York City
WHEN: Friday, February 13th from 8pm-11pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

SATURDAY

(Misha Nonoo, center, and friends; Photo by Joe Schildhorn/BFAnyc.com)

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Misha Nonoo Cocktail Party
EXPECT: The rising British designer will celebrate her new collection with a daytime cocktail party at Hôtel Americano.
WHERE: Hôtel Americano, 518 W. 27th St., New York City
WHEN: Saturday, February 14th from 1pm-3pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

(Christian Siriano and Christina Hendricks; Photo by Leandro Justen/BFAnyc.com)

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Christian Siriano After Party
EXPECT: The designer and former Project Runway winner will celebrate his fall collection at No. 8. Keep an eye out for celebs like Mena Suvari, Christina Hendricks and Selma Blair who are all fans of the label. 
WHERE: No. 8, 357 W. 16th St., New York City
WHEN: Saturday, February 14th from 9pm-midnight
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 45/55

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Galore's Fashion Week Love Ball
EXPECT: Playing double-duty as a fashion part and Valentine's Day bash, the model zine/agency's bash at Up&Down will feature a performance by rising R&B singer Justine Skye and a "very special surprise guest." Leatherwear designer -- and former PAPER Beautiful Person -- Zana Bayne will play host so expect to see lots of cute couples in matching leather harnesses.
WHERE: Up&Down, 244 W. 14th St., New York City
WHEN: Saturday, February 14th from 9pm-11pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 60/40

SUNDAY

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Carmelo Anthony and Dom Pérignon's Lights Out Party
EXPECT: Fashion people getting a Sunday night second-wind will rub shoulders with basketball fans, NBA players, and celebrities at this All-Star game after party hosted by Carmelo Anthony and Dom Pérignon. Swizz Beatz will be DJing. 
WHERE: Gilded Lily, 408 W. 15th St., New York City
WHEN: Sunday, February 15 at 11pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 25/75

(Public School's Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow sandwich Prabal Gurung)

ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Public School & Prabal Gurung After Party
EXPECT: Two white-hot labels teaming up to throw down at the Diamond Horseshoe means that this is gonna be the place to hobnob with all the fashion A-listers. We can only hope that an Editorial Director or top model gets up and dances on the club's catwalk.
WHERE: The Diamond Horseshoe, 235 W. 46th St., New York City
WHEN: Sunday, February 15 at 10:30pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 30/70

(Opening Ceremony's Carol Lim and Humberto Leon with St. Vincent and Carrie Brownstein; Photo by Leandro Justen/BFAnyc.com)

ALREADY HAPPENED -- SEE PHOTOS HERE!
WHAT: Opening Ceremony After Party
EXPECT: The Cool Person favorite will host their after party at the newly re-christened Happy Ending.
WHERE: Happy Ending, 302 Broome St., New York City
WHEN: Sunday, February 15 from 10pm-3am
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 25/75


ALREADY HAPPENED
WHAT: Yigal Azrouël After Party
EXPECT: The designer celebrates his new collection with a party featuring a special performance by Danish singer-songwriter Oh Land.
WHERE: Subrosa, 63 Gansevoort, New York City
WHEN: Sunday, February 15 from 9pm-11pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 40/60

MONDAY

WHAT: Italia Independent Celebrates the Opening of its First US Boutique
EXPECT: One of Italy's most dashing eligible bachelors, Lapo Elkann, hosts this soirée for Italian eyewear and apparel brand Italia Independent. The Misshapes and Kitty Cash will be DJing and there'll be a live painting performance by artist Bradley Theodore. 
WHERE: New Museum Skyroom, 235 Bowery, New York City
WHEN: Monday, February 16 from 8pm-11pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 40/60

WHAT: Street Level Culture x The Mirror Cube present "Off Web"
EXPECT: Creative platform Street Level Culture partners up with new nightlife listings curation site, The Mirror Cube, to host a music showcase featuring performances by Princess Nokia and KeithCharles Spacebar and other special surprise guests.     
WHERE: 54 Varick St., New York City
WHEN: Monday, February 16 at 9pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 55/45

TUESDAY

WHAT: Rodarte After Party
EXPECT: Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy will celebrate their collection with a party that's likely to attract gobs of starlets and socials who are fans of the label. 
WHERE: The Jane, 133 Jane St., New York City
WHEN: Tuesday, February 17 at 10pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 30/70

WHAT: This Is New York: Volume 4
EXPECT: With a live performance by Kindness and DJ sets by Twin Shadow, Dev Hynes, Illuminati Ams, and Florencia Garcia, the fashion crowd will get treated to some quality tunes.  
WHERE:  The Studios at Tribeca Grand, Church & Walker Sts., New York City
WHEN: Tuesday, February 17 from 10pm-late
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 40/60

WHAT: Harbison After Party
EXPECT: Join the two-year-old brand as it celebrates its fall collection with a party at newish Chelsea "semiprivate clubhouse," The Leonora.  
WHERE:  The Leonora, 525 W. 29th St., New York City
WHEN: Tuesday, February 17 from 8pm-10pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 45/55

WHAT: Baja East After Party
EXPECT: Celebrate with the buzzy designers -- and former PAPER Beautiful People -- following their fall show.
WHERE: 'Snob' Rooftop Lounge at Hôtel Americano, 518 W. 27th St., New York City
WHEN: Wednesday, February 18 from 9:30pm-1am
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

WHAT: Narciso Rodriguez After Party
EXPECT: The beloved womenswear designer celebrates his fall collection with a party at the Gramercy Park Hotle.
WHERE: Gramercy Terrace at the Gramercy Park Hotel, 2 Lexington Ave., New York City
WHEN: Wednesday, February 18 from 9:30pm-12:30am
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 35/65

