True style

This man in all his shining glory is the epitome of the saying "It's not the clothes, it's how you wear them"

Banksy's pet store in New York

Banksy is elusive, iconic, and now possibly off his rocker. Known mainly for his political grafitti wall murals (people in England have placed bullet proof glass over the works and sold their homes as "Banksy mural with attached home") in various cities across the world has landed in New York City creating his first official art installation. No, you wont see any of the girls pining over floating away red balloons or rats with army hats (at least not inside), but you will find a menagerie of other works that may seem on the surface to be humorous, but deep down send the same strength political message.



You can read the entire article about the show on the New York Times website, or visit the "The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill" yourself before October 31st at 89 Seventh Avenue South (near Bleeker Street).

Project Runway

Like many things I adore in my life, they may seem a tad embarassing to some, but I pay that no mind because I take pride in my preferences and I feel no need to hide who I am. So, I LOVE Project Runway. A few years ago at a ski house in upstate New York I discovered the show (yes I missed the first season completely) and even got my fiance hooked. The idea of a reality show where people had REAL TALENT, not where people were eating bugs or getting drunk and vomiting, totally sucked me in and I've been hooked ever since.

So, I digress, I love Project Runway. And though this season is seriously lacking in talent from last season, I have loved Kenley Collins from the very first episode. Perhaps it's that she looks a little like me with the pin-upy bettie page bangs and the feather hair clips that I've owned forever, or because she came from Florida like me and ran to New York as soon as she could (like me) or just because she seemed to have real talent unlike nearly everyone else this season. (She did get a little nasty near the end but we'll let that slide because I love her, and I too can be a little nasty sometimes).

I was so excited for the Bryant Park runway collection and knew she'd be in the top three, and I love her wedding dress made of feathers (see above), but I can't get behind her ripping off Alexander McQueen, who, sad to say, I heart more than anyone, including Kenley Collins.

Her dress was just way too similar to Alexander McQueen 2008 f/w:


Which brings me to my original annoyance, that one of the first dresses she won with:


is also way too similar to Balenciaga's recent line:



So now that I have vented, I will say I still love you Kenley and I hope you win for all us New York by way of Florida ex-pats, but that shit's just plain wrong.

Gilbert and George at the Brooklyn Museum

So because I have been sick this week I missed the Gilbert and George opening I was really looking forward to at the Brooklyn Museum. However this will not stop me from seeing it at some point before it closes in January 2009.

If you don't know who Gilbert and George are, you're living in a hole. I will accept that maybe some people don't know about their important early perfomance ("sculpture") works, or why they still wear the matching, slightly too small, tweed suits, but at some point in time, anyone who has ever stepped foot into a museum has probably seen an image by these two men.

The show at the Brooklyn Museum is the final venue in a large travelling retrospective of their work.

To read the NY Times review of the show go here

You can also see a few images, and get directions on how to get to this amazing show at the Brooklyn Museum website