Gift Guide: Men's Scarves
Our Fave Neck-Wrappers for Guys
The scarf is one of those holiday gifts that's extremely common, but also a huge risk for yawn inducement if you get the wrong one. If you're going to give a scarf to a guy - or you're a guy buying one for yourself, to pepper up your accessory drawer - it's integral that you think out of the box, and find something that reveals your signature style, rather than just coiling around your neck. (It's kind of like sweaters, which we detailed in a recent story - you have to do a little editing to get something out of the ordinary.) Here, we did the editing for you: Below are seven scarves, in all price ranges, that'll set a guy apart. (And by the way, ladies, these are all pretty much unisex, i.e., if you buy one for him you can borrow it whenever you want.)
Lucien Pellat-Finet Skull Scarf ($625)This is no ordinary scarf – mostly due to its other-worldly fabrication. Lucien Pellat-Finet is all about cashmere, and the finest kind at that – incredibly light and soft, yet strong and well-constructed one-ply fabric. But besides that fabric, the design’s a big draw – it’s done in a dark cherry red, with a really cool black skull print that’s one of Pellat-Finet’s design signatures. It’s ultra-luxurious and cheeky at once, a true fashion feat.
Loro Piana Winston Mink Scarf ($4,655)Available at Neiman Marcus and Loro Piana, NYC
Loro Piana is one of those brands that quite simply defines luxury – and this breathtaking piece has the distinction of being one of the world’s finest men’s scarves. Rendered in a rich dark brown dyed mink fur from Denmark, and made in Italy, it features a cashmere inner lining and a 59-inch length. It’s a scarf that’s not just an accessory, but the center of your wardrobe.
Antik Batik Flits Scarf ($202)This one differentiates itself by design: from afar it’s a restrained grayish scarf but up close it’s hugely detailed: each of the two ends has a print loaded with ebullient swirling dots, and the middle is done in a lotus-flower pattern. On the surface it sounds busy, but it’s all done in a neutral color palette that makes the aesthetic on this lightweight wool scarf work perfectly.
Tod's Miky Striped Scarf ($445)The collegiate striped-scarf thing can look amateurish if done in a cheap fabrication or pattern. Tod’s has one of the most elegant striped scarves we’ve seen, with a subtle fringe at the end, and a great color combination of soft and dark grays, with a purple that’s fun but not too out-there. And the cashmere it’s made of is both ultra-warm and supremely soft.
3.1 Phillip Lim "Scharf" ($375)What do you get when you cross a shawl with a scarf? That’s right – a Scharf. Phillip Lim’s ultra-creative design (for his line 3.1) has almost turtleneck-like coverage around the neck – ideal on windy days – and a scarf extension from there, which you just slit through and wrap around. It adds up to one really versatile piece. The gray mélange cashmere, rolled edges and engraved P.L. make it a true luxury item, to boot.
American Apparel Sheer Jersey Scarf ($15)Not only is this one of the best under-$20 gifts out there, this one fills the need on those days where the temp hovers around 40 degrees – too warm for a wool scarf, but too chilly for no scarf. Best of all, it comes in over 30 colors, as many hues as American Apparel’s basic 2001 T-shirts boast. At this price, you can get someone their two or three favorite colors. It’s a modern classic that everyone can afford.
Ralph Lauren Cashmere Cable Knit Scarf ($325)Honestly, a chunky cashmere cable knit is as good for the soul as six psychotherapy sessions. When done by Ralph Lauren in your choice of three insanely beautiful colors – cool emerald, azure blue or plum – you have a classic piece that never went out of style, and will always stay in fashion. It’s a smart old-money-set type of choice, which works well on all ages.
~Stephen Milioti
Cody Ross has no hesitation welcoming guests to his West Village fortress of madness— joint home and studio workspace— where he’s hosted celebrities like 
Now in the middle of designing his fourth collection, the 30-year-old’s distinct aesthetic— a happy medium between avant-garde and commercial, self-described as “not too Jeremy Scott, and not too BCBG”— has garnered an underground following, as well as the attention of such contrasting celebrity personalities like 
How have you seen Dallas change since you were a kid?
It’s institutionalized dressing there— the whole rodeo theme. Even in Dallas, a thriving metropolis where people are urban, sophisticated, and well-off, they’re still very cowboy-esque. 
Was there a big punk rock scene there?
There’s a new Dallas slogan, “Live large. Think big.” Did you feel it always had this ambitious attitude?
