For most Midwest natives, a sense of sartorial style and the urge to wander the world and explore far-off places isn’t exactly inborn.  But exceptions to the rule exist; and, in our experience, have proven to be exceptionally amicable individuals.

Tim Hamilton is one such (Corn State-conceived) anomaly.  The Iowa-born-and-bred, now NYC-based fashion designer’s leanings toward finely-tailored, Americana-inspired menswear have earned him many comparisons to revolutionary designers like Thom Browne and Ralph Lauren.  And this year, there’s even more reason to compare.  Hamilton has been nominated for one of the fashion industry’s highest honors – the CFDA award for menswear designer of the year (an honor bestowed upon Browne in 2006).

Upon learning of the young designer’s Iowan upbringing, we were eager for his take on the state’s beloved small metropolis – Iowa City.  From the inescapable collegiate presence (the University of Iowa is ranked as the 8^th top party school in the nation, according to the Princeton Review), to the world famous pie shakes from Hamburg Inn No.2, Hamilton obliged us with the inside scoop.  In his own words: 

What are you working on right now?
I’m in Japan, then going to Italy to work on A/W ‘07 production and hand off S/S ’08 design.

Who is the first person you called after hearing of your CFDA nomination?
My old boss (who is from Iowa too) – I didn’t get through to him, then called one of my dear friends in LA.

How has the Midwest informed your sense of style and/or sensibilities?
For style I would say it made me hungry to seek out something different. I always thought I had to dress different to make a statement.

I see the Midwest upbringing influence more in how I communicate. I’m pretty grounded and laid-back, which I think comes from my Iowa upbringing. I think it’s important to be as kind as possible in the fashion business. People tend to get complex egos and take themselves too seriously.

What are the best and worst things about Midwestern style?
You could say there’s a bit of weight problem more towards Middle America. The cool thing about American Midwest style is when you see how working-class people dress. It’s timeless. Maybe one day I’ll do a line based off that. My father had the sensibility down.

What’s the best thing about living in Iowa City?
Living with my sister Soroyah who always made sense on how to live life with her quick comedic timing. She got it from my mother. Also just the people in general are nice and grounded. 

The beauty of a small metropolis vs. a large one?
I’ll take the big for energy, but the small town for a pat on the back once in awhile. 

Have you been to the Hamburg Inn No.2?  If so, what’s the phenomenon with the pie-shake?
No. I was vegetarian when I lived there but I’m not now. The sound of that pie makes me want to be vegan/veggie now.

Best place to splurge on a meal?
New Pioneer Co-op. I use to mop floors there at night and dig in the bulk trail mix and carob chips. YUM!

Any great second-hand shops?
I used to find some things at Rag Stock, but the staff were always asses. I would just go to Salvation Army or Goodwill. No attitude there.

Best place to party late-night?
It’s best to just crash something. I can’t recall a going out that much in Iowa. My sister took me to a few parties but for the most part I worked at night and was saving my energy for NYC nightlife.

Three things one must do when visiting Iowa City for the first time?
Go to New Pioneer Co-op, go to the Record Collector, and get your hair cut at Buzz salon by my sister Sorayah.

Best place(s) to embrace your inner-frat-boy?
Oh god. Keep it repressed!  Or move to LA and make frat-boy adult video.  [To note: if you’re looking to do so in Iowa City, take a stroll along the Pedestrian Mall and stop in one of the many perpetually-student-packed bars.]

Best place(s) to escape the collegiate community?
Stay at home; they are everywhere.

Best bar?
The Deadwood.

Where should one go when looking for culture – art, film, etc?
Go to Prairie Lights Books -- they also have great visiting authors for book readings. 

Where should one stay (non-chain hotel)?
I would stay at this small in-town B&B – the Golden Haug.

Best place to go when the first warm spring day arrives?
Walk around downtown.

~Alisa Gould-Simon

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In certain sections of New York, it seems there’s at least one psychic on every block.  You’ll spot them reading palms at hip downtown restaurants like Raoul’s or Employees Only, or stacking Tarot cards inside their apartment/office in plain view from the sidewalk.  And then, of course, there are the (less-visible) premier NYC psychics catering to a more affluent clientele - namely CEOs and celebrities. 

Considering delving into the metaphysical has never been so accessible, it’s safe to assume there are plenty of New Yorkers eager to have their fortunes read (preferably with a diagrammed manual included for free).  We happen to be one of them.  So, we scheduled one of our writers for her first psychic sessions with two of the city’s top practitioners.  Here, the experience in her own words:

1. Roxanne Usleman’s West 29^th Street office is candle-lit with two big chairs facing one another.  The Nevada native has always been in the metaphysical profession.  She’s a certified hypnotherapist, interfaith minister, traditional Reiki master, and holds a doctorate in metaphysical science.  Soft-spoken, Usleman communicates in a way that lets you know she lives between this world and others.  

She asks to hold a metal object I wear often.  She holds the object and says a prayer.  As a child, she would see images in the form of themes, hear messages in the form of whispers, and sense feelings in bodily responses.  When the phone rang, she knew who was calling.  “The word psychic today has so many negative associations.  Yet the true psychic is especially sensitive to non-physical forces.  Being intuitive is a direct perception of truth or fact independent of reasoning abilities.”   

My many past lives as a French woman and someone with a strong musical connection come to her first.  I tell her I don’t get to many shows and am not musical.  She suggests I start:  “Do as many musical interviews as possible.  Be around musicians.”  My life-mate will be around music and very smart, she hears:  “They say you are not to get involved with any married men” -- something I haven’t done in the past, and not good karma for anyone.   

Later, Usleman begins to sense strong vibrations around me from the grandmother I never met.  “She tells you not to be so stressed out, and massages your shoulders.”  Worrying, she reminds me, shows that we don’t trust the universe.  

Horses come up big in our session.  Riding horses will bring balance to my life; help me to trust more.  The combination of music, horses and staying in the moment, Roxanne says, will create magical connections in my life.  She gives me a big squeeze before I leave and tells me to come back in June when big changes will be happening. 

2. Judi Hoffman gets right to business.  “No hocus-pocus,” she says as we sit down in her Upper East Side apartment.  She asks me to pick a deck, shuffle and pick 21.  She looks at the playing cards (not tarot cards) and the information starts rolling.  Hoffman first learned of her abilities after having a migraine for two years.  It wasn’t until a therapist told her that her migraines were psychic voices, that she began to see it as a profession.  With an acting and writing degree form Carnegie Mellon, Hoffman continued to teach and do stand-up comedy.  She couldn’t keep the clients away who traveled to her apartment for readings: “Once I was ready, the clients just came.”  Since then, her clients have included four Oscar winners, Grammy winners and lots of fashion-industry people.  She sees her responsibility to be reading as accurately as possible, and hopefully protecting people from something horrible:  “I try to be as pragmatic as possible.”

“You are three guys away from a permanent relationship,” she says from the first set of cards.  From this moment, she catches my energy and I cling to every word, which come quickly and continuously. Although she asks for specific questions at the end, most of the session is an amazing ride: reading the cards and hearing dates, work projects, travel, and people who are in my life or will be.  She predicts two to three years into the future.  Her reading is thorough and the information all hits home.  Along with inevitable surprises, “some of the answers are in your unconscious. It’s the idea of hearing it or knowing it,” she says, that can help one move forward.  She sees a trip to Eastern Europe, Prague perhaps (where I was thinking Argentina).   

I leave with the taped session and two of Hoffman’s tapes – one on finances, one on relationships.  When I get home, I realize that the tape of my session is blank.  Although I remember all the key points, I’d wanted to go over it.  Then, I remember her advice for how to proceed with so much knowledge about the future: “You can’t forcibly make something happen.  Take it and put it on the back burner.”

~Sara Costello

Photo by Naomi Harris for NY Magazine

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The growing obsession these days with culinary gossip – restaurant openings and closings, chef outbursts, firings, new hirings, and various scandals - it’s no surprise that the chefs themselves, not just their cooking, are in the spotlight. We aren’t just talking celebrity chefs à la Mario, Emeril, and Jean Georges anymore.

These days any talented chef is under the microscope for how they behave and, of course, how they look. Maybe one day it was models and movie stars, but now sexy chefs are the hottest catches in the city. What follows is a list of our favorite, toe-curlingly handsome men who perform magic with their hands in the kitchen.

Sam Mason, Owner and Executive Chef at soon-to-open Tailor
We begin with sexy badass Sam Mason. Check out the tats. Look at the perfectly coiffed faux-hawk. And then there’s the whole skinny-hipster-up-to-no-good vibe that we find irresistible. Turns out Mason’s up to a lot of good. In the coming months, he plans on opening a highly-anticipated new restaurant in SoHo, Tailor. Mason got $1 million for the restaurant from investors and is currently filming a pilot with Discovery Channel about the process. Mason also hosts an online food/music show called “Dinner with the Band,” where he cooks for a different set of musicians each episode. 

Before opening his own place, Mason worked as pastry chef at WD-50 and honed his skills at Padallin, Union Pacific, and Atlas among numerous others

Brad Farmerie, Executive Chef, Public
The strong jawline, moist dark eyes, and his shy and sweet smile propel Public’s executive chef Brad Farmerie near the top of our list. It’s just so rare to see athletic and wholesome-looking men working behind the kitchen in this city. Lecherous, fat and drunk is usually more the case.

Farmerie was raised in Pittsburgh, by a mother who insisted on only eating homemade bread and vegetables from the garden. Farmerie cooked all through school and dropped out of Penn State when he realized he wanted to turn his part-time cooking job into a career.

Farmerie and his beautiful buttery face moved to the UK and cooked there for years, then traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. What he learned in New Zealand and Australia had a great effect on his cooking style, and diners sense that influence in his menu today.

Cal Elliot, Co-Executive Chef, DuMont, DuMont Burger, Dressler
Cal Elliot, the baby-faced, blue-eyed, blonde cherub of a man, runs the kitchens of Brooklyn favorites DuMont, DuMont Burger, and Dressler with partner Polo Dobkin. Each of their three restaurants is a major success in the borough thanks to both their cuisine and the price point. DuMont’s burgers are constantly ranking as the top in the city from food mags and blogs alike, and Dressler got two stars by the New York Times soon after its opening last summer.  Both chefs did stints at Gramercy Tavern before getting hired by DuMont owner Colin Devlin.

