May 23, 2013 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
“Film”
07/13/11
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Filmic

A Beach and a Camera

surf

Since we’re still feeling for surfboards, we thought we’d take a spin through an underrated pastime: the surf film.

The classics are Endless Summer and the exhaustive doc Riding Giants, both of which are good to have on deck for your next Sunday afternoon. (They also both happen to be on repeat at Montauk’s Surf Lodge, if you’re passing through.)

But we’re talking about something a little more casual and a little less well known: the string of sun-dappled flicks that emerged out of acid-era southern California. They’re less about a coherent narrative than beautiful shots of surfers in mid-wave. We’ve gathered together a few of our favorites after the jump, for a little wave-riding by proxy.

Check out clips from the best of late 60s and early 70s surf film»

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01/05/11
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Icon

The Icon: Akira Kurosawa

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Film directors are typically the coolest people in any given room, so we thought we’d take a moment to appreciate the gentleman at the top of the heap. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Akira Kurosawa…

The secrets of the master»

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09/09/10
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Sound & Vision

The Next Movement

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Daft Punk have been resting comfortably in the pop music pantheon for almost a decade now, descending only for 2007’s victory-lap stadium tour, but they haven’t given too many hints as to what the next step might be. At least until now.

The robot duo’s score for Tron: Legacy just got its own website bearing their first new work in five years…and it sounds pretty good. The four-on-the-floor kick drum’s missing, but you can find a few of the old tricks if you look for them. Some critics are even reading an Oscar push into it, but if nothing else it suggests they’re considering a Hollywood afterlife along the lines of Robbie Robertson, Mark Mothersbaugh or even Hans Zimmer if they’re lucky. Count us among the very excited.

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07/13/10
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Filmic

Cheek to Cheek

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Ladies and gentlemen, your iconic image of the day…

The arm and legs belong to Jean-Paul Belmondo and Ms. Jean Seberg respectively—nuzzling on the set of Breathless. It’s snapped by the unusually fortunate Raymond Cauchetier, who happened to be camera-ready for some of the more photogenic moments of the French New Wave, and is getting his due with a solo show in London this month.

This one in particular stands alongside some of the better photography we’ve seen, and not just because of Seberg’s well-shaded charm. Consider it a silverprint ode to afternoons spent inside.

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07/13/10
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Scene

Kempt Man of the Hour: Russell Brand

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This one is more the product of an on-point costume designer than anyone’s personal style, but for something this good, we’ll make an exception.

The gentleman in question Russell Brand—seen here caught between the moon and New York City on the set of the upcoming Arthur remake. Slipping into a light lavender shirt, suspenders and extremely tight pants (what passes for his style trademark), Brand nails the upper-class manchild look just about perfectly. It’s a matter of finding the sweet spot between “louche” (e.g. aviatiors) and “trad” (e.g. the bowler)—making him a pretty good icon for anyone with a closet full of J.Press and a declining sense of propriety.

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05/18/10
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Scene

Kempt Man of the Hour: Pedro Almodóvar

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A man always looks better in his element—in this case, a director at Cannes—but Pedro Almodóvar doesn’t really need the help. Without a movie in the fest, he apparently directed all of his energy towards finding the perfect pair of sunglasses, and a bowtie to match. It paid off. Unlike just about everyone on the red carpet, he actually dressed for the weather—and all without sacrificing any New Formality points.

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05/11/10
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Big Picture

The View From the Top

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This pic comes from Anton Corbijn’s Leica camera, courtesy of his production blog for the Clooney vehicle The American. (Remember that one?) Here’s hoping she made it into the movie.