“Welcome! We’ve been expecting you,” said the employee at the front desk of the 
I was led in my slippers to a beautiful wood-paneled pedicure room by my therapist, Cecilia, who held my hand as I stepped up into a comfy chair with a basin underneath that she filled with hot water and green menthol salts. The bubbly fizz was rejuvenating and enlivening. Next to me were fresh flowers and bowls of little snacks – banana chips, dried cherries, all good healthy stuff. 
Being 80 minutes, it’s obvious this treatment was to have many steps. First, Cecilia worked on filing the calluses off my feet, which in itself radically transformed them from gnarly man-feet to pretty model peds. Then she worked on the cuticles, pushing them back and smoothing them out.
At $150, this treatment isn’t cheap, but think of it this way: it’s way more involved than a regular pedicure, and a good option for people who don’t want to sit down in a streetside nail salon and get poked and prodded with metal implements of unknown origin. You get the general feeling of a massage-type treatment, without having to get naked and lie on your stomach. And the best part – after the treatment, I was allowed to linger in the spa, where I took advantage of the “heat experience” – a rejuvenating combination of hot jet tub, crystal steam room, and a shower with varied temperature buttons and pulsating settings, alternating cool and hot, for a true relaxing, naturally detoxing effect. This “heat experience” alone puts this spa easily in the running for the nomenclature of New York’s best spa. And it’s all grandly set 35 floors above Central Park, off the hotel’s lobby. And, note: the above treatment is completely suitable for men, as much as for women – there’s nothing frilly or feminine about it.
Muses have long played an essential role in the creative process of a fashion designer. From 
Leila Moss, Musician
Alice Dellal, Model
Tallulah Harlech, Actress
Many New Yorkers’ kitchens are often barren, even dust-covered – due to the fact that we all eat out so much. With the amount of food we consume in restaurants, it’s odd that we don’t often think about where it actually comes from. But with tighter budgets, home cooking is making a comeback. And locally grown food from city farms may be one of the most efficient ways to stay on a budget while meaningfully investing in your community.
The first Outstanding in The Field event started with a dinner in Denevan’s hometown of Santa Cruz, CA, where he had worked as a chef since he was 17. “We had this idea from the beginning that the farmer should be the star - and the chef should be of secondary importance. The farmer really wasn’t talked about. Maybe that’s because people didn’t see farming as a creative pursuit. But I argue that it is,” he says. “I identify with focus and passion. Origin stories are interesting. I’m concerned with origins,” he continues. 
Wearing his customary cowboy hat at the Rockefeller Center event -- at a loft and garden space overlooking the midtown skyline -- Denevan had few words, letting the farmers do the talking for the night. What they said was enlightening: If New York City used the 14,000 acres of available rooftop for farming, it could feed as many as 20 million people. The environmental, nutritional, and socioeconomic benefits would include providing fresh fruits and vegetables to areas that have been historically malnourished; reduction of the worldwide carbon footprint; generating new sources of wealth to communities; and recycling city resources, like turning compressed garbage into soil fertilizer and using water run-off to cool buildings. We might not have the roof gardens yet, but we can make a small change now by supporting our local farms (if you’re in New York, there’s a list of some just below) – a social goal which Denevan has brought plenty of awareness to.
The 
What’s the cultural weight of all of the above? Well, the Stockholm Film Festival is the pride of the Swedish cultural year, according to its organizers. But in reality, it’s overshadowed by the Gothenburg festival elsewhere in the country -- because of that festival’s focus on Scandinavian productions, it’s more of a gathering of the local industry greats. Stockholm is more of an international best-of list. 
Another film, 
“Fashion is so important to me because of people more than trends. Everything I have on is collected. It tells a story about someone,” says the 23-year-old brunette 
But what someone might not infer from her defining multi-layered aesthetic is that this current bi-coastal beauty— who splits her time between New York and Los Angeles— grew up on the scenic slopes of Aspen, Colorado, where she spent her days snowboarding and breathing the crisp, fresh air. However, as her mantra follows: “Function comes first, then fashion will bloom out of it,” it’s no wonder that Thornburg’s design evolution led her to a unique brand of outerwear befitting the snowy setting of her childhood.
First scent you associate with Aspen?
Who is the real community?
It was the kind of money where somebody’s grandfather has the patent on the toothpick or shopping cart. Being able to launch a rocket out of your backyard kind of money.
How would you spend a regular day with friends?
Best sights that tourists might not know about?
If you were to design cloaks around Aspen fashion, what would you create?
With the fantastical claim of having the “highest concentration of artists in the world,” Hackney, East London still remains the advertising agencies’ main port of call to head-hunt graphic designers, illustrators, filmmakers and many other creatives to push their wares. This geographical focus of artists developed itself in the ‘80s, when cheap rent and large amounts of empty warehouse spaces made Hoxton Square, Curtain Road, and Charlotte Road in Shoreditch the adopted home of British artists.