WHAT: Office Magazine's NYFW Party
EXPECT: Brand-new fashion magazine, Office, hosts a fashion week party with a performance by Cunt Mafia (aka Contessa Stuto & Co.) at The Hole. 
WHERE: The Hole, 312 Bowery, New York City
WHEN: Tuesday, February 17 from 7pm-11pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

WHAT: Hardware LDN x Fig & Viper NYFW Party
EXPECT: Two international streetwear brands -- London's Hardware LDN and Japan's Fig & Viper -- join forces for a bash at newish West Village pub Game. 
WHERE: Game, 248 W. 14th St., New York City
WHEN: Tuesday, February 17 from 9pm-midnight
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 60/40

WEDNESDAY

WHAT: Jeremy Scott After Party
EXPECT: Candy colored Scotta-a-holics and Barbie girls sporting looks inspired by Scott's spring Moschino collection will come out to celebrate the designer's eponymous fall collection. DJs Mazurbate, Mia Moretti and The Misshapes will be behind the decks and keep an eye out for a famous face or two (last season Madonna, Diplo, Whoopi Goldberg, A-Trak and Skrillex all rolled through).
WHERE: Space Ibiza, 637 W. 50th St., New York City
WHEN: Wednesday, February 18 from 10pm-3am
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 30/70

WHAT: Fashion is Nuts launch
EXPECT: Join artist Donald Robertson as he celebrates his new book, Fashion is Nuts, based on his series of fashion icon portraits painted on walnuts(!). Fashion bigwigs Joe Zee, Serge Normant, Peter Davis and Linda Fargo are hosting.
WHERE: The Shop at The Standard High Line, 442 W. 13th St., New York City
WHEN: Wednesday, February 18 from 8pm-10pm
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 60/40

WHAT: Nanette Lepore 'Posh Rebel Secret Society Gathering'
EXPECT: Models in cute party dresses and their dates for the evening will head down to the Mondrian Soho's club, Mister H, to toast Nanette Lepore's new collection.
WHERE: Mr. H., 9 Crosby St., New York City
WHEN: Wednesday, February 18 from 9pm-1am
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 35/65

WHAT: The Blonds After Party
EXPECT: Drag queens, party girls and a Hilton or two will come out to celebrate The Blonds' fall collection. BYOST -- Bring Your Own Sparkle Top.
WHERE: Bar Americano and El Privado at Hôtel Americano, 518 W. 27th St., New York City
WHEN: Wednesday, February 18 from 10pm-2am
RSVP: Invite Only
ODDS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK IN: 50/50

Watch Kanye Perform New Track "Wolves" with Sia and Vic Mensa on SNL 40

February 15, 2015, 9:25 pm

≫ Next: Morning Funnies: SNL 40 Edition

≪ Previous: Our NYFW Party Mega Guide

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Kanye West delivered a spectacular musical performance during Saturday Night Live's 40th anniversary special Sunday night, doing "Jesus Walks" lying on his back before moving into "Only One" and new track "Wolves" with Sia and Vic Mensa. Watch it above via Complex.

Homepage photo via Virgil Abloh's instagram

Morning Funnies: SNL 40 Edition

February 16, 2015, 6:30 am

≫ Next: Listen to a New Song By Timeflies and Angel Haze, "NSFW"

≪ Previous: Watch Kanye Perform New Track "Wolves" with Sia and Vic Mensa on SNL 40

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Last night Saturday Night Live aired a star-studded three-hour primetime special in honor of its 40th anniversary. If you're an SNL nerd, it was heaven. If you're not an SNL nerd, we've rounded up the highlights below.

 

Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake rapped the history of Saturday Night Live and it was very Beastie Boys on 30,000 cups of coffee. Cameo from Debbie Downer to sap out all of that runoff energy!
 

There was a special edition of Celebrity Jeopardy with Will Ferrell reprising his role as Alex Trebek, Kate McKinnon as Justin Bieber, Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin as Tony Bennett, Norm Macdonald as Burt Reynolds, AKA TURD FERGUSON, Taran Killam as Christoph Waltz, Jim Carrey as Matthew McConaughey and Kenan Thompson as Bill Cosby. Heart, heart, wink and point!



Bradley Cooper and Betty White made out during the Californians sketch. Kerry Washington and Taylor Swift also made cameos. Everyone is hating on Taylor Swift's performance, as if this was a real opportunity to show off her acting chops. CAN SHE LIVE?

Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jane Motherfucking Curtin hosted Weekend Update last night, with appearances by TWO Stefons (one played by Bill Hader, the other by Edward Norton) and Melissa McCarthy as Matt Foley.


Martin Short and Maya Rudolph (doing her amazing Beyonce impression) pulled off an ambitious 15-minute segment highlighting musical characters including Fred Amisen and Kristen Wiig's Garth & Kat, Will Ferrell and Anna Gasteyer's Marty & Bobbi Culp, Adam Sandler as, Opera Man Steve Martin as King Tut and Jim Belushi and Dan Aykryod as The Blues Brothers.




Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg did a digital short ode (which was basically Tina Turner's "Simply the Best" with new lyrics) to SNL stars breaking and laughing on camera over the years. Spoiler: Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz take up a big chunk.
 

Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey, who hasn't aged, did Wayne's World with special guest Kanye West.This was so tender.

Listen to a New Song By Timeflies and Angel Haze, "NSFW"

February 16, 2015, 8:30 am

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Raise your hand if you're having a rough morning, post-NYFW/SNL 40/All Star Weeked/President's Day pre-game! Rather than stay in bed all day, might we suggest you get a second wind with a new party jam from NYC-via-Boston electro-hop duo Timeflies and Angel Haze, "NSFW"? As you might expect from the song's title, the track is one big ode to sexts and, according to the guys, is a little taste of what's to come on their follow up to their 2014 debut album, After Hours. Give it a listen, above and snag it on iTunes when it becomes available tomorrow.

