Marc Jacobs Pays Naked Homage to Stephen Sprouse

Marc Jacobs, who has designed a line of items for Louis Vuitton in honor of the late designer Stephen Sprouse, shows off the concept in a nude photo for Harper's Bazaar shot by Terry Richardson.

WWD reports: "Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton are paying homage to Stephen Sprouse. To show their admiration for the late designer and artist, next month, Jacobs, Vuitton’s creative director, is using his hit 2001 collaboration with Sprouse for a new, limited edition collection of accessories and ready-to-wear. Jacobs even doffed his duds again, posing in the nude painted in Sprouse’s graffiti for Harper’s Bazaar’s January issue."

Louis Vuitton will also carry a limited edition version of The Stephen Sprouse Book, which arrives in January 2009.

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Now You Can Finger Karl Lagerfeld

Because he's a finger puppet: "Karl is a serious fellow. Serious about fashion, that is. He is a felt puppet that will fit a very thin modelesque type finger, pencil, or pipe cleaner. He is wearing a hand sewn Italian-like suit with stylish tie and starched collar. He also has his trademark ponytail. Basically, he's extremely fun for parties and is always in style."

If only Karl came with his ever-present bodyguard Sebastian.

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Tom Ford on Having Plastic Surgery

"I hope to have the eye to do it in such a way that I still look my age but maybe not have my neck swinging around when I go jogging."

Please, not when we're getting ready to eat turkey.

(via page six)

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Dirk Bikkembergs Brief Battalion

Anybody in the market for some gold sparkly briefs? I hear they make great stocking stuffers. Or just plain old stuffers.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

The behind-the-scenes comes complete with brief battalion battle cry.

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I Wasn't Aware of the Huge Moobs Issue in Japan

The look on that model's face says it all. He's as confused as we are.

(via gizmodo)

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Chace Crawford Definitely Not a Fashionista

Chace Crawford takes Grazia's fashion quiz. He's not quite sure what the color beige is.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Michael Stipe Targets Artsy Preppies

In collaboration with Lacoste and Visionaire, Michael Stipe has designed a limited-edition polo featuring the singer's photography. It's Visionaire's latest "wearable" publication, and the shirts also come in editions by Nick Knight, Peter Lindbergh, Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin with M/M (Paris), Phil Poynter; artists Thomas Demand, Thomas Ruff, T.J. Wilcox; designer Karl Lagerfeld; filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar; musician David Byrne, and painter Richard Phillips.

Lagerfeld's top AFTER THE JUMP...

Check them all out HERE.
(via idolator)

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Jack Mackenroth Creates Gigantic Chocolate Wonder Woman

Project Runway contestant Jack Mackenroth, Butter's pastry chef Zac Young and America's Next Top Model winner Jaslene Gonzalez collaborated for an entry in a superhero-themed chocolate fashion show for some big chocolate convention that happens in New York every year.

Mackenroth and young decided on Wonder Woman. Says Jack: "What mini-gay didn’t want to be Lynda Carter in the 70’s? Please. I’ve been practicing my Wonder Woman transformation spin since I was 3."

The results, as you can see, were sweet.

One more shot, and Jack's explanation of the ensemble, AFTER THE JUMP...

Via Jack's blog:

"The assignment was to create a superhero costume out of chocolate, which I soon found was much easier said than done. I’m all about going big with runway designs so I wanted a FIERCE model. I immediately though of Jaslene Gonzalez from America’s Next Top Model because I knew she would work the runway and she sort of embodies Wonder Woman 2008. And HONEY–she did not disappoint. Logistically working with chocolate in a fashion context was a nightmare. Chocolate is not flexible and most superheroes are covered in spandex. Not cute. In the end I made the bodice and the leotard out of a base fabric and we covered the bodice in white chocolate paillettes that were sprayed with red cocoa powder and edible glitter. We velcroed white chocolate stars to her leotard and all over her belt, headband and cuffs. She had chocolate earrings and stars on her boots. Her hair was a massive wig and perched on top of her head was a white chocolate “invisible” jet surrounded by chocolate shooting stars. It was a delicate dance between wanting to get her outfit completed and doing it fast enough so it didn’t melt into a puddle of hot cocoa before the show."

