CITYist

Fans of nudity rejoice: now you can marvel in public nudity in a completely socially acceptable manner. Every Thursday night through September 9th, stop by CV on the Lower East side (105 Rivington St.) for a live nude art exhibit. Known as Statue Garden, the spectacle features nude art models to the beat of pulsating music, only during the mood-setting night time hours from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. On paper, Statue Garden sounds rather scandalous, but relax, people. This is art.

So, have we mentioned that Heidi Klum is our September cover girl? We’ve been keeping this under wraps for quite some time, and frankly, secrets are overrated. Thus, this Friday we’ll be showing you a sneak peek of our fall cover, with behind the scenes footage of Ms. Klum’s cover shoot, shot by Rankin. Heidi is an international super model, mother of four and TV personality extraordinaire (perhaps you’ve seen her on a little show called Project Runway), but trust us, this is a side of her you’ve never seen before. Stay tuned.

MAC’s Fall nail colors haven’t even arrived yet (they’ll be in MAC boutiques starting August 26th) and we’re already swooning over the vibrant palette. Shunning traditional, muted autumn colors like matte maroons and browns, the collection is instead inspired by the Forbidden City of Imperial China. That means loads of blood orange, royal blue, taupe, emerald and purples in shiny, opaque finishes. Although the inspiration behind the line is a bit unorthodox, the colors bring to mind fall leaves and ripe fruit—and would certainly go well with the colors sent down the fall runways. Now, the question remains, which of the six shades do we want?

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard of Joaquin Phoenix’s descent into madness, aka performance art. Whether or not Phoenix really did intend to retire from acting, grow a Zach Galifianakis beard and embark on a rap career (or simply engage in some sort of public prank), there’s still a documentary following the whole spectacle, I’m Still Here, directed by Phoenix’s brother-in-law Casey Affleck. And now, a ridiculous, vaguely philosophical teaser trailer has arrived to whet our appetites (watch after the jump). We’re just wondering whether it’s worth seeing for sheer camp value.

Okay, so obviously children’s clothing is not usually on our radar. But when said children’s clothing includes paisley-printed dresses, gypsy skirts and elbow-patched blazers by Cynthia Rowley, who put out a killer, fringe-filled women’s collection for fall, we have to acquiesce. Known as Hooray by Cynthia Rowley, the autumn collection for infants and toddlers includes velvet on jumpers and boys’ jackets, while corduroy and sweater dresses also crop up. Overall, we’re impressed by kids clothes that look like smaller, more twee versions of adult clothes—and these certainly fit the bill.

Fashion’s Night Out is basically Christmas for fashionistas. And while it would be convenient to clone yourself so you can stop at all the booze and SWAG-filled events, the sheer impossibility of such a scenario makes time management key. Here, we highlight some of the best stops, including “healthy” cocktails, excellent tunes and chances to rub shoulders with super models.

Jewelry line Crea-tiff Bijoux goes back to the garden with its use of natural materials to create organic, simple pieces. Created by British-Swiss designer Tiffany Rowe, the line’s Bourgeois collection counts seeds, pebbles and shells amongst its list of materials. While some of the metallic resin rings may bring to mind the ancient Bronze Age, others pre-date humans entirely by resembling the natural materials themselves (it’s no coincidence that the look book was partially shot on the beach, as if the grey pebble rings had miraculously washed up there).

Have You Heard? is our weekly roundup of items we may have previously missed (or would like to remind you of again). So as you plan the week ahead, take a look at our cherry-picked selections of what’s hot in art, music, film and fashion right now.

The trailer for the Serge Gainsbourg biopic, simply titled, Gainsbourg, has hit the Internet. With frightfully dramatic, stereotypical instrumental music and appearances from all the key players (Bardot, Birkin), the clip is an ostentatious, deliciously over the top rendering of the life of the French musician. While we can’t say this is dramatic gold (perhaps the story of a musician who rises out of despair into a life of wild success and hedonism has been told one too many times), it certainly looks like great fun.