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Watch Miley Cyrus' Excellent Cover of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"

February 16, 2015, 8:39 am

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Miley knows her way around a cover, that's for sure, but her country-fried rendition of Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" on Saturday Night Live's 40th anniversary special last night might be one of her most stirring renditions of a pop classic yet. If this doesn't give you chills, you might actually be dead inside.

Author Brian Abrams On the Secret Sex, Drug and Booze Habits of Our Nation's Presidents

February 16, 2015, 10:00 am

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While a lot of people lucky enough to get Presidents Day off use the holiday as an excuse to book a three-day weekend ski trip or eat Doritos in bed and watch Netflix for 72 hours straight, it might be more appropriate to celebrate our nation's leaders by pouring a stiff drink. Turns out, quite a few men who occupied the Oval Office were borderline -- if not full-blown -- alcoholics. (And that's to say nothing of their other vices that ran the gamut from popping pills to chasing tail.) In Party Like a President, a new book by author and Death and Taxes Editor, Brian Abrams, we get to take a deeper dive into the mischief and fuckery that took place inside the White House by old white dudes who were supposed to be running the country. No surprise -- it's highly entertaining and highly enlightening. In honor of Presidents Day, we spoke to Abrams about his book and learned such fun facts as a POTUS' nickname for his penis and why one theory believes a former Leader of the Free World died from poop poisoning. Read on.       

What made you come up with the idea for the book?

I think it started back in 2005/2006. I was living in Texas, working at my dad's dry cleaners at the time and writing for an alt-weekly. My editor there had this Denver-based zine on his desk called Modern Drunkard and I just pitched them an idea to write a story on the drinking life of FDR. It became a 3,000 word piece. I look back on the article now and the jokes are bad, way too bro-y and obvious and it's not even historically accurate some of the stuff in there. But I thought, how cool would it be to expand this into a giant book one day?

When did you actually start working on it?

It was in 2012 when the idea came together. I'd just been fired from Buzzfeed and I had this feeling that it would be cool to have a higher calling than that of writing captions for YouTube videos. I just decided, Alright, Brian, you have to stop dicking around. I just sat down and developed this proposal with John [Mathias], the illustrator, who was introduced to me by a mutual friend. The proposal was ready in the spring of 2013 and we sent it to two agents and they both wanted it. When the second agent wanted it, we knew we had something. It wasn't delusional. It might've been psychotic but it wasn't delusional.

After writing the book, did you walk away with a newfound appreciation for any of our presidents?

Yeah, I think so. In some form or fashion, I did kind of like them all as personalities. I even remember having moments where I thought George W. Bush was appealing to me in some way. But Reagan? Never.

Do you have a particular favorite?

Everyone asks me who I'd want to get a beer with and I guess I probably wouldn't mind having a beer with Gerald Ford.

How come?

Because if I had said "Chester A. Arthur" and then I ended up having a beer with him, we would have nothing to talk about because he hasn't seen any movies. We would have nothing in common. But, I dunno, Gerald Ford just seems kind of alright. Not that he didn't have tempers at times but I can see why he's the ultimate, jovial "beer on the front porch" guy.

Were there any presidents that you disliked even more after writing the book?

It's not like I knew anything about Martin Van Buren before really delving into this. But no, not really.

It sounds like Harding was a pretty lousy president.

Harding is known as the president who was riddled with the most scandals. All these scandals came to light after he died in office in 1923. He was only there for two/two and half years. He died and all this shit came out about corruption in his Cabinet. None of the corruption ever linked directly to him so it is believed that he just picked the wrong people. In the book, I created a chart in that chapter that maps out all the crimes that happened because it's so confusing. It's based off the Senate hearings in The Godfather: Part II where they have the Corleone family mapped out on the board. There's a guy in the middle who was his campaign manager and who was appointed as Attorney General and he conducted most of the corruption related to the bootlegging and bribery. It was just a free-for-all. We'll never really know.

Beyond the political scandals, it seems like he was also the absolute worst husband, up there with Kennedy with the number of extramarital affairs. You wrote about him having gonorrhea and knocking up a neighbor of his future wife...

He's a sleazebag although I think that more so than JFK and Jackie, Warren Harding and his wife Florence Harding maintained more of a professional marriage that was closer to Hillary and Bill than John F. Kennedy marrying this young Jacqueline Bouvier. When he was a senator in Ohio and he owned a newspaper, Florence came in and ran the business side of it. She was very much an operative in his game. But there was this biographer of Florence Harding who counted something like seven possible affairs he had. So Harding had gonorrhea, JFK had this nonspecific case of urethritis that was with him until the day he died. It went untreated when he was younger so he was always pissing fire. I don't know of any medical issues with Clinton.

Any other STDs in the annals of presidential history?

I'm sure. [Laughs]

Since you brought up Van Buren, what else can you share about him? He's one of those presidents that modern people just don't really know about like Polk or Fillmore.

There's a part of me that felt sympathetic toward him. Here's a guy who was elected in 1836 and started his term in 1837 and right off the bat, the country falls into a financial crisis. The workforces are cut, everyone is poor, it sucks. The budget allocated a portion for entertaining people from out of town and he made it a point to do that very quietly and not rub it in everyone's faces. That ended up backfiring in a way because William Henry Harrison comes along and he's this populist candidate for the Whigs and he was known as the 'Log Cabin and Hard Cider' candidate even though he was not born in a log cabin -- he was born in a really luscious piece of property that was his family's. And he never drank. But he's seen as this 'Joe Sixpack Hero.' You can hear the Springsteen song playing as he's walking down the street. His people ended up spinning [Van Buren's frugality] on him to make him look lame, like he should've been opening up barrels of hard cider on the front lawn and being like, "come on down."

And Harrison and his people won. But he only held the office for a month?

