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John Fleuvog has long been a go-to shop for men and women who expect their footwear to be distinct, fun, and quirky. The designs are whimsical yet classically cool, and each is expertly constructed. The company’s tagline, Unique Shoes for Unique Souls, isn’t just a clever play on words, it’s a style truism: from wingtips to high-top sneakers, the signature designs add a fanciful flourish to any wardrobe, and to the wearer. Few companies can call their offerings art, but Fleuvog has as great a claim to the title as any brand in the market.
My current favorite Fleuvog creation? The Prince George Boot, from Fleuvog’s ‘Signatures’ collection. I picked up the style a few months back and since then it has me walking proud, and walking tall. Or, rather, taller: the style’s most dramatic element is its sturdy, four-inch yes-its-from-the-men’s-section heel. Matte black, butter-soft German leather is punctuated by design details like contrast stitching at the sole, and extra long laces, which are meant to be wrapped around the ankle. It’s perfect for the androgynous-minded fashionisto [calling Andrej!], looking for a refined alternative to the military boots that have flooded the market. And it’s an alternative Boston men are quickly snapping up: a Sales Associate at the Newbury Street boutique admitted she was surprised at how quickly the style has sold in our traditionally traditional town.
The Prince George clocks in at around $389. For that price–less than $100 per added inch of height–I’d recommend you get a pair while you still can.
GET IT HERE.
“Marc Jacobs International is known for its commitment to charity in the communities in which it operates…” From an interview I did last Spring with Marc Jacobs International President & Cofounder Robert Duffy. Yeah, I just quoted myself. Isn’t that cool? NAWT…
What is cool, however, is that Marc Jacobs has started a special promotion to support one of Boston’s greatest cultural institutions, the Boston Ballet. In all seriousness, two programs from last year’s season at the Boston Ballet had me in tears, and, as you’ve probably surmised from reading my misanthropic tomes, I don’t much fancy crying. The dancers and the repertoire are really just that good. James Whiteside + Lia Cirio = OTHERWORDLY AND BREATHTAKING AND OMGWHATAMIWATCHINGTHISCAN’TBEREAL AND WAAAATAMICRYINGDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOU. And of course we all already know that Marc is dope.
Want to do your part? Marc Jacobs is making it easy-peasy for you. Through December 31st, all you have to do is:
1) Go see the Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker because a) it’s incredible and b) this is the last year the ballet will perform the now decade-running production. It will be revamped next year.
2) Keep your ticket stubs.
3) Take said ticket stubs to Marc Jacobs at 81 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.
4) Be super proud of yourself because…
Marc Jacobs is donating a crisp dollar bill to the Boston Ballet for every ticket stub submitted. Basically, you enrich yourself by seeing the Ballet (Hi, you’re a cultural noob, get on it) and then, without doing anything except exercising your way to MJ, you support the Ballet alongside, you know, Marc Jacobs and his crew of übercool, acid-washed-denim-wearing, tattoo-having, always-smiling-because-they’re-cooler-than-you-but-still-somehow-unnervingly-nice cats. (I realize saying übercool cats = me not being cool at all. TOTALLY AWARE KTHX.)
If that weren’t enough, a submitted ticket stub means you’ll also be entered into a raffle that could result in you being $350 of Marc Jacobs richer. Which is like $1278931287312381237123 richer in regular dollars. OBVIOUSLY.
You read that right. So…. go do it. And STAT.
Call your boss, invent some elaborate excuse–cholera, for example–but whatever you have to do: TAKE TOMORROW OFF.
Daniela Corte, the inimitable Boston-based designer who is unimpeachably chic as she is talented, is celebrating the recent opening of her flagship boutique with… A SAMPLE SALE. Yes, you read that correctly. And don’t think I don’t know you’re drooling over there. Get a damn napkin, will ya?
Get your shopping gear on (read: easy-on-easy-off-clothes-and-shoes, and seamless underwear, as always): it’s game time! The sample sale will include feather-weight silk blouses in an array of prints and colors, Corte’s signature body-slimming silhouettes– a perfectly-cut pencil skirt, for example–, statement-making brocade capes, and streamlined evening gowns with make-’em-look-twice plunging necklines.
And though the recent onset of blistering cold may not exactly bring you back to the lazy haze of Summer, this sale is a damn good opportunity to snatch up some of Corte’s signature swimwear. If it’s good enough for Sports Illustrated (Corte was featured this year), it’s good enough for me.
