New York definitely slows down during the summer but there's still plenty to do and that's especially true of the art scene this season. There are many outstanding group shows -- from closet-size to institutionally large -- worth trekking in the heat for, as well as once-in-a-lifetime public art installations. Here's a short list of must-see summer spectaculars. (Clockwise from top left: "It's Not Your Fault: Art from Iceland," Chirs Burden, My Barbarian, "Who's Afraid of Jasper Johns?" and "What Comes Naturally")

[Performance] My Barbarian: Post-Paradis, Sorry Again
Thurs, July 3 & Fri, July 4, 7:30 p.m. $10.
The New Musuem, 235 Bowery
www.newmuseum.org

[Group Show] "Who's Afraid of Jasper Johns?"
Conceived by Urs Fischer & Gavin Brown
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, 544 W. 26th St., Through July 12.
www.tonyshafrazigallery.com

[Group Show] "What Comes Naturally"
A show about contemporary flowers curated by Glynnis McDaris
Fake Estate, 526 W. 26th St. #502, Through July 12.
www.fakeestate.us

[Group Show] "It's Not Your Fault: Art from Iceland"
Curated by Markús Thór Andrésson
Luhring Augustine, 531 W. 24th St., Through August 8.
www.luhringaugustine.com

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I am a sunglass junkie. I literally have hundreds of pairs and constantly jones for more. Thank God for SoHo's Silver Lining Opticians as vintage shades are my fave and Silver Lining stocks over 6,000 frames. “We only feature handmade independent brands with unused vintage stock from the second half of the 20th Century,” reports co-owner Jordan M. Silver. I’m getting my fix today.

Silver Lining Optiticans
100 Thompson St.
(212) 274-9191

Fourth of July at Coney Island will probably slightly overwhelming, but those of you staying in the city this three-day weekend, should take advantage of the less-crowded July 5th and 6th to check out CI's new archipelagic additions: Beer Island and Barbeque Island. Beer Island, run by John Ciarcia of nearby favorite Cha Cha's, is a former miniature golf course that's been covered over with sand and transformed into a fake beach. Aside from that fact that an ersatz waterfront right next to a real one is a tad silly, having a place to take a breather from all the hot-dog-gorging and freak-shooting this summer certainly isn't a bad thing. Housed in a wood shack right off Stillwell Avenue, Beer Island has an extensive list of drafts and bottles on its menu, including Coney Island Lagers, UFO Wheat, Rodenberger, Moretti and Blue Moon all for $5. Patrons can order at the window, or grab one of the many tables (the space seats 500) for table service. A built in jukebox, stocked with James Brown and the Rolling Stones is a major one-up on faux beach competitor Water Taxi Beach, which blasts unfortunate house music as soon as the sun sets. Definitely, definitely stop by Barbeque Island next door where Chris McGee of Blue Smoke and Jean Georges and his lovely wife Kate Larson serve up grilled treats including apple brined chicken wings with blue cheese dipping sauce ($5) and spare ribs and brisket (sandwiches are $6, platters $9). There are good ol' hot dogs for $2 and cole slaw and slices of watermelon for $1. Whether you're nursing whiplash from the Cyclone, or taking in Coney Island for last time (again), a trip to the isles Beer and Barbeque is in due order.

Photo from Gowanuslounge.com

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Jeremy Everett, 'Untitled (Porn Mag #2)' from 'there is no there there'

“there is no there there”
there is no there there is hard to nail down. These six multi-media artists focus on intangibility, doing so by contrasting presence and invisibility, conceptual and physical space, mostly by using abstraction and ambiguity. Lauren Luloff deconstructed banners, quilts, crests and flags and reconstructed them in bright paintings that re-tell their folk narratives in a new perspective. The poster piece for the exhibition was created by Jeremy Everett, whose work expresses the dichotomies of human experience: sex and death, beauty and decay, and chance and determination. He does this by making crystallized sculptures of laundry detergent and porno mags, which we think is a pretty intangible idea.

Rivington Arms, 4 E. 2nd St., first floor, (646) 654-3213. Opening reception July 3, 7–9 p.m. Through August 1.

“Will Happiness Find Me?”
This is a colorful exhibition by four young artists, Daphne Arthur, Mary Reid Kelley, Jason Ledet and Juliana Romano. Paintings on canvas, some using multimedia materials, make up the bulk of the exhibition, but you’ll also see a comical video by Mary Reid Kelley. In this piece, the artist recites a poem about a young World War I aviator lamenting rejection by a ballerina named Camel Toe. Somehow, by the end of the video, happiness has found both the aviator and Camel Toe in the form of machines that replace each other.

