Thierry Mugler is a big, beefy, insect-like German whose clothes are perhaps as equally inspired by bugs as his major physique. Also drawing from the 1940s, science fiction, fetishism, and pop art, his designs were tough, dramatic, other-worldly, and extreme. I say “were” because sadly, his radical work wasn't really accepted after the roaring 80's and now he mostly produces beauty products like perfume.

His clothing has not gone completely without a home, in 2003 he designed costumes for (appropriately) Cirque du Soleil's first adults-only show, Zumanity. You'll be pleased to learn that he hasn't lost his touch: the stage was teeming with men in butt-less leather pants and stone washed jeans (no kidding!), and women in various teeny-tiny outfits made of beads, fringe and see-through nylon. It's the perfect venue for his over the top fun tackiness.

Of course, I think we all remember his work from George Michael's Too Funky video (see this week's song) where all the day's most spectacular models and odd lovelies walked the runway in his outrageous creations, most famously Rebecca Romijn in the motorcycle corset.

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Posted on August 25, 2008

With the Summer Olympics underway, I should probably include something sporty in this week's list. Honestly though, I'm so out of it with the whole thing that when a co-worker told me there were photos of the Opening Ceremony online, I thought she meant a new location of the clothing store…

Still, I watch Project Runway and being an Olympian seems pretty cool. Also cool? Kihachiro Onitsuka, manufacturer of the coolest sneakers out there.

I admit, I'm not sneaker crazy, but these are usually the only ones in the store that I totally could go for. I love that they've stayed true to original vintage designs, but I also love that they've stayed relevant and modern with their poppy colors.

The man himself, who passed away last year at age 89, was as radical as his designs. According to his company's site he spent “years in the military and having worked for a company who bought and sold beer on the black market” before he began manufacturing shoes. He found inspiration in octopus suction cups, he worked with marathon runners to fix the major problem of blisters, and he was an awesome boss who in 1958, “decided that Onitsuka should not become a family-run business, but an employee-run business. He distributed 70 percent of the shares to his employees.”

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Posted on August 11, 2008

David Hicks was as volatile as his rooms were tranquil and lush. In his obituary (he died in 1998) he is described as having an “apoplectic rage” and his wife said, ''He was an absolute volcano to live with, but so life enhancing, I already miss his slamming of doors.”

While I'm not quite envious of that part of his legacy, I've recently become very envious of anyone who can put a room together with flair for interior decorating. It may be the fact that I have a bit too much stuff for my abode or that Jim has a soft spot for plastic bins, but I can't manage to keep most of my apartment from looking like we just moved in. I've decided to do a thing or two about it, but that's another tale.

I have no illusions that I could possibly the luxurious career of Hicks, whose clients included Helena Rubenstein, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and King Fahd as well as the interiors for the Julie Christie film (and Brix Pick) Petulia. But we can all at least be inspired by the extensive archive on this site, curated by his son Ashley, who carries on the design tradition.

These images are just so fun. Imagine sitting in this corner, organizing your porcelain, or greeting your roaming peacock during breakfast in this informal kitchen at your country estate, or gazing at your Bill Blass heavy wardrobe while bathing in this indescribable room, or starting a torrid affair with a David Bailey type in this sauna.

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Posted on July 28, 2008

In the 1970s rock scene, where a sea of men and women were declared geniuses, it seems like Frank Zappa was the real deal; a brilliant mind that everyone can agree on. You may not like everything he does, I certainly don't, but you can't ignore his imagination, his inventiveness, and his audacity.

My favorite album is Hot Rats, which features the amazing Willie the Pimp on which his good friend Captain Beefheart sings. This connection is how he becomes a central character in Pamela Des Barres's 'I'm With the Band', this week's book and current obsession. Reading about the way he just fabricated scenes, lived his own way, and nurtured creativity has got me even more intrigued by the charming, tall, mustached master mind.

There's so much to explore in his thirty year career, not only as a musician and artist, but as a critic of organized religion and drugs and an advocate of free speech. In fact, the first time I ever heard his name was when he spoke eloquently at the PMRC censorship hearings against Tipper Gore.

I've really only scratched the surface, but he's created so much work that I could easily come back to his catalog for inspiration for many years to come.

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Posted on July 14, 2008

Even though the Ralph Lauren look has never been one I adopt verbatim, there is no denying the ingenuity of the brand in re-imagining and selling a truly American sensibility. It's the ultimate paradox of appreciating our hard working and rugged past then making it only accessible to the elite.

Growing up I was struck by the enviable images of wealth and sport: menacingly gorgeous elite families that played cricket together somewhere in New England. Men who owned private jets but put on cowboy hats when they landed, their severe hot wives wearing paisley like it was her only job (aside from hiring and firing help). Perfect Anglo Americans swathed in Native American ponchos (and blood?)

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Posted on June 30, 2008