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Cam Gigandet Gives Good Sweater

Cam Gigandet, who's part of the Vampire brat pack in the upcoming Twilight film, attempts to look as cute (and as much like David Beckham) as possible in this new Gap ad. Of course, to some of you, it may be a lot cuter if you remember what's underneath that Argyle.
AFTER THE JUMP...

More where that came from HERE...

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David Beckham Proud to be the 'Gayest Straight Man in Britain'

British GQ asks David Beckham how he feels about having some label him the "gayest straight man in Britain and the blackest white man."

Answered Becks: "Yes, I like that. When someone said that about me, it made me laugh and I was quite proud of it. To have that kind of effect on so many different people around the world, I was honoured. When people talk to me about being a gay icon I think of it as a great honour."

He also says he'll wear whatever he damn pleases: "Ive always been into clothes and fashion. It wasnt a vain thing, its just that I love looking smart. I dont do things for people to latch on to. If I see something I like I wear it no matter what I think people are going to say about me. I dont do it for a statement, I do it because I like wearing different things."

(thanks robbie)

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Sad Holiday Season for Men's Mags?

There will be no tears shed for the death of Men's Vogue, which yesterday Conde Nast reported would begin two "publish two issues a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The title will be folded into Vogue and Jay Fielden will stay on as editor."

The title was boring from its first issue and never took into account that there might possibly be a gay audience for it out there. In fact, actively seemed to shun it. Dull, uninspiring articles, and a migraine-worthy layout.

And after seeing the cover and contents of the new "Holiday" issue of Details, one wonders if there's reason to worry there too.

(image source)

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Tom Ford to Begin Directing Isherwood Novel Adaptation

Fashion designer Tom Ford is set to start production of his feature film adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel A Single Man on Monday, according to The Hollywood Reporter:

"Colin Firth, Julianne Moore and Matthew Goode are set to star... Published in 1964, the novel centers on a gay man who, after the sudden death of his partner, is determined to persist in his usual routine, which is seen in the span of a single, ordinary day in Southern California. Firth is the gay man, an Englishman and professor who feels like an outsider in Los Angeles. Goode is the boyfriend who dies in a car accident and appears in flashbacks. Moore plays a friend of the professor. Ford adapted the screenplay with David Scearce. His company Fade to Black Prods. is producing along with Depth of Field's Chris Weitz and Andrew Miano and Robert Salerno of Artina Films."

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Edilson Nascimento Can Leave His Hat On

If he's not there already, add Edilson Nascimento to the list of Brazilian beauties vying for the attention of fashion editors.

These shots (via Made in Brazil) were taken by Marcio del Nero.

More AFTER THE JUMP...

And more at the Brazilian mag Capricho.

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Nicholas Lemons Smolders for Erik Swain

Photographer Erik Swain demonstrates what you do when life gives you Lemons.
More shots, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via major models)

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Chad White Sculpted for Wound Magazine

It doesn't take much for Chad White to be 'statuesque'. Paolo Zamboldi shot him for Wound magazine. For a full-length of the shot above, and the rest of the spread (possibly NSFW), FOLLOW THE JUMP...

CLICK HERE for the full NSFW shot.

Fashion editor was Matthieu Pabiot, art direction by Laurent Dombrowicz

(For full spreads, head over to Major Models)

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News: Zaha Hadid, AETNA, Prop 8, Will Smith, India, Ari Shapiro

Connecticut same-sex couples celebrate new status.

Did Will Smith enlist the services of a notorious Hollywood Madame to meet men?

Liza Minnelli returning to Broadway in December: "She will be accompanied by pianist-musical supervisor Billy Stritch, a 12-piece orchestra and four dancer-singers. The show will feature some of Minnelli's best-known songs, particularly numbers such as 'Cabaret,' 'Maybe This Time' and 'New York, New York,' all written by John Kander and Fred Ebb."

Climate change faster and more extreme than feared.

Bitter: Guy says sex with Madonna like "cuddling up to a piece of gristle."

Sullivan: Obama should produce ad opposing Prop 8. "This is a core test of whether gay Americans should back Obama as enthusiastically as they have in the last month. If he does not stand up for gay couples now, why should we believe he will when he is in office? And if black Americans are the critical bloc that helps kill civil rights for gays, that will not help deepen Obama's governing coalition. It could tear it apart."

AETNA to link Gay and Lesbian Medical Association Provider Directory to its online doctor resource.

