Culture « Modern Destiny

Life Feels Different

August 4, 2010 by Drew Leave a Comment

Yes it does. I’ll have been married 2 years come October (together for 6) and I pray I get to spend 35 years with David. Today’s Prop 8 decision here in California made me reflect on the almost two years since Prop 8 passed and how incredibly sad and hurt I felt in those days immediately following that November day. I thought about how my life has changed and how the world has changed, and how I believe that this is (finally) a sign of much better years ahead for us all.

Filed under Culture Tagged with Prop 8

Brad Goreski

August 3, 2010 by Drew Leave a Comment

Thank god The Rachel Zoe Project is back! I have been majorly missing my weekly fix of Brad . I die.

For more on Brad click here, here, here and here, or use the search box up top.

Filed under Culture, Fashion, Our Favorites Tagged with The Rachel Zoe Project, Brad Goreski

Maine

July 27, 2010 by Drew Leave a Comment

So I have this dream that somewhere down the road when David and I retire we trade the west coast for the east coast and move to Maine. I think David refers to it as more my obsession, and I would refer to it more as a goal. A little cottage or farm-house in Portland or Freeport, maybe we’ll open a shop, or perhaps I wont’ retire at all and I’ll go work for L.L. Bean. I grew up on the east coast and spent most of my youth in New England. It’s funny how when we are young some of us run from where we grew up only to much later realize how much we long for home. I ran all the way to San Francisco and found my heart, but I realize I left a big part of me back east and I feel the tug all the time. So today is all about those obsessions, dreams, and goals.

Filed under Culture, Our Favorites Tagged with L.L.Bean

Book of the Day: Mad Men Unbuttoned

July 22, 2010 by David 2 Comments

We’re getting madder about Mad Men. We have plenty in store before Sunday’s season premiere. First up today, Mad Men Unbuttoned. In it, Natasha Vargas-Cooper, the talent behind the wonderful Footnotes of Mad Men blog (so worth some browsing time), surveys “not only the show but also the real-world historical and cultural artifacts of that period.” Vargas says the series is “about the culture clash and contradictions that occurred during the twilight of the Eisenhower era, the great societal shake-up of the 1960s” and how this drove “the most dramatic cultural shift in the 20th century.”

In the book, she runs down “all the series’ regular characters,” along with real-life Madison Ave. men, ” followed by everything from skinny ties, condoms, John Cheever and Frank O’Hara to Jackie Kennedy.”

You can read an excerpt from a chapter called “Don Draper’s Sex Appeal” at The Daily Beast.

Mad Men Unbuttoned, $11.55 at Amazon.com | More Mad Men goods at Amazon.com.

ALSO:
Banana Republic’s Mad About Style guide and contest
Jon Hamm, Man Man in W Magazine
Don Draper’s Aviators

Filed under Culture, Entertainment Tagged with AMC, Book of the Day, Don Draper, Mad Men

Brilliant – Site of the Day

July 21, 2010 by Drew Leave a Comment

I stumbled across Dating Brian today and fell in love with the idea of Brian’s little project. Essentially, Brian is new to NYC and needs a date. So he came up with the idea of going on 30 dates with 30 different women in 30 days. I’ll be following each day to see how things go and if Brian meets someone special. Good luck Brian!

Filed under Culture, Entertainment Tagged with Dating Brian

I Still Miss You

July 21, 2010 by Drew 1 Comment

Today Scott Schuman, a.k.a. The Sartorialist, blogged about his longing for the now defunct Gourmet magazine. I share Scott’s desire to have that particular magazine back, and it got me thinking about another magazine that Conde Naste jettisoned last year. Domino was my favorite shelter magazine, if not my favorite magazine overall. Scott’s idea was essentially to have Conde Naste set a threshold that the Dow must meet for the magazine to begin circulating again, which I fully support. And I know I’m not the only one who misses Domino. When the magazine folded last year there was much protest and mourning across the internet as evidenced by THIS New York Times article. It’s time for Conde Naste to give us our magazines back (please!).

(P.S. note the shout out to Jenna Lyons on the Domino cover. Yes, we’re a bit obsessed with Jenna here at MD….)

