and the stars fell out of the sky

Shadowplay by Heather Goldberg has to be one of the radest jewelry lines I've ever come across. I don't wear jewelry often, it strikes my nerves after a while and I start stripping it off. The cold, hard metal plus my claustrophobic tendencies lead me to stray away. Ms. Heather Heather however uses silk, yarn, mohair, etc. to construct the beautifully conjured strands for the neck pieces. Inspired by space, crystal formations, and spiderwebs, she weaves Swarovski crystals into the strands to create something truly galactic. I legit just want to put one on, turn on some Zoe, gaze at the stars on Machu Picchu.

-Francois

Hey Girl, :Pick Up Your Ears

Someone can work these.

But its definitely not me.

Babette Epaulette 

She's into making shoulder jewelry art as well, which rocks me a little bit more than the ear and 
shade fringe she puts out, but I figured after my Showoff Shoulder post from December, I 
should cool it with my fierce craze when it comes to shoulder adornment. I swear, I'm getting 
help. Or at least my soon-to-be psych major roommate once talked to me about it. Or maybe 
she just asked me to take out the trash. Whatever.

While I obviously dig the shoulder stuff, I think maybe the rest of the fringe creations are more 
Lady Gaga-worthy. And Lady Gaga scares me. Its probably the fake blood look. That shit keeps 
me up at night. Whatever blows your hair back.

~Ferdinando

Shake a LEG

Look at that girl. The one with the legs. 

What is it?

What are those?

They're beautiful.

They're frightening.

I've never seen anything like them.

I want some.

Les Queues de Sardines

~Ferdinando

My two cents

I am firm believer that when you need money the most, it comes to you in unexpected ways.
I swear that knocking on wood prevents most negative workings of fate.
I think a purse should never be empty of peppermints.
I swear that if you're strong enough to make things happen based on the grounds that you want it bad enough, then you are strong enough to say no to something you are sure you should not do. Sometimes it is just that easy and just that hard.
I think you need to make sure your own oxygen mask is attached securely before you can help someone else with theirs and that big problems only require many small solutions, so one step at a time is fast enough.
I know that now is the time to change your world. Today, not tomorrow.
I believe youth should be reckless in the best way possible.
And while courage is the only way to move through life, the best thing to do is keep moving and recognize that courage can be silent as well as loud.

So next time you are inspired, try and imagine how you define this life. The funny thing is, many will disagree with me, but that only reflects another belief of mine.

You shouldn't judge others to the best of your ability, because our lives are made up of choices and if you make a mistake, you can only learn and ask for forgiveness, and offer it when others do the same.

~Ferdinando

Goodbye, JD Salinger

"I'm sick of it. I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody"

JD Salinger, the writer of the famed and cult classic Catcher in the Rye as well as other short stories, died Wednesday, January 27, 2010.  He was 91 years old.

I adore Catcher in the Rye and when I first read it, I saw something in Holden Caulfield that I unknowingly thought worth saving. The manifesto of disenchanted youth and sometimes an unsavory explanation for violence. While it's hard to talk about the book without mentioning Mark David Chapman - the assassin of John Lennon - or John Hinckley Jr - who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan - it is easier to identify with the lost boy who couldn't see past growing up, the last and the best of the Peter Pans.


~Ferdinando

Jersey Shore...

...For Little People!



I do this fondly for Hans and Francois.

~Ferdinando

Burberry Spring 2010

I was watching the behind the scenes of the shoot for the Burberry Spring 2010 Campaign with Emma Watson, her brother Alex Watson, George Craig, and Matt Gilmour and I became a bit smitten with the models...

... okay it was really only one model.

See, I knew Emma Watson from Harry Potter (most obviously) and her other work. I knew Alex Watson from being Emma Watson's brother and I knew Matt Gilmour from his father - a Pink Floyd musician, but I had no idea who George Craig was. You may scoff and shake your head, but it doesn't change my obvious naivety, so I decided to do a bit of research. Turns out our unknown man-model was in fact a musician in the band One Night Only. Born July 1990 and rated #47 in GQ's 'The 50 Best Dressed Men in Britain' 2009. He enjoys long walks on the beach and pina coladas... okay I lied about the last bit, but I figured since I already sounded like the corny dating stats you would get from a personal ad that I should commit wholeheartedly.

He seems like one to keep an eye on. Because his band expects to release their second album in 2010 and with that take on the US and they aren't exactly lacking in the talent department. Plus Americans will dig their over-the-pond accents and catchy hooks.

~Ferdinando

We Must Con-fur

Raquel Zimmermann was shot in a spread of French Vogue completely decked out in fur.

Recently. As in November 2009.

The shots are animalistic, unusual, and wildly interesting from a visual perspective.

There was once a time when fur was completely in no-man's land and even before that there was the other extreme where fur was exhibited as the highest quality of glamor. Now, however, we have hit a curious juxtaposition. Fur is making the most unexpected comeback.

I'm not offering my opinion, just pointing out the curious trend. Fur coats, fur trim.

The question is when fur is deemed appropriate. New? Only when vintage? Only when faux? Never?

If you happen to be against wearing fur and you have some old fur coats, etc that you don't know what to do with, you could always donate them to a wildlife rehabilitation center. They use old fur to soothe the orphan animals. A small act that may get the cycle of fur back to its origins. A small retribution, if you seek to offer one.

But if you're for fur, this year it seems to be more about fun and youthful ways to wear it. Color. Lots of color. Blue. Pink. Orange. Red. Of course, some may prefer the sleek silver or ink-black and it is you, my friends, that should then make sure you pair it with a dress with more pop. Be young and youthful and forget the fur of your grandmother's closet.

Whatever your intention, whatever your inclination, I wish you luck. Because, darling, who am I to judge either way?

~Ferdinando

Welcome to a New Year. Adieu to an old Decade.

31 Days of Oscar 2010

I love Turner Classic Movies.

I think I may have mentioned it.

I love the films they play and the way that they seem to love the movies they show.

Which is why I look forward to TCM's 31 Days of Oscar. Every year, during February, they present old films in a new way, uncut and uninterrupted.

I would recommend you clicking on that link above. It blows me away.

And that is why I love Turner Classic Movies.

Because even though I'm young and I'm surrounded by a generation and a world that pushes forward to create the future, there still is amazing beauty in the past and, while I never experienced it, for just a minute I can imagine the way the world once was and will always be in that captured bit of moment that will never age, even as we move farther and farther away from it.

~Ferdinando

American Idiot on Broadway

Anyone Else Think This is Awesome?

Or is it just me?

American Idiot - you know, Green Day's concept album of disillusionment in America, a rock opera to be told - is coming to Broadway.

Anyone excited other than me? I'm getting crickets over here...

Let's break it down. The concept as a Broadway show has been rumored to be in development for months and months already, but it was just announced yesterday that it was actually happening.

The St. James Theatre is playing host to the show for a very very short amount of time. The opening is March 24, 2010 and closes April 20, 2010. No one has been cast yet, but the buzz is building. According to the LA Times the plot follows the journey of the protagonist Johnny, a modern-day Christ figure who travels from a suburban nowhere to the big city, where he must choose between love, drugs and other existential dilemmas. The story also follows a character to the Middle East.

The show comes to us from Berkeley Repertory Theatre where it shattered all of the theater's records and was extended twice, so it's expected to do pretty well.

Check it.

~Ferdinando