Mr Taurus Gave Me the Key to his Heart

And I proudly wear it around my neck

Perhaps it Could Smell Like Overcrowded 6 Trains?

"I am not making a fragrance for the Upper East Side. It's so boring!"



- Bond No 9 founder Laurice Rahme tells Racked how the Upper East Side doesn't make scents 

Hey Girl, Ryan Gosling Says Check Out My Latest Post for Viral Fashion

   Ooh, speaking of Canada, make sure to check out my latest post on VIRAL Fashion! 

Get The Look: Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling has it all: Sensitivity. Manliness. Eva Mendes. 

Now You Can get one of those things for yourself with my curated 

menswear shopping list

Linky Link: http://viralfashion.com/viralfashion/mens-fashion/2013/04/25/get-the-look-ryan-gosling/

Toronto was a Garden of Inspiration

(Holt Renfrew's glorious hanging garden. And I’m not just Babylon!)

But with bags still unpacked and a full work load, I'll have to get back to you on that. #TorontoStyle 

I'm Workin' It Out!

Sorry for being so absentee around here this week, but I'm in Toronto covering "Toronto is Fashion" event for EDGE on the Net and loving every moment of it! #TorontoStyle 

Part of My #JCPenney Spring Wardrobe Makeover this Weekend

If you didn't already hear, I kinda tore it up this weekend in the Maryland JCPenney's

(We went NUTS!) 

Now tongue wag all you want, but JCPenney has been my secret source for jeans. Those perfect fit Arizona brand skinnies have been mistaken for much pricier styles from the likes of J Brand, Earnest Sewn and even Acne jeans.


Anywho, after hearing so much about JCPenney's controversial shop-in-shops remodel under recently ousted CEO Ron Johnson I decided to check it out in the flesh this weekend in Maryland. I might be in the minority, but I LOVED it. The layout feels vibrant and compelling. Like I'd be amiss to pull a Dionne Warwick and walk on by

(BAM!)

And no one is immune to the pull of the Joe Fresh right at the mall entrance 

The home stuff was right on par too with eye catching and playful prints and pops from some of the big names in the biz like Michael Grave, the aforementioned Pantone collection, Martha Stewart (ugh... can I mention her name?) and the Happy Chic line developed by Jonathan Adler

How I resisted taking these demon dog bookends home is beyond me now

Anywho, I did plenty of damage with or without breaching the home department

But luckily JCPenney figured out customers have always known and loved them for deals and coupons



and this little 20% everything all weekend long worked like a charm. Yes, 20% off EVERYTHING including clearance, child








That meant my bounty went a little something like this:

(Levis canvas knapsack)







(JCP private label broadstripe long sleeve t-shirt, LF floral linen blend shirt and red pin dot spread collar shirt) 


I liked the pin dot shirt so much I got it in navy too


















Many, MANY outfits compiled from the sea of sartorial snap ups I got this weekend to come... stay tuned! 

Nina Garcia Knows a Dior Can Change Everything

---- Marie Claire Creative Director, Nina Garcia, on her start at Mirabella Magazine and keeping perspective in this wacky career of fashion journalism  

My Dream Home Just Found Another Sofa

You know that dream house you have tucked away


 in your plans for the future? 



Well mine has enough living rooms and

drawing rooms I can buy a sea of sofas

This diamond jacquard mid-century stunner at 

Venus on the Halfshell right now would be one of the collection





Get it, Get it:

Diamond jacquard mid-century sofa, $495 at Venus on the Halfshell  301-662-6213 

Thakoon Once Worked as the Fashion Features Assistant at Harper's Bazaar

One of my favorite parts of going back home to Maryland is looking through all the things that shaped my youth / adult ambition. I knew I wanted to work in fashion after a lifelong love affair with magazines.

And I kept a religious collection of them. 

Some of my favorite covers are from the Kate Betts' era Harper's Bazaar

But the funny part is glancing over the masthead I saw a familiar name



             

(Forgive: this is my very first attempt at Vine and I've got a shaky hand) 

From "Fashion Features Assistant" to Michelle Obama favorite. Guess I wasn't the only guy with a dream. 

My Color Psychic MUST Know I'm Home in Maryland

Laur

Laurie Cabot ‏@LaurieCabot 

Friday, April 19: Wear Royal Blue. Stir your coffee with a cinnamon stick for success.

Cuz my momma made me some cinnamon rolls and coffee this morning (minus a stick though... hmmm....)

Sometimes Your Things To Do List Has Hidden Messages

Tilda Swinton Has Us Clutching Our Pearls

On the cover 

of May's 

W Magazine 







A vision of rounded shoulders and chiffon nun habits 






PS: sunscreen totally matters! Just ask Tilda, honey. 