There’s one more reason to look forward to Fashion Week, and it’s called Bon Appétit Café. The culinary magazine will be taking over Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center from September 12—16th and offering up cuisine from some of New York’s most celebrated chefs. As we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and even fashionistas must fuel up (although appearances may suggest otherwise). The café will be offering coffee and pastries from Michael Laiskonis (Le Bernardin), Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito (Baked NYC) and Christina Tosi (Momofuku Milk Bar), and will feature a grab and go lunch station with recipes from the chefs behind A Voce, Telepan, The Lion and others, while evening will see a menu of trendy small plates from Mario Batali’s Otto and Daniel Boulud’s restaurants.

Brazilian graffiti duo Os Gemeos (that’s “the twins” in Portuguese) have teamed up with fellow artist Futura2000 to create a mural of monolothic proportions, appropriately titled the Giant Project. Painted on the side of PS 11 Elementary School (W 21st between 8th and 9th), the giant stands what appears to be at least five stories tall. The yellow-skinned, Matt Groening-esque figure sports a pair of patchwork pants made up of various world flags. According to Os Gemeos, the idea was to signify “unity, a world without borders, combined to form ‘one world one voice.’” Click through to see a series of photographs of the giant in various stages of completion.

A good print is a good print, whether it’s on a slinky dress, a vibrant blouse or a throw pillow. Just ask Suki Cheema, the print guru enlisted by Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Diane von Furstenberg, who has now debuted a home goods collection. Cheema draws on the bright colors, culture and atmosphere of India (as well as his Central Saint Martin’s education) to create zig-zagged, rainbow-colored textiles that adorn pillows, quilts, throws and tableware (look for retailers on the Suki Cheema site). If your pad is begging for a bit of color to liven up the space, then this might be just what the doctor ordered.

Wait, is that Burberry? Not exactly, but Top Shop sure has done a good imitation job. The leather and shearling coats, which range from biker jackets to sherpa vests to long overcoats, are the highest possible in luxury at the lowest price point. In our wildest fall fashion dreams, we’re wrapped up in one of these while sporting Fiorentini + Baker boots and sipping one of those limited-edition Autumn drinks from Starbucks. The shearling pieces range from $310 to $790, and just arrived in Top Shop this week (and they’ll probably go fast). Cheap? No. Cheaper? Yes. We’d say an investment well worth it.

Parsons graduate Jane Oh channels pure New York charm with her eponymous line. With an all-black palette and a black and white look book shot on the streets of New York, Oh’s models exude old Hollywood glamour with Marlene Dietrich hairdos, sheer, long-sleeved blouses and dramatic capes. There’s an emphasis here on outerwear, as well as little black dresses, of course, making the line’s focus appear to be timeless and wearable collector’s items. PS: pop culture props to anyone else who noticed America’s Next Top Model Cycle 5 winner Nicole in the images.

No, the air is not getting crisper and the leaves are not yet turning gold. In fact, most of New York still feels like the tropics. But that doesn’t stop us from fantasizing about all manner of fall fashion, from camel coats to thermal leggings to a good, solid pair of boots. We’re not talking stilettos here, but simply a rugged, wearable daytime boot (and perhaps a slightly more elegant, though no less easy to wear pair for after hours). Enter Fiorentini + Baker, the Italian craftsmen whose business is boots. From a buckled and wooden-heeled cowboy-influenced pair to a fur-lined sherpa-inspired boot (available at Barneys and Bloomingdales), we round up our favorites from the Autumn collection.

Bemoan the fact that Ikea has conducted an international takeover of home furnishings all you want, but there’s no denying the brand’s influence. And in the scheme of things, the Swedish monolith is pretty damn innovative. Take, for example, this sculpture erected in London’s Barbican Centre. Donned “Surrealistika,” the work consists of an enormous white birch tree flanked by Ikea appliances. Of course, there’s a green message here—that we should apply sustainability to hearth and home, or dishwasher, to be exact. But we just think it’s pretty, especially when lit up by purple or green lights. Check out more photos and a video of its construction after the jump.

