muse magazine

LIFE: Check us out: We've moved!

2008-05-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hi lovelies,

We've moved the blog and site to www.readmuse.com where you will find more regular posts, essays, videos (coming soon) and other fun things. The site is still a work in progress, so please be sure to email your feedback (your thoughts, likes and dislikes) to us at info@readmuse.com.

xoo,

Team Muse

LIFE: Please bear with us

2008-05-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

We've been hard at work on our redesign, updating our content management system and other fancy Web things. Due to technical difficulties, it's going live a few days later than planned. But, please be sure to check back with us next week.

xoo,

Team Muse

LIFE: R.I.P. Mildred Loving

2008-05-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

Mildred Loving, an often overlooked and accidental civil rights pioneer who was banned from Virginia after marrying a white man (she was black), passed away on May 2 at age 68. You may have read her backstory in a history class or two in school (depending on where you're from): she married Richard Loving and was arrested a few days later for violating Virginia's Racial Integrity Act. They avoided jail time by promising never to come back to the state. She in turn took her case to the American Civil Liberties Union who took it to the Supreme Court whose justices overturned Virginia's racist law. Read more about her here.

WARDROBE: More clothes to spend your money on

2008-05-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

We'll be looking specifically for these pieces at the Barneys New York pre-sale of Rogan Gregory's collection for Target ($15 to $45, can't beat it). It kicks off May 9 and runs through May 11.

WARDROBE: All the pretty dresses

2008-05-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Last night, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute had its annual gala. Here are a few of our favorite looks. (Photos from Style.com)

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-05-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

"I'm Glad," by The Black Keys (click song title to listen)

LIFE: Exposed double standards

2008-05-04T16:53:00.001-07:00

Today's Sunday Times features an interesting article that reveals that John McCain has a Jeremiah Wright of his own and explores the double standards that surround the controversy.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist: A go go study

2008-05-03T14:18:00.001-07:00

"Rising Up," by The Roots (click song title to listen)

"Body Snatchers," by Rare Essence

"Keep it Gangsta," by Backyard Band

"Let the Beat Roll," by Junkyard Band

We love The Roots' searing political lyrics on "Rising Down" because it's substantive and taps into a lot of feelings that come up among our friends when we discuss the election, war and life in general. On a completely different level, we're feeling their current single, "Rising Up," for its obvious D.C. go go references. For those of you who don't know, go go is a regional sound that's pretty much exclusive to the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area. It overlaps with Miami bass in that they both share a drop-it-like-it's-hot kind of sensibility. Musically, go go is quite different from the Miami sound, though, because the drum patterns are much grittier and raw in a D.I.Y. sense (think kitchen pots and pans). So we had to include a few old favorite go go tracks for a little study.

WARDROBE: Sample sales

2008-05-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

WHO: Missoni and Cynthia Steffe
WHERE: Underground NYC at 440 Broadway (between Grand and Canal), 212-226-4312
WHEN: through Monday, May 12, noon - 7pm

WHO: Dolce & Gabbana
WHERE: D&G Showroom at 85 Spring Street (between Broadway and Crosby)
WHEN: through Sunday, May 4

WHO: Max and Chloe
WHERE: 122 W 26th Sreet, Suite 603
WHEN: May 7 through 9

WHO: Shelly Steffe
WHERE: 34 Gansevoort Street
WHEN: through May 4, 12 to 6pm

SOUNDS: Three reasons we heart Santogold

2008-05-02T15:06:00.001-07:00

1) The world of music production is largely dominated by men. But Santi White aka Santogold has been holding it down for the alternative chicks ever since the early '00s when she wrote and produced music for Res' "How I Do" , an album we loved. She's also produced for M.I.A. and co-written a song with Mark Ronson for Lily Allen.

2) She's the anti-Beyoncé. Not that we don't love our R&B divas too. But it's kind of refreshing to see artists like Santi, who Björk enlisted to tour with her las year, and Janelle Monae give us unique point of views that don't necessarily involve sex on a platter or trifling men who won't pay phone bills.

3) She's persistent. Santi, who once worked A&R for Epic Records, has been screwed over by the music industry more than a few times (hence the name of her former punk band, Stiffed, which we also were digging). Lucky for us, she persevered through the bull-ish.

WARDROBE: Outfits we like

2008-05-02T14:49:00.001-07:00

WHO: Tina Chadha, a writer and editor based in Manhattan
WHY: The wide/slightly flared leg jean looks a little more fresh than skinny jeans at the moment.

WHO: Three sales staffers at Dover Street Market in London
WHY: Because whenever we see red tights on the street it looks like the wearer is trying way too hard. The girl rocking them on the left is one of the few we've seen pull the look off in a nonchalant kind of way.

WARDROBE: The establishment responds, finally

2008-05-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Could we one day see black models appear in Vogue as frequently as their white counterparts? No telling. But the brand is taking a step in the right direction by addressing the dearth of diversity in its pages with its Italian edition. The Independent reports that Vogue Italia's July issue will mostly feature black models shot by Steven Meisel. That's thanks in no small part to the movement Bethann Hardison started to bring attention to the problem. Editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani decided to address the issue, "Because nobody is using black girls. I see so many beautiful girls and they were complaining that they are not used enough." Here's hoping that it actually promotes long-term change instead of flavor-of-the-month trendiness.

WARDROBE: Yet another reason why we need to go to Japan

2008-04-24T19:37:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a very short trip to London and stopped by Dover Street Market, the retail project/wonderland of all things cool, obscure and edgy owned by Rei Kawakubo. While browsing through the bottom floor we happened upon several racks filled with these amazingly constructed skirts, dresses, jackets and coats, some embellished with embroidered and brass spiders. Others had rows of matte paillettes. We wanted it all and made a mental note to find the brand, Undercover Co., Ltd. when we returned to New York. Sadly, the line, designed by Jun Takahashi, who has a huge cult following and store in Japan and earned impressive reviews when he showed his spring collection in Paris, is not sold anywhere in the U.S., which sucks for us. Surely, some of the city's cool emporiums like Opening Ceremony or Kirna Zabete could hook a girl up by buying Takahashi's goods? Here's a pic of the coat that set our mouths salivating and a few other looks we like. The photos really don't do the clothes justice though.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-04-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

"Everyone Nose," by N.E.R.D. (click song title to listen)

"Gangsta Girl," by Rye Rye

P.S. "Gangsta Girl" is our personal theme song for the week. We love how she represents a seemingly microscopic pool of girl MC's in such a large way.

