One to Watch: Chinese Animator Lei Lei

April 26, 2012, 9:44 am

≫ Next: Watch an Australian Grandma Play The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" On the Spoons

≪ Previous: Conor Maynard's "Can't Say No" Is Our Music Video of the Day

$

0

0

"I don't think I'm an artist. I have no gallery, I do not sell paintings. I like animation." There's something refreshing about animator Lei Lei. In an art world increasingly driven and confused by the confluence of technology and ego, he's a down-to-earth, 26-year-old guy from Beijing who scribbled in the back of class at Tsinghua and now just wants to find a way to make a living by drawing and bringing his stories to life. His short, playful film, "This is Love," won Best Narrative Short at the Ottawa Animation Festival in 2011, which piqued Nike's interest, who commissioned him to illustrate several Air Force 1s. Via several broken Gmail chats and despite his claim to the contrary, it was instantly clear to me that Lei Lei is and should be at the center of a new creative scene in China.

 
How do you describe your style?

Naïve.

 
This Is Love is such a cool little story. How did you get the idea for the animation?

I am in a hip-hop band called "hhheeeiii", and the idea came from one of my songs "This Is Love." I was trying to tell the story of love. We finished the music, and then I did the animation.

My...MY... from RAY on Vimeo.

And "My... My"... Was that based on a random bit of inspiration or a real life experience of spontaneous nakedness?

Maybe... I did the animation without a story in mind or a script.

 
Aside from possible inspiration via spontaneous nakedness, what's been your craziest or most memorable project to-date?

Each one's been crazy. I have to finish each animation in such a short time and, at the same time, I need to figure out how to make money for my life.

What spots in Beijing inspire you?

The UCCA Art Museum, and any place I can listen to good music like Yugong Yishan.

What software do you use?

The animation is made by a 2-D computer, drawing on paper and then using some software like Flash, Photoshop and Aftereffects.

What's next for you?

A film about my family history. 

Do you have any advice to share with other young animators starting out?

Enjoy it and play with it. Do not believe any rules.

---

Watch an Australian Grandma Play The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" On the Spoons

April 26, 2012, 10:15 am

≫ Next: Teenage Rock Opera Bowery Wars Opens This Weekend

≪ Previous: One to Watch: Chinese Animator Lei Lei

$

0

0

Watch this delightful clip of an Australian grandmother and finalist on Australia's Got Talent, Deb "Spoons" Perry,  feeding kangaroos and playing The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" on a set of spoons. Feeding kangaroos, playing rock songs with kitchen utensils -- this video surpassed our expectations about what crazy stuff goes on down under.  We only wish we had half as much energy as she does (while we sit at our desk eating snacks all day).

[via Sterogum]

Teenage Rock Opera Bowery Wars Opens This Weekend

April 26, 2012, 11:05 am

≫ Next: Dolce & Gabbana Leopard Print Bicycle + Live-Streaming The Met Ball in Today's Style Scraps

≪ Previous: Watch an Australian Grandma Play The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" On the Spoons

$

0

0

Star Wars, Robot Wars, Storage Wars, Parking Wars, Border Wars, Whale Wars.  Does the world need another "Wars?"  Of course! Bowery Wars, Part 2 is a new rock musical that opens this weekend, April 28th, and runs on Saturdays and Sundays until May 20. It's a Romeo and Juliet-inspired story that's set on New York City's corrupt, impoverished and crazy-dangerous Lower East Side in 1903 and stars a company of teen actors and musicians. (We love that Tybalt and Mercutio are cool goth girls in this version of R&J. Also, If you need to catch up, here's a synopsis of Bowery Wars, Part 1.) The action takes place on the streets of NYC and the audience follows along. Act 1 starts at 3:15 p.m. at 120 East 2nd Street and winds up with Act 2 over at 19 East 3rd Street. The musical was written and directed by Ryan Gilliam and composed by Michael Hickey. You can find more info and tickets here.