The yuppies flooded into this quirky newly-discovered area, rents went up, and artists were forced to move to a cheaper and (back then) more unattractive area. Most of them only managed to budge less than a mile further east, and the key result of that is the rise -- and rise -- of Vyner Street. 
Time Out magazine, in conjunction with the 
1: Get started
3: Art
4: Drink (again)
6: The after party (drink again, again)
One day, two assistants of the photographer 
Platon’s intent for Nutopia is to change the photography industry’s lack of nurturing young and emerging talent. “I feel there is something wrong with our industry, where no one celebrates up-and-coming photographers. Those who are established, are celebrated like rock stars,” he says. Trying to break into an industry that, as Platon says, “will abuse you if you let it” can seem impossible, especially at a time when clients are taking little risks and are less inclined to give jobs to new talent: “There is no better time, then, to impart wisdom and knowledge to those starting out.”
Forum member Andreas Laszlo Konrath, 27, who has been a member since 2005 and a former Platon assistant, has gone on to shoot for Interview, New York Magazine, and Wonderland. The London native credits the collective with helping him gain confidence in his work. “The Forum is a testing ground and an intimate setting. Whatever path you want to take, fine art or advertising, you have to show your work to the world.” Although Konrath put in time in as an assistant, he doesn’t believe it’s required (Platon himself never assisted). Of assisting, he says, “I think it can be detrimental. They may be assisting a big name and get flown across the world and get trapped in this rut. They get used to that kind of lifestyle… You end up assisting one guy for 7 years and taking one picture. I always found time to shoot my own stuff. You just have to be clever about it.”
While Platon and the noted industry agents and art directors he invites to speak with the group stress knowing what you want and where you want your career to go, Konrath has other ideas: “You have to practice and experiment, as long as you’re not lazy. My advice is to not feel too much pressure. Some people really want to chase fame. The industry can take away the naïve, innocent feeling that you have when you first pick up a camera. You have to say, ‘This is about me and the camera and the subject. I just want to take good pictures. That’s when I’m happy.’” 
Sometimes, guys have problems buying sweaters for themselves. It isn’t their fault, just a little shopping anxiety that’s inherent in the genes. The weather gets colder, they want a new sweater, so they just open the J. Crew catalog they get in the mail and pick the first thing they see. There’s nothing wrong with the J. Crew sweater – but we at psychoPEDIA recommend that if you’re getting one or two new sweaters for fall, it makes sense to shop around a bit. Or just let us do it for you: To jog your brain, we’ve picked a few of our favorite options below, in all shapes and price ranges: 
It’s a tilted pinball world at 
And, even if the limited square footage presents space hindrances, the selective possibilities are endless. Three inconsequential ink drawings, oozing from that open goal called not remarkable, along with a predictably attired, seated 
Prego provides a text presumably summing up the show’s theme: The truth is all of these things/The truth is none of these things/The truth is some of these things; however, Macbeth’s witches said it better, “Fair is foul/Foul is fair. Once again, he reroutes reader/viewer to the assumed, that real and currently missing reference.
Spotted: Blair and Serena running through Manhattan in matching Lorick originals-- or at least, that's what the unnamed narrator of the hit show 
Perhaps an ode to her former days as a model on the runways of Milan and Paris for designers like 
How would you describe Amelia Island to an outsider?
Did you miss anything once you left for the brighter lights of Milan and Paris?
I always missed the ocean but didn’t really miss Amelia until I became settled in New York– when I understood the beauty of quietness and how lucky I was to grow up in such a natural haven.
What bits of inspiration for your designs have you taken from each city in all of your travels?
Do you feel like the "uptown girl" persona portrayed in Gossip Girl fits your designs, or do you have another personality in mind when creating your collections?
The West Village has gone through a radical transformation in just 40 short years. In the ‘60s it was filled with hippies, war protestors, and gay and lesbian couples happy to live their lives relatively free from street-side discrimination. Today it still has all of those groups – but it also contains Cosmo-sipping Sex and the City girls, celebrity residents, baby carriages a plenty, about 1,000 Marc Jacobs stores, and designer cupcakes.
Design-wise, this place is about longevity rather than flash-in-the-pan: multi-toned wood planks, black and white photography, brown leather banquettes and a panoply of masculine earth tones give off a vibe that’s unexciting yet also unpretentious and somewhat elegant. It’s not really the best for a hot date or business dinner where you want to impress ten over-the-top clients, but for a quiet upscale dinner with someone you like, it fits the bill.