OUT announces first name in annual Out 100: NPR's Ari Shapiro.

British man stabbed to death in homophobic attack in public toilet, court hears: "Jeff Akers, 50, of Wallington, south London, died in hospital after he staggered from the toilet in Walton-on-Thames with the 8in knife in his back. Jobless Mark Malone, 30, of Clement Road, Walton-on-Thames, a married man who went fishing nearby, denies murder."

Delhi High Court objects to government's argument that homosexuality is a disease: "Show us one report which says that it is a disease. A WHO paper says that it is not a disease but you are describing it as a disease. It is an accepted fact that it is a main vehicle that causes (AIDS) disease but it is not a disease itself."

New British UFO files released: "The captain of the Alitalia airliner shouted "Look out" to his co-pilot at the sight of a brown missile-shaped object shooting past them overhead. Civil Aviation Authority and military investigations could not explain the 1991 incident near Lydd in Kent. The unsolved close encounter features in UFO-related military documents made available by the National Archives."

Underwear model Justin Gaston gone wild!

Sarah Palin uses the alias "Tina" when she checks into hotels.

California rabbi sees surge in weddings: "At the beginning of May, Edwards, the rabbi of the Beth Chayim Chadashim synagogue in Los Angeles' Fairfax district, had a single wedding on her calendar. Then the California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage in mid-May. Between mid-June, when gay couples could legally begin marrying, and the first weekend of November, she will have performed more than 40 weddings. All but one are same-sex unions."

Architect Zaha Hadid collaborating with Lacoste on limited edition footwear.

NYT says not enough has been disclosed about candidates' health.

Anti-gay hate crimes surge in Scotland: "The picture of rocketing hate crime is in stark contrast to claims that Scotland is becoming more cosmopolitan and diverse. In Strathclyde, reported incidents of homophobic crime have soared from just 50 cases three years ago to 216 this year. In Lothian and Borders, crimes against people because of their sexual orientation - including assault and vandalism - jumped by more than 60 per cent, from 45 in 2005 to 76 this year. Crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people rose in Central Scotland from just five three years ago to 16 this year."

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An Interview With Mr. Blackwell and His Partner Robert Spencer

You may have heard that Mr. Blackwell, whose real name was Richard Selzer, famous for his annual "worst dressed list," died Sunday afternoon at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.

I had the opportunity to interview Blackwell and his longtime partner Robert Spencer when I was editing Genre magazine back in 2003. The interview is mainly about the couple's relationship as well as Blackwell's rise in the fashion world and the famous "list."

Of the list, Blackwell told me: "The worst of anything was never done before me. I mean I love everything it did for me, but unfortunately it overtook my real life and it became a double-edged sword. It just was not the whole image I wanted to leave with the world, and today if you ask, Who’s Blackwell? He’s a bitch."

Blackwell said he felt "terrible" about his public image: "Why I feel terrible is that that’s all they think of me. It wouldn’t be bad if that was one of the things. Fine. I think the list today is needed more than ever before. There has to be someone who has an opinion of what’s going on. I get hundreds of letters saying thank you for remembering that there is such a thing as taste. Hundreds."

When I went to Blackwell's home in L.A.'s Hancock park for the interview it was like entering a place that hadn't been updated since the 60's. I expected to meet what Blackwell describes above - a bitch. But what I discovered was a warm, generous couple who had plenty to say about gay L.A. in the 50's and 60's, and relationships.

Photo above, from original article, by John Skalicky. Interview reprinted below. S indicates Spencer, B indicates Blackwell.

How long have you been together?

S: Since October 1949 – 53 years.

Where did you meet?

B: In a Cabaret.
S: Do you know where Spago’s is on the Sunset Strip? That used to be a supper club called Club Gala. And it was owned by a German countess who came here during the war. She had a friend, a singer, an English guy, who sang like Noel Coward. And they had baby grand pianos that played with the singer. It was the IN spot for those days. The strip was wonderful. There were a lot of clubs along the strip. It’s always been like today.

What was your reason for meeting one another?

B: Having dinner.
S: No what happened is Ken called me and said I have a friend in from New York and we’re going there to have dinner tonight. And I said, No I’m tired it’s Saturday night. And he said, Oh c’mon go. So I went, and his friend was Blackwell, in from NY.

And at that time you were doing what?

B: I was an actor.

And that was before you were doing fashion?

