A recent article on Mr. Tyler Brûlé in New York magazine confirmed our admiration for the Canadian-born (mini-)media mogul. For the uninitiated, Mr. Brûlé was the force behind Wallpaper* magagzine in the late 1990s, which brushed off traditional celebrity and elevated design to front page focus. Since 2007, Mr. Brûlé has been back in the scene with Monocle, a savvy London based journal that combines global political and economic reportages with a melange of culture, design, and travel features. Being the jet-setting publication it is, Honolulu has appeared quite a few times in Monocle–include a report on the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and more recently, in 2010, features on Honolulu’s place among the most livable cities in the world and the Waikīkī Edition hotel. Apparently, Honolulu holds high marks amongst the editorial team, and we’re not complaining.

Flattery aside, we quite appreciate Monocle’s old-school media approach that emphasizes intelligent, cultured writing and a smart, international perspective. One issue seems to pack in more than we would get in a semester in grad school. Plus, Monocle’s now offers weekly podcasts along with seasonal culture features—the latest installment features all you need to know about the music scene from South Korea.

WHERE TO BUY

Monocle is available in Hawai‘i at Barnes and Noble and Borders. However, be forewarned, the delivery time from across two ponds and a continent often means a delay of several weeks. Avid readers will want to pay their 75 pounds (no extra fee for foreign subscriptions) and subscribe directly from London.

Tags: Honolulu, Monocle magazine, Tyler Brûlé

We across this gorgeous fashion-meets-art-house clip via Wallpaper* magazine. It’s a kind of cinematic triptych, moving, as its title aptly suggests, from darkness to light.

THE LOWDOWN

“From Darkness to Light”

• Directed by Mariano Vivanco
• Starring Megan Fox, Hilary Rhoda, and  Marlon Texeira.

In the almost vampiric first segment, Megan Fox runs through the streets of Paris at night, while the film closes in color-drenched shots of Hilary Rhoda. The middle section, featuring Brazilian model Marlon Texeira, apparently is an older clip called “Higher States,” originally shot for British label Qasimi’s Spring Summer 2010 men’s collection. Peruvian-born photographer Vivanco has done editorial shoots for the likes of Numero, Vogue Nippon, Allure, and Details.

The film comes from the video gallery of Imagine Fashion, whose full fashion blog is soon to launch. In the meantime, we’ll be exploring  the other fashion clips.

Tags: Hilary Rhoda, Imagine Fashion, Mariano Vivanco, Marlon Teixeira, Megan Fox, Qasimi, Wallpaper* magazine

This past week in New York, Calvin Klein Collection designer Francisco Costa served up a women’s resort collection that was classic Calvin – elegant, simple, and unfettered. One of our favorite pieces was a creamy knee-length dress sported by Jac (above left). At another high point, the gorgeous Karmen Pedaru (above right) donned a crisp and cool sleeveless dress in a brilliant white with beautiful geometric pleating, which seemed to be a gentle reworking of Costa’s architecturally-driven Spring 2009 collection. Against this kind of minimalist backdrop, a velvet evening dress – worn by Kristy Kaurova (above center) – caught the eye with its vibrant yellow and has earned a nod from the fashion media.

THE SHOW

THE SOUNDTRACK

Simply minimalist in wash of guitar riffs and beats courtesy of Toro Y Moi and Krikor – The Dead Hillbillies. On a fashion note, it’s interesting to see that the same Toro Y Moi track started off the Gudrun & Gudrun show during Copenhagen Fashion Week.

REVIEWS

• Resort Report | Calvin Klein’s Palate Cleanser – New York Times Style Magazine
• Calvin Klein Resort 2011 Collection – Style.com
• A Look at Resort 2011: Calvin Klein – Vogue.com

MORE CALVIN

See the full collection at Calvin Klein Collection Women.

CREDITS

Photography by Don Ashby

Tags: Calvin Klein, Jac, Karmen Pedaru, Krikor, Kristy Kaurova, Resort 2011, Toro Y Moi

When I opened up to the Editor’s Page of the June 2010 issue of Honolulu magazine, I was quickly reminded why I have enjoyed this publication since I was a teenager out on the ‘Ewa side. The June issue is all about Hawai’i doctors, and editor A. Kam Napier addresses the subject, of course.

However, while desribing his early impressions of doctors, he makes a curious cultural reference… to Star Trek.  I have to admit a sincere delight to know that the character Dr. Leonard McCoy, the 23rd century country doctor played by the late Deforest Kelley, has influenced a voice in Hawai’i media… especially one who recently admitted that he had never seen an episode of Lost. (I, too, admit that I never watch it either.)

I wish I had a McCoy in my office right now, if only so I could say, “Bones, could you look this article over, tell me what you think?”
Then he could say, “Dammit, Kam! I’m a doctor, not a copy editor!”

