They have toured with No Doubt, won Pop Album of the year, make mellow grooves and  happen to be very down to earth enlightened guys.   Based in Canada and currently on their way to China and Australia on tour.   I caught up with Jay Malinowski, Eon Sinclair and Sekou Lumumba from Bedouin Soundclash at the US Open and we had a chat before their set.

http://www.bedouinsoundclash.com/splash/

R:  How did you guys meet and start making music together?

J: we came together at different times.   Eon and I met each other 10 years ago,  Sekou joined us about 6 months ago.

R: Did that inject a lot of new energy into your process in terms of how you write lyrics, and create melodies?

E: Yes, for sure.   Different  musicians totally affect the way you get inspired.   With Sekou on board, as a three piece that energy is totally different.

R: Your sound is reggae pop.   Were you all into similar music growing up?

S: A lot of different  influences:  Reggae was very strong, we all pull from that.   Eon being a DJ he brings a lot of that into it.   I love Bad Brains and Fishbone.   But reggae is main base.

R: Favorite song growing up?  Anything special speak to you as  a kid?

E:   I loved the song "Pass the Dutchie"  by Musical Youth.  My family keeps reminding me about it, I'll never live that down.    I was super inspired by it as a kid and also loved to see kids playing music that I liked.   It had a profound effect on the path I decided to take, although I didn't realize it then.

R: What is harmony, not in a literal sense, but in your life, how do you balance touring, business, writing, family and just being at peace?

J: Karl Lagerfeld said, just waking up and life,  for me, to just be present in the moment is enough.   Lagerfeld called it a lightness.  Living well and not being weighed down.

E: Communication and understanding.   Sharing with a person, a song, the environment. I think  feeling that connection is incredible.  Being in that moment.  It is a very special thing.

R: A very profound answer, I love that.   What is a perfect day for you?

S: That is a tough one, when  you wake up and everything falls into place.  Even with this show, we didn't know what to expect but we rolled up, the sun came out and  the crowds started embracing us.   Stuff like that puts me in a great mood, a happy place.



R: What are some of your favorite places to travel and do you have an experience there that you want to share, a way that you connected with the local culture?

J: I love Japan.   It always has a profound impact on our band.   Good or bad, something always happens in Japan.   I think because it is so isolating.   The language barrier enhances that.

R: A bit of that " lost in translation" element?

J: Yes, for sure.   Favorite places, London and The UK is one of my favorites too.   To them music is live or die.   Its not just background, I am who I am because of who I listen too, they love music.   I love Australia too.

R: Similar vibe to this show at the US Open right, surf culture, good vibes?

J: Yeah

R: Is the creative process a gift or can you learn to be creative, it is a journey ?

E: Not creativity in general , but the ability to express it in a universal way is a gift.
Interview and photos by: Reggie Casagrande
reggieworld.com

Kids at US Open

Had a blast shooting all the "kids" (anyone under 25) in OC for the US Surf open.    There was a lot of posturing and tongue wagging which was really fun and funny at the same time. Tattoos, mohawks, sunglasses, neon, jewelry, skateboards, cellphones, and surfboards were de rigueur.   One thing they all had in common besides having a great time was a great sense of style.

Found these cool cats at Yoyogi Park in Harajuko.  So fun to watch them dance around.

This is the coolest hat store in Tokyo.   In the Shibuya shopping district.   Their displays are gorgeous and the Andy Warhol hat collection is here.   Didn't even know there was one.  Nova did some hat modeling for me.

TOKYO is full of charms, charms and more charms.   Teddy bears, Totoro, hearts and notions.

Met some of the coolest kids in town at the PAIA youth center skate park in Maui.    These kids had mad style.  
 So nice that they had such a beautiful and safe place to skate.   Some of the kids had never seen a Polaroid camera before.   Love bringing that Land-camera out.  Seriously, this kid says, "wow, it is printing right out of the camera"  so cute, unfortunately, that doesn't happen too much anymore either.  In case any of you photo nerds out there care, I shot these with the new GXR by RICOH.   The first point and shoot digital camera with a removable lens.  Yes, it is insane.   Should be on the market shortly.   Had a viewfinder too and an optical zoom.