Harold Dieterle and Sam Talbot, former contestants on Top Chef
Seasons 1 and 2 breakaway hotties Harold Dieterle and Sam Talbot are grouped together only because they are reality TV stars and already received an unfair amount of exposure. Dieterle won the first season of Top Chef and came across as the boy-next-door who was decent and hardworking. Talbot is just straight-up scorching. We didn’t always enjoy his whining about the diabetes and his treatment of Marcel, but when it comes down to it, with that stubble, those muscles, the new haircut, he can act however he wants.

As for culinary ability, Dieterle came from the Culinary School of New York and was the sous chef at the Harrison before winning the show. He now plans to open up his own restaurant called Perilla with the money he won from the show.

Talbot was the executive chef at Punch before the show and worked at Williamsburg Café prior to that. Most recently Talbot consulted the owners of Fat Baby on their two new LES restaurants.

Marc Murphy, Owner and Executive Chef at Landmarc and Ditch Plains
Another athletic sexpot, it would be fun to just watch Marc Murphy play rugby in the mud all day. He’s just so damn manly with his wide shoulders and strong jaw line. Murphy runs two successful restaurants in New York and has a résumé that would impress any culinary guru. With a formal education at the Institute of Culinary Education and stints at Le Cirque, La Miraville, Windows of the World, and La Fourchette among countless other institutions, Murphy has really made the rounds. 

Murphy opened his first restaurant Landmarc with his, ahem, wife in 2004. The focus is on rustic French and Italian cuisine and has been warmly accepted by the New York dining community. Just last summer, Murphy opened Ditch Plains, an oyster bar in New York’s West Village. It’s named after a surfing beach on Long Island, and features classic seafood shack choices like fried clams, oyster shooters, and lobster rolls.

~Amanda Kludt

Sam Mason Photo By Melissa Hom Courtesy of Nymag.com
Brad Farmerie Photo By Daniel Miller
Cal Elliot Photo By Jonathan L. Smith Courtesy of Nymag.com

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No matter your financial means, you can enjoy the benefits of high fashion for free.  Note: we aren’t talking a (highly-encouraged) weekly trip to Barneys or Bergdorf’s to fondle their latest.

Fortunately, for the style-seeking set, the Internet has proven an ideal place to find innovative design, beautiful things, and more insider info than any Wintour wiretap would get you.  Below - a list of our favorite places to indulge couture cravings without spending a dime:

Hedislimane.com/diary
Designer (of Dior Homme for the last five years) and photographer Hedi Slimane’s name has become synonymous in both the fashion and art worlds with skinny silhouettes, predominantly monochrome palette, and a fetish for dirty, skinny (and occasionally androgynous) rocker boys.  And, for the last 305 days, Slimane has been offering up a photo archive of his aesthetic trappings, adding images to it regularly.  It's full of political charge (American flags a-plenty), stunning portraiture (featuring rockers like Klaxons, and celebs such as Gus Van Sant and Courtney Love), and enchanting still-lifes -- don’t miss the disco balls.  Warning: This is extremely addictive.

Fashionista.com
This recently-launched site from Gawker co-founder Elizabeth Spiers’ Dead Horse Media Group is at the head of the online fashion pack.  It features frequent updates and loads of insider information (often even in stride with WWD.com’s latest Breaking News updates); it will guarantee that you’re in-the-know on everything from couture and capsule collections to  fashion-forward cosmetics.  To boot, the blog maintains a consistently positive outlook – ditching stereotypical fashionista cattiness for a more community-oriented approach to everything fashionable.

HenrikVibskov.com
The website of Denmark-based designer and artist Henrik Vibskov offers a seemingly endless array of visual stimulation.  The homepage opens to a slideshow featuring dozens of photographs documenting Vibskov’s own collection previews and art installations, as well as unrelated images.  In addition to keeping your eyes satiated, a virtual walk-through invites you to use your mind to ruminate on the perpetually controversial topic of where art and fashion meet.

Gofugyourself.typepad.com
So much for the year of nice… while this fug-finding (and figuratively flagellating) site isn’t as mean as its celebrity-gossip-blog counterparts (Michael K and Perez included), it’s not a place to go looking for Do’s.  It is, however, a site that offers cheap thrills (i.e. A to D-list celebrities in clothes so heinous, they should be burned Mary Weiland-style). 

Fashionoffice.org
This one’s an eye-candy-packed handbook for slews of fabulous and fashionable products.  From a ‘who's who’ guide (of high-fashion) to "Catwalk TV" to BMW bikes for kids, this guide is guaranteed to keep you salivating.  Warning: could be hazardous to bank account if you follow fashionoffice time with this.

MartinMargiela.com
The famed Belgian-based designer has recently updated his namesake brand’s website, and it’s not to be missed.  Don’t let the intimidating "Warning! Box" laden homepage fool you: This site is not under construction.  The newly re-envisioned website showcases an aesthetic that’s as clean, intelligently-detailed, and modern as Margiela's clothes (not to mention intentionally reminiscent of a cyber-model circa 1982). And with it, the ingénue (and, in our opinion, all-around instigator of good taste), proves that he’s as innovative as ever.  Note: explore often -- the intermittent pop-ups are priceless.

 ~Alisa Gould-Simon

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With April Fools’ Day around the corner, we decided it was time for a different type of shopping guide -- gifts that are guaranteed to repulse your friends and taint your relationships.  Although giving these might not sound like a good idea yet—consider this timeless truism: If it doesn’t kill you, it’ll make you stronger.   It’s our belief here at psychoPEDIA that this little nugget of truth is easily translatable to relationships and beyond.

So as a testament to everlasting friendships and love, we offer this list of gifts that are guaranteed to freak out your friends:

1. “The Secret” DVD
Giving the gift of the Oprah-endorsed Secret is something that should not be taken lightly, for it unveils the “Great Secret of the Universe that has been passed throughout the ages, traveling for centuries to reach you.” (No, we didn’t make that up.)  If you’re feeling enterprising, you get pricing discounts in bulk—so now everyone you know can be in on the Secret.

2. “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health” by L. Ron Hubbard
Giving anything written by L. Ron Hubbard as a gift is a little worrisome.  But giving this book to someone has the equivalent shock value of coming out of the closet at Thanksgiving: “Mom, please pass the gravy…I’m a Scientologist.”  Your conversations will take on a new level of clarity as words like “engrams,” “auditors,” and “E-meters” enter your (and now your giftee’s) vocabulary.

3. A phone call from Lou Ferrigno facilitated by Hollywoodiscalling.com
Could anything be scarier than receiving a one-minute phone call from D-list demi-god Lou Ferrigno (whom you might remember as the Hulk from both TV and the movies)?  If you’re a normal person, then of course you’d think not, but our next suggestion is infinitely (and impossibly) more terrifying.

4. A phone call from Dennis Haskins facilitated by Hollywoodiscalling.com
We were going to combine these two, but really they deserve to be separate.  For the paltry sum of $19.95 you can have Mr. Belding from “Saved By the Bell” call anyone you want and talk to them for a minute.  He was also on “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper.”  Note: This is reserved only for understanding best friends and worst enemies.

5. Moria Orc Latex Mask (or any costume on the website)
This is a guaranteed brain-burner for two reasons: 1) It’s a pretty creepy mask; and 2) This is a mask of a character from Lord of the Rings.  Not only will the recipient of your gift never be able to wear it, but the awesomeness of their dumbfounded expression upon seeing your gift will be something you can share forever.  If this mask is a little too grotesque for you, go for a more traditional (and magically powerful) Gandalf wig and beard: tolkientown.com

6. “The Other Sister” DVD
Juliette Lewis’s performance in this mentally-retarded twist on love will freak anyone out.  Forcing the recipient of this movie to watch it with you is a good way to ensure your relationship with that person will never be the same again.

7. Prescription-Strength Anti-Perspirant
There is no better joke to play on a friend than convince him that he sweats too much.  That’s because sweat is something everybody does, but like anything else, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. 

8. “Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men”
This might be the only item on this list that has never been given as a gift before, but that shouldn’t stop you from giving it to anyone you think might need a pick-me-up.  This book is such a downer, it will make everything else seem relatively alright. 

~By Greg Greenberg

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For the last 15 years, pop-rock band, The Apples In Stereo, has been making beautiful (unrelentingly catchy) music.  And last month, The Apples followed suit with the launch of their latest LP, New Magnetic Wonder -- the premier release on Elijah Wood’s newly-formed record label, Simian Records.  (To note, the actor likewise made his directorial debut with The Apples video for “Energy.”)

And, since the (band’s) very beginning, the city of Denver, Colorado has played a significant role.  It was on a bus in Denver that The Apples’ founder and lead singer Robert Schneider first met Jim McIntyre, the band’s original bassist.  Not to mention, the city fostered slews of musical collaborations between local bands (The Apples and Neutral Milk Hotel included); thus the subsequent alliance of the Elephant Six Collective was born.  And, so the story goes.

In light of the fact that the band will be ending its current cross-country tour in Colorado’s capital city, we figured what better time to take a virtual look around. So, we enlisted the help of Eric Allen, bassist (and now the only Denver-based member) of The Apples in Stereo.  Here, he discusses the Elijah connection, the beauty of the Denver-made Breakfast Burrito, and the city’s best-kept secret.  In his own words: 

How does Denver inspire the Apples in Stereo?
When the Apples formed there were many great bands (Felt Pilotes, etc.) and cool clubs / warehouses/art spaces to play in. We had / have an outlet in Denver.

Why did Elijah Wood choose the Apples in Stereo, and why did the Apples in Stereo choose Elijah Wood?
He likes good stuff; we like good stuff.

What's the best thing about living in Denver?
Breakfast burritos.

Worst thing?
Restaurants that stop serving breakfast burritos at noon.

Favorite snowbound activity?
Missing work.

Favorite park?
Observatory Park.

Favorite record/music shop?
Wax Trax. 

Best place for a post-hibernation meal?
Wolfe's Bar-B-Q (333 E. Colfax). 

Best place for a pocketbook-emptying dining experience?
Denver has hundreds of great restaurants that are under $10 a person so I wouldn't bother looking for the best.

Impressions of the new Denver Art Museum?
It is beautiful. It is metallic origami. The only flaw is that it’s crammed between the library and a Libeskind-designed parking garage. That garage eclipses the eastern side of the museum as you approach, but once you get close, the building envelopes you and, you forget about the damn garage.