B: Way before. Fashion came in ‘56.

What made you decide to do that?

B: Just sort of an evolution of my life. There was no great plan.
S: No, he was under contract to Howard Hughes. And he had dropped the contract. So that was finished. So we met, and then he started managing girl singers, and the girls didn’t have good gowns to wear, so he started fitting them with fabric and putting them out on stage. The gowns got better reviews than the singers most of the time. So then he got an idea of doing dresses.
B: It wasn’t preconceived. It just sort of evolved.

Continued, AFTER THE JUMP...

You were designing hats too, right?

B: Before. That was just to survive. My aunt had been a milliner. In New York.

So you had some experience putting things together like that, creating fashion?

B: Yeah, but when you do those things you don’t plan it. You don’t think of it. You’re not programmed in life, you just simply do it. But it worked. I was very successful, mostly because my first intention was to make women pretty. That was the biggest dream I had. To be outrageous wasn’t important to me. What was important was that women looked better for what I had done, and felt better. And it worked, unlike today where the ego of the designer predominates the woman, and the woman is subservient to the look, the trend. Today’s fashions are costuming, a very creative art.

But wasn’t that actually how you started designing, as a costume almost, for a cabaret?

B: Yeah, but they actually wound up being beautiful dresses. And any surplus I pinned over, put a flower on it, or a rhinestone broach. Today, fashion is more art than it is fashion to be worn, and under that title it’s been brilliant, under the title of “art”. Cause if they ever painted those things they would be in the Met. Art has to be very creative, very distinctive. Today, editorially, it’s completely off the wall.

So when you were designing dresses, what were you known for?

B: Very sexy, provocative, body, skimpy dresses, tight sheathes, very feminine. And mostly very pretty, they had to be pretty, they had to be pretty on the woman. She had to feel pretty. If she didn’t feel pretty, I did not succeed in what I intended. Today I imagine a lot of them feel pretty in what they’re wearing, it doesn’t mean I have to agree. I simply don’t. I see a lot that’s beautiful, unfortunately it’s the more outrageous that becomes the talking point of the editorials but you have to blame the fashion magazines for that. I remember they used to come and pick the only dresses we didn’t produce to do an editorial on.

So what were you doing at the time you met?

S: He had been on Broadway with Mae West before we met. That would be the ‘40s. I was a hairdresser at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. I’m from Indianapolis. I came out here in 44.
B: I was with The Dead End Kids. Way before that I danced with Gypsy Rose Lee at the World’s Fair, under Mike Todd. I was also in Elizabeth Taylor’s second movie, National Velvet.

What did you do in that movie?

B: Nothing you can’t forget. Nothing you want to remember. As a young guy I looked mafia and sleazy and dark.

When you first met, it must have been much different to be a couple than it is now.

B: Much more private. However, I never kept it a secret. I never came out and said anything, but I never hid it. We were always together. We would never be invited without the other one. People knew and understood, it was just never discussed, which was fine. There really was nothing for them to discuss. Frankly, it was none of their business. They either accepted us as people, or not.
S: The 40s and 50s were rough times for gay people.

In L.A. was it a little bit easier than other places?

S: Perhaps a little but not much. They used to raid the gay bars all the time.
B: It was not a happy time. But if you had the dignity to live with dignity, then really nobody bothered you. In my profession it was very accepted – actor, dress designer, entertainer. Being gay was not a big problem. And we never thought of it as being different. It was simply what I did, what I chose to do, and who I chose to care for. Believe me, for a relationship like that to last is miraculous, under the conditions.

What’s the hardest thing about maintaining a relationship for as long as you have?

B: [Hard] for him, not for me. I never submitted to anything. [Spencer] was the one that put up with everything, tolerated everything. He was the one that had to accept it. I was always the more aggressive, outgoing one of the two of us. My moods, my attitudes, none of which have ever changed. I had an opinion, that was it.

Do people ever change?

B: I don’t think they do. So this had to be where one of us had to submit, totally, all the time. Of course you don’t realize that at the time. You only realize much later in life that you took too much, and gave too little.

You mean one person has to be more sacrificial?

S: Yeah that’s true.
B: Unfortunately. But you know, you don’t realize it then. You don’t say this, or this is this, you simply go about it. And he put up with a hell of a lot.

It’s very rare these days to see a relationship that lasts… a year.