Discounts as steep as 80% off original retail means prices will mostly hover in the $20 to $50 range.
Move aside, Forever 21 and H&M: snapping up your investment-worthy treasure finds at Daniela Corte Sample Sale is Smart Shopping 2.0.
DANIELA CORTE SAMPLE SALE
Friday, 12/9 – Sunday, 12/11
FRI & SAT| 11AM-7PM // SUN | Noon-5PM
211 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
P | (617) 608-4778
I don’t know about you, but I find numbers stiff, rigid, stuck in the interminable grasp of tradition, each digit signifying aging, death, and destruction. They make reading a clock an utter chore, droll forms leering back at you, forcing you to linger on how much time you just wasted. Ick.
So I searched for an alternative… a clock unlike all other clocks. I found just that in the above, a clever take on the age-old device, courtesy of the London-based Paula Collective.
Introduce yourself to the Solid Ho Clock, a time-telling device that employs shapes to do the job of numbers. The clock begins with a tetrahedron, and ends with a dodecahedron. This is for the geometrically minded, the artists, the unabashed aesthetes.
GET IT HERE.
“Not the next Ella or Sarah but the first Sophie Milman… she is one of a kind” — Los Angeles Times
Sophie Milman’s most-recent release, In the Moonlight, is a smoldering set of tunes, rich and enchanting, an incredible catalog of the versatility and restraint of Milman’s delivery. Her tone is pure silk, unraveling into some of the sweetest motifs I’ve heard in contemporary jazz in ages, all the while avoiding the pop clichés of which other, perhaps more famous, current jazz singers are often guilty.
Mostly, though, what sets Sophie apart from her contemporaries is that her singing is sincere. It isn’t simply saccharine, and the difference is evident. So Sorry, Milman’s cover of the rather delicious song made semi-famous by Feist, is hands down my favorite track from the record.
Curious yet? Milman comes to the Regattabar tonight for a performance that’s sure to be worth the trip, and then some. Details below.
SOPHIE MILMAN
November 16, 2011
Regattabar Boston
One Bennett Street
Cambridge, MA 02128
P | (617) 661-5000
7:30PM — $25
10:00PM — $22
Don’t miss Samson Gallery’s current show by Mark Cooper, titled “More is More”.
The exhibit is an apotheosis of decades of work, spanning every tangible medium imaginable. Walking in, the senses are hit as if by a freight train, each fragment of the work puncturing a different visceral moment of recognition. Cooper works with sculpture, paint, and paper primarily, but his antic shapes are maggots in doll’s clothes, playful yet completely and compellingly unsettling.
There is something grossly honest about this work, like the first time a child looks at you in earnest and asks why people have to die. The show runs through December 10th.
MARC COOPER
‘More is More’
Samson Gallery
450 Harrison Avenue / 29 Thayer Street
Boston, MA 02118
T | (617) 357-7177
This bracelet evokes a post-apocalyptic city licked by neon flames, that or the jewelry all the bombshells in Tron wanted to be wearing but couldn’t afford. The delicate form of the feathers offsets the futuristic angles and hard edges in the bracelet; thus creating a simple yet interesting contrast that could be worn day into night.
This cuff is a total conversation piece, and it could even function as a Rorschach test of sorts – if your new friend/suitor/business partner doesn’t see something exotic in the bracelet, they probably won’t be worth your precious time. Just saying.
GET IT HERE.
P.S. You should also check out the Noir blog…
On November 1st, as part of the DANCE/DRAW exhibition at the ICA in Boston, Paul Chan and William Forsythe will be speaking in conversation with ICA Chief Curator Helen Molesworth. The talk will explore the junction of performance and art, focusing on 21st century artists that have branched out from their specific medium. The DANCE/DRAW show, which opened October 7th, is an interesting mélange of works in and of itself. Here Molesworth is attempting to examine how the body leaves traces after movement, exploring performance, performance art, and more traditional physical arts, and how the interplay between these different dimensions of art has formed something a little more complex when one compares the corporeal verses the ethereal.
William Forsythe is a brilliant contemporary choreographer and dancer, known for being one of the first to re-envision classical ballet choreography, deconstructing said choreography’s structures and forms in extremely groundbreaking ways. He is also acutely engaged in other forms of art-making, particular performance and multimedia work.