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05/05/10
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LinkOut

Gil Elvgren Knows How to Paint a Happy Bear

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The Golden Age: Boing Boing digs up a treasure trove of midcentury cheesecake art coming up for auction. [Boing Boing]

Live by the Machete, Die by the Machete: The year’s most trenchant statement on immigration involves people being gored with a machete. Don’t let us down, Trejo. [Vulture]

Sun Worshippers: Not to be outdone by a grindhouse flick, the Suns change their jerseys to read “Los Suns.” Class move, gentlemen. [Yahoo]

Blue People, Dear Reader: The Na’vi language gets an in-depth look, although it’s still not as complex as Klingon. [The Verge]

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04/07/10
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Filmic

Silence is Golden

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Silent movies usually get treated like museum pieces, but Fritz Lang’s Metropolis still has quite a bit of life left in it. Between the massive sets, mind-boggling choreography and the first noted appearance of the “sexy robot” archetype, it’s still one of the coolest sci-fi movies ever made—in part because it feels more like a fairy tale than a scientific prediction.

Unfortunately, it was made in the days before final cut, so for the past 75 years all we’ve had to go on is the abbreviated cut released to America. But a few summers back an Argentinean curator stumbled across a stash of negatives with an extra 25 minutes that no one had seen since the Berlin premiere—and that version is finally making its way to DVD. You may want to start with a shorter version if you’re not already a fan—or you’re not used to the inflated acting style—but either way, it should be quite a ride.

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03/05/10
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Daisy Lowe is a Premiere All Her Own

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Monogramoflage Part Two: Daisy Lowe shows off the latest Murakami/Vuitton collaboration. [Catwalk Queen]

A Sewing Machine is a Sewing Machine: Looking past the “Made in U.S.A.” label. [Young Man/Old Man]

By the Numbers: The film industry gets analyzed, mathematized and broken down into a visually dazzling infographic. [/Film]

Just Because it’s Friday: Here’s the craziest 80s movie we’ve ever heard of. Anyone have a VHS player handy? [Everything Is Terrible]

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09/28/09
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Current Affairs

The Exile

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As you may have heard, Roman Polanski was arrested this weekend at the Zurich Film Festival, as part of an extradition planned by L.A. prosecutors. It’s a remarkable moment, for anyone who had grown used to Polanski’s French exile. Without defending the man, or appealing to traumatic life or his work as an excuse, it’s remarkable how much desire there still is in the L.A. prosecuter’s office to finally bring him to sentencing.

Fame works very differently in 2009 than it did in 1977, but a celebrity trial is still a celebrity trial. And if there’s one in the offing, not even 30 years and 6000 miles will stop it.

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09/21/09
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Filmic

The Lynch Effect

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It’s been centuries in internet terms, but it wasn’t that long ago that soccer moms and proto-lifehackers were buzzing about something called the Mozart Effect, which claimed extended exposure to Austrian string quartets could improve everything from spatial reasoning to IQ and SAT scores. A lot of people listened to a lot of good music, but somehow the new generation of chamber music geniuses never quite materialized…

Well, get ready for another go-round. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara and the University of British Columbia (via BehanceMag.net) have found that working your way through Kafka’s “The Country Doctor” or David Lynch’s Blue Velvet can spur creativity, just like good old Wolfgang. Apparently the absurdism shocks the brain into out-of-the-box thinking by presenting what the researchers call “meaning threat.” Which, come to think of it, is a pretty Lynchian turn of phrase…

What does it all mean? It means the next time you’re getting ready for a brainstorming session, you may want to consider a Twin Peaks marathon. The jittery, loosely paranoid feeling means it’s working. Just don’t watch it on a telephone.

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09/01/09
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Filmic

Q and Not U

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With the Weinstein kingdom resting on the success of Inglourious Basterds, it’s no surprise to see Quentin Tarantino hitting the press circuit as if his scalp depended on it. Knowing Harvey, it just might. But what’s bad news for the director’s sleep schedule is good news for connoisseurs of amusingly pompous movie rants.

Watch your ass, Danny Boyle»

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08/17/09
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Scene

Going Ghibli

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The film-director dress code hasn’t changed that much since the Fellini: a solid pair of shades, a deceptively casual jacket, and an expression of permanent detachment. And if you want to throw in a few whiskers…just make sure they match the jacket.

