Blair Waldorf's Headbands Are For Sale...

December 4, 2012, 9:03 am

≫ Next: A$AP Rocky, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and 2 Chainz have "F**ckin' Problems"

≪ Previous: The MEGA Guide to Art Basel Miami Beach: Tuesday

$

0

0

Jean Paul Gaultier will release a cheaper, more "streetwear"-focused line in June! [via The Cut]


We can't stop staring at this editorial from Stylist Magazine, shot by David Titlow. We're not sure which we want more: the monkey suit or the furs. [via Fashion Gone Rogue]
 

You can own own a little piece of 2007 iconography! Jennifer Behr, designer of the signature headbands that Blair Waldorf wore on Gossip Girl, is selling gift sets of Blair's greatest headband hits. [via Fashionista]




Jourdan Dunn has a new cooking series for Jay-Z's website, Life + Times. Watch the model cook jerk pork in the first installment above. [via Fashionista]
 

The CEO of Balenciaga is treating Alexander Wang's first year designing for the brand gingerly, telling WWD: "I don't want to put [Wang] under unnecessary pressure, so we will have to figure how we want to present. We will figure out together the pace of next year."




Here's Kate Bosworth singing "Winter Wonderland" for Topshop's new Christmas ad. Who knew the girl could sing? [via High Snobette]

Two sources told Bloomberg News that Anna Wintour is up for an ambassadorship to the United Kingdom or France. But, she has some serious competition and is insistent that she wants to remain at Vogue. [via Fashionologie]


We love the rippled faces and concert wristband-esque clasps of these Benjamin Hupert Plicate Watches. [via HypeBeast]

---

A$AP Rocky, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and 2 Chainz have "F**ckin' Problems"

December 4, 2012, 9:19 am

≫ Next: World's Smallest Museum Seeks Donors

≪ Previous: Blair Waldorf's Headbands Are For Sale...

$

0

0

The second video (after "Goldie") for A$AP Rocky's upcoming major-label debut, Long.Live.A$AP, enshrines the new generation of rap titans: Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and 2 Chainz, all of whose star power makes up for the otherwise empty set. An ode to sex addiction, "F**kin' Problems" makes clear that A$AP Rocky's problems are worlds away from Jay-Z's (not to mention Ice-T's). Model booties jiggle at the same double-time speed as f-words fly out of the rappers' mouths. Meanwhile, has anyone noticed how much A$AP Rocky's braids look like payos? Seriously, with the black coat and white shirt you could be watching a Chasid rap.

A$AP Rocky hosts the group show "Fortune" Thursday, December 6 at the Garrett, 697 North Miami Avenue, Miami, 8 p.m. to midnight, in conjunction with Art Basel Miami Beach.

World's Smallest Museum Seeks Donors

December 4, 2012, 10:15 am

≫ Next: Animal Collective's Geologist On Their New Album, "Call Me Maybe," and the Band's Unexpected Favorite TV Show

≪ Previous: A$AP Rocky, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and 2 Chainz have "F**ckin' Problems"

$

0

0

Billed as the world's smallest museum, and almost certainly the one with the shortest name, Museum occupies the bottom level of an abandoned elevator shaft in a TriBeCa alleyway. Its rotating exhibits of everyday objects are annotated with cellphone-accessible audio guides. After a successful first year, the folks behind Museum--brothers Benny and Josh Safdie and Alex Kalman, all of Red Bucket Films--are raising funds on Indiegogo for another year of free programming, to include contributions from our own Kim Hastreiter as well as artist Tom Sachs and "design guru" Jim Walrod. Incentives range from a poster-sized museum guide to Russian watches from the collection. The campaign ends tomorrow night.

Animal Collective's Geologist On Their New Album, "Call Me Maybe," and the Band's Unexpected Favorite TV Show

December 4, 2012, 11:00 am

≫ Next: The Eight Most Hyped Celebrity Pregnancies

≪ Previous: World's Smallest Museum Seeks Donors

$

0

0

If there's an indie rock hierarchy -- as low-key and self-effacing as such a thing would be -- the four gents of Animal Collective might very well be near the top. The band, which formed over a decade ago and is comprised of native Baltimoreans Avey Tare (David Porter), Deakin (Josh Dibb), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) and Geologist (Brian Weitz), has become known for combining catchy, easily digestible pop-rock lyrical hooks with super experimental and challenging instrumentals. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than 2009's explosive Merriweather Post Pavilion, their first big commercial success and an album that propelled the group to major headlining slots and the aformentioned top-tier status. Three years later, the foursome are back with a new record, Centipede Hz, out now, and if the hyperkinetic rock music found on a song like "Today's Supernatural" is any indication, the band wasn't content with merely replicating MPP's winning formula.

And now, on the eve of a big show at Brooklyn's Williamsburg Park tomorrow night (their first gig in New York since the LP's release), we had the chance to chat with Animal Collective's Geologist about Centipede Hz, what would happen if they did a cover of "Call Me Maybe," and the story behind why one of their songs played on The Simpsons. Read on.      


Tell me about the genesis of Centipede Hz. Did you have any particular goals or anything specific in mind when you were working on it?

Yeah. We wanted to explore our take on something a bit closer to rock music. We wanted some live drums and we all wanted to be playing live instruments of some kind and we wanted to play around with distortion and more aggressive textures in the music. On some of our previous records we had slower, more ambient tracks, and we didn't want this record to have so many downtempo moments.

The last record [Merriweather Post Pavilion] had been more sample-based and even during the performance of it, we primarily used samplers. The performance got very cerebral -- we could just stand up there and not even break a sweat. So for this album the goal was to write some really visceral music that would be challenging for us to play even if we grew to know the material really well.
 
What's going on in your video for "Today's Supernatural"? It seems particularly bonkers, even for an Animal Collective video.

Danny Perez is the director and he's done three Animal Collective videos. We let him come up with the ideas usually when we work together.  I don't think it's about a linear plot for him -- it's just about visual imagery and he draws a lot. The [images] will just be whatever is in his head at the moment and we're just like, "Yeah, go for it."

Did he give any context for some of those images like that monster desert cruiser?

No, there was no explanation whatsoever. He just thought that would be something that would fit the song, something circus-y and fast.
  

"Today's Supernatural" Video

What kind of stuff do you and your bandmates listen to when you're just hanging out? Are there any surprising songs on your iPods?

There's a lot of Heatwave and Steely Dan these days. Also, it's not like we listen to this song all that much -- I don't think any of us have a copy of it -- but the other day we heard that "Call Me Maybe" song. There's something kind of undeniable about it.

You guys should do a cover of it.

I don't know what we'd do. We'd probably change the lyrics, I'm sure. I don't really like songs that use the word 'maybe.' I feel like the lines that people come up with are really unimaginative and cliché if you use the word 'maybe.' They usually rhyme it with 'baby.'

Your song, "Winter's Love," appeared on The Simpsons. How did that come about?

