Fantasy Fashion Dazzles Juliette Lewis
Backstage at the Greek Theatre, Juliette Lewis is one hot mess. After opening for the Pretenders and Cat Power, the singer-actress’ dark, choppy hair clings damply to her neck; smeared glitter eye shadow sparkles on her cheeks; and the toe of one boot (black with vaguely Victorian gold buttons up the sides) is held together... More
All in the “Family”
Devendra Banhart and Lauren Dukoff were walking around the Space 15Twenty gallery in Hollywood, giggling. Friends since they met at Malibu High School 10 years ago, the pair, who call each other Obi (Banhart’s middle name) and Lo, are also artistic collaborators: Dukoff has been photographing the indie folkie-turned-major label star since he spent his... More
Restoring Sharon Tate
Her closet may have been full of designer dresses, but Sharon Tate was a flower child all the way down to her toes. Most comfortable barefoot, she used to skirt the “shoes required” laws in snooty late ’60s Beverly Hills by looping leather string around her toes and across the tops of her feet, and... More
NaNa: L.A. Punk to its Roots
No doubt you’ve noticed the high-fashion takes on Dr. Martens by designers Yohji Yamamoto and Raf Simons, or the classic eight-hole boots that Cory Kennedy, Tennessee Thomas and other L.A. It girls are sporting in lieu of heels these days. Apparently, the grunge revival is right on schedule. But what most fashion followers don’t realize... More
Arts & Architecture Redux
Its pages may espouse the principles of modernism and minimalism, but in its presentation, Taschen’s Arts & Architecture, the Complete Reprint 1945-67, is as maximal as it gets – in the publisher’s standard fashion. After distilling seven decades of the Italian design journal Domus into 12 hardbound volumes, Taschen took a different approach with A&A,... More
Urban Healers
California’s spiritual tradition is deeply ingrained. The Golden State has long been a magnet for seers and seekers, from yoga swamis to esoteric scholars to psychedelic cult leaders. But if some of those past figures could be considered “out there,” today’s healers are very much right here, addressing the needs of the modern, urban world... More
The High Priest of Los Angeles
Last Sunday evening at the Silent Movie Theater, a clip from the 1938 astrological murder mystery “When Were You Born?” was shown as part of an “Occult L.A.” program curated by the author Erik Davis. In the clip, legendary occult scholar Manly P. Hall, who had also written the movie’s script, appeared on screen to... More
Death Becomes Them
Try to imagine another artist whose life and work lend themselves more naturally to a clothing line than Andy Warhol. It’s impossible. A style icon in his own right, Warhol’s coolly classic look was only one facet of his dazzling aura. His universe was a constantly evolving spectacle that embraced the highest highs and the... More
Live and Let Die
Art that doesn’t make you think is just expensive decoration, and the work of Damien Hirst could never be accused of pretty vacancy. Like Warhol’s, Hirst’s art raises the Big Questions about life and death and truth and beauty, often all at once, with a deceptive simplicity that leads you to wonder if it’s art... More
Mirror, Mirror on the World
“Warhol is Dead!” proclaimed the posters for a group photography show in New York – just one blip in the blitz of books, articles, films and exhibitions that commemorated Andy Warhol’s death 20 years ago this past February. The gallery walls were hung with images of the artist, very much alive: Silk-screening bananas at the... More
Girl, Interrupted
Lindsay Lohan is sneaking a cigarette at a banquette by the pool of the Beverly Hills Hotel, flicking her ashes under the table. It’s the worst thing anyone is going to catch the 21-year-old actress doing these days, aside from the previous night’s 4AM binge – on cake, that is, a Duncan Hines Angel Food... More
The Om Factor
There may be 2,500 square feet of Ray Kappe-designed sleekness in Steve Glenn’s Santa Monica home, but just before festivities started on a fall evening, the chief executive of eco-friendly developer LivingHomes was still worrying about where to put his guests . . . and their yoga mats. This was the third time Glenn had... More