Paul Chan is a contemporary art genius out of New York, and truly embraces the contemporary interdisciplinarity of art-making, working primarily in multimedia but never limiting himself to one medium. His work has been in many exhibitions worldwide, including solo exhibitions at the Serpentine Gallery in London and the New Museum in New York. He is represented by Greene Neftali gallery in Manhattan.
Find out more about the talk and exhibition at the ICA’s website.
Most bridge labels are lackluster, downmarket attempts at capitalizing on a brand’s recognition in the marketplace. McQ, the lower-priced label from Alexander McQueen, is anything but. One visit to the label’s tumblr and it’s clear: this line is every bit as artful as its much-pricier counterpart.
With the winter months fast-approaching, I’m in full advocating-for-heels-in-snow mode [for those who would inquire, I've moved my many pair of Beatle Boots to the front of my closet, all with two-inch lifts...].
First up, this McQ two-tone bootie. Sturdy heel, textured outsole and an incredible combination of black and rich brown polished calfskin. In short, it’s the kind of shoe wardrobe staple that can take you through the entire season.
GET IT HERE.
Diego Diaz Marin is a Spanish fashion photographer from Torre Del Mar in Malaga. That sentence alone made me swoon, but I’ll admit, much as I found these kaleidoscopic images utterly otherwordly, I was just as intrigued by the self-portrait of Mr. Marin on his site. Beauty begets beauty, it would seem.
His work is layered and evocative, almost cinematic. It’s the kind of work that is sometimes flawed in its technical delivery, but so full of spirit that mostly you don’t care. Purists may decry these geometric repetitions, but the effect cannot be denied. Looking glass, eat your heart out.
From Mr. Marin: “The shoot is entitled Gypsy Crisis, with Spanish model Fabiola Gomez, my personal muse. It is a story of an Andalusian girl, an elegant millionaire, who finds herself suffering from the current economic crisis in Spain. The focus was strong color and feeling. These kaleidoscopic images are meant to be disorienting but also beautiful.”
Discover his work for yourself. Beware, though, you may find hours slipping by before you know it…
[Photo: Erik Madigan Heck for Nomenus Quartlerly]
Mary Katrantzou is a London-based designer who has been making waves since her début runway collection for F/W 2009. The attention is due largely to the virtuosity of her printmaking, but it is also due to her evocative sense of silhouette and proportion, that variety of exaggerated shapes by and large restricted to the haute couturiers.
Such statement-making pieces have quickly become the darlings of both fashion editors and street-style-stars alike (Ms. Anna Dello Russo wore Katrantzou to Chanel’s F/W ’11 show, and has donned myriad other Katrantzou duds…). The editorials featuring her work (ranging from the quite obvious to the more surrealistic) often complement her maximalist tendencies rather than juxtapose them. Yes, I realize florals v. industrial spaces is hyperoverdone (in as much as it was parodied in The Devil Wears Prada), but there’s a sleekness to her silhouette that is at odds with the prints, and I don’t think that particular tension has been duly explored.
Opining aside, the pieces are, as singular expressions of an artistic spirit, beautiful beyond reason. Even better? Buying one such dress is a near-finite guarantee that you’ll never be caught wearing the same thing as some other woman, unless you keep the company of the aforementioned Ms. Anna Dello Russo. (Editor’s note: if you do, please call me, immediately. Let’s be friends. Kthx.)
In these times of watered-down designer collections pandering to the last dollar, how often can you really say that something you bought is unique and different?
This dress will do the trick quite nicely. An investment piece, for sure, but look at it this way: when you tire of wearing it, you can hang it on the wall. Art, meet Fashion. Fashion, meet Art.
GET IT HERE.
This Thursday and Friday Neiman Marcus Copley Place will host designer Christian Siriano for an intimate presentation of his Resort and S/S ’12 collections. One of fashion’s favorite wunderkinds, Siriano is as well known for his ebullient personality as he is for his jaw-dropping designs. So, yes, come for the fabulous frocks, but also come to get a chance to meet this charming personality.
From ultra-feminine silhouettes to his virtuosity of tailoring, the collections are not to be missed. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the Spring 2012 collection at NYFW, and, frankly, cannot wait to get to see these pieces up-close-and-personal.
