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2010-01-25T12:31:00.001-05:00

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SEQUENCE 1

2009-08-23T17:59:00.020-04:00

Séquence 1
Directed by Vincent Lacrocq exclusively for contributingeditor.com
Music by: Tha Trickaz
featuring: Behati Prinsloo, Boyd Holbrook, Michelle DeSwarte, Vincent Lacrocq, Conrad Matschke, Jamie Strachan,
Thomas Lohr, Sean Biloski, Jean Stephane Sauvaire, Naomi, Mickael Zimmberb, Julia Barry, Nadia Szold,
Nicholas Sobrero, Jordan Mattos, Evan Louison, Laure De Clermont Tonnerre.

THIS IS WHAT I DO

2009-08-10T11:06:00.004-04:00

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HURT

2009-08-02T12:21:00.003-04:00

HURT
Photographed by Thomas Cooksey
Fashion Editor: Joel Bough
Grooming: Hiroshi Matushita
Model: Michael Walsh at NEVS

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DIAMOND HEAD

2009-07-22T14:12:00.003-04:00

DIAMOND HEAD
Get ready to rip the curl with summer’s hottest surf inspired hair.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY BLOSSOM BERKOFSKY
FASHION EDITOR: HEIDI BIVENS

SPREAD 1:
LEFT: Jeremy Scott cardigan, Velour t-shirt.
RIGHT: Ksubi shirt.

SPREAD 2:
LEFT: Nike Sportswear vest.
RIGHT: Warriors of Radness tank.

SPREAD 3:
LEFT: Warriors of Radness sweatshirt, Lanyard necklace.
RIGHT: Opening Ceremony hoodie.

SPREAD 4:
LEFT: American Apparel t-shirt.
RIGHT: Maui & Sons t-shirt.

SPREAD 5:
LEFT: Opening Ceremony striped tank top, American Apparel headband.
RIGHT: Edifice hoodie, American Apparel t-shirt.

Hair: Paul Rizzo for Bumble and Bumble
Grooming: Carola at The Wall Group
Models: Micah and James at Ford and Christian at Wilhelmina
Thanks to Humberto Leon from Opening Ceremony.

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MICHAEL

2009-07-13T08:00:00.006-04:00

Michael
Photographed by Terry Tsiolis
Model: Michael Gandolfi at Wilhelmina

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BRIEF AS THE LIGHTNING

2009-07-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

BRIEF AS THE LIGHTNING
Photographed by Thomas Whiteside
Fashion Editor: Michael Bargo
Model: Stas at DNA

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DISPATCH: PARIS JUNE 2009

2009-07-01T11:58:00.005-04:00

DISPATCH: PARIS
AS REPORTED BY CATOR SPARKS

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TIME TO PRETEND

2009-06-29T12:37:00.011-04:00

TIME TO PRETEND
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JASON NOCITO
FASHION EDITOR: JAMES WORTHINGTON DEMOLET

Models: Chris Galya at Ford and Spawn.

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PICCIDILLY PALARE

2009-06-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

PICCIDILLY PALARE
PHOTOGRAPHED BY WILLEM JASPERT
FASHION EDITOR: SHIRLEY AMARTEY
GROOMING: Oliver De Almeida at Caren.co.uk
Model: Pete Bolton at Models 1
Photo Assistant: Hannah Jeffery
Capture: digitalpro.co.uk

SPREAD 1:
Satyen Kumar jacket, Gap shirt.

SPREAD 2:
LEFT: Junya Watanabe Man cardigan. Gap t-shirt, Polo Ralph Lauren chinos, Burlington socks.
Common Projects shoes. Stylists own Beer towels throughout.

SPREAD 3:
RIGHT: Brooks Brothers Shirt. Junya Watanabe Man Jacket. Customized American Apparel Cords,
Burlington Socks. Common Projects shoes.

SPREAD 4:
LEFT: Polo Ralph Lauren shirt, shorts, and sweater. Gieves and Hawkes pocket square.
Burlington Socks. Common Projects shoes.
RIGHT: Junya Watanabe Man shirt.

SPREAD 5:
LEFT: Brooks Brothers Shirt. Polo Ralph Lauren chinos.
Burlington Socks. Common Projects shoes.
RIGHT: Satyen Kumar jacket, Gap shirt.

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ABOUT A BOY

2009-06-09T13:46:00.010-04:00

ABOUT A BOY
Photographed and styled by Frances Tulk-Hart

SPREAD 1:
NOBODY JEANS. CALVIN KLEIN UNDERWEAR

SPREAD 2:
ACNE JEANS.

SPREAD 3:
LEFT: DIOR HOMME TSHIRT. RIGHT: ROWDY UNDERWEAR

SPREAD 4:
HELMUT LANG CARDIGAN

SPREAD 5:
LEFT: TSE BEANIE. RIGHT: NOBODY SHORTS

SPREAD 6:
LEFT: CALVIN KLEIN TANK TOP. DIOR HOMME JEANS.
RIGHT: MARC BY MARC JACOBS SHIRT. KSUBI SHORTS.

SPREAD 7:
LEFT: OBESITY AND SPEED BEANIE. CALVIN KLEIN SHORTS.

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BLUE EYES

2009-06-08T07:00:00.007-04:00

BLUE EYES
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ISABEL ASHA PENZLIEN
FASHION EDITOR: MARK JACOBSON
MODEL: ROB DEVITA AT RED MODEL MANAGEMENT

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BLACKNESS OF DARKNESS

2009-06-04T14:30:00.004-04:00

BLACKNESS OF DARKNESS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY KEVIN O’BRIEN
FASHION EDITOR: JOHN ALDEN
GROOMING: MARIA SECCIA

SPREAD 1:
Vintage motorcycle jacket, vintage necklace.

SPREAD 2:
LEFT: J.Crew jacket, Calvin Klein t shirt, vintage Levis jeans.
RIGHT: Vintage wrangler shirt, vintage necklace.

SPREAD 3:
RIGHT: J.Crew sweater, J.Crew trousers, Alden penny loafers.

SPREAD 4:
RIGHT: Vintage motorcycle jacket, vintage Levis, vintage necklace.

SPREAD 5:
LEFT: J.Crew shirt RIGHT: J.Crew shirt

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EYE OF THE TIGER

2009-06-02T16:00:00.003-04:00

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ASH

2009-05-31T00:01:00.028-04:00

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ASH
FILMED BY JOOST VANDEBRUG
www.joostvandebrug.com

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FOR THECONTRIBUTINGEDITOR.COM PLEASE DO NOT REPOST VIDEO

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NATALLIA

2009-05-29T07:00:00.005-04:00

Photographed by Eric Guillemain
Model: Natallia Krauchanka at NEXT

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LYLE BY TYLER

2009-05-27T00:01:00.005-04:00

DREAM BABY

2009-05-25T06:00:00.006-04:00

HEART OF GLASS

2009-05-22T07:00:00.005-04:00

FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE

2009-05-19T13:30:00.009-04:00

FOREVER YOUNG

2009-05-10T10:00:00.005-04:00

Photographed by Eric Guillemain
Grooming by Benoît Moeyaert at Art Dept
Models: Jason Wilder at New York Models,
Ben Nicholson at DNA, Randy at Fusion, Jonatan at Next

All clothes by Robert Geller

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BUZZ OFF

2009-05-07T18:08:00.004-04:00

BOYS OF SUMMER

2009-05-03T07:00:00.006-04:00

CREDITS:

BOYS OF SUMMER PHOTOGRAPHED BY CARI VUONG
Fashion Editor: Matthew Edelstein
Grooming: Sara Glick using Dior and Jurlique for www.saraglick.com
Fashion Assistant: Sam Pape

Models: James Neate, Conrad, Marcel, Ryan Taylor,
Marcus and Guntars all at DNA.

SPREAD 1
Dior Homme anorak. Acne pants.

SPREAD 2
Left: Prada shirt and pants. Louis Vuitton sandals.
Right: Prada shirt, t-shirt and pants.

SPREAD 3
Left: 3.1 Phillip Lim shirt and pants. Osklen shoes.
Right: Acne sweater and shorts. Louis Vuitton shoes.

SPREAD 4
Left: Dries Van Noten shirt and pants. Prada shoes.
Right: Louis Vuitton vest and pants.

SPREAD 5
Left: Marc Jacobs jacket, shirt and shorts. Louis Vuitton sandals.
Right: Tim Hamilton tank and shorts.

SPREAD 6
Left: Burberry Prorsum shirt.
Right: Yves Saint Laurent trenchcoat,
sweater, pants and boots.

SPREAD 7
Left: Maison Martin Margiela tuxedo and shirt.
Right: Acne t-shirt.

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RED IDOL

2009-05-01T00:00:00.003-04:00

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RED IDOL
Photographed by Minoru Kaburagi
Fashion Editor: Tom Van Dorpe
Hair: Yo-hey Nakatsuka
Make-up: Tussy Yoshida
model: Tyler Riggs from RED

CREDITS:

left: Prada shirt, Yigal Azrouel t-shirt, Dries Van Noten pants, Subversive necklace.
right: Dries Van Noten blazer, Marni shirt, stylist's own tie, Colab glasses

left: Marni jacket, belt made by stylist, belt made by stylist, Pamela Love bracelet worn as a necklace.
right: Prada jacket and shorts, vintage t-shirt, hat and flower from The Family Jewels, Subversive necklace.

left: Marni jacket, vintage shirt, Prada shorts, Malin Landaeus scarf, hat and flower from The Family Jewels.
right: Marni shirt, Yigal Azrouel, Prada shoes and socks.

left: Top made by stylist, Z Zegna pants, Subversive necklace, Dries Van Noten shoes.
right: Malin Landaeus pink shirt, Prada shirt, vintage vest, necklace from The Family Jewels.

left: Crown made by stylist, bodysuit by Malin Landaeus, Marni shirt, necklace from The Family Jewels.
right: Zegna blazer, Yigal Azrouel pants, hat and necklace from The Family Jewels, belt made by stylist.