Yeah, William Henry Harrison gets elected and dies. People originally thought he died because he got pneumonia but now some scientists in 2014 came out with a theory that said it was due to "shit poisoning." It's nuts. When people took shits in the White House, [servants] had to take a wheelbarrow and push it a couple miles down the stream but if the wind blew, particles of the festering pile of shit came through the windows of the White House and you could get a bacterial infection. They euphemistically called it "night soil." So nasty.

Were there any presidents for whom it was really difficult to track down any information like this?

Some presidencies are more well-documented than others. Chester A. Arthur, for instance, was known as the ultimate procrastinator. By the way, in politics, that's not necessarily a negative -- that's possibly a political strategy. But here's a guy whose average workday might've been 5 hours total.

Oh wow.

He'd take two full days off a week. If Obama had his schedule, he'd just be roasted. So here's someone who doesn't look exactly like the most committed president. He also didn't move into the White House for his first three months of his term because he wanted it redecorated. So when an official biographer went back to write the biography in the 1970s or 1980s, he obtained papers from the White House during that era and he later told me that there weren't all that many. He didn't know if it was because Arthur was this genuine slacker George Costanza type or if it's that whoever was responsible for archiving them lost them after the fact. On the other hand, you sit there and wonder because we still have letters from George Washington that are kept -- no one lost those.

So there definitely is more information on some than others. Like you have LBJ on a phone call in 1964 to a guy in Dallas, Texas to fit his pants and he's belching into the phone, talking about his 'bunghole' because he 'needs room for his nutsack.' Or Warren G. Harding writing love letters and nicknaming his penis 'Jerry.' He writes to a mistress that 'Jerry is standing beside me as I write this.' Like, he's got a boner while he's writing. Could you imagine if Warren G. Harding got a hold of Skype?

After all this, what's your number one favorite presidential anecdote you unearthed?

I think it was interesting that Woodrow Wilson preferred his wife on top. I'm speculating here but there was a love letter he wrote to his first wife in 1894 before he got into politics and he's like, "When you get back to me, you'll smother me, will you?" She was a very curvy woman, too, so I just imagine he probably wanted her to be on top.

Party Like a President: True Tales of Inebriation, Lechery and Mischief From the Oval Office is out now via Workman Publishing. You can buy a copy HERE.

Former Porn Legend Francois Sagat On His New Clothing Line, Kick Sagat

February 16, 2015, 10:30 am

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In his new column, Mr. Mickey introduces you to his MCM -- that's Man Crush Monday -- of the week. First up? Former porn star, Francois Sagat.

Francois Sagat is probably the most legendary name (and ass) in gay porn. With his star and crescent tattoos and his larger than life muscle god mystique, the French star has gone from conquering the adult film world to crossing over into more "mainstream" territory. He's starred in films for directors Bruce LaBruce and Christophe Honore, appeared in fashion projects for designers Jeremy Scott and Bernard Willhelm and been photographed by top photographers like Terry Richardson. Most recently, Sagat decided to leave the world of X-rated cinema once and for all and launch a line of clothing called Kick Sagat. He was recently in New York City for a launch party for his clothing line so, naturally, we had to ask him about his latest adventure.

What inspired you to launch Kick Sagat?
 
Well it's horrible to say but when we first released the collection of t-shirts, the main inspiration was ...my character! I just wanted to create a product that would remind people of my sexual image without being porn. It sold well so I decided to relaunch a real collection of clothes, sportswear and underwear and try to escape a bit from the Francois Sagat porn image by doing more prints, trying to explore a new universe and playing with a funny sexy pop and colorful world. Kick Sagat is for every kind of man and less kinky than people think!

Which countries are your biggest markets?
 
The best market is the USA. Also Anglophone countries -- Australia is really supportive and the United Kingdom. France doesn't come first. Japan likes the brand, too, and I hope to grow in China as well.

Which pieces do you wear the most?

I wear the underwear the most, they fit really good. I'm less attracted to wearing my own face on t-shirts. I love to wear the jogger pants, too.

Do you miss doing porn?
 
Honestly yes, a lot. I loved doing shoots and hanging out with other guys. But to tell you the truth, the general market doesn't really offer what I want and nowadays I feel less and less energetic in terms of handling all the promo work. I like the job itself a lot, but what's going on afterwards is less my cup of tea. And there are too many younger and hotter guys that are amazing at what they're doing.

Any plans to do a fragrance? What would it be called? What would it smell like?

We already thought about it of course! I was thinking about this tacky name "Eau de Sagat" -- it would smell like my armpits after a hard workout mixed with vanilla and citrus. Hahaha.

Here's a Quietly Devastating New Song from Sufjan Stevens

February 16, 2015, 11:09 am

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Yes, a good cry is just the thing for a frigid, faintly nauseous Monday, and that's exactly what this new Sufjan Stevens track delivers. With references to vampires, dragons and Casper the Friendly Ghost, "No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross" manages to be cryptic and painfully relatable -- and beautiful -- all at once.

In a Pitchfork interview posted today, Stevens describes the complicated progress of his grief following the death of his mother, who suffered mental problems and hadn't been a regular participant in family affairs since Stevens' first year of life.

It was so terrifying to encounter death and have to reconcile that, and express love, for someone so unfamiliar. Her death was so devastating to me because of the vacancy within me. I was trying to gather as much as I could of her, in my mind, my memory, my recollections, but I have nothing. It felt unsolvable.... But I say make amends while you can: Take every opportunity to reconcile with those you love or those who've hurt you. It was in our best interest for our mother to abandon us. God bless her for doing that and knowing what she wasn't capable of.