This snap just surfaced catching anime guru Hayao Miyazaki in one of the nattier getups we’ve seen this side of Tokyo. His shoulders look a little too sharp to be unstructured, but the chest pocket makes it seem casual enough for just about anything. Add in a pair of transparent shades, and you’ve got a movie mogul on your hands.

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07/13/09
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Filmic

Green with Anticipation

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We were skimming through Vanity Fair when we came across this alluring picture and potentially earth-shaking bit of information: Eva Green’s next film—demurely titled Cracks—concerns lesbian awakenings at an all-girls school. Ms. Green plays the stern-but-curious swim coach, naturally.

We’re understandably excited, partially because of Ms. Green’s involvement and partially because of the plot’s similarity to a number of straight-to-cable films we saw in the mid-90s. We’d say Sapphic boarding school dramas are about due for a comeback.

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07/09/09
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Object

The Magic Number

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Hollywood’s been trying for upwards of fifty years now, but 3D movies have just never caught on. Our theory? It’s the glasses.

So these aviators from Bless should be good news for more than just painfully hip Angelenos. Sneak them into the next enhanced Up screening and you’ll be the most comfortable person in the theater…just be sure to trade them for something a little less disorienting before you hit the streets.

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07/01/09
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Filmic

This is Bat Country

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Director Kathryn Bigelow has had a high profile lately thanks to her Iraq war flick The Hurt Locker, but she’s got a deep catalog of awesome movies behind her, and not all of them are limited to the arthouse circuit.

The wonder that is Near Dark»

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06/26/09
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Sound & Vision

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

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For anyone who was worried (500) Days of Summer was going to be a soufflé of hipster melancholy…here’s a Smiths cover! For the soundtrack of the upcoming flick, Zooey & M. turn in a retro version of the maudlin Mancunian waltz, about what you’d expect given their track record. And based on what we’ve seen of the film, we’d guess it captures the mood almost exactly.

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05/08/09
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Filmic

Hitting Bottom

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Nobody does brooding crime dramas quite like the brits. And while the best of the lot is already a bonafide masterpiece and a touchstone for modern style…there’s plenty more where that came from.

For instance, Stephen Frears’ The Hit was just rescued from obscurity by way of a Criterion release. The plot’s pretty simple—Tim Roth and an unusually Astley-esque John Hurt chauffeur mob informer Terrence Stamp across Spain to an all-but-certain death in Paris—but the real draw is the casual bleakness, flights of existential fancy, and practical lessons in how hired killers dress for the desert.

More on The Hit»

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04/23/09
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LinkOut

Salma, Patton, and Aitor

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Just Like Us: Salma Hayek’s email account is significantly less glamorous than this picture. [Gawker]

Lots of Screaming: Patton Oswalt informs us that fatherhood is a lot like Crank: High Voltage. Good to know there’s still graphic sex. [Myspace]

Behind the Mask: A closer look at C.P. Company, courtesy of Aitor Throup. [SwipeLife]

Top of the Pile: Tribeca’s finest short films are surprisingly light on car chases. [Vulture]

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04/15/09
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Filmic

You’ll Like This Site Because You’re In It

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Filmmaker and noted Rubik’s cube enthusiast Michel Gondry just launched MichelGondry.com (via NotCot), and it’s well on its way to becoming the most whimsical thing on the internet. As you might imagine, it’s a pretty competitive title.

The site’s launch is timed to coincide with the director’s second music video compilation, but trust Gondry to use rudimentary Flash animation to create something both childlike and strangely troubling. The site begins with a mountain-nosed caricature of the Gondry standing at attention, and each product is explained by a new arm emerging, Quatto-like, from one of the director’s orifices with an informative placard.

The products include custom sketches, pre-drawn sketchpad toilet paper (“Wipe your ass with Michel’s good ideas”), and a disaster-themed calendar for 2007—which, the site notes helpfully, will be date-accurate again in 2018.