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LUDWIG PT. TWO

2009-04-29T00:01:00.007-04:00

LUDWIG PT.TWO
DAYLIGHT TEARS AT MY SOUL
PHOTOGRAPHED BY TERRY TSIOLIS
FASHION EDITOR: PAUL STURA

ALL CLOTHES IN THIS STORY MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA
MODEL: LUDWIG AT REQUEST

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DAY BREAK

2009-04-27T00:01:00.005-04:00

Photographed by Cameron Krone
Fashion Editor: Michael Bargo

Yves Saint Laurent blazer, Marc Jacobs cashmere sweater and long johns,
vintage belt.

LEFT: Yves Saint Laurent blazer, Prada tank, vintage nightshirt, Philip
Crangi bracelet, stylist's own scarf.
RIGHT: Tom Ford pajamas, vintage straw hat.

Yves Saint Laurent blazer, stylist's own scarf.

The Elder Statesman sweater, Thom Browne shorts, stylist's own scarf,
Christian Louboutin shoes.

LEFT: Marc Jacobs blazer, Burberry Prorsum shirt, Thom Browne suit,
Christian Louboutin shoes.
RIGHT: Yves Saint Laurent blazer, Hermes trousers, Marc Jacobs tank,
Azzedine Alaia vintage shorts, vintage belt, Tom Ford pocket square.

LEFT: Yves Saint Laurent blazer, Marc Jacobs sweater and long johns,
vintage belt, The Sock Man socks, Christian Louboutin shoes.
RIGHT: John Varvatos cardigan, Philip Crangi for Jason Wu necklace.

Burberry Prorsum coat, vintage jacket, Marc Jacobs cardigan, Prada shorts,
Hermes belt, Tom Ford hat, Philip Crangi necklace, The Sock Man socks,
Christian Louboutin shoes.

LEFT: Vintage kimono, Yves Saint Laurent pants, Christian Louboutin shoes.
RIGHT: The Elder Statesman sweater, stylist's own scarf.

John Varvatos cardigan, Prada tank, Saved long-sleeve t shirt, Azzedine
Alaia vintage leggings, Philip Crangi for Jason Wu necklace, Miu Miu gloves,
Christian Louboutin shoes.

LEFT: Tom Ford bathrobe.
RIGHT: Tom Ford bathrobe, Thom Browne pants, Christian Louboutin shoes.

The Elder Statesman sweater, Thom Browne shorts, vintage umbrella,
Christian Louboutin shoes.

Fashion Assistants: Julian Louie and Alexandra Ben-Gurion.
Photo assistants: Columbine Goldsmith and Chris Arzt
Makeup: Manase Latu
Hair: Eloise Chung using Kiehl's
Produced by Ida Sandberg
Model: Brad Koenig at FORD
Set design: Anne Koch at CLM

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ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR AND RESPECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHER. THANK YOU. -EDITOR

VICTOR VICTORIOUS

2009-04-23T11:10:00.002-04:00

VICTOR VICTORIOUS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY BARNABY ROPER

I’ve seen Victor Glemaud out for years at fashion functions, gay bars and late night hot spots,
but I never knew exactly who he was or what he did. Always impeccably dressed, usually
with a cigarette in one hand, cocktail in the other and scandal pouring out of his mouth in
an international jet set accent.

I’ve heard whispers of work at KCD, Tommy Hilfiger and his own eponymous line of knitwear.
But what was the real story?

Then one weekend I was invited out to the Chelsea, a new hotel in Atlantic City with
a club created by the Beatrice Inn boys. We spent a wild night featuring dance party mayhem,
naked English boys rummaging through room service platters and a sunrise on the beach in
golf carts. The next afternoon I found myself laid out by the pool where Victor was holding
court with Hanuk and other Beatrice buzzworthy boys. It was high time I got the bottom of
the legend of Victor Glemaud.

Born in Haiti, he moved to New York City with his family when he was three. He kicked off his
career as Patrick Robinson’s design assistant and later became a public relations guru at KCD
handling clients like Versace, Alexander McQueen and Gucci. Today he burns the professional
candle at both ends. He’s a menswear designer for Tommy Hilfiger as well designer of his own
line. Launched in 2006, Victor, always fond of a smart cardigan, began cutting up his father’s
old sweaters and created his now signature double cardigan. Victor is constantly inspired by
the smoldering looks and chic swagger of French 60’s film icon Alain Delon. His line has steadily
grown, garnering attention from stores such as Odin and Colette. Keep an eye out for Victor
this fall; he’s working on a new collaboration with Earnest Sewn.

-CATOR SPARKS

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LUDWIG PT. ONE

2009-04-22T00:01:00.009-04:00

LUDWIG PT.ONE
SO SOFT, SO CALM YET ELOQUENT.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY TERRY TSIOLIS
FASHION EDITOR: PAUL STURA

ALL CLOTHES IN THIS STORY VINTAGE
MODEL: LUDWIG AT REQUEST

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TEENAGERS FROM MARS

2009-04-19T19:00:00.003-04:00

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THANK YOU. - EDITORS

Photographed by Thomas Whiteside
Fashion Editor: Laurie Trott
Model: Ridge Redmond at Ford

FASHION CREDITS:

Spread 1
Diesel Black Gold tank, Nobody jeans.

Spread 2
LEFT: Y-3 jacket, Rag & Bone pants, Endovanera shirt
and Gucci necklace (worn throughout).

Spread 3
Dior Homme shirt.

Spread 4
Left: Rogue’s Gallery t-shirt.
Right: Adidas Silver t-shirt and Levis jeans.

Spread 5
Dior Homme jeans.

Spread 6
Left: Dior Homme jeans.
Right: Dior Homme shirt, Converse by John Varvatos
cut-off sweats.

Spread 7
Polo by Ralph Lauren sweatshirt, Acne Jeans.

Spread 8
LEFT: Maison Martin Margiela t-shirt.
RIGHT: Rogue's Gallery shirt, APC t-shirt, Calvin Klein jeans.

Spread 9
Louis Vuitton t-shirt.

MR. ROCK

2009-04-16T01:14:00.011-04:00

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICK ROCK ⓒ

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ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR AND RESPECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHER. THANK YOU. - EDITORS

SUEDEHEAD

2009-04-13T00:00:00.006-04:00

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ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR AND RESPECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHER. THANK YOU. -EDITOR

TATTOO YOUTH

2009-04-08T13:08:00.004-04:00

NECESSARY LUXURIES

2009-04-06T00:01:00.002-04:00

WHAT ARE WE POOR POSH BOYS TO DO?

There once was a time when the banking set could throw down a platinum card and buy wheelbarrows-full of clothes that looked good but didn’t necessarily survive the season – or a second trip to the cleaner’s. This, we thought, was sartorial luxury. But the days of disposable income have long since passed and we’re scrambling to redefine what luxury – and our wardrobe – really means.

In tackling this sartorial conundrum, some designers have gone traditional, while others have gone preppy, while still others have gone lesbian. (This season, it seemed that if you didn’t want to look like a Stasi agent, a Vulcan officer, a hunter-gatherer, Rick Astley, or some variation thereof, then the runways weren’t for you.) But Antonio Azzuolo, previously the design director at Ralph Lauren Purple Label, and a menswear designer at Hermès, has spent the better part of a lifetime thinking about luxury and what it really means.

When we met for brunch at the second restaurant of our choosing (the first was shuttered with a heavy iron gate, the latest victim of economic circumstances), I was wearing a tattered blue button down shirt I’d inherited from my father, washed so many times that the fold in the collar had worn through. Azzuolo pointed to the shirt admiringly. This shirt – exposed white neckband and all – seems to be an embodiment of the luxury he’s thinking about, and the collection he’s designed.

Born in Montreal to Italian parents – both his mother and father were tailors – Azzuolo lived in a modest community where, as he describes it, “everyone wore bespoke suits, and there was a tailor on every street corner.”

“Growing up in that environment,” says Azzuolo, “there was a ceremonial aspect to dressing, a respect that doesn’t seem to exist on the streets of Manhattan.”

Having moved to Europe when he was 24 years-old, Azzuolo saw a discrete, refined elegance on the streets of Naples and Paris. En tres dimanche, the French call it – dressed in your Sunday best – a slightly condescending term, though when Azzuolo uses it, the condescension’s been replaced by a sense of longing and nostalgia. “You’d see old men who’d been wearing the same suit for many years,” he says. “The trouser-cuff would wear out, the jacket would be mismatched, the sweaters would be the wrong color, the coordination would be slightly off. But still there was a respect for oneself and one’s clothes. They always looked together, and I found inspiration in that.”

Azzuolo’s fascination with vintage clothing and old-world craftsmanship, along with his aesthetic of bringing European elegance to the Lower East Side (rather than bringing Lower East Side “elegance” to the runways of Europe), seems to pervade his collection. What appears is Azzuolo’s unique take on menswear, layered ensembles of grandfather shirts and alpaca sweaters and Donegal tweed coats – looks that, at the hands of a lesser designer, might seem confusing. Though this season’s collection features lots of fur and cashmere, it’s recycled fur – a holdover from his Montreal upbringing – and cashmere that could be your one great sweater, forming the core of a dignified outfit, no matter what the economic climate looks like.

Essentially, Azzuolo prefers to add to a wardrobe rather than redefine it. By focusing his collection on specific items (last season, it was sweaters; this season, coats), Azzuolo interprets luxury as having one good thing rather than many expensive things. In doing so, he has managed to redefine luxury as a necessity.