Fashion, advertising and the digital marketplace are undergoing a revolution. Just ask CITY’S Creative Director Eddie Brannon, who recently contributed this article to PSFK management’s website on the topic. The creative research company was happy to hear Eddie’s thoughts on the rising popularity of digital magazines and fashion’s embrace of the Internet. (We’d say he’s something of an expert.) Click here to read “Digital Magazines: Is The Desktop Dead?” in full.

CITY favorite Janelle Monae has just released the video for her single “Cold War.” A minimalist, emotional affair, the video is shot entirely in close up of Monae’s face as she belts out the tune. Her face a nude palette with the exception of her expressive, coal-rimmed eyes, the focus here is entirely on the song and Monae’s own emotions (she bursts out crying at one point). “Cold War” comes off critically lauded album The ArchAndroid, which Monae produced at The Wondaland Arts Society, her home studio in Atlanta. In our interview with Monae, she explained, “We were listening to what our minds were telling us, but even more so from our hearts and our souls.” That’s certainly evident here.

If you’re familiar with Lucha Libre, “where the crowd bays for blood as pit-bull men in neon underpants and hand-knitted sequin leggings grapple each other,” that’s probably because you’ve seen the Jack Black movie Nacho Libre. Shockingly, the real-life Mexican sport does closely resemble the film-version, where masked crusaders known as luchadores battle it out in elaborate costumes. Photographer Katinka Herbert has captured the spectacle in a new book, Slam: Superheroes of the Ring, published by To Hell With Publishing.

Read on to see photos.

Have You Heard? is our weekly roundup of items we may have previously missed (or would like to remind you of again). So as you plan the week ahead, take a look at our cherry-picked selections of what’s hot in art, music, film and fashion right now.

If you were born after 1978, the year An Unmarried Woman came out, then chances are you haven’t even heard of it. And yet, in some ways, you have. If you’ve ever seen any movie about a divorcée, a middle-aged, single woman or a group of friends liberated by their own independence, then you’ve seen bits and pieces of An Unmarried Woman. But more than the story of a woman whose husband leaves her for a younger woman (which it is), the movie is also a quintessential New York film, marveling in the street-scapes and the pulse of the city nearly as much as its characters. A predecessor to Sex and the City? You could sat that.

We’re pleased to announce that you can now view our past covers and editorials on My Fashion Database, a vast archive of fashion spreads and a valuable industry resource. (Don’t worry: you can still view our editorials on the Fashion section of our site, as always). MyFDB was also kind enough to share its thoughts on CITY’s overall style on its blog. Take a look through our archive and let us know which covers you like!

To many, Jackie Kennedy is known as the absolute pinnacle of sophistication and grace. If you ever wondered how much that sophistication is worth, we’re guessing somewhere around the tune of £25,000-35,000 (or about $40,000-55,000). At least, that’s how much Sotheby’s is estimating Jackie O’s simulated three-strand pearl and diamond necklace will go for when its auctioned off August 15th at the “Pioneers of Popular Culture” auction in the UK. The necklace comes in its original box along with a photograph of the former First Lady wearing it. Also for sale is a similar single strand necklace and a pair of simulated pearl and diamond ear-clips. If the word “simulated” is catching your eye, you would be right: these aren’t even real jewels. Jackie’s just worth that much.

Brazilian ad agency Moma channeled Don Draper and Peggy Olson with a set of fictional ads that have been floating around the Internet. With posters for Facebook, Youtube and Skype, the ads imagine how these modern technologies would be marketed circa 1963—and the results are appropriately Jetsons-inspired. The sepia-toned posters boast such chipper slogans as, “Striking, Miraculous Social Team-up!” and are as clean as an episode of Leave it to Beaver. Regardless of the white bread tone, there’s something rather refreshing about the mom and pop attitude—when the world was as simple as a line of good copy. Read on to see them all.