B: A night! How bout two nights!

That’s true. It’s so admirable.

B: I wish I had realized how selfish it was. I wish I had realized.

Do you enjoy doing specific things together?

B: Everything was always oriented towards business or career, and very rarely did we do things that did not relate to it.
S: We were in the dress business 30 years.
B: Together.
S; He designed, and I did the business.
B: Which was tough.

And that took you traveling a lot of different places.

S: Oh yeah.
B: We were always together.
S: We’ve been all over the world on cruises. He speaks to, used to do shows at the Sybil Brown Institute for women, the jail for women. He’s gone there many times and done shows for them.
B: It was important that I found a relationship with these people.

Why?

B: I guess because I didn’t want to lose my original identity, where I came from. Through meeting these people, and being with them, I was able to feel comfortable. The kids and the inmates. It was what I felt I had to do. I talked to them. Usually I let them talk first.
S: What we would do is go and have dinner in the jail. The inmates would serve us dinner. Then we’d take models and music. Everybody volunteered, and he would do a fashion show.
B: Show fashions and talk to the inmates. The industry frowned on me for doing that. What am I doing? That’s not the fashion industry. That wasn’t the fashion industry for me, that was giving to them.
S: And the women in the jail, they loved it.
B: We gave away a lot of dresses that were held, till they got out. I think a lot of women felt a lot better for having better. I’ve heard from many, years later.
S: We used to do it for Sheriff block. He used to pick us up in a sheriff’s car and take us to the jail.

How did you work with St. Mary’s evolve?

S: They have an auction every year, and we’ve been doing that for years. We thought we should do something for them, so…
B: I felt the sisters were quite incredible. They were always there for me.
S: When we closed the business we gave the U of Colorado all his patterns. They must have 75 dresses that he’s done for celebrities. Over 100 of those.
B: Looking back is not a happy thing.

What is it most today that gives you the most satisfaction?

B: Having my own opinion. Not accepting what I believe is not worth accepting. The most satisfaction I have is trying to make up for the years I was too selfish. But you can’t do it. You can’t make up for those years. I should have thought about it years ago.

You’re best known for your list.

B: Unfortunately… or fortunately. Well, it’s the most copied list in the world. Nobody copied any list as much as mine. The worst of anything was never done before me. I mean I love everything it did for me, but unfortunately it overtook my real life and it became a double-edged sword. It just was not the whole image I wanted to leave with the world, and today if you ask, Who’s Blackwell? He’s a bitch.

How does that make you feel?

B: Terrible, terrible.

Why do you continue it?

B: It’s my list. Why I feel terrible is that that’s all they think of me. It wouldn’t be bad if that was one of the things. Fine. I think the list today is needed more than ever before. There has to be someone who has an opinion of what’s going on. I get hundreds of letters saying thank you for remembering that there is such a thing as taste. Hundreds.

How do you define good taste?

Well you can’t really. It’s individual. What’s good taste for one might not be the best for someone else. That’s the hardest question I’ve had to answer. How do you define it? I can tell you people that have good taste, but how do you define knowing that somebody does not have good taste? I think it is NOT good taste to be totally nude under a chiffon dress. That is not good taste. I think it is NOT good taste to show the bust point out in public if you’re not on stage. I don’t think that’s good taste. I don’t think it’s good taste to look like you came out of a garbage pail. I don’t think it’s good taste to pay a fortune for a pair of jeans that you might have thrown away ten years ago – and the more rips, the more money. I don’t think that’s good taste. I don’t think that good taste is going to business in a dirty T-shirt and a pair of hip jeans with the midriff showing. I don’t think that’s good taste. I don’t think that good taste is profanity. I don’t think good taste is violence. I know I’m considered a bit old hat but I accept what’s new, I don’t accept what’s ugly. Now ugly is only in my eyes – this may not be ugly in your eyes.

Maybe that’s the definition of good taste?

B: But anyone who would think ripped jeans showing private parts and paying hundreds of dollars for these shredded monstrosities — anyone who thinks that’s good taste, I have no faith in their taste. Anyone who thinks a dirty t-shirt or a five sizes too big pair of pants or shorts – if they think that’s good taste, fine. I’m not telling them not to do it. I’m just telling them what I think of it.

Is there an aspect of putting out your list that gives you a certain amount of enjoyment?

