le cool issue # 111

La Ruelle 

La Ruelle is gorgeous. A chic little wine bar and restaurant hidden off Dawson Street, with access to the Royal Irish Automobile Club's parking. Don't tell your date that though, just drive up and park confidently in one of their spots. Or perhaps don't drive at all as more than likely you'll drink delicious wine and you wouldn't believe the trouble drink-driving can get you into. The wine glasses sit so snugly in your hand and are curved so that every sip is filled with aroma. The layout inside makes each table feel secluded so you can be completely at ease. When I discovered this place it was dark and chilly outside but inside was warm and filled with attractive, successful people. The owner has worked with Richard Corrigan and the Shelbourne prior to their restorations so you're in safe hands, food wise. La Ruelle will hold up to scrutiny from the most intense aesthete.

le cool issue with three ones - HERE -

le cool issue # 110

So Long Roger Fenton…

CreeEEEeaaak. Monster truck is haunted. By the Ghost of Contemporary art, some good old Conceptual Poltergeists and the spirit of Roger Fenton, original war photographer, who could never show the piles of dead bodies he saw while on site in Crimea and has returned to make us see that his photos were staged, a MOCKERY. He will not rest until the deceit is revealed to all. He has possessed the bodies of several artists. Out of nowhere a ramp has appeared like those of a carnival fun house and an elaborate fake wall cunningly disguised as a face to rock climb on. Oh how mischievous. It is said that late at night David Lamelas' Study of Relationships between Inner and Outer Space presses itself against the window in an effort to escape.

Page One: Inside the New York Times

The New York Times staffers are cocky bastards. No, they are an elite few of highly intelligent and talented writers (normal people are one or the other). No, they ARE New Yorkers, living, breathing, walking, talking, writing, personified for all the world to see. A New York Times writer would never be at a loss as how to describe a New York Times writer. God damn it. They stride around like the chosen few. It's because they know that everyone is just paraphrasing and quoting from their articles, isn't it. Or because everyblogy wants to be them (funny?). Or is it because they have the juicy news/emotional hook? Or maybe it's just that working in such an impressive building makes them feel grande enough to impress the world. Or because now they have their very own documentary. Do not go see it. You'll only feed their egos.

 *110 - HERE -

le cool issue # 109

Host

Basic Space is currently one of the most exciting art venues around. You have to absolutely check it out. It effortlessly taps into the great romantic art fantasy and is a perfect example of vacant space opportunities within the city. This warehouse (what a cliché) is huge. The building is limited only in its obscure expiry date, available until it is knocked down to make room for a hotel. In the mean time artists use it for a studio, exhibitions and screenings, the odd shoot and filming. Host is 17 artists who applied and were selected to commit themselves to a six week long 'summer camp' with the aim to exhibit. The work is varied, the only thing that brought these artists together was the warehouse's ability. The exhibition previews tonight and is one of #DubCon11's other venues. I can't stress enough how excitingly large a space this is.

The le cool issue that included this piece - HERE - 

le cool issue # 108

Dublin Fashion Festival

Is DFF an incredibly Hedonistic push to get people into the shops, a bittle lit drunk and purchasing? Try keep a cool head. Material goods do NOT equal happiness. Own things you will love forever. Consider the Epicurian way - pleasure is the greatest good but to attain pleasure live modestly and gain knowledge. Excess and overindulgence only hinder your ultimate pleasure. Fashion is fun though. Let's play a  fashion game. You're never fully dressed without... your lipstick on? No. A Prada backpack? No. A smile, silly. So enjoy yourself and if you do buy something have it be something that will bring you pleasure for years to come. Contentment even. Highlights are the Barnardos pop up, Sonya Lennon's sartorial archive (GO girl!), Maybelline makeover booths and BT's Vogue Fashion's Night Out.

All of le cool *108 - HERE - 

le cool issue # 107

Fred Perry Laurel Wreath

Fred Perry is a Japanese-owned, British heritage brand with the stuffy taken out of it. Perry himself was from a working class background and was looked down upon by the tennis set when he turned pro, having won Wimbledon three times in a row. No other Brit has won since 1936, yet it was a shock when he was allowed to use the now iconic laurel wreath for his shirts. Supposedly, Fred would aggravate his upper-class opponents by calling out 'very clevah!' whenever a good shot was made. He moved to the States and lived the dream, hooking up with Hollywood honeys (Marlene Dietrich, Loretta Young, Jean Harlow) and wed four times. Sportswear has had the single biggest influence on how society has come to dress. Now go and see some of its finest examples as Indigo and Cloth exclusively stock the Laurel Wreath brand in their pop-up store. /

Garvan Gallagher - My Way

So the generation that wanted out with the old and in with the young now wants to take it all back. Garvan Gallagher is again looking at the way elderly people are treated in society. This time through their dress. The line 'whether older people abandon fashion or whether fashion abandons older people' reveals an empathetic approach to the topic. Personally, I love it when elderly people dress with the same flair and attention that they would have when they were younger. Part of the issue with growing old that I can grasp is the individual probably doesn't feel old, and it's aggravating to be treated delicately when you still have the same joy for life as ever. Some fantastically stylish elders are Iris Apfel, Vivienne Westwood, Mimi Weddell, Terence Stamp, Elaine Stritch and Tavi - oh wait she just dresses like a granny.

Why Collect?

Charles Horton, Head of Collections at the Chester Beatty, has over 30 years of working with archives, libraries and collections and knows a thing or two about collecting. Hear him give some clever pro-collecting points. In the meantime, here's mine. 1) As a collector you can donate to museums where people will walk around for generations after you have died and read your name on a plaque. Mr. Beatty himself now has an entire museum named after him and his collection is greatly admired. Could be you. 2) Another reason to collect is for the thrill of the chase. Beatty, when thinking of purchasing for his collections would sometimes send several undercover people on his behalf to look at individual items so that the buyers would not know the extent of his interest. I imagine sometimes he probably had to carry a gun. 3) Tax breaks.

Everything - HERE -