Style Icons: Male »David Hockney

david hockneyDavid Hockney could be on this list based on this photograph alone. There is just so much to love here! Firstly, I can't even control myself when boys wear fitted rugby shirts like this. Kind of preppy, but not date rapey because of the fruity colors and tight fit, and the white collar sticking up?ack! It's stylish boy heaven for me.

I am also really quite fond of signature daring men's hairstyles. It's always a risk for men to go beyond the norm with their hair but some people like Warhol, David Fricke from Rolling Stone, and Anton Chigurh as well as Hockney totally stand by their do's.

There are also those bold, crazy frames. Perfection, he even bests Dominick Dunne on this front. Don't you want to be just off camera, drying off from the pool, sipping a margarita that Peter Schlesinger just made for you, waiting for this photo shoot to be over so you can all head over to meet Andy and Dennis? And of course, his social life, a playboy among decades of the world's most fabulous is the second reason he is iconic.

He is most known artistically for his California paintings, usually depicting swimming pools and So Cal architecture and later his photo collages of landscapes and people. But I am also really enamored with his portraits, particularly these simple, intimate black and white etchings.

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Posted on April 14, 2008

Style Icons: Male »Donald Pleasance

donald pleasanceDonald Pleasance (who, according to imdb, has appeared in over two hundred movies), is probably best known as Dr. Loomis, psychiatrist trying to stop madman Michael Meyers in Halloween; Halloween II; Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Meyers; Halloween V: The Revenge of Michael Meyers; and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Meyers.

Pleasance also portrays the great cinematic Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld (who has a fluffy white cat and lives in a hollowed out volcano!) in You Only Live Twice. Not the worst legacy to leave behind, if you ask me (Pleasance passed away in 1995).

I love character actors! Brad Dourif, Clancy Brown, Pleasance–I love them all–but Pleasance also had the distinguished nickname of “The Man with the Hypnotic Eye“.

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Posted on April 7, 2008

Style Icons: Male »Andy Sidaris

andy sidarisWhen I was in college and Susan Vander Closter, a great lady I tried to take all my liberal arts classes with, gave us a memoir called Naked to read by a man called Sedaris, I was ecstatic. Not because I was a rabid NPR listener–but because I naturally assumed it was Andy Sidaris who produced all the soft core pornography movies I love so much.

Andy Sidaris never did write a memoir and, sadly, he passed away this last year from throat cancer, but my family and I will always remember his legacy. That's right, my family. See, his movies are the most campy, fun, funny, masterfully badly acted, phoney spy films but on film.

John Waters, if there is any chance you're reading this, you owe it to yourself to get the entire collection. The Hagues are such fans, that for a time my mom was even in correspondence with Mrs. Sidaris, getting the scoop on planned sequels to Return to Savage Beach and receiving an autographed photo.

His piece de resistance, Hard Ticket to Hawaii, is pure B-grade pleasure featuring a murderous cancer-infected snake, undercover government agents who “think better” topless in a hot tub, a bad guy named “Seth”, and a doofus hit man who gets blown up while riding on a skateboard holding a blow up doll.

In another classic, Picasso Trigger (which also stars my favorite of the Sidaris actresses, former Playboy model Donna Speir), the most priceless piece of art in the world is an airbrushed, 80's, Florida-style angel fish painting.

The man was a genius and while his death may not have made international headlines, he will be deeply mourned in the world of skinamax bad-good movies.

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Posted on March 31, 2008

Style Icons: Male »Ossie Clark

ossie clarkOssie Clark's woman, Celia Birtwell made my list eons ago, but it's Clark's time to shine this week. He, at age 23 began a career as one of the most influential and important British designers of the 60's and 70's.

He made show stopping pieces, not intended for wall flowers, but for big personalities like the famous people he often dressed. Mick Jagger was a client and wore Clark's daring bodysuits on his 1973 tour.

It's his fearless mixing of bold patterns (designed by Birtwell) and the terribly sexy and flattering cuts that get me an a tizzy though. I seriously am just waiting for the day I can own one of his pieces. Unlike many of my favorite vintage designers, his stuff is hard to get a hold of and pricey if you can.

He defied conventions with not only his collections, but the way they were displayed. He found the normal catwalk to be dull and his shows were always theatrical and exciting. One show in 1971, with a programme designed by David Hockney, was according to Suzy Menkes, “the most extraordinary moment in fashion history”. In another moment in fashion history, he, for the first time featured black models in his shows.

Ossie and Celia's long love affair produced some of the most amazing clothes ever, stuff I find particularly inspiring right now, but his hedonistic ways eventually lead to the end of their union. Later it also lead to his tragic murder by a crazed former lover named Diego Cogolato.