B: you mean, pleasure out of knocking it?

Is there something that you gain from it that satisfies you?

B: I think it’s become a little old hat, I think now. But opinion is not old hat, just the phrase. I think today you could call it what’s hot and what’s not. I just think the original title, the best and worst has become a bit antiquated. You could do a lot of things. This is not a vendetta. I am not out to get even with anyone, with anyone. And I don’t deny them the privilege or the right to create anything they choose to create. I just question the people who find it worthy of putting out money for – a lot of it. Then we have to define whether it’s costume, or wardrobe. Cause costume I don’t care how far you go. Do whatever you want to do. That’s costume. As wearable fashion, or wardrobe. Britney Spears is a costume, but this has become her look. And J Lo, what she’s putting out now, is not in my opinion a good influence on teenagers in our country. Not in my opinion. It’s just trashy, but that’s fine. There are people who want it, good luck. But I will continue to say what I think of it. I’m just determined to say my opinion, and I accept it completely if it’s under the guise of creative art. I don’t care what they do. As it’s brilliant. The things are unbelievable. If this were art, it would make Erte’s look like a has-been.
S: When Blackwell’s list first came out, a lot of papers were critical. It was too off the wall. Because nobody had a worst anything. This was the very first, in America Weekly. 1960. It was so outrageous.
B: The fashion industry were outraged.

Who was your favorite actress?

B: Every one for a different reason. I loved Jayne Mansfield. She was so different from her image. The image was a ditzy woman. That wasn’t Jayne. Jayne was wonderful. Really a deep human being, very devoted to family, very devoted to life, people. People misconceived her completely as a ditzy dumb blonde. I think one of the toughest ones was Jane Russell. I did her for the Trio. No maybe Lily Pons was the toughest I ever worked with. That was five feet of pure hell.

What kind of advice would you give somebody about maintaining a long relationship?

S: You have to have a lot of things in common. Enjoy the same things.
B: You have to give a lot. If you don’t give, today especially, it won’t last. I think both have to give. When we met, one of us was usually the giver, one was the taker. I regret I took too much. Much too much. Have some self love. Care about yourself. Care about what you’re sending out to the world. Being gay is fine. Being a circus is not. Just cool it.

[A relationship is] a whole way of life, and at the end of that life, you have a whole lot of regrets, that you wish you had done differently, but you didn’t. There’s no way to get it back. So plan along the way. More giving, more loving, more understanding. Don’t wait. And don’t just pass it like it didn’t happen. It did happen. Cause when you realize it, it’s too late to go back. Much too late. You’re who you are as a person. That’s all that counts. And let’s not label everything anymore. Let’s just go through life giving with respect and taking with respect. I think that’s the best thing. And if you last fifty years, then — great.

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News: Robyn, 'Ex-Gays', Jack Spade, AXM, Madonna, Atlantic

Palin as President.

British gay mag AXM goes web-only.

ABC News on oral sex and throat cancer: "Men are 35 percent more likely than women to develop HPV-related oral cancer, according to the study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. But both men and women are susceptible. While scientists don't know yet how sexual orientation factors into the equation, they know the No. 1 risk factor is a high number of sexual partners."

Madonna lashes out at "emotionally retarded" Guy Ritchie at concert.

Trial underway for "gay gang" accused of spreading HIV at sex orgies: "The three accused, all HIV-positive, are charged with drugging gay men at sex orgies, raping them, and injecting them with blood contaminated with HIV. They are aged 39, 49 and 50. The three, including a nurse, are accused of intentionally spreading the deadly virus at sex parties they promoted on the Internet. They face charges of aggravated assault, rape, and illegal possession of drugs and face up to 21 years in jail."

Justin Timberlake looking for a hole.

GOP congressman Tom Davis jokes about pro-Obama voter suppression.

Pentagram on their redesign of The Atlantic: "In the end, the redesign team came back to a nameplate that was an adaptation of a design that had appeared on the magazine for more than 35 years in the mid 20th century...The designers weren’t tempted by its nostalgic characteristics; rather, they were struck by how it managed to look both contemporary and timeless. Based on the 18th century typeface Bodoni, it featured an italic A that was distinctive and perfectly captured the idiosyncratic character of the magazine."

Killings and hate crime trigger public meeting in Portland, Maine.