He also reminds us that, despite circulating freely in the frightened-agnostic world of indie-rock, he is a true-blue Christian:

My love of God and my relationship with God is fundamental, but its manifestations in my life and the practices of it are constantly changing. I find incredible freedom in my faith. Yes, the kingdom of Christianity and the Church has been one of the most destructive forces in history, and there are levels of bastardization of religious beliefs. But the unique thing about Christianity is that it is so amorphous and not reductive to culture or place or anything. It's extremely malleable.

Hear the song, above. Carrie & Lowell is out March 31 on Asthmatic Kitty.

Jorge "Gitoo" Wright Rocks Timeless Looks from the Seminal '70s

February 16, 2015, 2:10 pm

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When we profiled model, producer and nightlife fixture Jorge Gitoo Wright back in October, he admitted to us that though he'd tried acting as a child, "it's kind of hard to act like people other than myself." Stylist Jessica Zamora Turner and photographer Bex Day wanted to highlight Wright's singular magnetism, casting him and his real-life friends for a '70s-inspired shoot in Brooklyn. "My style is documentary mixed with fashion," says Day. "We wanted to use real people, as they evoke an intense image and emotion that I find difficult to achieve when using signed models."  Together, Wright, Zamora and Day, who shoots using medium format film, have created a style story that puts a contemporary spin on an endlessly fertile moment in American fashion. "I feel like the '70s has been at the center of most of the current trends in fashion, " says Zamora-Turner, "and this story references the era from a less-explored angle."





Jorge wears a jacket, sweatshirt and trousers by Fanmail, a polo shirt by Le Coq Sportif, and vintage Cole Haan shoes.

(L-R): Samantha wears a sweater by Bella Frued, vintage Wrangler jeans and Vans.  Melinda wears a sweater by Bella Frued, Wrangler jeans and boots by Robert Clergerie.


(Clockwise from left) Dylan wears a vintage jacket, shirt by Dana Lee and Jeans by Levis. Banna wears a shirt and tank by Kieley Kimmel, jeans by Gap and a vintage shearling vest and shoes. Melinda wears a trouser suit and shirt, stylist's own, and boots by Robert Clergerie.  Jorge wears a polo shirt and jacket by Le Coq Sportif and trousers by Fanmail. Samantha wears a jacket by Maje, a cardigan and sweater by Diesel, vintage Wrangler jeans and shoes by Vans. Olu wears a Jacket by Fanmail, pants by Diesel and shoes by Dr. Martens.

Olu wears a suit by L.B.M 1911 and shoes by Dr. Martens.

(L-R): Jorge wears a vintage sherpa jacket by Levis, a polo shirt and jacket by Le Coq Sportif, trousers by Fanmail and vintage Cole Haan shoes. Dylan: Jacket - Vintage, Shirt - Dana Lee, Jeans - Levis, Desert Boots - Clarks

(L-R): Olu wears a shirt by Dana Lee and trousers by Asos. Banna wears a dress by Dusen Dusen

Melinda wears a shirt and suit that are stylists own and boots by Robert Clergerie

Hair: Nigella Miller
Make Up: Aoki Marika
Stylist Assistant: Annie Pluimer

Models:
 Jorge Wright
Olu Alege
Melinda Griffith
Banna Gebremichael
Samantha
Dylan

The Chicest Collections of NYFW Were by Posh Spice and the Stars of Full House

February 16, 2015, 3:00 pm

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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson with Victoria Beckham and her husband David at the 2014 Met Ball. Photo by David X. Prutting/BFAnyc.com

New York Fashion Week is as a place to discover new designers. But, although we're merely a few days into an ongoing month of world-wide Fashion Week shows, the chicest collections came from designers that are neither new nor traditional -- Victoria Beckham and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's the Row. If you had suggested before Mrs. Beckham and the Olsens launched their companies that they would end up ruling majestically over the NYFW scene, you wouldhave been laughed at. Celebrities as designers? Child star sitcom veterans? A Spice Girl? Despite Beckham's one-time "Posh Spice" alter ego being the more high-end of the Spice Girls, she certainly gave no sign in those girl group years that she knew how to design an immaculately draped day dress.

Victoria Beckham F/W 2015. Photo via Style.com

The Row F/W 2015. Photo via Tumblr.

Of course, this did not happen over night. Beckham began by doing small presentations a few years agi for groups of ten to 15, in which she sat with the crowd and described each look as it came out. She obviously was very involved in the design process and she beamed with pride as a look she was particularly excited about appeared. After one such presentation she told me that she had told her children she was going to New York City to 'take a test' the way the kids took tests at school. She told them Mommy had to show the fashion people what she could do. She laughed that her son Brooklyn had told her if she needed to she could write the test answers on the inside of her arm. Beckham built her brand the right way, slowly and steadily rebranding herself as a woman with immaculate taste and a sense of humor. Similarly the first time I saw the Row was an appointment at the St. Regis Hotel. Mary-Kate answered the door and she and Ashley walked me through the collection of beautifully made, spartan separates. Watching Olsen hold up a long gown by the hanger, over her head so I could photograph it was a bit surreal. I left asking myself if I was crazy or if those were the chicest clothes I'd seen in ages.
 

Yesterday Beckham showed her collection at the historic and gorgeous Cunard Building on lower Broadway. The clothes were like Jil Sander with a sexy kick. This morning, the Row presented their collection on the 34th floor of the landmark Seagrams Building. It was a simple monastic collection and each look screamed "I'm not only rich, I have good taste too."

These are two cases of the classic American dream at work. Women, albeit famous and  connected women, came to New York City, totally reinvented themselves and wound up perched atop the fashion scene in one of the world's most stylish cities. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Meet the Bloggers Bringing New York Fashion Week to Tumblr

February 16, 2015, 3:39 pm

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Bobby Abley F/W '15. Photo by Mario Kroes.

Mario Kroes  -- Mario Kroes

German-born photographer Mario Kroes' largely black-and-white blog recalls both Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton. Clean and iconic images.

