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LA Playlist

Blogging from 35,000 feet. How did we ever live without this? 


I'm on my way to LA for some good times with good people. And the soundtrack to that needs to be some good tunes, obviously. So here's the special LAMIX that I made for the trip...


1. Stand Back (Live version) - Fleetwood Mac
2. Regulators - Warren G and Nate Dogg
3. Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
4. Ooh La La - Goldfrapp
5. 22nd Century - Kelis
6. You Know How We Do It - Ice Cube
7. Its My Life - Talk Talk
8. Nothing On You - B.O.B.
9. Set Adrift on Memory Bliss - P.M. Dawn
10. Work - Gang Starr
11. Freak Like Me - Adina Howard
12. Nuthin But a G Thang - Dr. Dre


and to top it all off:

I Need These

Skunk Dunks available 4/20/10, courtesy of Dave's Quality Meat

The Supreme Book, @ Supreme

Both drop tomorrow at 11.

Summertime blues...and greens and reds

In honor of today's summerlike weather in NYC, I give honor to those fabrics that I live in during the hot months:

MADRAS

GINGHAM

SEERSUCKER

CHAMBRAY

all at Jcrew.com

The smell of Coppertone Continuous Spray always brings me back...

This Show Sucks

photo courtesy of LAtimes.com

I moved to the LES in 2003 after college and lived there (and in the East Village) for 6 years. Though my living space may have moved on, my heart is still there. So naturally when a show from HBO comes along that purports to be about late-20-somethings trying to make it in NYC while living in the LES I'm hyped. What a mistake that turned out to be.

The characters are supposed to represent some kind of NYC "cool" but are completely uncool. Never mind the plot of starting a clothing line which is gone about in a completely unrealistic way. Ben and Cam are one-dimensional, uninteresting and vanilla. Some of the subplots and supporting characters have promise but are victims of the show's overall direction, and aren't given the chance to develop.

Not only are the characters inauthentic, the New York represented by the show seems completely superficial. Whereas NYC was the "fifth character" in Sex and The City, it feels like an empty backdrop here. For a show that's supposedly representative of the downtown spirit, there is a distinct absence of legitimiacy.

This isn't NYC. I hope HBO drops this hot turd of a show to make room for more Bored To Death. Better luck next time.

Outsiders

The Wall Street Journal profiles Scott Sternberg, founder/designer of the amazing label Band of Outsiders, here.

It'll be interesting to see if the brand really blows up or not but I will say the product is really superior and unique. The style is a mix of refined preppiness, Americana, and luxury that elevates basics and makes classics stand out. A few of my favorite spring pieces:

The Tuxedo Shirt

exclusive to Barney's and barneys.com

The Band of Outsiders x Sperry Top-Sider (Band of Top-Siders?) in Green

at openingceremony.us

The Not a Polo Shirt

at oaknyc.com

The inside-out sweatshirt. This piece is INSANE, its kind of inside out with the looped terrycloth on the outside and the smooth part of the knit on the inside. Unfortunately it fit me kind of weird and I had to let it pass but I would have snapped it up in a second. Japanese-made sweats are huge this spring and whether its BOO, Alexander Yamaguchi or v:room they are all creating a unique niche well apart from American Apparel sweats.

at barneys.com and Aloha Rag (in store)

Take the time to also check out the very interactive (if understocked) webstore here and also the cookie blog. Anyone who has a blog about cookies is cool in my book.

Smells Like a Million Bucks

Since middle school I've been obsessed with cologne and scents. The olfactory sense is extremely closely tied to memory and taste, and over the past few years I've come to learn a lot more about the world of high-end fragrance. A few weeks ago, I went into a boutique perfume shop in the West Village and left with a bagful of samples.


The quick version: your department store fragrances (CKs, Armani's, Joop!s, etc) have some of the lowest concentrations of perfume for sale. As you go up the scale in terms of concentration and quality, you also go up in price (surprise!). I've been sorting through the samples that Aedes de Ventusas was kind enough to supply me with and have been shocked at some of the prices associated with the fragrances. Below, some of my faves, and how much they cost...keep in mind I have a very particular nose and a lot of what I like doesn't fly for other people. 


By Kilian...Cruel Intentions

Image courtesy of bykilian.com

Great name, really intense scent. Bergamot, orange blossom, vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, musk. The lowdown on Kilian is that he's Kilian Hennessy, the H in LVMH, and as a result a 50 mL bottle of Cruel Intentions - whose byline is "tempt me" - costs $255. 