It was very confusing. They asked us, and we were very excited and I don't even know if they paid us at all. They may have paid us the standard rate but we would've given them [the rights] for free because we grew up [watching] The Simpsons. They said, "We just want to know if you'd be open to us using the song before we actually start working on the episode because we don't want to try it and then you guys will say 'no.'" And we were like, "You can totally try it! Just let us know if you use it so we can tell our parents or set our DVRs or something." And then one night my wife was watching The Simpsons and I was in the kitchen washing the dishes after dinner and she called me in and -- because we don't listen to our own music very often at home -- she asked, "Isn't this an Animal Collective song?" They never told us that they were gonna use it and so we had to email the show and say, "Hey, what's up? We never signed any papers...We're psyched but a heads up would've been nice."

You guys don't listen to your own music outside of the studio? Is it like an actor not wanting to watch themselves in their own movie?

Yeah, when we're working on [a song] and finishing it, we listen to it a lot. We hear these songs hundreds of times and listen to them obsessively before they come out, making sure they sound exactly the way we want them to sound but then once we're ready to turn them over to the public, I'll almost never listen to them again -- unless we're going to play an old song on tour. 

And, speaking of tours, how do you decide what to play live? It seems like you improvise a lot.

We get that all the time. Our show at Pitchfork 2011 featured a lot of songs from Centipede Hz.  A lot of people say, "Oh, they just went up there and improvised or they just made noise and it was experimental" but that's just because we're playing new songs. We played Merriweather songs for a year and a half before it came out and people said the same thing. They asked, "Why aren't they playing Strawberry Jam and instead playing over all these techno beats?" The songs are written and composed but I think if you're not familiar with something and get all this dense information thrown at you at once, it's probably pretty hard to make sense of it.

That's interesting that you give new songs a test run so far in advance.

It's a habit we got into when we were younger, starting out in New York at 20 or 21 years old and playing shows. Not that many people came to see us -- it was only our friends. There were 15-20 friends that would show up every time and we'd only be playing 20 minute sets -- the first band of four or five bands on a bill at the Mercury Lounge or somewhere like that. We'd play a show a month and we'd feel bad making our friends come out to hear the same songs every time so we'd just spend the month in between the next show writing a few more songs and we got in the habit of playing new songs before we recorded them. I think we realized that there are some benefits to it. If you play a song twenty or thirty times and then get to a part that is boring to you, you can go home and change it. Whereas if you record it first and then you're playing it, you might think, "I could have done better there. Maybe I was rushed or not that inspired that day." Going through all those dry runs on tour, it allows you that editing ability.

Last question: Do you guys have any unexpected things you do to unwind while on tour? Any TV shows or movies you really like?

A few of us are Project Runway fans. It's a good show. I've been watching it for a couple of seasons but I don't really know what's going on this season so don't say anything if you know!

Photo credit: Abita Photo

Originally published on October 4, 2012

The Eight Most Hyped Celebrity Pregnancies

December 4, 2012, 11:45 am

≫ Next: Carlos Cruz Diez's Rainbow Art Installations

≪ Previous: Animal Collective's Geologist On Their New Album, "Call Me Maybe," and the Band's Unexpected Favorite TV Show

$

0

0

Mazel Tov to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the news that the royal duo are expecting their first child. Naturally, the media world is chock-full of breathless coverage about  "the most eagerly awaited pregnancy," -- not a surprise as the celebrity news cycle is more obsessed with pregnancy than your average hand-wringing, not-so-subtle-hint-dropping mother. Below, check out our picks for the eight most hyped celebrity pregnancies in recent memory.

8. The pair: Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher
The year: 1956
The hype: Before Elizabeth Taylor caught Eddie Fisher's wandering eye, Fisher and Reynolds were America's Golden Couple. Appearing together on many a magazine cover, the two co-starred in Bundle of Joy -- a movie that cast Reynolds in the role of a single shopgirl who discovers an abandoned baby and takes it in -- the same year that the couple announced they were pregnant with daughter Carrie Fisher. As Eddie Fischer went on to note, the movie was "simply a means of exploiting all of the publicity surrounding our marriage." You can bet this same PR attention was also given to their impending offspring and, well, we've all seen Postcards From the Edge....


7. The pair: Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan
The year: 2011
The hype: The Brangelina of Bollywood, Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan sent the  media -- and bookies -- into a tizzy when word got out that they were expecting. The Times of India reported that on the day their baby was born, the infant was "already trending on Twitter" and gamblers had been placing big money bets on what day the baby would arrive. 


6. The pair: Beyoncé and Jay-Z
The year: 2011
The hype: As the spawn of hip-hop royalty, Blue Ivy's birth was probably the most talked-about piece of celebrity news during the latter half of 2011, which ultimately led to the inevitable cuckoo conspiracies. As US Weekly wrote at the time:

In October, rumors began swirling that Beyonce was padding her stomach and may have hired a surrogate to carry her child after an appearance on the Australian talk show Sunday Night HD...The songstress also put her 'gross pregnancy cravings' rumors to bed. "I read that I like ketchup on everything...not true," she quipped, laughing. "I was on a plane and the flight attendant came and was like, 'I have your hot sauce and pickles and bananas.' I'm like, 'That is disgusting! What are you doing?' And he's like, 'I read it on the Internet!'" 

5. The pair: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
The year: 2005
The hype: Oh boy. Where to begin. Like a more sinister version of the Jay-Bey conspiracy, creepy rumors about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' pregnancy appeared right from the start. Back in 2005, Slate writer Dana Stevens summed up the weird and persistent gossip thus:
 

The Cruise-Holmes pregnancy story raises so many questions: Why is Katie's aunt busily denying that the actress conceived through IVF? Where was Holmes during those 16 days in April in between meeting Cruise for the first time and emerging publicly as the "magnificent woman" with whom he was so madly and aggressively in love? (It's hard not to picture a Rosemary's Baby-style orgy, in which aliens from the planet Psychlo impregnate a comatose Holmes under the approving gaze of Ruth Gordon.) Why did Holmes fire her longtime publicist only days after the pregnancy announcement and sign on with Lee Anne Devette, Cruise's Scientologist sister? And weirdest of all, why are Katie and Tom apparently lying (excuse me, engaging in an alter-isness) about the actual date of conception? 

4. The pair: Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco
The year: 1956
The hype: Legend has it that when Kelly became pregnant, she started carrying around the Hermès bag that now bears her name to shield her growing stomach from the prying paparazzi lenses watching her comings and goings and -- voilá! -- an iconic bag was born. When the cat was out of the, er, Hermès bag, however, the media couldn't get enough of the pregnancy -- you'd have thought The New York Times was OK! Magazine. The Times wrote on August 3, 1956:

The Royal Palace of Monaco announced today that Prince Rainier III and his Hollywood Princess, Grace Kelly, were expecting a child in February. The Prince, in a two-minute recorded radio speech, told his people about the coming event. The 370-acre Mediterranean principality prepared a celebration second only to the fanfare of floodlights and pageantry given the wedding itself last April 18 and 19. But the Prince and Princess prepared to flee the clamor by embarking on their yacht on Sunday for a cruise along the Italian coast. 

and later on September 12, 1956:

[Princess Grace] parried efforts to obtain further details [on the baby's name], except to disclose that 'Grace' was not under consideration. Other intelligence: The Princess hoped to do some shopping 'for the baby' in New York. The couple had no preference between a boy and a girl.