How has the legalization of the private use of [one ounce or less of] marijuana changed life in Denver?
All of the paranoia associated with pot dissipates once you stop worrying about whether you are a criminal.

Best non-chain hotel in which to crash?
I have no idea about hotels in Denver. I do rent my couch out at $12 a night ($16 if you watch HBO).

After wrapping up a tour in Denver, like you will on April 1st, where will the band be out celebrating?
We might be partying at the SPUTNIK or Smiley's on Colfax [the latter is the world’s largest Laundromat, which opened in the ‘50s, and offers WiFi access.]

Best place to catch up-and-coming bands?
The HI-DIVE and the LARIMER Lounge are safe bets.

Best places to take in a bit of culture?
The Starz Theater at Tivoli has films that only get limited runs. Also, Monkey Mania has incredible bands you won't see anywhere else in Denver.

Best second-hand shopping?
Garage sales.

Hot alcoholic beverage of choice? And, the best place to find it?
Beer at a 4th of July party when there is no more ice. Any party where people are not prepared.

Denver's best-kept secret?
Sorry, but I'm not going to tell you.

 ~Alisa Gould-Simon 

Go There:
Wolfe's BBQ, 333 E. Colfax Ave, (303) 831-1500, Denver
Sputnik, next door to the Hi-Dive
Smiley's, 1080 E. Colfax Ave, (303) 864-9466, Denver

Hi-Dive Photo courtesy of Pinprick via flickr
Larimer Lounge Photo courtesy of Gloryglorycathacory via flickr
Sputnik Photo courtesy of M&S Warbucks via flickr

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Could the aphrodisiac of oysters lend musical inspiration to The Raveonettes? Perhaps, considering it was their first selection off the menu at New York City restaurant Bistro Papillon, where psychoPEDIA invited the harmonious Danish duo - Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner - to dine. 

Fresh off a small East Coast club tour from Washington D.C. to Boston, The Ravonettes are now getting revved up for fresh material on a forthcoming third album. And they’re hoping that fans who loved their freshman and sophomore creations, Chain Gang of Love and Pretty in Black, will love what lies ahead. 

Since everyone needs a break from work, who better to review escargot than a band that’s performed worldwide and dined all over Paris - the muse for the bi-level Bistro Papillon’s menu selection? To boot, The Ravonettes’ Parisian chic all-black ensembles topped off the scene -- the two sipping their Cote-du-Rhone in the dimly-lit bistro -- perfectly. (To note, the restaurant’s namesake, Henri Charriere – aka Papillon – was a notorious underworld and society figure before he passed away in 1973.) 

Here, the review, from the pair of self-proclaimed food snobs: 

Sune Rose Wagner - “I think our waitress is already a little like the psychoPEDIA type.” 

Sharin Foo - “I think what we really need to do is to talk to her, because it’d make for a more interesting interview!”

SW - “The most interesting part of whole evening was our waitress!”

SF - “I love the fact that she’s not selling us food or wine at all – she wasn’t pushing anything on us.” 

SW - “It’s a different approach and you don’t come across it very often, where a waitress is honest with you [about] their food. She’s painfully honest. She even told me, when I first was going to select a wine... ‘You know, that wine is going to be a little funky with your chicken.’ Then she offered me another wine instead.” 

SF – “It seems to be a traditional French Bistro type of place but they’re also trying to be a little innovative and different with items like the lamb and how it has a fusion of a mojito wine glaze.”

SW – “My chicken had a Cajun infusion flavor.”

SF – “It’s experimental, but not really. I feel like the experiments don’t work. The mojito glaze on the lamb chops made the meat taste awful. So I feel like they should stick to a menu that’s really traditional. In this restaurant, you should order the steak and fries – traditional bistro-inspired food. Obviously oysters are a favorite French dish, and we love oysters. It’s always so interesting to try different oysters at different restaurants.”

SW – “They were really great! Well served, fresh, with a nice little sauce that went with them.” 

SF- “Well also, the fact they’re an aphrodisiac, we’ll have to deal with that later on too…”

SW – “What do you mean by that? I don’t feel the aphrodisiac is working right now. Perhaps after a couple more glasses of wine, I’ll start to feel that aphrodisiac thing going on. I also had the snails to start off.”

SW – “They were very, very tasty, it almost could’ve been a dish unto itself, because I was almost full by the time I finished it!”’

SF – “Let’s talk about the wine too. I had a Sancerre with my appetizers, which sometimes people think of as more of a dessert wine, but it was nice and dry and fruity, which sounds like a contradiction. But it was really good and fresh.”

SW – “I had chardonnay, which was great with the oysters, which is what I wanted. It was really good with snails as well. I was very happy about that choice.”

SF- “I think the best thing about this restaurant though is our waitress and the waitstaff.” 

SW – “Yeah! I’d say so too!”

SF – “It’s not because they’re professional, it’s because they’re the opposite. They’re real and that’s really rare in New York City.

SW – “Really rare. I would even come by myself to have a drink at the bar and a bite to eat if she was going to wait on me or who I came with.”

~Jessica McMenamin

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Jared Seligman, Corcoran Group’s real-estate broker to New York’s young and successful set, is currently applying his muscle to another project: next week’s benefit auction for non-profit organization The Nest Foundation.  Chaired by Susan Sarandon, the event will benefit Nest, an organization established to increase public awareness of the fast-growing industries of forced prostitution and human sex trafficking of children in the United States.

When Seligman’s good friend, Jen Brill, became active with the benefit during its initial stages, Seligman got on board and started spreading the word. “It’s easy to think about this going on in Thailand. But a school is being built in Texas, and will offer these kids therapy and education to become a member of society, and not a victim of this terrible problem that no one knows about.”

Until now. The high-profile event, which will include an auction of artworks from a roster that reads like a who’s-who in contemporary art, is co-chaired by Jen Brill, Leelee Sobieski, Arden Wohl and Vanina Holasek. But despite the lofty guest list, Seligman assures that the March 28^th event is “not about getting socialites together to schmooze.” Works for sale include those from artists such as Jeff Koons, Julian Schnabel, Matthew Barney, Dan Colen, Terry Richardson, Mario Sorrenti, Dash Snow, Ed Templeton and Craig McDean. And all proceeds from the auction and benefit will support the aforementioned long-term residential facility/boarding school in Austin, Texas for children, 18-and-under, who have been commercially sexually exploited.

In just two years, Seligman has developed a career that far exceeds that of the average person his age. “If I were buying a $10 million apartment I wouldn’t call a 20-year-old,” acknowledges Seligman. Yet, his clients - mostly in the fashion and entertainment industries - don’t seem to mind: “A lot of my clients are close to my age.” Growing up in New York City and Westchester, Seligman always knew he wanted to work in real estate and follow in the steps of his uncle and grandfather. But, when he first sent his resume to Corcoran Group, there was no response. Refusing to have a family member make a call to set up a meeting, he called again with no luck. So, Seligman eventually took a job at Citi Habitats, where he quickly became rookie of the year. The next time he called Corcoran, he was hired. 

Thanks to his unique professional position, Seligman has taken the opportunity to enlist many of the young, motivated people in his circle to raise awareness for the cause – like good friend, model Jessica Stam, who’s on the Nest Foundation Committee. Not to mention, many of Seligman’s friends have also become his clients: Stam just closed on a house in East Hampton last week (brokered by Seligman). He also sold her an apartment in New York City a few years ago.“I always stressed to her the importance of being a home owner,” says Seligman. Along with brokering, Seligman has taken on the role of therapist, financial advisor and fashion consultant for many of his clients: “Recently I had to dress a client twice for a board meeting. It’s important to be brutally honest.”

Having achieved so much so young, Seligman sees it as his duty to help young people. “When I was a teenager I knew exactly what I wanted. And now I see it as my job to give back as much as possible.”

~Sara Costello

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Remember a few years ago when it seemed like the fervor surrounding iPods, not to mention the hordes of iPod-friendly accessories, couldn’t get any bigger?  Fast-forward to today where it feels like 90% of the (capitalist-friendly) world's daily routine includes using an iPod.

Companies worldwide have continued cashing in on the phenomenon – namely, with accoutrements for everyone’s favorite accessory.  So, with spring coming, we figured it’s the perfect time to embrace the portable music device that makes running/jumping/grooving downright easy.  Here is a list of a few of our favorite recent pieces of iPod paraphernalia:

i-Dog($29.99)
Whether or not you were of a generation raised on The Jetsons (consistently pleading with your parents for an Astro of your own), you’ll love this robotic dog.  Feed your iDog danceable beats and it’ll groove day in and out (or as long as its AA batteries will last).  Play your tunes through this 4 1/2-inch-high pet’s built-in speaker, or set it against any sound-producing source and watch as it flashes different-color LED lights and dances to its little plastic heart’s content.

iPod Video Privacy Screen Protector ($9.99)
Feeling shy about sharing what’s on your iPod?  No, we’re not talking piracy.  Just privacy.  With the iPod Video Privacy Screen Protector (we recommend calling it the iShield for short) you can hide the screen of your 5G iPod from wandering eyes.  So, no matter what photos or videos strike your fancy (or where), with this little accessory you’ll never again have to feel self-conscious while viewing in a crowd.

KNG FUNKit iPod DJ dock ($50)
Looking for a Bose alternative with a bit more flash?  The FUNKit iPod DJ dock might be right up your alley.  Leave the spinning (and the styling – it comes with its very own Fubu jacket) to the DJ.  Just plug your iPod into the dock and kick back as your own personal entertainer comes to life -- blaring your favorite tunes from its built-in speakers.  It’ll bring new life to your listening experience.

~Alisa Gould-Simon

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The Game is known for his feuds – he’s often at odds with many others in the genre, most notably 50 Cent and G-Unit. So we made a bet in the office over whether we could piss him off if we asked him enough questions.  It worked.  What you are about to read is the picture of a pissed-off gangsta rapper:

So, what does The Game like to do when he has a day off?
Eat club sandwiches with French fries and extra ketchup.

Oh, right. But surely it doesn’t take a whole day to eat one sandwich?  What do you do in the evenings and stuff?
I like to do drive-bys.

Drive-bys? That’s not very nice…
I like to do drive-bys with Cheerios. I’d drive by and just throw Cheerios out the car and spit milk at people.

Sounds like fun.  Personally, I like to watch movies. Do you have a favourite?
Yeah - Gone with the Wind.

