Category Archives: Fashion
Robert Graham Shoes Fall Apart – from Century 21
I love Robert Graham clothes! I have numerous shirts, and always get so many compliments!
(FYI – Robert Graham represents the American Eclectic lifestyle brand-where craftsmanship, luxury and style intertwine. As a true design house since 2001, we’ve been inspiring fashion by developing unique garment-making techniques and complex textile patterns. Our creative seasonal collections encompass: men’s sportswear, premium denim, footwear, outerwear, loungewear, accessories, and women’s sportswear. With eye-catching mixed fabrics, one-of-a-kind trims and stunning embroideries, Robert Graham embodies luxury at its finest. Each product is unique, character-filled and distinctly Robert Graham–with “knowledge, wisdom, truth” embedded in each garment. CHEERS TO LIVING LIFE COLORFULLY!)
I had never seen Robert Graham shoes before. In late June 2019, I was in NYC at Century 21, and they had some of these colorful summery shoes marked down to $100. How could I refuse! Very eye-catching! Very comfortable. They looked worth $100. I would never pay the $200+ asking price.
I work for a luxury retailer in Chicago. I thought these would be a great addition to my black wardrobe. I keep my dress shoes in my locker at work and they never touch pavement. Only the marble floors of the store.
EVERYONE loved these shoes! So many compliments! I did not wear them right away. However, once I did start wearing them, after about 10-12 days of use, I noticed the “image” started cracking. It’s almost like a film is stretched over the leather perhaps? The leather seems fine, but the print is cracking.
See below….
(On the last big photo, the flash hit the shoe – sorry – but you get the idea)
When I looked online, EVERYONE has these shoes discounted to about $100. Maybe RG knew were defective? or they just did not sell? I emailed Robert Graham US, and they said very little about the shoe, no explanation, except that I should return it to the point of purchase. Which was in New York City. I live in Chicago.
I called Century 21, they will not take anything back if it has been worn. For manufacturer problems, they said contact Robert Graham!
RG said, “unfortunately we cannot issue an exchange since the item was purchased from a third party retailer. Merchandise purchased from other retailers, department stores or specialty stores must be returned or exchanged to the store from which it was originally purchased, and is subject to the return policy of the originating retailer.” And RG offered me a $25 gift card! Nothing on their site is $25!
Basically RG does not stand behind the items they manufacture. Why wouldn’t they take it back? It has nothing to do with the store – the item is defective!
I see on some websites, (Neiman Marcus Last Call, Nordstrom, etc) the shoes are listed as Printed Leather “Driver”. Also sometimes listed as Print Moccasins. To my eye, it is not really “printed leather”. As I said, it appears to be a film stretched over or onto the leather. The leather is not cracking – just the image/film.
I do not have my original box – I am not sure how the shoes were described. But, – definition of driving shoes – Though driving shoes can be worn for an evening out on the town, but if that evening consists an extended walk around the city, consider an alternative. This shoe is ultimately made for hanging out, short walks, and of course, driving. They can wear down more quickly since they’re not made for strenuous use. – I wish I had known that. I am on my feet 8 hours a day, on marble. Looking at them, the rubber pieces on the sole make them look durable. So I assumed I could wear them at work. Indoors.
Driving shoes are basically like slippers. Light wear.
Either way, I wore my shoes 80-90 hours and the damage started. You might wear them a few hours here or there, but you can not stop the damage. Driving shoes or not. The movement of your foot will eventually crack the image.
So buyer beware.
I bought some permanent felt tip markers this week and may just color them!
NYC Pride 2018
NYC Pride 2018 is almost here! The 49th Year!
SO MANY things going on for 10 days of Pride.
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We all celebrate Pride in different ways, which is why NYC Pride offers something for everyone during NYC Pride Week. Click through the event listings here for an in-depth look at each unique event we have planned for this year.
Louis Vuitton Exhibit thru January 2018
As travel changed, so did luggage.
That’s the story told by an elaborate exhibition about Louis Vuitton, the luxury luggage and fashion brand.
The exhibition, free to visit and on display in Lower Manhattan through Jan. 7, is called “Volez, Voguez, Voyagez,” which means fly, sail, travel. It showcases the company’s history, products and craftsmanship, demonstrating how designs changed with the evolution of travel. Luggage was designed first for transport by wagon, then for travel by sea, on trains, in cars and planes.
Trunks and bags are shown behind glass like works of art in a series of museum-like galleries. Lids open to reveal intricate compartments as if they were the contents of treasure chests. Included are cases and carriers designed for everything from toiletries to hats, from picnics to art supplies. Trunks with small drawers protected fragile objects; standing trunks had roll-out wardrobe racks so clothes could be hung, not folded. A plane is on display, along with a boat.