GIF by Joel Castillo

Joel Castillo -- What Do I Wear

A constantly updated stream of fashion gifs, as well as style and buying tips, curated by recent college graduate and current Lord and Taylor employee Joel Castillo.

Photo by Remington Guest.

Remington Guest -- The Cheap, the Best and the Hidden

This blog lives true to its name: Guest, a model, features both news straight from the catwalk as well as tips about the best, cheapest and hidden spots to eat in NYC and LA. (That him on the right in the photo above.) Catch his fun backstage interviews with fellow models and get the dish on the catering situation.

Backstage at Adam Selman. Photo by Kat Irlin.

Kat Irlin -- Kat in NYC

Irlin is a photographer who brings her own artistry to the runway. Don't expect standard-issue straight shots of models from this blog -- Irlin's beautifully composed images of the fashion world are equal parts revealing and journalistic.

GIF of Julianne Moore at the Golden Globes by Romain Laurent.

Romain Laurent  -- Romain Laurent

Originally from the French Alps and now living in New York, Laurent has also unsurprisingly been named one of Tumblr's 2014 photographers to watch. We could look at his cinemagraphs and surreal GIF portraits for days.

Honor FW 15 by Meagan Morrison.

Meagan Morrison -- Travel Write Draw

Watercolor fashion illustrations like you've never seen before. Sartorial portraits that deserve to hang on a wall!

Photo by Ryan Plett.

Ryan Plett -- You Broke the Internet

Plett's photos are moody, chic and have a youthfulness to them that -- and we feel confident in saying this -- just might break the Internet some day.

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Beyonce's Stevie Wonder Tribute Performance Was Insane

February 17, 2015, 6:35 am

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CBS aired its "Songs in the Key of Life" Stevie Wonder tribute last night with performances by Lady Gaga, John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Janelle Monae and more, but, duh, the evening's opener Beyonce was the stand-out. Setting off an earth-shattering A-bomb of Bey that we still haven't recovered from, Yonce performed a medley of "Fingertips," "Master Blaster"(with Sheeran) and "Higher Ground" with Gary Clark Jr. This was peak Beyonce. There was belting that would make angels weep. There were blowing fans. There were gams for days and a sparkle dress that had become one with her body. Like the title of this Vimeo clip, all we can say is "Beeyonceee."

Watch Portlandia Waste-of-Space Doug Solve Feminism

February 17, 2015, 8:50 am

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This new Portlandia sketch, in which the members of an all-male feminist support group congratulate themselves on randomly asking women if they're doctors and ignoring hair to the point that they "just see bald women," features one of those perfectly absurd Portlandia flourishes: a guy who keeps interrupting the men's muted clapping with an air horn. Not to get all undergrad thesis on it, but those sudden blasts over the tender applause serve as a reminder that sensitivity and howling obliviousness can, and often do, go hand in hand.

Watch the sketch, above, and tune in to the whole episode (featuring Greta Gerwig) tonight on IFC. Judging by this clip and last week's "Bart Ska-mpson" sketch, Fred and Carrie are at the top of their game.

Billy Eichner, Michelle Obama and Big Bird Play "Ariana Grand Or Eating a Carrot?"

February 17, 2015, 8:55 am

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Billy Eichner is back with a special edition of Billy on the Street starring First Lady Michelle Obama, Big Bird and the ghost of our collective future, Elena. Last we caught up with Elena, who admirably says whatever thought comes into her head and exists on a plain of reality that we can only hope to inhabit one day, she was playing Cash Show with Lena Dunham. Since this segment is in promotion of Obama's "Eat Brighter" campaign to encourage kids to eat fruits and vegetables, this time around the game is "Ariana Grande or Eating a Carrot?" The clip also features Obama pushing Eichner in a shopping cart while he reads Gwyneth Paltrow's Oscar acceptance speech and, later, Big Bird and Eichner accosting New Yorkers on the street. It's a delight.  

Here's a Healing Beck/Kanye Mashup, Courtesy of Arcade Fire's Win Butler

February 17, 2015, 9:42 am

≫ Next: Blink-182 Co-Founder Tom DeLonge Goes Deep on UFOs, Government Coverups and Why Aliens are Bigger than Jesus

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Last week, in the middle of the raging post-Grammy debate about respect, artistry and respecting artistry, an olive branch appeared in the form of this "Beckyoncé" mashup. Now, Arcade Fire's Win Butler, aka DJ Windows 98, has joined the pop peacekeepers with this impressively organic contribution, which uses Beck's 1993 breakout single and "Jesus Walks" from Kayne's 2004 album The College Dropout. But what's really impressive is that, within a single week, Butler managed to create a healing mashup and execute a dazzling layup in last Friday's NBA Celebrity All-Star Game.

Blink-182 Co-Founder Tom DeLonge Goes Deep on UFOs, Government Coverups and Why Aliens are Bigger than Jesus

February 17, 2015, 10:20 am

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Tom DeLonge introduced himself to the world by streaking his way through Blink-182's video for "What's My Age Again?" and has since leveraged the multiplatinum success of the pop-punk group to become a clothing magnate (with his companies Macbeth Footwear and Atticus), social media entrepreneur (his network Modlife has been used by Pearl Jam and Kanye West) and children's author (2013's The Lonely Astronaut on Christmas Eve). But before any of that happened, he was a dedicated believer in the idea that life exists on other planets, and that the world's various governments have worked in secret to keep this information from the general populace. He's become a self-styled academic on the subject and launched a website, Strange Times, dedicated to exposing the truth of what he calls "the phenomenon." He's spent more than two decades getting laughed at for his theories, but with both NASA and the Vatican allowing that humanity might soon find evidence of extraterrestrial life, DeLonge is feeling mighty vindicated these days. A few weeks before he publicly clashed with the other members of Blink-182 about his commitment to the band, we called him at his office. We heard about mind control, a camping trip to Area 51 and how to look beyond popular conspiracy theories to the "third story."

