WHAT LANDIS WORE : putting all the good stuff together at once

the march edition.

(neil barrett db blazer, american apparel leggings, co-op boots, mink fleurette)

(HK custom blazer, jil sander sweater, diesel black gold jeans)

(Viridi-Anne knit pieced coat, lanvin "crackle" gloves)

(diva sunglasses (shut up), Viridi-Anne "armor" shearling, 

jil sander sweater, lanvin silver heather pants)

(Viridi-Anne "armor" shearling, diesel pants, vintage work boots)

(lanvin suede and felt peacoat, blood and glitter jeans, lanvin trainers, red nose pit bull)

what landis wore : evenings out in los angeles

things i've noticed about myself recently.

1) i am old.  

a night "out" no longer requires any of the following items:

velvet catsuits.  riding boots.  masks.  eyeliner.  

(just ask tim.  i am not kidding.)

2) los angeles is making me dress up MORE.

perhaps it's that you can walk into any restaurant in jeans and a tee here

that makes the landis want to pile on the fur.

it's dinner out, you slobs.

not a screening of a seth rogan film.

3)  i gave up trying to define my style 

in the same way i gave up trying to describe myself.

like all good things in life,

experiencing it is better than talking about it.

so:

(rick owens tee.  lanvin cardigan/wrap.  diesel pants.  bottega loafers.  gray sable scarf.)

(burberry prorsum blazer, h&m turtleneck, mochi silk twill khakis, grenson navy patent wingtips)

wait.  gets better.

2/3 of the items.  70% off.

ha.

i AM aware of "these troubled times".

eat it, pessimists.  you CAN buy happiness.

what landis wore : the rick owens coats from JOYCE, hong kong

rick owens

(you all know how i feel about him.  le sigh.)

started his whole gig here in los angeles,

and after a month here, i completely get it.

the whole rumpled, assymetrical, stealth luxe thing,

the touch of biker, bad-boy, teenage angst,

the casual meeting the bondage . . .

it's perfect for this city.

i have three of his pieces,

all purchased in hong kong at the most gem-like retail store in the world,

Joyce.

to get to the men's section in Joyce (i capitalize out of respect),

you have to wander through the house section, to an abalone shell encrusted door,

press the button,

and wait for the tiny elevator to take you up to the hidden third floor.

there, you are released into several rooms filled with . . . well,

filled with a perfected selection of men's clothing.

it's like louis, boston, but without the need to add in conservative pieces.

it's like maxfield, los angeles, but without the need to add the chrome hearts and the sequins.

it's like atelier, new york, but without the heavy goth touch.

it's like landis.  and every time, though he was based in l.a., and now is in paris,

i have found a rick owens piece that i could not leave without.

from this:

(rick owens denim jacket, diesel sheer cardigan and jeans, co-op boots)

a denim jacket
that has the perfect, toxic, wash, over-long sleeves (an owens hallmark),
and hidden pockets for all your stealth needs.

to this:

(rick owens washed lambskin jacket, diane declerq scarf, jil sander sweater, levi's jeans)

the most "yes, i can comfortably die in this" jacket i have ever owned. 
his leathers are cut like armour, to your body without restricting,
with narrow sleeves, tight in the torso, and exaggerated collars.

to this:

 (rick owens pieced lambskin, silk nylon, and cotton jacket)

the ultimate "didn't know i needed it" jacket,
which like the others,
was hanging on the rack in joyce,
silently pining for me,
ready to
"complete me".

no, literally.

(disturbingly materialistic and "these troubling times" inappropriate comment, courtesy of landis)

(all rights reserved.  landis is a wholly owned subsidiary of landis inc.)

what landis wore : walking the dawgs

one of the perkiest parts about the move to los angeles
is that the pups get walked twice a day,
every day.

which has created the "what to wear when walking the dogs" dilemma.

cause our neighborhood is chock full o' the gays.

cute, cut, buffed and polished to within an inch of their lives,
all the boys walk the main drag
(santa monica, not divine)
and they all stop to pet the girls
(the dogs, not the lesbians).

so you can't just throw on the sweats and head out the door.

not that i would.

so i've adopted a kind of limited palette thing:

(martin margiela sweater, james perse tee, jcrew khakis, paul smith boots)

(gilded age jacket, raf simons gloves, old navy khakis, opening ceremony boots)

(nice collective coat, levi's capital E jeans, grenson patent wingtips)

i guess dogwalking is like the grocery store of the gay world.

or some other analogy.

i have a head cold.  leave me alone.

WHAT LANDIS WORE : stripes at night

meeting friends out for dinner,
another late september solution for night:

(dries van noten scarf, custom cashmere blazer from hong kong, acne jeans, bottega loafers)

WHAT LANDIS WORE : white shoe/blue glove

out to dinner with tim one night,
classic san fran weather.

cold enough for a cashmere sweater, but not a jacket.
enough wind to justify a hat, or a scarf, or a glove,
but not all three.

thanks to mr. raf simons,
and his cobalt calfskin gloves.

WORKING IT : the lanvin trainer (or sneaker. i'm affected. suprise!)

call them fetishes,
call them obsessions,
but i have historically latched onto certain items
by certain designers
and purchased, collected, even hoarded them
because
(and some of you will understand this)
they simply "click".

it started with the martin margiela
simple, beltless "tube" pant.

my friend david worked at barney's at the time,
and was wearing a pair.

they looked amazing:
simple, clean, yet somehow SEXY.
it was the blend of cut and fabric and sophistication
that,
after the first pair,
led to the immediate purchase of every other pair i found.