Tybalt and dancers.

Mercutio and dancers.

Top photo: Juliet and Romeo

Dolce & Gabbana Leopard Print Bicycle + Live-Streaming The Met Ball in Today's Style Scraps

April 26, 2012, 11:33 am

≫ Next: Watch the Amazing Trailer for Non-Narrative Film Samsara

≪ Previous: Teenage Rock Opera Bowery Wars Opens This Weekend

$

0

0

For the first time, the red carpet at The Met Ball (a.k.a. the Costume Institute Gala) will be live-streamed on the Vogue, Amazon and Metropolitan Museum of Art websites.  William Norwich and Elettra Wiedemann will play host. [via WWD]

If you want to make a fashion statement while on your bike (or get photographed by a blogger  since bike fashion seems to be the next street style frontier), why not treat yourself to Dolce & Gabbana's leopard print bicycle, complete with basket, a D&G-branded bell and leather seat. [via High Snobette/Shedonism]

Christian Louboutin is designing a version of Cinderella's glass slipper in celebration of Disney's re-release of the classic animated movie on Blue-Ray and DVD.  The design won't be revealed until the summer and will come out in the fall. [via WWD/image via Fashionista]

Anthropologie has announced has announced that its latest collaboration will be with designer Tracy Reese whose capsule collection will feature seven pieces "inspired by the gardens of the Frida Kahlo museum" and comes out tomorrow.  [via Fashionologie]

Check out this prom dress made out of cardboard. [via Styleite]

Kristen Wiig went for a bold ensemble at the Time 100 Gala, wearing a Stella McCartney lace jumpsuit and a white blazer. [via Stylelist]

According to scientific calculations, 18-year-old Florence Colgate might be the world's most beautiful woman.  Sorry Beyoncé. [via Gawker/Refinery 29]

Watch the Amazing Trailer for Non-Narrative Film Samsara

April 26, 2012, 12:10 pm

≫ Next: Kanon Hosts a Rustic Dinner at the Goat Farm in Atlanta

≪ Previous: Dolce & Gabbana Leopard Print Bicycle + Live-Streaming The Met Ball in Today's Style Scraps

$

0

0

Ready for a film with no plot, no actors and no dialogue?  After sitting through recent Hollywood bombs like Lockout, we're definitely ready to cleanse our palates with Samsara. The film is coming out this August via Oscilloscope Laboratories and was directed by Ron Fricke and produced by Mark Magidson, the same team that made Baraka back in 1992. They've been working on this non-verbal/meditative new film for over four years, shooting hundreds of locations in over twenty-five countries. The 87-minute 'visual tone poem' and stoner favorite Koyaanisqatsi (which Fricke was the cinematographer for) comes to mind, but for a taste of what to expect with Samsara, here's the trailer. Shh! We're contemplating.

Kanon Hosts a Rustic Dinner at the Goat Farm in Atlanta

April 26, 2012, 12:17 pm

≫ Next: Turning the Tables Author Andrew Haley on How the Middle Class Changed Restaurant Culture

≪ Previous: Watch the Amazing Trailer for Non-Narrative Film Samsara

$

0

0

When we think of Atlanta, our provincial New York City-centric brain immediately conjures up images of a Coca Cola bottle, CNN and Phaedra Parks. So on Tuesday, when we headed down there for a dinner hosted by Kanon (to introduce the city to its organic vodka) at The Goat Farm -- a working farm and arts center that felt like something out of a Brooklyn artisinal pickle-maker's wet dream -- all our ignorant preconceived stereotypes were thrown out the window. The whole affair featured insanely delicious organic fare by chef Shane Devereux of newly-opened restaurant The Lawrence (the smoked oysters with jalapenos were a highlight), accompanied by Kanon cocktails. Attendees included gals about town Lo Mitchell and Mattie James; artists Greg Mike and Jarno Kettunen; and the infamous ATL Twins, who we are simultaneously creeped out/fascinated by (they share everything -- including a girlfriend!) and apparently have a big role in Harmony Korine's upcoming Spring Breakers.