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03/30/09
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Filmic

Act Naturally

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Regardless of what you think about Sean Avery, you have to agree he’s entertaining. If only there weren’t so much hockey involved…

Well, Mr. Avery’s long-gestating biopic is finally getting a bit of worth press. This New York Times article even goes so far as to grace it with a title: Puckface. It’s not the most flattering name we could think of, but he did always seem a bit puckish.

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03/18/09
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Across the Sea

The International Tramp

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We’ve always held Charlie Chaplin in high esteem—if only as an early aficionado of the bowler hat—so we were surprised to find the tramp as the subject of some belated controversy in India.

Chaplin’s already the subject of twelve different statues throughout the world, but when Indian filmmaker Hemanth Hegde tried to erect a thirteenth statue at Maravanthe Beach for an upcoming film, he provoked furious protests from crowds that saw the tramp as a symbol of the colonial legacy of oppression.

In our capacity as international moderators, we have a suggestion»

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02/05/09
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Filmic

Happy Anniversary

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By now, there are far more deluxe editions than there are movies that deserve the treatment, but that’s not to say we don’t get excited from time to time.

Being There, the swan song of the impeccable Peter Sellars, just hit its 30th anniversary, is getting a retrospective edition from Warner Brothers. The plot is the usual holy fool business: Sellars’ mentally stunted gardener (named Chance, aptly) manages to rise to a spot just shy of the presidency through a combination of beatitude and luck.

A how-to guide to being there»

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02/04/09
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Scandals

Baleful

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Angry outbursts never look good, but we’re going to have to call this one as fair play. Or at least not obviously foul.

A true gentleman would have exercised a little more politeness, but frustration is just a byproduct of passion, and passion is always a good thing. Hundreds of actors would have let a few slips from the crew slide, and in the process accepted less from the movie and less from themselves. Much as the gossip press wishes it were otherwise, there’s no shame in caring about what you do.

Even if it means getting a little unkempt.

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Style: some people have it, and some neighborhoods really have it. To show you what we mean, we’ve partnered with Cadillac to present Style Shifters—a five-part, in-depth look at what the hippest gents in some of the country’s coolest neighborhoods are wearing now. Our intrepid photographers have roamed the streets in search of the most stylish guys around. Herewith, a few photos of what they found...

New York

Brooklyn

Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is home to some of the country’s best bars and coolest restaurants—and, of course, some of the best menswear shops in the world. Naturally, you’ll find more than a few stylish individuals perched outside those locations (and no, not all of them are Billyburg hipsters). See what we mean below...

On The Streets: Brooklyn

  • Drew Ledbetter Actor
    Lives: Providence, RI

    Hometown: Chattanooga, TN / Bay Area, CA

    What We Like Drew’s shoes are made by Cole Haan.
  • Drew Ledbetter Actor
    Lives: Providence, RI

    Hometown: Chattanooga, TN / Bay Area, CA

    What We Like Drew’s shoes are made by Cole Haan.
  • Justice Hampton Works for Club Monaco
    Lives: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Dallas, TX

    What We Like Leave it to a Texan to know that a linen jacket is the perfect bit of outerwear to transition you from spring to summer.
  • Justice Hampton Works for Club Monaco
    Lives: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Dallas, TX

    What We Like Leave it to a Texan to know that a linen jacket is the perfect bit of outerwear to transition you from spring to summer.
  • Jamie Clawson Runs a leather accessories business (valentinegoods.com)
    Lives: East Village, New York

    Hometown: Cleveland, OH

    What We Like Jamie’s shirt is called the “Expensive” shirt by Wil Fry. Ironically, it goes for about 30 bucks.
  • Jamie Clawson Runs a leather accessories business (valentinegoods.com)
    Lives: East Village, New York

    Hometown: Cleveland, OH

    What We Like Jamie’s shirt is called the “Expensive” shirt by Wil Fry. Ironically, it goes for about 30 bucks.
  • Koppel Verma Researcher at Google
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Cambridge, MA

    What We Like Turns out, the Swiss Army makes more than knives—they also made this jacket (it’s vintage).
  • Koppel Verma Researcher at Google
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Cambridge, MA