L'Artisan Parfumeur...Havana Vanille

Image courtesy of artisanparfumeur.us

I can't say enough about gourmands. Scents that kind of smell like food attract me. Think what you will. This one: vanilla, rum, tonka, leather, musk. I don't really love the L'Artisan bottles and it fascinates me how influential bottle design can be on cologne and perfume sales. But that thought is another blog for another time. This one is $115 for 50 mL, less than half of Kilian. 

Ecsentric Molecule...Ecsentric #2

Image courtesy of aedes.com

So this Ecsentric Molecule shit is supposedly a pheromone, smells like nothing, and is going to get me laid. Ambroxan, vetiver and musk. "Gin and tonic, a hint of an Austrian lemonade called almdudler, the whiff that you get when you first open a brand-new Apple laptop It's a clear, clean scent, but it dries down to something warm, sexy and elusive" - according to the description. $155 for 100 mL. Saving the sample for an appropriate occasion. 

And what I'm currently wearing as my fave:

Cannabis Santal from Fresh. $75 for 100 mL. A relative bargain. The fragrance pyramid: 

- Top: Bergamot, Brazilian Orange, Black Plum

- Heart: Patchouli, Cannabis Accord, Rose

- Base: Chocolate, Vetiver, Vanilla Musks

image and fragrance pyramid courtesy of fresh.com

My half-birthday is rapidly approaching if anyone is in the giving mood.

daydreaming

Kid Sister's new video for her next single, Daydreaming. This song is the jam and I think could help her blow up. Video isn't exactly epic but love the Murakami reference with the daydream bubbles. This song also has an amazing bridge (featuring Cee-Lo), one of the must ingredients for any killer pop track.

NYC's Finest Brew

The NYT best coffee in NYC map...

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/09/dining/20100309-new-york-coffee-map.html

Big ups to Kaffe 1668, Think, Roots & Vines, Joe, and Stumptown....those places have kept me caffinated...

Nice Kicks continued

I'm really not a designer sneaker person. My fixation on footwear means I'm going to get tired of whatever I buy, and sneakers especially cycle in and out of wear over time. The post this morning made me think, though, about which designer sneakers really have an aesthetic appeal and design point of view beyond embellishment. So I've selected some of my top picks below...interested in seeing the reactions.

YSL, via Saks.com, $575

Margiela, via Aloharag.com, $475

Heyday footwear @ Oak (price on request - three of my least favorite words in the English language - and limited to 15 pair)

Dior Homme classic steez via Barneys.com, $545

And, discounted at Yoox.com from seasons past, the following "bargains":

Givenchy, $370

Raf by Raf Simons, $135

Neil Barrett, $270

Looking back on what I picked I'm not surprised that I went for classic design and white-black-gray colorways. If you're gonna spend like this, it needs to be justifiable. Now, when it comes to Dunks, its a whole nother story. 

Nice Kicks....NOT

Apparently for Spring 2010, cobbler Christian Louboutin is launching some footwear for men. It does take me back to the ill-fated Jimmy Choo mens line which shuttered (I believe) back around 2002, in spirit if not in execution.


When I heard Louboutin was expanding into men's footwear, I half-expected well cobbled shoes with red soles. High-end brands like Lanvin and Margiela, while fashion focused, have consistently crafted exceptional and tasteful footwear (to go along with margin-making sneakers). I was also curious how Louboutin would position vis-a-vis Jean-Michel Cazabat, a less-recognized but equally prestige shoemaker who has been putting red soles on men's shoes for years.


Behold, fashion footwear fail:


Jean-Michel Cazabat shoes currently @ Barney's, $550.

Louboutin's 2010 shoes, in the $1200 range:

photos via upscalehype.com

Besides the recession-unfriendly price tag...THIS is what you're going to launch your line with?


Some designers really go for the craftsmanship in their footwear. Some go for the fashion. One dominant trend in the latter for the last decade has been instantly recognizable branding elements to signal the brand and therefore the price of fashionable luxury items to other consumers. Maybe this started with the Gucci horsebit loafer but it has exploded into some truly gauche territory, as you can see above. I get that you want people to see your shoes and realize you designed them, but good luck copyrighting studs as a design element.


I'll reserve total jugement until I see them in stores, but I anticipate seeing these both in Kanye's next video and at the Barney's Warehouse Sale come next August for 60% off.


And I will just add: when Jennifer Lopez is singing a song about your brand - and falls on her ass while doing it - it might be a good time to rethink.

party for less

Yesterday I went to the last day of the Armory Art show for the first time and it reminded me how truly little I know about art. I actually picked up a Children's Guide by accident and realized that there are frameworks to understand art about which I understand nothing. The show was packed and three hours wasn't nearly enough to see and digest everything, but I managed to pick out some things that I really loved. Below, some of my favorites:

"The true artist makes useless shit for rich people to buy." Truth.