When did you first believe in the existence of aliens? How did this all start?

What's funny, two decades ago when I got into this, it was such a "the world is flat" scenario, and here's Tom running around about UFOs and they'd just laugh it off. But now, NASA is holding symposiums on the inevitability of finding life in the universe. The Vatican is talking about, yes, there's life out there, and how it interferes or doesn't interfere with the church's view of existence.

Right.

You have to understand, I've been involved in this for a long time. I have sources from the government. I've had my phone tapped. I've done a lot of weird stuff in this industry -- people wouldn't believe me if I told them. But this is what happens when you start getting on an email chains with hundreds of scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and different universities around the country, and you start outing seniors scientists from Lockheed Martin talking about the reality of this stuff, guys that hold 30 patents, guys that work underground out in the Nevada test sites in Area 51. It goes far beyond just saying, "Hey, that little light in the sky, that's a little green man." That doesn't lend the right gravity to the topic.

You've had your phone tapped?

Yeah, yeah I did. For quite some time. Years ago, there was somebody who was gathering 150 hours of top secret testimony specifically for Congressional hearings on government projects and the US secret space program. People from NASA, Rome, the Vatican, you name it, they're all on there. The top 36 hours that summarized the best parts of all of that footage, I had it hidden in my house for a period of time, and during that time I was flying this person out along with somebody that was Wernher von Braun's right-hand assistant. Wernher von Braun was a Nazi scientist that we brought over to build our Apollo rockets that got us to the moon, and on his deathbed he told this person a bunch of stuff, and I was flying them out to Los Angeles and we were taking certain meetings. At that time a lot of weird stuff started happening.

Were you concerned about your safety at all?

Partially. Because they do weird stuff. At the time I didn't know it, but the person I was dealing with was being awoken in the middle of the night with clicking and buzzing noises and falling on the ground vomiting, every morning at 4 a.m. I know now that those are artifacts from mind-control experiments, where the same technology that we use to find oil underground, we can zap somebody at the same frequency that the brain operates on, and it can cause some really horrific things to happen. But I didn't know this until 10 years later. I got caught in the middle of it, and this was the time when I was on the cover of Rolling Stone, so I think these guys, whoever was running this operation, were like, "What the fuck? How did this kid show up?"

When you first started reading about this stuff and getting more knowledgeable, did you ever try to talk yourself out of it or think, "I must be crazy if I believe that this stuff is real"?

At first I believed everything I read. Then I got to a point where I didn't believe anything I read. And then I came out of the back of it, saying to myself, "Half of it's real, half of it's not." What people have to understand is the basic history of the UFO is very simple. The phenomenon has been around forever. All the ancient religions were written down based on witnessing this phenomenon in various forms. Governments of the world watched the phenomenon and tried to replicate the technology, but they did in secret. So the governments are fighting each other with these pieces of technology. But within those little skirmishes, the phenomenon is still here, and it's much more advanced. So in order to hide what the governments are building in secret, they blame it on spaceships and aliens that eat your brains and all this weird stuff, but it's all in an effort to hide what we're really building, something that is real but is exotic and esoteric, and it's all part of a plan. And as we find out that the phenomenon is real, they're hoping it won't be as bad as we thought it was, because we were scared along the way. It's a really complex game that's been played, especially since the '80s. The CIA was very interested in the UFO civilian research groups, with the intention of being in control over all the research and the public awareness. It was a psychological operation. They were very scared of Americans being gullible and having Russia come in and repeat a War of the Worlds scenario. So the CIA said, "We better get in there and make everyone go crazy, but at least it's controlled, and when we're in charge we can slowly let people know the phenomenon is real, but, 'Don't worry -- we've been building something secret to help protect us.'" It's a crazy thing, but it's real.

You wrote a book called The Lonely Astronaut on Christmas Eve. Your son is named Jonas Rocket. You've explored a lot of outer space themes with your band Angels & Airwaves. Why do you think this topic means so much to you? Why do you think it's resonated throughout your life?

I think it's the biggest story of mankind. You take Christianity: a guy named Jesus came and died on the cross for everybody's sins. That's not as big of a story as what types of intelligences are living across the universe. I mean, the deep space project by Hubble, which is taking our most exotic telescope that we've ever made at the time, and focusing on the blackest part of space for 11 days straight. Literally a grain of sand, if you held it out at arm's length, is where the focus of this orbiting telescope is at. For 11 days. And it came back with a one-inch by one-inch colored slide with ten thousand galaxies in it. It's like we have trillions of galaxies and in each galaxy there's trillions of planets. It's just unreal.

You've never been shy about your beliefs. You've had a song "Aliens Exist,"  and I remember you talking about this in Rolling Stone, but at the time Blink-182 presented themselves as young, carefree guys. But when you started talking about aliens with Angels & Airwaves and then you launched Strange Times, people started to go, "Oh, he's really serious about this stuff."

People will be like "Oh, you believe in UFOs" [laughs], but I'm reading books on physics, I'm reading books on the secret space program, I'm talking to people that work underground for six months at a time, that are confiding in me about the national security initiatives. I've literally read 200 books on the subject, and I don't spend my time looking at UFO reports or talking to little green men. I'm way past that. If anybody tells you there's no life in universe, you should be turned off. That's just such a dumb thing to say. It's totally, universally accepted amongst the country's elite scientific establishments that there's life everywhere. The question is what kind, where, how'd they get here, what are they doing when they get here, and how do we communicate with them? That's when you start reading books about the mind and consciousness, and telepathy and ESP. It's a whole different program.

DeLonge with his night vision goggles. Above, DeLonge with an archival UFO image from his files.

