First off, if any of you are feeling retro fatigue–SHAME on you. I have no sympathy, and am far too busy being mesmerized by things from yesteryear. Over the weekend I took a stroll through the Brooklyn Flea Market and found myself picking up rusted clocks (the kind you wind up), glass seltzer bottles, costume jewelry, and my absolute favorite–old photos. That’s where today’s interview comes in. If you haven’t heard of her already, then I’d like to introduce you to a lovely, new fashion designer named Alexandra Grecco. (Even this week’s issue of New York Magazine lends her praise.) In an age where everyone seems to be looking towards the newest, the fastest, the tiniest–Alexandra has managed to hit rewind, then pause with her new fashion line. Here’s what she has to say…
[Alexandra Grecco] Fashion Designer / Lover of Vintage
First off, if any of you are feeling retro fatigue–SHAME on you. I have no sympathy, and am far too busy being mesmerized by things from yesteryear. Over the weekend I took a stroll through the Brooklyn Flea Market and found myself picking up rusted clocks (the kind you wind up), glass seltzer bottles, costume jewelry, and my absolute favorite–old photos. That’s where today’s interview comes in. If you haven’t heard of her already, then I’d like to introduce you to a lovely, new fashion designer named Alexandra Grecco. (Even this week’s issue of New York Magazine lends her praise.) In an age where everyone seems to be looking towards the newest, the fastest, the tiniest–Alexandra has managed to hit rewind, then pause with her new fashion line. Here’s what she has to say…The Ides of March / A Lighter Fare
New York sprung alive this weekend with the scent of spring. Public parks buzzed, brunchers dined on patios, and sunglasses dominated the landscape. Ah, if only it wasn’t but a brief illusion! A momentary reprise!
They say of the month of March that it comes “in like a lion and out like a lamb,” but those in the state of New York know better. In reality, March is “in like a polar bear, then sort of like a seal for a little while—where it’s still pretty cold, but you bake on a warm rock in the sun—then like a stuffed rabbit riding a caribou, then a robin flying back north, then, finally, out like a warm plate of veal.”
LYNX (!) winter is never over
Springtime is HERE. Today, at least, and at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
The Oscars were on recently. If you missed them, a nice substitute is here at McSweeney’s Meta Awards.
In case you DID miss them, get hip to the first lady of film, Kathryn Bigelow.
Maybe you are a sourpuss and already miss winter, like this lynx here who absolutely loves the snow. Get cold and purse-lipped with Otto Dix at the Neue Galerie.
Maybe you love being sad, if you do I highly recommend this gorgeous poem which is also about winter.
Springtime Grab Bag
You’re 100% correct: my only post last week was a party recap and a thank-you note. To make up for this lapse in self-discipline, I went on a new-release listening binge (a lost weekend?) and have several mini-reviews for you here, rather than the usual one-off. Most of these albums are vinyl-only or seriously in advance of their release date. Besides thanking me, please also know that I suffered through the new Love Is All, Pill Wonder, Strange Boys, Midlake, and Japanther albums so that you don’t have to.
This week, in no particular order: tracks from Splash by Jeremy Jay, Make You Mine by Best Coast, Looking for Some Action by Bare Wires, Travellers in Space and Time by Apples in Stereo, and Hologram Jams by Jaguar Love.
The Middle Distance
by Bennett Elliott
The barred glass door swinging back on its hinges as the chimes above it jingled, noon heat poured inside along with the slow bass rattle of a car stereo. Shouting in Spanish, two boys sprinted to the back for cold sodas, flip-flops slapping dirty tiles as they raced. The pair tore past the Korean cashier’s argument with a stooped, sweaty man in his early seventies about the convenience store’s refusal to accept unrolled pennies in the purchase of lottery tickets.
On historical cross-referencing
So the other evening I was making my way to something cultural, oh I don’t know, a book signing or something. I am a lady of society and therefore was wearing a long coat. Also it is winter outside, and it always will be. I am proud of this long coat, because it is cutting-edge. By “cutting edge” what I mean is that it has an “interesting shape” which is just a fancy way of saying “it doesn’t look that good on me”.
Just because you like an article of clothing does not mean it likes you back. That evening I wrestled with the green beast – no, not jealousy, I mean this coat – squeezing it into new shapes with a belt, sprucing it up, like a Christmas spruce, with different accoutrements. Something was wrong, and I couldn’t put my finger on it.
veggie burrito/taco
This past Tuesday I went to a lovely dinner party co-hosted by two vegetarians. Well, we all know I’m a big meat eater, so you can imagine how happy I was that all the food was fantastic! It was very refreshing to eat an entirely vegetarian meal. In fact, it was so good that it inspired me to cook my own version of these veggie burritos last night. The following recipe is very simple and very healthy. It reminds me of something one would find at a vegetarian restaurant in Topanga Canyon or some other laid back hippie town.
international center of photography
More so than usual, there is a whole lot of art going on these days in New York. It is coming from all corners, have you noticed? It all began a few weeks ago, when I really started to be aware of buzz around the Whitney biennial. Now it keeps coming, with Pulse, Art Show and Armory all opening as well.
Generally, I try to avoid reading too much about a show before going, but with the Biennial I feel I need to do some research. Partly because I worry about not being able to process the volume of information without adequate background information, and partly because it seems to be such a momentous occasion that reading other experiences would be fulfilling. And I just have not had enough time as of late to devote myself to proper preparation, so I will not be going to the Biennial yet.
LYNX (!) books. movies. girls.
And to think I defended American Apparel for “at least they don’t airbrush.” (Semi-NSFW.)
Do I recognize you from… that Palmolive commercial?
Best of the best: Writing Advice.
And then: one girl did it. One Girl, One Novel.
New York, I Love You is on Netflix Instant now. It is the worst. Let me prevent you from making that mistake.
I opened with feminism, I will close with it.
HERE’S TO WEEKENDS / GOLD ZEBRA
Usually, I’m sort of ready for the weekend to end. Let me be clear: this is NOT because I want to go back to work. Usually I’m ready for the weekend to end because I need to recalibrate my being. Like, you know, stop drinking.
I spoke to a friend of mine this weekend that I consider a life-guru—one of those people who has an infinite reserve of energy and is naturally good at anything they get their hands into. We drank red wine out of empty beer glasses and I voiced my concerns about the “working for the weekend” lifestyle. Like, isn’t there more to life than this?