3. The pair: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
The year: 2006
The hype: For the celebrity gossip world, the news that Brangelina was expecting a baby was bigger than if the couple had released a sex tape. With such frenzy surrounding them, there have been countless pregnancy announcements on magazine covers but back in '06 People broke the bona fide story and, during the heady, pre-Great Recession days, coughed up $4.1 million to publish the first baby photos of little Shiloh.
 

2. The pair: Princess Diana and Prince Charles
The year: 1981
The hype: To this day, the news of Diana's pregnancy could rival any contemporary equivalents -- royal, celebrity, Bollywood celebrity or otherwise -- and, it should be noted, the hysteria spread en masse without the help of the Internet. When word came out that Di was expecting, People wrote in 1981:

It seemed as though the rice had hardly been swept off the steps of St. Paul's before Britain was proudly atwitter over a new royal announcement: The newlywed Diana, Princess of Wales, is expecting to deliver an heir to the throne sometime in June. After a brief pause during which "the nation's mums counted on their fingers," as one wry observer put it, the Buckingham Palace switchboard was jammed with congratulatory calls, hundreds of well-wishers gathered at the gates, and Fleet Street hailed the "WONDERFUL NEWS" in banner headlines...Inevitably, bookmakers began taking odds -- 10-11 on a boy, evens on a girl, and 50-1 on twins, who run in the mother-to-be's family.

1. The pair: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
The year: 1952-1953
The hype: Rather than doing the old "film an actress sitting down/behind a table/opening a refrigerator door" trick, Lucille Ball convinced CBS execs to write her pregnancy into the script. Unusual for a sitcom of that era, the plot point was a major source of interest for a captive American audience in the conservative 50s. As the New York Times wrote on January 16,1953:

From all indications the approaching birth of Lucille Ball's child, both in real life and in the script of 'I Love Lucy,' has engendered as much public interest as anything since the days when the world stood still every evening to hear 'Amos 'n' Andy' on the radio. The climax, of course, is scheduled for next Monday when Miss Ball goes to the hospital for a Caesarean operation and presents her husband, Desi Arnaz, with either a boy or girl. On the screen that same night the installment of 'I Love Lucy,' already made on film will report 'Lucy Ricardo' giving birth to a boy. Presumably interest will be running high whether the Arnaz correctly anticipated the sex of their real-life offspring. The deliberate parallel between the lives of the off-stage Lucille and the on-stage Lucy undoubtedly is unique in theatre annals for a number of reasons. First, it hardly would be possible without television and, second, the matter of approaching motherhood, although one of the oldest themes for the dramatist, seldom has been treated with the light touch.  

And there you have it. You'll have to forgive us if we start suggesting baby names and recommending bassinet models for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge -- it is, after all, in our journalistic genome.

Carlos Cruz Diez's Rainbow Art Installations

December 4, 2012, 12:30 pm

≫ Next: PREMIERE: Diamond Rings' Remix of "Crush" By Rush Midnight

≪ Previous: The Eight Most Hyped Celebrity Pregnancies

$

0

0

Artist Carlos Cruz Diez has been exploring the kinetic movement of color since the 1960s in his expansive and inventive installations, which you can visit now at the Musée en Herbe in Paris and the Museo Universitario Arte in Mexico. The installation features different chambers of lights for participants to walk through, transforming the appearance of skin and clothing, and tricking the viewers' retinas as they move from color to color. If, like us, you can't make it to the installations, check out some photos of the spaces below and pretend that you're there being absorbed by a rainbow.

All images: Carlos Crus-Diez: Chromosaturation  More photos at ItsNiceThat.

PREMIERE: Diamond Rings' Remix of "Crush" By Rush Midnight

December 4, 2012, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: Playing Matchmaker for Prince Harry

≪ Previous: Carlos Cruz Diez's Rainbow Art Installations

$

0

0

Ahead of his show at Bowery Ballroom tonight, we're excited to premiere Diamond Rings' remix of "Crush" by Rush Midnight. In the original Twin Shadow-produced track, Brooklyn-based Rush Midnight (né Russ Manning, former TS bassist) overlays hazy vocals with glimmery synths and smooth disco beats but in his version, Diamond Rings does away with all the pleasant languor.  From the outset, the Toronto artist pummels you with hyper-kinetic synths and pulsating beats more appropriate for the dancefloor than your subway commute. It's a complex -- but tight -- production and we hope he brings it out during his show. And, if you'd like to hear the original, Rush Midnight will be performing at Glasslands on December 15 in support of Lemonade.      

Playing Matchmaker for Prince Harry

December 4, 2012, 2:15 pm

≫ Next: Les Miz meets The Shining...

≪ Previous: PREMIERE: Diamond Rings' Remix of "Crush" By Rush Midnight

$

0

0

With all the spotlight-hogging brouhaha created by the pregnancy of the Duchess of Cambridge, we thought we'd take the opportunity to try and set up Prince Harry with some appropriate (and some maybe not so appropriate) possible spouses.

 
Princess Maria Annunciata of Liechtenstein

We might as well start off with a real bonafide princess! Maria Annunciata is doubly royal being the daughter of Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein and Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg. The royal-royal is also super sexy and has a hot sister named Marie-Astrid. Plus, her hunky brother, Prince Josef-Emanuel, is 23 and a member of the Irish Guards, the soldiers who troop the color with the Queen of England. So there you go.
Matchability score: 9 out of 10 tiaras
 
 Augusta von Preussen
Although she's officially a Princess of Prussia, Augusta was born in London and grew up in England. Her grandmother was a Guinness and her paternal aunt Antonia, Marchioness of Douro, is married to the heir to the Duke of Wellington. She has two adorable sisters Beatrice and Florence and a brother Nicholas. In England they use the last name von Preussen (of Prussia). In layman's terms: She knows how to party serious and she's the kind of girl you can bring home to the palace.
Matchability score: 8 out of 10 tiaras.

 

Tatiana Mountbatten
Tatiana, daughter of the Marquess of Milford Haven, is a distant distant cousin of Harry's. So, yeah, this match might be a little bit gross. But, on the plus side, she's hot, English and familiar with the royal family, so she would theoretically fit right in.
Matchability score: 6 out of 10 tiaras

 

Emma Watson
There's something about a Grace Kelly moment that really speaks to us, and if Harry is going to go there he might as well choose the adorable Emma Watson. Think of the publicity and opportunities for really terrible merch!
Matchability score: 8 out of 10 tiaras
 

Zayn from One Direction
What would be more modern than gay marriage in the royal family? The Queen could give Harry and Zayn a title that works for two men: A Duke's spouse is a Duchess and an Earl's spouse is a Countess so Harry and Zayn can be the Earl and Count of Balmoral. They could have a baby like the gays on The New Normal but with an appropriately aristocratic surrogate and better writing.
Matchability score: 12 out of 10 tiaras

 

---

Les Miz meets The Shining...