Gone With The Wind?  I wouldn’t have thought that would have been a favourite of yours.  What do you like about it?
I liked the bit when that chick in the movie was unbuttoning her blouse and you could almost see her titties, but they couldn’t show it because it was a PG-13.  That was cool. It had a great soundtrack too. 

If you had to take one movie with you on to a desert island out of Menace to Society and Boyz in The Hood. Which would you take?
I’d take both of them.  Who’s gonna tell me I can’t take both?

You’ve got a label called Black Wall Street, right?  What are plans for the future?
We wanna start making our own cereal.  Then after that we wanna make our own spoons and bowls to go with it. 

Do you think that your cereal will be a success?
Definitely, since people like eating shit so much.

So no actual music on your record label then?
Nope, just cereal. 

Cool.  You rap about Compton a lot.  What’s it really like out there?
It’s real fucked-up, man.  You should go there.  Let them jack you – take your chain and shit.

You think they’d jack me?
Oh yeah, they’d fuck you up.

Really?  Who should I be more scared of out there: The Bloods or The Crips?
I don’t know.  Why don’t you ask that question when you get there. 

Do you remember what it felt like to get shot?  I can picture it hurting pretty bad…
Yeah, I remember – it burned.  A lot.  You should try that too. 

~ Styleslut

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Today sees the launch of yet another LA Fashion Week.  Not that many people care.  Now, this is not to imply that LA, sartorially speaking, is without significance.  But the most interesting style is far from the runways lining Smashbox Studios.  For instance, just below the Hollywood Bowl at Scott Sternberg’s place.

While Sternberg, designer and creator of sought-after menswear line Band of Outsiders, has clothed countless leading actors/directors/entertainers (Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake and Patrick Dempsey included), he’s a far cry from your average Hollywood-based fashion designer.  Band of Outsiders’ aesthetic tendencies typify ‘New Wave’ meets 1970s Americana.  And Sternberg’s approach to marketing parallels the rebellious, non-glossy realism championed by the 1964 Jean-Luc Godard film that lends the line its name (perhaps partly a reaction to the few years the designer spent as an agent at CAA).  Even Band of Outsiders’ website is an eye-catching minimalist blog replete with Polaroids of models sporting Sternberg’s signature bowties and skinny suits (and a highly-recommended links section).

So, we asked the Dayton, Ohio-born, Washington University-educated designer (via email) about his adopted hometown as well as his eagerly anticipated move into women’s wear.  In his own words: 

How would describe ‘Boy’ in terms of aesthetics and who you see wearing it?
Not ready to share specifics yet, but it’s all in the name and it’s for everyone.

What most influences your designs?
Objects and clothing and memories from my childhood.

Describe LA Fashion Week in 5 words or less…
Not something I would attend. 

What brought you to LA in the first place?
Movies.

What’s kept you there?
Mexican food. 

Best place to escape to (even if only for the afternoon)?
New Beverly Cinema, a revival theater on Beverly Blvd in West Hollywood.  They program and counter-program rad double features of classic and contemporary films pretty brilliantly.  It’s where I first saw the Godard movie “Bande à Part” (which translates to “Band of Outsiders”). 

Favorite place to party into the wee hours of the morning?
My friend Kevin’s house in Laurel Canyon.

Where (in LA) do you get inspired?
At home.

What do you drive and what's playing inside it recently?
A starter Benz from my CAA days.  I shuffle, so a little bit of everything is playing.

Favorite neighborhood haunt?
In-N-Out burger…double-double with cheese, no mustard, vanilla milkshake when severely depressed. 

Where do you go to splurge on a meal?
I cannot stand fussy expensive food. 

LA’s best kept secret?
Gemini G.E.L., a print studio where Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, etc. still make work.

If you could change one thing about LA, what would it be?
I would make it driving distance from New York.

How do you see the future of Band of Outsiders?
Total world domination.

~Alisa Gould-Simon

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As predicted, the skinny and expensive denim trends dominating the last few seasons are washed-up.  And, at least for the ladies, high-waists atop wide legs are the next big thing.  (This month, French Vogue devotes a full 10-page editorial on high-waisted flares à la Jane Birkin circa 1970.)

Thus, when faced with a pair of flared Jordache jeans – complete with their signature white horse embroidered on the coin pocket – we figured it was about time we gave them a shot.  With a newly enlisted (and newlywed) Elizabeth Hurley as current spokesperson, Jordache has been steadily revamping its look, while keeping its price-point low, in hopes of reinstating its ‘80s heyday.

So, we handed the pair of blues over to Elissa Dunlop, a stylish downtown New Yorker and designer of the one-of-a-kind swimwear line of the same name.  With Dunlop so well-versed in vintage clothes – her eye-pleasing eponymous collection is made entirely from vintage fabrics (not to mention she’s exceptionally small-waisted) - we figured if anyone could make them work, she could.  In her own words: 

So how’d it go?
Good!  My sister’s here with me now; she’s been taking photos. 

How’s the fit?
Good.  But it could be a little tighter at the waist.  They’re low, but not super-low.  I would like it if they were higher.

Do you like the embroidered horse on the coin pocket?
Yeah, it’s cute.

How would you style them?
I’d keep it simple, clean.  I’m wearing them right now with a T-shirt tucked in.  In the summer I’d wear them with a tank top and cute heeled sandals. 

What are your favorite places to vintage shop in the city?
I like going to Edith Machinist.  There are a couple places on Rivington right near my new apartment [on Suffolk Street].

Do you remember Jordache from when you were a kid?  Did you ever wear them back then?
Oh, totally.  I don’t think I ever wore them though.  I was more of a Guess jeans girl.  It’s funny because the jeans I wear now are similar to Guess jeans, just without the triangle and question mark, and the zippers at the ankles.  It’s a nice shape – a versatile cut.

If you could have any style right now, what would you choose?
I would really like a pair of high-waisted but straight-at-the-bottom jeans.  Simple, so the jeans aren’t the main focus.

Do you think the skinny jean thing is over?
It’s really saturated now, so there’s going to be a next thing.  I don’t think it’s necessarily over though; it’s just time for something different.

What inspires your style?
I love the ‘60s.  I like Art Deco design as far as patterns go.  Right now, I’m really fascinated with kaleidoscope patters.  I’d love to design my own fabrics.  I like looking at films; I’m waiting for all of these Bugsby Berkely [musicals] that I just ordered from Netflix.

How did you get your start designing swimwear?
I used to work for a surfwear company and I was going on vacation.  I looked everywhere but couldn’t find any swimsuits for my body type.  I had access to great Lycra fabric, so I drew a sketch and had a friend make a pattern and then fitted the suit to my body.  I love vintage shopping, and it was always fabrics with amazing prints and colors that usually caught my attention, but they’d be these pieces you just couldn’t wear.  I thought it was such a waste.  So it evolved.

Do you see yourself expanding?
I do want to expand the line.  Right now I have 3 top shapes and 3 bottoms; different combinations, and I use vintage fabrics that are always changing.  I’d like to do more shapes - maybe a one-piece or a high-waisted bottom.  I also wouldn’t mind doing dresses or things that work with swimwear.  Things you could wear to the beach or with jeans.

Any advice for prospective swimwear shoppers?
It’s important to know your body type – to try a bunch on and know what shape looks best on your body.

How many is a bunch?  Five?  Ten?
I don’t know.  I guess it depends on how picky you are?

Are you picky?
Yeah [laughs] I guess... 

Would your sister say you’re picky?
Yes [laughs] definitely. 

~Alisa Gould-Simon 

Get Yours:
Jordache Krystal Flare Jeans, $69, jordache.com

For more on Elissa Dunlop, check out elissadunlop.com, or stop by Charlotte Ronson to snap up some of her swimwear.

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“I grew up in New York in the ‘80s and there wasn’t that much to do.  My mother, being French, would take me to see art on the weekends.  I remember being 5 years old and literally falling in love.”  You could say Vanina Holasek’s career as an art dealer began then.  And with the current booming art market, getting started young may not be such a bad idea.  

She has paid her dues. Before opening her namesake Chelsea gallery, the Nice-born Holasek started interning as a teenager at the Guggenheim and the Wildenstein Institute.  She then got her undergraduate degree in art history at the Sorbonne, worked as David LaChappelle’s fine-art agent (helping him develop his fine-art career), and put in several years working at galleries uptown and downtown -- including three years at Gagosian. “Being an art dealer seems so glamorous.  But there is a whole structure and code.  It’s a language, and I don’t understand people who haven’t studied art history.”  

Her education paid off.  When she walked into Gagosian (without ever having had a paid job) and handed her resume to the receptionist she was hired soon thereafter:  “It’s almost unheard of not to have a recommendation.”  The experience was invaluable. In addition to spending time with Cecily Brown, James Rosenquest, Damian Hirst and Francesco Clemente, she was exposed for the first time to the business of art.  “I had the knowledge of art history but not the money aspect.” When giving prices to potential buyers she had to write the amount on a piece of paper and hand it to them:  “ I wasn’t sure I was reading the numbers right.”  

Aside from the $25,000-a-year salary, the dinners, catalogues, and rapport with collectors and artists were the real pay: “It was extremely constructive and interesting - but you put up with a lot.  You have to be determined and really want it.”

Holasek certainly was determined.  Later, after being laid off at LaChappelle’s post-9/11, she worked as an assistant for five different artists simultaneously. No stranger to hard work, Holasek, even before her gig at the Gagosian, worked odd fashion-industry jobs in order to make ends meet.  An average day could include anything from “buying Shalom Harlow organic tampons” to “finding a customized bed for Francois Nars’ dog.”  Fast-forward less than a decade later: she was offered the position of Gallery Director at Stellan Holm, where she worked until 2005, when she left to launch her own gallery. 

Since going out on her own, Holasek’s eponymous gallery has become an independent jewel amongst Chelsea’s commercial giants.  “Without sounding corny, it’s a dream come true.  I never thought it would happen.”  She now spends much of her time catering to the needs of the artists she features. “I’m on the artists’ side.  People are interesting in my field and artists are crazy. But they are my heroes and I personally like taking care of them.”  This and her view that her work is not work have clearly been reasons why she has gotten this far:  “It’s fun when you get to hang out with the artist and have a studio visit.  Or look at a drawing.  And the collectors are equally important.  They are like addicts and thanks to them the art world exists.” 