    What We Like Turns out, the Swiss Army makes more than knives—they also made this jacket (it’s vintage).
  • Chris Afzal Audio engineer
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Baltimore, MD

    What We Like If you needed any more proof that Brooks Brothers has shed its stodgy image, these shoes should do the trick.
  • Chris Afzal Audio engineer
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Baltimore, MD

    What We Like If you needed any more proof that Brooks Brothers has shed its stodgy image, these shoes should do the trick.
  • Malik Alokpovi Host for a hotel
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Born in Togo, West Africa, but lived in the South of France

    What We Like Malik’s red suede shoes came from A.P.C. Try not to step on them.
  • Malik Alokpovi Host for a hotel
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Born in Togo, West Africa, but lived in the South of France

    What We Like Malik’s red suede shoes came from A.P.C. Try not to step on them.
  • Billy Cadden Musician
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Woodstock, NY

    What We Like Billy’s worn this shirt, which he got at H&M while on tour, at every show since.
  • Billy Cadden Musician
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Woodstock, NY

    What We Like Billy’s worn this shirt, which he got at H&M while on tour, at every show since.
  • Sam Bowstucky Bartender
    Lives: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Chicago, IL

    What We Like He’s actually on his way to a working audition for a bartending job at the Blind Barber. Good luck, Sam.
  • Sam Bowstucky Bartender
    Lives: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Chicago, IL

    What We Like He’s actually on his way to a working audition for a bartending job at the Blind Barber. Good luck, Sam.
California

San Francisco

Mission District

Style. The Mission’s got it. Union Square’s got it. But each of them goes about having it in a different way—the Mission rocking a more bohemian coffee shop vibe, Union Square hosting some of the best higher-fashion shops (and shoppers) on the West Coast. We rounded up a few of the most stylish folks from both. Have yourself a gander below…

On The Streets: San Francisco

  • Brian Cunningham Shop clerk
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: Boston, MA

    What We Like The first rule any SF transplant learns: always bring a light coat. Brian sticks with a denim jacket from AllSaints. (Button to taste.)
  • Brian Cunningham Shop clerk
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: Boston, MA

    What We Like The first rule any SF transplant learns: always bring a light coat. Brian sticks with a denim jacket from AllSaints. (Button to taste.)
  • Erik Newton Attorney
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Diego, CA

    What We Like Erik likes to throw on an interesting sport coat with a pocket square and skip the tie—on days he’s not in the courthouse, naturally.
  • Erik Newton Attorney
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Diego, CA

    What We Like Erik likes to throw on an interesting sport coat with a pocket square and skip the tie—on days he’s not in the courthouse, naturally.
  • Jason Moo Banker
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: New York, NY

    What We Like Jason picked up his prized pocket square at his favorite tailor, tucked away in NYC’s NoHo—Michael Andrews Bespoke.
  • Jason Moo Banker
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: New York, NY

    What We Like Jason picked up his prized pocket square at his favorite tailor, tucked away in NYC’s NoHo—Michael Andrews Bespoke.
  • Presyler Galvin Bon vivant
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Francisco, CA

    What We Like A good carry-all bag is a necessity in the city—and you won’t do much better than a Goyard. Extra points for the monogram.
  • Presyler Galvin Bon vivant
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Francisco, CA

    What We Like A good carry-all bag is a necessity in the city—and you won’t do much better than a Goyard. Extra points for the monogram.
  • Randal Ruiz Design student
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Jose, CA

    What We Like Randal fashioned those elbow pads himself—ensuring he’ll never bump into the same blazer anywhere else.
  • Randal Ruiz Design student
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Jose, CA

    What We Like Randal fashioned those elbow pads himself—ensuring he’ll never bump into the same blazer anywhere else.
Florida

Miami

South Beach
June 6

Forget everything you know about Miami style. Today’s Miamian is more LeBron James than Crockett and Tubbs—as you’ll soon see in our next edition of Style Shifters…

Kempt
Style Shifters
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