Pacific Standard Was On Vacation

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And now we're back. Last week Emily and I took our boat up to the San Juans in an attempt to take a first proper vacation since that massive roadtrip move from New York to Seattle in Fall 2008. If you aren't from here, the San Juans are a chain of 172 islands in the Salish Sea.

Kind of a weird trip in that we got stuck on Lopez for three days with engine trouble (I know, rough life... but not what we had planned).

Still, the weather was perfect and we made it out to Jones and Stuart Islands for two nights at the end of the week. And:

ORCA WHALES!

Here are some other pics:

Emily at the wheel

Prevost Harbor on Stuart (the second boat from the left on this side of the dock is us)

Lopez Island

iPhone photo of the sunset on Lopez

Our campsite on Jones Island

Downed tree from the 1995 storm on Jones

On Jones we met these people from Bellingham who had the same model of boat as us (1980 Boston Whaler Revenge). It's kind of a rarity so it was cool to talk to them about modifications they had made, etc. Yes, we're becoming boat people.

When I was younger I wanted to pilot one of these small ferries. Oh well.

M/V Buster ("I know the blue parts are land")

Johns Island

Speiden Island

Barnacle remains on wood

Roche Harbor on San Juan Island (beer, ice, and we were out)

Geodesic Dome house on Stuart

Big ol' jellyfish near Satellite Island


The San Juans have the best tide pools of anywhere I've been.

More cool modern houses on Stuart. I used to kayak by these all the time – the fronts flip down and you can walk out on them.

Bedwell Harbor on Stuart

Hank's in Friday Harbor

Crab humor ha ha ha

A good vacation message

I'm sorry to report that on the last day – literally, when we got back to Everett and were getting ready to put the boat back in – we were trying to dock in a fast current and Emily fell in, dislocating her shoulder in the process.

Still, setting that and the engine trouble aside, it was a phenomenal trip.

Life Is Beautiful

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People In Order
1. Age: 1–100

A short film by Lenka Clayton and James Price.

(via Wall of Sound and the Portable Film Festival)

Okay Fine

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A respectable late-summer banger. Video by Spike Jonze.

Best Foot Forward

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I like the incorporation of the elastic straps, which aren't what you would normally think of as a glamorous material, especially in that color. They remind me of a pair of heels I have that wrap up the ankle with an ACE bandage.

Christian Louboutin Big Dorcet 120 textured-leather pumps,
$995 at net-a-porter.

Climb Is All We Know

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Bon Iver "Wash." from Bon Iver (2011, Jagjaguwar)

(photo: Everett, Wash., June 2010)

This Side, That Side

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Beat Happening "The Other Side"
from Black Candy (1989, K Records)

(thank you for the reminder Michael Donovan)

You Had A Busy Day Today

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Elton John "Tiny Dancer" (lyrics by Bernie Taupin) from Madman Across the Water (1971, UNI)

Image of the Day

Composite snapshot of the former Seattle Brewing & Malting Co., where I just wrapped a week-long gig art directing a shoot for a new client [more on that when the images are public]. Sorry for not updating the blog more, I am busier than ever. Hopefully more soon.

I Love Eggs

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Grass Widow "Fried Egg" from Past Time (2010, Kill Rock Stars). Video by Hannah Lew. Grass Widow plays at Cairo's VIBRATIONS festival in Volunteer Park, Seattle, on August 20th.

American History

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Trailer for Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place. Info here.

Image of the Day

. Grains of sand, magnified over 250 times by Professor Gary Greenberg.

(via Les Yeux d'Extase)

Image of the Day

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Creative Director Ezra Petronio and
Fashion Editor/Stylist Suzanne Koller
of Self Service magazine.
Photographed by Juergen Teller in August 2009.

Dept of New Acquisitions

. Hand-tooled leather "PS" wallet found in Montana – a gift from Dustin and Erica at hitchcock Madrona. I love it.

If you're in town tonight, stop by hitchcock for the Winifred Grace jewelry trunk show from 5–7:30pm, or tomorrow, 10am–6pm. More info here.

Best Foot Forward

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Ok, I know I already said I wanted the black pair, but that was before I saw them in white. White-white heels are almost impossible to pull off well, in my opinion, but these are fresh....So fresh they might be a Need.

Theyskens' Theory patent-leather wedges,
$465 at net-a-porter.

In the Studio

. Well, outside of it. Dalen Bakstad – builder, musician, photographer, and generally interesting/interested person.

Image of the Day

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Our friend Theresa's dad is a falconer and painter viking named Tomahawk.

Pardon Our Noise...It's the Sound of Freedom

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The Blue Angels started practicing this morning for Seafair weekend! This is, like, one of most exciting moments of the entire year for me. I'm not even kidding. The contradictions are not lost on me but that does not change the fact that the Blue Angels are AWESOME. August in Seattle is the best.

(Note, I know this crummy iPhone video doesn't do the Blue Angels justice but I'm kind of proud of the accidental composition.)