However illustrious her background, Holasek offers that there are many ways to start:  “Gagosian is not the only school.  The art world is so varied.  I have friends who make a really good living being artists’ assistants or working at museums – which is such a delight.”  Her big advice to young artists is not to give up, but also before jumping in, know “it’s a game. I feel like I’m playing chess.  It’s about tribes.”

But the game is here to stay. Holasek asserts:  “Someone once told me that the twentieth century was all about invention, and the 21^st-century will be all about art.”

~Sara Costello

Painting by Danilo Buccella from The Sound of Night series - currently on view at the Vanina Holasek Gallery

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Because our pockets are feeling a little lighter these days – blame it on concerts, cocktails, and Chloé shoes – we decided it was time we offered a different kind of shop guide; specifically, one that doesn’t cost a dime. 

And, considering freebies can be hard to find, we figured, why not focus on every Mac owner’s best friend – widgets.  Don’t worry: we promise no oversized fuzzy pink dice.  Just a dozen slices of technological perfection (where efficiency and superfluity come to party).

1. Call Wave
It’s no wonder that with free text messaging services anywhere in the world, Call Wave is the highest downloaded widget from Apple’s website.  Pretty soon, thanks to our respective dashboards, we’ll all be kissing exorbitant cell phone bills goodbye. 

2. Panda Cam
Watch panda eat.  Watch panda sleep.  You get the picture.  While the only thing this widget guarantees is that you will be (a) distracted at work, (b) satiating your cuteoverload.com fix, or (c) drafting letters to the San Diego Zoo regarding animal rights, we highly recommend it regardless.  Warning: watching endangered giant pandas like Shi Shi and Gao Gao go about their business can be wildly addicting. 

3. Rabbit Free Events Widget
If downloading free widgets doesn’t quite cure your craving for penny-pinching check out Rabbit’s Free Events guide.  Enter any major city in the US, and this widget will spit out multiple listings of free events. 

4. Yoda Widget
Because everything sounds better when spoken by Star Wars’ 26-inch-tall all-star trooper Yoda (aka: Frank Oz). 

5. Hang Man
It’s a slightly morbid (watching this man’s limbs get chopped off might be enough to delay your lunch hour) and utterly addictive waste of time… of which we can’t get enough. 

6. Hula Girl
A virtual Hula Girl for your virtual dashboard.  Pointlessly ingenious.

7. Mirror
Never fret over the possibility of frizzy hair/spinach in your teeth/freshly-birthed blemishes ever again.  As long as you’ve got this widget (and webcam), you can turn your computer’s LCD screen into a fully reflective mirror.  Just be sure to watch your back. 

8. iStat Pro
This may be the perfect way to stay up-to-date on what’s going on behind the screen – of your Mac that is.  iStat gives you the latest on your CPU, Memory, hard drive, etc – it’s a computer geek’s paradise. 

9. Love Calculator
Until we find the real widget of our dreams (a Magic 8 Ball), the Love Calculator is more than enough to satisfy our cupid-related curiosities.  Just enter two names and voilà – their compatibility computed as a percentage.  Or, as we found out from perusing users’ comments, it’s also an adventurous way to find new food pairings (i.e. “11% for Steak and Potatoes” but “Cheese + Chocolate = 99%”). 

10. Chia Pet
Where plant meets pet (à la cyberworld).  Water it twice a day, and watch your Chia Pet grow.

11. Starry Night
If you’re city-bound, one of the things you may crave more than a pet, or a donut (keep reading), is seeing the stars.  Here, views of celestial beings from anywhere in the world (choose your preferred location) are a click away. 

12. Krispy Kreme
Just so your stomach isn’t growling while you’re waiting for your newly-acquired widgets to load, use this one to find the closest retailer of Krispy Kreme donuts.  Bon appetit!

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NYC nightlife is at a turning point, and recently-launched parties like Studio B’s FIXED are poised to become the next big thing.  The difference between Studio B and its Manhattan-based, bridge-and-tunnel-infested counterparts is that Studio B isn’t screaming for your attention.  Nor does it encourage the see-and-be-seen feel of former NYC nightlife mainstays like MisShapes.  Maybe it’s Studio B’s remote Greenpoint location, maybe its averseness to exclusivity and posturing.  Regardless, Studio B’s FIXED gives one the sense that the people running the show want it to be more than just a fad.  And, as long as you’re not stuck in the (semi-tortuous) coat line at closing time, you might actually start believing it can easily do so.

Over the past few months, FIXED has hosted the likes of The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, Vitalic. Erol Alkan, and legendary Glaswegian party Optimo.  Not to mention, buzz-fueled bands stop by, like London’s Klaxons on April 13^th.  So, what’s up with FIXED?  We asked those involved for their thoughts: 

JDH, Resident DJ and co-curator
Who came up with the idea for FIXED? Is there a concept behind it?
We started the party as a way to present some of our favorite acts to NYC, but in a party format. Very much like parties in Europe, where people go to a club and dance, an awesome band plays, then people dance again. 

What makes FIXED unique?
We definitely feel that there was a void in NYC nightlife before we started. Don’t get me wrong, there are a ton of awesome parties that we love and respect - The Bunker, Robots, Cut, Rub & Tug, Motherfucker, etc, but we wanted to do something that focused on electronic music as much as rock. The idea of FIXED is to do the proper party. Good DJs who can mix, play at least a 2-3 hour set, and really rock it. Good sound, cheap cover, dark rooms, and no bullshit. 

So you’ve never denied anyone?
There was this one guy who walked up to us chomping on a sandwich.  He was really pushy, had crumbs all around his mouth and kept spitting food at us demanding to get in. 

Who looks better -- partygoers coming in or leaving?
I think when people come out might be better.  It takes something special to pull it off when you’re covered in sweat and grossness. 

Louie, Lighting for Studio B
What’s the idea behind the lighting?  The darker: the better?
I like to start dark and get a little lighter.  For FIXED I usually try to keep it pretty dark. 

Do you feel personally responsible for peoples’ love lives?
Absolutely.  The right lights make the right mood.  I like to talk to the DJ beforehand to get an idea about what he likes. 

Ever lit up anything on the dance floor you regretted immediately afterward?
Haha yeah.  There was this time when I turned on the strobes pretty late and I regretted doing it.  This guy was wearing a jean G-string thong bent over doing his thing and dancing.  His balls were all over the place. 

And, from the attendees: 
Noah, 22, Film Engineer
Have you been here before?
No, first time.  I’m a virgin! [He laughs weirdly and offers a high-five.]

Is it any different than you expected it to be?
I had no expectations.  I just wanted to party and that's what I did. 

You were killing it on the floor—care to describe that move you did before?
Yeah, it’s something I like to call “The Creeper.”  I bend my knee forward and then dangle my hands in front like a T-Rex.  Then I put my thumb and forefinger together when the moment is right and shake my hand.  It’s called the Creeper because I slink all over the dance floor and creep women out. 

Mitch, 26, Research Associate
How do you like FIXED?
I expected more posturing from a "club" and more hair gel, but I feel pleasantly surprised to find a bunch of people who want to relax and dance. 

What do you think makes FIXED different from other parties?
It took me four different cab drivers to get here because none of them knew where this is in Brooklyn and the only bottle on the menu here is Poland Spring.  

Daniel, 23, Editor
Having a good time at the party?
Yeah, I’m having a good time.  My hair looks good, so that helps. 

Haha, yeah, have you gotten a good crowd reception for that?
I think people like it.  The bathroom line was kind of long so I don’t know if I got enough mirror time but that didn’t stop me tonight.

Zach, 24, Grad Student
Is this going to be a memorable night for you?
I’m not sure I’ll remember it.  If I can make a connection with somebody I will remember it.  Maybe. 

Do you feel like a lot of people are coming here for that?
I think probably 40% come for the people and 60% come for the music.  There’s probably a lot of overlap though.  These numbers aren’t scientific. 

LuLu, 25, Florist
What do you think of the crowd?  General level of attractiveness?
I don’t know if this is the most attractive crowd I’ve seen, but there’s something about the people still that makes them hotter than I would normally think.  Maybe it’s that they’ve got style.

So does that mean you’ll be taking some style home with you?
[Laughs] Maybe.  Probably. 

~Greg Greenberg

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For most talented young starlets, a certain kind of lifestyle has come to be expected.  Translation: late nights at the Roosevelt, perhaps a Prius, and a well-documented love/hate relationship with the paparazzi.  But, while 22-year-old actress/songstress Jena Malone may appear in all the same fashion and entertainment rags alongside her big-screen peers, she is by no means your ordinary ‘It’ girl.

Born, and now based, in Lake Tahoe, the Golden Globe-nominated, big-eyed brunette has long been recognized for her work in films like American Girl (2002), which she co-produced, Saved! (2004), and Pride and Prejudice (2005).  And this year sees the release of her first single (on NYC’s Social Registry) and foray into the music industry with “Jena Malone and her bloodstains” (also sometimes called “Of Wild Animals” or “Or Dancing Circus Hamsters”)  – a project produced out of many nights spent writing and recording in her Northern Californian hometown.  So, while in NYC for a slew of shows, we caught up with Malone to find out a little more about her creative process, and the city that has inspired it:

Hi – how’s it going, dude?
Hello! Very good indeed... I had a long night actually. I ended up going over to Russell's house because Nick helped me find the strength to push the music in a new direction. So I went over and talked and shouted poetry and picked up a guitar and wrote new songs. 

So.. you had your first show at Mercury Lounge. I was there, and it rocked!
Yes! You were taking pictures! Yes, the first show was immense and felt like the most beautiful and creative thing I have ever done.

For your first show, singing rather than performing, how did it feel different?
The most personal and raw and bloody creative endeavor yet! It felt right! You know me, I am singing all the time, but to actually be in a space where people actually want to listen felt amazing! I don't think there really is a difference for me when I'm acting or singing or writing a song. 

Did your nerves feel different before you leaped onto the stage?
I was a fucking nervous wreck! But no one could really tell, I think. I know how to perform under pressure, if anything. 

Well, you covered yourself really well! I couldn't tell!
But I kept cracking really bad jokes that no one laughed at, which was a perfect sign of how nervous I was.

From spending time with you, you've always run around the streets singing…
Well for me, songs just write themselves. I am just lucky to have them hijack my mind and my voice to release them, and if I’m lucky I have a pen and paper or a recording device to capture them. 

Nice! So you went back to Tahoe for a while to remove yourself and embrace your music?
I chose to live outside of a city because that is where I feel my own heartbeat the strongest.