December 4, 2012, 2:41 pm

≫ Next: Jennifer Rubell On Why She Cancelled Her Annual Art Basel Miami Breakfast

≪ Previous: Playing Matchmaker for Prince Harry

$

0

0

1. Andrew W.K. tries to clear up some of the confusion about his cancelled State Department trip to Bahrain: "I'm still as much in the dark as anyone."

2. Paint some nails on the 'net with this weirdly fun website. [LacquerLacquer]

3. Easy-Bake Ovens can be FOR BOYS TOO! 13-year-olds know what's up (re: gender equality). [via Refinery29]

4. Check out the trailer for Dave Grohl's documentary on Los Angeles' Sound City Studios.

5. Interesting recasting of Les Misérables. [@P_T_RYAN]

6. Stream Bruno Mars's new album, The Unorthodox Jukebox.

Jennifer Rubell On Why She Cancelled Her Annual Art Basel Miami Breakfast

December 5, 2012, 5:00 am

≫ Next: Tonight: Animal Collective at Terminal 5...

≪ Previous: Les Miz meets The Shining...

$

0

0

Last week we heard that New York-based artist and food writer Jennifer Rubell might not be hosting her annual art installation/breakfast during Art Basel Miami, so we were surprised to read in the New York Times recently -- the piece has now been "corrected" -- that it was happening. We checked in with Rubell and discovered that her Brooklyn studio had flooded during Hurricane Sandy and that, alas, she would not be hosting her annual breakfast. Here, Rubell chats with us about skipping her breakfast for the first time in 11 years, what projects she's working on next, and the two new shows that, starting today, are open to the public at the Rubell Family Collection (95 NW 29th Street, Miami).

Sad to hear about your studio.  You must be disappointed?  What happened?  What were you planning to do in Miami?

Thank you, but of course many people suffered and are still suffering a great deal from the storm --  I feel like I got off lucky.  My studio in Greenpoint was flooded with a foot and a half of water. Some of the elements I was working on for this year's project were destroyed.  I'm not disappointed --  I've been doing the breakfast project during Art Basel for 11 years, and I've been waiting for a sign that it was time to stop.  
 
The first one I remember going to had big piles of stuff and rubber gloves for the bacon. What was your favorite year?

I don't have a favorite year. I love "Old-Fashioned," the freestanding wall with thousands of old-fashioned donuts. I love "Incubation," last year's piece, where nurses were making yogurt in this kind of milk nursery and passing it through a slot to people who would hold it under honey dripping from the ceiling. I love all the projects, both individually and as a group of works that charted my progress as an artist. 

What are your mom and dad doing this year at Basel with the Rubell Family Collection?

My mom and dad and my brother Jason. They do everything that has to do with the art collection together. There are two shows this year. "Alone Together," which is essentially 28 solo shows of artists in my family's collection; and then a show of Oscar Murillo, a very exciting, very young artist originally from Colombia who lives in London.  He lived at the collection this summer and made the work there.

When I last saw you last, you were expecting. How old is your baby?

I now have a 6 month-old boy. He's delicious. And he was the inspiration for a massive piece I'm working on for next summer. You'll see.

Looking forward to anything in particular at AB/MB this year?

It's the first year I've ever not done a project, so I'm looking forward to everything. I usually miss so much.

My clip of your "Nutcracker" at FREIZE/NY was a hit on Vimeo.  What was the story behind that piece?  Any plans for mass production?

The piece came about when the Dallas Contemporary asked me to do a show and someone told me about a Neiman Marcus warehouse with all the mannequins not currently in use. For my show in Dallas, I made 18 different nutcrackers, and I destroyed all of them after exhibition was de-installed. Lysa I -- who you, um, 'interacted' with at Frieze -- is a kind of super-woman version of the nutcrackers in that show.  Eventually, there will be a series of 10 Lysas, each one an evolution from the one before.  I finished Lysa II last month and am now starting Lysa III. I'm thinking of casting from a live model later in the series.

Above: Jennifer Rubell at the unveiling of "INCUBATION"  at Art Basel Miami last year. Photo by Joe Schildhorn/BFAnyc.com

The Rubell Family Collection's "Alone Together" and "Oscar Murillo: work" are open now through August 2nd, 2013.

Tonight: Animal Collective at Terminal 5...

December 5, 2012, 6:00 am

≫ Next: Morning Funnies: Chloe Sevigny's 12 Days of Christmas

≪ Previous: Jennifer Rubell On Why She Cancelled Her Annual Art Basel Miami Breakfast

$

0

0

MUSIC: Animal Collective at Terminal 5

Catch indie-electro royalty Animal Collective tonight playing songs off their latest (and craziest) album Centipede Hz, their 10th to date. Be prepared for some psychedelia and giant mouths. 

Terminal 5, 610 West 56th Street, (212) 582-6600. 8 p.m. $35.

BOOKS: How to Spell Chanukah at BookCourt

You can basically pound out some variation of multiple C's and H's and K's and get a valid spelling of Chanukah. Nevertheless, Chanukah is still a strange holiday that can be super serious to some but fun and festive to others. Head to BookCourt tonight to celebrate the new book How to Spell Chanukah, a collection of essays on the Festival of Lights, and hear a few authors like Emily Franklin (The Half-Life of Planets), Jill Kargman (Momzillas) and more read selections. 

BookCourt, 163 Court Street, Brooklyn. (718) 875-3677. 7 p.m.

CRAFTS: Zine Workshop at Etsy Holiday Shop

Matt Carman and Kseniya Yarosh of the Brooklyn Zine Fest and the zine "I Love Bad Movies" will be joined by Jenna Freedman of the Barnard Zine Library and the zine "Lower East Side Librarian" to discuss the history and theory of fanzines. Peruse a library of zines for inspiration before starting your own.

Etsy Holiday Shop, 131 Greene Street. 5 p.m.

Morning Funnies: Chloe Sevigny's 12 Days of Christmas

December 5, 2012, 6:30 am

≫ Next: The MEGA Guide to Art Basel Miami Beach 2012: Wednesday

≪ Previous: Tonight: Animal Collective at Terminal 5...

$

0

0

Here's Drew Droege performing the 12 Days of Christmas as Chloe Sevigny. Though it sounds like Chloe's getting some great stuff this year -- Barbados, creamed skeleton, a crisp slap -- toe-ahsst is noticeably lacking from the whole thing. Does her true love know her at all? [Towleroad]



Start your day with this delightful clip of Jimmy Fallon, the Roots, Mariah Carey and some adorable children performing "All I Want For Christmas Is You." [ONTD]
 
This absolutely terrifying 2013 dental supply calendar features dental mannequins in fun and festive seasonal settings as they plot to follow you home, cut your phone line, silently crawl through your window and chomp your face off. [Gawker]

Pizzavational poster. [AfternoonSnoozeButton]

New holiday jam alert! [HumorTrain]

Who says municipal garbage collection can't be sporty and fashionable? [Coinfarts]

Well of course Burger King has a mom! Don't be silly. [OldPeopleFacebook]

Your holiday family portrait look? [ImWithKanye]

Where to begin with what's awesome about this photo of Eddie Murphy, Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, and Richard Pryor hanging out. Oh, we know: SIDNEY POITIER'S GHOST DAD T-SHIRT. That is where to begin. [100yearsoflolitude]

Justin Timberlake's pageant days, GIFafied. [BuzzfeedRewind]

The MEGA Guide to Art Basel Miami Beach 2012: Wednesday

December 5, 2012, 7:30 am

≫ Next: Miike Snow's Jean Noel Trilogy

≪ Previous: Morning Funnies: Chloe Sevigny's 12 Days of Christmas

$

0

0

Check in daily for our comprehensive coverage of everything that's happening at Art Basel Miami Beach 2012. 

