La Vie En Rose

The Last Rebel: Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper

It was inevitable. Death always is, especially when it's hastened by cancer. Still, I am stopped in my tracks at the news that Dennis Hopper's body and mind finally gave out this morning in his Venice home. Perhaps, it's best. No one should live through such pain.

Like so many fellow writers probably rushing right now to post interviews they had with the giant, I'm sharing my own. We talked several times over the years, since, in healthier times, Mr. Hopper was a fixture on the art-fashion scene in L.A. When Hugh Hefner hosted a screening of the "The Last Movie" at the Playboy Mansion in May 2005, it couldn't have been a better birthday present, even if it was a week or so after my 37th. I also really liked the 1971 picture, which many consider the beginning of the end in the auteur's career. I think, like so many else in his life, he was simply head of his time. Crazy, too. But crazy can be good. Crazy moves us forward.

Dennis Hopper in "The Last Movie"

I finally had the opportunity to spend a full hour one-on-one with him in late March 2006 for the opening of grand survey opening that weekend. When he asked to sign one of the oversized posters sitting on the front counter, a repro of the Andy Warhol photograph he shot in 1963. The image reminded me of an old crush, oddly enough, and I always liked it. To Mr. Hopper's offer, I wasn't about to decline. It would be rude. And why the hell not? I'm not one to get my ya-ya's from signed anything. But this was Dennis Hopper.

Andy Warhol by Dennis Hopper, 1963

My story, "Sign Language," ran in the April 4, 2006 issue of WWD.

LOS ANGELES - For Dennis Hopper, seeing his photographs of his artist pals finally realized as billboard-sized paintings (at 14 by 22 feet) is no small miracle. "And right here along Miracle Mile," he laughs, referring to the landmark neighborhood and home to the cavernous Ace Gallery, which is showcasing an exhibition of his work now through July 1.

At last Thursday's opening, four days after the season wrap for his NBC series "E-Ring," Hopper held court among 1,000-plus guests, including co-star Benjamin Bratt, Ed Ruscha, Lauren Hutton, Anjelica Huston and Robert Graham, Radha Mitchell, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen, Kelly Lynch and Mitch Glazer.

Ever the embodiment of West Coast cool - even though he was born 70 years ago in Dodge City, Kan. - Hopper took time out to riff on the L.A. art scene and his own vast collection.

WWD: This latest retrospective follows the 2001 shows at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and later that year at the MAK in Vienna. How does this survey differ?

Dennis Hopper: Amsterdam was a much bigger show, much more complicated. I could've covered a lot of other subject matter here - Japan, the musicians I knew, my house at 1712 Crescent Heights. There are none of my light boxes here. I wanted to keep it simple. I never focused on the artist before, so I decided to show everyone I knew - Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns.

WWD: It's quite a historical album of artists, gallery owners and actors, mostly photographed before they became famous.

D.H.: I wanted to do something connected to the Centre Pompidou show in Paris [now on, it's called "Los Angeles 1955-1985"] here in Los Angeles. These are really the players who made it an art capital. It was really an underground group of us who were persistent enough not to give up.

WWD: Did you find yourself trying to convince the rest of the world there was art in Los Angeles?

D.H.: Of course. I've been saying it for years. That's why it was incredible for the Pompidou to recognize it. But so many artists and art magazines, like ArtForum, abandoned us for New York when they became famous. Ed Ruscha stuck it out.

WWD: Will you get back to your studio [converted from an old movie house] in Taos to paint?

D.H.: Right now I'm doing a lot of digital work at home [in Venice, Calif.]. I've got a big Epson printer and I'm just cranking it out. I feel like I'm painting with light. It's like...magic. They really look like paintings.

WWD: You were such a gallery urchin. Do you still frequent them?

D.H.: I show at Bergamot Station [a complex of several galleries in Santa Monica], so I go over there a bit. Otherwise, I'm sort of out of what's happening in Los Angeles right now. Strangely, I know more about what's going on in New York. Friends like Julian Schnabel and Jeff Koons are connected to the younger artists, more generous with their time with them - more than the guys I know out here, like Ed Ruscha and Ed Moses. Maybe I shouldn't say that [he laughs].

WWD: You've called yourself a compulsive collector. Are you still?

D.H.: I don't store anything but my own work. The last thing I bought was a John Valadez pastel a few months ago. But I won't sell my stuff I collect, so I don't have the wall space anymore. And I have big walls.

WWD: With this third survey, are you sensing your place in art history?

D.H.: I'm not saying I've got a "Mona Lisa." But I feel there are images like the one of Warhol with the flower, certain images that will go on in time. I tend to concentrate on those, the images I feel strongly about.