This weekend Undefeated and Generic Man launched their line of shoes.  Eddie Cruz and James Bond set up a cool display behind the store and had some BBQ and cool peeps stop by.  Beth Gibbs rocked her camou skinnies and Tait Chatmon rocked  a Cuban Borsalino hat.  The Gibbs boys all wore soccer jerseys for the World Cup.  The shoes are avail at the store and online this month.   Made completely from surplus military fabrics.    Simple, elegant, comfortable and utilitarian.   How about that for sustainability?

Downtown Calling the film  
NYC in the late seventies was it's own entity.  Some say it still is a little island of cool. Back then  it was the birth of hip hop, a vibrant creative era and a political enigma.    Civic chaos and the style, fashion, music, club culture and dance that came out of it was monumental.  Downtown calling tells this story.

 The cast includes Mos Def, Maripol, Fab 5 Freddy, Chris Stein, Zephyr, Ed Koch, Jazzy Jay, Charlie Ahern, DJ AM, Arthur Baker, Jaleel Bunton, Dave Sitek, Henry Chalfant, Daze, Johnny Dynell, Bobbito Garcia, Nelson George, Michael Holman and on and on.   Debbie Harry narrates.  .

I like it. A great script-check.   High production value-check.  Hipster styling- check .  NYC as the setting- check.    Everything HBO touches turns to gold.   There is rarely bad programing whether you relate to a project or not.   How to make it in America will hopefully stick.   Imagine a more downtown, gritty version of cool Gossip Girl twenty somethings.    They look like the exotic waitresses at Indochine, wear Supreme and sport a skate streetwear look.   Cooler and real- I am thrilled to see the styling and content on a major TV show echo what really is happening on the street.      You know you have heard, "I'm starting my own Tshirt line or I'm creating my own energy drink" a thousand times.  Will they be able to spin a TV series on it?   Designer John Varvatos guest stars in the first show so I'm excited for more designer cameos in future episodes. Here is the run down.
(this press excerpt courtesy of HBO)

"How to Make It in America" follows two enterprising Brooklyn twenty somethings as they hustle their way through New York City, determined to achieve the American Dream. Trying to make a name for themselves in New York's competitive fashion scene, Ben Epstein (Greenberg) and his friend and business partner Cam Calderon (Rasuk) use their street knowledge and connections to bring their ambitions to fruition. With the help of Cam's cousin Rene (Guzman), who is trying to market his own high-energy drink, and their well-connected friend Domingo ("Kid Cudi"), the entrepreneurs set out to make it big, encountering obstacles along the way that will require all their ingenuity to overcome.

"How to Make It in America" also stars Lake Bell as Ben's ex-girlfriend Rachel, who is concentrating on her own career and a new relationship; Martha Plimpton ("Beautiful Girls," "200 Cigarettes") as Rachel's boss Edie, an eccentric interior designer; Shannyn Sossamon ("40 Days and 40 Nights," "The Holiday") as Gingy, Ben and Cam's artsy friend; and Eddie Kaye Thomas ("Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," "American Pie") as David Kaplan, a successful hedge fund manager and high school friend of Ben's.

Creator and first-time writer Ian Edelman is collaborating with Emmy nominee Rob Weiss ("Entourage") on many of the show's scripts. The pilot and other episodes of the show are being directed by Julian Farino. Additional writers and directors will be announced as they are confirmed.

"How to Make It in America" is produced by HBO Entertainment; executive producers, Stephen Levinson, Rob Weiss, Ian Edelman, Julian Farino, Jada Miranda and Mark Wahlberg; producer, Jane Raab.

Stussy and Ricoh collaborated on the  GRIII camera.  It is a great camera and is one of the few small digi's that offers full manual controls.    I was asked to participate in a gallery that will run on Stussy.com.     Here are my pics from "Target Practice" .   Just happened upon this crazy place in the desert outside of Palm Springs.    Totally illegal but goes on every day.    I think this is the largest assortment of shotgun shells I have ever seen in my life.    A guy pulled out his Glock while I was there.    Bizarre. You can view the complete story on Stussy's site.

No, I had never heard of a Switch Double Misty but I was blown away when I saw it.   That's the score 100 extreme athlete and pro skier Bobby Brown got for his trick.   Yes, and he skis backward- really fast.     Incredible.   I'm getting an adrenaline rush just watching this.

