If I Were a Boy...

...I would be wearing only Cole Haan shoes from this Fall 2010 ad campaign. Is it strange that I get jealous of guys? Because they get to wear cool, comfortable, beautifully and effortlessly designed shoes like these?

P.S. this ad campaign was shot by Todd Selby (of The Selby), that's why it looks so dang good!

Marc by Marc by Marc by Marc...

Well Mr. Jacobs, you've done it again. Just when we all thought perhaps you had taken a break from your overwhelmingly cute, severely quirky, and brilliantly merchandised global takeover you pull THIS fast one on us. The just-opened Marc Jacobs bookstore adorably, appropriately, (and somewhat predictably) named, "Bookmarc", became phase four (yes, four) of Jacobs' takeover of the west end of Bleecker St. in the West Village of NYC. Allow me to refresh your memory:

Phase 1: 403 Bleecker St., Marc by Marc Jacobs Womenswear
Phase 2: 385 Bleecker St., Marc Jacobs Collection Accessories (as of last week)
Phase 3: 382 Bleecker St., Little Marc Jacobs (childrenswear)
Phase 4: 400 Bleecker St., Bookmarc (books...maybe?)

So, in case this is the first you're hearing of the most recent acquisition of the MJ empire, here's the DL. Marc Jacobs has taken over the corner spot which previously belonged to Biography Books (a neighborhood staple for over 20 years) to open Bookmarc. Bookmarc will now sell the fun, quirky, and (most importantly) inexpensive accessories once sold at the Marc by Marc accessories store down the street, as well as (can you believe it?) actual books! (mainly of the art/design/coffee table variety) Now, I'll be honest, I was just as much a sucker as everyone else who found the cheap knick knacks splattered with ironic words/pictures and the "Marc by Marc Jacobs" logo somewhat irresistible. Marc by Marc wallets, keychains, t-shirts, tote bags? All under $30? Bring it! Eventually the excitement of a small, cheap piece of "designer" merchandise wore off (for a time at least), but I did however realize the genius of Jacobs' marketing plan. By making the Marc Jacobs name available to people (like broke college students) who may not be able to afford the clothes or shoes or handbags, Jacobs is not only making lots of extra money, but perhaps creating a sort of brand loyalty with people who love his work, but simply can't afford it... right now at least. But when the time comes, they will buy their first $1,000 purse from Marc Jacobs... and maybe a $3 keychain to go with it.

Which arises some questions: Is MJ only interested in making tons (and tons and tons) of money whether it be from 500 $2 keychains or 1 $1,000 purse? Is he not interested in who the MJ customer is as long as he/she is buying his merchandise? Or is he simply interested in making everyone a Marc Jacobs customer? I suppose we'll just have to sit back and where the Jacobian empire expands to next.

A quick word about the Biography Books. They haven't closed but simply moved to another location further East on Bleecker. After being a neighborhood staple for nearly 25 years, I find it sad that rents are being raised so high that important local joints characteristic of the neighborhood can't keep up. Leaving only multi-million dollar companies to snatch up the space. Can we be angry with companies such as Marc Jacobs for small more special business being forced to relocate or even worse, close down completely? (don't remind me of Florent, may it rest in peace) Or are they simply taking advantage of real estate no one else can afford? After all, they aren't responsible for the rise in rent prices, they're just the only ones who can pay it ... right? Apparently the Observer was quoted as saying "the new tenants at the former Biography Bookshop can look forward to paying eight times the lease owners Chuck and Carolyn Epstein signed ten years ago," on a street where some retailers are paying $80,000 per month. For a more, shall we say... negative take on the situation (but with some good points) read this.

Although I may be a little hesitant about the idea of Bookmarc based off principle, that doesn't mean to say that some of the merchandise I've seen thus far is, well, quite cheeky and quite irresistible (see pictures below). I agree with the Racked NY article in saying "well, I don't hate it".

Trees are Green Explosions Trapped in Time.

Wonderful. Found it under "Staff Picks" on Vimeo (which I finally created an account for). Enjoy.

Your New BFF.

I will start this post with a sort of disclaimer: on Oh My Goodness, I will never write about or promote the work or doings of friends simply because, well, they're friends. You will only see and read things here that I find inspiring and amazing, and if those things happened to be the product of some inspiring and amazing people whom just happened to be friends of mine? Then so be it.