FOOD: When the sugar cravings strike

2008-04-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

As long as we can remember, we've had a soft spot for cupcakes. We can break down the city by its cupcake offerings. For example: West Village (Magnolia Bakery), SoHo (Dean & Deluca), Hell's Kitchen (Cupcake Cafe) and the list goes on and on. Well we're psyched to have a new spot to add to our mental inventory, the Lower East Side pastry shop, How Sweet It Is, which was started by friends Beth Pilar and Ellen Sternau. We're planning to indulge in their red devil cupcakes this weekend.

WARDROBE: H&M's best. collaboration. ever.

2008-04-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

H&M just announced that Rei Kawakubo, the woman behind Commes des Garçons, will design a capsule collection for the brand that will hit stores this fall. "I have always been interested in the balance between creation and business. It is a dilemma, although for me creation has always been the first priority. It is a fascinating challenge to work with H&M since it is a chance to take the dilemma to its extreme, and try to solve it", she says in a statement.

Rei is the designer whose work influences nearly all of your favorites. Remember that controversial Marc Jacobs show that started two hours late last September? The clothes? Influenced by Rei. And that's just one example of many.

FICTION: Loving Jhumpa Lahiri

2008-04-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Had an "I love New York" moment today when we went to Jhumpa Lahiri's reading at Barnes and Noble at Union Square. She was there to read excerpts from her collection of short stories, "Unaccustomed Earth." The third floor of the place was entirely full--like, can hardly breathe and it's hard to see past the heads in front of you kind of full. But despite the cramped conditions, people looked genuinely psyched to be there, listening to her read. Some had looks of squinty-eyed concentration. Others, literally had smiles on their faces. But overall, the crowd was mostly young, spanning college age to late 30s, the same age group accused of contributing to the demise of newspapers and magazines and other forms of words on paper. The crowd was also incredibly diverse. It was the polar opposite of the mostly older, white group we're accustomed to seeing at readings from authors at Lahiri's level (that is, the Pulitzer Prize winning level). We walked out of there feeling happy to see so many different kinds of people excited about a book.

SOUNDS: An unexpected bad girl

2008-03-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

If it weren't for all of the commotion surrounding Mariah Carey and Madonna's upcoming albums, we would have forgotten that major record labels still exist. It's hard out here for a rock, pop or R&B star to make money in music these days. People aren't exactly running to Tower Records to buy albums anymore. Oh wait, Tower Records went out of business two years ago. The record label business can be especially brutal for new artists. That's why we're feeling a mixture of happiness and trepidation about the fact that Janelle Monáe, who we've gushed over on this blog before, just signed a deal with Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records. Big Boi will be co-executive producing her new album "Metropolis" (happy), but she'll also be in a stable that includes the boringly over-sexed MTV reality group, Danity Kane (sad). Fingers crossed, she'll be able to hold on to her singular point of view in Puffy land. We look forward to hearing the new music and seeing her perform at Blender Theater this Thursday (click here for details).

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-03-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

"Les Fleur," by Minnie Riperton (click song title to listen)

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-03-20T08:22:00.003-07:00

"Crying in the Chapel," by The King in Kingston (click song title to listen)
This song is two seconds away from cheesy status. But because we're so desperate for a Caribbean vacation, it got us. Plus, it's kind of clever.

LIFE: Risk-taking can be good

2008-03-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

How inspiring was Barack Obama's speech today? The idea of race in America is an incredibly complicated and loaded one. But we love that he tackled it so directly and honestly. His speech felt like a definitive political and cultural moment. And we're not just saying that because of the gang of emails and text messages we got afterwards.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-03-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

"Something Important," by Jukes (click song title to listen)

WARDROBE: Stars in stripes

2008-03-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

We usually can't be bothered with celebrity clothing lines but made an exception for Chloe Sevigny who has always had an innate, uniquely cool sense of style. The first two words that came to mind when we peeped the look book for her spring collection with Opening Ceremony is the phrase, "do you," minus the eye-rolling and sarcasm that normally accompanies it. The clothes look like they came out of her own closet in that they all have a certain specific-yet-nondescript, non-trendy progressiveness about them. The outfits also remind us of early Sassy magazine fashion spreads (she was an intern at the mag). This striped shirt dress is our favorite of the group.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-03-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

"Floatin," by Stacey Epps (click song title to listen)

Between Janelle Monáe and Stacey Epps, Atlanta is quickly replacing London as our favorite source of new progressive soul. Her single, "Floatin," gives us a mid-to-late 90s feel. We're thinking of Pete Rock and CL Smooth when we hear this.

LIFE: On our to-do list this week

2008-03-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

Friends tell us the Whitney Biennial is "underwhelming" this year. But we're going to check it out anyway. But we're even more excited about heading downtown to Deitch Projects afterward to make like Mos Def and Jack Black in "Be Kind/Rewind" and film our own boot-leg movie. While the idea of using an art exhibit to plug a movie sounds sketchy on paper, we love the DIY "sweding" concept--mainly because it reminds us of those amusement park make-your-own-music-video booths we used to go to in high school.

WARDROBE: More of what we like from Paris

2008-03-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

Alber Elbaz, one-time designer for Yves Saint Laurent, has really hit a groove. He can practically do no wrong in the eyes of the fashion world's opinion leaders. We weren't that crazy about the turtleneck dress he opened up his fall 2008 collection with. But we love everything that came afterwards. Among the collection's cooler aspects, his treatment of ruffles, which can be annoyingly girly in the hands of anyone else. Elbaz used strips of fabrics to make the idea look clean and modern. (photos from Style.com)

WARDROBE: Rest in peace: Katoucha

2008-02-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

Katoucha, one of the first black models to achieve international fame, was found dead in the Seine river yesterday. She had been missing since January. Originally from Guinea, she's probably most known for her runway work with Yves Saint Laurent. Her career began with Lanvin, where she worked as a fit model she later got her big break on the runway with Thierry Mugler in the 80s. She was awful an activist, speaking out against female genital mutilation and talking about her personal experience with the ritual in her memoir, Katoucha, In My Flesh.