Marvelli Gallery, 526 W. 26th St., second floor, (212) 627-3363. Opening reception July 3, 6–8 p.m. Through August 8.

"Corpus Kinetics"
This group video exhibition is all about the human bod. Laura Calhoun, Robert O'Connor and Bryan Zanisnik have each developed a narrative that expresses various physical functions and meanings. Calhoun, using the body as a place of religious practice, documents a Brazilian ceremony of choreography and tug-of-war with a rope. O'Connor puts his body in a Christmas decoration and performs various movements, indicating the body as the site where nature and culture conflict. And Zanisnik puts himself in submissive roles to show, among other things, the relationship of fetishization to banality.

Cuchifritos, 120 Essex St. (inside the Essex Street Food Market), (212) 420-9202. Opening reception, July 5, 4–6 p.m. Through July 26.

The mesmerizing, 1985 Paul Schrader film Mishima: A Life In Four Chaptera is finally out on DVD. The film is based on the life of Japan's celebrated novelist and playwright Yukio Mishima (played magnificently by Ken Ogata), who in 1970, with his trained personal army, took hostage of a government official and committed hari-kari. Schrader brilliantly blends Mishima's bizarre final day with aspects from his novels and gives an eloquent and artful rendering of his obsessions and passions. With a glorious score by Philip Glass and stunning cinematography by John Bailey, I forgot how much I loved this movie until I watched it again. Criterion once again did a great job with a host of extras including a BBC documentary The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima, which is extraordinary.

On a separate disc is Patriotism, Mishima's fascinating 1966 29-minute film which he directed and starred in as an officer who is ordered to kill his troops, but decides to take the high road by committing seppuku. He makes love to his wife and then they both commit suicide by the sword. It's weirdly a test run for his actual death and surprisingly gory as it is beautiful. I've only seen bits of this in documentaries so it was a thrill to finally witness the entire strange film.

For his Fall/Winter 2008-2009 haute couture season, Christian Lacroix orchestrated a moving cortège of woodland nymphs and forest fairies.

In a spectacular entrance, Vlada (Christian Lacroix's bride-to-be) opened the spectacle at the Centre Georges Pompidou, donning the panoply of William Shakespeare's "The Phoenix and the Turtledove' -- faille sleeves peeking through a painstakingly embroidered gemstone arabesque teetered atop a playful turtledove crepeline skirt.

Accentuated by Michel Gaubert's brilliant music coordination, Lacroix harmonized all the senses with this expressionistic short paisley ecru dress. Whether it was the vivid Russian motif or the eerily Lonhengrin-esque appeal, Alyona appeared as if she traversed straight out of a Kandinsky painting.

"Petite Aussie" Skye Stracke roused the crowd in a carnival of color accentuated with a giant black taffeta bow appliqué that would even pique the heed of Alexis Mabille! Lacroix's artful atelier painted massive fuchsia carnations on this utterly delightful ruffled satin dress.

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I suppose the best way to start would be to introduce myself. My name is Scout LaRue, I will be 17 in July, I am a Cancer and a Leo and I live in Los Angeles. I love silk dresses, I am addicted to old films and my favorite channel is TCM. Does it ever feel like our modern society lacks class, that certain je ne sais quoi of decades past? In this age of free city sweat pants, neon fanny packs, silly plastic glasses you can’t see out of, I sometimes despair over the lack of elegance in contemporary dressing and behavior. Where are the manners? The decorum? The etiquette for goodness sake!!?!

To find these things all one has to do is turn on an old movie. My goal for this new endeavor of mine is to present a little bit class with some of my own musings about fashion, movie stars (not the type in People magazine), the movies they made and the glamour they left behind.