LOUIS VUITTON EXHIBITION: 86 Trinity Place, through Jan. 7. Free. Tickets not required but timed reservations are available at https://ticketing.louisvuitton.com/content/ticket-options . Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Check website for holiday hours. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.
New York Pier 55 Project
GOTHAMIST has the scoop on Pier 55 this week!
A crumbling old Hudson River pier once used by ocean liners like the Lusitania will be torn down and replaced by a 2.7 acre park on the water featuring rolling hills and an outdoor amphitheater. Mayor de Blasio is expected to reveal further details about the park at a press conference this morning, but the Hudson River Park Trust has revealed that the park will be largely financed by a foundation formed by the billionaire couple Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg.
“New York has always reminded me of Venice, so I am happy the time has come to properly honor its waterways,” Diane von Furstenberg said in a statement. “What better than a park on the city’s western bank to rest, watch a sunset or a performance?” The talented producer Scott Rudin, theater directors George Wolfe and Stephen Daldry, and British theater executive Kate Horton will oversee the performance spaces, with Diller pledging to fund cultural events there for 20 years.
Read more and see all the cool pictures!
***UPDATE 2015 – THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN! The project has won unanimous approval from the Hudson River Park Trust on Wednesday and is moving forward! The next step in Pier55’s development is for the developers to apply for permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Construction is expected to begin in 2016.
The Center – Once Upon A Time
LGBT Center: Once Upon A Time And Now
February 3, 2015 – March 3, 2015
The Center is revisiting The Center Show (1989) by reinstalling artworks from artists such as David LaChapelle and incorporating new artwork, under the curatorial direction of Ian Alteveer, Associate Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The goal of the exhibition, Once Upon a Time and Now, is to encourage guests and supporters to explore The Center including our rich, cultural history while continuing our role as a cultural destination for years to come.
LaChapelle’s artistic temperament is characterized by an unremitting effort to discover the ever newer possibilities offered by the medium of photography. His works from the 1980’s often represent a sort of fusion of photography, collage and graphic art.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center has undergone a major renovation of their historic main building over the last year and a half, upgrading the capabilities of the space while preserving their unique history in New York City.
Presented to celebrate the renovation of The Center, Once Upon A Time and Now, examines historic works from the 1980s preserved in the renovation and looks to the future with new works.
Featuring: Arch Connelly, Leon Golub, Gran Fury, Keith Haring, David LaChapelle, Stephen Lack, Thomas Lanigan Schmidt, Kay Rosen, Barbara Sandler, Kenny Scharf, Nancy Spero, Robert Storr, Susan Strande, Richard Taddei, George Whitman, and Martin Wong
Alongside more recent work by Deborah Kass, Tseng Kwong Chi, Glenn Ligon
Curated by Ian Alteveer, Associate Curator, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
208 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011 | www.gaycenter.org
ONCE UPON A TIME AND NOW
FEBRUARY 3, 2015
6:00-9:00 PM
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
208 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011 | www.gaycenter.org
Phone:
212.620.7310
Building Hours:
Mon–Sat 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sun 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Christmas with the Crawfords in New York
HOW FABULOUS IS THIS?!
Christmas with the Crawfords
Model Actor Mark MacKillop ROOM FOURTEEN
Mark MacKillop is a singer actor dancer. Originally from Vancouver he studied ballet in Vancouver with Li Yaming at Pacific DanceArts and spent summers training with the Boston Ballet and American Ballet Theater in New York, both on full scholarship. After three years dancing with the Atlanta Ballet Mark moved to New York to pursue musical theatre and just finished a year on tour playing Riff with the international production of West Side Story – which leads us to this story about Mark!
Earlier this year, our good friend Michael Cavnaugh, founder of HEROnews.org and HIVhero.org interviews the very talented and handsome Mark MacKillop – the Broadway HERO of the month. Mark talks about his international tour of West Side Story, Broadway Bares, his struggle to become a performer and so much more. This man is an inspiration, smart sexy and a great guy- please check it out here!
From Huffington Post: New York performer Mark MacKillop offers musical theater fans a provocative peek at the offstage life of a working actor in his coffee table book, Rm. XIV.
The new book comprises 80 black-and-white selfies of MacKillop in various stages of undress, shot in various hotel rooms around the world while he was in the midst of an international tour of “West Side Story” last year.
Though the steamy images will no doubt set pulses racing, MacKillop sees Rm. XIV as capturing “physicality, composition, reflection” as opposed to being intentionally scintillating.
“I had just finished a year touring all over Europe and Israel with the international production of West Side Story. During the course of my time abroad i started taking pictures of myself in each hotel room I stayed in. This quickly became a staple of my experience on tour.”
