Yippie-Y-Yay

Seven-Year Itch

Jean Paul Gaultier presented his final collection for Hermès, ending a seven-year collaboration with a mix of streamlined separates in leather and suede for Spring 2011, a look reminiscent of Zorro and High Plains Drifter, with a dash of Lola Montès.

Happy 20th Anniversary, Film Foundation

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is presenting an array of feature-length films that are nearly operatic in scope, from last weekend’s noir classics, The Big Combo and They Made Me a Fugitive, to upcoming color-saturated melodramas and suspense thrillers.

Louise Brooks and Richard Arlen, Beggars of Life, 1928

LACMA’s Film Department is marking the 20th Anniversary of the Film Foundation, a non-profit founded by Martin Scorsese and other filmmakers in 1990. The Film Foundation has partnered with major film archives in the US and abroad, and has provided funding to preserve and restore nearly 545 films — a variety of productions that includes silents, documentaries and shorts, along with the kind of features that make it worth enduring a night in a Bing Auditorium seat.

October 15,  7:30 pm, Bonjour Tristesse, 1958

October 15,  9:15 pm, The Barefoot Contessa, 1954

October 16, 5:00 pm, Leave Her to Heaven, 1945

October 16 , 7:30 pm, Senso, 1954

October 23, 7:30 pm, Beggars of Life, 1928

October 29, 7:30 pm, Shadow of a Doubt, 1943

October 29, 9:30 pm, Cloak and Dagger, 1946

The X Factor

There’s a dearth of the letter X in Los Angeles signage.

Some restaurants have seemingly effortless, yet somewhat obligatory scripted lettering, such as Xi’an, Beverly Hills; Xai Verandah Lounge, West Hollywood; and Xiomara, Hollywood. 
Then there are the X, XX and XXX theatres, but for all their lurid glory, once you’ve seen one, you’ve seem all. 

Despite the banality with which the letter X has been subjected to since the death of the last King Louis, the letter X has a rich history as a powerful symbol. 
An abbreviation for Christ. 
The sign that marks the spot. 
The signature of the illiterate. 

So it’s not surprising that a double-X configuration would continue to give rise to The most INTERESTING MAN in the WORLD and one of the funniest campaigns in the world. 
But somehow, I can’t picture THE most INTERESTING MAN buying beer from a battened-down liquor store on Brand Boulevard in Glendale.

Cheers.

Faux Moto

“You see, I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle, actually.” — Henry Winkler

As fall closes in, the re-envisioned motorcycle jacket trend is gaining momentum, and last year’s category of asymmetrical-zip fleece and wool knits has been expanded to include more pleather, along with lace, tweed, ponte knit, performance jersey and cotton-blends. From MyShape:

There’s something for both the Erich Von Zipper and the 1985 Madonna fan.

Lady-like variations reminiscent of Grace Kelly or January Jones.

Monochromatic motocross — modeled after WWI infantry, best accompanied by goggles and a side car.

Along with soft, athletic versions, perfect for a trip to the gym or a day at the library.

Kut from the Kloth, 217686; Giacca, 217262; L.A. Kitty, 217466

Calvin Klein Jeans, 215598; Mac and Jac, 215429; Mac & Jac 215427

G.E.T. 217566; Giacca, 217761; Anthracite, 219049

Karen Kane, 215532; Calvin Klein Performance, 217486; Calvin Klein Jeans, 215593

Woof!

Just yesterday, I was involved in a conversation about how the 1980s ruined Copperplate. 
(It almost works for Woof. Or do I simply want to like it because of the name ?)

Like Mother, Like Daughter

The newly released Style Book: Fashionable Inspirations features 145 years of photos from the Getty Images archive. For a preview, visit the guardian.co.uk.

a woman and her poodle, circa 1945, Getty Images