On the Border Between

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Prada FW2011 video by Steven Meisel

Image of the Day

. This photo made me miss all the rats in Fort Greene. There are rats in Seattle of course (and any coastal town) but when we first moved to Saint Felix Street in Brooklyn the rat population was epic. We didn't have them in our house (thank you Mr. Littlejeans and Inez) but on the night before a garbage day I would sometimes just walk down the middle of the street to avoid them. Not that I mind them so much, I just don't want to walk right through their business. I never thought about photographing them like this, it would have been cool.

(via Yayo)

The Form of One Question

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Destroyer "Your Blues" from Your Blues (2004, Merge)

(Photo: Lake City Way, Seattle, December 2010)

You Are Here

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Stella McCartney Fall 2011 campaign.

Natalia Vodianova shot by Mert & Marcus.

So nice – can't wait to see it in print. The sewn-on tag, layering, and overall feel remind me of View On Colour magazine.

Grass Widow

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Grass Widow "Submarine" – my favorite song from the thoroughly outstanding album Past Time (2010, Kill Rock Stars). Grass Widow plays at Cairo's VIBRATIONS festival in Volunteer Park, Seattle, on August 20th.

(photo: Georgetown, Seattle, July 2011)

Image of the Day

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Nyasha Matonhodze photographed by Mert & Marcus, with styling by Panos Yiapanis and Katie Grand, for LOVE Magazine #6. Headpiece by Pam Hogg, dress by Giles Deacon. More images from the same story, "Super Natural," here.

Where To Start

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Dum Dum Girls "Coming Down" from Only In Dreams (2011, Sub Pop). Maybe my favorite Dum Dum Girls song. Download it for free here.

Vibe, Vibrations

Illustration by Brian Standeford / type + layout by me
Mark your calendar, this is gonna be a fun one

Best Foot Forward

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(Alexander McQueen Fall 2011 edition.)

Navy patent-leather ankle cuff pumps,
$825 at net-a-porter.

While we're on the subject of navy:

Navy suede buckled punk boot,
$1225 at Alexander McQueen.

Instant good times:

Suede ankle boot, in red or fuschia,
$1075 at Alexander McQueen.

Image of the Day

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"Buffalo; Galloping," by Eadweard Muybridge, 1887 – featured in the buffalo room of The Great American Hall of Wonders, a new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.

From Edward Rothstein's review in the New York Times: "The United States was a realm of vast spaces and enormous resources. And the show suggests that those resources were used with more enthusiasm than wisdom." Read more, and see more images, here.

The Great American Hall of Wonders is up through Jan. 8 – info here.

(Image credit: Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center of Visual Arts, Stanford University)

In the Studio

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Hausu

Need vs. Want

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Lanvin suede sneaker, made in Italy, $495 at Barneys. Want.

Image of the Day

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Scale model of Spire, 2011 (Aluminum mesh, wood, poured paint), an installation by artist (architect? master draper?) Alois Kronschlaeger in the elevator shaft and surrounding floors of an abandoned building in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Get more info about the project here, and if you're in New York, check out a discussion with Kronschlaeger this Thursday, July 28th, at SVA as part of the ongoing forum Reconfiguring Site: New Approaches to Public Art and Architecture. Indeed.

I Got the Hands to Hold On To Them

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Kurt Vile "Baby's Arms" from Smoke Ring for My Halo (2011, Matador). Video by Todd Cole.

Image of the Day

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Lucian Freud, Reflection (Self-Portrait), 1985.
Another giant...Freud died Wednesday
at his home in London, at the age of 88.

Need vs. Want

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Alexander Wang leather shirtdress

with sheer back,
$1225 at shopbop.

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Theyskens' Theory ankle-strap platform,
$139.50 (originally $465) at theory.com.
Want.

Live at Pacific Standard

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Craft Spells "You Should Close the Door" from Idle Labor (2011, Captured Tracks)

I'm momentarily breaking our radio silence to announce that tomorrow at noon we are hosting the Seattle Times' Matson on Music Live, featuring performances by local groups Craft Spells and Hausu. It's not open to the public (this ain't Budokan, our studio is very small) but you can watch the whole thing on live webstream here.

Oh Hi There

and Emily

Please forgive us for the long absence!
We will be back, and stronger than ever, after we finish a major special project. We'll tell you all about it very soon!

Buggin' Out

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Trailer for Beats, Rhymes and Life: a documentary on A Tribe Called Quest by Michael Rappaport

Best Foot Forward

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Alexander Wang Britt sandal, $725 at Barneys.

Peace & Love

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Happy 71st birthday to Ringo Starr, pictured above with Raquel Welch in The Magic Christian (1969), which has been on our queue for way too long.


Must watch soon.

Black & Light

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Sasha Pivovarova expertly styled by Mika Mizutani and photographed by Hedi Slimane for Vogue Japan, August 2011. I love the way the light shines on that massive bracelet, and the light through sheer black in the photo below.

More from the same story here.

Image of the Day

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Cy Twombly, Pan II, 1980.
The artist died today at the age of 83. Read more about Twombly's life and career here,
and view more of his work at his website.

Need vs. Want

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A red suit. I am a bigger dude (let's call it "husky"), so it wouldn't look like this – Lanvin, Spring 2012 – but I think I could rock it in the right time and place. Need.