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Most successful pizza joints have Italian-sounding names: DiFara's, Lombardi's, Domino's. But, then again, most slice havens don't specialize in a creamy artichoke-and-spinach pie that has won East Village newcomer Artichoke a following. It's not that the shop -- a literal storefront that's technically called "Artichoke Basille's Pizza and Brewery" -- is a one-hit wonder, though. It has a perfectly crisped classic recipe that's heaped with tomato sauce, basil, and mozzarella, a new clam-dip-based offering that's just as rich as the namesake concoction, and whatever else the two Jersey cousins feel like cooking up. The Pinkberry-esque line outside (20 people deep on a Tuesday!) is your first sign that the stuff's worth waiting for. The next is the no-nonsense setup: Photos of the Kennedy brothers and Muhammad Ali, pizza boxes and a worn-out chandelier are the only décor to speak of. The pies have a similarly haphazard quality, but the oversized slices ($2-3 each) no doubt deliver, with a crust that is equal parts chew and crunch. For the time being, some of the early non-pizza offerings (think cauliflower fritters) are off the table, but the brewery aspect is expected to launch later this month with 32-ounce beers in Styrofoam to-go cups. And one tip for those not interested in unpredictable hours or crowds: Call ahead to make sure it's open -- or to order a whole pizza ($15-20) and skip the line altogether.

Artichoke
328 E. 14th St.,
(212) 228-2004

Photo from The New York Sun

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Karl Lagerfeld, Stefano Pilati and Lady Bunny

Last night, to celebrate Visionaire's 54 Sport (their first "wearable" publication) and Lacoste's 75th anniversary, a boat-load of fabulous fashion types chugged along the Seine as Lady Bunny, Christophe Lemaire, Spank Rock and the one and only Santogold provided the soundtrack. Here are some photos, snapped by JD Ferguson.

1. Steven Alan's heading Brooklyn-ward and setting up shop on 349 Atlantic Ave. in Boerum Hill, right across from Hollander and Lexer. It's slated to open in late July. As Racked put it (and put it well), "Get ready for a summer of 'dishelved perfection,' south Brooklyn."

2. Apes & Androids, A Place to Bury Strangers, along with "special guests" will be playing the Siren Festival after-party on Jul. 19 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg after the sun goes down.

3. Tonight, High Places are playing a free concert in the Stuyvesant Town Oval at 6 p.m. as part of a new, free concert series, Music on the Oval.

4. Sacha Baron Cohen is set to play Sherlock Holmes and Will Ferrell is to play Watson in a film to be written by Etan Cohen and co-produced by Judd Apatow.

5. On this upcoming Monday, July 7, Ringo Starr "would like everyone -- here, there and everywhere -- at Noon local time wherever they are in the world, to join him in making the peace sign and saying, singing, shouting, whispering, signing, writing or quietly thinking one simply beautiful and universal message: 'Peace & Love.'"

6. It’s sample sale heaven! This three-in-one sale (that ends today) features duds by the likes of Mary Ping (majestic art-school chic), Kendi Ties (neckwear for the lower east side indie boy in all of us) and Correll (German artsy-wear) at 40-80 percent off. Score! Dispatch, 127 Henry St. (212) 227-2783. 1-8 p.m.

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Viktor and Rolf

Dramatic details have always been the norm for Dutch designing duo Viktor & Rolf. Their flair for theatrical couture has earned them a cult following, celebrity fans and a top selling fragrance, Flower Bomb. Now add a prestigious museum retrospective to their growing list of honors. London's Barbican Museum has debuted an in depth exhibit of Viktor & Rolf couture, displaying signature pieces from 1992 through the present. The clothes were selected from Viktor & Rolf's most imaginative collections including Atomic Bomb (1998–99), Russian Doll (1999-2000) and Bells (2000-2001). The layout of the exhibit is as exquisite and multi-layered as the clothes themselves. Visitors are treated to a multi-level show which incorporates video, audio, light and life-sized dolls to tell the story of Viktor & Rolf. In the center of it all is a miniature reproduction of the entire exhibit which is displayed in a towering doll house. London's fashion crowd, including writers like Tim Blanks, and celebs like Kelly Osbourne and Mischa Barton packed into the Barbican earlier this month to get a sneak peak at the exhibit before it opens to the public. The exhibit is currently open and will be on display until September 21st.

Photos by Paul Glickman

I dream about living off the grid, just like the fun, crime-loving gypsy family on The Riches. Screw the IRS, AT&T and AOL! LA fashion designer Jesse Kamm and her boyfriend Luke are slipping under the radar and building a fully eco-fabulous house on an island off Panama. How chic! “There are crocodiles, boa constrictors, blue morpho butterflies, panthers and no Walmart,” Kamm told me. “Your mind becomes free to create without the noise of traffic and cell phones.”

