How To Have A Killer Halloween, According To A 9-Year-Old

October 29, 2014, 9:00 pm

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A few weeks before Halloween, we met a nine-year-old boy named Dashiell for ice cream and shakes. Except, underneath a rubber dusk mask and a NASA astronaut space suit, he didn't look like the sort you might see tearing up a playground. You know the one—in a pizza-stained dinosaur tee, covered in tanbark, looking askance.

Dashiell's kind of different. Redolent of Maurice Sendak's Max—precocious, imaginative, contemplative—he's also forthcoming with strangers, game to break out in unique dance moves like "The Dubble Bubble," and most interestingly: he adores fashion. We first read about him in the pages of W magazine (which was created in 1972, when Dashiell was oh, about 33 years deep in the womb). His mother, the style writer Francesca Castagnoli, had bylined a first-person narrative titled, "The Boy Who Cried, 'Chic!'" in which she describes her son's style as an "exuberant mix of Halloween costumes, sports gear, and dapper holiday formal attire." Does Dashiell fall asleep to bedtime stories like The Fashion Book? Like a lamb on its 100th jump. Were his eccentric tastes challenged when Bradon was cut from Season 12 of Project Runway? Indeed, but fashion, as adults know, is ruthless.

When we sat down to chat with Dash, he had pulled the duck mask over his head so he could suck down a Morgernstern's butterscotch milkshake. "I'm gonna get a brain freeze," he tells us, blowing out in short exhales and shaking his enviable nimbus of honey-tinged hair. (So enviable, in fact, that his mother once took a swatch to her hairdresser and asked for highlights to match.) He swings his Yeti-inspired, white faux fur boots, which make him feel like an eskimo... or a movie star. Innovation is at play, here, and this particular Halloween contender, thrown together with aplomb, will be the first of seven (Dashiell is currently on a mad hunt for a tweed suit and trench, a la Doctor Who).

As he talks, you get the feeling that every day is costume day; his imagination free-flowing into memories as varied as a trip to Costa Rica or a visit to Jeff Koons exhibit at the Guggenheim. But for those of us with only one excuse a year, here are the kid's tips for a killer Halloween.

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1. Go For Faux
"It's cool and fun. I feel happy. I look like a Wookiee or an eskimo, and feel like a movie star."

2. Dance!
"Dancing is always a way to feel happy. You should let your hands flop, then spin around. Your hands will feel disconnected, because you can’t move your wrists when you are spinning that fast and your fingers will feel like they are tingly and sparkly.”

3. Tap A Candy-Gathering Strategy
"Our trick-or-treating route is, first we go to small houses close together so we can get a lot of candy, then we got to big houses up on hills. Even though the hills are steep, we don’t get tired because we are doing it for a really good reason. The girls want go to the house that gives lip gloss, but I can’t wait to go to the house with the lady that gives books and toothbrushes."

4. Eat White Skittles
"The best candy is Skittles, because it makes me feel rainbow-y. My favorite Skittle is black. It’s super rare. No! My favorite Skittle is white. but it’s not the rarest. My mom says there are no white Skittles, but they are tons. You suck off the red or green or yellow and then it's white."

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'Not Too Hot, Just Wet, And Down The Front Of Their Shirt'

October 29, 2014, 9:00 pm

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Here at OC, we are struck by how often we end up in everyday conundrums. The ones that land you in the thick of semi (or full-blown) awkwardness, or maybe, the doghouse. 

So, we turned to Simon Collins, the dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons, who after six years in his plum perch, just announced plans to step down at the end of this year. Translation: More time to divulge lessons on how to behave nicely... even before your morning cuppa. 

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Q: Is "I haven't had my coffee yet" just an excuse to be an unbridled bitch?

Existentially speaking, one person’s "unbridled bitchiness" is another’s, "Darling, are we feeling special this morning?"

Don't try to tell me you haven't been both. We do all have our morning rituals and some are more rigid than others. There are some who rise in a gentle fashion, nibbling a delicate morsel, perusing the day’s news, not really up for contact before their morning cuppa, but not necessarily a problem child.

And then there are those who have a very strong point of view on early morning, pre-caffeine contact. My dearest friend would famously answer a ringing phone before 9:00 AM with the clearly enunciated line, "This had better be fucking good"—and that was long before the days of caller display.

Recently, I’ve noticed a cup with a public service announcement showing three levels:

1. SHHH
2. ALMOST
3. NOW YOU MAY SPEAK

Forewarned is forearmed perhaps, but is lack of caffeine an excuse for poor behavior? I am bound to say, no, it is not. Most of us don’t really have it in us to be unpleasant, whether your poison is present or not. So, next time you encounter someone behaving in a "special" way and citing lack of coffee as the excuse, you might try the vengeful flight attendant’s remedy. Not too hot, just wet, and down the front of their shirt.

Q: When are you too old to get dressed up for Halloween?

A girl kissed me when I was 12 years old, because she liked the way I was dressed. From that day on, I’ve tried my hardest to dress nicely at all times and Halloween is no exception. To answer the question—we are NEVER too old to get dressed up for Halloween. But equally, we are never too young to dress badly. My advice for a costume is always choose something that you might almost have worn under normal circumstances. If you’re going to be a vampire, then be the best looking vampire you can imagine (Gary Oldman comes to mind), not a twerp in ill-fitting dark clothes with plastic teeth. If you’re going to be a nurse (and there is nothing wrong with that) then be the hottest, coldest, chicest, cleanest nurse you can be. Not a personal ad reject.  Remember, brilliance only, in everything—always. 
Simon Collins

Mary J. Blige Heads To London For Her New Album

October 29, 2014, 9:00 pm

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What do you get when you mix Sam Smith, Disclosure, and the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul? One phenomenal new album from Mary J. Blige, of course. 