This year's edition of "the world's biggest arty party," Art Basel Miami Beach 2012, officially starts today, December 5, with the opening night VIP vernissage at the Miami Beach Convention Center (1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami). It will be open to the public through Sunday, December 9, and tickets are available here.

Art and hip-hop collide tonight at the Miami Beach Convention Center. While half of the building hosts the VIP opening of Art Basel, the other half booked a mega rap concert starring Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Wale and Machine Gun Kelly.  We're tempted to go to both, but expect total gridlock in South Beach. Tickets are available for this Maybach Music Group concert here.  

The Bass Museum of Art (2100 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach) will be showing six individual solo projects during AB/MB in a special exhibit called "The Endless Renaissance."  Rather than mount a curated group show, they'll be featuring six contemporary artists: Eija-Liisa Ahtila (Finland), Barry X Ball (USA), Walead Beshty (UK), Hans-Peter Feldmann (Germany), Ged Quinn (UK) and Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook (Thailand; photo above). The big opening is tonight from 9 p.m. to midnight and the museum is open to the public all week.

Works by 22 artists have been selected to be part of Art Public -- an outdoor exhibit in Collins Park (Collins Avenue between 21st and 22nd Streets, Miami Beach) produced as a collab with the Bass Museum. The works include large-scale sculpture, video, installations and live performances. It all starts with a big opening night party tonight that's open to the public from 8 to 10 p.m. with performances by Jason & Alicia Hall Moran, the Broke People's Baroque Theater and Alex Israel. Also look for an "art-bar" installation called Guiro that's open daily from 5 to midnight and is sponsored by Absolut. The wooden, oval-shaped bar was created by the artist collective Los Carpinteros. There's also a "soccer pitch on the moon" called Luna Park by the art duo KOLKOZ with matches at 4 p.m. on the 6th, 7th and 8th. We wonder who's playing?

Vault Magazine and Fabian Basabe present the first Miami exhibit by Marcello Jori at Ocean House in South Beach with an early-evening cocktail party.

The annual "invite only" Jeffrey Deitch/MoCA LA party stars Lykke Li, plus DJ sets from Miike Snow's Andrew and Pontus, and Bjorn from Peter Bjorn and John.  As usual, it's all happening at the Raleigh (1775 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach).  Lykke goes on at 11 p.m.  Sponsors include Vanity Fair, STARZ, Samsung Galaxy and Russian Standard Vodka.

Nur Khan opens a pop-up version of his Electric Room at the Dream South Beach (1111 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach) with Julian Lennon and NYC's Morrison Hotel Gallery and DJs Alison Mosshart of The Kills and Bob Gruen.  Tomorrow there's an "evening with The Whitney."  Go late.

Valentino, Interview and Sofia Sanchez Barrenchea host a cocktail party at The Webster (1220 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach) with DJ Chelsea Leyland. Why? Polka dots, of course.  While you're shopping at The Webster, be sure to pick up a copy of "Miami: The Fashion & Friendly Guide" by the stores co-founder Laure Heriard Dubreuil. It's filled with tips on what to see and do in Miami.

The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens (3251 South Miami Avenue, Miami), with Andrea Rosen Gallery and White Cube, host a screening of Josiah McElheny's "The Light Club of Vizcaya: A Women's Picture" at 9 p.m. RSVP to cap@vizcayamuseum.org.

Christie's will host their third annual exhibition during Basel/Miami with highlights from an upcoming London auction, "The Art of the Surreal." It will be up from today through Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., at the JW Marriott Marquis (345 Avenue of the Americas, Miami).  It's free and open to the public.

Ballroom Marfa  -- the Texas non-profit arts and culture organization -- hosts an "invite only" VIP beach party in the cabanas at the new SLS Hotel South Beach (1701 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach) tonight.

Benrimon Contemporary and Matsuda Eyewear host "Opening: A Video Installation" in honor of Ben Weiner at Haven (1237 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach) at 9 p.m.

You're probably noticed airplanes pulling advertising banners over your favorite beach during the summer. Now imagine what those banners would look like if you gave 15 artists free rein to design the message or the image. The Morgans Hotel Group is doing just that in a cool project called "Plane Text" with artists including Ed Ruscha, Richard Prince, John Baldessari, Jack Pierson, Gary Simmons and Jenny Holzer. The art will be airborne daily starting today. Look up!

Morgans Hotel Group will be opening a pop-up, "members only" version of the Parisian nightclub Silencio in their Delano South Beach (1685 Collins Avenue, South Beach).  The original club was designed by David Lynch and is named after the club in his film Mulholland Drive.

Steinway & Sons' "Pop-Up Piano" is back this year with a big fundraiser at the Perry Hotel (2377 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach), 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.  The party benefits Miami's New World Symphony and includes performances by Elew, Yuna and DJ YSL and there's also a silent auction.  Tickets are available here.

Dior Homme and W host the world premier of a new film by Bruce Weber called "Can I Make the Music Fly?" This is a VIP/invite-only affair that includes a special performance by Toronto band Azari & III following the screening.

Del Toro celebrates their new boutique with an installation by local and international artists tonight from 5 to 11 p.m. in the Wynwood Building (2750 NW 3rd Avenue, Miami).

Controversial LA street artist Alec Monopoly is hosting a "Do Not Pass Go" exhibit/party tonight in a new South Beach spot called the Rec Room (1690 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach).  Music provided by the Chainsmokers -- lucky for them, you can still smoke in Miami clubs -- plus Ryan Skolnick and Equal.  It's hosted by Curate LA and Black Banditz.  Go after midnight or go to jail.

ArtSpot Miami is a new fair-within-a-fair that will pop up in the Red Dot Art Fair tent in Midtown Miami today through Sunday.  Organized by Chicago gallerist Aldo Castillo, it will include 12 galleries in a unique environment. "Given the current world market fluctuations and ever expanding nature of the art fair business model, my mission is to maximize art fair exposure and productivity to forward thinking galleries and artists in top global markets such as China and the U.S.," says Castillo.

Photo Credit: Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Two Planets: Manet's Luncheon on the Grass and the Thai Villagers, 2012

Miike Snow's Jean Noel Trilogy

December 5, 2012, 8:30 am

≫ Next: Chanel Had Its "Métiers d'Art" Show...

