Archive for December, 2014

Friday links

• The best book covers of 2014. (Kottke)
• If you haven’t yet viewed the big celebrity sendoff/sing-off from Colbert’s final episode last night, by all means do. (Mother Jones)
• And here’s a fun little mashup of every time over the course of the show’s 9-year run Mr. Colbert broke character and got the giggles. (Comedy Central)
• Who delivered some of this year’s most memorable soundbites? A quiz. (Atlantic Wire)
• Sarah Silverman will have her own HBO show. (A.V. Club)

 

Object lesson: The tuxedo jacket

I rarely write about Kate Moss: her life choices bring out the mumsy pearl-clutcher in me; I loathe the way our culture can fetishize certain “wasted” glamorous women, like her and, say, Edie Sedgwick. But the woman can can certainly nail a look, and currently, I stand in awe of her mastery of the tuxedo jacket.

She has many, and wears them to  varied effect, but almost invariably with all black, which of course I love.

Ms. Moss—who just turned 40—hasn’t abandoned her leather jackets and I can’t imagine she ever will. But I feel like her increasing reliance on this more polished menswear piece is evidence that she’s paying attention to matters like growing up her look just a touch. Which makes her like one of us in a way I find quite winning.

Here are a few jackets that remind me of her best ones. First up: Nothing beats a nice, sharp peak lapel in my book.

 

A leather lapel takes things in a rock and roll direction.

This oversize, low shawl collar version is the perfect butt-covering option for skinny jeans.

 

 

 

Monday links

• These pictures of 70s LA celebrity culture are incredibly evocative. (Slate)
• And—not entirely unrelatedly—here’s a rundown of the best movies ever set in LA. (Flavorwire)
• I want to visit (almost) every single one of these secret rooms and collections in public museums. (Atlas Obscura)
• Some scientists named a new species of snail after after Joe Strummer. (A.V. Club)
• The most charming fashion story I’ve seen in a while: just a bunch of women in lipstick and turtlenecks. (NY Mag)

Give art for the holidays, receive a lovely (exclusive!) discount

 

I love 20×200 for rendering the scary, intimidating art world accessible and fun with their reasonably-priced limited edition prints. And I’m an even bigger fan of 20×200 founder and CEO (and GOACA regular) Jen Bekman, who has—awesomely, and so in the spirit of the season—extended 15% off purchases of $60 or more exclusively to all of you. There is an enormous quantity of good stuff to choose from. So selfishly, because I think she has great taste and I only want to copy her, I asked Jen to pick some favorites.

Red Plastic Plates by Ann Toebbe  (above) “I am absolutely crazy about Ann’s work. Her style is distinctive, intelligent, and accomplished, and her subject matter (home, memory, family and all the conflicted feelings related to those things) really resonates with me. Her original pieces are just incredible, and I’m still kicking myself for not purchasing one back when they were still affordable. I love all of her editions, but Red Plastic Plates is the very first one we released with her, so it’s a sentimental favorite.”

 

Eiffel Tower (vintage edition) “One of the dreamiest parts of my dream job? Attending Paris Photo every November. This year’s sojourn was particularly sublime, with lots of long walks to take in its gorgeous parks and monuments. I never once got this close to the Eiffel Tower,  but this is still a great reminder of my second-favorite city.”

 

Arthur’s Seat by Laura Bell “Laura’s work is so romantic and mysterious, I can’t help but start making up stories every time I see one of her photos. The craggy coast of Arthur’s Seat is made that much more intriguing by its circular framing. Is it a portal into another place and time? Are you scouring the coastline for a mysterious figure that’s hidden by the cinematic mist? Your own tale will probably be different, which is exactly the point: to weave one’s own stories into the art you live with is to make it uniquely your own.”

 

This offer is good until the end of the month, but if you want your print by Christmas, you must order by midnight Wednesday. 

 

 

 

 

What’s the worst gift you ever received?

A bag of Bean Cuisine soup mix, given to me by my first office crush—who clearly did not reciprocate—in 1989.

Friday links

• Old Christmas ads so sexist that it’s seriously kind of hard to laugh at them even now. (Visual News)
• This piece comparing and contrasting the dog culture in New York and LA is just silly good fun. (The Awl)
• Huh. (Time)
• It’s so for real now: Letterman officially ends May 20. Colbert, meanwhile, won’t start until late August or early September. (A.V. Club)
• Turns out it’s not an urban legend that UPS drivers aren’t allowed to turn left.  (Mental Floss)