SOUNDS: Music videos are becoming cool again: Okay, well at least one video: Erykah Badu

2008-02-27T17:10:00.001-08:00

We love this video because:

A) It takes us back to 1998 when Erykah Badu released the clip for "Bag Lady," which was a really clever riff off of Ntozake Shange's book and play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When The Rainbow Is Enuf: A Choreopoem. It was so smart and just plain good.

B) It takes us back to a time when we used to love channel surfing through BET and MTV to see what new music videos were released each week and talk about them with our friends. It's no secret the videos shown on major networks are lamer than lame.

C) The song is fire in a low-key kind of way. Her entire new album, "New Amerykah" makes us think of Alicia Keys' "As I Am" in that it's not necessarily breaking new sonic ground, but plays to her strengths: soulful, spaced-out (for more spacey things that we like, read our Balenciaga post below) music. She also seems to meld the narrative approach she took with her second album, "Mama's Gun" with the jam session quality of her third, "Worldwide," which is a smart move considering that the last album made us wish that we were hearing it live rather than on a stereo.

(And random silly question: When did Erykah go and develop thighs and a booty? Remember when she used to be all bony? She's giving Beyoncé a run for her money. We're not mad.)

WARDROBE: The highlight of Paris fashion week: Razor sharp

2008-02-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

Gabbing with a friend who's in the trenches of Paris Fashion Week, our conversation turned to how lackluster fashion has been looking for fall 2008 (yes, even in Paris). Of all of the collections that have shown there so far, she says Balenciaga was hands down the best. And after taking a look through all of the shows posted at Style.com, we have to agree. We love Nicaolas Ghesquière's attention to line and the space age-yness of it all. The opening series of cocktail dresses are how we imagine guests dressing for Truman Capote's Black and White ball, if it took place in 2040.

WARDROBE: The Milan collections: A really big deal

2008-02-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

The Prada runway shows (like most of the others in Milan) have always been notoriously white. Miuccia Prada is also one of the fashion world's definitive directional designers, an industry leader. When she makes a statement, other designers follow. So sadly, when she began showing her clothes on a series of young, wide-eyed, blank-faced Eastern European models, it began a trend in fashion that made it hard for girls who didn't fit that mold to get work. So the fact that she cast model Jourdan Dunn in her fall 2008 show is a huge deal. The last black woman to walk a Prada show was Naomi Campbell. And that happened in the 90s, quite a long time ago. Let's hope more designers follow.

PALETTE: Fun with Fafinettes

2008-02-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

Fafi, our favorite Parisian street artist, has decorated M.A.C. lipstick tubes, carrying cases, compacts and other items with her too-cool-for-school animated characters. The limited edition makeup colors are very 80s bright (think hot pink for lips), which could be kind of fun for spring.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-02-09T18:14:00.001-08:00

"The Girl of My Dreams," by Coultrain

FILMS: Channel surfing: Sitting on the couch recovering from Fashion Week

2008-02-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

We're sitting on the couch, happily not at a runway show, and happen upon a random short film mixed in with the movie offerings on HBO onDemand. While NY1 and NYC-TV are running recaps of New York Fashion Week, this short called "African Booty Scratcher," looks at a different kind of wardrobe situation: a high school senior struggles with her African roots (she's first generation American) while trying to find a dress for prom. Her West African mom, who owns a restaurant, makes her a traditional dress from her region for the big night, the daughter balks. Later, while helping her parents out in the restaurant, a neighborhood knucklehead walks in and asks for chicken wings only to find out the place only serves stews and jollof rice. He has a fit and starts ranting about the differences between Africans and black Americans. The scene is a bit forced and slightly preachy, but the short film, written and directed by Nikyatu Jusu, is really sweet and poignant overall. It's also cool to see it sitting in an HBO lineup that includes blockbusters like "Alien" and "Matrix Revolutions."

WARDROBE: A few things about the big finale: Marc Jacobs

2008-02-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

1) The online reviews have all reported conflicting times. By our watches, Marc Jacobs started his show promptly at 7:15pm after spending about ten minutes walking around the stage inside the Armory announcing to everyone that he was ready to start the show. Half of the venue's seats (it was designed to feel like an arena rock concert) were empty. We're still not clear if all of the industry's top editors had made it inside when the first model walked onstage to a live performance by Sonic Youth. So was it a big f-you to the critics who chastised him for being over two hours late last season? Possibly. Many editors were still struggling through traffic from the Sean John show, which happened roughly 20 blocks further uptown at Cipriani and, coincidentally, also started earlier than expected. We got to Puffy's show 25 minutes late only to be told that the show had already started. That turned out to be a good thing, otherwise we would have missed the low-key series of architectural coats and jackets that stood out from his collection. As Kim Gordon sang "Cool Thing," ranting against corporate oppression, Marc showed one cool, recession-proof, Jacobsian take on one sportswear classic after another. The shapes he created were the really cool part of the show and unfortunately those can only be seen by looking at the profile angle, which you can't see by viewing the straight-on pics posted on most Web sites. Bottom line, we'd totally wear it (minus the head ornamentation and a few of the evening looks including the oversized tunic jackets and wide-leg pants). We're guessing it will be about four weeks before we start seeing knockoffs.

2) Marc's collection included leather pants, which haven't really been popular since '98. Could this be the beginning of a comeback?

3) Most of the models wore flat boots and slip-ons, which means fall will most likely be a season of flats knowing the power of Marc (and keep in mind several other designers showed flat boots this week including Phillip Lim and Richard Chai). But we should also remember that the "Sex and the City" movie also hits theaters in all of its Manolo Blahnik/Christian Louboutin stiletto-sporting glory. And remember how many girls started teetering around in heels at the height of that series' popularity? So everybody wins.

WARDROBE: More favorites from the week

2008-02-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

1) Peter Som's glittery sequined cocktail dresses for Bill Blass. Very 70s. Very early Bill Blass.

2) Jenni Kayne's effortlessly cool urban work clothes.

WARDROBE: Baby steps

2008-02-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

While the New York collections haven't exactly been the Rainbow Coalition on the runways, the shows have looked markedly more diverse than last season. We guess Bethann Hardison's efforts really are working. Michael Kors had one of the most colorful casts we've seen so far. It's kind of cool to see the industry redefining it's concept of beauty again.