Seeing You In Another Life

The Second Coming of Shawn Stussy

In some ways, having the store has been like Facebook: It's provided a forum to reunite with folks we haven't seen in ages.
That happened Thursday more than a few times. It was one of those rare days of late that I managed to spend at A+R in Venice all day, thanks in large part to a pile of newly arrived products from Denmark, UK and France.

As we were installing the "Woody" bookshelf from Danish maker Hay, gallerist Honor Fraser came in with visiting friend, Rita Konig, an interior designer based in New York, whose blog for T Magazine we follow (though I didn't realize it was her until later). Honor used to house her gallery in a tiny shack just a block up on Abbot Kinney, but has since taken over an amazing space on La Cienega in Culver City. It has since become a jewel in the Arts District there, and consistently showcases some of the best shows.

Hours later, as I locked the front door, I spotted another familiar face, although this blast from the past could be measured in light years. There he was, peering into the window of the gorgeous new Kendall Conrad boutique, in the shop we long occupied until relocating last month to the adjacent space. I walked from his left to his right when it hit me. Instead of blurting out his name, I came out and asked what it was: "Shawn Stussy," he replied.

I announced myself and the reunion got underway.
It's been a dozen years since we last talked: I knew Shawn had left his namesake surf and streetwear biz to raise his family, continue his creative ventures and surf like mad in Hawaii and Montecito, where he now lives. I worked for his sister, designer Holly Sharp, when I was barely out of my teens and in college (it was a crash course in the fashion industry and p.r.), and when we run into one another every other blue moon, I get the update.

Shawn and I met (as he would go on to fill in the young French surfer kid who works with him and accompanied him on this L.A. trip) when he granted an interview for the business section of The Los Angeles Times back in 1992.
It was a first for both of us, sort of: Nearly seven years after he'd screened his first T-shirts and launched what would become a legendary line, Shawn was reluctant to speak to the mainstream press, as most were in the action sports industry during those nascent years; I was 24 and just getting my first chunky assignments for that section. The 2,000-plus feature ran on the front page.
I started the feature with Miles Siggins, at the time 27 and the London distributor for the OC company, and whom I met only a couple months before during my first solo trip to London (no family, and I hadn't even married a Brit yet).
Funnily, we've reconnected here in L.A., where Miles now lives, married with children, and works as one of the key stylists in Hollywood and music.

It's certainly another lifetime now for all of us. I'm a retailer (although, I suppose, I'm still unable to get the ink fully out of my veins!).
And just in the last weeks, Shawn has gone back into fashion by launching a S Double, a capsule collection of men's basics, plus a blog and gallery. it's a clever spin on the name he no longer owns, and lends itself to the insider sensibility of this project.
What you see of S Double online right now shows it's all in the very early stages. The capsule collection will expand for fall, he promised, including the cool striped shirt he was wearing which I was coveting for Andy (and maybe myself). He's aiming to have it all produced in North America going forward, too. After all, he figures, if he can keep an eye on the manufacturing process here, maybe even engage a few old school producers of shoes and shirts, then why not?

From the font he designed to his personal wardrobe, Shawn has always epitomized a cool, globally-informed California style. So I was only too pleased to hear his enthusiasm over my new adventure in design and retail.

Looking forward to see what this new life brings.

Photo Courtesy: S Double

Be Right Back...

Not even time to get dressed up these days!

So much to share! But am neck deep in a project that wraps up today. Postings begin again this weekend, so please return...much to tell you from recent adventures in Brooklyn, Paris, nearby Atwater Village...and beyond! xR

SHFT in Downtown

SHFT founders Lauren Gropper, Adrien Griener and Peter Glatzer

As hopeful as we can be that the catastrophe down in the Gulf of Mexico will change the way the world or, at least, Americans will think about fossil fuel use, that's very likely not going to happen.
Change doesn't happen because of the spectacular grand gesture, despite how history is later written. It's generally the result of immeasurable, countless ripples, one act connected to the next and the next after that, until one day we realize the course has shifted.
Actor Adrien Griener, film producer Peter Glatzer and sustainable designer Lauren Gropper are calling attention to those ripples in a multi-media platform they founded this year called SHFT. Through videos, installations and other exercises, the collective aims to "curate the culture of today's environment" and by doing so underscore that "sustainability" and "environmentalism" is already a growing and integral thread in our lives.

A first gesture began this weekend with the SHFT Gallery and Pop-Up Shop in the downtown L.A. arts district, timed to the launch of the SHFT.com. an attractive site featuring news, the video series SHFT is producing with its musician pals and a shop selling all things green (it's reminiscent of the store Adrian did a couple of years ago with Wired Magazine in New York and online, and that featured several A+R products at that time).
At the downtown SHFT space, photographer Tierney Gearon, "Not a Cornfield" artist Lauren Bon and visual designer Ramon Coronado are among the artists featuring their works, some with applicable uses.