-MARTIN MARKS

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ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR AND RESPECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHER. THANK YOU. -EDITOR

JUMP FOR JOY

2009-04-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Check out their latest music:
www.jumpintothegospel.com/

HERE THEY COME NOW

2009-03-29T14:00:00.011-04:00

HERE THEY COME NOW
DIRECTED BY BELL SOTO

VIENNA SECESSION

2009-03-27T15:26:00.003-04:00

MARIKE

2009-03-27T03:28:00.004-04:00

Model: Marike at NEXT
www.nextmodels.com

ARCHANGEL DESCENDING

2009-03-26T15:12:00.000-04:00

VLADIMIR BY TERRY TSIOLIS

2009-03-23T01:00:00.003-04:00

VLADIMIR
Directed by Terry Tsiolis
for contributingeditor.com

DAVID: BY TERRY TSIOLIS

2009-03-18T15:17:00.000-04:00

DAVID
Directed by Terry Tsiolis
for contributingeditor.com

TOMEK: Q+A

2009-03-16T00:00:00.003-04:00

ANDREY: BY TERRY TSIOLIS

2009-03-14T22:19:00.003-04:00

ANDREY
Directed by Terry Tsiolis
for contributingeditor.com

MARRAKECH EXPRESS

2009-03-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

RJ: TERRY TSIOLIS

2009-03-09T00:01:00.002-04:00

RJ
Directed by Terry Tsiolis
for thecontributingeditor.com

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

2009-03-06T13:00:00.003-05:00

TOMEK: TERRY TSIOLIS

2009-03-04T17:31:00.010-05:00

TOMEK
Directed by Terry Tsiolis
for thecontributingeditor.com
Model: Tomek at Wilhelmina

JEREMY KOST: AFTER THE PARTY 2009

2009-03-03T16:27:00.006-05:00

DISPATCH: NY

2009-03-02T14:06:00.002-05:00

KINGS CROSSING

2009-02-27T12:34:00.006-05:00

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

2009-02-25T10:00:00.003-05:00

RJ!

2009-02-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

INSTANT GRATIFICATION

2009-02-12T15:19:00.003-05:00

UP THE RIVER

2009-02-11T13:05:00.009-05:00

+++

UP THE RIVER
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANNY WEISS
http://www.danielericweiss.com

Matt Creed and Andrew Simkiss, budding and buzzed about New York-based film makers,
have created an easily accessible web forum to showcase their work of stylish and artistic
shorts and longer narrative films on, UptheRiverNY.com.

"We just started shooting stuff together a couple of months ago. It started out pretty mellow,
but all of a sudden we had a bunch of films we wanted to show people. So from there we
made the site and put them all up," said Simkiss. A casual undertaking indeed, but with very
inspiring results.

A feature film is even in development, written by Simkiss, a recent NYU graduate of the
university's film program, and starring Creed, who still graces Beatrice Inn in the West Village
proving his additional musical inclination as a DJ, and more privately, guitarist. Creed and
Simkiss recently spent time in LA scouting out a location for the film that will have a plot based
within the 1930's on a ranch in California. "The location we've got is beautiful, and we're just
working our way through pre-production right now, doing some casting and fundraising and
all that. The music is going to be done by Evan Koga of Chief and Sean O'Brien of Papa,
which we're also really excited about," said Creed. The site is regularly updated and full of
a refreshing unique-ness, truly reflective of it's makers, with much to look forward to.

-Ashley Fodor

THE BOOK: PETER BEARD

2009-02-04T20:14:00.006-05:00

DON'T BE CRUEL

2009-02-03T02:51:00.003-05:00

DISPATCH: PARIS 3

2009-01-29T17:00:00.002-05:00

DISPATCH: PARIS 2

2009-01-27T22:25:00.007-05:00

DISPATCH: PARIS
AS REPORTED BY CATOR SPARKS

There were a lot of first for me...

It was a great pleasure to meet über bear daddy Walter Van Beirendonck
and check out his new collection inspired by tubes, (ahem).

I previewed the new Façonnable collection shot live by Helena Christensen.

I sat on a Japanese Toto toilet at Colette. Toto, has hired Tyler Brûlé
as their marketing person. Woosh!

I took in my first Hermes show. Or was it Zara?

I shook it down to the ground at Regine’s for the Pony Step party.

Why don’t we have something like that in New York? Sigh.

Finally, I saw the first sign of Valentines Day in the City of Love-
a cactus shaped like a heart. Love hurts. How French.

DISPATCH / PARIS

2009-01-24T20:50:00.002-05:00

DISPATCH / PARIS
As reported by Cator Sparks

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in love with Paris. My last several visits have entailed rotten taxi drivers, queeny waiters and begging gypsies yanking at my cravat. But there’s something to be said about Paris during fashion week. There’s a snap in the air! Every building, street and monument sparkles. Maybe it’s because handsome editors, buyers, models and clothes, are constantly inspiring me. Yes, in Paris everyone dresses better. As my friend Anna said, “They God damned well better or they aren’t getting into the shows wearing trainers like they can in NYC!”

Besides the shows, there are always the little things about Paris that inspire. Take the font of the Café Charlot.
It’s a dream in rouge and whimsy. And speaking of, look what they’ve done to The New York Times- A frites wrapper?
Even with Obamamania reaching new heights here, they still find ways to take a jab don’t they?

Last night, after the Raf Simons show, I had drinks in the Defender Bar in the Hotel du Louvre. It was as close to stepping into Diana Vreeland’s Billy Baldwin-designed scarlet red living room, as I will get. Even the water came with a dash of red currents in the bottom of the glass. The experience was heightened by the jazz quartet that was jamming while we drank. Classic standards like Night and Day and My Love Is Here To Stay, wafted through the air. The music, the décor and the cocktails had us in nirvana until the bill came; 80 Euros for three drinks. I guess the recession hasn’t hit Paris yet. No matter, we paid and dashed out to a nearby café for a nightcap where we ran into Tim Hamilton. Tim is in town with his crew presenting his Fall collection. We’re taking a peak on Sunday. When the last White Russian was sipped we dashed back to the Marais. An early night was much needed as tomorrow’s gonna be a late one at the Pony Step party. What does one wear to such an event?
Riding Boots?

DOWN SO LONG

2009-01-18T20:00:00.006-05:00

YOUNG LORDS ONLINE:

MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/younglords

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Young-Lords/23186077901

BUY THE ALBUM ONLINE HERE:

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/RodeoSongs/dp/B001KWLX26/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1231360318&sr=8-2

Emusic:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Young-Lords-Rodeo-Songs-MP3-Download/11270291.html

++++++++++

TEXT:

DOWN SO LONG
PHOTOGRAPHED BY GUY AROCH
for thecontributingeditor.com

What comes first, the music or the fashion?
The Young Lords, New York’s new smokin’ band has been regaled by the
fashion flock over the past year and been receiving buzz for their trendy
Saturday night parties. But is it all just skinny jeans and fop top hair that is
getting them noticed? Hardly. The band’s raw vocals with a tinge of
Southern Rock has been getting the boys lots of hype at SXSW and CMJ
as well as the opportunity to open for UK band, The Fratellis. But getting
to know the boys a bit better, music has been in their blood long before
the PBR was.

Growing up in Austin, Texas a city well known for it’s artistic side (the unofficial
town slogan is ‘Keep Austin Weird’) brothers Blair and Reed van Nort’s parents
encouraged them to check out new music. As lead singer Blair explains, “I was a
weird kid, I collected old jazz records. My mom would buy them for me at the
used record shop. Of course there was always a country element to what we
were listening to growing up in Texas too. Then one day she gave me The Clash
and Bruce Springsteen and it really opened my eyes to what else was out there.”
Reed grew up more of a punk kid but soon began listening to the country tracks
his brother was digging and they decided to start their own band. Having a band
in Austin is as unconventional as Sbarro in a strip mall but these boys knew they
had something and kept on going with it.

Blair met bassist Max Kamins when he came to New York City for school.
Max is a born and bred New Yorker. He demurely explains that he too grew
up surrounded by music because his father was a DJ. What he leaves out is
that his father Mark Kamins, is a DJ hall of famer who helped Madonna
out with her first tracks and produced The Beastie Boys first single for
Def Jam. Although he admits that the house music genre has never been
inspiring for him, the fact that music has always been in his life has certainly
helped. When the boys met out on the town the brothers explained to Max
how they were starting a band. Max was working on his own band and they
decided to meld their ideas and hit the ground running. Guitarist Adam
Gerard came into the mix when Blair met him at The New School and the
newest addition to the band is Grant Anderson on drums, an old Austin
friend who decided to move to New York.

With the lineup well in place they were ready to rock. Unfortunately the
industry was a bit slow on the uptake. “We had two or three people say they
would help us out on tracks and everything just fell through,” laments Blair.
They finally got some tracks laid down and things started happening.
Living in New York has certainly helped them acquire buzz. Blair agrees that,
“In some ways the fashion crew in NYC have more of an eye of what’s cool
than the music industry. Fashion editors hear us perform and then call us up.”
He continues, “the music magazines aren’t going to review us because we
aren’t on a big label so we started our own.” How is that going for them?
They opened for The Fratellis at Irving Plaza to a sold out show. “That was
an amazing night for us. It was funny we were not nervous at all. I guess
playing in your basement for so many years gears you up to be ready for the
big time,” joked Reed. The Young Lords also host a hugely popular dance
party at Home Sweet Home every Saturday night that has been voted one of the
best in the city. Next up for the boys between touring is a Tuesday night gig
at Webster Hall Studios where they will forgo the weekly dance tunes for a
real rock and roll throw down.

Giving even more love to the fashion flock, the boys all agreed the rowdiest party
they played was for a Danish fashion magazine at Santos Party House. Blair tells
us that, “it was such fun because fashion kids love to get wasted and rock out.
Sometimes we perform and everyone just stands around. Some people
who are really into music are so focused on the band, sound and vocals they
forget to have fun. That is definitely not the case with the fashion crowd.”

Music nerds take note.

- CATOR SPARKS

++++++++

THE BOOK: FOOTBALL

2009-01-18T19:49:00.006-05:00

THE BOOK
Sports photographer Neil Leifer’s storied career
began in 1958 when he took Alan Ameche’s game-winning touchdown
during what is known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
Now, Taschen has culled the best photos from Leifer’s 10,000 rolls of film
and put them together in Guts and Glory: Golden Age of American Football,
Art Edition. Leifer has captured many iconic moments in pro-football history,
including one at the 1962 Championship in New York, when he shot Giants
quarterback Y.A. Tittle standing over a wood fire on the sidelines as a blizzard
descended on the stadium. Jim Murray, the former sports columnist for the
Los Angeles Times, introduces the tome with a selection of the best sports
columns of the era, the perfect complement to Leifer’s stunning photojournalism.
This exclusive Art Edition of 200 numbered copies is signed by the artist, and
the first 100 books include a chromogenic print of “Johnny Unitas” from 1964.
As the Super Bowl approaches, what could be more perfect than a few
hours spent brushing up on football history? As if the photography isn’t
reason enough to pick up a copy, consider reading this your spring fashion
homework. Sports references are a perennial men’s fashion favorite, and this
season there was no shortage of athletic influences on the runways.
-SAM PAPE

+++

buy online:
www.taschen.com

I WANT YOU

2009-01-14T12:02:00.009-05:00

I WANT YOU
exclusively for thecontributingeditor.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOMAS WHITESIDE

Fashion Editor: Matthew Edelstein

FASHION CREDITS

SPREAD ONE:
Mark wears a Tom Ford
robe, Michael Bastian
swimsuit, Mosley Tribes
sunglasses and
Louis Vuitton shoes.