WARDROBE: More looks that we wanted to lift from off the racks backstage

2008-02-07T20:54:00.001-08:00

Y&Kei

3.1 Phillip Lim

Richard Chai

Shipley & Halmos

WARDROBE: The girl just loves to party all the time, party all the time, party all the time

2008-02-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

That song lyric from Eddie Murphy's super cheesy 80s hit "Party All The Time" came to mind this week after spotting Genevieve Jones all over creation. She seems to have fully rebounded from WSJ-gate.

WARDROBE: Food and fashion really can go together

2008-02-05T19:15:00.001-08:00

The models at Rodarte were looking a little skinny, so we went around the corner after the show to our favorite between-the-Chelsea-shows spot, Tía Pol, to eat enough patatas bravas for all of them.

WARDROBE: More looks that made us happy

2008-02-05T19:14:00.001-08:00

Thakoon

Rodarte

LIFE: Disturbing Super Tuesday moment of the day

2008-02-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

Setting: #2 train headed downtown. A middle-aged Jewish mother explaining politics to her son and daughter who looked to be about 10 and 5 years-old.

Mom: "Here's the thing, if the race ends up being between Obama and McCain the Republicans will win. There's no way Obama can beat McCain."

Son: "Why?"

Mom: "Because you just have to be honest about the reality that people will never vote for him because he's black. It's the reality, just the same as the reality that I'm never going to be 6' tall."

WARDROBE: Looks we wanted to snatch off the models' backs

2008-02-05T18:42:00.000-08:00

Because this Peter Som ensemble looks effortlessly cool in an "I just threw this on" kind of way.

This dress by Preen because it's sexy, but not trashy. Body-conscious without being uncomfortably form-fitting. And the jumpsuit because, well, how cool are jumpsuits? We love relaxed, easy dressing like this.

These dresses by Proenza Schouler because the craftmanship is superb. It's the kind of thing you can one day pass down to your daughter 30 years from now, and she in turn wear it and get cool points because the construction is so undeniably special.

WARDROBE: The people who make people-watching fun

2008-02-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Riding in a cab from the Hervé Leger by Max Azria show to the DKNY presentation this past weekend, we drove past Andre J who was standing alone in the West Village, talking on his cell phone, and tossing his long, luxurious (faux) tresses over his shoulder. His legs, glistening. His beard, tighter than tight. He was a vision in bronzey brown and passerby did double-takes. One of our favorite aspects of the collections is the gathering of the fashion world's beloved eccentrics, the people who often get puzzled stares on the subway, in their element. Here are some of our favorites.

WARDROBE: Love the newbies

2008-02-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

The crop of designers showing in New York seems to grow with each season thanks to European designers looking to capture the American audience, famous people who drink the celebrity clothing line Kool-Aid and recent design school grads hoping to be the next Proenza Schouler. The schedule can be hit or miss. Here are two newbies whose work impressed us.

Frank Tell

José Ramón Reyes

LIFE: Happy Super Tuesday

2008-02-05T15:12:00.001-08:00

WARDROBE: What We Liked This Weekend: The Cold Shoulder (ha!)

2008-02-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Mark our words: fall is going to be all about the shoulder. Don't believe us? Just look at a few examples from the past few days.

Sari Gueron

BCBG

Sass & Bide

Hervé Léger by Max Azria

WARDROBE: And we're off

2008-02-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

Fashion Week officially kicked off today so expect to see random musings about it here. First up, after having had a sneak peek at a few collections during the past two weeks and watched BCBG's show today, we're wondering if slinky 40s-influenced dresses will be a dominant trend for fall. Maybe a continuation of the grown-up dressing motif. We're not entirely mad at it. We're also guessing that many designers will be all about the waistline again this season (like this Elise Overland look pictured above). But hey, we're just going on a hunch and the few collections we've seen so far.

Secondly, the number of photogs snapping the pretty ladies walking in and out of the shows seems to have multiplied exponentially. Wear a cute outfit, and you might just get to feel like Angelina Jolie for a few minutes. Joy Bryant was clearly photographed because she's famous, but if she weren't we're guessing someone would have snapped her for this cute ensemble anyway.

LIFE: He's got a point

2008-02-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

As much as we love Anderson Cooper and gang, is anyone else as disturbed by the fact that CNN is branding the elections as much as we are? A friend pointed it out while we sat and watched the democratic debate. "This is one of the most important elections we've had in decades and it's on cable? Shouldn't this be on public access or something like that on some Rock the Vote type tip?" he said. And we have to admit, he's got a point. "It just feels too much like a Pay Per View boxing fight," he added just as the debate cut to a commercial proclaiming, "Join us next week for CNN Super Tuesday."

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-01-22T20:41:00.001-08:00

"Stay With Me," by Platinum Pied Pipers (click song title to listen)

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," by Platinum Pied Pipers

"Hip Know Cypher," by Visioneers

We've heard the first song in a lot of our favorite DJs' set lists but didn't realize Platinum Pied Pipers were behind it. Neither of the above PPP tracks necessarily scream Detroit at us the way some of their other work does (think Dwele and Slum Village). 4Hero's Marc Mac does a lovely remix of "Stay With Me." And speaking of, we're loving his side project, "Visioneers," an album he describes as "dirty old hip hop" but actually is more what we would call "jazzy hop." It sounds like the grandchild of The Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride.

PALETTE: A skin trick: More men's items that work for women

2008-01-18T20:44:00.000-08:00

We found out the most amazing little factoid while having an Eve Lom facial at the SoHo location of Space NK: the best skin saver might be your boyfriend's shaving products. Our facialist told us about how many of her clients complain about hyperpigmentation and small acne breakouts in the cheek area only to find out the tiny bumps are actually ingrown hairs. She tells her clients to use Anthony Logistics Ingrown Hair Treatment and has seen amazing results.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-01-16T22:13:00.000-08:00

"Honey," by Erykah Badu (click song title to listen)

Beginning with her last album, Worldwide Underground, Erykah has been shifting away from traditionally structured pop/R&B songs and more towards extended jam session kind of material (see "I Want You" and "Black In the Day"). We're not entirely mad at it. "Honey," her first new single in a long while, won't change the way you think about anything in particular (you can't even easily decipher her lyrics at first listen), but we don't think the song is meant to either. It's simply what it is: something funky to sway to.