Was it tough in the beginning for people to believe that you're serious and knowledgeable about the subject -- you're not just some rockstar with a hobby?

To give you an example, one time I remember bringing up a very specific craft that I believe we're building, in secret, to emulate the phenomenon that our government has been observing for decades. So I started talking about the craft, and its magnetic slide system and how it displaces over 89% of the mass of the ship, how it ionizes the engine, how it glows -- I went through the whole thing, and this engineer looks at me, this guy is 70 years old, and he goes, "You better be real fucking careful about what you're talking about." And I go, "Okay, so I'm close." And he goes, "I'm not fucking kidding with you. You better be really fucking careful." And he calls me up the next day and he goes, "I've had calls about you. If someone comes and asks you to get in their car, don't fucking get in the car." [laughs] And that's the shit I'm dealing with.

Did anyone ever try to get you to take a ride?

Thankfully, I've had one interesting thing happen to me where I believe somebody was trying to get to me, that was in the intelligence industry. And... that's as much as I want to say. A very interesting thing happened.

According to your Instagram, a little while ago you took a trip out to Area 51 with your friends right? Can you tell me a little about it?

We had two nights. We did one outside of a secret base called China Lake. And that was on the flight path to Area 51, which is known as Groom Lake. We camped out at the northern end of that, about 200 miles from the nearest staff location. We were above an area called Tonopah, which is where they test-fly a lot of different things. So if you remember, I was talking about a person that was gathering all that footage for the congressional hearing. That person was telling me that the big belief, which I had corroborated by a university professor that was in the know, by the way, that the communication of this particular phenomenon is the frequency of thought. So part of communicating and making contact is shutting your mind down and being able to project your thoughts. And this guy was telling me about it, and this whole protocol for how it works. When we went out there the first night, we decided to run through this protocol where you project your thoughts. So we decided to do it, and we were up mad late, but nothing happened. I kept telling the guys: if anything was going to happen, it would happen at three in morning, because that's the time when things like this happen. Don't ask me why. We put about four logs on the fire, and everything is illuminated by the fire, and we fall asleep around one or two. I woke up right around three a.m. My whole body felt like it had static electricity, and I open my eyes and the fire is still going, and there's a conversation going on outside the tent. It sounded like there were about 20 people there, talking. And instantly my mind goes, OK, they're at our campsite, they're not here to hurt us, they're talking about shit, but I can't make out what they're saying. But they're working on something. Then I close my eyes and wake up, and the fire is out and I have about three hours of lost time.

Huh.

I get everyone up first thing in the morning and go, "Did anybody hear all the chatter last night? I couldn't move my body, I was stuck there. I couldn't hear anything." And one of the guys I was with goes, "Yes! They were all around our tent, they were talking. I told you!" And the other guy slept right through it. He had no idea what we were talking about. [laughs] It sounded like English, but you couldn't make out any words. You knew you weren't threatened, you couldn't move your body, but you were very aware of the conversation going on for a period of time. But this is the scary part. If you look up and study abductions of people, people that have had contact, and a lot of the stuff you can read from John Mack; he was [a member of] Harvard's psychiatry department. He almost lost his job because he started writing books about UFOs and people getting abducted. Harvard tried to kick him out of the medical group, but they lost. He got hit by a car in mysterious circumstances. Pretty odd, right? But when you read his books and study what he was doing, a lot of people who have these contacts talk a lot about chatter, like you're in the middle of people working. How fucking crazy is that? Nothing else. No footprints, no weird like marks or anything like that.

You have Modlife, your web platform that helps bands make more money through social media and merchandise, you've had various clothing companies, you have your multimedia project To The Stars and you have two different bands. You've talked a lot about how tough it is to convince people that you're not just a Blink-182 party guy but also a serious businessman. When you bring in the fact that you believe this stuff, does it ever feel like you're making it harder on yourself?

I don't think so. The smartest people I know are into this stuff. Because they're more universally aware. The more educated you are, then you tend to understand how vulnerable and insignificant we are as human beings.

Do you think the moon landing is real or do you think NASA faked it?

I think it's real, absolutely. People have to understand: you know that the Department of Defense is bigger than Apple, right? So when Apple releases an iPhone, Apple will plan it out and spend billions of dollars and get thousands of people to figure how to tell that story, how to manage that story and how to get their point across. There's nothing different in the Department of Defense when it does something big. So when we landed on the moon, they're gonna go and give you something to chew on. They're gonna go out and find a conspiracy. They're gonna plan out the conspiracy. They made everybody think that we never went there. That way, when you ask questions, you're asking questions they want you to ask. They didn't want the conspiracy to be the real fucking question, which is, "What was there when we got there?" They place the conspiracy, just like 9/11. The main thing is that terrorists did it, the backup story conspiracy they fed you was, "No, it was an inside job." What's the third story? Another nation state? An extra nation-state? You know? Who did that?

Do you think in your lifetime we will publicly make contact with an alien life form?

I think we already have. Whether or not that will be published or not, I have no idea. I think absolutely it's been happening forever. It's been happening with individuals all over the world, it's been happening with governments to some degree. I don't think we're working underground with aliens. I don't think it's like that, like some dumb conspiracy theorists think. I think what's gonna happen, mark my words, is that they're going to find the microbial life that's they've been talking about on Mars and then, it's one planet over. We're gonna send people up there, and we're gonna find remnants of other types of life. But really, what's going to be there are remnants of other civilizations: architecture, old monuments, machinery, things that have been fossilized, whatever, and then that will get dripped out for another 30 to 40 years. Maybe there was a civilization there.

If we were to make contact with alien life forms, is there anything you would want to ask any of them if you had the opportunity?

Hmm, that's a good question. I don't know what I would ask them. I'd ask them, "How did it all start?" I bet you they wouldn't even know.