J. Crew June 2010 Catalog: RJ Goes to Guatemala

Hooray for another monthly installment of the J. Crew catalog -- picked up my copy at the Mall of America yesterday -- where actual male models are used. Or to be more exact, just one male model: RJ! He covers the whole men's section this coming month while traipsing through some Mayan ruins and appropriately styled in muted military-esque tones. I just love the slightly over-exposed quality of these shots...the bright lights lend a softness and haze to these pictures...summer is here.

image source

Chanel Cruise 2011

:: image from fashionologie by way of Flashbang (tFS) ::

:: images from Chanel by way of Flashbang ::

:: image from vogue.com.au by way of Flashbang ::

Matt Lauer and His Wife Are Separating

J. Crew Hand Painted Stanton Short

Last weekend, my sister came home with a purchase I had called in to J. Crew's Liquor Store in Tribeca. The following post is my happy story/ending regarding a pair of shorts I saw months ago (backstory: HERE).

I really owe a big thanks to Shawn and Lindsay over at J. Crew. Shortly after my last posting on these shorts, Shawn wrote me with the good news that the shorts I was looking for weren't just one-off's for their spring presentation and that they would in fact be available for purchase at both the Liquor Store and at 484 in Soho at the beginning of this month. I can't express enough my appreciation for this tip-off from Shawn...previously, I had been told by other individuals that (1.) there was no further information regarding these shorts, or (2.) the shorts would not be sold to the general public (which, honestly, seems odd, given the current outcome, but I'm not going to pull at that thread). Over the ensuing weeks, we kept in contact. Lindsay from their PR office was kind enough to notify me the day after the shorts had been shipped to both locations, allowing me to call ahead and set aside a pair for myself. And, Eddie, if you ever read this posting, I just wanted to thank you as well for helping me out over the phone when I called.

The same day I heard from Lindsay, a newsblip on Racked NY regarding these shorts went up with the following lines:

TRIBECA AND SOHO—Breaking news from the J.CrewWire: "30 minutes ago 20 pair of limited edition hand-painted shorts were delivered to the J.Crew Liquor Store in Tribeca and the J.Crew Men's Shop in Soho. The shorts were hand-painted by a member of the J.Crew men's design team in our New York office—no two pair are alike." They retail for $148, but you can find similar styles online or in stores for $75.

GQ and The Fashionisto also gave mention to these shorts with similar news. I had no clue that the shorts were created in such a limited run! 20 pairs in total...wow.


But even if 200 had been made, I'd still be as happy as I am now that I have my own pair to wear this season.

With cut-off frayed cuffs galore, the no-two-are-alike quality of these shorts comes across really well in person -- the variable textures, brushstrokes, splattering, and colors -- white, blue, green, yellow, red -- are quite random like a Pollock...



...and another thing I didn't realize until I received my pair is that the back of the shorts also get an ample dose of paint. And obviously I'm sure this wasn't necessarily intended, but for some reason, I really like that my back button is "affected" as well...

Just by reading the comments off of the GQ blog, it seems most readers find the shorts a bit far-fetched given the DIY-able quality they embody. But honestly -- and this might be a stretch, but I find it relevant -- how many of you dudes out there are going to do actual housepainting in a pair shorts that are cut/fit like these...using all the colors you can find on these... So to me, the excuse of "I have a pair of these lying around that I made myself and cost next to nothing," doesn't necessarily jive with me. Secondly, I don't sit in front of a canvas creating art all day long, so once again, that excuse is out for me as well. And thirdly, perhaps I'm getting too theoretical here, but to me, there's an unmistakable deliberate intention behind these shorts to play up current trends in a manner that's befitting for the J. Crew look as well as the J. Crew customer who (like me) has no qualms saying, "I bought these as is, and no, I'm not embarrassed about it...you realize paint-splattering is in, right?"

Thanks again, to all of you at J. Crew for your assistance. Now...onto that Saint James/Mister Freedom top I want, and mostly everything I wanted on my J. Crew Spring 2010 checklist will be complete...except for those unevenly blocked-sun-faded shorts I also saw on the spring presentation...but I won't give anybody anymore grief over how to land those...

Daniel Liu for Vogue Nippon June 2010

Pool Party, Vogue Nippon June 2010
photography: Francois Nars
styling: Patti Wilson
makeup: Lena Koro

Mr. Liu -- in just a tee and speedos -- shows up opposite Tao Okamoto -- and for once, she doesn't sport a pixie cut, YES! -- in these shots for Vogue Nippon's June 2010 beauty section. Daniel's actual face only shows in two of the photos...but the full spread can be seen on tFS courtesy of MAGstyle and Flashbang.