Filed under Culture, Entertainment, Interiors / Home Tagged with The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman, The New York Times, Conde Nast, Domino Magazine, Gourmet Magazine

Givenchy Fall Campaign Stars Trans Model, Featured by Vogue France

July 21, 2010 by David Leave a Comment

Back in May, WWD reported that Givenchy’s fall ad campaign has cast a transgender model. Designer Ricardo Tisci cast his personal assistant Lea T.,”a Brazilian with delicate features previously known as Leo, appears alongside an ethnically diverse range of faces in the spots.” Tisci says: “She’s always been very feminine: superfragile, very aristocratic. She’s part of the family.” He explained to WWD that “including a transgender person exemplifies the masculine-feminine dichotomy that has become one of his design signatures and follows coed casting for his Paris runway last March.” The were shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

On the heels of this, NYMag.com says that French Vogue is highlighting Lea T with a nude portrait in its July issue. She was also featured in last month’s Italian Vanity Fair.

[Photos via WWD and Fashin.]

Filed under Culture, Fashion Tagged with French Vogue, Givenchy, Italian Vanity Fair, Lea T, Marcus Piggott, Mert Alas, Ricardo Tisci, Transgender

A&F Quarterly Swimming in Male Nudity

July 20, 2010 by David Leave a Comment

Everyone knew that the revived Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly, which hit the street last Saturday, was going to be full of young, naked flesh. But just how much? Shophound decided to study it to find out. They discovered that there’s twice as much naked male flesh as female.

Their A&F Quarterly came in a plastic wrapper “featuring a red label in three languages strictly prohibiting sales to anyone under 18 years of age.” And inside, it turns out it’s more of the same old A&F Quarterly: “featuring Bruce Weber’s photos of gorgeous young men and a few token chicks in various states of playful undress.”

Now, on to Shophound’s nudity count:

Bare Behinds
Male- 15
Female- 6

Bare Chests
Male- pretty much all of them
Female- 9

Nearly Full Frontal Nudity
Male- 16
Female – 8

Oh, and they discovered that the “A&F Screen Test” theme set up lots of homoerotic scenes “of guys either cuddling or wrestling…one pair clad in jeans and another wearing only [a] black dot. For good measure, there’s a female/male/female threesome and “two pages featuring a couple of fully clothed chicks making out.”

[Via Shophound; photos via Fashionista.]

Filed under Culture, Retail Biz Tagged with Abercrombie & Fitch, Bruce Weber

Vogue Says No to Africa?

July 19, 2010 by David Leave a Comment

A 35-year old Cameroonian artist named Mario Epanya approached Conde Nast about launching an African edition of Vogue. He’s got a Facebook group, cover mock-ups, and he’s been featured in Vogue Italia. Vogue Italia talked to him about his dream:

I read my first Vogue in 1979 and have been buying it regularly ever since. I always felt that African creativity was not represented.

My inspiration for this project came from my life, and the colors, culture, and diversity that make Africa beautiful. I think African women are very strong and optimistic, and a Vogue Africa would be the ultimate homage to them. The Vogue edition could also help support the development of African fashion and sustain the continent’s various artistic endeavors.

Conde Nast turned down his request for a license. It’s not clear if they’re not interested in the African market, or if this particular business plan didn’t add up. The visuals in the Facebook group are nice, but the English text accompanying them: not so much. Conde Nast publishes Vogue directly or through license in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia, with Turkey being the newest market, having launched in March 2010.

Filed under Culture, Fashion Tagged with Africa, Conde Nast, Mario Epanya, Vogue, Vogue Italia

David LaChapelle: American Jesus

July 18, 2010 by David Leave a Comment

American Jesus, photographer David LaChapelle’s latest solo show, just opened in New York. Showing at the Paul Kasmin Gallery, they describe his work this way:

Shown for the first time in New York is part of a series which began over a decade ago including three large-scale photographs depicting Michael Jackson as a modern day martyr. Of all of the subjects LaChapelle has portrayed, Jackson unquestionably lived one of the most epic and dramatic lives of our time. Such sentiment is shown with biblical connotations and is hauntingly represented in these images.

In addition, LaChapelle presents Thy Kingdom Come, a look at the results of greed and corruption amongst religious establishment.

Also showing is The Rape of Africa, ”a monumental artwork inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s Venus & Mars of 1484. The well-known allegorical work depicts the poised and beautiful Venus, goddess of love, having tamed and diffused Mars, the vengeful god of war, who soundly sleeps, while small cherub figures play with Mars’ instruments of warfare.” Naomi Campbell is his Venus.