Turning the Tables Author Andrew Haley on How the Middle Class Changed Restaurant Culture

April 26, 2012, 1:10 pm

≫ Next: Watch Carrie Brownstein In Movie Some Days Are Better Than Others

≪ Previous: Kanon Hosts a Rustic Dinner at the Goat Farm in Atlanta

$

0

0

Andrew Haley's fascinating book Turning the Tables: Restaurants and the Rise of the American Middle Class, 1880-1920, is nominated for an upcoming James Beard award and was also a 2012 International Association of Culinary Professionals finalist. He teaches at the University of Southern Mississippi at Hattiesburg and spoke over the phone in between classes about how the rich fought to keep restaurants to themselves, believed any unaccompanied female was a potential prostitute and why Europeans are bad about tipping.

 

How did the American middle class change restaurant culture?

The kind of food you choose to eat and where you eat says a lot about the person you want to be. My book argues that in the late 19th century this group of people felt excluded from upper class restaurants that were predominantly in hotels in large cities. They served French food often cooked by French chefs, with menus in French, and prices were pretty high. For the middle class this meant these restaurants were largely inaccessible. In today's dollars it would cost them $200 and that was if you skimped and shared appetizers and avoided alcohol. I found a piece in the New York Times in the 1890s on how to go to one of these fancy restaurants and keep the bill reasonable. Also, what made it expensive was that unmarried couples had to bring chaperones and pay for them as well. With urbanization, by 1902 or 1904, it was no longer assumed a chaperone would come along to dinner.

 

So how did the middle class break in?

Part of what happened is that, since they were unable to experience these upper class restaurants, they looked around for alternatives. They started to go to short-order working men's restaurants and ethnic restaurants, slumming in undesirable parts of town. In the 1880s and 1890s there was a chop suey craze in New York that spread to the Midwest and the South. People would go to family-oriented German restaurants, which then started to hire more professional servers and put down tablecloths. This transformed them from an immigrant restaurant to a working class restaurant.

 

What was the oddest thing about dining in a restaurant before 1900?

Chaperones were a big one. Etiquette dictated that oftentimes the same rules of home entertaining applied to restaurants. If you were invited out to a restaurant you had to return the favor by inviting them to your home or to another restaurant. Dining in restaurants also changed fashion. Before 1900, women wore ballroom gowns when they went out. Then, in the early 1900s to the 19-teens, we started to see less structured 'restaurant dresses.' Corsets went away. The emergence of cabarets where you might have a meal and a drink and a stage show, with an open floor for dancing, really changed fashion. The influence of jazz changed the way people danced. It was much more energetic than a waltz and required looser clothing.

 

As a former waitress who still has friends in the industry, I wonder why Europeans don't know how to tip. How did it end up developing in America as a practice but not in Europe?

Americans got the idea of tipping from Europeans. When rich Americans were visiting someone else's house in Europe they were advised to leave a gift for the servants as a tip. It wasn't entirely obligatory but tipping did take place in European cities at restaurants. What happens is that upper class Americans picked this up and were becoming incredibly wealthy so they tipped lavishly. Around 1900 the American economy was booming. Europeans were shocked by the way Americans were tipping. They were appalled that Americans came over and out-tipped them.

 

Over 100 years have gone by and there's still a backlash with Europeans refusing to tip like vulgar Americans?

It may have played a role.

 

The American middle class learned to tip from the upper class?

The American middle class was horrified by tipping. Just as they were getting their foot in the door and finally able to afford restaurants, the upper class could still out-tip them and receive better service. Once you had the reputation of being a good tipper you would get a better table. The middle class was incredibly upset about this and called tipping un-American. It went against the idea of democracy. They were getting bad service because they couldn't tip as much. This led to legislative efforts in seven states to ban tipping. All of the anti-tipping laws were repealed in the 1920s. They were unenforceable.

