GQ: The Style Guy

Richard Merkin, R.I.P.

stylemens — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:21:56 -0400

On Labor Day night we lost one of our great dandies and a singular character, the artist Richard Merkin, who passed away at home in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. Merkin was a painter, an illustrator for The New Yorker for many...

I Was On to Representative Joe Wilson

stylemens — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:29:05 -0400

On Wednesday, September 9th, Representative Joe Wilson (R.-S.C.) shocked the nation by interrupting President Obama's speech on health care to a joint session of Congress, shouting out "You lie!" and pointing his finger. He surprised the President and his aides,...

My Next Ride

stylemens — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:19:59 -0400

This weekend our pal J.A. was up in our neck of the woods (literally), and he dropped by in a Tesla roadster that was lent to him by a friend who happens to be a stockholder in Tesla Motors. It...

Gone Greek

stylemens — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:38:11 -0400

In case you couldn’t tell from my considerable absence, I was on vacation. I needed a classical fix and there’s no better place to get it than Greece. I didn’t just need to get out of New York; I needed...

Are You Ready for the Country?

stylemens — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:18:28 -0400

I live in the country. Part-time. I have a house in Northwestern Connecticut. It's the country alright, 22 acres, a lot of it woods. Tomatoes, strawberries, fennel, rosemary, basil, and stuff growing out back. Mint juleps growing out front. Had...

Dear Dash Departed

stylemens — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:44:33 -0400

Dash Snow is dead. The great Dash is gone. Photo by Olivier Zahm I heard about it yesterday, when one of his best friends suddenly burst into tears and ran from the room. All I heard was the word "Dash,"...

Drinking (Again) for Health

stylemens — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:52:12 -0400

I just noticed that one of the Topics listed on this page is wine. This would suggest that I should cover it semi-regularly, at least. I love wine. I do believe in Bacchus. I do believe in Dionysus. (Not Tinkerbelle.)...

Meet Hooman Majd: Gentleman, Scholar, and Modest Hero

stylemens — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:41:34 -0400

Majd in Persian lamb diplomat (and maybe a Revolutionary Guard keffiyeh) I met my dear friend Hooman Majd about a decade ago, when Chris Blackwell got the idea that I might be a good head of marketing for Island Records....

Tools of the Trade: Moleskine

stylemens — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:25:40 -0400

Today, my calendar being almost too clear, I thought I’d clean up around my desk. The first target was the windowsill. I don’t like using a windowsill as a shelf, and the one next to my desk had become the...

The Seasonal Wardrobe Shift Is Here

stylemens — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:41:09 -0400

Today is the first day of the summer clothing season. It’s 60º in New York, and 52º in Paris, where I wish I was today. I’ll bet the Chestnut buds are about to pop. It’s sweater weather (a tan cashmere...

Summer Reading (Part II)

stylemens — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:11:44 -0400

When it comes to serious reading, I prefer hardcovers. Paperbacks don't look or feel as good, and often they're made from cheap acidic paper. Also, if you are mad at someone, you can throw a hardcover across the room without...

Summer Reading (Part I)

stylemens — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:13:04 -0400

One of the best ways to fight depression in its various forms is to pick up a book. Reading is cheap. It’s basically cheaper than almost any other form of entertainment (except maybe whistling), because if you’re really broke you...

Straight Outta Left Field (Part Three of Three)

stylemens — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:00:58 -0400

Hip-hop is a form built on pre-recorded music, and so it was by nature a kind of fusion. Africa Bambaataa’s sampling of Kraftwerk opened up a world of endless possibility. De La Soul used samples from Cymande, Blackbyrd, Art Blakey...

Straight Outta Left Field (Part Two of Three)

stylemens — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:50:53 -0400

Genres are the enemy. Especially in music. They lead to stupid radio formats and talented musicians repeating the same old same old. Creativity is often found in the seeming collision of genres. Miles Davis pioneered what is called fusion, mixing...

Straight Outta Left Field (Part One of Three)

stylemens — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:01:05 -0400

When something in art or music is uncategorizable, that’s usually a good thing. It suggests unexplored territory has been reached by thinking outside the box, or the cube, or the envelope. It means it’s not part of a movement, which...