Klean Kanteen by Studio One benefits water.org

Designer and Venice local Edie Kahula Pereira curated a wide swath of products, from the BPA-free Foodpod to the Klean Kanteen, a collaborative water can made by SHFT and Shepard Fairey's Studio One. Edie obviously took great pains to corral products that are as relevant to daily use as they are sustainable and great looking.

Among them is the Wasara tableware collection she borrowed from A+R, a line of plates and cups made from sugar cane fiber, bamboo and reed pulp (tree free!) in responsibly certified factories in China. It's always best to avoid using disposable anything, of course, but if the need is there, it's always better to make a responsible choice. Every little act counts.

Tree-free "paper" plates from Wasara Japan

The SHFT Gallery and Pop-Up Shop is at The Continental, 408 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles. Open through May 27.

Social Studies with Derek Blasberg

Lisa Eisner and China Chow bookend "Classy" author Derek Blasberg

Having class isn't about kicking up a pair of Louboutins or lunching at the Ivy. It's about the basics: Giving respect, being gracious, even not taking yourself so seriously.
Man-About-Town Derek Blasberg exemplifies all this and more in his freshman effort, Classy: Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady, a collection of insight, anecdotes, tips and tsk-tsks culled from his adventures as intrepid editor-at-large for Style.com and senior fashion news and special projects editor for V. He's also my neighbor in this month's Harper's Bazaar: My feature on a nude Kim Kardashian, Joy Bryant and Amanda deCadanet precedes his on the life transforming brain tumor endured by actress-designer Tara Subkoff.
Darling Derek swooped into L.A. recently for a launch party hosted by Style.com's Dirk Standen along with starlets Kate Bosworth, Nicole Richie and Margherita Missoni at her family's new flagship on Rodeo Drive.

La Vie En Rose: You've written an entire book on what it is to be classy, but for the ADD friends out there, how do you define the term in a sound bite?
Derek Blasberg: The book is a collection of humorous essays and illustrations aimed at telling the difference between a lady and a tramp. Judging by the women we're putting on a pedestal lately, determining this might be harder thank you think. In the book, I cover everything in a young woman's life--from what to wear, how to sit, how to host a party, how to travel...even dating tips. I also explain how to tell the difference between a lady and a tramp. But what I think is most important is the entirely modern obstacles facing a young woman--namely, how technology means girls are becoming trampier, easier, be it by sexting, attending to a Blackberry instead of to dinner companions, sending nude pics to the cute boy online...It's dangerous out there!

LVER: Unlike previous etiquette gurus, you seem to be serving up your wisdom with a bit of tongue in chic.
DB: I like to think I have an insider perspective on all sorts of ladies and tramps. I grew up in Missouri with a core set of Midwestern values and then moved to New York, where I quickly found myself in a much faster scene. I've worked in fashion and entertainment for a decade now, and I'd like think I have a good sense of humor. So the book hopefully comes off as the sound advice a good friend would give you.

LVER: I find those who can't let go of their texting devices at dinner very unclassy. Which one among the social sins do you most tsk-tsk?
DB: That's a long list! But being on the phone through dinner definitely tops the list. Essential dinner manners are too rare. A few tips: The dinner fork is on the left and keep those elbows off the table, for heaven's sake! Common mistakes include divulging too much about yourself online; posting photographs that will come back to haunt; confusing sexy and slutty in your wardrobe...Honey, there are a lot of missteps out there!

LVER: Indeed. What do you find is among the classiest of qualities?
DB: Common sense, sense of awareness and a sense of humor. All the senses, in fact!

LVER: You've now been promoting the book with a swirl of parties in several cities. Is there something you've come across you would put in the next edition of this guide?
DB: Luckily, I haven't found anything I've left out...yet.

Classy is available at Amazon and bookstores near you.

Photos Courtesy of Starworks

Smells Like Summer

At The Beach 1966 by Christopher Brosius

Chandler Burr, he of the almighty schnoz who reports on fragrance so articulately for The New York Times, offers his top six juices evoking summer.
While we are not about to dispute the man's sense of scents, we do wonder how he overlooked "At the Beach 1966" by Christopher Brosius, particularly given the venerable critic's affection for what this perfumer out of Brooklyn is doing with scent.
On 1966, Christopher says: "The prime note in this scent is Coppertone 1967 (sic) blended with a new accord I created especially for this perfume – North Atlantic. The base of the scent contains a bit of Wet Sand, Seashell, Driftwood and just a hint of Boardwalk. The effect when you wear At The Beach 1966 is as if you've been swimming all day in the ocean."

Hundreds of A+R friends can't be wrong: It's our best seller from CB's "I Hate Perfume" collection we carry in store, both among locals and tourists. We are, after all, only a couple of blocks from the Venice boardwalk.