So, why Lake Tahoe?
I was in NYC doing a play for 8 months, which was amazing. NY is a very inspiring place to come and visit lots of beautiful people to inspire you and push you around, but I also need to be surrounded by nature. Alone in a crowd of trees. For me, since I was very young, I had a strong connection to Tahoe and I feel like it was where my imagination was truly born. I grew up all around the area, but only lived in Lake Tahoe from 2nd to 4th grade -- but when I left it, I always wanted to come back and always knew it was my true home (even though I have lived in like 40 different places my whole life).

You bought a home there, right?
Yes. I bought a house there when I was 18. I had been living in LA for 4 years and hated it and decided I needed to do something for myself and live in a place where I felt peace and strength. I studied at the community college and took photography classes, which totally consumed me.

Then you went back to acting?
I started acting again and realized that living away from it all gave me perspective that no one else had and it reinvigorated my acting. Then I worked on this film in Spain in the summer of 2005 and I hated it! The worst experience of my life, and I would come back to the hotel every night and just crack out on my computer.  I started making music through garageband, and singing strange stuff all the time. Somehow music just fucking took control of everything. It's storytelling and filmmaking and art, but all very personal.

Where do you recommend going to eat, play games, see films in Tahoe?
Karaoke at Rojos and Lakeside Inn is my favorite. Sushi at Naked Fish or Off the Hook. And a good Thai place called Orchids. I love hanging out in the weird old ghost towns like Virginia City, which are full of dirt and lost beauty. I also have my favorite lookout places around the lake where I bring my notebook, a book, a bag lunch and water and just sit there all day, reading, eating, singing, writing, and playing! Nevada is full of strange and unknown beauty.

So, you're in NY now, playing shows. Are you playing in any other cities? And, will you release an album anytime soon?
We are playing in LA on April 14th, opening up for Deerhunter. and San Diego on the 15^th. We are still setting up more shows in LA, and I have plans to record an album here in NYC in April with the band. For the first time ever, I won’t be engineering all the tracks myself.. which will be nice but will also feel different. I write the lyrics and the melodies, sometimes the music too. Sometimes I have people just play for me and I’ll come through and make it a song.

I remember I went to see "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" film with you and we were both so inspired...
I know!!! Daniel Johnston is a very big influence on me. He definitely gave me the confidence to do my music my own way.

I remember you said, 'Isn't it amazing that even though he wasn't trained in music, and didn't really know what he was doing, he followed his heart and his passion and just kept doing it!' And you can feel that in his music, as I feel it in yours.
Thanks dude, that is huge! His heart is just so big. The most important thing is that songs should feel like your own children.... that there are pieces of you inside them but once you have created them they have a life of their own. Instead of like mass-produced hot dog buns, where every single one looks the same; it's only the deformed ones that I've found beautiful.

- Aliya Naumoff 

Hear It:
For more from Jena Malone and her bloodstains, check out myspace.com/ofwildanimals

See It:
Jena in "Into the Wild," directed by Sean Penn; "The Go Getter," directed by Martin Hynes and screened at Sundance 2007; and "Lying," directed by M. Blash and screened at Cannes 2006. All three films are slated for US release later this year.

First photo courtesy of Aliya Naumoff

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Stella Schnabel is getting ready to go to work at a lower Manhattan shelter’s after-school program.  It’s a long walk to Catherine Street and she needs just a few more minutes to find the right pair of jeans. 

In her West Village bedroom that overlooks an elementary school courtyard, Schnabel finally settles on a pair of (psychoPEDIA-provided) high-waisted Odyn’s. Her body is long and narrow with high hip bones that practically meet mid-waist.  “It’s hard to find jeans that fit,” she says, but once she’s settled on the pair, she quickly throws on a T-shirt, black-and-white wool plaid jacket and black lizard Lucchese cowboy boots. 

When we showed Schnabel Odyn’s latest high-waisted skinny style in the Roxy wash, it was love at first sight.  Even her mother, Jacqueline Schnabel, stole a pair from the stack of varying sizes we’d brought over. 

Back in Schnabel’s bedroom, Polaroid photographs dating back 25 years are strewn across the mantle and in boxes lined on the floor.  There is Stella as a baby being held high in the air by her father, renowned painter Julian Schnabel, Stella age five looking pensive in a red polka dot dress.  Her childhood friend Simon O’Connor of the band Stylofone is playing on the stereo. “I still like to dress like a kid.  My favorite things are ripped T-shirts.” Her current uniform is Outback, old-worker clothing, lots of plaids and the occasional piece by Dior Homme. “The jackets are really sexy.” 

She heads to where the Manhattan Bridge meets Chinatown to the city-funded shelter. In addition to studying acting at Susan Baxtons Black Nexus School, Schnabel has been working as an intern at the shelter’s after-school program for kids age 6-11 since September.   “We paint.  I help them with their homework.  I try to make it fun for them.  And they’re so happy when they get it.”  Families can live at the shelter for up to three months - one of her favorite kids recently moved out.  “He was the sweetest kid - a total bookworm.  He borrowed a book almost every day.”  Schnabel was recently offered a full-time position at the program, which she is contemplating taking.  “I have a way of communicating with the most frustrated kids.  I’ve always been sensitive to the underdog.  I was the one in school who was defending the nerd.”

Most days after school for Schnabel, while growing up in New York City, were spent at the Alaia store owned by her mother in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.  “I would get dropped off on the school bus and my mom would be there decked out in Alaia – tight-sausage clothing looking really sexy.”   The designer is still her favorite and one she often chooses for nights out:  “When I go out I like really sexy tight things.” Fortunately for Schnabel, her mother now designs a line of shoes, which she calls “the most comfortable in the world.” Something any metropolitan femme can appreciate.

~Sara Costello

>Get Yours:
Odyn Skinny High-Waist Jeans, $175
Jacqueline Schnabel Shoes, available at Jeffrey

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There’s something special about Parisian-based electro-rapper Uffie.  It might be the fact that she isn’t that good at it, yet still manages to sound way more interesting than any other female rapper out right now.  It could also be her track ‘Ready To Fuck’, which fulfils all our dirty-old-man wet dreams in three minutes and 23 seconds. We got a chance to ask her some burning questions: 

Hey Uffie! We’re big fans of your stuff at the moment.  Only thing is, we can’t decide who’s better out of you and Amanda…
Sorry…Amanda? 

 We thought you’d say you hated her and wanted her to die.  You’re not supposed to like her!
No, the girl’s awesome!  Her style is very different to mine.  We’re actually gonna’ collaborate on a track for Aaron Lacrate.

Ok, cool. What’s your album sounding like?  Are you gonna make any more songs about sex?
The album’s going to surprise a lot of people. It won’t be what you’re expecting.  There’s not just one theme, it’s all gonna be very different.  There’s gonna be soft stuff, crazy stuff, sexy stuff and completely not-sexy stuff – everything combined. 

I saw you performing once and the crowd was going pretty crazy.  Do you get a lot of people telling you you’re the best thing in the world right now?
It’s really funny because people either love me or hate me.  If they’re not like ‘Oh My God, I love you’ then they fucking hate me and wanna shoot me!  

When did people first start to show you love?
The first good response I got was from all the big DJs.  They were all really supportive.  Then I started to get all the other people with the extreme love-and-hate views.

When I listen to you swearing on record I feel like I’m listening to my nerdy little sister rap along to a Lil’ Kim track.  Do people ever get on your back for having such a potty mouth?
Yeah, I get that all the time. A lot of people are like ‘Oh, you’re such white trash’ or ‘You’re such a whore’.  Some people think I’m too young to even have sex, so they have a problem with me talking dirty.  I think the people that like me listen to the music more than what I’m actually saying.  If you don’t like my point of view, then you might be offended by the messages I send out.

Do some guys think you’re an actual whore and subsequently try to touch you up?
There was this one guy at a show that wouldn’t stop grabbing me and I ended up kicking him in the face.  Sometimes I invite lots of girls on the stage, just so the guys can get the message.

Good idea.  Ok, so you’re a rapper, right?  And rappers are meant be good at freestyling.  Let’s hear what you’ve got…
Ha-ha!  I can freestyle, but not very well.  I’m not about to embarrass myself, because I’m sure someone like Lady Sovereign would kick my ass.  I only started rapping like eight months ago!

~ Styleslut

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It’s official: the ecologically-friendly fashion wave is in full effect.  As environmental consciousness becomes an increasingly integral part of social and political discourse (and we’re not just talking Al Gore’s triumph at the Academy Awards), the fashion industry is as affected an outlet as any.

This season not only sees the launch of organic cotton lines in worldwide discount design retailers like H&M and Topshop, mega-brands are likewise taking steps across the board.  The new stateside outposts of Japanese-based fashion house Uniqlo, will now donate your used Uniqlo clothes for free, while sportswear maven Patagonia will take your old fleece garments, melt them, and include the materials in a growing line of recycled content performance wear aptly titled Common Threads.  And the trend doesn’t stop at major corporations; there are plenty of independent designers doing their part to encourage a cleaner, healthier Mother Earth.  Here, a list of our favorite and incredibly stylish ways to bring new meaning to the term ‘dressed to impress.’ 

2(x)ist Soy Tees and Briefs ($19 and up)
It’s “more luxurious than cashmere” and “breathes like cotton,” claims 2(x)ist of its recently launched Soy collection (various briefs and T-shirt styles made with 95% soy-based fabric).  Complete with natural antimicrobial properties, and natural UV protection, soy-based materials offer similar properties to clothing made with bamboo or high-performance fabrics derived from corn and other materials.  While you might have a hard time getting used to the idea of wearing something made from the same stock as your last meal, the change is one that, may be well worth getting used to.

Care by Stella McCartney ($35-$76)
For the past few years rock scion Stella McCartney has been developing a niche in a high-end fashion market where there was none before: specifically, solely producing animal-friendly designs (i.e. McCartney never uses fur, leather or any animal byproduct in her designs).  This season, McCartney is taking her activism to another level, via the beauty industry.  With Care by Stella McCartney, the Brit-based designer has produced a purely organic premium skincare line that features cleansers, creams and elixirs that are 100% organic, with no petrochemicals or silicones.  Just another necessary reminder that what you put on your body is as important as what you put in your body.
Available exclusively at sephora.com 

Enamore Mon Cherie French Knickers and Bralette (£36 and £42, respectively)
While the sound of vintage-inspired lingerie in hemp/silk blends may not sound especially tempting, we promise you’ll feel differently after one look at another Brit-based, environmentally-friendly company’s luxe undergarment line.  Enamore offers a full range of clothing and lingerie in ecologically-advanced fabrics, which employ hemp, cotton, silk and soya without sacrificing an ounce of style.  Our favorites are the Mon Cherie French Knickers and Bralette – a set that will keep you feeling sexy, as well as smart.