 

My favorite piece by far. From far away, it looks like a painting of a city as seen from an airplane. But up close:

Its a collage. Title: "Party For Less." Gabi Trinkaus. 

And how could I resist this one?

All my pics from the show, here.

T-ease me

The men's line from T by Alexander Wang is starting to hit stores today. This guy's name has become synonymous with the 'model off duty' look and he's managed to supplement his core runway buisness with expensive knits for the ladies. I look forward to seeing how it does for men, and spending $75 a t-shirts.

(Image via WWD)

In stock now at Opening Ceremony. Certainly to follow at Barneys, Oak, et al.

Speaking of Oak, they have their own fashiony t-shirt, the torque tee:

I look at these and it makes me think of the immortal words of Adam Sandler praising his Red Hooded Sweatshirt:

Oh what is it about you that makes me so jolly?,

Is it your fifty cotton or your fifty poly?

 

I'm ready for t-shirt weather.

Being Stupid: Diesel in 2010

Diesel's recent ad campaign "Be Stupid" has inspired pretty interesting discussion amongst some of my friends. I'll lay out my  hypothesis right here: a great and controversial ad campaign cannot fix a brand when its other components need serious help - especially in fashion.

The ads do what they're supposed to - alledgedly. They get people talking, right? The brand is getting more attention. But Diesel can't manage to translate that attention into sales or even visits to its wesbite. I did a quick comparison to two other companies - Polo and Gucci - based on the fact that all three are global brands with significant ad spend, editorial coverage, and all three have e-tail components to their website. As you can see below, Diesel has had almost no change in traffic over the last year, not even around Christmas, when the other two sites peaked.

So this illustrates the campaign not converting eyes into site visits, but that's only a tiny piece of the picture. Diesel had executing some amazing promotions in the last several years, notably their 30th Birthday which involved parties all around the world culminating in a huge party in Brooklyn with performances on the scale of the VMA's. And while those events brought in celebs and press...very few of those "influencers" were wearing Diesel.

I believe Diesel has lost its core customer for good, and needs to replace it with a new one - but may be poorly positioned to do so. A little history may shed some light on the brand issues:

Around the turn of the millenium, Diesel stood for premium denim. It was THE premium denim company until Seven came along to fight it for the crown. Most of the people who wore Diesel jeans - at least the ones I knew from home and college - wore them because they signaled a certain cache. Or their mothers had bought them, a purchase which was even MORE predicated on that cache, because those mothers wanted their sons to be seen in the most expensive jeans they could buy.

That works for a while, the economy takes off, new denim brands emerge, and Diesel gets huge. More company-owned stores, expansion into more points of sale, Diesel becomes ubiquitous - everything from Barney's to Urban Outfitters to Macy's. Diesel's price point starts climing and I think at one point a pair was almost $190. The Diesel Style Lab line closes and opens and closes again. The umbrella company that owns Diesel also starts buying up other labels - Margiela, Dsquared, and Victor & Rolf. Diesel Stores are opening everywhere. Then a lot of the points of sale start disappearing and stores stop carrying the brand - bringing us to now, when Diesel is mostly distributed through Diesel stores and the department stores that had made it a core offering like Bloomingdales, with little-to-no specialtiy retail support.

Diesel also launched a "premium" Black Gold label designed by Sophia Kokosalaki, and also has a hotel, a furniture line, and other ancillary products you most likely didn't know about.

Diesel was stupid and overdid it like so many brands before them, going from coveted to overexposed. But there's more. In the men's market, buyers looking for visible brands gravitated to Seven, True Religion and Rock & Republic (barf) while conisseurs moved towards premium labels that provide superior quality - Nudie and PRPS probably being the most successful examples. The women's market, which is much more fashion-driven, has gone through many more iterations of the it jeans - going from Seven to Citizens to J Brand to Current/Elliott and who knows what will come next. In a really telling move, Barney's stopped selling women's Diesel and moved men's out of Co-op (its biggest denim point of sale) and onto what I call the "Dad floor."

When Diesel stopped being about denim customers and started being about Diesel customers, they abandoned thier chance to sustain the same kind of growth that they had been enjoying. I would guess that the typical Diesel customer looks something like this:

(Photo courtesty of MTV)

Only problem is, they're already loyal to a gentleman named Ed Hardy.

