The Moment

Scent Notes | Azzaro Couture

Chandler Burr — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:38:40 +0000

The perfumer Aurélien Guichard, the son of the equally talented Jean Guichard (the creator of the immortal l'Interdit for Givenchy), has excellent creative range. He can go from making the chic, retro-rich Baghari for the contemporary incarnation of Robert Piguet to the delicate translucent-flower-in-a-white-space-station cult favorite Chinatown for Bond No. 9 to the brutalist 21st-century chypre (take out the labdanum, put in asphalt and the scorched scent of steel under a welder's arc) of Sean John's Unforgivable. Loris Azzaro's first perfume, introduced in 1975, was Azzaro Couture, reportedly a bold, luxurious feminine. The brand's managers were also behind the commercial megahit Chrome in 1996, a perfect example of the sterile metallic gas scents of the '90s, a perfume that smells so metallic and chemical it's as if it had its own atomic number. Chrome so dominates the Azzaro brand that it is almost strange to see the house revisit Couture, its earlier creation from a profoundly different aesthetic school. But it has. Guichard, under the direction of Vanessa Seward and Pierre Aulas, has created a 2008 version, which was introduced in September. It is quite well done. Big, rich and gold-plated, this is a scent for women whose hearts lie in the 1970s and 1980s and have been dreaming of someone fusing the two eras. Their gratitude will be infinite. There is a distinct echo of Guichard's Love in Paris, which he did several years ago for Nina Ricci, a lovely, white-gold floral that didn't succeed commercially. But Couture is both more retro and, arguably, more up to the minute than Love, coming on like a spotlit runway model wearing all white. It is a floral, but with a huge, neo-'80s format built — I'm guessing — primarily out of an accord of mimosa (it has that weird, otherworldly mimosa smell, a flower from a slightly different planet) and Karanal, a knee-trembling synthetic that smells like blood macerated in peony with an electrical current running through it. It lights up the juice like neon and gives the perfume a sheen that has been polished like the hood of a champagne-colored BMW 7-series. Sleek, the opposite of shy, materialistic — but only in the very best way, of course. Azzaro Couture says, "What bad economy? I still have my job in my big midtown office." If you actually still have your big job — or if you just want to give the impression that you do — this is your perfume. Azzaro Couture | Azzaro (Three stars; Good juice)

Bagged: Chanel’s Mobile Art Pavilion

Alexandra Marshall — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:03:54 +0000

Color us Coco-friendly black and white, but don't color us surprised: the latest victim of these troubled times is the Zaha Hadid-designed Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion. Somewhat inexplicable even in a flush economy, the traveling, snail-shaped guerrilla gallery, built to house interpretations of Chanel's iconic 2.55 handbag by such artists as Sylvie Fleury, David Levinthal and Fabrice Hybert, has finally deflated after stops in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York City. A company spokesperson tells WWD, "We will be concentrating on strategic growth investments." Karl Lagerfeld, who didn't even show up for the unveiling in Hong Kong, has no comment. Perhaps he's too busy designing his next vanity stuffed animal. ...

What Gives | Gifting the Creative Type

Jonathan S. Paul — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:01:38 +0000

(Right: William P. O'Donnell/The New York Times) The editors of T Magazine present What Gives, a guide to holiday gifting.

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When inspiration strikes, Gap's mittens convert to fingerless gloves allowing for utmost dexterity while operating a Leica, Moleskine or iPhone. In the new LittleBigPlanet video game, there's no trigger finger required — just the imagination to build cute custom worlds. (Plus a Sony PlayStation3.) LittleBigPlanet, $59.99. Available at Amazon.com. Gap mittens, $19.50. Available in dwindling numbers at select Gap stores. Call ahead.

Now Cooking | More ‘Tiny Kitchen’

Jill Santopietro — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:56:25 +0000

Since my first post about "Tiny Kitchen," which takes you into my small kitchen to demonstrate the Sunday Magazine recipes, we have filmed two more webisodes. One involved making spelt crackers, and another a Roquefort and walnut salad. Many viewers of the first video, The Normandy cocktail, have said that "Tiny Kitchen" and the published recipes it features are hard to locate on the Web site. We are working on this. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy them and keep the feedback coming. It's so useful. Thanks. Read more food coverage on The Moment.

The Post-Materialist | Fashion Grows Up

Nick Currie — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:26:33 +0000

93 year-old Mimi Weddell in the documentary Hats Off, and a snap by Mister Mort on the Advanced Style blog, launched in August. A report from our Berlin correspondent on design and society. One of the more interesting trends in fashion this year has been a vogue for older models. The theme seems to have started in March, with the New York premiere of Hats Off, a documentary about the 93 year-old actress and model Mimi Weddell. As the New York Times reported when it interviewed the effervescent Ms Weddell, her motto is "Rise above it!", which implies not just the ability to transcend small anxieties, but also the idea that higher things -- even ages -- are better things.

The image that accompanied New York magazine's report on the older models featured in the Spring 2009 men's collections in Paris. Come June, the fashion press was aflurry with reports that the Spring 2009 men's shows in Paris had been "stormed by elderly male models". Yohji Yamamoto, Ann Demeulemeester and Agnès B all employed over-50s in their catwalk shows. One model, New York magazine reported, walked as though slightly lame, another cheerfully played a flute.