≪ Previous: The MEGA Guide to Art Basel Miami Beach 2012: Wednesday

$

0

0

Miike Snow's Vern Moen-directed video for "Pretender" picks up the storyline that started in "Paddling Out," where a group of creepy Victorian kids abducted an average joe and, aboard a house-shaped spaceship, transformed him into the shirtless, big-nosed, leather-panted, Prince Valiant-banged dance machine Jean Noel. In "The Wave," an army of Jean Noels converge at a playground where police are burying dead children. "Pretender," which premiered in late September, extends the narrative once more, with Jean Noel sneaking onstage at the Los Angeles HARD Festival, where he pulls an awe-inspiring mid-air split.

Miike Snow's Andrew Wyatt and Pontus Winnberg DJ Jeffrey Deitch's invite-only Art Basel Miami Beach party tonight at the Raleigh.

Chanel Had Its "Métiers d'Art" Show...

December 5, 2012, 9:15 am

≫ Next: Our Guide to New York's Best Holiday Pop-Up Shops, Markets, Craft Fairs and More

≪ Previous: Miike Snow's Jean Noel Trilogy

$

0

0

Karl Lagerfeld channeled Scotland -- specifically, a time that Coco spent there with her lover, as well as the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots -- for Chanel's "métiers d'art" collection. Lots of tartans, tweeds, Fair Isles and argyles rendered in knits,  jackets, feathered hats, longs scarves, and patterned tights. We like (though we obviously can't afford any of it). [via Style.com]


Canadian Pizza Hut made a perfume meant to smell like "the smell of a box of Pizza Hut pizza being opened" and sent 100 bottles to select fans. What? [via Huffington Post]


Carine Roitfeld's new fashion mag, CR Fashion Book, has officially sold out on newsstands. They'll be making 15,000 more copies to accommodate their fashion-hungry readers. [via The Cut] 

Speaking of Carine Roitfeld, W magazine followed the editrix around during Paris Couture Week and made this short documentary called 'The Client.' Watch it above. [via HypeBeast]


Oscar de la Renta thinks Anna Wintour should forgo the ambassador job, and instead be Secretary of State. [via Fashionista]


Today in weird-at-first-glance-but-actually-fitting fashion collabs: purveyors of sensual, second-skin wardrobes Cushnie et Ochs teamed up with Playboy on a limited edition luxury leather bra to be sold at the Playboy online store. [via Press Release]  


In need of a fashionable Yarmulke? Looks no further than the ones made by Mr. Mort for website The Cools. [via Selectism]

---

Our Guide to New York's Best Holiday Pop-Up Shops, Markets, Craft Fairs and More

December 5, 2012, 10:00 am

≫ Next: The Gift of Booze: 8 Bottles For $35 and Under

≪ Previous: Chanel Had Its "Métiers d'Art" Show...

$

0

0

This holiday season, forgo the wares at department and big box stores in favor of one-of-a-kind goodies found inside the city's many pop-up shops, holiday markets and craft bazaars. And though 'pop-up shop' is one of the most eye-rollingly widespread retail phrases this time of year, second only to 'artisanal chocolate,' the spots we've listed below are selling undeniably awesome goods, from jeweled bib necklaces to toys to skateboards. Don't you dare think about re-gifting that Best Buy gift card you've had stashed in your drawer since April. 

Pop-Ups Proper

Photo via Alexandre Khouri

Pop Shop ft. PF Flyers, Brooklyn Circus and Black Ivy
Expect to find: Classic PF Flyers footwear mingling with Brooklyn Circus' varsity-style threads inside this vintage-leaning pop-up hosted by the BC folks.
Expect to spend: Classic PF Flyers' 'Center' high tops start at $54.99, t-shirts from Brooklyn Circus, Black Ivy (a collab between BK Circus and Street Etiquette) and Ebbets Field range from $26-$35, snazzy hats are $40-$50 and BC's varsity jackets start at $250 and go up to $480. Every purchase over $75 gets a free gift. 
Where: 258 Bergen St., Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
When: Thu-Sun, 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. through Jan. 15

3DEA Holiday 3D Printing Shop
Expect to find: Let your inner tech geek out as you marvel over the shop's 'Inventor Bar,' 'Customization Center,' and 'DIY Hub' where you can 3D print jewelry and small home décor items and attend lectures and classes that explain how you 3D print furniture, toys, accessories and more. If you're freaking out right now because this sounds like something out of The Jetsons, it's okay -- we are too.
Expect to spend: Small jewelry items start at $20 and an embellished espresso cup is $56 -- all courtesy of the 3D printer.
Where: Eventi Hotel at 835 Sixth Ave.
Hours: Tues-Sat, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sun, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. through Dec. 27.


Krochet Kids international
Expect to find: A selection of headware, clothing and accessories from the do-gooder brand's latest collection, housed inside Rudy's Barbershop.
Expect to spend: Beloved 5207.5 beanies are $31.95, dapper 'Lincoln' bowties are $21.95 and graphics tees are $24.95.
Where: Rudy's Barber Shop, 14 W. 29th St., New York
When: Mon-Fri, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. through Dec. 15

Cooper-Hewitt Holiday Pop-Up
Expect to find: The museum gathers together a panoply of high-design objects, holiday decorations and home décor by greats like Ted Muehling, Joey Roth and Alexander Girard.
Expect to spend: Glass Pantone Christmas ornaments are $15, a beautiful Ted Muehling-designed porcelain tulip votive is $550 and sleek Joey Roth-designed ceramic speakers are $500. 
Where: 9 E. 90th St., New York
When: Dec. 13-Dec. 15, noon - 5 p.m.; Dec. 17, noon - 8 p.m.; Dec. 18, noon - 5 p.m.

Photo via Scatter Girl

Dannijo Pop Up
Expect to find: Fashion fiends can get their paws on striking bejeweled bibs, chunky cuffs and others bits and baubles at the jewelry line's first foray into brick-and-mortar retail.
Expect to spend: Their signature jeweled bibs are around $525, silver heavy metal collars are around $495 and a turquoise-laden 'Gypset Jackie' arm party bracelet is $570.
Where: 27 Prince St., New York
When: Mon-Sat, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sun, noon - 7 p.m. through Dec. 30

Core 77
Expect to find: Sleek and playful objets grouped according to "seven design phenotypes" -- the "Design Dandy," the "Studio Snob," and the "Traveling Wo/man," among them -- for those who equally prize form and function.
Expect to spend: A gingerbread geodesic dome kit is $25, a leather beer bottle four-pack is $80 and Bag'n' Noun duck canvas bags range from $160.00 - $210.
Where: Inside Blue Dot, 140 Wooster St., New York
When: Mon-Sat, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sun, noon - 6 p.m. through Dec. 24

Everlane Workhop
Expect to find: The e-tailer brings their luxurious basics to this pop-up in the Meatpacking District where you can shop for -- and actually try on! -- silk blouses and cashmere sweaters and even customize items with the help of onsite craftsmen. You can pick suede elbow patches to affix to that cashmere sweater you've been eyeing, customize a hand-sewn tie (12/4 only) and have an artisan create a made-to-order leather belt at the size of your choice (12/5 only).  
Expect to spend: Custom leather belts are $40, brushed silk blouses are $80 and men's cashmere crew neck sweaters are $120.
Where: 74 Gansevoort St., New York
When: Daily 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. through Dec. 9th