Diesel wanted to move from being a denim brand to a lifestyle brand and it did that - and lost a lot of brand value along the way. THAT was stupid. The brand now finds itself needing to grow its share among the douchey, competing for dollars against spray-on tan and Dep. As much as I love their events, Diesel needs to stop wasting money courting hipsters who are going to go buy selvedge and start promoting events at Seaside Heights and Lake Havasu.

No amount of great advertising is going to win back your old customers.

Then again, maybe I should take some of Diesel's advice:

And a few post-scripts:

1. I didn't really make it clear but my point is that a brand that tries to double its price over 4-5 years (99-2004) with no clear improvement in the product and declining perceived value among its core customers is going to lose ground that can't be made up by ads, no matter how good they are.

2. If you want to know what jeans I lust after these days - feel free to buy me a pair of these

3. To read more about Diesel's branding drama click here

In For the Kill

Last night I got to see La Roux (and Yes Giantess...but that's another post) live at Webster Hall. While they're pretty well known over in their native UK, La Roux is still working the smaller venue circuit here in the states and promoting the hell out of their first album.

They performed most of the album, along with (for the first time) a fantastic version of the Stones' "Under My Thumb" which I hope makes it onto the next album. The band and their 22 year old singer Elly Jackson have a really distinct visual style which carries its way through their performances and videos, with a little bit of Flock of Seagulls reference thrown in (both musically and hair-stylistically)

I can't really say whether or not they're going to make it but I could do with another album or two. Great dance party music.

From Interview Magazine:

INTERVIEW: Is it true you signed your record deal wearing a T-shirt that said I am a cunt?

LA ROUX: It just said cunt. That’s my favorite word. My best friend had been to Glastonbury, and she saw this T-shirt and bought it for me. I’d never normally wear it out of the house, but I hadn’t done any washing and I was like, fuck it. The people at the label thought it was funny.

Below, my favorite music videos that they've done thus far and a live performance of Bulletproof.

RIP McQ

Designer Alexander McQueen is no longer with us and its a real loss for the world of fashion and design. He really designed on the edge and while most of us wouldn't have the balls, the money or the occasion to wear his clothing his influence will continue to be undeniable beyond his lifetime.

Profile @ T Magazine (NY Times)

Profile @ GQ

The Warehouse Sale

Today is the first day of the Barneys Warehouse Sale. The warehouse sale is like the Fashion Deathmatch. Fights break out, people get naked, debt racks up, all to get Prada at Payless prices. Sadly I had a 9 am meeting which precluded me from waiting on line to be one of the first ones through the doors, so I thought I'd share some of my strategies for winning at the Warehouse.

• Go to Barney's on Madison on the last few days of their end-of-season sale. The prices are the same as the first day of the warehouse sale and its significantly less crowded.

• Pricing goes something like this - prices will stay consistent at the beginning for the first week at around 50-60% retail. The first markdowns start happening after a week, then there is usually another markdown towards the middle of the second week, and then the best markdowns happen towards the end. These markdowns usually go up to about an additional 50-75% off sportswear and jeans, and 60% off shoes.

• The best designer pieces, shoes and accessories usually go towards the beginning. If this is what you're looking for, go early in the sale.

• There are no changing rooms and no returns. So either stick to brands whose sizing you know, or just decide not to care. We should all be willing to drop trou for $30 japanese denim. Gentlemen, avert your eyes if you have to wander around the women's floor to find your girlfriend/wife/sister.

• Go towards the end for affordable workwear and accessories. $19 ties, cheap dress shirts and wool pants, always plenty of overcoats and smart outerwear that may not be designer but is definitely office-appropriate.

• Go in the middle of the work day when its less hectic. You have a doctor's appointment. Come back with shopping bags. We've all done it. We all have doctors in the same building as the Warehouse Sale...

• With no mirrors and the frantic environment, it can be easy to make huge purchasing mistakes. Just because its designer and its a bargain doesn't mean you can rationalize it out in the real world. Even I really thought the Alexander McQueen blazer with the gold threading was a great purchase at the time...

• Cell phones never work in the basement.

It may seem overwhelming but the Warehouse Sale has always rewarded me with great finds. Every pair of boots I own come from the warehouse sale - from the Prada Chelsea boots I bought in 2002 for $125 that I still wear, to the Timberland Boot Company boots that are still selling for $500 at Jean Shop. Ties, jeans, tuxedo shirts, socks, cashmere sweatpants for $30 (buy them if they have your size).

Good luck and godspeed. And if you see Margiela or Lanvin white high tops in my size, hide them somewhere that no one will find them until markdowns...