 

Waiters must have been middle class themselves so it's interesting that the middle class was against them getting tips.

It wasn't that they resented their servers. They wanted a strong, standard wage for the wait staff, for it to be a fairer system. The middle class believed tipping created a kind of slavishness.

 

Has all this research influenced the way you tip?

Yes, but I think the larger influence on how I tip is being aware how poorly waiters and waitresses are paid today. Plus, I have a wife in the industry -- she's a chef -- so we take tipping very seriously. When I was young I was a host at a Howard Johnson's in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and we had a lot of French-Canadian tourists come in. They did not tip. They left amounts that were insulting by American standards, which engendered a lot of animosity from the wait staff. Americans are more committed to tipping than most cultures but the Americanization of the world suggests tipping is becoming more prominent elsewhere.

 

In the early days of restaurants service seemed deliberately stuffy, but now there's such an emphasis on being nice.

If you look around today, restaurants are designed to welcome everybody. Restaurant culture is much more democratic and I believe it's rooted in this restaurant revolt of the early 20th century. The American middle class created pressure on upper class restaurants to let them in. The owners recognized there was a giant spending public out there and they changed for them. They got rid of the menus in French and used English and began to allow men and women to dine together.

 

How did women break the barrier to be allowed into restaurants?

One of the most fascinating things I learned about 19th century restaurants was that they didn't cater to women at all unless they had a separate room for them. It was like something you'd see in the Middle East today. Some of them bent the rules and allowed a woman into the dining room if her husband accompanied her. Restaurateurs were fearful of loose women, prostitutes trying to attract male patrons and get them to buy them dinner. Middle class couples, who married for love, began to make a point of dining out in restaurants and we see these policies restricting women begin to change. Working women became much more respected in that world.

 

When were women allowed to start dining out when not accompanied by a man?

I came across a couple of really interesting controversies. In the book I tell a story about a woman named Harriet Stanton Blatch, a suffragist who sued a restaurant in 1908 for being refused service because she had arrived with a woman friend. She went to court and lost. The magistrate said that by going into a restaurant and disregarding the rules, she was a disruptive woman. This was at a restaurant called the Hoffman House in New York. Taking it to court was an extraordinary thing.

 

Was she kind of a Rosa Parks?

It appears that this restaurant did allow women to dine in the afternoon and she and her friend got there later and did not intend to cause trouble. Harriet Blatch wrote a biography about the women's movement and her losing in court seems to have been enough of an embarrassment that she left it out of her book. I found a reference to it in a newspaper and dug into the story. Women's groups at the time were championing her case and it eventually led to signs of change. The distinction became that restaurants reserved the right to not seat a woman who did not appear ladylike. There was an assumption that if you were rich it was perfectly acceptable for a woman to drink or smoke in public. Not for the middle class. But once they got their foot in the door they began to test the limits. In the 19-teens middle class women started going into restaurants and lighting up cigarettes and challenging the rules.

 

Do you see a clash today in restaurants between the upper class and middle class?

It's blurred a little bit now. An upper class person might go to an ethnic restaurant. The cost of going to an Olive Garden is not that different from going to a more upper class restaurant. The barriers that existed before were much more absolute. And Yelp is an amazing thing that gives everyone a voice.

Turning the Tables: Restaurants and the Rise of the American Middle Class, 1880-1920 is out May 16th via the University of North Carolina Press.

