Field Notes || Herb Ritts: L.A. Style at the Getty Center
30/04/2012 § 1 Comment
New York is a vertical city, and its skyscrapers are climbing ever higher (case in point, just today my next-door neighbor One World Trade claimed the title of tallest building in New York). All that height, especially in the canyons of the Financial District or parts of Midtown, can feel a bit oppressive at times to someone like me, who grew up in one of the most horizontal cities in the world. For comparison’s sake I could give you some facts and figures about square mileage and population — essentially: LA is larger, while NYC is more populous — but nowhere is this “horizontal-ness” illustrated better than from the observation pavilions of the Getty Center.
Known for its impressive views from the Pacific to Downtown, the Getty Center is one of the best places to take in the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles (if it happens to be a clear day). Designed by Richard Meier, the Center also houses a large portion of the Getty art collection and has been the setting for a marriage proposal or two…thousand.
Familiar vistas aside, I also made the trip to the Center to catch the Herb Ritts retrospective, L.A. Style. Best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and fashion editorials, equally impressive are Ritts’ nudes and his exploration of the concept of gender. A compact exhibition, complete with large-scale prints, vintage magazines and a screening of his music videos (e.g., Janet Jackson’s Love Will Never Do (Without You), Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game), L.A. Style is an excellent collection of some Ritts’ most iconic images, taken in the 1980s and 90s.
Herb Ritts: L.A. Style at the Getty Center
April 3 – August 26, 2012
The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Open Tuesday – Sunday
The Grand Tour || The House Where Satchmo Played
29/04/2012 § 3 Comments
Most homes of a certain age in Los Angeles usually come with old Hollywood stories of former residents. This Spanish beauty in Westwood, owned by good friends of mine, is no different. Home to Spencer Tracy and his wife for a time, and host to an intimate concert by Louis Armstrong, this estate has a charmingly eccentric layout, complete with original tile work, exposed beams, hardwood floors, interesting built-ins and one of the only SoCal basements I am personally aware of.
A relatively recent purchase, the owners are still hard at work with renovations but I twisted some arms and was allowed to take a few photos of their progress thus far. I can’t wait to see the finished product.
Field Notes || A Long Los Angeles Weekend
29/04/2012 § 3 Comments
As I mentioned last week, I scooted off to Los Angeles to surprise my family and enjoy a long weekend in my hometown. Armed with an exceptionally affordable rental car that I had to fill with exceptionally expensive gas, I bopped around from Manhattan Beach to Porter Ranch, and from Santa Monica to Downtown. And while I will admit that while I am on the East Coast I frequently have moments when I miss driving, a few minutes of sitting on the 405 definitely cured me of that for awhile…but it didn’t keep me from visiting some great places.
Breakfast at the counter at John O’Groats, a westside institution.
Don’t miss their biscuits.
Drinks at the Beverly Wilshire.
Manhattan Beach.
Where the car is king, you can’t help having so many good sightings…
A very foggy Sepulveda Pass.
An evening in Beachwood Canyon with Lizzie: dinner at Franklin & Company,
browsing at Counterpoint Records, peeking in the doors of the Villa Carlotta.
Cole’s, originators of the French Dip sandwich.
Bourbon drinks at Cole’s with Nick.
Breakfast at the Fountain Coffee Room at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
A very stylish makeover, courtesy of my nieces.
An excellent travel companion: Bag by The San Fernando Mercantile Company
All Dressed Up…in Los Angeles.
23/04/2012 § Leave a comment
Richard Gere adds Armani to the echelon of California style with its debut in American Gigolo (1980), which I recently revisited thanks to Lizzie’s suggestion. A seminal moment in menswear, it marked the introduction of a new Italian aesthetic that became characteristic of the decade.
**Update 5/4/2012 — The blog Clothes on Film did a fantastic rundown of the costuming, which you can find here.
I especially love how the film captures the westside at that moment when the 1970s were turning to the 1980s, and watching a 30 year-old (and let’s face it, beautiful) Gere as he navigates the city as one of its “best boys.” Other high points include the Blondie-infused soundtrack, Lauren Hutton, and the fact that Gere’s character lives in Westwood, which is where I lived before moving to New York.
Portrait by Herb Ritts, 1980.
Part of “L.A. Style: Herb Ritts” at the Getty Center. Details here.
Also: just a quick note to let you know I’m in Los Angeles for a few days! I wanted to surprise my parents, and they read this thing, so I couldn’t mention it beforehand. Happy to report my sneak attack was successful!
Milwaukee’s Finest?