Last night at New York’s Soho House, Opening Ceremony screened a behind-the-scenes documentary for the acclaimed artist's forthcoming record, The London Sessions, followed by an intimate, in-person interview with the legend herself. The black-and-white film follows Blige into the studio and unfolds as she experiments with new territory, a.k.a. the London Music Scene. We watch her link up with rising international artists like Eg White and Naughty Boy, sit down for a poignant conversation with Amy Winehouse's father, Mitchell, and expound on what makes London special. (For inquiring minds, that would be "freedom.")

The multi-platinum, nine-time Grammy award winner has worked with established hip-hop music moguls like P. Diddy and Dr. Dre, but for this particular album, her 13th to date, she chose to work with distinctively younger producers with an ear for house and electronic music—the likes of MJ Cole, Disclosure, and Sam Smith. Completed in a span of just twenty days, Blige describes the resulting tracklist as "fun, therapeutic, and soulful. This is a beautiful change for me and I'm proud of what we have done here." 

Veering away from past R&B hits like "Not Gon' Cry," "I’m Goin' Down," and "No More Drama," the initial spark for this particular album came when Mary lent her voice to the dance/electronic remix track, "Right Now," produced by Disclosure and co-written by Sam Smith. From there, she decided she would do an EP with the duo. Now a full album produced by Capitol Records, the twelve tracks are ones that, as Smith describes, “Make you want to dance and cry." Just take a listen to lead single "Therapy," a soulful, Doo-wop beat co-written by Smith. 

The London Sessions also marks the first time Blige, now 43, has ever recorded live in a studio with a band. “It’s Mary to the core,” she proclaims in the documentary. “Mary J. Blige is a book in itself. The evolution of Mary J. Blige.” We’d say that by the looks (and sounds) of it, we’ve only had the pleasure of experiencing the first few chapters, and there are plenty more to come. 

The London Sessions will be out on Capitol Records, December 2

 

Mary J. Blige's new documentary The London Sessions follows the R&B titan as she records her new album, out December 2. Photo courtesy of Alex Lake

Happy Halloween! XO, OC

October 30, 2014, 9:00 pm

≫ Next: Elizabeth Ammerman In Tokyo

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From all of us as Opening Ceremony, wishing you a ghoulish, ghastly night. If you're going to be eating candy, read this first. In case you're still on the hunt for a costume idea, here are thirteen. If you want to know how to party like a kid again, let this little dude school you. And if you must, must be a sexy nurse (or witch), Simon says, "be the hottest, coldest, chicest, cleanest nurse you can be." Graphic by Lauren Rolwing 

Elizabeth Ammerman In Tokyo

October 30, 2014, 9:00 pm

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In Straight Trippin', OC friends and family share tidbits from their latest travels. This time, Ammerman Schlösberg designer Elizabeth Ammerman heads to Tokyo, Japan, home of the Lolita culture that serves as her brand's inspiration.

Name: Elizabeth Ammerman
Occupation: Designer
Travel Destination: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka
Carry-on Necessities: B&O PLAY headphones—for 15 hours of an in-flight movie fest! And snacks to replace the dark and mysterious plane food.
Most over-played track on iPhone/iPod this trip: I actually didn't listen to any music. There's so much background stimulus in Japan; I was excited to hear new things. However, in each city I visited, I heard Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" at least once. The first time was at the Robot bar in Shinjuku, where a performer wearing a rhinestone-covered bra and hot shorts sang with an accompanying saxophone and piano in a brightly-lit, mirrored, crystal-covered room. The second time was in a dimly lit empty hotel bar in Kyoto—a girl covered it on the piano. After, she sat with the only other patron in the bar, a lone older Japanese business man, who bought them a bottle of whiskey.
Favorite outfit to travel in: My vintage Obituary T-shirt, Ammerman Schlösberg Christmas plaid mini skirt, Comme des Garçons hoodie tied around my waist, my CDG pleather box bag, a leather choker I found in Harajuku from Hell Cat Punk, and my giant rhinestone Prada sunglasses
Highlight of your trip: In Tokyo, shopping with my friend Nina in Harajuku and short-circuiting my brain from drinking with her, my friend Eri, and my boyfriend in Shinjuku at a random tiny tree house bar along the Golden Gai strip. In Kyoto, eating at Yamashita—a restaurant my friend Mei recommended. We ate a fried full body slice of fish (crunchy bones included), the best fatty tuna sashimi I've ever had, and sat in front of an aquarium of Japanese river trout, which throughout the night were caught and made into beautiful grilled skewers. In Osaka, the highlight was walking through Tobita Shinchi, the red-light district, to get to a preserved 1920s brothel turned restaurant, Taiyoshi Hyakuban, where we had seafood and vegetable hot pot in our own private dining room/former brothel bedroom.
Souvenirs you brought back: Cosplay school girl uniforms, Lolita socks, shoes, and jewelry, a hentai magazine, and a multitude of random anime supplies for all of my friends

Shop all Ammerman Schlösberg here.In Akihabara, my boyfriend and I went to a maid café, where we chanted cute spells over our food, got a polaroid with our favorite maid, and a license of our new master or princess titles... My favorite gothic Lolita brand Metamorphose Temps de Fille’s store in Osaka. Its newest collection is called "Magical Starry Sky," which has occult sigils fashioned into the cutest and sweetest Lolita prints and accessories. Handmade Maiko okobo in Kyoto. Image outside of a Purikura (photo booth) in Kyoto. I did two of them, but the stickers and

New Drop: Adidas Originals by Pharrell Williams

October 30, 2014, 9:00 pm

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Pharrell (a seven-time Grammy Award-winner-turned fashion entrepreneur) + adidas Originals (the global sportswear leviathan) = a grand slam collaboration.