Watch Carrie Brownstein In Movie Some Days Are Better Than Others

April 26, 2012, 1:45 pm

≫ Next: 5 Under $50: Trout Sweatpants + Other Inexpensive Finds

≪ Previous: Turning the Tables Author Andrew Haley on How the Middle Class Changed Restaurant Culture

$

0

0

Are you having Portlandia withdrawals? So are we. That's why we were excited to see a new  clip posted today on the IFC website featuring Carrie Brownstein. As we were watching it, however, we realized something seemed a little...off. In our haste, we'd neglected to read the clip's description and, when we did, we realized that the footage was actually from a new full-length feature starring Brownstein and James Mercer from The Shins. "A-O River," this is not. The film, Some Days Are Better Than Others, was written and directed by Matt McCormick and follows the interweaving tales of Katrina (Brownstein), a "twenty-something reality TV enthusiast, video diarist and animal shelter worker" and Eli (Mercer), a "mid-30s slacker who could offer a thoroughly researched social critique explaining all the reasons why he shouldn't get a job." Rounding out the cast of characters are Camille (played by Renee Roman Nose), a "socially handicapped thrift store attendant" and Otis (played by David Wodehouse), "an 84-year-old eccentric filmmaker and inventor." 

Watch the clip of Brownstein pretending to audition for a reality TV show above. Go here for more information about the movie, including screenings.

[via IFC]

---

5 Under $50: Trout Sweatpants + Other Inexpensive Finds

April 26, 2012, 2:26 pm

≫ Next: Perfume Genius' "Dark Parts" Video Makes Us Want to Hug Our Moms (And a Chihuahua)

≪ Previous: Watch Carrie Brownstein In Movie Some Days Are Better Than Others

$

0

0

Happy Thursday! Enjoy these under-$50 goodies, from some trout sweatpants to a zipper bracelet. Toddland Trout Sweatpants, $34, available at Toddland.com. 

Elke Kramer "Tough Love" ring, $49, available at ElkeKramer.com.

Shuteye to Eye Pillowcases, $29, available at Modcloth.com.

WorleysLighting wall sconces, $35, available at Etsy.com.

Zip Shape Gold-Tone Bracelet, $16.99, available at Romwe.com.

Perfume Genius' "Dark Parts" Video Makes Us Want to Hug Our Moms (And a Chihuahua)

April 26, 2012, 2:53 pm

≫ Next: The Gap's "Mellow Yellow" Commercial Is a National Treasure

≪ Previous: 5 Under $50: Trout Sweatpants + Other Inexpensive Finds

$

0

0

Seattle singer/songwriter Mike Hadreas makes beautiful (and sad) music under the name Perfume Genius. He just played in NYC to a packed crowd and stirred-up some controversy with his video for "Hood" featuring adult actor Arpad Miklos -- profiled on Papermag back in 2007.  Now he's released this video for "Dark Parts" from his new album, Put Your Back N 2 It (Matador). The clip was directed by Winston H. Case and stars Mike's mom and some cute dogs.

The Gap's "Mellow Yellow" Commercial Is a National Treasure

April 26, 2012, 3:34 pm

≫ Next: New York City Will Soon Be Tagged With "Sound Graffiti"

≪ Previous: Perfume Genius' "Dark Parts" Video Makes Us Want to Hug Our Moms (And a Chihuahua)

$

0

0

For some reason, we were suddenly reminded of this iconic 1999 Gap commercial, set to the tune of Donovan's "Mellow Yellow," and just had to share it with you. Part of their "Everybody in Cords" campaign, and directed by Pedro Romhanyi, it was one of three "Everybody in..." commercials directed by Romhanyi, wherein expressionless, deadpan models sang popular songs while keeping very still. (Check out the "Everybody in Leather" ad set to "I Just Can't Get Enough" and "Everybody in Vests" set to "Dress You Up.") In addition to re-popularizing this Donovan song, the ad introduced the world to Alex Greenwald (late of the band Phantom Planet), Rashida Jones, Jason Thompson (Dr. Drake from General Hospital) and Monet Mazur (from 40 Days and 40 Nights). Isn't it just genius? And doesn't it remind you of watching Ally McBeal on Monday nights? Maybe that's just us.