Photo courtesy of Styleliner

Styleliner Truck
Expect to find: A roving treasure trove of thoughtfully curated jewelry, handbags and shoes from hard-to-find brands like Holst + Lee, Buba, MySuelly and more.
Expect to spend: A technicolor Holst + Lee necklace is $225, a super soft black leather clutch with beading detail by Buba is $540 and a jaunty My Bob fedora is $210.
Where: Wed/Thurs outside Eataly (Fifth Ave. and 23rd St.); Fri, Sat, Sun in the Meatpacking District (Washington St.), New York
When: Wed-Sat, 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sun, 11:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Fjällräven Pop-Up
Expect to find: Though the culty Swedish brand has another store nearby, the pop-up is the only place to find their newly-launched Numbers collection, which features heavy-duty (and environmentally sustainable) anoraks, fleeces and trousers. While you're there, make sure to check out their Kånken backpack bar, featuring variations on the knapsack of choice for the L train set.   
Expect to spend: A khaki green anorak from the Numbers collection is $700, and Kånken backpacks range from $55 (mini) to $110 (17").
Where: 21 Howard St., New York
When: Mon-Sun, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. through the end of February

Markets, Bazaars, Craft Fairs, Fleas and More
 

Photo by Kate Glicksberg/Brooklyn Flea

Brooklyn Flea's "Gifted" Holiday Market
Expect to find: An avalanche of homemade, small-batch, artisanal goodies of the wearable and eatable kind from over 100 of Brooklyn Flea's best vendors, both old and new, inside this sprawling, three-floor venue.
Expect to spend: Odette William's cute-as-a-button apron and cooking utensil sets are $36, First Prize Pie's indulgent whole bourbon ginger pecan pie is $35 and SKT Ceramics' whimsical animal-motif tumblers are $48.50 a piece.
Where: Skylight One Hanson, 1 Hanson Place, Fort Green, Brooklyn
When: Sat-Sun, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. through Dec. 23

Hester Holiday Market
Expect to find: LES fave Hester Street Market returns with their second holiday fair, featuring specialty gifts (many of the handmade and craft variety), a food court proffering mulled wine, hot toddies and other winter-friendly goodies and 21 DIY workshops where visitors can learn how to make their own gifts, decorations and holiday cocktails. Take a break from shopping (and drinking) at their mistletoe photobooth, Christmas song karaoke or fuzzy animal petting zoo -- crèche not included.
Expect to spend: An emerald tulip damask 1950s cocktail dress from Miss Havisham vintage is $62, Baking Bean morsels like smiley gingerbread cookies start at $1.50 and woven leather and metal bracelets by Holbrooke are $80.
Where: 233 Mott St. at Prince, New York
When: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Dec. 1-2, Dec. 8-9 and Dec. 15-23

Refinery29's Tinseltown Bazaar
Expect to find: For the first-time ever, the fashion site will host a three-day shopping bonanza coinciding with their "Live From Tinseltown" video series and Tinseltown gift guide. Brands like Lulu Frost & George Frost, Cloak & Dagger, Ernest Alexander, White + Warren and more will set up shop in the Nolita space next to food vendors like Fatty Sundays & Co and Chloe's Soft Serve. And, while you peruse the merch, take advantage of their Braid Bar and Eye/Lip makeup touch-ups that'll make you party perfect before you head to that holiday fête.
Expect to spend: A striking Art Deco statement necklace by Chloe & Isabel is $148, a smart unisex wax canvas and leather overnight bag from Ernest Alexander is $465 and a rosemary candle by Izola is $35.
Where: 201 Mulberry St., New York (Taking over the Open House Gallery space)
When: Dec. 14-16; Fri & Sun, noon - 6 p.m.; Sat, noon - 7 p.m. 

Rendering by JDS Architects
Brooklyn Night Bazaar
Expect to find: A massive 40,000 square-foot warehouse in Williamsburg houses a bazaar inspired by Asian night markets and featuring a month of holiday shopping for locally-made treats as well as artisanal food stalls, art installations and concerts curated by the likes of Fader and Hype Machine.
Expect to spend: Graphic skate boards by Make skateboards are $95, vintage kimono fabric stud earrings by Nobledesigned are $10 and freaky-cute Pinkypunk fabric dolls are $50.
Where: 45 N. 5th St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
When: Fri-Sat, 6 p.m. - midnight through Dec. 22

3rd Ward Holiday Craft Fair
Expect to find: The Bushwick artist workspace opens its doors for its sixth annual fair featuring over a hundred vendors selling everything from terrariums to kitchenware.
Expect to spend: Price point specifics are hard to find but it's likely you'll find homemade treats for any type of budget.
Where: 195 Morgan Ave., Bushwick, Brooklyn
When: Dec. 15, noon - 6 p.m.

Bust Craftacular
Expect to find: Over two hundred members of the etsy brigade will be present at this Grande Dame of craft fairs, selling everything from unique gifts, edible treats and craft beers.
Expect to spend: Black Lamb feathered headbands are $40, Beatrix Potter-esque animal prints by Berkeley Illustration are $10 and ladies' bowties by Goodship are $60.
Where: 82 Mercer St., New York
When: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Dec. 1-2

Gowanus Nite Market
Expect to find: Film Biz Recycling, home to many of the props used throughout the NYC film, television and theater industries, will host this South Brooklyn's souk featuring merchandise vendors like Brooklyn Bitch Bakery, Design Hype and R. Alexander and food stalls from Food Freaks Grilled Cheese, Steve's Ice Cream and Lizzmonade.
Expect to spend: Design Hype's Metro cuffs (featuring subway maps of NYC, Berlin, Paris, London, Chicago and Milan) are $37, a guitar-making kit from Bare Bones Supply is $160 and an R. Alexander hounds tooth bowtie is $60. 
Where: 540 President St., Gowanus, Brooklyn
When: The second Saturday of every month, starting Dec. 8; 7 p.m. - midnight

Morbid Anatomy and Observatory Holiday Fair
Expect to find: If you've been stymied by what to get your friend/uncle/doorman who has a penchant for the weird or the occult, this holiday fair should be #1 on your shopping destination list. Head to the event space to browse taxidermy, anthropomorphic insect tableaux and waxworks. 
Expect to spend: A taxidermy deer eye curio display with wasps mosses lichen by Katie Innamorato is $25 and a "Beetle Cherry Pie Scene with Kittens and Spilt Milk" insect shadowbox by Daisy Tainton is $365.
Where: 543 Union St., Gowanus, Brooklyn
When: Dec. 8 - Dec. 9, noon - 6 p.m.

The Gift of Booze: 8 Bottles For $35 and Under

December 5, 2012, 10:35 am

≫ Next: Win a Bottle of Thierry Mugler's ANGEL

≪ Previous: Our Guide to New York's Best Holiday Pop-Up Shops, Markets, Craft Fairs and More

$

0

0

Got friends who fancy themselves to be amateur mixologists? Replenish their liquor stashes with these delicious (and affordable) boozy gifts.