(Also, always check Racked for updates like today's lineblog)

United Colors of 1986

Sometimes I read about innovative marketing campaigns and see who's sponsoring them and wonder: they're still in business?


Behold, Benetton.

Maybe Benetton's been hanging out with Esprit over at the Orange Julius?

Super(bowl)latives

Another Super Bowl come and gone. Forgettable half-time entertainment, decent suspense and inspiring victory aside, everyone knows the Super Bowl for the most expensive and occasionally the most inspired television commercials of the year. 


With a down economy and natural migration of spend away from mass media, Super Bowl advertising isn't what it used to be. But here are my picks for the most notable ads of the night.


Best use of media spend - Dove Men+Care. New product, perfectly targeted to the audience, an ad that caught your attention but had you wondering what it was actually for, and Dove tied it into a sponsorship that had the brand name repeated a few more times. There will probably be a lot more of this ad during the NCAA tournament next month. 


Most offensive - Tebow may have been divisive, but the Metro PCS advertising for getting out of cell phone contracts featuring South Asian-accented customer service operators, Bollywood dancers and a random German in leiderhoesen definitely went for the Racially Insensitive Award. Really, Metro PCS? 


Most welcome use of Celebrity - Megan Fox in the bathtub. I didn't care what it was for. Either a cell phone carrier or a cell phone brand. Motorola maybe. Really terrible choice on Motorola's part, but the Men of America certainly appreciate their $3 Million donation.


Runner Up - Betty White for Snickers. I guess it pays to be the last Golden Girl standing.


The WTF? in a good way - Awesomer. Popsecret and Emerald Nuts. I loved the Emerald Nuts Goulet ads from a few years ago so its great to see them get entertaining once again. Weird, wonderful, very amusing.


The WTF? in a bad way - Toyota's mea culpa. I suppose they had to, but still, who watches these and says "okay, this makes it better, Toyota." Especially when they are followed directly by Ford ads that basically say "our cars brake!" Not worth the link.'


Other trends: The back to back ads with un-fit people in their underwear, then pantsless, were unnecessary. I think SunLife is going to need to do more work than an ad at the tail end of the game to raise awareness of their brand, like possibly waiting until next season to buy the naming rights to Dolphin, I mean Landshark, Stadium. VW can bring back punchbuggy ads anytime, especially with Tracey Morgan.


And in case you were looking to get a free Grand Slam on Tuesday, the nearest Denny's to metropolitan NYC is in central Jersey.

I do not support this.

A real update coming later. And more over the weekend.


For now, one more sign that we're headed towards armageddon. I give you: Spanx for Men.


I liked it better as the manzier:

Pepsi - Backing Forwards?

I'm going to preface this by saying I'm not a Pepsi drinker. Usually Diet Coke, Coca-Cola when I'm feeling like a treat, Coke Zero when I'm three sodas and two coffees into the day and still have thinking to do. I find Pepsi sickeningly sweet and definitely do not like Diet Pepsi. This favoritism usually extends to their branding as well. That being said:

Pepsi is starting to impress me.

I thought their throwback ads (especially the few seconds of iconic Namath/Jets footage) were fun, and was really impressed with the fact that they would bring to market the more-expensive sugar-sweetened product.

[Thoughtful aside: I first noticed the difference between sugar-sweetened soda and the corn syrup-sweetened abomination that replaced it when I studied in Australia in 2001. Since then I've drank sodas on 5 continents and always relish the opportunity to drink "real" soda when I get the chance. See the recent Mexicoke movement for more.]

But more than that: Coke vs. Pepsi has always been about the core Classic vs. the taste of the New Generation. For the most part, Coca-Cola has always stayed true to its brand roots, its logo, its iconic visuals. Pepsi changes packaging, changes logos, goes from Madonna to Britney to Shakira to Kylie to Beyonce to...

Well I guess we won't know, will we? This year Pepsi is foregoing its Superbowl spots in favor of a social media campaign which will result in the company donating millions in grants for charitable ideas or socially responsible projects.

Considering I remember the dancing bears better than who was playing in the big game that year, this comes as a bit of a shock. What to make of the dichotomy? The company is bringing back its old logo and taste for six weeks, then doing away with decades of ad strategy the next. Maybe it is Pepsi truly living up to its brand promise of being the 'taste of a new generation' - engaging consumers to direct spending towards charitable causes will probably build more esteem for the brand than spending $3 mil per 30 seconds (not including celebrity endorsements and agency fees) to have Lady GaGa dance around in a dress made of crushed Pepsi cans.

It still doesn't make me want to drink Pepsi though. Only real sugar does that.