New York City Will Soon Be Tagged With "Sound Graffiti"

April 26, 2012, 3:51 pm

≫ Next: The Best Craigslist Ad Ever + Bon Iver Erotica = Eight Items Or Less

≪ Previous: The Gap's "Mellow Yellow" Commercial Is a National Treasure

$

0

0

Starting May 2nd, NYC-based creative agency CNNCTD+ will be tagging the city with "sound graffiti" as part of CNNCTD+100, a project that aims to highlight cross-pollination between fashion, music, street art, nightlife and youth culture via sound recordings placed throughout Manhattan. The recordings will feature music, dialogue, readings or instructions and are curated by 100 different creative types, including artist Cindy Sherman, James Franco, Santigold, Paz de la Huerta, Nicola Formichetti and PAPER's own Mr. Mickey, and can be heard via "Playbuttons" (a cross between a wearable pin and an mp3 player).

A Playbutton

All 100 Playbuttons will be on display during a private show at the New Museum on May 1st before they hit the streets. CNNCTD+'s founder Roman Grandinetti told us highlights from the project include a Playbutton located at 39th and Broadway that features 30 fashion designers -- like Nanette Lepore and Rebecca Minkoff -- talking about their love of the Fashion District and another, installed next to a Jason Woodside mural on Kenmare St., between Elizabeth and Bowery, that describes the street art.  "It's one of the first interactive murals in the city -- you can plug [your headphones] into the wall and the [Playbutton] tells you what the mural is about," says Grandinetti. 

Jason Woodside mural

Though you won't get to hear what Paz de la Huerta or James Franco have to say for themselves until next week, keep an eye out for the sound graffiti anyway as there are a few buttons promoting the New Museum show already installed in locations like the corner of Bleecker and Mott or right outside The Standard Hotel. Grandinetti says that CNNCTD+ plans to bring the one-day show to Paris, London, Japan and Art Basel Miami and to add tastemakers from those locales.  They're also finalizing a smartphone app that will let users access an interactive map showing all of the various locations used throughout the city.

As for what will happen to these Playbuttons?  There's no expiration date. "We're going to keep them going forever," Grandinetti says.

The Best Craigslist Ad Ever + Bon Iver Erotica = Eight Items Or Less

April 26, 2012, 4:51 pm

≫ Next: Tips for Today: Jack White + Madonnathon + The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

≪ Previous: New York City Will Soon Be Tagged With "Sound Graffiti"

$

0

0

1. Now you and your pet can enjoy a rocking chair together (and bonus points if you happen to look like that guy). [via Laughing Squid]

2. If you're looking for a unique night out this Saturday, stop by Capitale for a Midnight in Paris French Cabaret Dinner Party hosted by Seth Greenberg, Henry Stimler and Roberto Buchelli.  The costume-encouraged fête, inspired by Woody Allen's Oscar-nominated film, will have 1920s-style vaudeville singers, a nine-piece orchestra, flappers, mimes, painters, a champagne tower and more.  Click here to purchase tickets.

Click to enlarge image

3. The Best. Craiglist. Ad. Ever. [via The Daily What/AdWeek]

4. If you need something to keep you warm on a cold Wisconsin night, read some Bon Iver erotica (not to be confused with Sufjan Stevens erotica). [via Stereogum/Tumblr]

5. WE CAN'T WATCH ANOTHER SH*T X SAYS!  Oh wait?  What's this?  Sh*t Girls Say About Girls?  WE NEED TO WATCH THIS. [via HuffPo Comedy]

6. WHAT the WHAT?  Fox News has invited Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian -- two ladies who clearly possess the same conservative values as the news network -- to be its guests at this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner.  Kardashian is bringing her mom as her +1 while Lohan is bringing her defense attorney.  Really. [via Gawker]

7. A little rumor is going around that all of the Vogue editors will have to wear pink at this year's Met Ball. [via Fashionista]

8. Apparently Jay-Z has an awful, Farmville-esque game on Facebook. [via Death + Taxes]

Tips for Today: Jack White + Madonnathon + The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

April 27, 2012, 6:32 am

≫ Next: The Morning Funnies: 30 Rock Live Show GIFs + a JTT Hypothetical

≪ Previous: The Best Craigslist Ad Ever + Bon Iver Erotica = Eight Items Or Less

$

0

0

Jack White at Webster Hall

Tonight's Jack White concert isn't your typical Jack White concert. In addition to premiering his newly-released solo debut Blunderbuss, the concert will be directed by actor Gary Oldman, and the whole shebang will be live-streamed as part of Vevo's "American Express Unstaged" series.

Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St. 8 p.m. $39.50.

The 9th Annual Madonnathon at Brooklyn Bowl

Sales of her new album may be a little disappointing, but the annual party celebrating Madonna's birthday is still on.  Recommended dress: "Virgin bride, lucky star, peepshow dancer, geisha glam, cone bra, urban cowgirl, Evita etc." We're going as "British lady from Bay City Michigan."

Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 6 p.m. $5-$7.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre at Nitehawk Cinema

If your life is feeling a little too un-bloody and un-violent, head to tonight and tomorrow's midnight screenings of Tobe Hooper's 1974 cult horror classic. 

Nitehawk Cinema, 136 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 12:15 a.m. $11.

The Morning Funnies: 30 Rock Live Show GIFs + a JTT Hypothetical

April 27, 2012, 7:30 am

≫ Next: Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet" Is Our Music Video of the Day

≪ Previous: Tips for Today: Jack White + Madonnathon + The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

$

0

0

The best GIFs from last night's 30 Rock live show!

And here's an image of Fred Armisen as Frank Rositano.

 52 Star Trek episodes playing at the same time. [via Animal NY]

Hanksy has struck again. [via HuffPo]

Viktor & Rolf have made some extremely high-waisted pants. [via Laughing Squid]

Danish firm Monstrum make amazing playgrounds. [via This Is Colossal]

 

This ad for the Fashion Shack is so bad it's good. [via The Daily What]

Here is a photo of Hilary Clinton meeting Louis C.K. as Amy Poehler looks on. [via Rats Off]

An important JTT hypothetical. [via Tofutti Break]

How to tell if you need a fedora. [via Rats Off]

---

Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet" Is Our Music Video of the Day

April 27, 2012, 9:15 am

≫ Next: See 23 Hats From Bill Cunningham's Millinery Days

≪ Previous: The Morning Funnies: 30 Rock Live Show GIFs + a JTT Hypothetical

$

0

0

We celebrated several PAPER staff birthdays yesterday and devoured a delicious red velvet cake. Yummy. Strangely enough, the cake reminded us of today's oldie-but-goodie video about a different colored velvet: black. Though it's been covered by tons of people, this is the original "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles that became a #1 hit for two weeks in 1990. It's not about whiskey or those tacky paintings, but refers to Elvis Presley and his smooth, sweet vocal style. As for the cake, here's a good recipe.

See 23 Hats From Bill Cunningham's Millinery Days

April 27, 2012, 10:20 am

≫ Next: Frieze New York Kicks Off May 2nd With Martha Wainwright + Mark Ronson

≪ Previous: Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet" Is Our Music Video of the Day

$

0

0

Back in the 1950s before Bill Cunningham started bicycling around the streets of New York shooting street style and society photos, the legendary photographer designed hats under the name William J.  Last week the 23 headpieces that remain from his millinery career went on the auction block and, as WWD reports, one person purchased the whole lot for $20,000.  Reportedly the buyer (whose name has not yet been released) is a friend of Cunningham's and plans to donate them to a New York City museum in his name.  Check out his fanciful designs above.