That would be awesome.

And let us not forget that McCoy often broke out a stash of some rare alien liquor to smooth out space’s (and life’s) rougher moments. Now, that’s the kind of doctor we really appreciate.

MORE

Check out the full June 2010 Editor’s page of Honolulu magazine right here.

Tags: doctors, Honolulu magazine, Star Trek

This past Sunday, CBS reaired veteran journalist Morley Safer’s 2009 interview with Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue, on 60 Minutes.

While I consider myself much more inclined towards Carine Roitfeld and French Vogue, I had to give Ms. Wintour her due respect when Mr. Safer asked her a simple but profound question.

SAFER: What bores you the most?

WINTOUR: Mediocrity.

Surprised, I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

The rest of Mr. Safer’s profile of the editor who inspired  The Devil Wears Prada is entertaining as it’s clearly told from the perspective of an older gentleman used to tacking more “serious” issues as opposed to the seemingly trivial nature of fashion. Take, for instance, the expression on his face when he’s talking to Dior designer John Galliano wearing some kind of leopard-print hat. It was probably Safer’s detatchment (and journalistic stature) from all things fashion that made him an ideal choice to interview someone of Wintour’s reputation. Face-to-face with Safer, Wintour seems almost nervous, making her a bit more human… at least, until  the Chanel sunglasses go back on.

MORE VOGUE

• See the 60 Minutes interview here.
• For more on Wintour’s French counterpart, Carine Roitfeld – once dubbed the Anti-Anna – check out the always entertaining I Want to Be a Roitfeld.
• Also compare fashion insiders’ opinon of Roitfeld in the CNN profile on Roitfeld found on our earlier Roitfeld post. While Wintour’s name seems to be inspire supressed terror, Roitfeld’s actually brings a smile to their faces.

Tags: 60 Minutes, Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, Morley Safer, Vogue

While stocking on the latest fashion mags recently, our eyes caught sight of Mr. Alexander Skårsgard (it’s pronounced skarsh-gard)on the cover of V Man, the edgy quarterly published by the same team behind the ultra-luxe fashion publication Visionaire. The Summer 2010 edition of V Man features Mr. Skarsgård and the other Nordic artists, musicians, and actors who are making quite an impression on the fashionista set. The V Man appearance coincides with his special appearance on the cover of the more mainstream Details. Though Mr. Skarsgård has appeared in Swedish films since his youth and a variety of English-language productions, his career skyrocketed since he made his appearance on HBO’s True Blood as Eric, a thousand year-old Viking turned vampire.

MORE ON ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD

You can see the return of Eric when season 3 of True Blood begins June 13. In the meantime, visit Skarsgårdnews.com for the latest on the Swedish star after checking out this minisode of Eric with his vamp cohort Pam, played by Ms. Kristin Bauer. Caveat: those with timid tastes that don’t watch cable may not want to watch.

Tags: Alexander Skarsgård, Details, HBO, True Blood, V Man

This ad for the American Indian College Fund is one of the most intelligent that I have seen in quite some time. On one hand, it’s modern and stands aesthetically on its own. (And whoever is handling ad placement for AICF agrees and keenly placed it in the 2010 Men’s Fashion issue of New York Times’ T Magazine.)

On the other hand, it effectively demonstrates generations of traditions and values that reach back into time. Such is the responsibility undertaken by the young man featured, Mr. Alan Waukau, a Criminal Justice major from the Menominee tribe in Wisconsin.

More specifically, the tag line “Think Indian” makes me think of Apple’s “Think Different” campaign of the late nineties. It featured iconic figures that broke out of conventions of accepted thought, such as Einstein, Martha Graham, and George Clinton. By changing one word out of two, we still break out from the dullness of the mainstream but uphold native values at the same.

Total respect.

Tags: "Think Different", "Think Indian", American Indian College Fund, graphic design, Menominee Tribe, Smart Ads, T Magazine

After going through Angeleno, I’ve moved onto exploring the Los Angeles Times Magazine website, whose online design and layout I prefer over New York Times’ counterpart. Okay, it does not carry the seriousness of the Gotham mag nor is it published every week. But compared to the New York Times’s periodic style manifesto T, the L.A. Times imprint carries a certain freshness and joie de vivre that I enjoy. (I also find the typography reminscent of French Vogue.) After all, any magazine that features a well-made cocktail every issue is worthy of respect. Take, for instance, September 2009’s The Fashionista, which, despite the fashion reference, looks like one serious drink… woefully beyond my personal bartending capabilities.