A photograph by Alexander Beyer of an elderly Italian lady featured in the street fashion blog Advanced Style. In August, Ari Cohen launched Advanced Style, a street fashion blog focusing on stylish senior citizens, caught by photographers in New York and elsewhere. In a blogosphere somewhat burned out on lookalike street fashion blogs -- not to mention conformist fashion -- the eccentric septuagenarians featured in Advanced Style stood out as something fresh and new. "Since moving to New York four months ago," Cohen explained in his first entry, "I noticed how awesome so many of New York's older men and women styled". It didn't take long for Mimi Weddell to show up.

The Japanese lifestyle magazine Ku:nel's November issue shows two elderly ladies from South Holland. The Japanese (who have one of the world's most rapidly-aging demographics) were also in on the trend. The November issue of lifestyle magazine Ku:nel featured a cover story about two old Dutch ladies in traditional dress. One was 95 years old. "My Fashion: Weird Dressing-Up Session in South Holland", ran the headline, and inside the ladies (working-class Catholics from Walcheren and Zuid Beveland) gave tips on how to achieve their truly outlandish, centuries-old hairstyles, lacy hats, and make-up techniques. My own contribution to the admiration of the style of the elderly came in a blog entry entitled What are you wearing, living national treasure? This looked at cover stars from a Japanese crafts magazine called Living National Treasures, people designated as "important intangible cultural properties" by the Japanese government.

Japan's Living National Treasures magazine features government-designated "Important Intangible Cultural Properties", fabulously dressed.

Wanderlust | The Merchants of Venice

Kathleen Egan — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:15:44 +0000

Venice, longtime epicenter of Los Angeles cool, had surrendered the title to other neighborhoods, like Silverlake and Los Feliz. But some recently opened businesses are beckoning that attention back, particularly along Rose Avenue, thoroughfare to the Pacific Ocean. Venice Beach Wines Oscar Hermosillo opened a boutique wine shop here two years ago but decided he wanted something more. After a four-month renovation, he recently reopened the wine shop as a casual restaurant. Lunchtime is bustling with locals chowing down on pressed sandwiches, salads, and a hearty selection of cheeses and meats. At night, the heated front patio fills up with a jaunty crowd of California hipsters. 529 Rose Avenue, Venice CA 90291

Big Red Sun An off-shoot from its flagship location in Austin, Tex., Big Red Sun is a garden store as envisioned by Dr. Seuss. The building itself is painted a vibrant green, surely to match its contents. A visit to the store is a passive education in botany and an inspiration for those cursed with a yellow thumb to cultivate a beautiful garden. 564 Rose Avenue, Venice

C.A.V.E. Originally in 2001 as a series of visual, film and art performances, the Center for Audio and Visual Expression found a home and gallery in Venice this past summer. The gallery features mostly street and skater-style artists from the So-Cal region. 507 Rose Avenue, Vencue, CA 90291

What Gives | Gifting the Jet-Setter

Andreas Kokkino — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:05:12 +0000

The editors of T Magazine present What Gives, a guide to holiday gifting.

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This slick duffel by Marc Newson for Samsonite was designed with a guy in mind, with separate compartments for shoes and dirty laundry. For hauling cargo more precious, there's Cole Haan's pet carrier tote. Terrier not included. Marc Newson for Samsonite Scope duffel bag, $140. Available at Moss. Cole Haan pet carrier tote, $159.95. Available at Cole Haan.

Highlight Reel: Tom Cruise

Jonathan S. Paul — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:49:56 +0000

In case you missed the hoopla, last night we played host to Tom Cruise. He spoke to T Magazine's Lynn Hirschberg in front of an audience in The TimesCenter. Many of you tuned in to our live video feed, but for those who couldn't make it we've pulled together the highlights above.

Now Screening | ‘Dance of the Golden Axe’

Alison S. Cohn — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:04:21 +0000

Agyness Deyn: platinum-haired pixie, Kate Moss scion, voodoo goddess? Now, thanks to Gordon Hull, a director and contemporary bricoleur of sorts, the fashion model Deyn can add a new credit to her résumé: Erzulie, goddess of love. In our latest T-commissioned film, Hull, founder of the SoHo-based global creative collective Surface to Air, appropriates elements of Afro-Caribbean culture. What emerges is an atmospheric portrait of a pine grove, and a group of solider-initiates entranced by an ursine coyote who are pushed to perform what the director terms "the desperate act" -- all it takes it one puff of Deyn's (errr, Erzulie's) magic dust.

The High Low | American Eagle Waffle T-shirt, $14.95, and Long Johns, $11.95

Melissa Ventosa Martin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:57:33 +0000

What: American Eagle Waffle T-shirt, $14.95, and Long Johns, $11.95 (on sale) How much: $14.95 (top) and $11.95 (bottoms) at American Eagle Outfitters. Who: Melissa Ventosa Martin, T Magazine's Women's Fashion Associate If you're lucky, by the end of the week you might be packing your bags for a snowy holiday getaway. I always try to throw in some cozy pieces that not only work for the annual Christmas-morning candid photo session — straight out of bed of course, gotta love those even in your late 20s — but also for any number of regularly scheduled outdoor winter activities. These American Eagle long johns are pretty festive with their candy-cane stripes.