CH at The Brooklyn Flea Recap

by Ami Kealoha

This past weekend we all had a lot of fun playing store at the Winter Market in Dumbo as part of the series of "Curated Corners" masterminded by the event's impresario, Eric Demby. He gave us free reign with the space so we called in the industrious Kiel Mead, who came up with an ingenious installation using a humble material (yarn) to create what looked like a computer-generated projection on one of the walls.

The effect was dramatic and helped create an overall gallery-as-retail space for displaying the wares of some of our favorite designers. (See our earlier posts on the line-up here and here.)

We want to extend a huge thanks to Kiel for donating his ideas and time to making it a success! Also, a big thanks to our own Tim Yu, for putting it all together and seeing it through. Stay tuned for a video and a couple other surprises. In the meantime, there are a few more pics of the space after the jump.

Stephen Sprouse's Lost Sketches

by Karen Day

The late fashion designer Stephen Sprouse's legacy endures, not just in the form of the recently-resurrected Marc Jacobs/Louis Vuitton collaboration and the launch of the book "The Life of Stephen Sprouse" in January, but also with the discovery of a cache of sketches lost for over a decade at the Chateau Marmont. The story of how the drawings ended up there is a peek into the designer's life and the era.

Born in the small industrial town of Dayton, Ohio, fashion designer Stephen Sprouse made his way into NYC's giant fashion industry by working as a photographer and documenting the shift in the city's music scene from glam rock to punk. By the early '80s Sprouse was a fixture among the crowd of musicians and artists, designing stage costumes for his neighbor Debby Harry and contributing to Interview Magazine, run by friend and mentor Andy Warhol.

Inspired by the the eye-catching neon colors favored by subway graffiti artists, Sprouse astounded editors, buyers and trend junkies alike with his collection of day-glo, graffiti-print patterns, which quickly trickled down to mainstream fashion.

Despite all his artistic success, Sprouse's finances were on the decline and by 1991 he was unable to pay for his month-long stay at L.A.'s famed Chateau Marmont. In exchange for his bill, owner and art enthusiast André Balazs agreed to let him off the hook if Sprouse designed some apparel for the hotel. The original sketches he drew for the project surfaced a few weeks ago, after years of storage in the hotel's attic. The six never-seen-before sketches are all signed and dated and CH is lucky enough to have an exclusive on one of them. The exciting find even thrilled Balazs, who had not seen the sketches since their completion.

While the sketches will not be on public display, the Marmont is honoring Sprouse and his work with a postcard (above image), available from the hotel.

Mike Harte and Jamie Shovlin: Bourbon Joy

by Jacob Resneck

While the rest of us nurse our heads and livers in post-St. Patrick's Day convalescence, British artists Mike Harte and Jamie Shovlin will unveil the fruits of their week-long bourbon binge. For the past week, Harte has been furiously painting in the company of his magnanimous compatriot, Shovlin. Both have been plowing through a bottle of bourbon per evening to create a seven-piece exhibition to be unveiled 18 March 2009.

While Harte is the one doing the painting, it's renowned prankster Shovlin who provides whiskey and amoral support—leading both men to take credit (and blame) for the outcome of a week of bourbon-and-paint.

Bourbon Joy
18 March-25 April 2009
Seventeen Gallery
17 Kingsland Road
London E2 8AA map
tel. +44 (0)20 77295777

It Is What It is: Conversations About Iraq

by Tim Yu

Take a moment to think about it, have you ever spoken with an Iraqi or Iraq vet? Addressing the fact that most of us have at least a few questions or curiosities about Iraq and that the country continues to feel foreign to even the most well-informed, "It Is What It Is: Conversations about Iraq," is a recent commission by Turner Prize-winning British artist Jeremy Deller. In conjunction with the New Museum and Creative Time as part of the Three M Project, the traveling exhibit encourages public discussion of the history, present circumstances and future of Iraq in an effort to bridge the gap between two countries that are geographically distant yet completely entwined politically and economically.