Bamboo Nation: An Open Letter to My Gay Friend; or Gay Marriage Is Not About Marriage. "I've been looking over our online chat transcript from last night to see if I was overreacting when I decided to abruptly end our conversation. With the benefit of hindsight, I can say that I acted rationally and, in addition, I am deeply disappointed in you."

Florida Governor Charlie Crist: GOP may be exaggerating voter fraud in Florida. "Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday that he has confidence in Secretary of State Kurt Browning, who says there's only been a scattering of isolated incidents. Crist said in the closing days of any campaign 'there are some who sort of enjoy chaos.' There may be more of that going on than fraud, he said."

She Is: Beyoncé to release double> album.

London Times article on "ex-gays" which Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out says is one of the best he's read: "Ridgecrest Retreat is a white, antiseptic blot in the blue-green Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Masquerading as one of the hundreds of 'homosexual strugglers' who visit the Exodus campus, I arrived here after registering online for six days of evangelism psychotherapy."

Robyn goes "Cobrastyle".

Accessory brand Jack Spade to launch men's fashion line: "The Claiborne-owned brother label to the $90 million Kate Spade brand has also tapped former Paul Smith and Original Penguin alum Cuan Hanly as its new vice-president and general manager. Hanly, who has been on board for four weeks, is charged with spearheading the new men’s collection and enhancing Jack Spade’s retail plans. First on Hanly’s to-do list has been the creation of a capsule collection of men’s outerwear, shirts and sweaters for spring 2009."

Top Ten Kristen Wiig moments on SNL.

Michael Lucas and his partner Richard Winger to be married.

Is the T-Mobile G1 an iPhone killer?

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Male Model Clique Strips to Sell Suits

Models Marlon Texeira, Andres Segura, Tyson Ballou, Marcus Schenkenberg and Terron Wood team up for the new issue of men's mag Hercules. While fully suited up on the cover, inside they're offering much less. And in this case, less is more.

Two more shots (and a preview video), AFTER THE JUMP...

HERCULES ISSUE 5 OUT NOW
Uploaded by herculesmagazine

(with help from design scene)

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Kerry Degman and Jeremy Santucci Celebrate Football Season

Male model of the moment Kerry Degman was spotted this past glorious weekend in New York's Central Park throwing some footballs with a few buddies, one of whom happened to be fellow Major Model Jeremy Santucci (below). Santucci is out and proud. No word on Degman, but, nothing like the arrival of football season, right?

You may remember a similar visit to the Sheep's Meadow during a heat wave in June.

A few more shots of Kerry Degman, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
Heat Wave: Living Abercrombie Ad Visits Central Park [tr]

Degman was also spotted recently in Times Square. Below is a shoot by photographer Andrey T. More on that here.

And here are some new shots from photographer Michael Tammaro.

BONUS: A couple of NSFW shots here and here.

Enjoy!

(top images via just beautiful men)

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Sean Avery Certainly Admires a Nice Purse

Sean Avery has a new group of gay friends in Dallas, but he doesn't play for their team.

Says Avery, who recently relocated to play with the Dallas Stars: "I think it's the cardinal rule of athletes that if you're not married by the time you're 30, you're all of a sudden, definitely gay. It's just the narrow-mindedness of sports which is probably the one thing that turns me off about it."

Avery also used to steal dolls from his babysitters, so it's really no surprise that "the most hated man in hockey" grew up to be a Vogue intern, according to a new ESPN mini-doc.

Which you can watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

You may have missed...
The Diary of Sean Avery, Hockey Player and Vogue Intern [tr]
Meet Vogue's New Intern, New York Ranger Sean Avery [tr]

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New Kris Van Assche Campaign Comes Out in the Wash

Designer Kris Van Assche and photographer Jeff Burton collaborated on the designer's new campaign, shot in a Los Angeles laundromat. The series was first intended to run in Antwerp, Belgium's A Magazine and was based on the set design of Van Assche's 08/09 runway show using vintage washing machines.

12 various layouts of the images will appear in 12 magazines worldwide.

More, AFTER THE JUMP...

More at Kris Van Assche...

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'Pinocchio' Armani Protested by PETA Activists in Milan

Senior VP of PETA Dan Matthews and other PETA activists targeted Giorgio Armani in front of his Milan Emporio Armani boutique on Tuesday by holding up posters of Armani as Pinocchio, claiming that the designer had broken a promise not to use fur in his collections.