Fresh off the music mogul's first successful collaboration with the Three Stripes back in September, the two have tag-teamed again to release adidas Originals by Pharrell Williams, a highly anticipated, six-piece "Tennis Pack" collection, on sale today. The sophomore collection is a direct tribute to the origins of the popular Stan Smith shoe—a reissue done in a USTA-approved, tennis ball-like felt and rendered in three flourescent colorways—green, orange, and white. 

As a double whammy, Pharrell has rounded out the collection with satin adidas Superstar track jackets to match, with each one featuring two stripes instead of the three. The campaign, shot by OC friend Ryan McGinley, highlights the importance of unity and racial and gender acceptance by turning youth into a collective equal sign. You've got to love a collection that represents everyone, especially those who get happy in a solid sneaker. 

Shop all adidas Originals by Pharrell Williams hereadidas Originals by Pharrell Williams PW Stan Smith TNS in green PW Stan Smith TNS in green Track Jacket PW TEN in green PW Stan Smith TNS in white Track Jacket PW TEN in white

These Trippy Murals Are Made Of Painter's Tape

October 30, 2014, 9:00 pm

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When LA-based artist Gustavo Fuentes received a Facebook invitation to a friend’s Halloween party, his first thought wasn’t about what he’d wear—rather, the occasion seemed a fitting opportunity to mount one of his murals: hypnotic, rave-appropriate graphics made from cerulean painter’s tape. The artist, who’s still months away from his 21st birthday, is regularly asked to create work for his pal’s bedrooms, living rooms, and windows; the striped Halloween piece is just one of his most recent realized commissions. In his art, Fuentes improvises his symmetrical, zigzagging forms with uncanny precision; he doesn’t measure anything. “It’s hard for me to explain my love for dimensions and distances,” he says. “It’s just something I’ve always been into.”

Fuentes, who goes by the tag Flëkz (the name of his World of Warcraft avatar), prefers to make work in downtown LA’s abandoned alleyways or around the LA River, where the buildings’ white concrete walls make his medium pop. Once he chooses a site, he’ll graph the wall, as one might on graphing paper in an algebra class, in his mind. Then, after determining how big the piece will be, he gets started, using his last work as a blueprint, as each work builds upon the last. “It’s like sketching on paper,” Fuentes says. “I have no idea how it is going to turn out.”

Each piece, which takes up to 14 hours to complete, usually lasts a week before it’s taken down by the city’s graffiti removal crew. What’s the point of making work with such a short lifespan? “I just like to do it. I am not that attached to my work—I can take a photo and preserve it,” he says (his Instagram, tumblr, and Facebook pages are striking shrines for murals long destroyed). His work takes cues from Art Deco, LA architecture (favorites include the Westin Hotel and the Walt Disney Concert Hall), and a fondness for electronic music: outfits like Daft Punk, Crystal Castles, Daedalus, and Gorillaz provide the soundtrack as he works.

Born in El Salvador, Fuentes moved to Santa Monica when he was two, and later, to the San Fernando Valley. He had a penchant for running away from home to explore the city’s streets, and claims to know every one by heart. “I didn’t have much education toward art,” he says, crediting the 2010 film Exit Through the Gift Shop for piquing his interest in street art. After studying and attempting to replicate Banksy’s work, Fuentes soon discovered he could use tape to fix mistakes or tears in his stencils, and began using tape as a stencil itself. Two years later, after seeing the game-changing exhibition Art in the Street at the Museum of Contemporary Art, he applied for the institution’s Young Artist Program and was accepted a few weeks later. Fuentes spent a year apprenticing famed street artist Retna (known for his script-like hieroglyphics and dark, angelic portraits), who mentored the budding artist and solidified his desire to pursue mural-making.

On November 8, Fuentes will be featured in a group show at LA gallery 11:11 A Creative Collective called Beats and Pieces, where he’ll create a massive 20-foot-wide mural on-site for the exhibition. Other gigs are trickling in, but Fuentes’ main priority is to complete his degree (he wants to be an art dealer) and perfect his craft. “In LA, everyone has a yoga or meditation practice to manage their stress,” he says. “For me, it’s my art.”

Remembering David Armstrong, Through Pictures

October 30, 2014, 9:00 pm

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This week, the world lost a wonderful person, and on top of that, a wonderful photographer. The Opening Ceremony family wanted to remember a special moment we shared with David Armstrong back in 2010, when he captured an intimate group of sitters for Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony: Reds, shot on location at his townhouse in Brooklyn. What resulted was a stunning showcase of romantic, contemplative portraits—David's forte—which friend Ryan McGinley once likened to Vermeer, with this sense of breathtaking "desire and despair." David will be missed, but the world is left with beautiful memories, and of course, photographs. R.I.P.




Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony: Reds. Photographs by David Armstrong 

Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony: Reds
Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony: Reds
Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony: Reds
Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony: Reds
Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony: Reds
Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony: Reds
Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony: Reds 

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OC Street Style, The Halloween Edition

October 30, 2014, 9:00 pm

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In Opening Ceremony's book, the line between fantastic costume and fantastic outfit is a thin one. Some of the most treasured pieces in our closets end up coming out on Halloween—and we’ll be the first to admit that tons of items originally bought for October 31 end up becoming year-round staples. Which is why our annual staff Halloween shoot is so much fun. Since 2010, we've rallied up the creative minds in our stores and offices to whip up costumes you'll want to wear all day, all night, the morning after, and through the year (okay, perhaps not continuously). Scroll through to view 'em all, and see past years' get-ups here, here, here, here, and here.
A composite of this year's Halloween shots. Photographs by Justin Borberly  Barrington as The Pink Panther: "I basically am the Pink Panther: chic and swift." Tigran Avetisyan Aged Flannel Long Shirt in pink, Julien David Stretch Cotton Chino Pants (available in stores), Hood By Air Centaur Low-Top Leather Boots in white Shay, Kelsey, Ava, and Christina as The Cast Of The Craft: "I'm feeling bitchy." —Shay "I'm feeling witchy." —Kelsey "Zana Bayne is perfect for Halloween." —Ava "Kenzo skirts this season are a Catholic schoolgirl's dream." —Christina. From left: Christopher Kane Light Wool Pointy Hem Coat (available in stores), T by Alexander Wang Classic Pocket Tee (available in stores), Carven Angled Zipper Buckle Skirt (available in stores), Kenzo Derby Chunky Sole Oxfords in black, Acne Leia Poplin Long Sleeve Shirt in white, Kenzo Neon Plaid Brushed Wool Wrap Skirt in navy, Robert Clergerie Elbie Mid High Contrast Sole Boots in black/orange, Comme des Garçons Shirt Girl Ro

Celebrating Love, Through Marriage And Macabre

October 30, 2014, 9:00 pm

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Let us tell you a story on All Hallows Eve 
Hide your children, not your loved ones, 
This one is hard to believe... 

Shortly after the sweet engagement of artist Silvia Prada and musician Kim Ann Foxman, came the frightful question of what to wear to the wedding. Never ones to adhere to any traditional gender roles, the ultra-modern couple solved the age-old dilemma by shrieking, in unison, "A Halloween Wedding!" 

 

And so it was. Over the course of a weekend, Kim Ann & Silvia's Kooky Spooky Wedding gathered friends and loved ones deep New York's Hudson Valley (geographically robbing us of any phone service), setting us loose in the eerie, beautiful town of Phoenicia. 

 

Activities were wild and macabre. While some of us hunted for the best pumpkins to carve, other thrill seekers went for haunted hayrides. We were left to our own devices (or lack thereof) until the Wiccan-like ceremony of Prada-Foxman commenced.
 

As the sun crept down the valley, we circled around the fire pit and a hush fell over the procession as a soulful song rendition of Terence Trent D'arby's "Sign Your Name," was performed by Shaun J. Wright, Kim Ann's former bandmate in Hercules & Love Affair. As the sky went dark, a seductive figure in cape and mask emerged from the woods. This was Sayi, Silvia's childhood friend from Barcelona, who on this night, also served as the minister to officiate the highly anticipated marriage. 

 

Amongst the witnesses, there was wedding attire of a Hawaiian breakfast (Spam, eggs, and bacon), giving Kim Ann some comfort of home, along with a donkey (her nickname). The bride herself wore happy tears, as a clown who finally won her prize. As for Barcelona-bred Silvia, well, she led a whole tribe of gothic Spaniards in all-black morbid attire. 

 

Of course, the celebration was anything but morbid. It was perfection for these two, who abide by the dark and lovely. As Kim Ann voiced to Silvia in her vow, "I love how you always turn left, when I tell you to turn right." Love, pure and true, has no rules, and neither did this wedding. 


For more of the Kooky Spooky Wedding, take a peek inside the slideshow above
 

The lovely couple, Silvia Prada and Kim Ann Foxman. Photos by Camilo Fuentealba

Kim Ann's Hawaii crew, including the writer as Spam 

Christelle DeCastro as Batman, with a side of Bacon  

The Pre-Fix At Congress

October 16, 2014, 9:00 pm

≫ Next: New Horoscopes: Why November Brings More Bliss Than Just Food Coma

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This summer, OC got you Tipsy and Tan. Now, we're just getting you tipsy. Meet Fridays at Five, our cocktail series where mixologists at New York City’s white-hot new restaurants create OC-exclusive drinks for our readers. Drinking on the job? Don't mind if we do...

In sports bar and beer-laden Cobble Hill, candlelit Congress is the cocktail oasis the neighborhood needed. Opened in December 2013 by co-owners Lauren Weisstein and Toli Dubinsky (of Franklin Park and Soda Bar), the minimalist watering hole has proved to be a worthy date night staple. If the date is a bum, the drinks make up for it. If the date goes well, intimate tables in the back nook practically call for clandestine canoodling. And, it wouldn’t be Brooklyn without a turntable, on which customers can spin their own records during off-hours.
 

As for tipples, choose from eight rotating beers on tap, or one of the seasonal cocktails: the Jim & Andy, perhaps, with rum, ginger, and blackberry, an homage to the produce market that inhabited the space before. Taking cues from such history, Weisstein and bartender Jessie Caron whipped up a fall cocktail worthy of apple-picking, pie-baking Brooklynites. The pumpkin butter meets bourbon “Pre-Fix” is practically Thanksgiving in a cup.
 