SPREAD TWO:
Vladimir wears a Dolce
& Gabbana swimsuit.

SPREAD THREE:
Logan wears a Ralph Lauren Purple Label shirt
and Michael Bastian shorts.

SPREAD FOUR:
Vladimir wears a Louis Vuitton shirt
and Tom Ford swimsuit.

SPREAD FIVE:
Mark wears a Burberry tank,
Missoni shorts and Louis Vuitton shoes.

SPREAD SIX:
Andrey wears a Gucci jacket
and Hermès shorts.

SPREAD SEVEN:
John wears a Calvin Klein swimsuit
and Tom Ford slippers. Etro towel.

SPREAD EIGHT:
Andrey wears an Yves Saint Laurent henley,
Burberry swimsuit and Louis Vuitton shoes.

SPREAD NINE:
John wears a Z Zegna shirt,
Gucci tank and Speedo swimsuit.

SPREAD TEN:
Logan wears a Tom Ford robe, Prada swimsuit
and his own Old Navy flip flops.

Grooming by: Jason Murillo for Redken

Models: Logan Mcneil at Ford.
Mark Carroll and John Kenney at L.A. Models.
Andrey and Vladimir at Wilhelmina.

++++++++

thecontributingeditor.com exclusive
THE ONLINE MENS FASHION MAGAZINE

THE BEACH

2009-01-12T07:00:00.005-05:00

THE BEACH
exclusively for thecontributingeditor.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY BLAIR GETZ MEZIBOV
FASHION EDITOR: NAIMA DIFRANCO
GROOMING: LUKE BAKER - JUDY CASEY AGENCY
MODEL: MARCUS AT VNY
RETOUCHING BY EYESCAPES LABS

FASHION CREDITS:

1:
RIGHT: Ralph Lauren cardigan.
Replay henley. Tommy Hilfiger shirt.

2:
LEFT: LL Bean union jack suit. Ralph Lauren scarf.
Southpaw vintage armwarmers.
RIGHT: John Varvatos for Converse henley. LL Bean duofold pants.
Southpaw vintage armwarmers. LL Bean boots.

3.
LEFT: Ralph Lauren cardigan.
LL Bean union suit. LL Bean boots.
Southpaw vintage legwarmers.
RIGHT: Ralph Lauren cardigan.
Replay henley. Tommy Hilfiger shirt.
Abercrombie and Fitch fingerless gloves.

4.
LEFT: John Varvatos for Converse henley. LL Bean duofold pants.
Southpaw vintage legwarmers. LL Bean boots
RIGHT: Ralph Lauren cardigan. LL Bean union jack suit
Replay shirt. Tommy Hilfiger shirt. LL Bean boots.

SUPER CHARGER HEAVEN

2009-01-05T21:15:00.002-05:00

BLACK SABBATH

2008-12-13T16:25:00.006-05:00

BLACK SABBATH
exclusively for thecontributingeditor.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOMAS WHITESIDE
FASHION EDITOR: MATTHEW EDELSTEIN

FASHION CREDITS:

SPREAD 1:
Louis Vuitton sweater.
Converse by John Varvatos pants. Stylist’s own belt.

SPREAD 2:
LEFT: Emporio Armani coat. Marc Jacobs sweater.
Armani sweater (worn as
a scarf). Converse by
John Varvatos pants.
Stylist’s own belt.
RIGHT: Ralph Lauren
Black Label coat.
Maison Martin Margiela
zip cardigan.
Louis Vuitton shirt.

SPREAD 3:
LEFT: Converse by John
Varvatos coat and vest.
Polo by Ralph Lauren sweater.RIGHT: Z Zegna coat.
Polo by Ralph Lauren shirt. Marc Jacobs sweater.
Ralph Lauren Black Label
turtleneck sweater (worn
as a scarf). Levi’s jeans.
Stylist’s own belt.

SPREAD 4:
THIS PAGE: Polo by
Ralph Lauren trench coat.
Emporio Armani shirt.
Earnest Sewn jeans.
Stylist’s own belt

SPREAD 5:
LEFT: Z Zegna coat.
Polo by Ralph Lauren shirt.
Marc Jacobs sweater. Ralph
Lauren Black Label turtleneck sweater (worn as a scarf).
RIGHT: Ralph Lauren Black Label coat. Maison Martin Margiela zip cardigan.
Louis Vuitton shirt. Elie Tahari pants. Stylist’s own belt.

Fashion Assistant: Taryn Finn
Model: Victor at LA Models

THOMAS WHITESIDE BIO:

Thomas Whiteside was born in St. Louis and attended the
Art Institute of Chicago where he studied to become a painter.
After graduation, he moved to Milan and then London,
where he worked as an illustrator and graphic designer.

He began taking pictures after being encouraged by Paul Jasmin
and Dewey Nicks. He currently divides his time between
New York and Los Angeles, and has contributed to Details, Elle, Paper and InStyle.

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG

2008-12-07T19:23:00.008-05:00

+++

CARI VUONG - PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in Vietnam, raised in Hong Kong and Upstate
New York, Cari Vuong studied photography at The School of Visual Arts.
Afterwards, he spent the next ten years assisting for and being mentored by
photographers such as Steven Klein, Wayne Maser and Alex Cayley.

Cari has spent the last three years completing his two most recent projects.
The first, titled When We Were Young will be published as a book
in early 2009. The second is a collection of intimate portraits of upstate New York
high school students, called Butterflies, of which another book will be published.

www.carivuong.com

I LOVE B.A.!

2008-12-03T08:00:00.005-05:00

BORN TO BE BLUE

2008-11-30T19:01:00.010-05:00

+++

BORN TO BE BLUE
exclusively for thecontributingeditor.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAVID ROEMER
FAHION EDITOR: MATTHEW EDELSTEIN

FASHION CREDITS:

SPREAD 1:
Valentino peacoat and zip jacket. Acne jeans.
Vintage boots throughout from
What Comes Around Goes Around

SPREAD 2:
LEFT: Burberry trench coat
and sweater. Acne long-sleeve
t-shirt and jeans.
RIGHT: Yves Saint Laurent shirt.
Z Zegna hat.

SPREAD 3:
LEFT: Marc by Marc Jacobs cardigan, shirt and pants. Woolrich Woolen
Mills hooded shirt.
RIGHT: Penfield jacket. Converse
by John Varvatos shawl collar
sweater. Acne jeans.

SPREAD 4:
LEFT: Polo by Ralph Lauren sweater, shirt and jeans. Acne coat.
RIGHT: Shades of Greige sweater. Prada sweater. Acne jeans.

SPREAD 5:
LEFT: Woolrich Woolen Mills shirt.
Z Zegna hat
RIGHT: Norsea Industries jacket.
Z Zegna zip jacket, sweater and pants.

SPREAD 6:
LEFT: Woolrich Woolen Mills shirt and pant. Z Zegna hat.
RIGHT: Osklen shirt jacket and
t-shirt. Acne jeans.

SPREAD 7:
LEFT: Phillip Lim jacket, shirt
and pants. Z Zegna hat.
RIGHT: Maison Martin Margiela trench coat, Norsea Industries shirt.
Osklen jeans.

SET DESIGN: Jim Gratson at Creative Exchange Agency.
GROOMING: Samantha Trinh using NARS at Atelier Management.
FASHION ASSISTANT: Victoria Cameron.
MODEL: Noah Mills at Wilhelmina

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO

2008-11-30T08:00:00.012-05:00

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO

Bushwick artist Nikita Shoshensky looks to John Wayne to save the contemporary art scene. Dash Snow need not apply.

“First off, the museum is a failing institution,” confides Nikita Shoshensky. “It’s been failing.” Shoshensky, an artist with a still new degree from Cooper Union, sounds almost happy to be hailing the end
of an institution instrumental to his craft. “The Whitney Biennial was horrible,” he says cheerfully. “I don’t care about other people’s fantasies.”

At 24, Shoshensky, who has a lithe frame and an impressive mass of black curls, possesses the cynicism of a much older man, or if not cynicism – Shoshensky seems quite pleased with his life – the ability to recognize bullshit from a mile, at least, away. His take on the much-lauded New Museum, recently dropped smack in the middle of the Bowery?

“I have no issue with what’s in it, per se,” he begins diplomatically. “It’s what it says with what’s in it.” Diplomacy ends. “[It’s a] dogmatic, unemotional, and falsely rigorous assessment of the city and creative practice.” Or, in layman’s terms: “Bad ideas done badly.” Ouch. So who is Shoshensky – an art school grad with a few group shows under his belt – to talk about the establishment like this? In celebrity-driven art world terms, nobody. Which is just fine with him.

Born in Moscow, Shoshensky and his family left Russia and headed for the Bronx when the Soviet Union collapsed. Shoshensky was nine, and his English consisted of the basics: “cat, bat, hat,” he recalls. Partial credit is due to the New York Public School system for preparing him for the phrases and words like “archeology of violence,” “methodology,” and “numerati” that crop up in his speech now, but it’s clear Shoshenksy is a quick study. After graduating from Cooper last spring he moved to Bushwick where he lives and works in one of those great, big, carved-into loft spaces that make Manhattan real estate seem like such a joke.
“It’s a funny place to grow up,” Shoshensky says of Russia, where trying Coca-Cola for the first time qualified as an event. “Places like that don’t exist anymore. You can go to maybe Cuba or North Korea to get a sense of that space.” Despite having been back to Russia several times, Shoshensky’s sense of national identity is as loose as his artistic opinions are fixed. “I don’t feel Russian because I spent most of my life here [in the US],” he says. “But I don’t feel American. I have no nationality.”