Christian Siriano Presentation
& Personal Appearance
Thursday & Friday
October 13-14
10AM-4PM
Neiman Marcus
Couture Salon on Level Three
Copley Place
RSVP by phone to (617) 536-3660, ext. 2052
Griffin Museum of Photography
4 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116
4 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116
P | 857.239.9240
Photograph courtesy of Sarah Chang/Cliff Watts.
Sarah Chang is a virtuoso violinist of the highest order. She began playing at the age of four. At the age of nine, she made her soloist début with the New York Philharmonic. Since that time, she has enjoyed the rare success of both critical acclaim and lasting commercial relevance, captivating audiences and record listeners alike with her measured approach to music and its many mysteries.
This Sunday, October 16th, Ms. Chang comes to Boston for a performance at Symphony Hall, as part of the Celebrity Series of Boston. At the heart of Sunday’s program are two richly expressive, Romantic-era chamber works: the Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3 in d minor and the Franck Violin Sonata in A Major. Ms. Chang has performed these pieces the world over, and in her hands the sometimes-enigmatic motifs of each seem to unfurl, revealing unparalleled moments of musical transcendence. In short, this is a program you cannot afford to miss.
Sarah Chang, violin
Andrew von Oeyen, piano
Sunday, October 16, 3:00PM
Symphony Hall
Buy your tickets now.
Fuse and XFINITY have come together to give you a chance to win a full day and night of enjoyment in Boston! One lucky winner will win a pair of tickets to an event of their choice at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, a music prize pack including an MP3 player and headphones, a gift certificate for a night on the town and a pair of tickets to a local Boston museum or attraction! In short, it’s one of the few contests worth entering.
To enter, simply head here and fill out the quick registration form. This sweeps is only open to residents of Massachusetts and ends next Thursday, October 13th, so get on it now.
That meant NOW, kids.
The new video collaboration between filmmaker Harmony Korine and Proenza Schouler is a doozy. After the brilliant film Act Da Fool, which showcased Proenza Schouler’s Fall 2010 RTW collection, I was overwhelmed with anticipation for this year’s creative iteration, titled Snowballs. The video was premiered (quite fittingly) at Silencio, a club in Paris designed completely by David Lynch.
Observing Act Da Fool in juxtaposition with Snowballs, I would venture to say that if you give Korine an inch he is wont to take a mile.
The first film stirred up some controversy, with arguments focused on the misrepresentation of urban culture. One must realize that Korine’s whole oeuvre focuses on groups that often go unnoticed. His portraits of these individuals come from a completely different angle than we are generally used to, and therefore arouse distain and controversy among many critics.
With that introduction, lets delve into Snowballs – the most alien portrayal of fashion I’ve witnessed. The video’s protagonists are two young females decked out in selections from Proenza Schouler’s Fall 2011 RTW line, juxtaposed against an assortment of cheap store-bought ‘Indian’ headdresses, plastic bags as shoes, and other passing accoutrements as costume. Styled by Pop magazine’s Vanessa Reid, the pairings point to society’s nascent obsession with Native American cultures, and are rightly spliced with a heavy dose of the derelict.
The two protagonists move through this dystopian space in a puckish manner, dancing in backyard forts, and wandering down deserted Nashville streets, where manufactured homes dot the landscape to form a decidedly lackluster setting for gorgeous clothes. It’s an unsettling narrative, to say the least, wherein a nasally sing-song voiceover vaguely references issues of American Indian oppression.
As the film proceeds, it explores a decidedly Lynchian aura, causing an inexplicable feeling that forced me to the edge of my seat multiple times. The sets become blanketed in darkness, with characters losing layers of clothing as day turns to night. At one point a male character enters the narrative, ranting prophetically, as if possessed.
Snowballs does not have the same evocative, dreamlike qualities of Act Da Fool; you can’t let it take you away like a magic carpet. But Snowballs is effective in that it incites a strong curiosity: what is the true context of these clothes, and what is their origin in terms of influences? Proenza Schouler said they looked at many Native American textiles for inspiration, yet the wearers of the clothing are far removed from those influences. We are trained to critique the conceptual within art, the aesthetic within fashion, but the true beauty of Snowballs is that Korine invites us to do both, giving the fashion a space within which to live and breathe, and indirectly imbuing the clothes with a meaning beyond artifice.
