fete : halloween [special costume edition]



new york must have done something in a past life to piss off gaia: the last two halloweens were snowy and sandy. to make up for it, this year we made it into a 48-hour event. two costumes. two wicked nights. two attempts at a candy coma. we brought the spooky all the way into november. and the costumes this year? let's just say its: ceylaroux - 1 | heidi klum - 0.

look : everyday costume [vampire]



vampyres [old-world spelling] are slick, smart and forever young. with red-stained lips and jet black attire, they make a pasty girl into a mythical porcelain predator. buffy + anne rice - edward and bella's sap = kickass creatures of the night. let's do halloween right. [blood] suck it.

wildcard : [flying trapeze]



flying was peter pan's key to fresh skin and perpetual youth. add a harness and a "hep!" and it also made a typical friday morning into a fly-day afternoon. beyond an abandoned warehouse and rain-rusted train tracks, tsny gave us wings [and matching calluses]. ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, take a chalk-dip and come fly with us at the ceylaroux circus.

fete : [llyn foulkes]



llyn foulkes' art provides a social commentary on america that is both beautiful and brutally honest. our idols and superheros are minimized to brands and propaganda. llyn's show at the new museum this summer chronicled his work from the 1960s until today. he has evolved, from simple prints, to more recent multimedia pieces [in the paintings, using shirt fabric for shirts and hair for hair]. he paints. he draws. he composes jazz. he makes his own instruments. llyn foulkes = one man fete.

taste : pumpkin [curry]


the bangkok style pumpkin curry at klong was an overflowing bathtub of orange-y sweet spice. while waiting for our linner [that awkward time between lunch & dinner when you used to eat cheese sticks as a kid], we got lost in the never ending abacus. every restaurant should have ancient calculating devices. tipping would be a breeze.

look : the everyday costume [ghost]


goblin. apparition. phantom. whatever you call it, the alabaster lurkers always b.y.o.b. : bring your own boo. this fall, new york fashion week went for texture over color with white on white on white. the only color came from pop lips [so the models wouldn't get lost in the mist]. spring 2014 will be draped in ivory, just like the toilet papered trees this halloween. now, do you wanna hear a ghost story?

sip : fireball [hard-ish cider]


nothing screams thursday night like hot hard cider. with all the furs and parkas emerging from their summertime bunkers, we needed a little warmth in our bellies. these layers on layers of cinnamon did the trick. back of the textbook answer time : garlic is to vampires as cinnamon+fireball+apple is to mid october shivers.

taste : pumpkin [restaurant roundup]


from deutschland's cuisine in midtown, to asian innovation in the east village, to theme park eats in los angeles. sweet. savory. saturated. sugary : pumpkins have conquered the menu.

look : the everyday costume [witch]


there is no halloween without witches. that gourmet brew. that seductive cackle. you can't go trick or treating without getting lost in the wave pool of chic black hats. elphaba, sabrina and the girls at p3 were all down with the occult, casting spells by day and hooking up with whitelighters by night. wingardium leviosa. now it's your move.

spot : [venice]



























venice is one of those cities that is lost in time. during carnivale, the quiet streets transform into italy's pseudo halloween. bambinos dressed as mini princesses and bears. cobblestone streets lined with venetian masks and muddied confetti. if you're nice, shakespeare's merchant will give you a bargain on fresh gnocchi. here: grab a mask, a bellini in a bottle and join the nonnas in their bewitching bustles.

taste : pumpkin [cracker snack]


everybody loves tapas, and the crunchier, the better. these pumpkin cranberry crisps are trader joe's seasonal special and they are perfect. the little toast shapes bring you back to your doll's birthday party. but the rosemary and pumpkin undertones are a bit more mature than barbie's white bread. layer them with a bit of jam, a glob of goat cheese and a walnut topper. or stack them into a multilayer sandwich. that fine line between the perfect sweet and savory snack lands right here.



[pumpkin cracker snack]
goat cheese
walnut

sip : fireball [brickelixir]


mulled wine is rich, comforting and aromatic. it is the cure for a cold night in prague. it is the perfect mate for cozying into a dark plush chair and reading anna karenina. it is also time consuming to make. please welcome, the brickelixir: a surprising discovery that came less from a mixologist's curiosity and more from a lack of options in the liquor cabinet one thursday night. add a shot of fireball to any red wine and you can capture fall in a glass. go ahead, judge. let's see how judgy you are after your first ambrosial sip.

look : the everyday costume [harlequin]


clowns are creepy predators that nobody really likes. but harlequins are the classy, parisian cousin. one played violin and juggled for king henry viii's amusement. another teamed up with the joker to defeat attempt to defeat batman. diamond jumpsuits and ruffled necks have never looked so good.

fete : [llyn foulkes]


llyn foulkes' art provides a social commentary on america that is both beautiful and brutally honest. our idols and superheros are minimized to brands and propaganda. llyn's show at the new museum this summer chronicled his work from the 1960s until today. he has evolved, from simple prints, to more recent multimedia pieces [in the paintings, using shirt fabric for shirts and hair for hair]. he paints. he draws. he composes jazz. he makes his own instruments. llyn foulkes = one man fete.

sip : fireball [sweet libation]


everyone knows fireball is perfect neat or on the rocks (if you've never had it, imagine a cinnamon altoid in a glass). but for a less aggressive version with a refreshing twist, suck on some sweet libation. the grapefruit juice and fresh lemon bring grandpa's whiskey to a brunch in bali. for that cinnamon sugar rim, do it like fun dip : lick it, take a sip and re-dip it.

taste : pumpkin [pumpkin pie yogurt]


pumpkin pie is that rich dessert that always invokes thoughts of fall, family and a crackling fire. until the stomach ache kicks in and the memory of drunk uncle's republican rant comes flooding back. enter pumpkin pie yogurt: equally as decadent, but healthy and drama free. recommended uses: quick breakfast, unique dinner party dessert or two a.m. munchies cure.




























spot : [venice]


venice is one of those cities that is lost in time. during carnivale, the quiet streets transform into italy's pseudo halloween. bambinos dressed as mini princesses and bears. cobblestone streets lined with venetian masks and muddied confetti. if you're nice, shakespeare's merchant will give you a bargain on fresh gnocchi. here: grab a mask, a bellini in a bottle and join the nonnas in their bewitching bustles.

look : the everyday costume [pumpkin]

this october, orange is the new black (congrats netflix, you called it). tangerine and coral were all over spring 2014 fashion week, from new york to london, from flatforms to lipstick. around manhattan, duane reade has decorated the windows with jack-o-lanterns and argo tea has whipped out the fall spice latte. stick-skinny on top, voluptuous on the bottom: who wouldn't want to look like a pumpkin?

the list [october]

1. look: everyday costume

    2. spot: venice

        3. taste: pumpkin

            4. sip: fireball whiskey

                5. fete: llyn foulkes

                    6. wild card: flying trapeze


*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 


[inspiration]
spring 2014 fashion week  :  tibi  .  undercover  .  guy laroche  .  "who's on third" by llyn foulkes  .  venice canal at night .  fireball whiskey  .  pumpkin curry