WARDROBE: Men's cardigans are way sexy

2008-01-16T21:56:00.000-08:00

Lately, we've been really into the idea of cardigans. But not the fitted ones paired with waist cinching belts that we've seen in women's wear for the last few seasons. We're talking vintage-looking, slightly oversized cardigans--the kind your cultural theory professor wore at University. The kind with the side pockets and maybe even the patches on the elbows. It's an understated, sexy thought. So we've started collecting men's cardigans, lightweight ones in quality fabrics that are warm for winter but also breathe well enough to take us through spring. Men's wear wünderkind Victor Glemaud's offerings are our current favorites. Too bad he didn't shoot these on female models.

PALETTE: Satin alternatives

2008-01-16T21:47:00.000-08:00

After dismissing the latest It color in beauty land, we figured the least we could do is suggest an alternative. We like O.P.I.'s Russian Navy because it has maroon undertones, works with more skin complexions, and is easier to pull off overall. The matte, darker blue looks more decadent and less 80s electric than Chanel's much more hyped version.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-01-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

"Hyperballad," by The Bjorkestra

Most contemporary jazz reminds me of the boring soundtrack my parents play through the house intercom during dinner. They like to call it "dinner music." I should bring The Bjorkestra's CD home the next time I visit them. It's not exactly my folks' style of dinner music, but the band has a great cross-generational thing happening with their just-experimental-enough-without-crossing-into-head-scratching-territory twist on traditional jazz instrumentation.

BOOKS: What's currently sitting on our nightstand

2008-01-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

"The Book of Other People," a collection of short stories edited by Zadie Smith
All of the contemporary fiction world's most highly sweated authors in one place: Dave Eggers, Edwidge Danticat, Jonathan Lethem, ZZ Packer and more.

SOUNDS: Sometime's online rants have a point

2008-01-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

Jack Davey of J*Davey writes one very long diatribe against the corporatization of music and how it killed the industry on her blog, basically summing up what music lovers and independent artists have been grumbling about for a while now. We hope this doesn't mean that Warner Music shelved their album.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2008-01-09T19:15:00.001-08:00

"Till the Morning," by Mary J. Blige (click song title to listen)

Not only are we happy Mary finally put out an album to debunk the theory that her music sounds best when she's depressed and downtrodden (see classics "What's the 411?" and "My Life"), it makes us smile to see other people digging it as well. (The guy who sold us our jerk fish platter at the local West Indian spot sang her entire single "Just Fine" line by line.) Our favorite, "Till the Morning," probably won't see much radio play as a single, but we think it's easily one of the most around-the-way-reminscent on the album with its funky cowbell and simple chorus that matches "Real Love" in its catchiness.

LIFE: Our favorite coverage of tear-gate so far...

2008-01-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

Ever since she won New Hampshire, we've been experiencing a certain Hillary Clinton fatigue thanks to all the political pundits dissecting her choke-up the other day. After trying to processing it all, we give the gang over at Jezebel the award for Best Take On Crying-In-New-Hampshire-gate for this line alone:

"I guess her voice broke, but I was like, 'wait I thought she was supposed to cry in this video?!'"

And, actually, this one too:
"Oh good lord it's not a CRY unless SNOT is present."

Read the hilarious, and "exhausting" exchange here.

LIFE: Stuck in a stereotype: Introducing

2008-01-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

We can't take credit for this new recurring item we're about to introduce called, Stuck in a Stereotype. A friend actually suggested it. But we snatched it up, with his blessing. And so...we'll be recounting real-life surreal moments that seem too stereotypical too be true. Feel free to send in your's and we might post them here.

Stereotype #1

Setting: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reading with Dave Eggers at the 92nd St Y on Manhattan's Upper East Side
The problem: Chimamanda is from Nigeria, which apparently made her the representative for all of Africa and black authors in general. While Eggers received questions from the audience during the Q&A session about his choice of character in "What is the What" and creative process, Chimamanda, author of "Half of a Yellow Sun" was stuck with the following:

-"How has Toni Morrison influenced your work?"
-"How do you feel about the use of the African village in African literature?"

Never mind that Adichie's novel has nothing to do with the concept of the African village, we find the Toni Morrison question even more baffling. The audience might as well have asked her about Alice Walker, Bebe Moore Campbell, Langston Hughes, Teri McMillan and every other writer (talented or not) whose work has ever sat on the African American lit bookshelves in stores.

LIFE: And Happy New Year to you too

2008-01-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

Dear lovelies,

Sorry we've been so lame about updating throughout the holidays. We hope you enjoyed your travels. But stay tuned for coming updates, shiny new features, and other fun things in early 2008. Should be a good year.

xoo,

Team Muse

WARDROBE: Marc hearts M.I.A.

2008-01-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

The Marc Jacobs/Juergen Teller partnership lost us during the Dakota Fanning period, but we've been loving the campaigns they've come up with since. Here's a sneak peek at the next one.

LIFE: Does anyone even watch MTV for the videos anymore?

2007-12-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

Below, a link to the video MTV doesn't want you to see in its original form, at least on their network anyway. M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" clip has caused a grip of controversy because of its political content paired with the sound of bullets--content MTV felt the need to censor. To be honest, we're surprised the channel even screened the video in the first place. Whenever we flip to the network we only see episodes of The Hills, that Tila Tequila show, and America's Next Top Model marathons. Love the Beasties cameo.

SOUNDS: Our new favorite work of music journalism

2007-12-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

We read Greg Tate's review of Alicia Keys' "As I Am" for the Village Voice weeks ago and still think about it. That alone, is enough reason for it to replace Sasha Frere-Jones' article on indie rock and race as our new favorite work of music journalism in 2007. We used to read Tate's work obsessively in college when he regularly wrote for the Voice, before the paper went through all kinds of changes in staffing, tone and voice (as most publications unfortunately do these days). So we hope this article is a sign that he'll be writing more in 2008. In other Tate news, his band, Burnt Sugar, The Arkestra Chamber, will be performing The Rise of the Mojosexual Cotillion, "a suite of new trans-genre works inspired by the musical and cultural aesthetic of post-Katrina New Orleans" on January 18 and 19 at 8pm at The Kitchen. Go here for details.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-12-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

"Paper Planes" remix by M.I.A. and Rye Rye (click song title to listen)
Hip hop today would be one thousand times better if more rappers were talking like this.
Then again, we love the drop-it-like-it's-hot stuff too. Rye Rye's "Shake It To The Ground" is quintessential B-more booty-shaking material.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-12-13T13:15:00.001-08:00

"Down On My Knees," by Ayo (click song title to listen)

BOOKS: Laws of attraction or just a coincidence?