My darling husband Paul Mittleman was so moved by the situation in Haiti he decided to sell his sneaker collection.   20 years worth of limited edition sneakers will be be put to good use to raise money for UNICEF.   Many of the sneakers are shoes he designed for Undefeated, Stussy or Nike including rare AirJordans that were never avail. for sale.    The auction is on Ebay, all items are authentic and will have a certificate and tax deductible statement.    We hope to raise ten thousand dollars.    100% of the proceeds go to Unicef.

I admire his good will and am thrilled that the sneakers will go to provide disaster relief and aid to children.    If you have husbands or boyfriends that love kicks, please bid- its a great cause.  

Vans and Supreme unveil a new classic. 

Damien Hirst-Supreme decks are finally done.    Will drop next week.   British artist Damien Hirst was born in 1965 in Bristol, England.

(press release courtesy of Supreme) During the 1990s Hirst was known as a wild child in the art world and his work embodied both everyday realism and provocative sensationalism. Known for his ironic wit and cultural commentary, Hirst often explores the theme of mortality through a variety of mediums and techniques from installation work, to painting and sculpture.

A series utilizing preserved dead animals suspended in formaldehyde (including a shark, a sheep and a cow) catapulted Hirst to fame amidst controversy. The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, a 14-foot tiger shark immersed in a glassed display case of formaldehyde became the iconic work of British art in the 1990s. Its sale in 2004 made Hirst the world's second most expensive living artist after Jasper Johns.

Hirst is known for his iconic graphic Spot paintings that depict rows of randomly-colored circles. Supreme will release a series of five individually designed decks and a Box Logo tee designed by Damien Hirst featuring his Spot paintings.

Available in-store November 19th and online November 23rd. Available in Japan on November 21st.
 

 

Girl Skateboards will be releasing a limited edition series of Where the Wild Things Are skate decks.   These are definately going in my collection.   So Stellar!!!

I had the pleasure of getting Mr. Cartoon to do my most recent tattoo yesterday.   For two hours I was treated to his amazing stories about his gang influenced youth, his passion for drawing and how an artistic education and strong family ties created the brand of Mr. Cartoon.    A tastemaker who has elevated Latin streetculture to an artform.  Cartoon does graphics, clothing projects (joker), Movie posters, video games, and shoe projects.   His car "sculptures" have been featured in museum shows and he has a worldwide following collecting his art.  My favorite car was 1980's Hell's Bells with it's own coke mirror in the back.   The tour was totally redankulous-I was blown away.
  

German skate store DOODAH produced a limited edition of 150 skateboards of supermodels, Isabeli Fontana, Toni Garrn, Edita, and Lara Stone.   Shot by Claudia Knoepfel and Stefan Indlekofer they are HOT HOT HOT.doodah

check out Lookbook.nu.     Cooler, younger and design driven this site is more democratic than the sartorialist or facehunter.   This site lets users post images of themselves in their own designs.    lookbook site Readers mark their favorites with "hype" and the coolest kids go to the front of the site.     Great looking cool kids from all over the world.    Amazing style.    check it.

Streetwear brand FUCT has always done cool shit.    Erik Brunetti, Fuct's founder and designer is a dear friend and creative force.  My Jaws Fuct t shirt is still one of the coolest shirts ever.  His videos are hilarious and the clothes have attitude for days.  Since the early 90's Erik was an enfant terribe on the streetwear scene. All grown up Erik is now an indie dad, look out for his hot wife Emmelie who is working with him to bring us Baby Fuct.    I love this video footage.   It's like Steve McQueens wet dream.     Erik will be releasing a new collection in mid OCT.

Manufactured and sold exclusively in Japan, the FUCT- SSDD (Same Shit Different Day) collection is inspired by classic, traditionally American style . Each garment was carefully engineered to convey a vintage, "worn in" look, using special aging and distress techniques as well as simulated magic marker print detailing. Referencing styles of cinema classics like Vanishing Point, The Trial of Billy Jack and Easy Rider, FUCT's SSDD collection echoes the societal landscape, issues, and tensions in the United States during the 1960's and 70's such as the rise and fall of the hippie movement, drug use, and communal lifestyle./

         fuct  

Back in the day the KISS army was the shit.   It is  the only army parents really want their kids to join.    This little star was part of a series I did on rock fans in 1997.   I pulled it out of the archive for this post.
KISS put on a damm good show and always have.    They have also got to be the most resourceful band in the world.    Well, I should reword that to ego-maniac Gene Simmons just seems to be a money making machine.     Gene's book, or writer assisted memoir (doesn't every rock star have one) is actually hilarious.    He's obnoxious, arrogant, cheap and funny. 
  If you love KISS read it..Ace was always my favorite and Detroit Rock City my song.  Kiss has been a part of pop culture for 20 years and many artists have been inspired by their antics.      One of DREW STRUZAN'S sketches of Gene.