Deller's show consists of a group of Iraqi nationals, experts and witnesses that he invited to share the gallery with objects meant to stimulate discussions about Iraq with museum visitors. The most significant and physically imposing of the readymades is the rusty twisted remnant of a car that was destroyed in March 2007 by an explosion Al-Mutanabbi, a book market street and intellectual hub of Baghdad.

The thought-provoking installation is in its last week at New York's New Museum—it runs through 22 March 2009—so be sure to visit before the exhibit sets off across the U.S. Deller, along with two experts on Iraq and a writer, will board an RV on 24 March 2009, traveling from New York to L.A. with the scorched car remnant and other physical evidence of the war's brutality in tow.

The idea is to continue the informal discourse on a national level by stopping at a number of cultural institutions and community centers (like Walmart!), reaching out to people not necessarily involved in the art world.

Visit the It Is What It Is site to view a calendar of speakers at the New Museum, bios, the route across the U.S and other pertinent information.

More images after the jump.

It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq
Through 22 March 2009
New Museum
235 Bowery
New York, NY 10002 map
tel. +1 212 219 1222

Three Exceptional Scotches

by Josh Teixeira

We're not Irish enough to know if it's total sacrilege to drink scotch for St. Patrick's day festivities, but we've had the good fortune of being awash in the stuff recently here at CH HQ. Scotch has been gaining a wider audience these days among a younger crowds as more and more are learning to appreciate the subtle complexities that differentiate one brand from another. The scotches we've been lucky enough to sample here really run the gamut in flavor profiles, from sweet and light to extremely smoky and intense.

Glenlivet Nadurra 16
Classic scotch brand Glenlivet was kind enough to drop buy our offices for a desk-side tasting. Brand Ambassador Richard Crawford schooled us all on the science behind the drink and led us on a tasting through four of Glenlivet's distinct scotches. All are excellent, with strong fruit and floral notes, but our favorite was the Nadurra 16. Cask-strength and without chill filtration, Nadurra (Gaelic for “natural”) captures the essence of drinking from the cask: a sweet, but spicy nose that goes down surprisingly well considering how strong it is. You can read more at the Glenlivet website.

Balblair 1989 Vintage Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
By far the sweetest and mellowest of what we've tasted recently, our bottle of Balblair arrived unannounced in the CH offices and quickly disappeared. Balblair 1989 has a very light color for scotch and an extremely light, vanilla flavor that went down incredibly smooth. Difficult to find locally, we highly recommend you hunt some down at Balblair. This is a great scotch to introduce to someone who thinks they are scotch-averse.

Ardbeg Ten Years Old Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
Islay scotches are known for their peaty flavor, making them the most challenging for the uninitiated. Ardbeg is one of the more intense Islay scotches we've tasted, has been making some waves recently (being named World Whicky for the Year for 2008 and 2009) and is gaining popularity here in NYC. The spicy smokiness took us a minute to get used to; once hooked however, you'll find yourself craving that smoke and going back for more. For the milder among us, we recommend enjoying Ardbeg with a solitary ice cube to help bring out the aromas and open up the flavor profile. Find out more at Ardbeg.

Whichever way you go, you can't go wrong with any of the brands above. And we can't think of any better way than to wait out the last throes of winter than with a nice tumbler of scotch.

Carrera Vintage Racing Sunglasses Redux

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

Last Friday Italian designer Carrera launched their new line, resurrecting their own vintage sunglasses, in New York at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. The night felt like an '80s revival of the Mud Club with guests wearing the oversized frames in colors from blue to pink to white and a surprise performance by Blondie, who indulged the audience with her rarely-played song "Rapture," infamous rap and all.

Carrera, named after the Carrera Panamericana (the annual car race that stretches across Mexico), launched in 1956 to create a line of sporting glasses and helmets for racing, skiing, rugby, cycling and more. Carrera was relaunched in Europe in 2007 and is now being released into the States. The new line pays tribute to their remarkably crafted 1950s line of racing glasses, but plays them up, referencing their '80s design style of oversized frames and colors that pop. Although the new line is incredibly fun, they’re also incredibly functional, as their large surface area provides optimum UV protection. It’s the perfect spring collection for both sport and leisure.

The glasses, available in four styles and 26 different colors, are available at Bloomingdale's and Solstice, ranging from $120-$150.