We started with an escargot appetizer, which was good but not quite as garlicky and slap-your-butt-with-your-tongue good as in the best French places. A special soup of chicken stock, delicate sweet sausage and leeks was much more successful – a real autumnal joy. The menu touts its “cherrywood-grilled” items as an entrée option – my friend had a medium-rare rib-eye steak, and I had the trout. My fish was really well done, oily enough to have a lot of flavor, but not too much; the steak, said my friend (and I agreed), was just average. That wood-burning oven just made it taste too -- woody. Finally, a foie gras torchon was a well-oiled machine from this former Brasserie alum, and would do great in any good French restaurant in the city. The flavor here – vibrant American with a tinge of French – is well-executed – but, to be honest, it has been done before.
Halloween sales figures in America cackled in the face of the economic downturn this year as Fox News reported a healthy increase in sales-– around 5.7 billion dollars–- on outfits for the popular holiday. However, the fact that these days, children and adults alike can adorn the now benign garb in public, shrouds the harsh reality that thousands of innocent women and men across Europe and America were once accused, tried, and executed for being witches in the late 16th early 17th centuries.
Didn’t you feel suspicious of Angels real reasons behind this petition?
Why not take it worldwide?
As if the current national financial crisis weren’t enough to throw a wrench in people’s everyday lives, the recent list of print magazines folding at an exponentially alarming rate threatens to even disturb the routine experience of subway commuting and lobby-waiting. 
POP
Radar
Mass Appeal
CosmoGirl
Men's Vogue
If unsuspecting Londonites walked into 
What are your favorite brands?
Why do you think your shop has been so successful?
This week's historical landmark, the election of 
What inspired your band’s name, These United States?
Is there an idea you want to promote on your post-election tour?
Americana, folky, country– that sort of back-porch rock, which at least on preconceptions, Kentucky can represent, while on the DC side, we have roots in pop music, dancing, and urban culture. I think all of that comes out in different places in our music. It’s a decopage. 
What’s a luxury you have in Lexington that you can’t get in DC?
What’s the local cuisine?
Your latest album is called Crimes, so is there any criminal activity you’d like to fess up to now?
Over the last decade, New Yorkers have witnessed the gentrified waistband of Williamsburg nightlife bust its gut. Spilling over into the Greenpoint, Bushwick and Bed-Stuy areas, everyone has unfortunately seen the rise of the term "hipster" in vernacular. With so much in flux, one time honored question still remains: Does anyone know where a girl can get a decent drink around here?" The best advice: Go west-- southwest, to be exact. 
Perched on the timberline between Park Slope's classic brownstones and the starker warehouses of industrial Red Hook, this location feels tucked away yet is actually located conveniently only two blocks from the 4th Avenue F train. Once crowds hang a left onto 7th Street, residences peel away on the walk downhill. After crossing 3rd Avenue, the reaction may be a nervous "Do I have this address right?" but continuing west leads right to the doorstep of this burgeoning new space. If anything, the deserted atmosphere makes the actual entry into the Bell House more dramatic. 
After grabbing round two of drinks, patrons can head towards the second part of the venue: a true one-two-punch to the incredible setting. Pass the ticket booth, obtain the magic hand stamp, and enter the true heart of Bell House: Arched wooden ceilings that reach heights of 25 feet preside over a grandiose stage set off by the Twin Peaks-influenced red drapes. And even more conveniently, the stage right holds yet another bar-- this one slightly elevated, appropriate for vertically-challenged spectators to perch on the steps for a better view-- or for the slightly inebriated to lean against the railing. Unlike many venues, there are no columns to obstruct the view, and all audience members are privy to a sweeping vista lit by giant chandeliers. Holding close to 350 concert-goers (or 200 seated for mellow events) the sound system is state of the art. Opening weekend offered free shows by 
With room for everyone now that Union Hall's 
Say the word “pop music” to most, and flashbacks of an overweight Britney, lip-synching badly to "Gimmie More," comes to mind. Luckily, 
How does it feel to be getting such positive attention?
Where are your favorite places to shop?
Super Tuesday is finally here, and all across the country, citizens are poised on the edge of their seats to know who will be the next president of the United States. Whether Obama or McCain steps into office in January ’09, this election will still prevail as one of the nation's most historic elections to date—in which the first African-American President or first female Vice President will take stage.
Chicago
Philadelphia
Boston
Los Angeles
Washington, DC
New York City
Seeing the 5-foot-something, small-framed blonde 
What do you think is the image of taxidermists in general?
Any criticism from humane societies?
Do you see owning a piece of taxidermy the same as owning a fur coat?
Were you always comfortable handling the remains of dead animals?
How do you think people view buying a piece of taxidermy?