As for Chandler's latest picks, which he spells out in today's T posting:

1. Hermès’ Un Jardin en Mediterranee

2. James Heeley’s Sel Marin

3. Miller Harris’ Fleurs de Sel

4. Bobbi Brown’s Beach

5. Coppertone (yes, the sun protection)

6. The Different Company’s Sel de Vetiver

Chandler Burr's Six for the Summer of 2010

White Noise: Joey Roth's Ceramic Sound

Ceramic Speakers by Joey Roth

Among the sideshows going on during the upcoming weekend of design events in New York--all surrounding the International Contemporary Furniture Fair--we're looking forward to "Sounds Like," an exhibition at DDCLab on Washington Street showcasing works by David Lynch, Tobias Wong, Sruli Recht and other visionaries custom created for the porcelain speakers by Joey Roth.
The young San Francisco designer pulled the talent to better illustrate his beautiful sound system, which we were proud to be the first to begin selling at A+R last year (our neighbor in Venice, Robert Downey, Jr., was among the early adopters).
What do they sound like? The highest quality speakers. Despite the spare appearance, about 70% of the resources went into the audio elements. Joey did away with plastic where ever he could, reducing the design to simply porcelain, wood, cork and a bit of metal. We have a set instore if you'd like to give it a whirl with your own Mp3 player or ours. And the speakers and a full description are also available at our online shop.
We look forward to bringing "Sounds Like" west later this summer. More details to come.

Cameron Silver's Good Jeans

First look at Cameron Silver's new Decades Denim

Believe me, we pals of Mr. Cameron Silver were as surprised as the rest of the planet to wake up today to the news in industry bible WWD that the founder of vintage Valhalla Decades announced he's launching a denim collection. Yes, jeans.

First thought: Does Cameron even own a pair of jeans? But then I flashed to all those instances in the last year or so when we've needled him about being in jeans. Of course, they were always neat and trim and paired with a sensational pair of, say, Alexander McQueen paint-splattered lace-up shoes or a chocolate crocodile suit jacket.
This is Cameron Silver.
(By the way, why hasn't he made the VF Best-Dressed list yet?)
In today's article, intrepid reporter Khanh Tran wrote of Cameron's desire to "add a dose of sophistication and glamour to jeans without the lofty price tags in his new label, Decades Denim."
That means a pair will set you back for less than a Benjamin. How perfectly modern.
With his partners at Genetic Denim, Cameron sourced a woven with Invista’s T-400 stretch fiber and a CoolMax fabric that wicks away moisture away from skin. I'm digging the sound of the two-tone silver and gold zippers, as well as the emphasis on minimal branding and embellishments.

“It’s got to be good enough for the people I know who wear Chanel Couture,”
Cameron told WWD.
The collection will roll out at holiday, likely in stores which Cameron already has a presence in with his curated capsules designer vintage, including Colette in Paris, Forty Five Ten in Dallas, Dover Street Market in London (where there is a Decades boutique on the top floor) and Barneys New York. By Spring 2011, jackets and tops will be added, as will a men's line.
We could sense Cameron's excitement via email today when we congratulated him. "Had to be top secret!" he exclaimed. Well the blue jean-ie is out of the bottle now...

Photo: Courtesy of Decades

AK Pals @ A+R

Ms. Violet hearts Smally

We celebrated BritWeek L.A. this weekend at A+R with Ribena fizzies, Cadbury chocos and an abridged showcase on British design--our much-anticipated shipment of new stuff is much late...it arrives tomorrow! Go figure.

Gin on request, of course.

But we loved seeing all the pals who dropped in this weekend, and during our first month in the new digs. Everyone has been amazingly excited about the store, and we thank all our friends, new and old, for coming out so far...
On Saturday, our young pal, the rollerskating Ms. Violet arrived with her parents Kirsty Hume and Donovan Leitch (who picked up a black pair of Dub sunglasses from the new L.A. Eyeworks capsule collection we now offer in-store). Violet was smitten with Blanca's book Smally and we sent her home with a copy.
On previous visits this month, we've seen one of our fave jewelry designers, Malin with hubby John Smallcombe and their future-rock star son Bowie Leon; and local art legend John Brodman brought in his legendary pal--and now a pal of A+R--Maripol on the eve of her trunk show at the Marc Jacob flagship on Melrose, celebrating her cool collection for the brand. She slipped on a Phuze glass cocktail ring in cognac--which seems to have cast a glow on her photo as well!

And, yes, I promise to post snapshots of the new A+R toute suite! -- so stay tuned...

Malin and Bowie Leon Smallcombe

Upstairs neighbor and Obsolete guru Ray Azoulay ponders his next move.

That Yummy Glow: Jim Brodman and Maripol

Our fabulous manager Rafael Negron