2007-12-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

Seriously, whomever the director of programming is at the 92nd Street Y needs to get out of our brain--either that, or the laws of attraction must be true because we just received a press release about our dream reading. This past summer, we read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "Half Of a Yellow Sun" and "Purple Hibiscus" and Dave Egger's "What is the What" back-to-back (it also sparked our current obsession with contemporary fiction about Africa, we're preparing to read Chris Abani's "Graceland") and thought to ourselves, "these two should do a reading together." Lo and behold, the two will be reading excerpts from their novels on Monday, January 7 at 8pm. Valentino Achak Deng, the Sudanese Lost Boy who Eggers based his latest book on, will also be there. Get the deets here.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-12-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

"Violet Stars Happy Hunting CyberHop Mix," by Janelle Monae (click song title to listen)
We read about her on Turpmagazine.com and then realized that this is the same girl who sang on Outkast's "Idlewild" soundtrack, which kind of explains the Andre 3000 comparisons--that and her flair for spaced-out, cartoon-like ensembles and equally animated vocal delivery. We love.

ART: More Art Basel Miami: Days 2 and 3: The big fair

2007-12-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

It's kind of impossible to cover everything in the convention center in one day; to call the experience sensory overload is somewhat of an understatement. While many experts in art land have been watching for signs that the market's bubble is about to burst, we didn't see them. Like last year, people seemed in the mood to shop (we heard that Deitch sold everything in their booth on the first day?). Then again, that's also an understatement. You know the collectors who frequent this fair are doing okay for themselves, when they travel to Miami in the middle of the holiday season (when everyone else is budgeting for the new talking Elmo or whatever the new gift is) to purchase multi-million works. And with our worthless currency, it seems like European collectors would be even more eager to purchase in U.S. fairs.
During our walk, we saw older works by Picasso and Duchamp, younger old pieces by Basquiat and Haring and completely new art by Kehinde Wiley and Dzine.

T Magazine has even more coverage here.

FOOD: Art Basel days 2 and 3: Dinner at Puerto Sagua

2007-12-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

This Cuban dive is legendary in South Beach, but for some reason, we ordered all the wrong things the night we went. Of our party of 12, these were the only two dishes worth eating. Regardless of the food, the restaurant was beyond packed, with a mix of art, fashion and local peeps. Just make a note to self, if you're ever in the restaurant, stick with safe dishes (think roasted chicken, rice and beans, plantains, marinated fish, etc.)

ART: More Art Basel Miami: Days 2 and 3

2007-12-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

Outside of the main fair, 23 satellite shows were also going on. Here are images from a few of them.

ART: More Art Basel Miami: Days 2 and 3

2007-12-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

The Ginzo Tropicalia opening was a highlight not only because it was curated by Simon Watson (the man who helped build the careers of Richard Prince among a slew of other artists whose work we love to look at but can't afford) and featured work by street artists and graffiti writers from Japan, Brazil and New York with cult followings (scroll a few posts back for images of the making of a few of the works), the food and drink was also slamming. Seriously, we shamelessly stood by the cater water entrance for most of the night waiting for the marinated miso sea bass, while the rest of our group got wasted on the ginger mojitos.

Curator Simon Watson and artist Kiji

Designer Jose Duran

ART: Art Basel Miami Day One

2007-12-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

10pm: Steve Powers show with Deitch Projects, which also made for fun art and people watching.

The artist Kehinde Wiley

Artists Lele, McGuinness, and Ivano

ART: Art Basel Miami Day One

2007-12-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

8pm: The "Distinctive Messengers" Show featuring Paul Mpagi Sepuya's live portrait sessions; a toasted Frenchman/performance artist who couldn't remember what day it was but knew which direction the camera flash was coming from; and a lively crowd.

Lainie Dalby

ART: Art Basel Miami Day One

2007-12-07T12:18:00.001-08:00

3pm: The artists Jacqueline Tarry and Bradley McCallum and two pieces from their series, "Whitewash."

5pm: Work in progress for a show opening tonight featuring street artists and graffiti writers from Japan, Brazil and New York (it also includes McGuinness mentioned a few posts ago).

ART: Art Basel Miami Day One

2007-12-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

We missed all of the VIP/Preview happenings on Wednesday, but arrived in Miami bright and early on Thursday to catch the official opening day. Here are a few of yesterday's highlights. More to come throughout the day...

12 noon
Rudolf: A Salutary Pipeline at Scope Art Fair, a project by Matt McGuinness featuring a solar pavilion (contributed by Situ Studio), and collage drawings housed inside a special shipping container covered in art.

ART: Stay tuned

2007-12-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

We've got reports from Miami Basel coming up in the next few days. Above, two images from the same work, which happens to be the one we're most looking forward to seeing.

WARDROBE: More ways to spend your clothing allowance: Sample sales

2007-12-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

Marc Jacobs is having a 70% off sale of its collection in stores.

Lewis Cho has marked down their sweater, jersey and tunic dresses down roughly half of the original price. Wednesday, December 19 through Thursday, December 20. 12noon to 7pm. 225 W. 36th Street, Suite 701 (7th and 8th Ave)

FILMS: On our TiVo list

2007-12-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

We stopped watching BET a looooooooooong time ago but recently made an exception for its "American Gangster" series and Africana series, which showcases movies from the continent on its sister channel BET J. While channel surfing today we happened upon the Senegalese movie Ndeysaan: Le Prix du Pardon, about two friends who battle for the same girl in a Lebou fishing village. Not only was it beautifully shot, it showcases amazingly good storytelling, conjuring up techniques of the griot, and beautifully recreates the traditional religious practices of the region without looking like a "dark continent" cliché.

LIFE: Barack at the Apollo: The Verdict

2007-12-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

We had to miss this, unfortunately, because we were on deadline. But a few friends reported back.

What he said:

“Telling the American people what we think they want to hear instead of what they need to hear just won’t do."

What they said:

"He gave a motivational speech rather than a speech that would convert the undecided. It seems like he wasn't really working to win over voters who might be in favor of Hillary Clinton or John Edwards."