It would be a shame however, to let a gruesome and sensationalistic ending overshadow his enormous talent.

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Posted on March 24, 2008

Style Icons: Male »Tim Walker

tim walkerI haven't been so immediately inspired and taken with anything as much as Tim Walker's photographs in ages. It sparked an entirely new project for me, a new website that you'll hear about here as soon as it's up.

I have seen and loved his soft, eclectic, whimsical and very British?images that have captured my attention before: girls flying kites, brightly colored Persian cats, the fashionable version of princess and the pea.. but only recently when a co worker (Terrance, you'll meet him in this week's place to visit below) was hawking I Love Pictures, a Tim Walker book, did I get overwhelmed with the complete body of his exquisite work.

Walker, who is totally adorable, is based in London, (of course) and once assisted the phenomenal Richard Avedon. His photos can be seen in most major fashion magazines.

I am in love love love love!! He's been a lightning bolt of inspiration.

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Posted on March 17, 2008

Style Icons: Male »Chris Burden

chris burdenIn his career as a controversial performance artist Chris Burden has: been shot by an assistant, crucified himself to a Volkswagen, shot at an airplane, stayed in bed in a gallery for twenty two days, dragged himself over shards of glass, was kicked down a flight of stairs, and continually put himself in perilous situations. He rules.

Here's a video.

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Posted on March 10, 2008

Style Icons: Male »Oswald Bruce Cooper

Cooper Black Isn't Cooper Black the finest of fonts? Oswald Bruce Cooper is the man who designed it back in 1921, when it was way popular; it regained fashionability in the seventies.

Cooper wanted to be a famous illustrtator but, according to his biography, learned he was “no good at drawing pictures”. Oops.

Thank goodness for us he found his calling in typography — he also had a knack for copy; he described his undying type face as “Cooper Black: for far-sighted printers with near-sighted customers.”

It's been said to have influenced Goudy Heavyface, but old heavyface has no chance of comparing to the original.

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Posted on March 3, 2008

Style Icons: Male »John Galliano

john galliano christian diorJohn Galliano is nothing if not dramatic and opulent. His latest couture Dior collection has been one of my favorites of the season, very much in tune with his signature style while still expressing something new, exciting and chic. While these jewel-toned creations are over the top and gloriously so, there is a hint of wearableness too. In fact, the pictured dress is my Oscar dress this year. (What's yours? Leave it as a comment..)

Galliano himself is a fascinating little style genius imp with haunting eyes, a pencil thin mustache, and a body sculpted by obsessive exercise. He has launched his own label and once headed Givenchy – his post was a controversial move by Bernard Arnault, who saw something special in Galliano, who was perceived as a rebellious youngster. Later he was put in charge of the Christian Dior line and continues to wow the fashion world from there today.

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Posted on February 25, 2008

Style Icons: Male »Bob Ross

bob rossBob Ross is fondly remembered. Even as I was about to write this a coworker mentioned his soft pleasing voice and the way he could render a happy little mountain within minutes. Running from 1983 til his sad death in 1995, his calm demeanor on his show The Joy of Painting will be remembered by anyone growing up in those decades.

Perhaps that's the most impressive thing about Bob Ross, not the kitsch value of his paintings and afro, but the fact that he had so many children watching his show. Actually watching it, like for fun. I think it was his encouraging attitude, calling mistakes “happy accidents” and his constant reassurance that anyone could paint, that everyone was creative and talented. Maybe it was his kindness to the injured animals he would rescue in his yard.

Whatever it was that kept us mesmerized, I know his tranquil presence is very much missed on the loud, obnoxious TV today. Many people remember where they were when Kurt Cobain died. I also remember being told Bob Ross had passed.

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Posted on February 18, 2008

Style Icons: Male »Stanley Kubrick

stanley kubrickIt's easy to forget that the famed visionary (and bearded recluse) was once just a nerdy little kid from the Bronx who supplemented his income playing chess for quarters in Washington Square Park. He grew up to be a photographer for Look Magazine before getting involved documentary film making, which eventually developed into perhaps the greatest career in the history of cinema.

Kubrick and Brix Picks fave Jim Thompson put together the screenplay that became The Killing in 1956, and it wasn't too long before he found himself caught up in the difficult production of Spartacus. In 1962 he fed up with Hollywood bullshit and he moved to England.

Lolita; Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb; 2001: A Space Odyssey; A Clockwork Orange; Barry Lyndon; The Shining; and Full Metal Jacket followed his departure from the U.S. And, say what you will, I think Eyes Wide Shut is great.

Kubrick may have lived much of his life overseas, but his unique point of view was always informed by his big city background.

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Posted on February 11, 2008