If you are a really big fan, you can buy the shoe from VANs, always a classic.

There was some great style out there and ofcourse, more-not great style.   But I'll showcase some of the more memorable looks.   My favorite designers show in Europe so I have to say the shows were a bit disappointing.   Accept ,ofcourse, Marc Jacobs.     The best people watching is always the audience and the people that flock to fashion week.   Here are some of my favorites:  Love the ankle scarf.  

Here are some images from fashion week NYC Sept. 2008. 
The theme in the main tent was the yellow brick road and many designers unveiled "Dorothy's shoes".   These Guiseppe Zanotti's were cute.
.

Nike just launched NSW, a clothing line of sportswear and technical apparel.  

Based on the concept of the "playmaker".    The playmaker is basically the player that controls the game.   Art critic Neville Wakefield wrote one of the essays along with other conceptual writers and contributors.    This campaign was executed perfectly based on contemporary art inspirations.   The visual imagery was to capture speed, action, sports and futuristic technology components.    I did the photography and the Design was by DUALFORCES. who designed Lipsticktracez as well.
  check it.

TMobile, Tony Hawk and Mr. Brainwash throw a dam good party.........

The stars of skateboarding were out last night as Tmobile launched their Tony Hawk sidekick.    Haven't seen a party like this in a while.  PS- Did I mention that skateboarders are the coolest nicest athletes in the world.
  Christian Hasoi, Tony Hawk and Tony Alva all under the same roof was a treat.    The ginormous ramp was the main attraction as skaters strutted their stuff all night.  
  The supreme crew was in the house, Stone Temple Pilots performed forEVA (can we discuss the "droogs" like Clockwork Orange  styling?).  
Also in attendance were musicians Incubus's Brandon Boyd and foxy Brett  Anderson from the Donna's.     


check out the Donna's site.  Not only have they been making hard rockin head bangin tracks  for the last ten years, they are hotter than ever.   Brett loves art and we love her for that.

The Donna's site

Anyone there knows there were a few ce-webrities and publicity hounding reality stars from the Hills (that were friend-less) that really aren't even worth mentioning.


The history of skateboarding rooms were so fun, all the vintage boards a treat to oogle..The fashion statement for the evening was captured best by Cory and Abraham with their  overly large Stash facial hair.    Cory even has a comb for his.


Mr. Brainwash did a great job designing the space with his Banksy like-pop art.     My favorite piece was the Fahrenheit 451 like installation at the opening of the event.   25 feet high and over thousands of books piled up with a small laptop on top. 
Made an important statement about the web generation.


Needless to say it was a cool shindig.   .

NYC based art icon Marilyn Minter  collaborates with edgy skate brand Supreme to create limited edition skate decks. 
 

Marilyn has been a part of the New York art scene since the 1970s, though her career has been anything but a smooth ride. She made a series of now-celebrated photographic studies of her drug-addicted mother while still a student in Florida, and in the early '80s she explored Pop-derived images that often had a sexual undercurrent. Then, at the end of that decade she painted herself straight into fevered and often bitter controversy when she began using imagery taken from porn magazines. Her infamy was exacerbated in 1990 when she produced her own TV ad, 100 Food Porn, which ran during late-night mainstream television shows. The 1990s and the early years of this decade saw her gradually refining her style and imagery so that, while still suggesting pornography, her photographs and paintings seem equally to breathe the atmosphere of high fashion (a world that she claims to know nothing about) and glamour. Her painting technique is equally startling, employing many layers of translucent enamel paint on metal to produce an incandescent, almost hallucinatory finish. Her work came to the attention of entirely new audiences last year, when Creative Time commissioned a series of giant billboards from her that were hung in Chelsea and, a few months later, she was included in the Whitney Biennial. Now, in the summer of 2007, she's suddenly everywhere. She is guest designer for the current issue of Francis Ford Coppola's magazine Zoetrope All-Story, and her work is featured on the cover and in the centerfold of the current issue of the art publication Parkett, for whom she produced an editioned photograph of Pamela Anderson that immediately sold out. She shot the campaign images for Tom Ford's new fragrance, Tom Ford for Men, which will be launched in September, and Gregory R. Miller & Co. has just published a lavish $60 monograph of her work.  Marilyn was also part of the artist Tshirt series for The Gap that launched this spring along with Jeff Koons.    Source:  Article by Robert Ayers. 
Artinfo.
Robert Ayers interview with Minter