19/04/2012 § Leave a comment
Bird’s Eye
18/04/2012 § 2 Comments
Even though I did manage to snap these pictures on a business trip this week,
I have been chasing my tail a bit, so I hope you’ll excuse my recent silence…
A few tidbits I’ve enjoyed in the meantime:
Video treats: a very whimsical Hermès “Petit H”
and a snippet from A.Y. NOT DEAD F/W 2012 featuring Dree! Hemingway!;
Opinion: What Mad Men Shows About American Pop Culture
“The 40-Year Itch” by Adam Gopnik {via The New Yorker}
Endorsed: the ladylike naughtiness of the Mimi Holliday by Damaris
Sea Breeze lace thong {via Net-a-Porter};
Men’s style file: Dean at his best {via A Headlong Dive}
and Jackie Robinson off the field {via To Take the Train};
Aesthetics: a rumination on stripes {via Little Augury};
Travel: a Tuscan farmhouse I must. visit. immediately. {via Designtripper}; and
Just finished: Bright Lights, Big City — so NYC in the 80s, so excellent.
Back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, promise.
xoxo. M.
Reading List || The Titanic Edition
12/04/2012 § 2 Comments
Grand staircase of the Titanic. Image via Retronaut.
I have a mild obsession with Titanic — the historical event much more so than the Cameron film, but I’m not going to even try to pretend like I didn’t make my high school boyfriend sit through that 3 hour extravaganza — twice.** And so, I’ve put together a roundup Reading List in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster; the concurrent 15th anniversary and 3D release of the 1997 James Cameron film; and the people who didn’t realize Titanic was real, not just a movie:
Amazing photographs: Construction of the Titanic || Interiors of the Titanic || Photographs taken onboard Titanic by Father SJ Browne || Titanic Survivors {all via Retronaut}
Titanic Guide to New York City Part 1 & Part 2 {via Scouting New York} — top it off with a stay at The Jane Hotel, where the survivors stayed 100 years ago {via Designtripper}
Seven Famous People Who Missed the Titanic {via Smithsonian.com}
Guernsey’s and Bonhams both auction off Titanic artifacts this week. View selected items {via Artinfo}
Fashion and ephemera salvaged from the deep: On the Titanic, Defined by What They Wore {via NY Times}
Every *MAN* for himself: Researchers say male chivalry on sinking ships is a myth {via Washington Post}
Remastering Rose and Jack: Converting Titanic to 3D with a cool infographic {via NY Times}, but if you happen to be in China, don’t get all excited about Rose’s 3D boobs {via LA Times}
Unsinkable Molly Brown presenting a loving cup to Captain Arthur Rostron, master of the RMS Carpathia, the ocean liner that rescued the survivors from the Titanic. Image via the Library of Congress.
**and I may have gotten the tiniest of lumps in my throat upon my first viewing of the 3D trailer in the theatre. Don’t you judge me! I was young and impressionable!
PF Flyers: Honoring American Style Since 1937
11/04/2012 § Leave a comment
If you follow me on Twitter (@MariahKunkel) you might have noticed that I recently had a guest editorship on Flavorpill Los Angeles, where I put together a shortlist of interesting events in the LA area, which also happens to be my hometown. I was especially pleased to find out that the guest editor series was sponsored by PF Flyers, the iconic American sneaker brand that was founded in 1937 and immortalized in one of my favorite movies, The Sandlot (see Benny put on his magic pair here, at 9.00 minute mark).
Was also featured on Flavorwire!
First produced by BF Goodrich in 1937, PF Flyers featured a patented insole — the PF stands for “Posture Foundation” — that was marketed as a magic wedge designed to help wearers “run faster and jump higher,” endearing them to generations of children (see: The Sandlot) who believed in their special powers.
PF Flyers was also the first sneaker company to collaborate with a pro athlete, developing classic basketball shoes with Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy in the 1950s, that are still available today;
and in the 60s, the adventurer Jonny Quest also relied upon the “action shoes”:
“He ran like the wind! Lucky he was wearing his PF Flyers!”
In a genius bit of cross-marketing, kids could get a free PF Magic Ring just like Jonny’s with the purchase of a pair of PF Flyers.
Starting in the 1970s, PF Flyers lost much of the popularity they enjoyed in the 50s and 60s, but after the recent purchase and revival of the brand by New Balance, PF Flyers is staging a comeback with its “Authentic American Style Campaign” that simultaneously honors the brand’s past, looks toward the future and searches out contemporary icons for truly American style inspiration:
“Everyone has a story. Ours began 75 years ago and is based on the tradition of crafting authentic American style. While we are passionate about what we do, we aren’t the only ones. The contemporary cultural landscape is flooded with purveyors of authentic American style.