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Names: Jessie Caron

If this drink had a soundtrack, what would it be? "This is Love” by P J Harvey

Drink of choice: Whiskey or wine, depending on the mood. Whiskey straight. They call it the “coal miner” on New Girl. At the end of the night when people ask, “What’s special?” I say, “The coal miner.” What’s that? Any whiskey I decide to put in a glass for you.

Hangover cure: Sleeping with my Camelback. There are pictures of me in my bed with it.

Best date advice: Dating in New York? Duck and cover. A fair amount of people sit down and start talking about their exes, and I’m like, dude, no. 

Worst pick-up: Last night, a man came over almost behind the bar, and he just started asking me questions. I was like, “Hey can I get you a drink?” He goes, “Sure. What’s your boyfriend doing tonight?” I go, “He’s working.” He asked, “What’s his name?” I said, “Dylan.” “Ugh that’s way too cool to be made up.”

 

What not to do to your bartender: The worst you can do is ask if your bartender knows how to make a drink, or how good the drinks are. Like testing you. I hate waving, I hate snapping, don’t reach over the bar to try to touch us. We see you, we’ll get to you, and when it’s busy, be ready with an order.

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Exclusive Recipe: The Pre-Fix
OC Alcohol Scale*: 8 
“The Stag is 134 proof, so it’s a lot. If you haven’t eaten, put it at a 10.”

1⁄2 slice of grapefruit

10 fresh cranberries

1⁄2 oz. maple syrup, plus more for garnish

2 spoonfuls of pumpkin butter

1 1/2 oz. Stag bourbon

Dash of apple bitters

Maple syrup

Salt rim (kosher salt, pink Himalayan sea salt,

New Horoscopes: Why November Brings More Bliss Than Just Food Coma

October 31, 2014, 9:00 pm

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We're entering a new zone of the sky this month, and there's no turning back. Channel the energy of adventurous Sagittarius Taylor Swift who moved to the big city and temporarily gave up her country roots, and you too will be dazzled by the bright lights of the future. Saturn has been in Scorpio for two-and-a-half years, transforming something for each sign of the Zodiac. Now, you are ready to explore something new. Over the summer Saturn was retrograde, giving us a chance to stop and ponder whether the direction we had chosen was truly the appropriate course. From now until December 8, Saturn is rushing through the final degrees of Scorpio, and it won't explore this space for another 29 years. November is the last call: Make your final decisions and stick to them.

Shop all Astrology IRL here 

Plus, look out for our Cosmic Numbers series, where Morgan gives tips and predictions for specific calendar dates, all month long.

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(October 23 - November 22)

If Libra whispers, “I love,” and Aries proclaims, “I am,” then Scorpio says, “I desire,” and fuck the rest of the zodiac. In November, you’re getting what you want, or else. Venus, the love goddess, joins Saturn planet of control in Scorpio, helping you bring material form to your vision. The first days of November are powerful for manifestation: ask the universe for what you need, and you will be provided for. Mars and Pluto, your two ruling planets, are both in your third house of thoughts and communication, giving you power to state your intentions clearly. But, avoid being dogmatic and excessively willful in the way you communicate, because unnecessary conflict in your personal life could be the result. Saturn spends just about one more month in Scorpio, and when it shifts signs, you will be astonished by just how much you have accomplished over the past two-and-a-half years. Nothing will be the same.

 
(November 23 - December 22)

The lights ahead of you are bright, but they won’t blind you! Like famous Sagittarius Taylor Swift, who recently gave up her country roots and moved to the Big Apple, you’re feeling adventurous this month and you have a lot of new experiences to look forward to. While Mars was in Sagittarius last month, you received a taste of the fire energy that’s about to light up your life. When Saturn enters Sagittarius on December 8, it will form a supportive grand fire trine with Jupiter in Leo and Uranus in Aries, bringing expansive change to your existence. Abandon your fears and move toward the future; the shifts happening right now might seem drastic, but you are being led in a positive direction. Your energy levels will be exceptionally high all month long, so make sure you have a positive outlet for this energy in the form of a furious fitness routine. Exercise is exactly what you need to calm down and keep centered. Quite frankly, it should be illegal for a Sagittarius not to exercise on a daily basis!

(December 22 - January 19)

You’re feeling &l

Talking VHS And Gross Bananas With Artist Morgan Blair

November 2, 2014, 9:00 pm

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Banana meatloaf, a VHS of Pimps Up, Ho’s Down, and a good dose of Seinfeld—these are just a few of the items that provide daily inspiration for artist Morgan Blair’s work, which has recently been displayed in a solo show at The Ace Hotel and in mural form at Facebook’s new NYC office. A RISD illustration graduate and Massachusetts native, Blair carefully curates the best and most absurd cultural artifacts of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. As she showed us around her new home and studio in Ridgewood, we learned there is something romantic about her use of things past.

As a child, she mixed paint with sand, and would spend hours staring at the ladies in the grocery store airbrushing cakes. Both of these processes are present in her recent paintings today, along with her analog way of tracing designs onto canvases using an overhead projector. Lately, she's become obsessed with taking flip-phone photos of banana peels and gloves while biking around the city. These photos have abstractly made it into her compositions.

Her studio also shelters odd, discarded objects. There's the massive VHS collection, spanning over two walls, many of which never made it to the Internet let alone DVD. Blair even has a selection of strangers’ home wedding videos. 

But even with all this nostalgia, Blair manages to create work that feels very contemporary, with rich vibrating colors and tightly rendered abstract patterned compositions. Below, we dicsuss pastel color themes, Magic Eye books, and how she ended up titling a painting Thirteen Year Old Watches Too Much MTV, Faints Cutting Strawberries At Indian Head Farm, Berlin, MA, 1999.