All paintings by Marilyn Minter, photograph of woman in mirror is her mother from her controversial series.       below Portrait of Marilyn by Evan Kafka

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  Back in the day, Kaws would break into bus shelters steal the ads, paint on them and put them back before anyone knew what had hit them.    It was his gorilla tactics and fine art application to street marketing that got him where he is today.    Beautiful collectible toys, clothing, limited edition fine art and edgy collaborations are all in a days work for this talented young artist.     When I found out KAWS had customized my Stussy ad I was stoked.  Kaws works in so many mediums, has stayed true to his vision and just happens to be a very nice guy.   Stussy lovely is the gorgeous Denise.   All other images courtesy of Kaws.   

Thanks babe.
Kaws website

The Boneyards launch party was Friday night in LA.   The clothing and stores collaboration launched June 21.   Punk rock music, smoke machines, hot dog stands and carnival prizes accompanied the launch to showcase the sneakers.     The exhibition-installation upped the ante for product launch parties.    Much of the inspiration for the installation came from 80's NYC art legend and underground conceptual sculpturer Cady Noland.   (more about Cady later)    In New York, Kids were waiting in line overnight to see the new line.   A mixture of biker, flannel, motorcycle high and low art, tattoos and San Pedro chic .    I am proud to say I worked on some of the images in the Boneyards newspaper launch.    Location images were shot by art director Rob Abeyta, then converted to analog slides that I projected over the models like tattoo artist, John Hall.    Pretty cool.   Here are some pics.    Official Boneyards site

Danielle Decker and Undefeated's Jupiter, FUCT's Erik Brunetti and myself, Rob and Christina Abeyta with daughter Engracia, a carnival worker from the launch and Skate photographer and Tokyo pal Rip Zinger.

They have been here off and on for twenty years.   Taking over Yoyogi park on Sunday afternoons to dance, posture and have fun.    How can you not love them.  Rock and roll baby.

Laforet in Harajuko is a shoppers paradise.    If anyone is old enough they may remember the legendary Hyper Hyper in London.    In the eighties I would head over there and check out Pam Hogg and the other cool designers like Body Map and whatever else appeared in the Face magazine.    Laforet isnt quite as cool as that, but it is one stop shopping if you are heading to Tokyo and only have one day.   Hundreds of designers under one roof including book stores and accessories.   I love it.    It's also a youth-street culture paradise.    The cutest little fashionista kids all work there redefining and creating new trends daily.

You will notice "Sars chic" all over Tokyo as well. People get totally dressed up and do full hair and makeup and then throw a mask over their face.    After being sick 3 times this winter I'm doing the same.


   


Just ignore that the Gap flagship Tokyo store is accross the street.    There goes the neighborhood.    I think that's exactly what I thought when the Gap appeared on St Marks place and 2nd Ave.   There went the East village.    Well, Harajuko was the east village of Tokyo.   (read Tiffany Godoy's Style Deficit Disorder for a complete guide.)  In the Gap's defense though, they have set up a high end salon in the store for a more upscale collection.   Its beautifully designed and features dense wooden planks on the floor and a zebra rug with knoll seating. very elegant.   Patrick Robinson is the creative director there now and he is actually doing nice stuff, affordable too. 

Anyway,   I love the kids there, I love the choices and the local japanese designers you can buy here.    Unfortunately, most pieces are one size only, so if you aren't small, things wont fit.   However, the accessories are amazing and the jewelry is fab.     I love walking around the "goth-lolita" floor. 

Kiddyland is another must see.    Thousands of toys and licensed items, things you haven't seen in years in America.    Millions of lunch boxes, pokemons, snoopys, barbies.   If it is licensed and based on a cartoon and cute-they sell it here.    It's insane, and packed all the time.

It was one of those gorgeous spring days in Tokyo.   The cherry blossums were starting to come out, and so were the kids. I headed over to Yoyogi Park to take some photos. Yoyogi is one of the largest parks in Tokyo, located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine in Shibuya. It is peaceful, beautiful and on a sunday afternoon,  the place to see young Tokyo.

