Loewe Confetti Cubes

and Jamian Juliano-Villani, Home Improvements & The Mark Hotel

Clockwise from Top.

Loewe FW23 Women’s

There were a lot of FW23 shows in Europe last week, but the one we wanted to highlight was Loewe. Their women’s collections specifically have been really good, with the Minnie Mouse shoes we highlighted last month to their new Paseo bag that Raquel is obsessed with.

The ready-to-wear was great, we loved the pixelated garment-on-muslin and the slick plastick-y doll looks.

Best of all were the giant multi-colored confetti cubes designed by artist Lara Favaretto. The sculptures are formed by tightly compressing confetti (450kg each!) for several hours. Once unsecured, they slowly begin to degrade and fall apart.

East Village Art

After finally perusing this list from last year, Jamian Juliano-Villani’s bio jumped out at us:

Jamian Juliano-Villani culls images from memes, films, photo databases, and art history, then airbrushes them into absurd, painted collages that defy easy interpretation. In Let’s Kill Nicole (2019), for example, an Ugg-wearing goat stands at the end of a pink checkerboard corridor

JJV’s absurdist pieces are probably what pop art would be if it was invented today.

Home Improvement Projects

There are a few reasons why people continue to work on their homes - less time spent at work, more time spent at home, increased home values, the desire to minimize environmental impact - but social media is helping drive this as well. Related: women wandering aimlessly on the aisles of a home improvement store - known as “Home Depot Dating” - seems to also be a trend.

With our new brownstone, our first big project is to paint all our brick walls white, which Raquel spent all day doing.

More photos & time lapses to come on Raquel’s IG.

The Mark Hotel

Friday, I had to do some comp shopping on the Upper East Side. Me and the team found ourselves starving around 76th street, and decided the pop into The Mark Restaurant to get some quick lunch.

The food was excellent - my croque madame had quail eggs on them - but it was like entering another world.

The dining room was quiet, as it should be filled, and filled with lots of old-money locals dining on $40 club sandwiches. It felt like something straight off the set of Succession or Billions. Heavy silverware, waiters in white shawl tuxedo coats, and plenty of hushed tones. It felt like a proper NYC lunch. And, there is a Jean Georges hotdog cart permanently stationed just outside then entrance.

The Upper East Side has a real scene going on, between Caviar Kaspia opening at The Mark, Bemelman’s Bar at the Carlyle, or Cafe Boulud at the Surrey. The Carlyle even has its own bootleg graphic hoodie devoted to it that just launched!

Links.

Raquel won’t stop talking about these sold out Crocs.

This winter’s It Coat was a Pasta Puffer?

Salvador Dali-designed tarot cards.

The men paying to have their jaws broken.

How white can white paint get?

Inside the luxury doomsday bunkers of the world’s elite.

Images from Max’s Kansas City.

Inside Sky High Farm Workwear.

Chuck E Cheese is still using floppy disks.

Another Ozempic dispatch.

The Iraq Ski Rally.

World Nature Photo Award Winners.

<3

Chris & Raquel

PS We are all finally healthy, but Raquel spent 8 hours painting so no podcast today. But next week!