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CECILIA SALAMA: When did you start collecting VHSes?
MORGAN BLAIR: My friend in high school worked at a video rental place and they’d sell the really terrible ones that no one wanted. So I took a few from that bin and I guess that’s how it all started. I go for dumb '80s and '90s movies and then anything that’s real weird.

Do you feel like the imagery from the '80s and '90s affects your work?
It’s kind of irresistible. Especially the pastel color schemes. Some of the graphic intros for these shows, like Saved by the Bell, they’re bananas! Crazy patterned shapes zooming past each other—every motif you can think of jammed into one intro. It’s inspiring.

Can you talk about your Seinfeld paintings? Why did you start doing them? Why did you choose oil over acrylic?
I started doing them because I felt stuck in my really tight and obsessive way of working. I wanted to loosen up and I think about Seinfeld a lot. I thought it would be funny to make earnest-looking oil paintings of stills from the show, characters, and scenes we've only seen in pixels with a laugh track. They’ve made it into my abstract paintings as well, where I try not to make them look like Seinfeld, but the shape of their hair styles always gives them away.

Do you have books that you draw inspiration from?
Most of my inspiration comes from VHSes. But I was really excited to get Be Bold with Bananas recently. The recipes and photos are absolutely insane.  I can’t believe what they thought was good in the '70s.

How do you choose your color palette?
It's different for each piece. I'll often pick the first color at random. I usually end up using three or four colors, and I like when they

How Do We Consume Cool?

November 2, 2014, 9:00 pm

≫ Next: Addie Wagenknecht: Cloud Queen, Drone Mistress

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What is cool? 

The way the word gets used in modern culture is vastly different than how Merriam Webster defines it. To me, it's about what we want, but ultimately can't have. It's the now, but already past its prime. It's the new and instantly famous. It's changing history a little bit and calling it our own. It's that warm fuzzy feeling, the gluten-free, fruit-punch-flavored hooch we're fed to make us feel like we belong to something bigger.

And it's ever evolving, just like us.

To only wear the motorcycle jacket of originality is good enough (for most). And, this brings up an important question: "Which came first? The motorcycle or the motorcycle jacket?" In the seventh grade, someone told me James Dean is cool. Another person insisted it was Kurt Cobain; another said it was River Phoenix. It's difficult to gauge what premise we were going off—except to say that all three wore the jacket and had some elusive quality. There's the idea of an untimely death, the idea of living fast and dying young.  

And then, like a six-alarm fire, coolness spreads and popularity is the thing. Growing up, to have a Nirvana poster taped in your bedroom was a symbol that you "got it," that you were kind of... cool. And let's not kid ourselves, being cool is very American, just like the stars and stripes. This all could be a form of brand loyalty.

As an artist, I've given a lot of thought on how we consume cool. If I had to choose a new-old American symbol based on aesthetics alone, it would probably be the insignia of the classic behemoth brand of Coca-Cola, which has been around since the late 19th century when it was originally intended as a patent medicine. And think about it—Americans have been consuming the drink in small and large doses as if it is, indeed, a medicine that they just gotta have. The Georgia-based company has become a constantly evolving brand that sees itself capturing the zeitgeist of not just one lifestyle, but every lifestyle.

Everyone has tried Coke, from politicians to gutter punks. It's a staple in being American, and ideally everyone wants to be American whether they like it or not. So, I've been distributing bumper stickers that read, "Consume Cool" in classic Coca-Cola font. It's more of an ongoing project that really started on the Internet, but found its way in real life. The actual concept for Consume Cool was to try and run with the big dogs in the idea of branding by using one of, if not the most popular, branding identities in the world. In these modern days, people aren't drawn to something that is interesting; they're drawn to something that is identifiable. And to get someone's attention, use what they already know and can relate to in a popular sense.

In the artwork here, I plastered the bumper sticker on a bong—as American as a frat party, as recognizable as a mumblecore indie flick, as cool as the next trend. 

Artwork by Gordon Holden 

Addie Wagenknecht: Cloud Queen, Drone Mistress

November 2, 2014, 9:00 pm

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A dark circuit­-board sculpture hangs at the entrance to bitforms gallery in the Lower East Side. It blinks erratically as it picks up surrounding WiFi signals. Inside, there’s a series of circuit­-board wall mounts sprouting hundreds of wires, tall abstract paintings in neon pigments painted by tamed drones and gold­-plated surveillance cameras aimed at each other.

Ridiculous, vibrant, playfully mysterious—Addie Wagenknecht has turned our society’s most ominous objects of technology into art tools and metaphors for her first New York solo show, Shellshock, open now through December 7.

The American, Austria­-based artist, is a member of the Free Art and Technology Lab (“F.A.T. Lab”) and a front runner in the open source hardware movement. For her previous projects, from the meme mash-ups in Pussy Drones to the baroque CCTV chandelier Asymmetric Love Number 2, Wagenknecht has tamed some of the more disturbing and controversial aspects of modern technology. In Webcam Venus, a collaborative piece with Pablo Garcia, Wagenknecht directed adult webcam performers to reenact classical paintings by Modigliani, Botticelli, and Schiele, challenging our contemporary notion of “mediated sex objects” by placing them in the narrative arc of art history. 

Shellshock plays on our collective real and fabricated anxieties toward technology in a post­-Snowden world. As we expect government surveillance and dread personal data leaks, we can find some comfort, reassurance, and levity in Wagenknecht’s body of work.