More homicidal hair is to be found in the DVD release of The Wig, a South Korean chiller about a woman who buys her cancer-stricken sister a wig, which is unfortunately haunted as hell. (Originally this was titled Scary Hair, which is hilarious). But what is it with J-Horror and it’s fear of girls with long black tresses?

Directed by Won Sin-Yeon, who calls it, "a rather sad horror film [about] hair that remembers the past," the film looks sensational -- great art direction and carefully constructed mood. Unfortunately it’s a painfully familiar story. But, there are some genuinely creepy moments -- one where the terminally ill woman scratches her bald head bloody. The big mystery revealed in the third act pleasantly surprised me by it’s kinky nature. It’s not half as good as Hair Extensions (Exte), but on a bad hair day and a few dozen drinks under your belt it will do just fine. Great DVD cover art too!

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"Unleashing the content" is a big catch phrase used around PAPERMAG HQ these days. With that in mind, we are pleased, delighted and thrilled to inform you that we'll be bringing Alexander Thompson's fierce New York Nightlife shots (plus outtakes and a little write-up) from PAPER magazine's much-ogled-at front-of-the-book Cultural Sushi section to the world wide web, in the form of a regular blog, "Up in Da Club with Alexander Thompson." Without further ado, here are scenes from a recent M.I.A. after-party at Studio B.

Everyone's favorite superstar M.I.A. recently played a sweaty Friday night show at McCarren Park Pool. Blonde press darling Oxy Cottontail hosted the after-party, which brought loads of Williamsburg hipster types to Studio B. The place was packed with M.I.A. wannabees... both male & female! Studio B is like a flashback to the '80s -- a small euro dance club that is always savvy with its great, semi-famous yet underground DJs and bands. Some of these kids can't stop dressing like extras in a Visage video. American Apparel must be making loads of dough!

I didn't even know who Clay Felker was when I started reading New York Magazine as a high school teenager -- and I didn't even know about New York Magazine until my fabulous (and much older) theater friend and mentor of overall fabulousness and sophistication, Sandra Garland Bull, introduced me to it, and simultaneously, to New York City itself. We couldn't go to New York (from New Hampshire) without New York, Sandy told me, even if we had to drive to two towns over to find it.

The entire time we walked the streets of Soho, the West Village and the theater district, all new to me, Sandy (who grew up in neighboring Darien, CT and knew the city well) carried with her a current copy of New York rolled up in her hand like a must-have accessory. And despite the magazine's increasingly white, monied and semi-precious tone over the years, I've had a subscription ever since -- delivered to addresses in several different states and even more zip codes.

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I guess not only what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas... When in LA, what happens at The Abby stays at The Abby!!! For those of you who live on Mars, The Abby is the most popular gay bar in, apparently, the world, and I have been there a few times, generating by the way, my usual and very unoriginal snarky mention on Jossip and Gawker -- like it or they matter. It's a fun bar with a mixed crowd, a lot of industry folks, and sometimes it smells kinda funny, but it is always jam packed with very entertaining people.

That other night, I was not planning to go out at all, I swear. I was planning to have a bite at home and catch up on my TiVO and go to sleep before 4 a.m. when my cell vibrated and Traver Raines, of Heatherette, my favorite fashion spectacular of Fashion Week, convinced me that staying home when one can go out with friends is a crime against humanity. between you and me, I would have gone out for a lot less, but anyway, I dropped the remote and met him and his posse.

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1. Brit it model Agyness Deyn is DJing this Thursday night at the Plumm. Keep your eyes peeled for new beau Albert Hammond Jr...

2. Finally, an Iron-Chef-like experience for vegetarians! On July 22, Eric Battes, Wylie Dufresne, Edward Higgins and Akinobu Suzui are putting "their tofu technique to the test" at the Tofu Around The World Cook-Off, from 3-5 p.m. at the Astor Center.

3. In sad news, we just learned that Johnny Schou, the bassist for punk rock band Tickle Me Pink, was found dead this morning at his home in Colorado. According to a press release, "The quartet from Fort Collins was to celebrate the release of their debut album with an in-store appearance in Denver today. Further information regarding the band's plans, and dates that have been previously announced, will be forthcoming in due time. Johnny Schou was 22 years-old."

4. The Metropolitan Museum of Art released a statement today regarding 15th Century Andrea della Robbia glazed terra-cotta relief, which fell from the wall early this morning, suffering some damage. "Museum curators and conservators are at work this morning fully assessing the situation, trying to determine the cause of the accident, and considering the next steps."