What I love about Japan is that the people are so refined and regal, they care about their cities and the elegance of nature. Notice these teens brought an ashtray to the park instead of using the ground. They also sell ashtray necklaces that people use to stub out their butts so they dont have to litter the streets. It's sad that teens smoke--yes, but at least they don't litter and smoke.

This gentleman didn't quite get the "youth culture" thing but you gotta love that he's out there just reliving it.

Tastemaker, stone cold fox and rock royalty Jade Jagger starts her new company Jezebel.     Jade is involved in promoting her events, clothing and jewelry lines.

Luckily this hottie can back it up with really great taste and some cool products.

Was in NYC this week and had a minute of free time to check out the The New Museum.    I loved this show, it was edgy, contemporary, rock and roll and had a global vibe.   Oh, and an amazing KISS sculpture.  check it out.   New Museum NYC website

First images are of Daniel Guzman's work, bottom images of Steven Shearer

Double Album: Daniel Guzman and Steven Shearer

This exhibition brings together two artists - Daniel Guzmán (born 1964, lives and works in Mexico City, Mexico) and Steven Shearer (born 1968, lives and works in Vancouver, BC, Canada). Both artists work in a variety of mediums exploring issues of male identity, extended adolescence, rock culture, death, and the seductive ambiguity of self-portraiture. Experiencing their work, one immediately sees a parallel adoption of 1970s and 1980s pop icons and bands as surrogates and personal avatars.

Daniel Guzmán draws. His work is a tidal wave of drawing that also becomes a dynamic inventory of drawing styles. His myriad influences range from Aztec codices, Haight-Ashbury psychedelia, comic books from his youth, and Mexican muralists, particularly José Clemente Orozco. The topics of Guzmán's drawings fuse old gods with current events, cultural idols, inventories of deadly sins, and cardinal virtues.

Guzmán's sculpture is a natural extension of his drawing techniques. He uses the simplest of materials to sketch a three-dimensional incident and establish encounters with the magic realism of the everyday. In much of his work there are two levels of interpretation - what it is (the sum of its parts) and what it signifies (the poetry of its allusions).

While it is impossible to think of Guzmán's art outside of the context of Mexico, it is equally impossible to ignore the wider cultural context provided by the United States and the world beyond. It is the ease of his citations (be it William Burroughs or Roberto Bolaño, Bruce Nauman or Kiss) that creates a floating universe of sublimely mismatched equivalencies.

Steven Shearer curates collections. He maintains thousands of digital files from which his art is evolved and created. In service to his work, Shearer harvests the aspirations of those souls wandering on the Web, riffing on air guitars, catching their zzz's, selling their stuff on eBay, or posing as the stars they yearn to be. From these enormous files, Shearer creates collage accumulations that are epic documentaries of the possessions and the poses of a slacker paradise.

Shearer also paints the ghosts of the Web. His portraits of anonymous adolescents and fallen teen idols are replete with the keyed-up color of the Symbolists whom the artist admires, but they also come with the subjects sheathed in a psychedelic aura that has vibrated around metal bands for decades. It is, in fact, the names and lyrics of metal bands from which Shearer derives the acid-etched poems that are reminiscent of William Burroughs' cut-up techniques.

Shearer's sculpture has grown to be an increasingly important part of his work. It comes with narratives that imply design as a tool for character reformation and psychic healing. Like the music Shearer references, his sculpture is both a narcotic promise and a harmonic convergence.

The exhibition is organized by Richard Flood, Chief Curator.

If you are visiting NYC  the Meatpacking district rocks.  It's not much of a secret anymore, but I thought I would mention it.    The meatpacking has become somewhat of a design district.  

Yes, it was a decrepid armpit about 10 years ago and even better when I would lurk home from Mars about 15 years ago after a night of boogie fever.   Hookers, hells angels, pimps and the west side transients would congregate after dark.     Trudging past drag queens on my way into a cab.   Ahh, the early nineties.

What has now emerged is a slick fabulous fashionista and art neighborhood that many top fashion photographers call home.    Steven Klein, Dah Len and Christian Witken all have their studios near Gaansevoort.   One of my favorite studios to shoot in, MILK studios is on 15th st where Peter Lindberg and Michel Compte create magic when they are in town. 
 

