and then the clouds came.

Posted on May 16th, 2012

This week’s rain and clouds is a replay of a few weeks ago.. Looking back, I clearly relied on [a lot] of food, and great friends:

[[ brunch at jane. the benedict jane [poached eggs, crab and crawfish cakes, spinach] is a must-have. ]]

[[ a cloudy cinco de mayo didnt stop the festivities. starting off with.. you guessed it, guacamole, chips and patron ]]

[[ central park, with balloons, a kite.. ]]

[[ j.crew utility jacket, ray-ban aviators ]]

[[ and the works ]]

How are you getting through the gloomy weather?

Categories: food., style journal.

and then the dance floor called.

Posted on May 9th, 2012

I worked late on Monday and ended up staying at the office to watch the Vogue livestream of the Met Gala red carpet. I headed home around 9 for a full night of sleep and then a morning gym session. After a few email exchanges, I cabbed over to the Boom Boom Room at The Standard for the Met after/after-party. Fashion sure does know how to party:

[[ I never get sick of these lights ]]

[[ The best in-elevator entertainment ]]

[[ Back in time ]]

[[ Never-ending glasses ]]

[[ The always colorful Cameron Silver ]]

[[ Brad Goreski was a knight in shocking pick ]]

[[ Until I saw his electric red pants too. Versace and Christian Louboutin, naturally ]]

[[ Only Jenna Lyons could pull of a denim jacket with a electric pink gown ]]

[[ Oh hey Olivier Rousteing ;] ]]

[[ The dance floor came alive ]]

The night was seriously one for the books. You walk in and there is Peter Dundas. You turn around and see Karlie Kloss roll in with her posse. You dance a little with Prabal and Brad. You pass by Pharrell [and swoon a little]. Haider Ackermann is at the bar. There’s Azealia Banks walking in with her pussy cat costume on. And then you bump into Marc Jacobs, still in his lace dress. And Beyonce, Solange and Rachel Roy are hidden at a table, guarded by.. yes, a bodyguard.

The crowd was so fun. The dj was amazing.. What a night. Thanks G!

Categories: fashion., music.

the men of the met.

Posted on May 8th, 2012

As with all red carpets, the Met Gala red carpet was all about the ladies on Monday night. Diane Kruger, Carey Mulligan, Kate Bosworth and Gwyneth Paltrow killed it in Prada. Kate Blanchett owned the carpet in Alexander McQueen, as only she can. Mary Kate Olsen represented herself in The Row, Joan Smalls rocked in Balmain, Elizabeth Banks wowed in Mary Katrantzou, Constance Jablonski shown in Haider Ackermann, Anja Rubik split it in Anthony Vaccarello, and Beyonce stunned in Givenchy Haute Couture.

But noticeably absent, per usual, was commentary on who the men were wearing. So here is the modman’s take on what the leading men in Hollywood and Fashion wore to the acclaimed event:

[[ Nick Jonas in custom Richard Chai, Italo Zucchelli in Calvin Klein Collection, Olivier Rousteing in Balmain, Hamish Bowles in Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Ford in Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs in Comme des Garçons, Gerard Butler in Alexander McQueen ]]

[[ Gary Oldman in Prada, Riccardo Tisci in Givenchy, Baz Luhrmann in Prada, Peter Dundas in ?, Antoine Arnault in Louis Vuitton, Josh Dallas in Z Zegna, Douglas Booth in Burberry Prorsum. All photographs via style.com ]]

Its fairly difficult for men to express their own personality at formal events, and yet this group could not have done it better. Gary Oldman and Baz Luhurmann were two great Prada ambassadors. Olivier of course interprets “formalwear” his own way, as does Hamish Bowles. Tom Ford is classic Tom Ford and Marc is, well, Marc. [I had a little fun with Photoshop, you like?]

Who was your best dressed modern man?

Categories: fashion., luxury., menswear.

live your life.

Posted on April 29th, 2012

Find your light
Don’t hide from what you are
And rise before you fall
And hope for something more
Live if you really want to

All my life I’ve been looking for something amazing
It’s almost like I’ve been stargazing
The sky is right above me
We were meant for something bigger than this
Don’t ever try to dismiss yourself cause you don’t have to

All my life my dreams just seemed so far away
And now it’s like they’re here to stay
I hold it close to me
We were meant for something bigger than this
Don’t ever try to dismiss yourself cause you don’t have to

_Yuna Zarai

Categories: words to live by.

the right fit: kiehl’s.

Posted on April 24th, 2012

Skincare has never been a high priority in my daily routine [other than.. soap] and clearly it shows. I wish I had given my skin the attention it deserves early on, but I grew up thinking that any/all forms of skincare were reserved for the ladies. It wasn’t until college that I decided to really try and 1] get on a routine to revive my skin, 2] repair prior damage. Two difficult tasks, yes, but both a worthy challenge. Since then, I’ve been through bottles and tubes and jars of Clearasil [who hasn't tried this stuff?], Proactiv [which made my face break out beyond belief], Neutrogena [I didn't see or feel much of a difference], Aveeno [the most gentle of all] and many more. Still, I couldn’t find anything that worked for me.

I asked a few girlfriends [authorities in the beauty space] and several of them recommended Kiehl’s. I reached out to the brand and was invited for a consultation at their flagship store in East Village [109 3rd Ave [between 13th St & 14th St]. It was by far the best experience I’ve had with skincare.. and that’s saying a lot given all the products I’ve trialed.

I met with Ray for my consultation and we started with a skin test for the forehead and cheek.

Ray then selected the below products for me based on my skin test results. I tried each product on my hand to get a sense of how each would feel. My biggest worry was putting on at least three kinds of products every morning/night and how it would feel heavy. Even after trying on two cleansers, toner, treatment/solution, cream, lotion and sunscreen, my skin didn’t feel clogged or dense. At all.

Testing out a wide range of products:

[[ Facial Fuel Energizing Face Wash, Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser, Calendula Herbal Extract Toner, Acne Blemish Control Daily Skin-Clearing Treatment, Clearly Corrective™ Dark Spot Solution, Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream & Lotion, Midnight Recovery Eye, Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50+ ]]

I decided to start with the Facial Fuel and Calendula Toner. Since then, I’ve visited the Meatpacking store to buy Skin Treatment and Midnight Recovery Eye.

If you are in the area/are looking to try something new, holler at Ray! [212-677-3171]

You know me, always a sucker for all things baby.

I’ve added the Cryste Marine and sunscreen to my collection. I’ll report back!

Categories: skincare.