5. Eater is reporting that downtown restaurateur Keith McNally is looking to open up an eater in the old Adams Restaurant Supply Store at 282 Bowery (a few steps south of Houston).

6. What are you doing reading this! Go to Bergdorfs, Barneys and Saks, where we hear everything is 70 percent off!

I’m a total gay, but sometimes a red-hot socialite makes me want to say bi-bi to my homo ways. Here are ten sizzling social beauties I’d go straight for:
1. Eleanor Ylvisaker (beautiful and nice)
2. Charlotte Ronson (then I could try and “get with” her brother Mark)
3. Dani Stahl (the most fun girl in NYC)
4. Tinsley Mortimer (sure, she’s my sister-in-law, but we aren’t blood relatives so…)
5. Rachel Roy (don’t be mad at me Damon, but I’m in lust with your wife)
6. Tory Burch (I’d even wear her sandals in public for a smooch)
7. Lauren Remington Platt (the newest beauty on the block)
8. Ali Wise (sexy as all hell)
9. Leven Rambin (she did just turn 18 so it’s legal!)
10. Ferebee Taube (throw her hot husband Brook in there for added fun)

Pictured above, from left to right, Eleanor Ylvisaker, Lauren Remington Platt and Ferebee Taube

Thrilling news: There's a new Coffin Joe film called Embodiment of Evil in the works! Directed and starring Jose Mojica Marins, the Brazilian cult legend whose Coffin Joe films in the late 1960s were massive hits, is back with what looks like another sick classic. Marins was born in Sao Paulo on March 13th, 1929 and got his first camera at age 12. Two incidents in his youth altered him -- at a funeral he attended, a corpse rose from the coffin (the man had catalepsy), and once when he was walking through a graveyard ghostly shapes rose from the graves and badly frightened him (a phenomenon known as "will-of-the-wisp") -- as well as a nightmare in which Marins saw himself dragged into an open grave by a man dressed in black. This triggered his creation of the evil character "Ze do Caixao" (Coffin Joe) and he later used (and starred) as this figure in a cape, top hat and elongated nails in At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1963) and in the sequel This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse (1967). Coffin Joe is an evil town bully who is searching for the ultimate woman to sire his child. He puts several gals through hideous tests -- like having spiders crawl across them while they sleep or tossed into a pit of snakes -- to see if they measure up. Most fail the test and die but their bodies rise up on the Day of the Dead for revenge.

Crudely filmed in black and white they were (and still are) remarkably potent shockers -- filled with blasphemous anti-Catholic rantings, nudity, sex and sadism. They were instant smash hits and made Coffin Joe a cult figure like Freddie Krueger of Nightmare on Elm Street. Marins went on to make scores of other disturbing films and one of my fondest memories was having my picture taken (by Peter Clark) with "Coffin Joe" as he was menacing my head with his creepy elongated nails on a trip he made to New York in the 1990s. But I had no idea he was going to resurrect the Coffin Joe franchise and now I can't wait to see the film!

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Alexander McQueen (Style.com)

Here's the third installment of Mack Dugan's Resort Retort series...!

The body, ladies and gentlemen, is back. There is no hiding those belly button piercing scars any longer, crop tops and bras resurface once again, thank god. C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" sounds about right here.

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Shiny happy people: the scene at Beatrice

The other night, Rock & Republic threw a Midsummer Celebration at the Beatrice Inn. Radar Entertainment's PR superstar Aaron Stern once again brought out the best of the best in downtown bold-faced names to our dear ol' Bea. In attendance were It-girls Kate Brien and Hallie Meyers-Shyer, Hedi Ferjani, Claire Distenfeld, a model named Friday, Mens Vogue's Hud Morgan, Sean Ramsay, Defamer’s Molly Friedman, model Amanda Shine, Alexa Greenstadt and Jared Seligman. I of course planted myself right in the center of attention and had the time of my life running upstairs and down for "another West 12th."

Afterward, Alexa, Amanda and I sojourned to the Lower East Side to Antik for a deliciously downtown-underground party where we saw the likes of photographer Lizzy Fraser (the ghost of Edie Sedgwick?) and her boyfriend Miles Moriarty, James Cruishank, Emmett Shine, downtown It-brothers Jonathan "Famous" and E.B. Sollis, Nina Landay Stuart and gorgeous It-girl/model/muse Annabelle Dexter-Jones. Apparently, if you haven't heard, the L.E.S. is where it's at these days...