[Images via 1stdibs.com]

Frieze New York Kicks Off May 2nd With Martha Wainwright + Mark Ronson

April 27, 2012, 10:40 am

≫ Next: Ray Ban's New LGBTQ-Themed Ad + Betsey Johnson Files for Bankruptcy in Today's Style Scraps

≪ Previous: See 23 Hats From Bill Cunningham's Millinery Days

$

0

0

The first New York edition of London's FRIEZE Art Fair doesn't open to the public until May 4, but MoMA PS1 (22-25 Jackson Avenue at 46th Avenue, LIC) welcomes them to the city with a big party on Wednesday, May 2, 8 to 11 p.m. Martha Wainwright will perform a full set in the museum's courtyard dome to kick-off the event. She's planning to include a couple of her famous Edith Piaf covers along with her own music, plus some Kraftwerk-inspired tributes.  Later that night there's a DJ set by Mark Ronson. Advance tickets for $25 are still available HERE. 

Ray Ban's New LGBTQ-Themed Ad + Betsey Johnson Files for Bankruptcy in Today's Style Scraps

April 27, 2012, 11:35 am

≫ Next: Lesbian Dating Guru Milly DuBouchet Gives Us Some Advice

≪ Previous: Frieze New York Kicks Off May 2nd With Martha Wainwright + Mark Ronson

$

0

0

Olivia Palermo (remember her?!) models in Rochas' latest perfume campaign for their new fragrance Les Cascades de Rochas. [via WWD/Fashionista]

I can haz cheezeburger sweatshirt? [via TofuttiBreak]

Ray-Ban's latest ad for their "Never Hide" campaign, in connection with their 75th anniversary, is being lauded by LGBTQ groups for featuring two gay men (ostensibly from the 40s or 50s) holding hands on a busy, European street. [via Huffington Post]

Sad news today for Betsey Johnson: her eponymous brand has filed for bankruptcy and will be closing most of its 63 stores.  The brand is reportedly said to be focusing on its lower-priced range of clothing, which is sold at Macy's.  [via WWD/The Cut]

This shirt by Korean brand Push Button is sort of like a fashion mullet: business in the front and party in the back. [via High Snobette]

For some reason Glamour UK crowned Kristen Stewart the "World's Best Dressed Woman."  She beat out competitors across the pond like the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham. [via Daily Mail]

Grimes has launched her first jewelry line -- a collection of "pussy rings" -- in collaboration with Montreal-based jeweler and sculptor Morgan Black.  Wear them when you eat these cupcakes. [via Pitchfork]

Lesbian Dating Guru Milly DuBouchet Gives Us Some Advice

April 27, 2012, 12:30 pm

≫ Next: Trailer Trash: Step Up Revolution

≪ Previous: Ray Ban's New LGBTQ-Themed Ad + Betsey Johnson Files for Bankruptcy in Today's Style Scraps

$

0

0

PAPERMAG's gay editorial content tends to err on the side of guys, guys and more guys, but what about the girls, girls and more girls? We're making an effort to even things out a little more around here and we're kicking things off with a little post on lesbian dating-whisperer Milly DuBouchet of the website LezFactor.

More than a year ago, Milly DuBouchet quit her full-time job as a financial advisor to help lesbians in New York up their dating game. She launched the website LezFactor, a counseling service that helps lesbians navigate dating via mixers and, for the more serious client, personal consultations.

DuBouchet says she's qualified to help people find love because she's, "In a seven-year relationship that's going strong and we're incredibly happy. Would you rather seek advice from someone who hasn't had success with romance or has found her happiness? Plus, no disrespect to the Millionaire Matchmaker [Patti Stanger] but I'm a lot nicer."

DuBouchet's advice for a first date: keep things short and casual, like running errands together. "I'm totally against the traditional date," she says. "People get nervous and over zealous when planning a date and it shouldn't be that serious."

And if the date's not the greatest? "I suggest that you get to know her anyway," DuBouchet says. "Maybe you can find some interaction outside of the romantic world. Or, maybe you can hook her up with a friend."

Or maybe you can hook up with one of her friends.

Test out DuBouchet's theories and your own here: LezFactor is hosting a mixer and after-party Saturday at the Vault, the lower level of Elements, at 225 E. Houston Street. Admission is $10.