The Hotel Gaansevoort and Soho house are here.    The Maritime hotel is a 2 block walk.
meatpacking design site

The clothes are overpriced and so are the antiques, but the neighborhood still has a lot of charm, cool bars and fun hotels.  I can't wait until the high line is finished in like 20 years.  Check it out.   

If you are downtown in LA at an opening or party I recommend two stops.   For the best sushi in LA and an elegant atmosphere try.   (my only problem with R23 is that the artsy cardboard chairs are very uncomfortable.  

r23 restaurant and gallery
http://www.r23.com/




Afterwards head over to Broadway bar.  Its fun, cool and has a beautiful atmosphere.    There are also a number of nightspots in the area if you want to cruise around.
830 S Broadway (@ Eighth Street)
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Phone: (213) 614-9909

Los Angeles has a youth culture like any other city.      Some say better than most.   Downtown LA is probably the closest thing you will get to the NY's East Village or LES, London's Covent Garden or Tokyo's Harajuku district.   fyi: that is fellow blogger and lipstick lady, Allison and my BFF, Danielle.
 





























































 I went to Apartment 3's monthly party the other night and there were a lot of cool art students and young fashionistas doing their thing.   DJ MIa Moretti  was slammin and  it was refreshing to see young people put together their style with little or no designer items and look fierce.    YOU DONT NEED MONEY TO HAVE STYLE- PEOPLE.      Tastemakers already know this. 








































































The big accessory of the night was the giant 40 of JOLT.   

The chief executive of American Apparel Inc. has long been known as something of an exhibitionist. Dov Charney is beyond frank when discussing his sex life and sometimes wanders around his factory in his underpants.

Dov Charney

But the business operations of Mr. Charney's rapidly expanding clothing empire have not been nearly so transparent. Even as American Apparel rose to prominence over the past decade with basic T-shirts, clingy dresses and sexualized marketing campaigns, its status as a private company has shielded from view its chronic financial problems.

Now, American Apparel is opening the kimono -- and it's not necessarily a pretty sight. Since going public last December in an unorthodox maneuver, the company has conceded it suffers a number of "material weaknesses." According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, these include "inadequate expertise in the application of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles." The company is grappling with its fourth sexual-harassment lawsuit, and its former insurer says it won't pay any damages.

The company says it's blameless in the suit and that it's working to correct its other problems. But it also details an unusually long list of risk factors, including a recent query from Immigration and Customs Enforcement requesting citizen documents of factory employees; a current government tax audit and high levels of debt.

American Apparel had healthy sales of $387 million last year, up 36% over 2006, and reported a big 37.5% gain in same-store sales in the recently ended first quarter. But its shares are off more than 40% since December. Friday, they closed at $8.30, up 30 cents.

to read the entire article go to the Wall Street Journal:

By NICHOLAS CASEY

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120796037535209509.html

Affordable, avant-garde fashion coming to a retailer near you.   Comme and H&M collaborate on a new collection debuting this fall.

Comme des Garcons' founder and head designer Rei Kawakubo will create this autumn's guest designer collection at H&M. Rei Kawakubo, famous and admired for her creativity and artistry, will design a women's and a men's collection, with some pieces for children too. Accessories and an exclusive unisex fragrance will also be included in the collection.

"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", says   Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garcons. 

"Rei Kawakubo has been at the top of our wish list for a long time and we are thrilled that she has chosen to collaborate with us. We have tremendous respect for Kawakubo's fashion philosophy of questioning fashion's ingrained patterns, and admire her artistic approach to design. We are particularly excited that the collection will be launched in Japan, Kawakubo's native country, at the same time as the launch of our new store there", explains Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor, H&M. 

The world launch of the collection will be at the opening of H&M's second store in Tokyo, Japan, in the beginning of November. Launch date for other H&M markets will be a few days later. 

Comme des Garcons Ltd was established in 1973 as a company based on creativity and originality. Always pushing the frontiers of design and never accepting the status quo, Comme des Garcons now produces 14 different brands and employs nearly 700 people, with shops in over 25 countries. 

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) was established in Sweden in 1947 and is synonymous with affordable as well as up-to-date and high quality fashion. H&M has a wide product range that is divided into a number of different concepts for women, men, teenagers, children and cosmetics. The company's clothing collections are created by its own designers, pattern makers and buyers. H&M has around 68,000 employees and over 1,500 H&M-stores in 28 countries. For further information visit www.hm.com.  photo: Getty images, text: HM