Lux Lotus

Hand-Me-Down Gowns, Redux

Oh, this is delicious... remember Reese and her hand-me-down gown? The newest scoop is that Natalie Portman's dress at the Golden Globes was also Chanel fake "vintage" (c. 2001), or as Bryan succinctly  observed, "that's not vintage, just...used." It's also disappointing that Natalie chose that dress over a dress from the much-praised spring collection that the fashion-forward Olivier Theyskens designed for Rochas, as had been expected. Well, it's all very deservedly scandalous, then, isn't it?

Le Cineclub Returns!

Professional obligations have kept me from attending any film screenings with Emma for the last few Fridays, but I am quite pleased that we'll be seeing Match Point later today. Discussion forthcoming...

Lynch on... Lynch

Yet another reason to sign up for Arthur magazine's email list:

Lots of people have been in touch Kristine McKenna's interview with DAVID LYNCH about meditation in the last issue of Arthur. If you want to SEE David Lynch talk about this stuff -- as well as find out which Bob's Big Boy he ate in the mid-'80s, what the baby was in Eraserhead, and so forth -- there's a decent-length film of one of his "Consciousness, Creativity and the Brain" college raps from last year (Emerson College, Oct 1 to be precise) that you can download for free offa here: http://www.davidlynchfoundation.com/

It's certainly not boring. Check out Arthurmag.com for innovative music festivals, cultural programming, political commentary, and, of course, a truly excellent magazine. Looking good in LA: Arthurball, Feb 25-26.

"Even in its most discreet moments, art explodes."

Today I stumbled onto ActionBooks.org, in that way that, you know, that people do. I immediately became intrigued* by the work of Lara Glenum, author of the poetry collection, The Hounds of No. I found her blog and discovered that she is reading in New York this Saturday afternoon. I am definitely going to go! Lately, I am crazy about poetry. Along with the paperback novella, it's the quintessential form for the new age.

Speaking of poetry, the other day I started wondering what Poetry magazine did with all those millions of dollars that Ruth Lilly left, so I poked around Poetry's exquisitely staid website for about a minute; the answer: mostly fellowships and boring things. A one-year subscription to the print edition of the magazine (the only form of the publication; things are already less than heartening) is thirty-five dollars! Absurd. Why not send anyone who signs up a free text message with a new poem every day? Or free downloadable poetry ringtones? That would be brilliant. Or at least, a start. Even worse, in this article written at the time of the bequest:

First, says Cummins, Poetry wants to create a library for serious scholars and the public, with a collection that would rival universities. Second, the new foundation plans to start a teachers' institute. The pilot program would invite select middle- and high-school teachers to "a total immersion experience" in Chicago, where master poets would introduce them to modern poetry. Eventually, poets could take the program across the US.

The third goal is to publish more books through Poetry's imprint, Poetry Press, including textbooks, work by emerging writers, and reprints of overlooked collections.

It is, indeed, an ambitious plan...

I wholeheartedly disagree. That's quite a depressing vision for the future of poetry, if indeed its fate lies in such inept and clumsy hands. Why does Poetry feel the need to "rival universities"? Last time I checked, the central challenge facing so-called high culture lay in issues of Demand, not Supply. Why not use such a grand sum of money to expand the Market for Poetry (and nay, poetry)? How does a fiery love of the form spark in the hearts of people under 20, tomorrow's guardians of poetry, within the appallingly narrow parameters of this vision? What role does the Internet, new technology, innovative methods of communication and diffuse and now no longer monolithic media sources play? The sad conclusion: Poetry's plan is hardly "ambitious" even by 19th Century standards. 

*Also quite compelling: Action Books' collection of translated poetry of Aase Berg, "one of Sweden's most celebrated and subversive young writers." Her poem "Deer Quake" is stunning.

Dear Stylists, Get Stylish

Much ado is made about celebrities' outfits on the red carpet; most of the statements made by actresses and actors at such events amount to stultifyingly dull corporate endorsements. One of the most annoying trends is wearing a "vintage" ensemble from a staid, very much of-the-establishment design house, which, while likely to be more appealing than contemporary offerings in many cases, is hardly adventurous. Nor do celebrities (and staff) fully take advantage of opportunities to be original or support actual talent on the fashion scene.