So here we go. Today I shall introduce you to your new best friends: Razzmatazz Vintage and it's founders the Pisaturo sisters, Krickie and Hayley. A little history: I met the girls back in 2006, when Krickie and I were freshman at FIT and lived directly across the hall from one another, and Hayley was studying at Parsons. After countless nights of getting ready to go out together and hours of "does this outfit go?", I came to admire Krickie and Hayley's open-minded, yet clearly educated fashion sense. They seemed to approach dressing in such a fun and effortless way which I had never seen before, and on more than one occasion, have convinced me to try something I may have otherwise dismissed (I'm not just talking clothes) as "not my style".

With Razzmatazz, Krickie and Hayley have demonstrated their eye for fun, quirky, but well-made and interesting pieces, and to the benefit to all us vintage/bargain lovers! Upon meeting the sisters, it is impossible to ignore not only their amazing personal style, but their contagious laid-back yet fun and hilarious personalities (for example, don't be surprised if you see Hayley walking around sporting a pair of these bad boys), and I promise that you will not regret paying them a visit (at the Artists and Fleas flea market in Williamsburg) and checking out their awesome vintage finds! The prices are suuuper reasonable, and seeing the stash of clothes firsthand at their apartment I can promise you that the condition of the pieces is perfect. You can email the girls and ask for a private showing if you're interested in buying anything you see on the site, but I would highly suggest checking out their booth at the flea market! I've posted some pics of my favorite pieces below, but you can check out the Razzmatazz Vintage blog for more. I can't promise however that the clothes shown haven't been snatched up already!

Into the Forest Dress $25Grandpa Sweater $35

Sweatshirt $25 SOLD!Two Piece Crop Top and Shorts $25
Splatter Print Denim Shirt $20

Don't Blink.

Perhaps due in large part to my lovely, video-making, video-obsessed boyfriend, I have been watching (in a somewhat obsessive fashion) tons and tons of videos lately. Not just of the music sort, but everything from commercials to comedy and fashion videos, short films, everything. It seems to me to be a very interesting time for video direction and production (as I suppose it is for many of the creative fields) because of the immense amount and variety of content available on the internet. On the one hand, it seems that directors are exploring each and every realm, (although there may be certain "fads" in video which sort of string them together, like there are in anything else,) to create the best and most memorable experience for the viewer. On the other hand, (in my humble opinion at least) the widespread accessibility and use if HD cameras can make almost any footage at all, and in turn, any video at all, seem amazing. I admit at first, I would find myself watching an only mildly interesting video with this intense awe because I couldn't seem to take my eyes off the images on my screen. It turns out...it was just the HD! I quickly learned and have become perhaps a little too skeptical at beautifully filmed works, realizing that anyone can buy and operate a fancy camera. But it takes an artist to tell a story, and leave a lasting impression on a viewer... especially in this era of internet-information-overload.



Which brings me to my latest video obsession: Blink Productions. Ellis had sent me this great music video (above) which quickly led me to the Blink page on Vimeo where I was totally blown away with the variety, quality, and creativity of work shown. I'll let the videos I picked speak for themselves, but I highly, highly suggest checking out their Vimeo page, as well as their website for a look at all of their work. You'll notice some familiar favorites included in the impressive league of directors... such as Patrick Daughters, and Andreas Nilson who did two Peter, Bjorn and John videos ("Nothing to Worry About" and "It Don't Move Me"), as well as the directors of the awesome Hot Chip video "I Feel Better", and one of the We Have Band videos I wrote my first post about, "You Came Out".

Not your grandmother's needlepoint.

As per usual, I came across this lovely work a while back, wrote a note to myself to post about it right away, but here we are, a month later and I am just telling you about her now. Oh well! I learned about Ms. Joetta Maue while working at a great, great, little boutique in Park Slope called Urban Alchemist, where some of her beautiful needle points (I believe) are currently being sold. Although my personal taste for home decoration tends to be a little more streamlined and modern, I fell instantly in love with the giant "Be Strong" banner, and found myself dreaming about where I would hang the beautiful thing in my own apartment. The pieces at the store were only ones with text, but on her website I found that she also embroiders portraits and scenes of people, which I found very impressive and equally awesome. I'm not normally into feminine things, but the second-hand, vintage-y feel of the one-of-a-kind lace and linen on which she does her work, make Joetta's pieces too heartwarming and interesting to resist.