Staying on the foodie theme, I particularly appreciate Lora Zarubin’s sushi article (fish) (delicious) (November 2009 issue) with its helpful guidelines and great photography. Never have I seen raw fish (above) so closely resemble some kind of stylish accessory (what kind of accessory though, I can’t say). Plus, it’s the first time I’ve seen a guide on how to eat sushi with your hand (below), which, I’ve been told, is how it’s really supposed to be done (at least, for nigiri).

Read more of the Los Angeles Times Magazine here.

Credits

Photography: Victoria Pearson | Illusration: Jameson Simpson for the Los Angeles Times Magazine.

Tags: cocktails, Los Angeles Times magazine, New York Times magazine, sushi

Though I’ve never lived in California, I’ve always thought of myself as more of a NorCal than SoCal person. The good wine, slow food, and liberal attitudes of the Bay Area just suits my personality much more. But something’s changing.

It might be a passing case of rock fever. But recently I’ve been thinking of Los Angeles. Maybe too many hits of the David Duchovny-loaded Californication have taken their toll on my psyche—and yes, I’m aware he’s a New Yorker at heart that often loathes the City of Angels—but L.A. is moving fast up the list as my next off-island stop.

And nothing has added fuel to the fantasy fire like the savvy mag Angeleno. It puts a luxe spin of L.A.’s distinctive brand of easy cool with a touch of edgy sophistication. The March 2010 issue features actress Toni Collette on the cover. But what really caught my attention was the all-black fashion spread “Theory of Devolution” and the architecture feature “Postcards from the Ledge”. Fantastic.

Read more

The latest issue of Angeleno is available for free browsing and download at on Modern Luxury’s website. Also don’t miss Modern Luxury’s Los Angeles page.

Credits

• “Theory of Devolution” – Photography: Nino Muñoz | Styling: Bernardo Siaotong | Art: Daniel Lyons
• “Postcards from the Ledge” – Photography: Benny Chan, Peden + Munk, and Mark Luscombe-Whyte

Tags: Angeleno, architecture, fashion, Los Angeles, Southern California, Toni Collette

I’m sure I had heard the name Carine Roitfeld before. I’ve read French Vogue, which Ms. Roitfeld has edited since 2001. But honestly, two years in graduate school (much of which was spent thinking about past centuries forgotten by most) is enough to interrupt anyone’s connection to the outside world. So here’s the photo that brought Carine Roitfeld back to my awareness, glamorous but defintitely enjoying the the Purple magazine party at the Boom Boom Room in New York City (Source).

Now that I am back in the real world and have had a chance to reconnect with the reality I’ve missed for two years, I must say that I’ve become quickly enamored of Ms. Roitfeld. As the name of the site IWantToBeARoitfeld.com suggests, perhaps I am not alone in my admiration. I was particularly amused by the site’s recent posting that the New York  Post has labeled Carine In and American Vogue’s Anna Wintour Out, but I’m sure that many would rather spend an evening out with Carine than with her American counterpart.

But what makes me so fond of Carine Roitfeld ? Her past explains enough for me. Before taking on French Vogue, Carine was a leading stylist best known for her work with photographer Mario Testino and designer Tom Ford. Jess Cartner-Morley summed it up best in the Guardian :

She made her name as one part of a glorious trio, alongside Tom Ford and Mario Testino, who together created a decadent aura of sexual allure around the Gucci brand in the 1990s. Ford designed the clothes, Roitfeld styled how the models wore them, Testino took the photos – the Gucci they created together tapped into a look everyone wanted a piece of. (Source )

Without me knowing at the time, Carine was creating those iconic images that would influence my aesthetic taste. I can’t help but look back at the images from the nineties and think that they are the epitome of cool, or at least of a certain kind. And Carine was at the nexus of the cool. She told the Guardian :

Gucci was totally in my image,” she says simply. “Tom used me as – how do you say? – his female half. He would design clothes, and then ask me how I would wear them. [...] That’s what is important in a picture sometimes: the way you roll up the sleeves of a shirt, the way you handle a bag, the way you cross your legs, these can make the biggest difference.” (Source )

That sense of personal style and confidence is what it’s all about, transcending merely turning oneself into a billboard of consumer consumption by showing off labels. (See what Carine thinks of that obsession here.) Of course, a fashion editor would never outright say that one doesn’t need to be wearing the brands that buy advertising, pages, but isn’t classic French style based upon not what you’re wearing  but how you’re wearing it? Just as one of my professors once commented about literature, tout est dans le style – everything is in the style.

For more of the Roitfeld exprience, check out the recent CNN documentary from 2009 :

Here are some additional articles:

• “Anti-Anna” from New York magazine replete with veiled criticisms in the mag’s typical style.
• An éloge from Hedi Slimane, former Yves Saint Laurent and Dior designer

Tags: Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, French Vogue, Gucci, Hedi Slimane, IWantToBeARoitfeld.com, Mario Testino, Tom Ford