While Shoshensky may eschew his American identity, he is happy to embrace the country’s cultural artifacts. After completing a series of paintings based on Bonnie and Clyde and the Barrow Gang, his latest project takes on Westerns in general. He has logged countless hours in front of his computer capturing stills from Rio Bravo, The Magnificent Seven, and The Wild Bunch, watching upwards of four films a day. The result is a series of delicate and impressively done pen and ink sketches of heroes and sidekicks. John Wayne fills the page with his chaps and swagger; only his face is missing. “I decontextualized them by taking away their one recognizable feature, which is their portrait,” Shoshensky explains. “And I sized them down and put them into this isolated space.”

Villains get the star treatment in Shoshensky’s work. The medium changes from ink to acrylic and the canvasses increase in size. “I’m doing basically an encyclopedic cataloguing of all the tertiary villains from Westerns,” he says, less interested in the primary evildoers than those reckoned as disposable plot devices. “At the peak of their bravado or confidence they’re sacrificed for this construct of John Wayne or Clint Eastwood,” Shoshensky says of his subjects, drawing a parallel between their deaths and the deaths of Iraqis in the current war, offered up for the sake of American ideals. “I’m trying to engage the archeology of violence in our culture,” he explains. “This work is about cinema as a gateway to dissecting that history.”

While the war in Iraq was an obvious jumping off point for the project, Shoshensky would prefer not to classify himself as a political artist. “I despise political art,” Shoshensky says with his trademark conviction. “I think it’s preachy and oversimplifies issues.” His view of an artist’s job is slightly more nuanced. “I never want to smack someone over the head with ideas,” he says. “My job is to program the genetics. If somebody is interested in discovering them they can look at the work and find out more because I put it there.”

This might sound like a lot of big talk – bluster from a cocky gunslinger – but Shoshensky’s work is assured, technically sound, and intelligent. Chalk it up to his work ethic, which sees him painting or drawing until ten or eleven o’clock at night. “It’s a stoic workaholic life,” he acknowledges. “It’s not like I get a couple of prostitutes to come in here and…” He trails off, grinning.

The call girl lifestyle runs counter to Shoshensky’s idea of what an artist should be. “If you want good art you’re not going to get it out of Dash Snow or Dan Coleman, you’re going to get bullshit.” (Not that we’re saying these two particular artists pay to get laid, it’s just that they’ve been known to party.) “There’s a lot of thinking that has to happen,” Shoshensky says of his process. “It’s your job as a thinker to present a question.”

Luckily, Shoshensky’s girlfriend, Alexa Adams – who makes up half of the design team behind the Vogue-vetted label Ohne Titel – shares his proclivity for late nights. “She’s doing exactly what she was designed to do,” he says of Adams. As for himself, when it comes to making art he can’t imagine doing anything else with his life, either. “It’s like that or the gutter.”

Shoshensky expects to be finished with the Western series by this spring. He doesn’t know where it will be shown, but based on his projections for the project, it’s bound to be a success. Who knows, if he plays his cards right, maybe he’ll be invited to show at the next Whitney Biennial.

-ALISON BAENEN

To see Nikita’s work, visit his website: www.nikitashoshensky.com.

PASSING ME BY

2008-11-28T16:39:00.009-05:00

PASSING ME BY
exclusively for thecontributingeditor.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOMAS WHITESIDE
Fashion Editor: EUGENE TONG

SPREAD 1:
LEFT: Corpus sweater. Polo by
Ralph Lauren t-shirt. RIGHT: VISVIM jacket. Brixton hat. Corpus pants.

SPREAD 2:
Patrick Ervell jacket. Shades of Greige shirt. Brixton hat.

SPREAD 3:
Nom de Guerre scarf

SPREAD 4:
LEFT: Patagonia vest. TSE cardigan. Stussy shirt. Adam Kimmel pants. Aprix shoes.
RIGHT: A.P.C. SWEATER. THOM BROWNE SHIRT.

SPREAD 5:
Public School vest.
Surface To Air t-shirt.
American Apparel thermal

SPREAD 6:
TSE jacket. Supreme hat. Superpowerful sweatshirt.
Norsea Industries shirt. Levis jeans.

SPREAD 7:
LEFT: Staple jacket. Superpowerful cardigan. Theory scarf.
Visvim hat. Acne chinos. RIGHT: Maison Martin Margiela jacket.
Surface To Air shirt. Gucci cardigan. Levis jeans.
Dries Van Noten sneakers.

SPREAD 8:
DKNY Jeans blazer.
Nike zip jacket. Oliver Spencer hat. Levis jeans.

SPREAD 9:
LEFT: Band of Outsiders shirt.
RIGHT: Patagonia vest. Corpus knit blazer.
HERMÈS SCARF. VISVIM shirt and pants. Aprix shoes.

SPREAD 10:
Adam Kimmel trench coat. Maison Martin Margiela sweater

SPREAD 11:
LEFT: Patrick Ervell blazer. Shades of Greige shirt. Nike sweatshirt. Dita glasses.
RIGHT: A.P.C. shirt. Levis jeans. Model’s own boots

SPREAD 12:
Band of Outsiders blazer.
Maison Martin Margiela sweater.
Unis shirt. Alexander Olch tie.
Acne chinos. Common Projects sneakers.

SPREAD 13:
THIS SPREAD: Public School jacket. Maison Martin Margiela shirt.
Supreme sweatshirt.

Fashion Assistants: Miyako Bellizzi and Arielle Himoff.
Models: Parker Bose at Ford.
Theo and Marcus Hedbrandh at VNY

MORE ABOUT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: EUGENE TONG

As market editor of Details, Eugene Tong has honed |
his eye and been on the frontline of menswear’s most important trends over the years.

His experience as a fashion assistant at FHM magazine and then
as asociate market editor at Cargo magazine have helped him
learn the industry and understand the men’s market like few others.

From Canal Street to Place Vendome, Eugene is on a constant search for the best of men’s style.

Eugene lives and works in New York City.

ON THE FENCE

2008-11-23T17:52:00.008-05:00

ON THE FENCE
exclusively for thecontributingeditor.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JEFFREY GRAETSCH
SITTINGS EDITOR: MATTHEW EDELSTEIN

Olympic fencers Jason Rogers, Tim Morehouse, And
James Williams have the moves that win the match. En Garde.

THE STRANGER

2008-11-16T23:36:00.013-05:00

FREE YOUR MIND

2008-11-14T17:00:00.011-05:00

FREE YOUR MIND

Juan José Heredia takes on the New York art scene;
countdown to model-filled gallery opening starts…now

It’s not always the case that especially good-looking people are jerks. Not always, but often. Often enough that meeting a really, genuinely nice especially good-looking person is noteworthy. And when that genuinely nice especially good-looking person is an unguarded romantic who keeps a vintage briefcase full of love letters in his apartment and says things like:
“The idea of love to me is super tragic,” it’s hard not to reevaluate your opinions of especially good-looking people in general.
Enter Juan José Heredia.

Born in Mendoza, Argentina, Juan grew up in Miami. A surfer who’s seen swells in Portugal, Mexico, and Morocco, Juan started body boarding when he was 11; now, after moving to New York in 2005, he makes the trek to Rockaway Beach about three times a week. His first surfboard was a gift from a drug dealer – a friend of his older sister’s, Juan explains nonchalantly – but he insists it was a clean exchange. “I didn’t have to do anything,” he reassures, and adds, straight-faced, “I was too young to do any gang-banging at the time.”

Broad-shouldered and tall, with a mouthful of charmingly mismatched teeth, and a forward-falling mop of brown hair that requires constant attention to be kept out of his eyes (They’re hazel. Sigh.), Juan will be more familiar to readers of Vogue, Details, Arena Homme +, and V Magazine for his modeling gigs than for his skill on a short board. But Juan is a surfer first, and a model third. Second, he is an artist.

Juan wears his artistic leanings on his fingernails. They are paint covered, and his pants, ankle-baring ones he’s taken in himself, are specked with stray color. The traditional, embroidered work shirt he wears is from Guatemala and belonged to his mother; worn inside out, only glimpses of thick, hand-sewn red and yellow flowers are visible. Underneath that a girl’s black tank top, run through with silver threads, had also been flipped, creating a subtle impression of shimmer when the shirt hits the light.

Juan’s sartorial miscellany is reflected in his artwork, which is collage-heavy, delicately detailed, abstract, and otherworldly.

“I don’t like to keep things precious,” Juan says of his work. To wit, he’s been known to transport finished canvasses to and from his apartment by bike, folding them up and stuffing them in his backpack. Found objects receive the same anti-reverential treatment (Nylon covers take a particular lashing). His sketchbooks are works of art on their own, swollen with clippings and mementos torn and pasted to the pages, microcosms of a dark interior world.

Juan recently created that world in outsize form. The glass-roofed lounge on the bottom level of Delicatessen, SoHo’s latest see-and-be-seen brunch spot, features a wraparound mural he completed this spring. His eerily charming, distorted figures watch over the banquettes below, sharing billing with menu covers courtesy of Terry Richardson and staff uniforms designed by Charlotte Ronson. “Everything I feel is in there,” Juan says of the space.

Until recently, Juan’s artist-self was unrepresented. His designs could be found on hats and surfboards (he’s one of Volcom’s featured artists, a brand favored by boarders of all terrain), and his canvasses had made a few appearances around Manhattan. Not one to self-promote, Juan was content to work on his own in his Williamsburg apartment, reluctant, he says, to ever seriously consider his art worthy of more attention.

His sister (Maria, of the surfboard deal) thought differently, and it was through her that Juan met his agent, Kate Robinson. Kate, a freelance art advisor who trained her eye at Christie’s, had developed a friendship with Maria, her esthetician at an East Village salon. After several months of knowing each other, Maria broached the topic of her youngest brother’s artistic endeavors to Kate, who, at the time, had no interest in taking on any artists. Juan’s business plan, meanwhile, consisted of giving away his art to friends for free. Cue change of heart: Kate agreed to look at Juan’s work, and was surprised by the potential she saw. “There is something so sincere in what he does,” Kate says of her decision to take on Juan as her sole artist. “It would have been insincere on my part to pass it up.”