“ Surprisingly traveling around with 30 cast members and a 30 piece orchestra left me feeling incredibly isolated and at times lonely. I used the photos as a way of connecting with friends who I was separated from to give them a unique, intimate look at my life on the road,” MacKillop, who originally hails from Canada, told The Huffington Post. Noting that he shot all of the images on his iPhone with a self-timer app, – which are REALLY REALLY GOOD!! “I definitely wouldn’t call myself a photographer. I would just call myself an artist exploring in various mediums.”
MacKillop, who is openly gay, said the photos also represent a very personal journey, and were partly inspired by Tom of Finland in addition to his own ballet and modern dance training.
A very successful kickstarter campaign was launched and the book was printed!
(Photo Right : is from one of the MANY fashion shoots Mark has done. Photographer Walter Kurtz Emporio Armani Underwear. See more on Pinterest.)
Having performed in the 2014 installment of “Broadway Bares,” MacKillop will donate a portion of the proceeds from Rm. XIV to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). In addition, the book will feature an introduction by Tony Award-winning “Kinky Boots” star Billy Porter and a foreword authored by New York artist Robert W. Richards.
You can read more about Rm. XIV here. BUY THE BOOK!
Sneak Peak Video on YouTube
Instagram @markmackillop
Twitter @mark_mackillop
markmackillop.net
On a side note…..
OCTOBER 19th! Please support this event! $20 tickets. Other donations on Indigo.
The best of both worlds performing together.
Featuring performances from the brightest stars from Broadway and Ballet.
Honoring The Actors Fund, Tony Award Winner, Jerry Mitchell and Ballet Star, Stephen Hanna
A benefit for HERO – HIV Experience Resources Organization.
Sunday, October 19th, 2014
42 West, 516 West 42nd Street, NYC
8–10 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Purchase Tickets $20 General Admission – Premium seating $100 – Tables of Ten
New Book looks at the history of New York Nightlife…THE FUN: THE SOCIAL PRACTICE OF NIGHTLIFE IN NYC
is a first-of-its-kind publication, documenting the new forms of
nightlife practitioners to emerge since the turn of the millennium.
Through profiles of over 30 artists, including the royalty of Manhattan
nightlife like Susanne Bartsch and Ladyfag; hybrid forms like Xtapussy
and FCKNLZ; the continuation of minimal wave and goth communities
through Pendu Disco; and the vibrant queer scenes of JUDY, Frankie
Sharp, and My Chiffon is Wet, THE FUN documents the rich
contemporary cultural activity keeping NYC as weird and innovative as
decades past.
voices in the nightlife, including artists Rob Roth and Genesis
P-Orridge, curators and critics Claire Bishop and Jake Yuzna, as well as
journalist Michael Musto providing both historical context and
contemporary understanding of nightlife as a vital artistic practice
that has been marginalized by the arts sector for hundreds of years.
from the explosion of large and small discos throughout the 1970s like
Studio 54, which paved the way for 80s megaclubs; the candy-colored club
kid movement of Michael Alig and the Limelight in the early 90s; the
parallel expansion of the boundary shattering merger of drag,
performance, and music in downtown venues such as the Pyramid Club and
Mother; the rise of Brooklyn as a new focal point in the 2000s with the
emergence of Luxx, Secret Project Robot, Silent Barn and other hybrid
arts/music/nightlife venues; and on into the many vibrant forms found
today.
978-1-57687-659-6, $39.95)
from Paris Hilton and Lydia Hearst to the Backstreet Boys, Foxy Brown
and Gwen Stefani was drawn to their taste for sparkly streetwear glam.
“The clothes were attention getting and fun,” Heatherette’s longtime
friend and muse Amanda Lepore remembers. “They had a distinct look,
which at that time — everyone wanted it. David LaChapelle was using it. All the
celebrities wanted it. It was in demand.” (from Paper Mag).
while Rich is set to launching two fashion lines this spring: Rich
& Warr, a mens line, and a womens, Chantilly Rich, with Chantilly
Lace designer, Chantelle Warr. Although busy, Rich still has his eye on
the club scene. “It’s been fun watching the new generation of kids. When
I moved to New York I was ‘the new’ to the old nightlife generation,”
Richie says. “Now it’s fun to see all the new kids coming on the block
and dressing up. I feel like the style is coming back. Who knows, maybe
Heatherette will too.”
New York-based photographer Leland Bobbé has captured portraits of drag queens in half drag!
queens in half drag for his ongoing project ‘Half-Drag . . . A Different
Kind of Beauty.’
“With this series my intention is to capture both the male and the alter
ego female side of these subjects in one image in order to explore the
cross over between males and females and to break down the physical
barriers that separate them,” Bobbé says.
These images, composed and stylized through the power of hair and
makeup, are captured in one snap, and are NOT digitally composed.