Vantage Point, a goofy yet enjoyable Rashamon-study of the assassination attempt on the United States President (William Hurt) at a peace convention in Spain, is out this week on DVD. We see the scene of the crime (at a town square) repeated from several different perspectives -- from Dennis Quaid, as a secret service agent who once took a bullet for the president; from Forrest Whitaker, playing a tourist with a video camera taping the incident; from Sigourney Weaver, as a TV producer; and a host of others, as the scenario repeats itself endlessly until it begins to come into focus. As the lens clears you see double-dealings, dummy presidents, wily terrorists, not to mention a little girl with an ice cream cone who figures into the nonsense. When it finally gets to a harebrained car chase around the city between Dennis Quaid and a rouge cop, all reason has been thrown to the wind. Director Pete Travis’s film has an annoying Groundhog Day repetition in the beginning, but eventually one kind of gets into all the crackpot coincidences and preposterous plot twists.

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Chris Benz (Style.com)

Here's the second installment of Mack Dugan's Resort Retort series...!

Chris Benz makes it all seem so easy, even though it's not, and Marc Jacobs' awkward take on it is the perfect oddness for right now. Crazy color blocking is amazing, but leave the face au natural and leave the it bag at home, there ain't no room for competition when you play with these hues from hell.

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Hair (Joan Marcus)

KICKING A DEAD HORSE

This might be the summer’s hottest ticket. Kicking a Dead Horse is a new one-act play, written and directed by the American master, Sam Shepard, starring film favorite Stephen Rea as a city-dwelling art dealer who goes on a vacation to a remote and dangerous part of the American West. As the play begins, his horse dies, and he’s forced to deal with the unfortunate turn of events. Aside from Rea, the play features a woman in a small, non-speaking role. But for the most part, we see this great Irish actor as he's considering his situation and his life.

The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., (212) 967-7555. Previews June 25, opens July 14–Aug. 10.

SOME AMERICANS ABROAD

This new comedy by Richard Nelson, directed by Gordon Edelstein, is about a group of party-hearty American college students and their pretentious professors who take a literary tour of England, where learning comes in second to hi-jinks and laughs. The fine cast includes Anthony Rapp (Rent) and the glowing newcomer, Halley Feiffer.

Second Stage Theatre, 307 W. 43rd St., (212) 246-4422. Previews Jun. 26, opens July 15–Aug. 3.

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Danger

And again, it's another French DJ who is steadily infiltrating the New York club scene. But there's something different about this one. Part musician, part illustrator, part human, part fictional character, Danger has revised his role as a DJ in a way that separates himself from the whole post-French Touch legacy.

With a non-generic sound, it's definitely raising a few brows since no one knows what genre Danger is coming from. My best attempt to explain his music: it's as if he tapped into the archives of cult video games of the '80s but with an updated beat.

Not even the Internet, where his career began (his label, Ekler'O'Shock, signed him three weeks after he launched his MySpace music page), offers much. His website is under construction; Ekler'O'Shock only promotes the tracks off his first EP, 09/14/ 2007; and his MySpace is cluttered with twitching house made graphics. Even in person, Danger is ninja-d out in a bug-eyed knit mask and long-sleeved gloves (attributed to his shyness).

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If the truth sets us free than Leslie Jordan has earned a "Get Out Of Jail" card valid for life.

His newly released memoir My Trip Down the Pink Carpet (Simon and Schuster), Jordan hilariously recounts the award- winning actor’s battle with sex, drug and alcohol addiction and overcoming his own homophobia in the face of a devout Southern Baptist upbringing. In telling his story, Jordan waxes poetic of working on a Japanese sake commercial with Boy George, to living across the street form Luke Perry pre-90210 and helping him rearrange his living room furniture (“Leslie, if this was your living room, what would you do?" “Kill myself,” answered Jordan), and recalls sharing a cell in the big house with Robert Downey Jr. Downey top Jordan bottom… bunk that is.

“There’s nothing the tabloids can come after me with that I haven’t already said myself," says Jordan of his tell-all.

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Cable jewelry from the home decor box

Visionary design label BLESS has set up a temporary home at Ludlow 38 on the Lower East Side. For three weeks, the gallery space will feature an assortment of BLESS’s high-quality, limited-edition fashion and lifestyle products from the past 11 years. Based in Paris and Berlin, the internationally-acclaimed brand has installed 19 pop-up shops around the globe, but this marks their first for North America.