Juan’s business-savvy sea change is still in the works. “The potential of someone else seeing the work could fuck with you a little,” he says, admitting that he’s had to learn to “blank out” tributes from Kate. “I don’t believe in compliments,” he says matter-of-factly.

As for the future, well, that’s up to fate. “You know what the path is?” Juan asks when pressed about his artistic ambitions. “Honestly, in a sense, the word ‘path’ I don’t believe in. In life, you constantly experience that when you make plans for things, it has nothing to do with those plans, and dates, and times that you choose. It has so much more to do with fate, energy, life.” Coming from him, this laissez-faire philosophy manages to sound sincere, and not like some kind of hackneyed spiritualism; practicality aside, Juan’s willful naiveté is pretty sweet. “You always have fantasies about doing things,” Juan says, owning up to a few ambitions after all. “If you keep that alive, that’s how you progress.

How did someone so attention-shy end up booking a Ralph Lauren campaign? With reservations. From the beginning, Juan’s been ambivalent about his line of work, legitimate surfboard money aside. For one thing, there were the compliments.

“I didn’t understand that at all,” Juan says of the positive response to his teenage self. “I just didn’t want to hear anything remotely close to that.” At 16, Juan was walking in shows in New York and Milan, but his parent’s recent divorce – an adolescent rite of passage made no less easy by his father’s unexplained, long-term retreat to Argentina – made it hard for him to trust people.

“I’d go to castings and people would say, “You’ve pretty much got the job; all you’ve got to do is this….’
And I just couldn’t do it.” So he quit.

After a three-plus-year break in Miami managing a surf shop, Juan returned to New York and looked up the same agent he’d worked with before. After a shave and a haircut, he was back. “I’m a completely different person now,” he says of his decision to model again. “I like bringing a certain aspect of who I am into anything I do.” While Juan still has an uneasy relationship with his career – “I don’t really like talking about that stuff,” he says of the campaigns he’s booked and publications he’s appeared in. “It’s not an accomplishment in any way.” – the artist in him can’t resist a good collaboration. Take Bruce Weber. The two met through a friend – an assistant who had told the photographer about Juan’s artwork – and Bruce was taken.
A Polaroid shoot ensued, and Juan incorporated his drawings into the frames, turning the photos into multimedia artworks. “I don’t often get to communicate with someone like that,” Juan says of working with Bruce. “He’s an artist.”

Which brings us back to the Juan with the paint-covered fingernails. Despite his youthful unhappiness as a first-time model, the proof of Juan’s first few trips to New York is more than a collection of despondent headshots. Cold, away from the ocean in a place he didn’t want to be, the nascent artist in him found something to be inspired by.

“In all that badness, I couldn’t help but look around and see how old things were,” he recalls. “In Miami everything is so polished. If something’s old, they destroy it. I was so blown away by that.” Sketching and drawing – things Juan had done before with a throwaway attitude – acquired new value. “The only way I could convey my feelings without writing them was through figurative images. Expressing the way I felt internally – the way I looked at myself – was what I was drawing.”

-ALISON BAENEN

+++

HAIL TO THE CHIEF

2008-11-06T15:26:00.012-05:00

CHIEF - YOUR DIRECTION MUSIC VIDEO

HAIL TO THE CHIEF

Chief likes to think of themselves as a happy dysfunctional family. “Our music is very passionate,”
explains Mike Moonves, the youngest member of New York City-based, Los Angeles-raised band.
“There is a lot of emotion flying around.” Bandmates Michael Fujikawa, 25, his younger brother
Danny, 22, Evan Koga, 25, and Moonves, 20, credit their familial closeness to making their
folk/rock and roll/country harmonies sound so unique. “The foundation of playing has always
been our friendship,” says the elder Fujikawa. Unlike most rock groups before them, there is
no leader in this band. “We are a four headed snake,” says Michael proudly. “Everyone
puts in their two cents,” continues Moonves. “…And there are a lot of cents,” adds Koga.
Chief credits everyone from The Band to Crosby, Stills and Nash to classical ballads to
TV on the Radio as their “conscious influences.” Although as Koga put it, the group is
“somewhat afraid of influences.” Michael agrees: “We do not deny the past, but try to look
to the future.” In terms of their own history, however, they can’t help but look back.
Both Fujikawa’s and Moonves went to the same Los Angeles elementary and high schools.
Koga, had known ‘the legend of Michael Fujikawa’ growing up in Los Angeles and they
later became friends at New York University.“We bonded over being hooligans,” recalls Koga.
“Walking the streets late at night.”

Evan, Danny and Michael have been playing music informally
since 2006. Chief got underway when Koga wrote the still crowd-pleasing “Mighty Proud”
and “Far Away.” Moonves came to NYU in September of that same year, just as Chief was becoming a
true performance band. He “was instantly impressed and amped.” He was asked to play bass at a
January 2007 show and came to the first rehearsal knowing all the songs and “he played perfectly,”
says Danny, who has known Moonves since he was in kindergarten. As Chief started to gain popularity
in early 2008, there was “an unspoken need to get serious,” says Moonves. What began as loft shows in
Bushwick, Brooklyn turned into downtown performances in such venues as Fontana’s, Piano’s and The
Bowery Ballroom in New York City. This past summer, the band, who are recording their second EP,
did a six gig United Kingdom tour including a stop at Hyde Park’s 02 Festival, their biggest show to
date. Dysfunction never sounded so good.

-Sara Moonves

THIS BEAT IS TECHNOTRONIC

2008-11-02T16:12:00.007-05:00

FASHION CREDITS:

SPREAD ONE:
Jil Sander suit.

SPREAD TWO:
Left: Prada suit and shirt.
Marc Jacobs shoes
Right: Polo by Ralph Lauren polo.
Dior sunglasses.

SPREAD THREE:
LEFT: Acne tank.
Yves Saint Laurent pants.
RIGHT: Gucci suit.
StÜssy t-shirt.

SPREAD FOUR:
LEFT: MARNI SHIRT
TIM HAMILTON SHORTS. MARC JACOBS SHOES.
RIGHT: MARC JACOBS SHIRT. SUBVERSIVE BROOCH.

SPREAD FIVE:
Left: Yoko Devereaux
t-shirt. Polo by Ralph Lauren jeans
Right: 3.1 Phillip Lim t-shirt and pants.
CLAE shoes

SPREAD SIX:
Left: Marc Jacobs vest.
3.1 Phillip Lim shorts. Kris Van Assche shoes
Right: Costume National jacket.
Kenzo Minami t-shirt

SPREAD SEVEN:
Left: Marc Jacobs t-shirt and jeans.
Right: Tim Hamilton shirt and shorts.
Dior shoes

SPREAD EIGHT:
Left: House of
Holland t-shirt.
Right: Claw Money Honey
hooded jacket (worn inside-out).
Kris Van Assche pants.
Marc Jacobs shoes.

Hair: Ryan Taniguchi using Ted Gibson
Make-up: Ralph Siciliano at LBB Artist Management using Temptu
Fashion Assistant: George Mccracken
Models: Casey Lindberg at Fusion and Adam Trodd at Ford

BOYS KEEP SWINGING

2008-10-26T16:00:00.002-04:00

BOYS KEEP SWINGING
Photographed by Sharif Hamza
Fashion Editor: Matthew Edelstein

SPREAD 1
Left: Chris wears a 3.1 Phillip Lim sweater
Right: Adam wear a Diesel jacket and sweatshirt

SPREAD 2
Left: Drew wears a Public School jacket and Acne Jeans sweater and pants
Right: Mitchell wears a Z Zegna sweater and shirt and 3.1 Phillip Lim pants

SPREAD 3
Left: Petey wears an Erik Hart jacket, Shades of Greige t-shirt and Ksubi jeans
Right: Tomek wears a Maison Martin Margiela sweater and sweatshirt and Ksubi jeans

SREAD 4
Left: Drew wears a John Varvatos shirt and Ksubi jeans
Right: Tyler wears a Burberry sweater, Rogues Gallery shirt and John Varvatos jeans

SPREAD 5
Left: Petey wears a Polo by Ralph Lauren jacket and Rogues Gallery shirt
Right: Tomek wears a Marc Jacobs jacket and Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt

SPREAD 6
Left: Lenz wears an Erik Hart sweater, John Varvatos shirt and Ksubi jeans
Right: Adrien wears an Acne Jeans trenchcoat and sweater, Rogues Gallery t-shirt
and 3.1 Phillip Lim pants

SPREAD 7
Left: Duran wears a 3.1 Phillip Lim sweater and Rogues Gallery shirt
Right: Theo wears a John Varvatos sweatshirt and Acne Jeans pants.
Stylist's own belt

SPREAD 8
Left: Adam wears a Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket, shirt and pants
Right: Tyler wears a Maison Martin Margiela sweatshirt and Rogues Gallery shirt

SPREAD 9
Left: Gordie wears a Converse by John Varvatos jacket and shirt and John Varvatos jeans
Right: Mitchell wears a Rogues Gallery jacket, shirt and pants and 3.1 Phillip Lim jeans

Hair: Anthony Campbell for Cutler/Redken
Make-up: Daniel Martin for Lancôme.
Fashion Assistant: Jason Rider

Models: Tyler Riggs and Chris Pulliam at Red. Duran Bunch, Drew Jenkins, Tomek and
Mitchell at Wilhelmina. Lenz, Theo and Gordie at VNY. Adam Trodd and Petey at Ford.
Adrien at ReQuest

BOYS KEEP SWINGING: VIDEO

2008-10-26T15:55:00.001-04:00

Boys Keep Swinging - Sharif Hamza from Contributing Editor on Vimeo.