Alexandre Herchcovitch Black (prices vary)
While environmental conscientiousness may not have been the leading underlying factor driving famed Brazilian fashion designer Alexandre Herchcovitch’s recent collaboration with design collective Surface To Air, it’s no doubt a beneficial byproduct.  The line – aptly called Black – offers items from past Herchcovitch collections dyed black, creating one-of-a-kind collector’s items (as degrees of dye saturation and effect vary with each piece).  Herchcovitch’s limited-edition, recycled articles are available exclusively at Surface To Air’s new São Paulo boutique and the designer’s namesake Tokyo store.

Surface To Air São Paulo, Alameda Lorena n1989, Jardins, +5511 3063 4206 

Loomstate for Barneys Green (prices vary)
This month also sees the launch of another eco-friendly collaboration: that of Loomstate – a forerunner in the organic denim and apparel movement – and high-end retailer Barneys.  This casualwear collection employs environmentally-friendly practices regarding both manufacturing and production, and will, among others things, include highly covetable 100% organic cotton jeans.  Since explaining all that to your friends – as they ooh and aah – may be a mouthful, feel free to leave it to the especially stylish garments to speak for themselves.
Available exclusively at Barneys

First Photo by Yelena Yemchuk for Another Magazine

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If you’ve ever seen a head-turning, six-foot-tall, bleached-blonde bombshell in heels strutting down the New York City streets, there’s a good chance it was Justin ‘Precious’ Tranter of garage-glam band Semi Precious Weapons.

But don’t think that he’s just another pretty face. This Chicago native with a degree in songwriting from Boston’s Berklee College of Music has the brains to back-up his beauty. At only 25, he’s already managed to form a hot up-and-coming glam band, noticed by the likes of David Bowie and T-Rex producer Tony Visconti, and form a successful jewelry line that sells at Urban Outfitters and Barneys. 

Having just played an over-the-top show at Europa the night before, and on the verge of a trip to Austin, Texas for well-known indie fest SXSW, Justin found a moment to sit down with us in his Greenpoint, Brooklyn jewelry studio and talk about his music, his irrepressible penchant for cursing, and his fierce love for Jessica Simpson:

How’d you come up with the band name?
Love the word precious. My mother, Leslie Tranter, is a jeweler who’s done custom engagement rings for the last 20 years.  So ‘precious stones’ is a great word to me. One of my logos for my solo career was a gun and a heart, so I thought ‘a precious heart and a precious weapon.’ To me, I hear semi and I think semi-automatic, but I’m sure when you hear semi you think semi-precious stones. So, I thought, perfect, we win both ways.

How does the name tie in with your music and logo?
Musically, it’s just fucking crazy, balls-to-the-wall rock ‘n roll, which is aggressive and weapon-like to me. But then adding me to it, which is much more glamorous and feminine and theatrical was the ‘precious’ aspect– dropping old-school David Bowie in the middle of ACDC.

So, did the jewelry line come along as a way to fund the music?
I worked at a jewelry store when I first got here. But the first time I ever made anything myself was for the very first SPW show. I thought, I bet I could find a place where I could buy a gun and a heart charm and sell necklaces. I put the hole through the heart, and it was basically band merch. I was selling more CD’s at shows, but almost as much jewelry. And it blew up. And I was like, ‘Wait, if I could sell this to somebody else, I wouldn’t have to have a day job!’ 

How’d you go about starting the official Precious Weapons line?
I knew the lower-end line would be perfect for Urban Outfitters. So, I basically stalked Urban Outfitters and did a lot of things you’re probably not supposed to do. . . I emailed the board of directors with pictures of the jewelry. The next morning, I woke up and there was a reply.

And you make all the jewelry in this little studio?
Yeah. I’ve just shipped over 50,000 pieces of jewelry that I’ve made here. I’ve touched all of it myself. And I have a good friend Perry Edwards who helps me– he’s like my unofficial assistant. But, I design everything myself, source it myself, make it myself.

Do you have any background in jewelry making?
No, nothing. For the high-end, Barneys line, my mother got her people to do it for me.

What about business experience?
I ran a jewelry store, and I run my band much more like a business probably than any other indie band does. And I love business, but no background. I think it’s really about persistence to get it done. But to get your foot in the door, it’s about personality. 

And you definitely have that!
Yeah. In an email to a girl at Barneys, I said a new design was ‘fucking ferocious.’ When I went back and met with her, and she said, ‘We love your emails. No other company’s gonna write fucking ferocious.’ People really appreciate it– which is really good, cuz I can’t turn it off. I can’t stop swearing. I don’t know how I’m ever gonna do TV interviews. 

I’m noticing a lot of Jessica Simpson posters on the wall. . .
I’m obsessed with Jessica Simpson. She blows my mind. First of all, I think she’s gorgeous. Second of all, the empire she’s built with no talent is shocking to me. I mean, fucking footwear, handbags, eyewear, fake hair. This is all from one magazine, and it’s not even all the pictures. 

Would you ever want to master your own empire?
I definitely do. Actually, I gave everyone who works for me necklaces that say “the Precious Empire.” And I plan to have handbags out by fall.  I have t-shirts coming out. Plus, the jewelry line keeps expanding. 

What about getting into clothing, which is a huge part of your glam aspect?
Yeah, definitely. But, I’ll wait. Right now, my clothes are done by good friends of mine, Tommy and Roy Couture. They have a label called This Old Thing. They also have a store they just opened which sells some of my jewelry, right here in Greenpoint, called Alter. Fucking awesome store. 

And, of course, what about makeup?
I have an amazing makeup artist, Jenny Brown. She works with Fischerspooner and does shoots for CosmoGirl and Cosmo. She and I have talked about down the line definitely doing a makeup line. 

Any other accessories ventures lined up for the future?
We have a DKNY shoe coming out! They contacted me about doing a limited-edition shoe (only 2,000), the “New York Rock ‘n Roll Shoe.” It’s a black leather sneaker with a pointy rubber toe, metallic laces, and a gold metallic stripe along the bottom. But the best part– the sole is the gun and heart logo. They’ll be at Alter, and of course, Donna Karan signature stores. 

Wow, you’re lining up to be the next media mogul.
I get so mad when artists win awards and get up there and thank their manager and agent. I think it’s the dumbest thing in the world. I want to be an example of someone who came from nothing. And, I’m no Jessica Simpson. I’m a borderline 6-foot-tall trans. For me, obviously, music is my love. But, I’m gonna try to build a whole empire, like P Diddy and Jessica Simpson– just being who I am– and go into business meetings wearing full makeup and heels. The music is my art, but the clothing and jewelry is a challenge. And I love it.

~Leann Peterson

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For a taste of Manila-based blogger extraordinaire Bryanboy’s humor, one need only look as far as the 17-year-old’s homepage.  “Le Superstar Fabuleux!  Planet Earth’s Favourite Third World Fag!  I’m the gayest gay that ever gayed.  I’m soo gay I sweat glitter!”  Not the least bit modest, or averse to toying with provocation, Bryanboy’s calorie-loving online persona has won the hearts of web-crawlers the world over (not to mention making headlines in his nation’s newspapers).

And, seeing as, in addition to frequent fashion-related postings and updates on his weight, Bryanboy’s blog offers an insider look at what it’s like to be a pop culture-loving boy in the Philippines.  Fortunately for you, he obliged psychoPEDIA with a virtual tour of his hometown:

Where exactly is your ‘third world’ abode located?
I live in the suburbs in the southernmost area of Manila, Philippines, aka land of the brown, the exotic and the natives.

Describe the Philippines in five words or less:
Sucky sucky five dolla.

What is the best thing about living in the Philippines?
You can live like a king, literally, for less. The cost of living in the Philippines is unbelievably cheap – food is cheap, booze is cheap, pussy is cheap. Everyone has a driver and maid. Some maids even have maids and I’m not joking! This is probably one of the reasons why I’m a little hesitant about immigrating somewhere else – I know I’m gonna have a hard time letting go of the familiarity, comfort, security and convenience one is accustomed to.

In spite of its flaws, the Philippines is a beautiful country. There really is more to it than the usual third world, “people-live-in-a-garbage-mountain” developing nation façade. I think people should visit my homeland and see it for themselves. 

What is the worst thing about living in the Philippines?
Hah! I have a-thousand-and-one reasons why the Philippines is the most awful country in the world but I’ll stay on the safe side and blame the weather. It’s soo hot and humid here! I have low tolerance when it comes to the heat. Air-conditioning is essential. I could only last 30 seconds in open air before I sweat like a friggin whore in a cathedral.

Where do you go to spend the big bucks?  Any reasonably priced local designers’ goods worth snapping up?
Some of my “must-visit” shops include:
Firma (located in Greenbelt). They sell super beautiful and chic accessories, home furnishings and various sundries – perfect for gifts; L’Obelisk (located at the Peninsula Hotel or the concession at Rustan’s) for beautiful, beautiful jewelry made out of corals, turquoise and other semi-precious stones; I Love You store (located in Makati Ave) for vintage sunglasses, more accessories and vintage clothes that are reworked; Bench (third world version of GAP) makes lovely underwear. I buy boxers and briefs by the dozen! Greenhills – the place to stock up on real pearls. Everything is dirt cheap… we’re talking about genuine pearls!
Greenbelt 4 is the place to snap up the big guns of luxury goods – Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada among others.  Unfortunately, most of the goods are a tad overpriced compared to other countries because of high taxation. Also, it takes forever for new things to arrive.
Although Manila is a city where girls with four-figure it-bags and Jimmy Choos are dime a dozen, a bitch in a $15,000 Chanel dress is a rare sight. So what are the cool girls wearing? Filipino couture!  If you’re female or a tranny with a little bit of cash (and time) to spare, I recommend that you get clothes custom-made by Filipino designers. $300-$400 should get you a good, one-of-a-kind ensemble. Best to pick up a copy of Mega Magazine if you want to keep track of the fashion scene in Manila.