The Giorgio Armani group responded with a statement, ANSA reports: "The fashion group clarified that it had 'decided to stop making products with animal fur, except for rabbit fur which derives from animals already destined as a food source'. Armani group also criticised Peta activists for exploiting the fame of the company name in a bid to attract public attention. 'The use of fur in the house's collection has always been extremely limited, in contrast to what happens at other fashion houses that make fur their core business,' the group said."

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News: Senegal, Orlando, Jake Gyllenhaal, Genetics, Edmund White

Company to offer service sequencing an individual's complete genetic make-up for $5,000.

Senegalese entertainer who was forced from his country after appearing in magazine photos of a 'gay wedding', has found refuge in New York: "I'm fabulous. I feel good."

Orlando to become first central Florida city to offer benefits to partners of gay employees: "Orlando city commissioners are expected to approve the plan on Monday. There are currently 18 Orlando city employees who would benefit from the measure, which would cost the city about $37,000. 'It's going to be a good thing. It shows we're progressive. It will help us attract good people. Benefits are an important package if you're going to work for government, and this will help us compete with other government agencies,' Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan said."

He Bopped: Robert Downey Jr. on his former compulsions..."I was a compulsive, serial masturbator, but it was the best thing I could have been. I utilized that organ and rode it for everything it was worth."

Columbia International University in South Carolina warns Soulforce they'll be arrested should they try to enter campus today.

Brad Pitt shows his support for Obama.

Report reveals that lesbian soldier Ciara Durkin, who died under 'mysterious circumstances' at an Afghan airbase, took her own life, and sent text messages before she did it: "According to the report, Ms Durkin was found lying against shipping containers behind the chapel. It found that she shot herself in the head while sitting on the ground, leaning back against the containers. Just before she died, text messages were sent from her phone to a friend saying she was going to take her own life. The report does not draw any conclusions as to why the soldier took her own life, but sworn statements from fellow soldiers on the base suggest she was dealing with a range of stressful issues."

Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour arrives in the U.S.

Signing smack: Project Runway's Jack Mackenroth's thoughts on New York fashion week: "I know some of the designers from other seasons were talking smack about the Project Runway finalists and all their families were right in front of them. I was hanging out with Martin Ritchie, the deaf model on Janice Dickinson’s Modeling agency and we were signing that the Rock and Republic collection was terribly boring so anyone who new sign language within eye view may have 'overheard' us."

Hillary Clinton steps in for Joe Biden at HRC dinner in Washington D.C...."[McCain's] not a maverick. He's a mimic." HRC statement on death of Biden's mother-in-law.

O.J. Simpson guilty on 12 charges in robbery-kidnapping case.

Jake Gyllenhaal goes solo in London.

John Barrowman just wants a little respect.

Rolling Stone eviscerates McCain: "In its broad strokes, McCain's life story is oddly similar to that of the current occupant of the White House. John Sidney McCain III and George Walker Bush both represent the third generation of American dynasties. Both were born into positions of privilege against which they rebelled into mediocrity. Both developed an uncanny social intelligence that allowed them to skate by with a minimum of mental exertion. Both struggled with booze and loutish behavior. At each step, with the aid of their fathers' powerful friends, both failed upward."

British MP once caught up in internet underwear scandal appointed Deputy Leader of the Commons.

Edmund White on his new biography of Rimbaud, and Rimbaud's relationship with Paul Verlaine: "I think it’s quite clear that Rimbaud was the top in the relationship, and I think that’s something that straight people don’t usually grasp very well. They often see the younger boy as being a sort of stand-in for a girl—maybe that comes out of the classical Greek model. But this idea of a tyrannical younger boy frightening and controlling an older married man is something that people who are gay and who’ve lived in gay life recognize as a possible variation of that situation."

Ugandan government promises strengthening of anti-gay laws.

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Runway Model Refuses Note from Sacha Baron Cohen in Paris

Sacha Baron Cohen, as gay Austrian reporter Bruno, commandeered yet another catwalk in Paris, tryiing to hand a model a piece of paper during Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's spring/summer 2009 women's ready-to-wear fashion show. He then disappeared backstage.

Yesterday, he was spotted making noise in the audience at Stella McCartney's show, and last week he showed up on a runway in Milan and was arrested.

Annoyed yet? He probably hopes you are.