BOYS KEEP SWINGING
PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHARIF HAMZA
FASHION EDITOR: MATTHEW EDELSTEIN

TOO TOUGH TO DIE

2008-10-19T21:27:00.016-04:00

TOO TOUGH TO DIE
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JAMES MACARI
FASHION EDITOR: MATTHEW EDELSTEIN

SPREAD 1
left to right
Ralph Lauren Black Label jacket. Polo by Ralph Lauren shirt and vest.
Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket, shirt and sweater. D & G jacket, shirt and
sweater.

SPREAD 2
left to right
Elie Tahari leather jacket. Yves Saint Laurent vest and A/X by Armani
Exchange sweater. Dior jacket and Marc by Marc jacobs shirt

SPREAD 3
left to right
Dior jacket and Marc by Marc Jacobs jeans. Yves Saint Laurent vest,
A/X by Armani Exchange sweater and Levis jeans. Elie Tahari jacket
and jeans.

SPREAD 4
left to right
Yves Saint Laurent vest and A/X by Armani Exchange sweater.
Diorjacket and Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt

SPREAD 5
left to right
Yves Saint Laurent vest and A/X by Armani Exchange sweater.
ElieTahari jacket, Levis shirt and Polo by Ralph Lauren sweater.
Dior jacket and Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt

SPREAD 6
left
Dior jacket and Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt and sweater.
right top: Yves Saint Laurent vest and A/X by Armani Exchange sweater
right bottom left to right: Dior jacket and Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt.
Elie tahari jacket, Levisshirt and Polo by Ralph Lauren sweater

SPREAD 7
left to right
Elie Tahari jacket and jeans, Polo by Ralph Lauren sweater and Calvin
Klein boots. Dior jacket, Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket, shirt, sweater
and jeans. Yves Saint Laurent vest, A/X by Armani Exchange sweater
and Levis jeans

SPREAD 8

A/X by Armani Exchange jacket and sweater

SPREAD 9

left to right
Dior jacket, Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt and D & G sweater.
A/X by Armani Exchange jacket and shirt and Levis jeans

SPREAD 10
Dior jacket and jeans, D & G sweater and Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt

SPREAD 11
Diesel jacket and jeans and Marc by Marc jacobs shirt

SPREAD 12
left to right
Z Zegna jacket. D & G jacket and shirt

SPREAD 13
left to right
A/X by Armani Exchange jacket and shirt, Levis jeans and Nike shoes. Dior jacket and jeans,
Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt, D & G sweater and Adidas shoes

SPREAD 14
left to right
Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket, shirt and sweater. D & G jacket, shirt and sweater

SPREAD 15
left to right
Opening Ceremony jacket, Acne shirt and jeans. Z Zegna jacket, Levis jeans, Polo by Ralph Lauren shirt and boots

SPREAD 16
Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket, shirt, sweater and jeans

SPREAD 17
Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket, shirt and sweater

Grooming by Daniel Martin for Lancome
Fashion Assistant: Victoria Cameron
Models: Laurent Albucher at Request, Jarek at DNA and Julien Sabaud at VNY

SPLIT

2008-10-17T17:11:00.009-04:00

SPLIT from Contributing Editor on Vimeo.
DIRECTED BY BELL SOTO

EDITOR: PETER HASTORF
STYLIST: TIMOTHY REUKAUF
MODEL: BORYS, DNA MODELS
PRODUCTION: NO NAME PRODUCTION

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

BELL SOTO

Bell Soto is a photographer and film / video director based in New York.
His work has been published in magazines such as Flaunt, Surface, Upstreet, Madame Figaro, Neo2 among others.
He has shot exclusive collections from designers such as Hedi Slimane for Dior Homme, Veronique Branquinho, Xaviel Delcour.
His personal work has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the globe.

www.vimeo.com/bellsoto or site www.bellsoto.com

TURNING JAPANESE

2008-10-14T19:48:00.010-04:00

THE MASK

2008-10-13T21:15:00.004-04:00

STARMAN

2008-10-06T22:52:00.007-04:00

SO SUBVERSIVE

2008-10-06T21:00:00.010-04:00

SO SUBVERSIVE

CATOR SPARKS INTERVIEWS JUSTIN GIUNTA IN HIS MANHATTAN HOME
PHOTOGRAPHED BY TREVOR TONDRO

We all know the baroque and bling-ridden pieces that have shot Justin Giunta into
accessories stardom and created copycats galore. But this Renaissance man has a
lot more under his sleeve than baubles, bangles and a devil may care attitude.
His home is an exotic landscape of his own massive paintings and jewelry scattered
about but also full of eccentric finds he has picked up on his travels around the world.

Recently I sat Justin down (which is harder than you can imagine) and dug deeper into
the id of Mr. Giunta. Learning more about the man, his love of art and his obsession with four-horned goats.

Cator: I know jewelry wasn’t aways what you had in mind for a career. You are an artist at heart right?

Justin: Yes. I went to school at Pratt in 1997 on a full scholarship for art.
Then I gave that up and headed to Carnegie Mellon on another scholarship citing
a lack of stimulation! I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts and a Minor
in Critical Theory. For my senior year I headed across the pond to the Gerrit
Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam where I studied Textile Design and Painting.

Why Textile Design in Amsterdam?

A large part of my work at Carnegie Mellon was melding painting with fashion
and making my artwork into clothing. So I went over to learn more about patternmaking
and textile design while also honing in on my love of Dutch still life painting.

And when you graduated?

I came back to New York City and couldn’t get a job to save my life! Everyone thought
I would get bored too quickly. They were right! I started making t-shirts and chandeliers
to get by. I was just a boy from Pittsburgh with a suitcase and a dream…

Well when you’re from Pittsburgh you have to do something.

Ha ha. Yes, Mame said it best.

Your apartment is steeped in old world charm. Tin ceilings, brick fireplace, and
great hardwood floors. Do you know the history of the building?

Well I do now that someone posted a photocopy of the history of this building in my hallway.
Thanks Landlord. It was George Gershwin’s office. Built in 1840 in what was then

Tin Pan Alley. Now it’s the Flower District as well as the knock off jewelry district.
I now have the honor of seeing my previous seasons work recreated in plastic in
the wholesale shop three doors down from my house.

Tell us about your artwork? These massive floral
pieces rock.

The florals are a marriage of Dutch baroque made with contemporary art materials including
office supplies such as white out, carbon paper, Sharpies, highlighters and other things of questionable
archival integrity.

I notice lots of portraits. Friends?

Yes, sometimes when I am in the mood its fun. I have friends over all the time and since
I can never sit still it’s fun to do while catching up. It’s always a challenge but people are usually
up for it. One skill I have developed is to draw anything inanimate but to do a portrait with someone
staring at you is sometimes an uphill battle.

Do you have a gallery now?

For four years I showed once a year at a gallery in Paris and Pennsylvania. But I don’t have a
gallery now. At the moment my focus is on jewelry but my passion is painting. I need a
gallery since I have too many pieces in my house! I do sell a fair amount by word of mouth
and from what people see in my home and studio. Any takers?

How did you get into the chandeliers?

A moment of divine inspiration! Also I have a serious love of opulence and decadence.
The construction light cages struck a chord for me and enhancing them with old chandelier crystals
or Swarovski pieces is like looking backwards into art history and paralleling it to being part
of modern art. Recently I have been commissioned to do one offs one for Lauren Santo Domingo
and for Kelly Wearstler.

What’s up with the lampshades in the fireplace?

They stem from another moment of making nothing into
something. While working as a painter doing some faux finishing in a condo at the Dakota
I ended up rummaging through the trash and found a six foot tall Chanel box and a pile of
old lampshades. While the decision was hard I took home the shades and left the Chanel
box for the next dumpster diver. The different shapes sizes and textiles make an excellent
floor light that oscillates between cabaret lighting and a landing strip.

And tell us a bit about the German hunting lodge theme on your wall of stag horns and taxidermied animals?

All gifts from friends and family! I’m an Aries and a goat in the Chinese zodiac so I have
always had an affinity towards an animal with built in defenses. Hence my love of the horn.

So people see an old skull or dead animal and think of you? Charming.

I have become ‘the bone collector’. I get arm bones from Egypt, jaws from God knows where and antlers
from my brother. All I want is a full set from a four-horned goat. I saw one on a recent trip to a ranch in
Texas and have been dreaming of mounting one on my wall ever since.

Any favorites?

My godfather shot the birds so they are family mementos.
Also my friend Stefan painted the one skull referencing an old Austrian tradition where
graves would be dug up as a town grew and needed more space so they would save the
skulls and paint laurels and the persons name on them.

I notice you don’t have a TV. What do you do to unwind?

What’s unwind?! I rarely sleep. But when I do have time on my own I like to paint.
I also take classes at Parsons for etching. I loved Albert Durer’s and Goya’s etchings so I
thought, why not me? I always enjoy learning.

What is on Justin’s iPod at the moment?

My musical tastes are as diverse as Mos Def to Patsy Cline with The Kills in between.

You’re home is such a den of warmth and coziness every time I stop by. As much as people see you
out at social and fashion functions are you more of a homebody?

Absolutely. My home is my bunker. I entertain at home as much as possible.

And by the way what is that scent that is always
wafting through the air? Besides cigarettes!

The now cancelled Diptyque Cyprus that I adore. It smells like pot without even lighting up.
But I guess it’s cheaper to go to Italy and smell it for free than buy all those candles...

And you are quite the cook. How did that come about?

It’s a part of who I am. A tradition passed on from my Mama. My brothers and I are all very competent
in the kitchen. The love of food is from our Italian heritage but my mother’s knowledge of cooking really
instilled it in us.

Favorite dish?

Soup.

THE VIRGINS!

2008-10-02T23:59:00.009-04:00

Rich Girls Video

LIKE A VIRGIN

Rarely do you meet a real New Yorker, never mind four of them in the same room. Or rather three, but Erik Ratensperger has, by association, received an honorary membership. By all accounts these veteran New Yorkers are not what one would call “Virgins.”

With an underground following comparable to that of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground, these guys are the ultimate urban success story. Spurred on by the creative elite, The Virgins are the brainchild of Donald Cummings and Wade Oates. Cummings and Oates met on a photo shoot for Ryan McGinley, who became a large influence on the band. With Nick Zarin Ackerman on bass, and Ratensperger on drums, the Virgins came alive. One of their first bookings was supporting Patti Smith at an Agnes b. concert in Paris.