Joan Collins Tweets about her Namesake Cocktail

(How could this not be of relation to a Tom Collins, I ask you???) 

Glamourpuss Joan Collins tweeted this namesake cocktail from the London Book Fair (dear, I HOPE that's a fair for authors and author's sisters to mingle at and not a new gig selling books to British school children) 

Just like Ms. Collins, it's full of effervescence and tang. 

But £9?! Jiminy, that's $14! 

Even Alexis Carrington finds that a bit steep for a bunch of ginger ale, honey. 

More Bight Ass Ish for the Garden That is Our Park Slope Apartment

The one time yellow showers are

100% acceptable 

   

This Home Depot (yes, Home motha-f-in' Depot, folks) 4-liter aluminum watering can is vintage grace and masculine construction all rolled into one 

All the better to water the jungle that is taking over Mr. Taurus and my Park Slope home this Spring 

(Who's that sexy fauna in the flora?)

                                                     

Umm...This Be Good: Dino-Lite!

  
  R 

  O                   
  A

  R



This weekend, Mr Taurus and I were doing our gay couple best to find trinkets and doo-dads for our ever growing jungle housed in our guest room. 

Perhaps my mind was putting T Rex vibes out there but I stopped dead in my tracks at CB2 and realized I need three (at least!) of these dinosaur tealight holders 

Oh how this little guy will creep around the cactus, slink around the stacks of books and hunt over the haberdashery 








Man, did CB2 see me coming or what???


Aluminum with powdercoat tealight holder, $9.95 at CB2 http://www.cb2.com/dino-candleholder/s618659

This Mid Century Signed Raymor Square Vase is Calling My Name

I've been on a fresh flowers / plant kick lately 






And this signed Raymor square and square print vase would look great with those wacky cottony spider looking flowers I have currently



Ooh or some light branches... 

Raymor hand signed Mid-Century ceramic vase, $230 at Fab.com, http://fab.com/sale/19708/product/367787/

"I mean, I'm always happy to engage in a dialogue about Polo shirts."

-Preppy indie band Vampire Weekend's lead Ezra Koenig will never lose his love for piqué



Read More http://www.gq.com/style/wear-it-now/201304/vampire-weekend-faded-colors-spring-2013#ixzz2QAK1DjaT

Deep Tea Diver

My skin lately has been a bit wrecked from all the Winter, cocktails and coffee. I am determined to get my luster back with a high flood of water and tea. 

But tea? Tea isn't exactly as fun as making a cup of coffee at my office. We have a Keurig that has options and flavors like Southern Pecan. Tea can't compete with that. 

Until now. 

Now there's a happening little loose leaf tea infuser in the shape of a deep sea diver. What? 

Plus for some reason the Scooby Doo theme song plays every time I think of it

Take the plunge:      http://www.thefancy.com/things/261984131/Tea-Diver

AG Jeans and Liberty of London Floral Print "The Collette" Chambray Shirt

The soft chambray look is here to stay and with the advent of Spring (FINALLY!) here, it's time to soften up to lightweight, breathable fabrics with florals and prints. 





So how excited am I that this structured number from the AG Jeans' lab with one of my personal faves, Liberty of London, is here?

Cuz I can make that camper shirt, convertible sleeve work, honey! 












And LOVE the button down chest pockets! Yes! 










Linky Link: http://www.agjeans.com/The_Collette__Chambray_Hyde

End of the Road: Annette Funicello

Oh Annette Funicello, I loved you, if for no other reason than you sang a catchy ass song about how tough it is to be a workin' man



 


Rest in peace! 

Anybody Know the Name of These Flowers?

They're cool, cottony numbers and I added that large ass leaf thingy. But what are they called? 

The Moment I Bought Beyoncé as a Style Icon

B
O
W


D
O
W
N


B
I
T
C
H
E
S





(Beyoncé on the cover, May 2013 UK Vogue)

(As seen on the Jonathan Saunders Spring 2013 runway) 

Beyoncé is a megastar, yes, but unlike her sister I never really believed the promotion of her as a fashion plate. 




But DAMN B! 





Work that Jonathan Saunders disco by the seashore look! 

City Life Dictionary: SideWALK!

We New Yorkers are a mobile bunch, relying on our own two feet more often than any place else in America to get us where we're going. Yet we face a scourge of interceptions along the way giggling with maniacal glee at diverting our path. 

Panhandlers. Texters. People passing out fliers to that "Designer" suit sale. Tourists stopping to look up. Bicyclists going the wrong way. On the sidewalk. All of it one big game of Frogger with sneaky snakes, chompy alligator heads and turtles that dip their heads in the water after too long. What's a boy with a mission supposed to do? If only there was that magic vine like in Pitfall so I could swing over all this on the way to work.