Sweet Freedom!

Celebrated the end of a long fall quarter with old fashioned ice cream sundays at Leatherby's.

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http://www.yelp.com/biz/leatherbys-family-creamery-sacramento

-HG

4!

I am a few months behind, but that's okay.

Organic Endorsement: J. Crew

There aren't a lot of options for men who want stylish, well made clothing that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Luckily J. Crew is there to help. J. Crew has made high quality clothing for a long time now but in the last few years they've added an extra dose of style. They have great washed shirts, khakis, sweaters, coats, cords, jackets, and anything else you might need. They have some stuff that was designed for the guy who was shopping at j. crew since 1995 and then they have other pieces that stylish shoppers and magazine editors alike are going crazy over. They have all the big stuff for fall like camel coats, shawl collars, tweed, plaid, and khakis. Although J. Crew is more affordable than say Gorgio Armani, it isn't cheap. However if you wait for sales you can get some pretty good deals.

-HG

images by J Crew

YSL fall/winter 2011 Sneakers Video

Yves Saint Laurent made a video to promote their newest sneakers. The video is kind of weird, but I'm really liking the shoes. Anyone reading this is more than welcome to gift me a pair. Eid is around the corner! 


-HG

STINKY MARC!!

I do not own this image

I was in Bloomingdales last week and decided to smell Marc Jacob's new men's fragrance, Bang. It's his first men's fragrance in almost 10 years. I was really excited when i first heard about it, because the bottle looked  cool and he is a great designer. But i was VERY disappointed, it's was one of the worst fragrances I've ever smelt! It is like a peppery smack in the face. All you can smell is the extremely strong black pepper notes. I felt like I had to sneeze after smelling it. I almost feel like this is some social experiment, where Marc Jacobs makes the worst scent he can think of, slaps his name on it, puts it in a sexy bottle, tells everyone he loves it, and then watches to see how many morons actually buy it! I wouldn't be surprised. Please, don't be a moron, stay away!

-HG

National Gallery of Art!

The outside of the west wing of the museum

Last week I was in DC and I couldn't leave without paying a visit to the national gallery of Art. Unfortunately I was in a rush and could only visit the east wing of the museum. I took some photos while i was there but there is no flash allowed inside and some of the rooms were dimly lit and a few photos came out blurry. Try to enjoy them anyways!

-HG

Claes Oldenburg
American, born Sweden, 1929
Glass Case with Pies (Assorted Pies in a Case), 1962

Wayne Thiebaud, Cakes, 1963

Roy Lichtenstein
American, 1923 - 1997
Look Mickey, 1961

Barnett Newman
American, 1905 - 1970
Achilles, 1952
oil and acrylic resin on canvas

Frank Stella
Marquis de Portago, 1970

Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853 - 1890
Roulin's Baby, 1888
oil on canvas

Edouard Manet
French, 1832 - 1883
Flowers in a Crystal Vase, c. 1882
oil on canvas

Georges Seurat
French, 1859 - 1891
Study for "La Grande Jatte", 1884/1885
oil on wood

Auguste Renoir
French, 1841 - 1919
Madame Monet and Her Son, 1874
oil on canvas

Alberto Giacometti
Swiss, 1901 - 1966
Walking Man II, 1960
bronze

Andy Warhol
American, 1928 - 1987
Green Marilyn, 1962
silkscreen on synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Morris Louis
Beth Chaf 1959
acrylic on canvas

Willem de Kooning
American, born The Netherlands, 1904 - 1997
Woman with a Hat, 1966
oil on paper

Georgia O'Keeffe
American, 1887 - 1986
Sky with Flat White Cloud, 1962
oil on canvas

Camille Pissarro (artist)

French, 1830 - 1903

Place du Carrousel, Paris, 1900

oil on canvas

Claude Monet
French, 1840 - 1926
The Japanese Footbridge, 1899
oil on canvas

Georges Seurat
French, 1859 - 1891
The Lighthouse at Honfleur, 1886
oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne
French, 1839 - 1906
Houses in Provence: The Riaux Valley near L'Estaque, c. 1883
oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853 - 1890
Farmhouse in Provence, 1888
oil on canvas

Claude Monet
French, 1840 - 1926
Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk, 1904
oil on canvas