Like all things BLESS, the exhibition is conceptually-driven and uniquely designed. A mix of objects from among their 35 collections is showcased in six different customized display cases. Each box of items has its own theme, ranging from a fairly straightforward home décor kit to a cheeky clothing arrangement that’s inspired by the elegant yet aloof female. A display box dedicated to women’s accessories includes the Hairbrush (one of their first pieces; 1999), the Button Pin Set (collection 18; 2002), the white Football Bag (collection 20; 2003), the 4-zipper Purse (collection 27; 2005), and Make-Up Pictures from the 2003 BLESS Beauty Products Line. The home starter kit display has everything you need to nest fashionably: we love the Cable Jewelry (electronic cables that have been transformed from unsightly appendixes to stylish domestic décor; from collection 26) and the Couple Bedsheets (a set of white bed sheets printed with the super-realistic image of a man and woman sleeping side by side; from collection 12). We could do without the Coyote-fur hammock (collection 28), but the rest of the display is pretty nifty. While there are no price tags to be found, each box is to be sold as a whole.

BLESS founders Desire Heiss and Ines Kaag are known for recycling everyday objects and using atypical materials to create products that are both functional and intriguing, and their pop-up shops are an extension of these designs. The BLESS displays were built into Ludlow 38 to coincide with the structure and existing materials within the gallery. To see one of fashion’s most innovative and provocative duos, swing by before July 13th for their stateside debut.

BLESS Shop #20 NYC
Ludlow 38
38 Ludlow Street
(212) 228-6848

Have you, like us, been wondering where Shandi Sullivan from season two of America’s Next Top Model, has been hiding out? Well last week while visiting the new De Berardinis Salon in Chelsea I was surprised to see that our long-blond-haired beauty is now sporting a short black do and pouring Prosecco for the well-coifed customers. Not to worry though, it seems she's still modeling -- she can also be seen photographed at the entrance. The salon itself is bright white with a hint of '70s glam -- think gold wall decor and crystal chandeliers -– designed by the salon’s owner and master stylist Adrian De Berardinis.

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WWD reports today that Samantha Fennell, Elle's associate publisher, who got her start selling ads at PAPER in the early '90s, has given her notice and that she's going off to work for the Obama campaign. Samantha is gorgeous and means business!!!! Does this mean she's the new Condi Rice?

Photograph of Samantha, flanked by PAPER's David Hershkovits and Hunter Hill, by Caroline Torem-Craig

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson opens this week, and you really should see it. It's a wildly entertaining, richly detailed documentary on the late great “Gonzo” journalist Hunter S. Thompson, whose drug-addled, fearlessly original, journalistic pieces for Rolling Stone eventually became a curse that confounded his writing when the persona he created overwhelmed his life. The drugs, drinking, gun excesses make for outrageous stories, but it’s Thompson on the road covering McGovern’s run for president and reporting on Jimmy Carter’s heartfelt, jaw-dropping speech in front of a room full of lawyers that show his passionate political side, and how his deep disillusionment with politics cut him down. Director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side) is the perfect voice to channel Thompson’s rage and fascinating, schizophrenic personality traits which sadly (and unavoidably) ended in his gun-to-the-head suicide. It makes one wonder, during these politically perilous times, where is “Gonzo” journalism when you need it most?

MONDAY, JUN. 23
Boy George shared his thoughts on being denied a visa and a new song for Obama.

Mermaids worked their looks on Coney Island.

TUESDAY, JUN. 24
Viktor & Rolf went virtual.

assume vivid astro focus and Shoplifter get psychedelic and hairy at the MoMA.

WEDNESDAY, JUN. 25
A resort retort on fitted suits.

A marriage of rock ‘n’ roll and pizza gets you The Pizza Shop.

THURSDAY, JUN. 26
India is not just for outsourcing tech-support anymore.

PAPERMAG chatted with Mansion’s Mark Baker.

FRIDAY JUN. 27
Bonnaroo is for dresses, porta-potties and the quest for a name.

Jim Shi resigned!

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In case this blogging thing doesn't work out, Mr. Mickey just found out he has a career to fall back on. The cuties at Barneys asked MM to jump out of a cake at the going-away party for Barneys NY CEO Howard Socol. MM j'adores and j'aimes Howard and his wife Sharon beaucoup so it was a pleasure. Check out the pictures. MM emerged to the strains of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey and said, "God I'll do ANYthing for a $50 gift card!"