The Virgins have a sound that trills with the rhythms of old New York. We’re talking about the city the way it was before the glassy towers went up and a Starbucks opened on the Lower East Side. These boys would not be out of place on the set of Uli Edel’s Christiane F, Mary Ellen Mark’s Streetwise, Larry Clark’s Kids, or more simply, the 2008 version: The Virgins.

They are the sound of their generation, pouring out vocals about their antics on the streets, drug binges and sexual activity. With New York as their backdrop, they have the city on lockdown, and are set to do the same all over the world.

-ANITA BITTON

HOT NEW BOOK

2008-10-02T23:53:00.001-04:00

HANGIN' TOUGH

2008-10-02T09:27:00.003-04:00

YSL

2008-10-01T19:23:00.004-04:00

FINE AND DANDY

Stefano Pilati is upholding the YSL legacy – and looking good doing it.

The occasion of an Yves Saint Laurent show in the fashion world has always been, to put it mildly, something of a big deal. Witness the 275-plus-look retrospective staged at the Pompidou Centre in 2002 for Saint Laurent’s last show – complete with big screen viewing for the few thousand fans amassed outside – and you get an idea of the reverential fervor evoked by YSL. The spectacle has never been quite as grand again, of course, but the Spring 2009 womenswear show in Paris on October 2nd will be the first since Saint Laurent’s death, and thus, in its own right, something of a milestone.

Stefano Pilati, who designs both the men’s and women’s collections for YSL, is familiar with great expectations. He assumed the YSL mantle as a relative unknown, and his first outings for the house were met with the scrutiny befitting the work of a freshman who’d skipped straight to senior year. (Not to make light of Pilati’s prior experience, which included stints at Giorgio Armani, Miu Miu, and Prada after a quickly abandoned beginning in environmental design.) Pilati stayed cool to the criticism, thanks, in part, to seeing panned elements of his collections appear en masse on runways a season later (check your girlfriend’s closet for a tulip skirt and you’ll know who made it first). Such composure is admirable considering that in addition to the legacy of Saint Laurent to keep him up at night, Pilati also had an impressive list of contemporary forerunners to contend with: Hedi Slimane, Alber Elbaz, and Tom Ford all took on YSL – with varying degrees of success – before Pilati stepped in.

Nine seasons later, Pilati’s collections have gained confidence and earned praise. The qualities that make the designer himself such a regular on the boîte circuit and a hit in the art world are increasingly evident in his designs. For menswear this means translating the enviably louche refinement typical of his own outfits into a look as distinctive as that of the skinny-jean brigade Slimane commandeered at Dior Homme. Dapper, elegant, and probably in possession of a yacht, Pilati’s YSL homme would fit in at the Factory (an Ought version, of course), and like any good Warholian, is totally cool with androgyny.

Blurring the male/female divide may be easier for women to embrace as a fashion conceit, but Pilati’s brand of gender-bending is more liberating than emasculating. The proof is in the man himself: Does anyone look better accessorized by a naked (or clad, for that matter) Naomi Campbell? Not that we’ve seen. And while some designers’ personal attire veers toward costume – Karl’s lace gloves and snow white coif; Marc’s rippling biceps; Alber’s jaunty bowtie – Pilati’s signature look is just impeccably cool.

As Saint Laurent once gave women the option to dress up in a tux, Pilati is now giving men the opportunity to experience the best of womenswear. Fabrics associated with the fairer sex – silk gazar and organza, embellishments like gold beading – get face-time with biker jackets and just-so-slouchy suits. The back-buttoning tunics that fared so well in YSL’s Fall 2006 women’s collection showed up for men in Spring 2007 – an in-house import, if you will – and are reason enough for men to pay attention to what the women are wearing on the runway come October. You never know when that sheer tunic might make its way to your wardrobe.

It’s nice to know that the designer at the helm of a house traditionally skewed toward womenswear is keeping an eye out for what works for the boys. Women have been raiding men’s closets for decades, after all, so it seems only fair for the other halves to get in on the action. But if this whole androgyny argument has left you numb, keep in mind that another part of Pilati’s appeal is the utmost confidence he projects in his personal aesthetic. It may seem trivial to place so much import on the way a designer dresses, but when the world of fashion starts to resemble that of football – with designers traded among houses faster than pant lengths can drop – a definable individual style serves as a calling card for what a person is all about. Where Saint Laurent had his square specs, Pilati has his rakish scarf; that the two seem of a sort is no mistake. Of course, having signed a multi-year contract with the Gucci Group in 2007, Pilati need not be concerned with the fickleness of parent companies; still, its unlikely he’ll suddenly go lax in the after-hours or on-the-job dressing departments. And neither should you.

-Alison Baenen

SKY'S THE LIMIT!

2008-09-24T19:09:00.009-04:00

LAUNCH PARTY

2008-09-22T20:34:00.004-04:00

HEAVEN!

2008-09-17T21:41:00.012-04:00

WILL LEWIS WEARS THAKOON JACKET, TIM HAMILTON SHIRT.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DEREK KETTELA
FASHION EDITOR MATTHEW EDELSTEIN
STYLIST THAKOON PANICHGUL

COME AS YOU ARE

2008-09-14T20:08:00.016-04:00

+++

DEREK KETTELA - PHOTOGRAPHER - CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Derek Kettela was born in Toronto Canada. Derek is an avid skateboarder and snowboarder,
which led him to photography of action sports. While living in Vancouver from 1997 to 2002
he worked as a senior contributing photographer for Transworld Snowboarding magazine,
traveling to Japan, New Zealand, Chile, and Europe in the process.

In 2003, Derek reloctated to New York City and changed his focus to fashion photography.
Derek’s photos have been published editorially in Wonderland, Own Magazine, Preen,
Chinese Harper’s Bazaar, Italian Glamour, as well as the British and Japanese editions of GQ.
Derek is currently based in New York City.

http://www.derekkettela.com

THAKOON PANICHGUL - FASHION DESIGNER - CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Born in Thailand, raised in Omaha and now New York-based, Panichgul has a talent
for blending distinctly different influences into his work, imparting a feminine spirit
into a youthful, sporty line.

After graduating from Boston University with a business degree, Panichgul moved to New York.
Most recently, Panichgul spent four years as a writer and editor for Harper’s Bazaar,
where he chased after style news, traced trends and developed fashion stories. While there,
Panichgul realized that his ideas were often influenced by his designer’s point of view, and
eventually he decided to move away from journalism and back to design, and this
led him to enroll at Parsons School of Design.

In September 2004, after many years of training, Thakoon presented his first ready-to-wear collection,
quickly becoming a favorite of editors, stylists and celebrities. He created a unique niche, showing a
collection of beautifully crafted, feminine designs which are as romantic and sensual as they are
modern and innovative.

http://www.thakoon.com

SEAN'S DAY AT DISNEYLAND

2008-09-10T14:22:00.016-04:00

SHADOWPLAY

2008-09-07T18:39:00.020-04:00

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: SEPTEMBER 2008

2008-09-01T01:00:00.007-04:00

TYLER RIGGS WEARS A DOLCE & GABBANA SUIT
AND SHIRT. VINTAGE DIOR HOMME TIE.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHARIF HAMZA
FASHION EDITOR: MATTHEW EDELSTEIN

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

2008-09-01T00:45:00.010-04:00

TENDER IS THE NIGHT

2008-09-01T00:25:00.011-04:00

Tender Is The Night

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

GUYS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

2008-09-01T00:24:00.010-04:00

GUYS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN:
KANYE WEST ROCKS THE FASHION BOAT

On a tepid, clear night in Paris this June, fashion editors climbed the cold stone steps of a
city high school and filed into seats perched high above the building’s center courtyard.

Below, giant block letters covered the ground in a formation reminiscent of the opening credit crawl
in Star Wars. And although the words spelled out the Leonard Cohen quote, “There is a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in,” you sensed you were about to be taken to a world that was at once far,
far away and right here in the City of Light.

The show was, of course, Raf Simons’ thrilling spring opus—a compelling display of precision
tailoring and intricate materials. The collection’s sleeveless jackets and slim black shorts challenged
ideas about proportion and dress and captured all that is great about men’s fashion right now.

The show electrified the crowd, which in addition to the circuit’s regular observers, included fashion’s
new cover boy Kanye West, in town not for some press opp or as the result of a post-concert drive-by,
but because he was genuinely interested in what was going on and wasn’t ashamed to show it.

Following the show, West, in what had to be a reversal of roles for the music mogul, made his
way backstage to congratulate Simons. Seeing him there—curious, excited and eager to talk about
clothes—only confirmed what many inside of fashion understand about the world outside of fashion—
it’s as relevant as art or film, and more and more men want to discover more and more about it.

West, who also sat front row at Junya Watanabe, Louis Vuitton and lead a standing ovation at Lanvin,
is an interesting case study.

He loves fashion, really loves fashion because he intimately understands that clothes are more than
just covering, more than just something you put on. He understands they’re a reflection of the person,
and of culture at large. At their loftiest, West knows, clothes are transformative, and at their most basic,
he knows they’re just fun.

If you think West is alone, you’re wrong. More men—and not just the ones the industry likes to
pigeonhole as fashion enthusiasts—are openly embracing fashion. A recent article in the trade
publication DNR reported than men’s wear sales at retail continue to outpace those of women’s.
As Simons and West showed this summer the future of men’s fashion is now.

-Contributing Editor

I'M BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT

2008-09-01T00:21:00.009-04:00

TO VIEW THE ENTIRE STORY PLEASE CLICK THE ARROW IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE BOX BELOW.

CYCOVISION

2008-09-01T00:20:00.006-04:00

TO VIEW THE ENTIRE STORY PLEASE CLICK THE ARROW IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE BOX BELOW.

EVERY DAY IS LIKE SUNDAY

2008-09-01T00:19:00.004-04:00

TO VIEW THE ENTIRE STORY PLEASE CLICK THE ARROW
IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE BOX BELOW.

TIM IN A BOTTLE

2008-09-01T00:18:00.009-04:00

M3MB3R5ON1Y from Contributing Editor on Vimeo.