To help us tell this ever-evolving story, we’ve enlisted a select group of today’s style-makers who we feel embody the same sensibilities as we do. Over the coming months we will be unveiling their perspectives in a series of video-based interviews where they share their thoughts on inspiration, authenticity, and individual style. Stay tuned.“
The campaign recently kicked off with one of my favorite people, New Yorker Ouigi Theodore, Creative Director and Founder of the Brooklyn Circus. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing who else is included. You can find all the interviews here.
For wearable sneaker nostalgia check out the Archival Reissue Collection.
I’ve been loving the Bob Cousy Los, with their “Gullwing Closure” at the ankle.
Girls! Run faster, jump higher…and wait for the subway!
Lastly, many thanks to PF Flyers and Gabby and Christopher at Flavorpill
for including me in such a fun project.
Archive photos via PF Flyers. Life photos by Yale Joel, via the Life Archive.
Hey, Red! {Jessica Chastain for Vogue Italia April 2012}
09/04/2012 § 1 Comment
Well, now. I realize I haven’t posted about an editorial in almost three months. Is it because my interest has been elsewhere? Or perhaps because I just haven’t seen anything that has caught my eye? In any event, I have actress Jessica Chastain and Vogue Italia to thank for reviving my love of the editorial with an amazing set of images that hearken back to classic Hollywood and were coincidentally shot in one of my very favorite places in Los Angeles: the Fred Harvey Restaurant in Union Station — an art deco masterpiece that has been closed since 1967.
You can see my photographs from my last visit here.
Chastain giving her best Hayworth…
Please believe me when I say I know I will be married here — and I am not at all like that about weddings. Now all that’s left is to pin down the groom.
Details, details.
Photos by Michelangelo di Battista for Vogue Italia, via FGR.
Travelin’ Man: Ricky Nelson Tours America
04/04/2012 § 2 Comments
Interestingly, Ricky Nelson was one of my earliest crushes, due to a Nick At Nite childhood spent watching Donna Reed, My Three Sons and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which Ricky starred on with real-life parents Ozzie and Harriet and brother David from 1952 to 1966. With its 14 seasons, the show remains the longest-running live action sitcom in history to this day.
Sidenote 1: I’d say my crush was “interesting” mainly because Ricky was dead by the time I fell in love with him. He died in a plane crash in Texas in 1985.
Sidenote 2: When did Nick At Nite cease actually being Nickelodeon at night and start being its own channel? And why do they now play shows like Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond and not the classic television they used to play? What the Hell! Who approved this?!
Contrary to his wholesome on-screen persona, Ricky was a bit of a hellcat growing up. He also didn’t have much musical instruction or knowledge until he was 16, when he simply decided he’d like to make a record. His father indulged him and Ricky’s music became a part of the family show, starting with his performance of the Fats Domino song I’m Walking in 1957, when he was 17.
The best part might be his dance moves.
An early archetype for what would become the modern teen idol, Ricky’s exposure through his music and the Ozzie and Harriet show caused his popularity to surge — between the years of 1958 and 1959 he charted twelve songs, compared to Elvis Presley’s eleven. He also holds he distinction for achieving the first ever #1 on the newly-created Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958 for his performance of Poor Little Fool — a song he actually hated and refused to perform on the show.
Poor Little Fool: #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958
Travelin’ Man: #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961
Hello Mary Lou: #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. Ricky actually preferred to play rockabilly songs like Hello Mary Lou, despite the success he had with ballads.
After an abbreviated tour in 1957, Ricky launched a full tour across America in 1958. Life Magazine sent photographers Ralph Crane and Hank Walker along for the ride to capture the madness, which they did fantastically. I did include quite a few, I hope you don’t mind. Obviously I still have a crush.
Fun bit of trivia: the Nelsons are the only family in history to have three generations of #1 hitmakers. The Ozzie Nelson Orchestra hit number 1 in 1935 with And Then Some, Ricky had his string of hits, and Ricky’s twin sons Matthew and Gunnar, better known as Nelson, hit it in 1990 with (I Can’t Live Without) Your Love and Affection.
Sidenote: Would you be very surprised to learn I also nursed a serious crush on Ricky’s sons, they of streaming, flaxen hair, man bangs, exceptionally tight pants and an amazing/ridiculous video for their #6 hit After The Rain? I suppose my only defense is that it was the 90s, and I was very very very young, after all…
All images via the Life Archive.
Quite Continental 