Imbue Cellars
Three Portland, Oregon friends pooled their impressive wine, spirits and beer expertise to launch Imbue Cellars, producing good vermouth rife with fresh, dried botanicals. Their trademark white Bittersweet vermouth stradles dry and sweet, featuring local Pinot Gris grapes from the Willamette Valley, as well as Pinot Gris brandy made at Portland's Clear Creek distillery and aged in American oak. Aromatic, with notes of elderflower and lemongrass, it elicits a heady martini -- and solo, doubles as a tranquil aperitif on the rocks.
Price: $27. Imbuecellars.com

 Dorothy Parker Gin
If you've been to Williamsburg hangout the Shanty, and sipped, say, the Brown-Eyed Soul cocktail, you've tasted Dorothy Parker Gin, made at NY Distilling, the gin and rye operation just beyond the bar's glass window. Named after the wisecracking, liquor-fueled writer who once held court at the Algonquin Round Table, the Brooklyn-made spirit is well rounded, with traditional juniper and citrus notes complemented by nuances of elderberry and hibiscus.
Price: $30. New York Distilling
 Caña Brava Rum
There are many downsides to the U.S.' (slowly diminishing) perilous relationship with Cuba, and one of them is the dearth of the island's splendid rums stateside. With Caña Brava, made from wild Panamanian sugar cane, the brand new 86 Co. (whose co-founders include bar greats Simon Ford and Dushan Zaric from Employees Only) is trying to fill this void. Distilled by a former minister of Cuban rum, the three-year-aged spirit first rests in new American oak barrels, then used American whisky ones; post-aging, it is blended with older rums from the master distiller's collection. A carbon filtration system unearths a fresh, mellow rum with slight oak and vanilla flavors, perfect in an authentic Cuban Daiquri.
Price: $35. info@the86co.com

 
Larceny Whiskey
Larceny, Heaven Hill's breakout small batch whiskey, is made with a mélange of bourbons drawn from six-to-12-year-old barrels aging on the fourth through sixth floors of its Kentucky rick houses. Foregoing rye in its mashbill -- and the usual accompanying burst of robust spice -- for winter wheat, this is a softer, smoother bourbon. However, it's still big on flavor, morphing from butterscotch to maple syrup to cherries, with a toasty, warming finish.
Price: $25. Heavenhill.com

Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters
Bitters heighten classic cocktails with lingering depth in much the same way belts cinch teeny waists and accentuate sweater dresses. Serious drink slingers know their home bar must include the likes of Angostura and Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic varieties, but one unusual and rapturous find is Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters' Black Mission Fig. Use this rich, nutty concoction redolent of caramel to enliven an Old-Fashioned.
Price: $21. brooklynbitters.com

 

Campari
Whether it's savored with grapefruit juice or in a Negroni, Campari's scarlet hue will never go out of style. Yet the bitter Italian liqueur's latest limited edition iteration introduces a compelling visual to the Old World recipe. "Spiritello," the circa 1921 illustration of a sprite donning a red unitard and dancing his way out of a spiraling orange rind -- now found on many a framed poster gracing the walls of New York kitchens -- was commissioned by Campari. For this bottle, Italian artist Ugo Nespolo has refashioned the classic image, in an Art Deco-like swirl of geometric shapes.
Price: $28. Campari.com

 

Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
Cloying chocolate flavors have long given Crème de Cacao a well-deserved bad reputation. But then Tempus Fugit Spirits, the California company known for its absinthes, decided to resuscitate a thoughtful 19th century recipe, and the result is this thick version, with a perfumed nose of rich cacao bean and vanilla. If you're feeling especially generous, wrap up Tempus Fugit's equally refined bracing Crème de Menthe. Mix the two together with cream to elicit the most elegant Grasshopper cocktail yet.
Price: $30. Tempusfugitspirits.com

 House Spirits Coffee Liqueur
As the perpetually packed Ace Hotel reveals, New Yorkers love Portland, Oregon import, Stumptown Coffee. The coffee purveyors have partnered with its Portland neighbors House Spirits to unveil House Spirits Coffee Liqueur, melding bold, balanced coffee with molasses, cinnamon and orange peel-accented rum. It packs even more of a punch than Stumptown's cold brew stubby.
Price: $20. Totalwine.com

 

Win a Bottle of Thierry Mugler's ANGEL

December 5, 2012, 11:30 am

≫ Next: Desi's Santiago's "The Black Lords" Reigns Supreme in South Beach

≪ Previous: The Gift of Booze: 8 Bottles For $35 and Under

$

0

0

While everyone else shows up to the company holiday party smelling like a cross between a pine tree and a Christmas cookie, spritz yourself with something more Mr. Mickey-approved: Thierry Mugler's ANGEL. In celebration of the fragrance's 20th anniversary, the fashion house is releasing the limited-edition ANGEL Precious Star, which we're pretty darn excited to be giving away. For a chance to win an .8 oz. bottle, follow these easy steps:

1) Tell us what is the scent you most associate with the holidays and why in the Facebook comment section below the post.
2) "Like" Papermag on Facebook
3) Follow Papermag on Twitter

We'll pick a winner on Wednesday, December 12, at 4pm. Good luck!

Note: Contest is only open to U.S. residents

Desi's Santiago's "The Black Lords" Reigns Supreme in South Beach

December 5, 2012, 12:45 pm

≫ Next: "I Think You Might Like It": We Did!

≪ Previous: Win a Bottle of Thierry Mugler's ANGEL

$

0

0

Artist Desi Santigo has created an all-encompassing installation in Miami called "The Black Lords," his largest project to date, with support from Perrier and public arts initiative BOFFO.  Literally wrapped around the Lords Hotel in South Beach, the piece represents a "ravenous black dog named Gypsy," a recurring icon in Santiago's work. In the pool courtyard where the piece is centered, visitors are invited to write a question on a card, slip it inside a podium, press a button, and the giant black gypsy will answer "yes," "no," or "maybe" in dramatic fashion. To celebrate the piece, Ladyfag and Perrier hosted an intimate penthouse soiree atop the hotel, where a bartender donned thematically consistent claw-shaped pasties. Pics from the fun, below

Ladyfag and David Bromstad of HGTV's Color Splash

Desi Santiago

"I Think You Might Like It": We Did!

December 5, 2012, 1:06 pm

≫ Next: Twitter Highlights From the Billy on the Street Premiere

≪ Previous: Desi's Santiago's "The Black Lords" Reigns Supreme in South Beach

$

0

0

Despite what other outlets might say, we find there's something very charming about John Travolta's meek grin in this video for an upcoming holiday duets album with Olivia Newton-John. It's as if he knows how goofy it is that he's still mining nostalgia for a 35-year-old film, but instead of being ashamed, he finds it just as funny as the rest of us do. We only wish there were more shots of him and Newton-John dancing their "little dance we do" instead of the weird airport-family-reunion scenes. Still, the lime-green convertible is pretty cool, and the tune isn't half bad.

Bonus: this video of John and Olivia doing "You're the One That I Want" in 2002 is enough to make anyone forget about Battlefield Earth. (Just kidding: nobody remembers Battlefield Earth!)