We spoke to the artist about the Cloud, privacy, and technological fluency as means of survival. 

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MARINA GALPERINA: Since 2007, your drone paintings have evolved from monochrome black to vibrant, from minimalist to Rothko-­esque. How have your materials and technique changed?
ADDIE WAGENKNECHT: With the newer pieces, I was interested in making a work that was interactive without using computers. The paintings behave more like traditional sculptures, but if you take a picture of one or change the light or the angle from which you are viewing one, the action presents the work in a new form.

In ­r­xr­xr­x, two gold-­leafed, closed-circuit surveillance cameras are staring at each other. They feel a little lonely—those two particular surveillance paths, so exclusive in their permissions to monitor society, and they’re left at looking at each other. How do you think surveillance culture is affecting us and the authority’s relationship with us? How are your current and previous projects subverting this authority?
It’s not even about relating to surveillance anymore or having a relationship with it; it is now becoming more about fluency and the navigation of technology as a means of survival. If you don’t have the fluency to modify or overwrite a system, it owns you.

The issue, which draws me back to technology recently in my creative works, is the gap between the literate and illiterate. Fluency in programming is becoming an important requirement to survive in a read­-only society, and it is not an immediately attainable standard. At the same time, privacy has become a luxury only for the initiated. In parallel terms, surveillance indirectly forms part of the larger system of exclusion, so we have to find ways to include all. The CCTV cams were really about making irresistible objects that hint a sort of romantic tragedy, a form of practical fiction.

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The Best Looks From Hello Kitty's 40th Birthday

November 2, 2014, 9:00 pm

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She's everywhere. She’s irresistibly cute and internationally recognized—an icon. Hello Kitty, a.k.a. Kitty White (a Scorpio), made her debut on a vinyl coin purse in 1974, and has since appeared on what seems like every possible consumer object, from airplanes to toasters to soap. In honor of her 40th anniversary, The Line Hotel in Los Angeles hosted a special event this past Saturday night. The party was the climax of the first-ever Hello Kitty Con, a sold-out affair which took place at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA from October 30 to November 2 and hosted 25,000 attendees from all around the world.  

Naturally, we couldn’t resist missing out on such a celebration, so we crashed the party and picked out some of the night’s most notable looks for you to survey. The evening started out with a visit to the hotel's VIP suite, a veritable Hello Kitty Museum featuring Band-Aid art, a couch designed to look like a giant layer cake, a bedspread made out of plush dolls, and wallpaper crafted from... you guessed it, Hello Kitty toilet paper. Later, we hit the dance floor as the crowd sipped Hello Kitty bubbly and went crazy when the DJ spun Stardust’s 1998 French house banger, “Music Sounds Better With You.” Of course, the night wouldn’t have been complete without an appearance from Kitty White herself. And, in case you were curious, we sang her “Happy Birthday.” 

This month, Beats by Dr. Dre custom Hello Kitty headphones are coming to OC! Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when they arrive.
In honor of Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary, The Line Hotel in Los Angeles hosted a special event this past Saturday night. Photos by Miguel Jimenez and Matt Brooks
The party was the climax of the first-ever Hello Kitty Con, a sold-out affair which took place at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA from October 30 to November 2 and hosted 25,000 attendees from all around the world.

A Hello Kitty plush doll bodice

Hello Kitty, a.k.a. Kitty White (a Scorpio) made her debut on a vinyl coin purse in 1976, and has since appeared on what seems like every possible consumer object, from airplanes to toasters to soap.

Hello Kitty platforms
The ultra-kawaii peace sign was the default pose of the night.

In Fur Force: Yves Salomon Keeps You Cozy

November 3, 2014, 9:00 pm

≫ Next: This Must Be The Place: Hudson, New York

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Just looking at these pieces makes us feel all warm inside. French label Yves Salomon is back this season with a modern take on its iconic furs. Puffy detachable collars, shaggy dyed prints, and boxy silhouettes take the classic winter coat up a notch. Merging technical mastery with utilitarian appeal, Saloman also outfits the gentlemen in its finest furs, with both military-inspired bomber jackets and a dapper suit coat. Not cold enough for a full fur coat, you say? Slowly transition into winter with the silkiest-soft scarves your neck ever did meet. 

For over a century, the Saloman brand has earned a reputation for its quality, luxurious furs—the legacy first starting with its forefather Gregory Salomon, a Siberian transplant who picked up the trade back in 1910. The French line’s style may have adapted over the years, but the classic charm—and public demand—remains. With furs this good, this is one brand here to stay—global warming be damned. 

Shop Yves Salomon men's and women's



Classic Parka in burgundy Fur Collar Trench-200X96WOCLX in nuit/beaver Army Vest With Rabbit-H261266GACLL in black Coyote & Rabbit Fur Short Parka in military Raccoon Parka in army/brown Army Vest With Fur-H261266COCLP in khaki Printed Fur Coat in ecume Fox

This Must Be The Place: Hudson, New York

November 3, 2014, 9:00 pm

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Recently, a few friends headed for a weekend getaway up to Hudson. Two hours north of NYC, Hudson is named for the bordering Hudson River and explorer Henry Hudson. Settled by whalers and merchants in the 1600s, nothing and much has changed. A bevy of beautiful antique shops, the ever-cool John Doe Records and Books, and swan song Five & Diamond Vintage carry on the merchant tradition. More recently, MAI Hudson, the 33,000-square-foot, multidisciplinary museum created by the artist Marina Abramovic, is a successor to the explorers’ spirit in which Hudson was founded.