What he said:

"I don't want to wake up in four years and find out we still have more black men in prison than in college."

"I’m tired of reading about Jena, I’m of reading about nooses, tired of reading about a justice department that doesn’t understand justice..."

What they said:

"He said something about the black community and not wanting to wake up five years from now and hear that there are still more black men in prison than in college and the audience didn't cheer as loudly as I thought they would have. His comments about the black community, specifically--like the Jena 6 case--were right on point. But they didn't get the response I thought they would have. A part of me thinks that may be because many black people are self conscious about supporting him because of concern that people will think the support is only because of his race. I've been questioned many times by other black people about why I'm supporting him. And they usually ask me, 'Is it because he's black?'"

What he said:

"The only reason I am standing here today is because somebody, somewhere decided to stand up for me when it was hard."

What they said:

"I really liked it. But I'm thinking that maybe my expectations were more in line with reality than other people's? Like, I knew he would probably only talk for a little while, and that it would be a standard stump speech. But I liked the speech and I liked hearing from Cornel West too. It was all very pie-in-the-sky--like, if he actually accomplishes 15% fo the stuff he said he would, we'd be living in a freaking utopia. But I felt energized by the event."

WARDROBE: Like navigating space, or the train station

2007-11-29T15:49:00.000-08:00

We stopped by Pharrell Williams' new Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream store in SoHo this week. It's an eyepopper of a place with two levels (one for BBC, another for Ice Cream) and fun design elements like ice cream sandwich shaped lounge chairs, giant cereal boxes and a floor designed to look like the surface of the moon. It's the first US store, which will now be a cousin to the Tokyo and Hong Kong locations. "I look at each store like the entrance to the trains in a subway station. It's the same train, but when you get on in Brooklyn the station looks different from when you get on in the Village," he told us. While the shop doesn't have much for ladies, we actually wanted to snatch the sweater off his back (see the photo above), which is sold in the shop and online.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-11-29T15:41:00.001-08:00

"She Loves Everybody," by Chester French (click song title to listen)
And who is Chester French you may ask? A pair of painfully preppy Harvard U. seniors who look like a cross between a Trovata fashion show and John Hughes movie. They also write, sing and produce their own indie rock music, just signed a deal with Star Trak, and count Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri as fans.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-11-26T21:17:00.000-08:00

"No One" Remix featuring Damian Marley, by Alicia Keys (click song title to listen)

WARDROBE: If you end up spending most of your holiday shopping budget on you: Sample Sales

2007-11-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

The brand: Tracy Reese and Plenty
The details: November 26th, 4pm – 9pm, 145 West 18th street (between 6th and 7th), 212-388-0339

The brand: Costello Tagliapietra
The details: November 28 and 29, 11am-5pm, Hatch at 80 West 40th Street, Penthouse (between 5th and 6th Avenue)

The brand: Tse
The details: December 2-6, 2007, 9am - 7pm, 317 West 33rd Street (between 8th & 9th ), cash/mc/visa/amex - no checks

The brand: Tocca
The details: December 6-7th, 12pm-7pm, 542 West 22nd Street, 3rd Floor, (between 10th & 11th Ave.), 212.929.7122

WARDROBE: What's another word for "amazing"?

2007-11-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

We first noticed Andre J, one of many eye-popping New York personalities you see on a semi-regular basis at certain parties, about a year ago because he seemed to like hot pants about as much as we do. He reminded us of some of the leggy children profiled in Paris Is Burning only he never seems to roll with a crew or “house.” And come to find out, he’s not trying to give up any “realness” either. Guy Trebay tells his whole backstory in a profile that ran in the Sunday Times, in which he reveals that he’s more performance artist than cross dresser. We also learn that his government name is Academy Spires, he’s 28, from Newark and was channeling Cher and the late model Donyale Luna when he bumped into the stylist who set him up with Bruce Weber who shot him for the cover of French Vogue. We also learned that “amazing” is the new word in gay land, replacing “fabulous” and “major,” which bums us out because we’ve been saying “amazing” for a good five years now.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-11-18T19:53:00.000-08:00

"The Platypus Strut" and "Model Citizen" by Ohmega Watts (click song title to listen)

LIFE: Sounds: Home doing everything than what I should be/channel surfing

2007-11-18T19:06:00.000-08:00

I haven't watched (and enjoyed) the American Music Awards since I was little and Michael Jackson was still the king of pop, but I happen to be surprisingly doing both. I wish I could blame the writer's strike, but I'm really just watching it out of curiosity and boredom. A few thoughts.

-A country band, whose name I didn't catch, is singing Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" and it doesn't sound half bad. It actually sounds like the song could have been a honkey tonk one from the get-go. The line "you must not know 'bout me" sounds equally as country as it does 'hood after all. Now Beyonce herself has joined them for the second verse. Best of both worlds.

-I love Alicia Keys' performance because 1) I'm addicted to her old school feel-good single "No One" 2) I'm addicted to the dancehall remix of said song 3) She sang both versions with the help of legit dancehall singers like Junior Reid and Beanie Man instead of enlisting someone corny like, say, Akon or an equally mainstream-friendly artist 4) She's doing the Butterfly, let alone dancing at all and 5) She finally stopped stuffing herself into those damned skinny jeans (the Studio 54-style bodysuit looks much sexier on her).

-Duran Duran should also pass on skinny jeans.

-Did Carrie Underwood really just thank her "entourage"? Wasn't she just a contestant on reality TV?

-Who is Daughtry?

-They are already giving Beyonce a lifetime achievement style award circa Michael Jackson 1989, complete with a video montage of performance footage and crying, screaming fans in Asia. It seems a bit early considering she's only 26.

-Mary J. Blige is also dancing. Hard. Her posturing is taking me back to her "What's the 411" days.

WARDROBE: And the winner is

2007-11-16T08:04:00.000-08:00

The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award winner was announced last night and the outcome was a bit of a surprise. When we did a little informal reader poll, you told us you thought Erin Fetherston should win. Meanwhile, we were banking on Phillip Lim. The winner? Rogan Gregory, the designer behind the denim line Rogan. He scored a $200,000 prize meant to "encourage his design plans." Lim did receive a runner up nod, though, for $50,000, along with Phillip Crangi. Style.com has photos from the night.

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-11-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

"Funky Nassau," by Orgone (click song title to listen)
Stax meets Afro-Beat meets Fania All-Stars type music.