If caloric intake isn’t an issue, what’s your favorite place (and meal on which) to pig out?
My favorite place to eat is M Café (Ayala Museum/Greenbelt). I’m ALWAYS there! The service is swift, efficient and friendly. They change their menus every now and then but I love their classics: foie gras, baked oysters and their green mango and prawns salad. Breakfast is great, too – steak and eggs + watermelon shake. People’s Palace (Greenbelt) is another favorite eatery – best Thai food in this side of the third world. Crispy catfish and green mango salad is the best –reserve a table a few days in advance.

What are some traditional dishes first time visitors shouldn’t miss?
Filipino food is often touted as soupy and bland compared to other Asian food so I won’t recommend any delicacies.
Fried chicken may not be traditionally “Filipino” but y’all have to try Jollibee Chicken Joy. Jollibee, btw, is a popular fast food chain in the country, even more so compared to McDonald’s. It’s the BEST fried chicken on the face of the planet! I’m having trouble keeping my weight under 100 pounds because of that shit, no wonder I’m soo obese.
Another thing you should try are these lovely sugar sticks called “balikutsa”. These babies are rather elusive and you can only get them in dirty, wet markets or home-based “stores” in the rural provinces. They’re soo crunchy. They’re cheap, too. You can get a pack of 25 for like 50 cents or something.

Best nightspots?
Embassy Superclub (The Fort) is probably the best place to go clubbing in couture. You’ll find everybody here – local celebrities, socialites, underage girls with daddy’s credit cards, media whores, designers, models and their hanger-ons congregate in this temple of excess. You’ve got a club and its 2 VIP areas, a cafeteria and a restaurant/bar called “Cuisine” all in one place. I prefer Cuisine versus the club itself because I don’t really dance and the dance floor gets reaaally crowded.
Nuvo (Greenbelt) is another institution if you’re into who’s who lists and the whole high society scene. It’s a restaurant/bar with an outdoor area where Manila’s finest congregates. 

Top three guilty pleasures?
Unsafe sex, crystal meth and poppers. I’m kidding! 

Best places to go if you’re looking to fill-up on culture – museums, concert halls, etc?
Unlike New York, Paris or London, Manila, IMO, isn’t really the best place for someone to soak up culture and I’m probably the last person one should ask because I’m clueless when it comes to this shit. However, I usually bring visiting friends to a part of town called “Intramuros” and “Fort Santiago” – a preserved part of Old Manila inside a fortress. One of my acquaintances, renowned Filipino artist Carlos Celdran, runs highly-acclaimed walking tours in the area. For more information, visit http://celdrantours.blogspot.com.
Also, Ayala Museum in Makati (Greenbelt) should give you a cliff-note version of Philippine history thanks to their colourful and lovely dioramas. 

Favorite get away?
Definitely Boracay Island – a 45-minute plane ride away from Manila. It’s a teeny, tiny island about four miles long. Think bright white sand, coconut trees, crystal clear waters. I love this place. I go there several times a year. 

Best place to stay that won’t break the bank?
Renaissance Hotel Makati (aka New World Renaissance). This hotel is located smack right in the center of it all (Greenbelt). This is definitely no Four Seasons but if you need an affordable place to stay, it’s your best bet. Over the years, I can’t even count the number of times I got myself a room for drug binge after-parties – I’m kidding!

~Alisa Gould-Simon

Go There:
Firma: Greenbelt 3, Makati City +63.2.7574009
L'Obelisk Jewellers: concession at Rustan's Makati or Peninsula Hotel, Makati City +63.2.8876812; lobelisk@gmail.com
I Love You Store: 7849 Pilar Place, Makati Ave, Makati City +63.917.8983036
Bench: www.benchtm.com
Rustan's: Ayala Avenue, Makati City
M Cafe: Ground Floor, Ayala Museum, Greenbelt 3, Makati City +63.2.7573000
People's Palace: www.peoplespalacethai.com  +63.2.729.2888 Greenbelt 3, Makati City
Embassy Superclub: The Fort Entertainment Strip, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig +63.2.8164346
Nuvo: Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City +632.7573698
Franck Provost Salon: El Molto Bldg, Madrigal Avenue, Ayala Alabang +63.2.7723284

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Despite being an angelic-faced waif, Annie Hardy, of LA-based band Giant Drag, has been rumored to have as foul a mouth as any pot-bellied truck driver.  Not shocking, considering her band’s past albums have included track titles like “YFLMD” (You Fuck Like My Dad), and the smoky-voiced songstress has been known to enjoy long-winded discussions about sex. 

Yet, aside from a proclivity to sleeping in (she never wakes before 2pm), Hardy has recently, as she puts it, “grown up a bit.”  In addition to co-hosting a weekly Internet radio program – Get The Fuck Up – on LA’s acclaimed Little Radio (and sharing the sound booth with everyone from Apollo Sunshine to Slash), Hardy is hard at work on the band’s third album. And right now she’s a one-woman band: fellow vocalist Micah Calabrese left the band last December.

What better femme to Road Test the newly-launched, ultra-refined LA-based premium denim label Proportion of Blu, which caught our eye last month at Project NY?  So, we outfitted Hardy in a pair of 2 – straight-leg – jeans in a black Tre wash.  In her own words:

Hi Annie.
Hello [sigh]. 

Are you just getting up [it’s 2:45pm in LA]?
Yeah [sigh]. 

Still in bed?
Just got out.

So what’s with the sleeping so late - staying up too late?
Yeah, I stay up late.  Usually 5am.  Last night it was 6am.  I’ll write songs at night… I didn’t always stay up so late.  I think it started in high school when I started putting toxins in my body. 

What are three of your vices?
TV, cigarettes, and Dr. Pepper, to name the safer ones.  Oh, and fucking hawking loogies into empty Dr. Pepper cans because I’m too lazy to get up.

So how did it go with Terrell [Wick, owner and designer of Proportion of Blu] yesterday?
Great!  I got one pair of black jeans.

How do they feel, fit, etc?
They’re really cool.  Very comfortable.  And I can’t believe these little parts [rivets] are real gold.

Are they very stiff?
The denim is kind of hard, but not uncomfortable.  One of the girls there yesterday told me that the harder the denim is, the higher-quality it is.  I never knew that before.  They give way – allow for plenty of movement.  They’re kind of low-cut, and usually I need a belt with low-cut jeans so my butt crack won’t come out.  But, I didn’t wear a belt with these and I don’t think my butt crack came out once. 

So would you wear these on-stage?
Definitely.

Do you wear jeans every day?
Pretty much. 

How many do you own?
I’d say maybe 25.  I just got rid of some.  All the free jeans I’ve gotten are my favorites.  I couldn’t afford to buy that many.

How would you describe your style?
Excuse me [coughs, then hawks a loogie].  My style is like gift-bag chic.  Whatever I get for free mixed with whatever I bought for cheap.

And what would you wear your new Proportion Of Blu’s with?
They’re black, so you can wear them with anything.  I was wearing them with a white shirt and black hooded sweatshirt yesterday.  I like wearing all black.  If I needed to suddenly burglarize someone all I’d have to do is zip up my hoodie and I’d be dark as night. 

Have you ever stolen anything?
Yeah.  I stole one earring.  But my mom found out – right before I was about to drop it off the balcony. 

Off the balcony?
I was three and we lived on this big hill.  I didn’t even have pierced ears.  I think I just thought, ‘This thing is kind of shiny.’  She made me take it back to teach me a lesson.  Though, I think if I had stolen two she would have just kept them for herself. 

Tell me a little about the new Giant Drag album…
Right now I’m working on trying to find a producer.

Do you know whom you’ll be collaborating with as far as musicians?
No, I don’t.  I thought I did but now I don’t.  We moved up to regular Interscope so it’s not as freewheeling as last time.

So no more controversial song titles in store?
I feel like I’ve grown up a little bit.  That was four years ago.  I never thought about the fact that people would be reviewing them and writing about them.  There’s nothing nearly as controversial on the new album. 

Is there a theme running through the new album?
I have 24 songs right now, which is enough for two albums.  I don’t know what the theme is going to be.  They’re a lot slower, sadder songs; the last album was a lot angrier. 

Do you think that’s partly due to Micah having left the band?aside from a proclivityThat’s a little part.  That did get me out of a writing block I was in.  After he quit I was so sad; I was like, “I can write again!” 

If you wrote a song about the jeans you got yesterday, what would the title be?
The title would be ‘I love being black.’  Cause they’re black jeans and I love wearing black jeans.

If you could have any guest on your radio show who would it be?
Probably Axl Rose.  I’d like to collect the whole Guns N’ Roses set.

I read that you’re working on a Madonna tribute album that will go to benefit AIDS.  Are you a big Madge fan?
Not the hugest.  I’m a fan.  I definitely like the song I’m recording… I like anything that benefits AIDS.  AIDS is no good as far as I’m concerned. It’s something that hits close to home.  My mom’s best friend when I was young had it and died when I was 8.  It was back when it was pretty new and nobody understood it.  My best friend’s mom wouldn’t let me drink off the same cup as her.  

Educating people can be a slow process.  Who inspires you?
Oprah Winfrey.  I denied Oprah for a long time; I thought, “This is just a bunch of hooey.”  But then, about a year and a half ago, I started watching because I didn’t have cable.  She’s one of the best.

Would you like to have her on your radio show?
I’d love to.  But it’ll never happen. 

Maybe it will.  If you win one of her ‘Make a Wish Happen’ contests or something?
It’s funny you should mention that because she’s doing that ‘Make Your Wish Come True’ thing right now and I sent her a message on her website last night asking for a miracle for one of my family members.

Well, I’ll definitely keep my fingers crossed for you.  You’re at a pretty unique spot – starting a new album on your own.  How does it feel?  Exciting?  Terrifying?
I’m a couple yards away from terrified, and a little bit excited.  I just don’t trust my own judgment all of the time.  It’s scary to have all the weight on my back.  Like the song.  No one’s taking a load off Annie. 

What do you think Oprah’s advice would be?
She’d tell me to watch that DVD of The Secret.  The energy I put out into the universe is what I get back. 

So strange!  A friend of mine just bought that and couldn’t stop raving about it the other night.  Perhaps that could be your next road-test?
I’d love to.

 ~Alisa Gould-Simon

First photo Michael Schwartz
Third and Fourth photos by Michel-Jean Phillipe; makeup by Lauren J.B. OConnell

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