Henri Matisse
French, 1869 - 1954
Open Window, Collioure, 1905
oil on canvas

Henri Matisse
French, 1869 - 1954
Palm Leaf, Tangier, 1912
oil on canvas

Gustav Klimt
Austrian, 1862 - 1918
Baby (Cradle), 1917/1918
oil on canvas

Pablo Picasso
Spanish, 1881 - 1973
Nude Woman, 1910
oil on canvas

Pablo Picasso (artist)
Spanish, 1881 - 1973
Harlequin Musician, 1924
oil on canvas

Piet Mondrian
Dutch, 1872 - 1944
Tableau No. IV; Lozenge Composition with Red, Gray, Blue, Yellow, and Black, c. 1924/1925
oil on canvas

Joan Miró
Spanish, 1893 - 1983
Head of a Catalan Peasant, 1924
oil and crayon on canvas

Alberto Giacometti
Swiss, 1901 - 1966
The City Square, 1948/1949
bronze

Frank Stella
La scienza della pigrizia (The Science of Laziness) 1984,
oil, enamel and alkyd paint on canvas, etched magnesium, aluminum and fiberglass

Roy Lichtenstein
American, 1923 - 1997
Painting with Statue of Liberty, 1983
oil and Magna on canvas

Roy Lichtenstein
American, 1923 - 1997
Entablature, 1975
oil, sand, and Magna on canvas

Vincent van Gogh
White Roses 1890
oil on canvas

Ramadan Mubarak!

I do not own this image

Hey everyone.

I just wanted to thank all of you for reading my posts. I Hope you all have a happy and spiritually successful month of Ramadan!

-HG

Trend Report: The Desert / Chukka Boot

My Steve Madden shoes I purchased for spring/summer

Desert Boots. Chukka Boots. Whatever you want to call them; they're big for 2010! They were popular this spring/summer and now I am seeing them everywhere for fall. The beauty of these shoes is in their versatility, they can be dressed down with T-shirts and dressed up with button-downs. Either way you can't go wrong. Everyone from Dior Homme to Lacoste is making them this season and they are available at various price points, just look at the photos below.

Stay Organic!

-HG

Dior Homme Chukka Boot $815

 Rag and Bone desert boots $440

Lacoste Arona $119

American Eagle J. Shoes Desert Boots $59.50

*I do not own the bottom 4 images in this post.

READ THIS: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

image owned by Random House

I read this book a few months back and it was organic!  It may be a year old now but it’s still worth reading, it even won the National Book Award in 2009.

The book is set in New York City durring the 1970’s. The story is centered around August, 7^th 1974, the day Philippe Petit walked a tightrope across the World Trade Center (this actually happened). Petit is not a main character  but his walk glues a lot of the story together. The book follows various characters who live in New York City; they all come from different walks of life and have very different personalities. Each character narrates the story at some point in the novel and all their stories intersect. The story is about how coincidence connects people and how small things that strangers do can have large impacts on our lives. McCann is a great story teller and he really brings each character to life. There is the Irish “urban monk”, who has a strange lifestyle (to say the least) and he remains conflicted between religion and love. There is the Woman who lives in a Park Avenue penthouse, spending her days in mourning. There are the drug addict artists. The most colorful character of all is the Prostitute from the Bronx, who has one of the most tragic storylines, and some of the funniest quotes in the entire book! With each character narrating at different points of the novel, It’s almost like reading 10 different books in one. This book has a few dry parts, but pull through; it turns into a real page-turner!

Click Here to buy it from Amazon here: Let the Great World Spin: A Novel

-HG

Apologies to Mr. Varvatos

         "Apologies to Mr. Varvatos"    7/27/2010    photograph

This is the first photograph I’ve taken with art in mind.

There’s a story behind this photo.

I bought these shoes a few years back. They are a pair of Converse shoes designed by John Varvatos. They came with a dustbag, because apparently they are meant to be handled with a great deal of care, unfortunately things didn’t work out that way. These were my favorite shoes for a long time. They were my go-to pair for both everyday use and getting dressed up. But, I abused them! Now they are all torn up and stained. The navy color faded to a dirty blue and the soles are falling off! I only wear them to the gym these days. It's a shame considering how great they looked when they first came in the mail.  So now I'm feeling a bit guilty, and I would just like to apologize to Mr. Varvatos for ruining his shoes.

-HG