(imagine my chagrin when i lost fifty seven pounds,
and,
consequently,
my entire "collection".
the seamstress just laughed when i asked her to take them in,
and touched the two pockets over themselves to demonstrate the . . . futility.
i had to start from scratch.)

this led to a couple of rounds with hermes scarves,
(see the earlier posting)
jil sander blazers,
american apparel summer v-necks,
gold toe socks,
and . . . the lanvin trainer.
sneaker.

whatever.

when i first saw them on the runway, i hated them.
they were glorified sneakers.
they were ROUND toed, clunky, vivid.
they were trying too hard.

then, i was given a pair as a gift:

pink satin.  pink ballistic nylon.  pink suede.
(no, i'm sorry.  to quote a designer friend, not pink, cyclamen.)
it was OVER.

they became my "go-to" shoe.
they suddenly made the suit, modern.
the jean, chic.
the khaki, edgy.

perhaps it's the blends of patent and ballistic nylon, or satin and suede.
i've even seen them beaded.
perhaps it's the precise scale of sole to toe, weight to space.

whatever it is,
the fetish has become an obsession, and, if i could make it happen,
it might be
(gasp.  shudder.  don't quote me.)
the only shoe i  need.

remember,
i said not to quote me . . .

(they just keep making them so prettttty . . . )

what landis wore : the outsidelands festival

seriously,
this is me,
out of my element.

what to wear to a massive
"hippie music in golden gate park that your really close friend is working backstage at and you want to go support him" thingie?

i went with:

(paul smith hat, varvatos sweatshirt, levi's capital E's, adidas tigers)

LORD,
i was out of my element:

and i lasted . . .
forty five minutes.

what Landis wore : the rick owens sweater

purchased at l'eclaireur in paris,
mainly because tim (i will blame him here, it was his fault.)
pulled it off the rack and said (i am not making this up, hence the "his fault" part):

"cool, they have it in charcoal gray.  you look great in this color."

and that was that.

the thing about ric owens' pieces is that by and large they look like . . .
piles of crap on the hanger.

then you put them on.

that is,
if you can figure it out.

there were two armholes and very very very long sleeves, but i ended up putting it on backwards.
and upside down.
until the nice salesclerk came running over and
in a very normal, non-french-judgmental way,
said
"ah, no, like theeez" . . .

and it all made sense.

it hangs open in front and trails and loops,
you can tie it,
toss it,
knot it,
or loop it.

it is angora and cashmere and light and thin as a cobweb.

it's tricky to wear, and not really that masculine,
and for those reasons alone . . .
j'adore.

it's good to challenge yourself and your comfort levels.

tim calls these things "pieces",
and even though you don't want a wardrobe full of them
(lest you become a walking V.O.F.)*
a few keep you inspired and thinking.

which is the point of this whole game, after all.


* V.O.F. - noun, victim of fashion

what Landis wore : a recent Hermes scarf

i limited my purchases in paris
(gotta love the exchange rate.  stupid american dollar.)
but got this from the flagship.

had to.

years ago, tim and i walked through the hermes in chicago.
i had seen a recent lookbook
with a skinhead wearing a vivid purple silk scarf
as a headwrap,
(this was hermes marketing.  ten years ago.  brilliant.)
and wanted to see for myself.

as the woman behind the counter pulled out scarf after scarf
(anyone who has done this will tell you it is an insane experience:
the colors billowing over and over,
the SOUND of the silk unfurling, heavy, almost wet)
and talking about how men wear them all the time,
but you have to know how it eez done, non?

she showed us
seven ways to wear any one scarf,
and each way made total sense.

this trip's scarf was a similar discovery.
i asked if they had anything in blue and white,
they unfurled,
and eventually, a flurry of dots appeared:

their prints are unrivaled.
so sophisticated, so modern, so timeless.

but she stepped back,
and i saw,
finally,
that it was josephine baker.

SOLD!

note, only Grr could affect ennui so perfectly.

and this is how it's worn:

not for everyone,
but you can't describe the feeling of that heavy silk.
and every time,
people come up and comment, touch, and smile.

that alone is worth it.

tim bought me seven scarves that first time.
you wonder why this year's anniversary is number seventeen?

i can be bought.  ;)

what Landis wore - one evening out in july

going to dinner with friends . . .
always a good excuse to pull out the good stuff,
and feel like a grown-up.

i think american culture overall is always swinging back and forth on the issue
of casual v. dressy,
and growing up with a strong willed mother
(ex-beauty queen.  multi-lingual.  artist.  flirt.  picture it.)
we were the family that wore blazers when we flew to london,
and jeans weren't in the closet until we were ten.

so going out to eat?

 

an old pair of marc jacobs wide legged chocolate trousers,

a CIN2 gray v-neck tee,

lanvin suede and patent trainers,

and the new jil sander blazer (1400. on sale for 249.)

love this look.  very "me".  

for me, this is casual, comfortable, and a little powerful.

and i really love the details on the blazer.

it's the palest blue, and the stitching is just perfect.

what Landis wore - the shorts dilemma

let's start with the fact that i'm not big into shorts.
maybe it's the "casual" factor,
maybe it's too many years of being assaulted by men in cargo shorts
from abercrombie
(most of whom are technically ten years past the cut-off for the look.
and the brand.
and the people they are trying to date.)
but i've just never been a fan.

but once in awhile, i try.

i give the old "what the hell, it's hot, i should be able to do this. i've got great legs."

so this day, i attempted the navy short (D&G),
the gray pullover (banana republic)
and the hightop with the sock.

let's say i was tackling many fears at once.
the darker sock thing is something i'm seeing everywhere on guys,
and i just couldn't do the sport/tube thing with the lanvin sneakers.

you know, i'm an ass.

i'm trying to reproduce a look with a satin and suede sneaker.

WTF?

anyway,
thoughts?

i'm thinking it was a valiant . . . attempt.