"Asmarina," by Ethiopiques

WARDROBE: While we're on the subject of "pock-a-books"

2007-11-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Viktor & Rolf just launched a capsule collection of purses, totes and clutches. And they actually look like a luxe version of the "pockabooks" (we just had to sneak that in one last time) our grandmothers carried on their arms in old photographs from the '60s.

LIFE: Random source of laughter: Where's my "pock-a-book"?

2007-11-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, on the train, we overheard a woman talking about her new, “$400 Coach pocketbook.” And it struck us, because “pocketbook” is not really a term we hear that often in the city; it’s commonly used in the South, though. And then, randomly, a friend and loyal Muse reader emailed us this hilarious little anecdote:

"One of my friends has a two-year- old who spends A LOT of time with her grandma in Charles County,  Virginia and when she was in town visiting a little over a week ago, the  little girl was carrying around a little purse. Every time we asked her  about her "purse," Chloe (her name) would frown and look confused. Finally,  my friend (her mother) came over and corrected us. What Chloe was carrying  around was a "Pock-a-book", not a purse. The moment she heard “Pock-a-book ” she smiled and repeated "pock-a-book", "pock-a-book" . . . not purse, not  handbag, not clutch, or tote. "Pock-a-book." HA!!!!"

Just for the record, Wikipedia has this entry for "pocketbook": A pocketbook is similar to a purse (in the British English sense), but allows the carrying of sheets of paper as well.

And Merriam-Webster Online has this:

pocket book : a small especially paperback book that can be carried in the pocket
2: a flat typically leather folding case for money or personal papers that can be carried in a pocket or handbag

And when we did a Google Image search for the term, the photo we got is the one above.

WARDROBE: When organic became cute

2007-11-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

In the past, "green" fashion has always been terribly boring or painfully earthy, crunchy looking (think organic knit tops that basically look like thermals or clunky, earth-friendly shoes that would make Crocs look hot). Then the Stella McCartneys of the world made it cool to invest time , money and resources into creating "green" fashiony clothing that people would actually want to wear. And voila! The eco-friendly category is currently booming in fashion land. She-Bible is one of the cuter brands in the sustainable group. Created by San Francisco buddies Deirdre O'Boyle and Stacy Rodgers, the line features the kind of clothing we live in during the weekends when the weather gets cold: easy, low-maintenance sweatshirts, tops and jackets.

LIFE: More fuel for your Obama obsession

2007-11-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

The presidential candidate did a series of 21 short video interviews with MTV. [Starworks]

We were like "eh" about Roberto Cavalli's über hyped H&M collabo. Apparently, we were the only ones feeling lukewarm about it. [Gawker]

SOUNDS: Truer words...

2007-11-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

“Music kind of sucks. Nobody’s into being a musician. Everybody’s getting their mogul on. You’ve been so infiltrated by this corporate mentality that all the time you’d spend getting great songs together, you’re busy doing nine other things that have nothing to do with art. You know how shitty Stevie Wonder’s songs would have been if he had to run a fuckin’ clothing company and a cologne line? … Rap sucks, for the most part. Not all rap, but as an art form it’s just not at its best moment. Sammy the Bull would have made a shitty album. And I don’t really have a desire to hear Warren Buffett’s album - or the new CD by Paul Allen. That’s what everybody’s aspiring to be.” - Chris Rock in the new issue of "Rolling Stone"

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-11-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

"Valley of Love," by J*Davey (click song title to listen)
"Ever Fallen in Love," by Betty Black

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-11-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

"Na Oil," by Seun Anikulapo Kuti (click song title to listen)

LIFE: A behind the scenes look at life behind the camera

2007-11-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

As if we need anything else to fuel our VH1 reality addiction, our contributing photographer, Piper Carter, is on the new series, "The Shot." The show (airing Sundays at 10pm) follows a group of lens guys and ladies as they compete for "their dream job in photography." Think "America's Next Top Model" for photogs only you won't see Tyra repeating "You are still in the running to become..." over and over again. Piper is great, so we're psyched that the rest of the world will get to see how talented she is (see her latest batch of photos for us here). In other reality news, we also know one of the girls on the upcoming season of "Project Runway." So we'll be watching way too much television this winter.

WARDROBE: Put that G into a mutual fund instead

2007-11-01T16:34:00.001-07:00

Months ago, we questioned the relevance of the It bag. Now, the New York Times is proclaiming it basically dead. That's not a bad thing, considering how most satchels in that category can set you back at least $1,000 (we hit rock bottom when we bought a Spy bag.) So not cool. Le Sportsac creative director Elizabeth Kiester sums the whole situation up best in the article: “The luxury market is so over the top now that it is demented. I call them limo bags. I don’t have a limo.”

SOUNDS: On today's playlist

2007-10-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

"Fallen Snow," by Au Revoir Simone (click song title to listen)

WARDROBE: Dead wrong: Manolo madness

2007-10-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Don't be mad at us, but we knew that the Manolo Blahnik sample sale was happening today but didn't post it because we didn't want to add to the throngs of women we'd have to compete with for discounted shoes. The sale was a madhouse (as usual) anyway. Read the details here.

LIFE: You've got to be seen green...

2007-10-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

I always associate November with my favorite childhood movie “The Wiz” because, for some reason, the television networks always seem to play it in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. It was actually the first movie I ever saw in a theater; my mom took me when I was two-years-old and during the scene when the wicked witch melted on her throne, I thought she was being flushed down the toilet. And when Michael Jackson sang in front of those scarecrows, I felt a toddler-version of a crush. And when the dancers in gold lamé leggings danced around the traffic light in Oz to Richard Pryor’s dictums of what’s in and out during the “Gold is Bold” montage, I developed an early love for hot pants and high heels. Considering how young I was, it’s odd that I remember the experience so strongly. Needless to say, I never get tired of watching it.

So I was extra psyched while out dancing one night when the DJ played a house song that began with the horn section from the “Gold is Bold” montage (see the scene here ). I tried to reenact the choreography on the dance floor and started skipping a little too hard, but no matter, “The Wiz” seems to be having a real pop culture moment right now. Because a few days later, we heard Nas’ new single, “Surviving the Times,” which samples Nipsey Russell’s Tinman song from the movie. Maybe Broadway needs to add the musical to its ever-growing list of revivals.