Peace Go With You, Brother

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Gil Scott-Heron died yesterday in New York. My mom introduced his music to me when I was a kid and he has remained one of my favorites since – losing him feels a little like losing a family member. Here are just a few choice cuts:


Gil Scott-Heron "Your Daddy Loves You" from Winter In America (1974, Strata-East)


Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson "The Bottle" from Winter In America (1974, Strata-East)


Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson "Winter In America" from Winter In America (1974, Strata-East)



Gil Scott-Heron "We Beg Your Pardon (Pardon Our Analysis)" from Midnight Band: The First Minute of a New Day (Arista, 1975)


Esther Phillips "Home Is Where the Hatred Is," written by Gil Scott-Heron, from From A Whisper To a Scream (Kudu, 1971). His version appeared on Pieces of a Man (Flying Dutchman, 1971)



Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: "Offerings" from Midnight Band: The First Minute of a New Day (Arista, 1975)


Listen to a good remembrance of Gil Scott-Heron at NPR.

Need vs. Want

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Stella McCartney Tie White Cloth Plumeria Coat,
$1,545 at stellamccartney.com.

Kaufmanfranco Glossed Twill Trench Coat,
$2,395 at net-a-porter.com.

Want...even though I already own both of these in my heart.

Welcome Cosmic

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Rainbrow Bridge trailer (1972)

I have the soundtrack but have never seen the movie – gonna have to check it out.

(via the always-excellent South Willard)

Last Call

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Woody Allen outside Elaine's.

Wow, it's a black-and-white kinda week on Pacific Standard, huh? ...But the trend continues because tonight is curtains for Elaine's, the restaurant on New York's Upper East Side where for 48 years everyone who was anyone came.

Liza Minnelli, Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger at Elaine's, 1978.
Photo by Ron Galella.

Gay and Nan Talese at Elaine's.

Photo by Jessica Burstein.

Frank Sinatra and Elaine ... at Elaine's.

Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi and Lorne Michaels
in the kitchen at Elaine's, 1975.
Photo by Jonathan Becker.

Sean Penn and Madonna at Elaine's, 1984.
(Seeing these two together makes me feel old.)
Photo by Ron Galella.

George Plimpton, Jared Paul Stern and Cameron Richardson at Elaine's, 1999.

Photo by Larry Fink.

Interior at Elaine's.
Photo by Olivier Zahm.

Olivier Zahm.

We were not among that crowd, but it's one of those places - like the Oyster Bar, or Bemelmans, or The Central - that just feels good to have around. I'm sad to see it go.

Elaine Kaufman, who died on Dec. 3 of last year at age 81,
tossing a garbage can lid at Ron Galella.

Tom Carney, bartender at Elaine's.

Elaine's.

Find Elaine Kaufman's NY Times obit and an accompanying slide show here.

Best Foot Forward

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(Pair with swimsuit at your own risk.)

Emilio Pucci criss-cross ankle thong sandal,
$1321 at Luisaviaroma.com.

Smoke Like Ribbons

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I was never a smoker. The closest I came was in high school, during a short gig as a busser and salad bar attendant at Sea Galley in Bellevue, WA. People would leave half-empty packs of cigarettes on the tables and I'd scoop them up at the end of the night. I'd get off work late, and since I already had my mom's car – a 1974 Toyota Corolla with faux-wood paneling – and my friends were out doing whatever they were doing in the days before cell phones, I would drive around Seattle and smoke and listen to The Smiths and New Order and angst it up.

Maybe it was the wide variety of brands I sampled in a given night, or the pace, but cigarettes never sat quite right with me. When I quit Sea Galley I gave them up, along with free crab legs and mini corn.

I never minded smoking though – in fact I always liked a smokey bar – it just wasn't for me personally. Emily smoked when I met her, and I'm not gonna lie, I thought it was pretty hot.

When we moved to New York and she started law school, she used to go out to smoke on our mini-stoop in Hell's Kitchen.

An old neighbor of ours with a black and white cat would bum smokes from her using hand signals. He didn't speak English, and he didn't really speak at all – his voice was pretty much gone. Not long after that Emily quit smoking altogether (a demonstration of will power – quitting during law school).

Awhile after that the smoking ban went into effect. We were against it – we thought it would take all the character(s) out of the bars. In fact what it did was make it possible to wear the same clothes a few times before dreaded trips to the Puerto Rican laundromat on 10th Avenue.


Not much makes me miss smoking – either by me or in my immediate vicinity – but these newly re-designed YSL cigarettes are undeniably chic.

If it was 1999 and Emily was having a bad day at Columbia, she might come home to find a gift carton of these waiting on the coffee table. Order yours here.

Very Wool

.Images from a late 1960s wool campaign – art direction by Claude Bonin and illustrations by Roman Cieslewicz.

Image of the Day

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Self-portrait by Swedish-born photographer Lina Scheynius. If you happen to find yourself in London this week – Mörel Books will host the launch of her third book and an accompanying exhibition in its gallery space this Wednesday evening. Here's the book:



Visit morelbooks.com for info and linascheynius.com for much more.

In London Town

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Further evidence that London is the place to be: Seattle homegirl Izzie Klingels is featured in The Menagerie, a group show at Art Work Space (in the Hempel Hotel, London) for the next month. The opening is tonight – get on the list by emailing rsvp[at]artworkspace.co.uk and visit Izzie's website, tumblr, and Etsy shop to see more of her work.

Image of the Day

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Kate Moss, photographed by Glen Luchford
in 1994, during her first trip to New York.

The photo is part of the current exhibition at Danziger Projects in NYC, The Kate Moss Portfolio and Other Stories, which tracks Kate's career in photographs by Luchford, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Terry Richardson, David Sims, Mario Sorrenti, Juergen Teller, Mario Testino, Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin and Bruce Weber, among others. The show runs through June 30; more info here.

Need vs. Want

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For Emily:

Henry Cuir Oracle Tote Bag, $1780 at Barneys. Want.