Photos by Drew Elliott

This weekend, if you are around, make sure to check out the TV Books show at Partners & Spade. Tim Barber, a NYC cutie with piercing blue eyes and the guy behind Tiny Vices, an online photo journal, has been mining the precious photographic gems by young talents for a while now. TV Books is his new web-based venture where he selects and sells very groovy books, zines, posters and multiples. This particular exhibition will showcase books and art works by Aurel Schmidt, Gordon Hull, Michael Schmelling and ten others including Tim. It's a two-day affair -- on Saturday and Sunday. Go support your friends, buy local and be inspired.

Partners & Spade, 40 Great Jones St. (btw Bowery & Lafayette), June 28, Sat. - June 29, Sun., 12 - 8 p.m.

1. This Sophia Lamar Will Kill You T-Shirt (available at Patricia Field) has been making us smile all day. Perfect to wear to Cuckoo Club this Sunday night after the Gay Pride Parade!

2. Catch Jena Malone’s band The Shoe, alongside Aa, Stars Like Fleas, Fiasco and about a billion other bands at Todd P’s annual, epic summer Unamplified Acoustic BBQ on the tip of Roosevelt Island. The Shoe goes on at 5:15 and according to Todd P's site, "WARNING--> the ruins of the Renwick Smallpox Hospital "castle" are falling down. There was a substantial collapse a few months ago. Do not enter the ruin! You'll get a ticket if you do!"

3. Apparently, Alex Dexter-Jones, who's been fairly out and about these days, and is the newest of the Dexter-Jones/Ronson empire to make a go at it in the music biz, postponed his trip to Italy so he could DJ Noel Ashman's bday party last night at The Plumm.

4. powerHouse is having a summer sale! (powerHouse Books, 37 Main St., DUMBO, Brooklyn, (718) 666-3049)

5. South Pacific karaoke –- just cuz!

Last night rock star Michael Stipe had a show of his sculpture at the Rogan store on Bowery. The full title of the evening was Rogan v Stipe and it was a hot hootenanny! We loved the sculpture and Michael let us take a little radio shaped box he'd made! It was a super cute crowd including the rock, fashion and hipster worlds. Chris Martin, Mike D, Barneys Julie Gilhart, Terrence Koh, Jack Pierson, Andrew Saffir & Daniel Benedict, Sean McPherson......

Sorry MM's camera burnt out after only one shot! That's professionalism. Michael Stipe is pictured above with Jack Pierson.

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I came across this picture and it seems to have filled a void in my summer look...check out the red socks! It's an amazing look. (nytimes.com)

Another weekend in the country? If you're heading to the Hamptons (or some other place where everyone you know, and everyone who knows you goes) then you still have to look fresh. So, while you're drinking out of a solo cup and side-stepping to "Sussudio" at any one of your friends' backyard BBQs, just remember to look sharp and you'll surely be the toast of the party.

Amish hats! Haori pants! Hakamas! Inside-out jackets! Pants under shorts under skirts! OMG!!

Today Rei Kawakubo presented the most buzzed-about collection thusfar during Paris Men's Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009. Truly a pièce de résistance, Rei proffered a virtually Victorian opus heavily inspired by Japanese tradition with a certain Scottish flair (namely incarnated as skirts)!

An exquisite palette, wicked proportions, sophisticated styling and layering madder than a (Colonial) hatter were set off by an absolutely genius casting. The models' doleful dispositions perfectly suited the esoteric summer 2009 Comme des Garçons collection.

Yet when all the moody elegance emerged together it yielded a rather lighthearted, candidly comical effect. Scintillating!

This week's SOW is really getting us pumped up for the weekend. "Let Me See You," off of Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis)'s stellar new mash-up-tacular album Feed the Animals, features quite the climax: M.I.A's "Boys" leading into the Cranberries's "Dreams." You have to hear it to believe it.

"Let Me See You" - Girl Talk

I'm shocked! My onetime co-worker, fashion news editor of The Daily/fashionweekdaily.com, Jim Shi, has suddenly resigned. A relentlessly omnipresent figure in the fashion world, Shi was a master at getting scoops, often ruffling the feathers of the fashion flock. Shi has told friends that he needed a vacation. With Shi gone, who will report all that overheard gossip in the front row?