We ended up on a remarkable piece of land just outside the town of Hudson, for the first iteration of Manifest. It was a perfect evening, like the best party you’ve ever been to in a close friend’s beautiful backyard. The site itself could not have been more flawless. The organizers—Hillary Foxweldon, Wyndham Boylan-Garnett, and former OC gal, Thalia Forbes—worked to create a sylvan wonderland and a new kind of music and food festival. And, no, not the floral crown-weary festival—this one was an intimate, invite-only party for 300 friends. Ingenious structures crafted from found objects; flowers from surrounding fields; lit at dusk by fairy lights and lanterns. It was incredible to witness the, well, manifestation of the built environment itself. Whether it was the employment of wildflower garlands or discarded car hoods, a level of unparalleled imagination was on display. 

Music began just before evening, headlined by Elvis Perkins of Dearland. The soft slope of the field—spangled by blue-green ponds and back-dropped by mountain-spine—made for a natural amphitheater, so that the voices of the performers were strong, echoing back over the celebration. The soundscape itself moved about the site, as artists traveled from the stage, into the audience, and around the fire, allowing for a sense of real participation on the part of the observer. It wasn’t just a bunch of humans in an empty space silently watching other humans make noise. It felt more primal, a collective experience of playing and listening, and a celebration of all the possibilities when a crowd gathers around a common good.

And when the morning did come, it brought with it mist rolling in from the Catskills, fog to blanket the campsite. The fields ridged in red sumac brushed by fall, with still-summered purple and yellow wildflowers pale in the grey dew of dawn.

Does all this sound a little too ideal? Arcadian? Passage from some unknown bard’s pastoral? Well, it was. Ideal, we mean. But Hudson offered proof that the ideal is possible. The second round of Manifest will happen next year, but a visit to Hudson is just an Amtrak ride away. ‘Cause mostly, all rhetoric aside, it's a blast. During Manifest, the soft slope of the field made for a natural amphitheater, so that the voices of the performers were amplified and echoed back over the celebration. Quotes by Danielle Aykroyd and Hollis Sloane, photos by Devin Yalkin and Wyndham Boylan Manifest goers around the bonfire—an idyllic setting to say the least... The organizers

Lindsey Ortega In Ojai, California

November 3, 2014, 9:00 pm

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In Straight Trippin', OC friends and family share tidbits from their latest travels. This time, OCLA's Lindsey Ortega heads to Ojai, California to get metaphysical. 

Name: Lindsey Ortega
Occupation: Freelance writer and sales associate at OCLA
Travel Destination: Ojai, California
Carry-On Necessities: Polaroid camera, a bottle of whiskey, and my TRUSS Rhombus Tote Bag for tossing everything else in (we road-tripped)!
Reading Materials: Democracy by Joan Didion
Most over-played track on your iPhone this trip: "If It's Monday Morning" by Lee Hazlewood
Favorite outfit to travel in: Vintage Levi's, EYTYS Mother Canvas Sneakers, and a T by Alexander Wang Classic Tank in white 
Highlight of your trip: Spending the night at Ojai Rancho Inn. It's the grooviest spot in town. The place is decorated with beautiful cactus and crystals, and at check-in, everyone gets a little smudge stick and matches to cleanse their room. Ours also had a jacuzzi in it!
Best Activity: The entire valley of Ojai is said to be a "calming vortex." Driving through the country roads, checking out citrus groves and fall foliage was a perfect way to relax and experience the good vibes.
Souvenirs you brought back: Secondhand paperbacks from Bart's Books and crystals from Soul Centered, the local metaphysical shop


Ojai Rancho Inn has the perfect mix of old-school motel and minimal desert style. Quotes and photos by Lindsey OrtegaWe got lost in an outdoor labyrinth of books at Bart's Books. I blended in with the sunset in Suno's Geometric Print Dress for our night out! Less than two hours north of Los Angeles, we also got to experience chilly autumn weather, which is so rare in SoCal. Ojai Rancho Inn's new bar, the Chief's Peak, had a warm fire going and the best funk records playing.  

Aerodynamic Excellence: Turbo Yulia Fall/Winter 2014

November 3, 2014, 9:00 pm

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With a surplus of Fall/Winter 2014 collections inspired by bleak, dystopian futures, Turbo Yulia's cutting-edge collection sets itself apart with its unique shapes, colorful designs, and unusual fabrics.

Since graduating from St. Petersburg University, Turbo Yulia designer and founder Yulia Vorobieva has carved out a niche audience with her Moscow-based label. Her innovative unisex headgear, inspired by helmets, video games, and the digital landscape, has become every Russian performance artist's dream. Most notably seen atop the oft-documented domes of artists such as Andrey Bartenev and Sasha Frolova, the show-stopping hats can now adorn your head as well. 

Vorobiev's colorful caps—think creamy pink, stark black, and bleached-out white—take on a form not typically seen in high-end hat construction, and features a shape that's debatably business in the front and most definitely a party in the back. The aerodynamic caps, consisting of a faux leather and a polished lacquer finish, can even transform the wearer into a fashion-forward cyclist navigating through the digitized future. 

The designer has created her own vision of fashion in the future with Turbo Yulia, and we hope it looks just as she predicts. 


Shop all Turbo Yulia hereLacqueur Shell Cap w/ Strap in black    Lacqueur Shell Cap w/ Strap in pink Lacqueur Shell Cap in white Lacqueur Shell Cap in black