For devoted readers of fashion and gossip blogs, the story of this moment is that Reese Witherspoon mistakenly believed she was wearing a vintage Chanel dress when she accepted the Golden Globe for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk The Line. But alas, her dress was not only three years old, but photographed extensively as worn by Kirsten Dunst first. And to the same event! A tragic faux pas, to be sure. The real shame is that not one, but two actresses in the public eye chose to wear such an uninspired, lifeless gown on separate occasions.

I've long followed avant-garde fashion and have been quite a fan and supporter of emerging talent in all fields, but the recent experience that has made me much more strident in my stance is the exhibition currently on view at the Center for Architecture, "The Fashion of Architecture: CONSTRUCTING the Architecture of Fashion." I'll post my extensive commentary later (it will be a combined post with my thoughts on the sweet but comparatively...pastel "Fashion in Colors" show now on view at the Cooper-Hewitt), but  let me just say, I was  embarassed when I realized there is a Hussein Chalayan store in Tokyo but not in New York.

In general, a small dose of daring on the red carpet would be... nice. If you should ever see me in such a setting, you'll recognize me by my ultimate fantasy ensemble of Chalayan's Airplane Dress, or perhaps one of Walter's creations "in anticipation of what would be the relics of our time for the future generation." Or maybe a dress constructed by making patterns of soundwaves created by anonymous confessional messages left via a telephone number advertised in the classifieds, conceptualized and coolly executed by one Jasmin Shokrian in Los Angeles.

Coming soon: an exclusive Lux Lotus interview with whiSpiral creator, and forward-thinking textile designer, Elena Corchero.

Windowlicker

Entertaining isn't a passion of mine per se, but I do enjoy good company. And good cheese. A good friend came by for dinner tonight and she left with a pledge for a future soiree to fete some big things in her future. One thing I admired in a store over the holidays and will probably pick up sometime before the spring social season is in full swing:

Mother-of-Pearl Canape Knives, $20 at Pier 1.

I love vintage books on entertaining and the correct approach to every social occasion, and it's hard to imagine life entirely worth living without a recherche affair to look forward to now and then. Some well-worn titles on my bookshelf, past and present: Geneviève Antoine Dariaux's Entertaining with Elegance, Entertaining with Southern Style, Mary and Russel Wright's Guide to Easier Living, Flowers by Design by Jeff Leatham, and M.F.K. Fisher's The Art of Eating.

Is there a single element that makes or breaks a party? I used to say it was the guests, but now I think that, looking back at all the worst parties, the lights were too bright.

Windowlicker - from the French for window shopping: faire du lèche-vitrine - appears on Tuesday and Thursdays at 10am EST.

Maud Talks Politics, and Twain

Color me thrilled -- Maud has written a column musing on the relevance of Mark Twain and his brand of biting satire, to the current U.S. political scene for The American Prospect!

Incidentally, Mark Twain is buried in a small town in Upstate New York that I've spent some time in, so I've visited his gravesite more than once (my paternal grandparents are buried in the same cemetery).

Twain's study, where he wrote "major portions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Prince and the Pauper, A Tramp Abroad, and many short pieces" is on the campus of Elmira College and houses some personal effects and memorabilia.

Tayari On The Radio

Tayari Jones, the author of the award-winning (and yet, also "underrated") novel The Untelling, (which I worked with her to promote in hardcover last spring and will work do so again for the paperback release later this year) will be on NPR's "On Point" program to discuss the significance of The Norton Anthology of English Literature and its track record on diversity. As she says, Think about it... haven't you ever wondered how certain authors and writers get to be "classic"?  Most definitely. 

The Perfect Costume For The Day

Proof that the diffuse, anarchic power of the Internet can assume an incredibly stylish mien: wholly unprompted Lux Lotus reader contributions have collectively assembled a simply iconic ensemble!

• Kim recommends a sublime vintage frock.
• Jen sends in a link to a gorgeous herringbone coat.
• And today, Adam of Blacksnail.com (click to view an extraordinary header!) tipped me on an intensely chic line of shoes called Cydwoq that very naturally take my breath away...

I love this pair of boots - called "View" and retailing for $379 - especially the distinctive decorative motif (click "Cydwoq" above for a closer look).

Lucky me to have such stylish readers! I am very blessed.

CJR Daily's Paul McLeary Reports From Iraq

(I spotted one guy at the Kuwait airport wearing a “Southern by the Grace of God” t-shirt.)