District L

Every Sunday, I trip over The Sunday Times on my way out the door to brunch. Kicking it inside my apartment, I promise myself that I’ll read it later. And I usually do, however briefly.

But the front page headline of the SundayStyles caught my instant attention today. “The Night Belongs to Paris,” by Ben Detrick, documents the current French infiltration on New York’s party scene, which has been made most apparent by the recent opening of Le Baron. As we all know, The New York Times isn’t exactly recognized for detecting the rapid and, oftentimes, subtle changes in nightlife zeitgeist; This Parisian transformation has been a glaring phenomenon since Le Bain first opened in 2010.

Although this conversation is behind schedule, it requires our nonchalant, accented attention: Hedonistic detachment has become the appreciated alternative to bottle-service-and-bandage-dresses. Girls, in groups no larger than three, unconvincingly hide their cigarettes under tables in the most exclusive nightlife spots. Rejecting our pasteurized, post-Giuliani New York, these stylish Francophones have agreed to breathe casual intemperance back into our evenings.

Azzaro, Paris AW2012

Post by Amanda LaMela

Occupy Wall Street has been an ongoing news story since September 17.For a month, morning shows have been flashing clips of disillusioned post-grads, the cynical unemployed, and angry hippies gathering with sleeping bags and signs for what appears to be some sort of time-warped, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test-type gathering. After weeks of procrastinating, I decided it was time to post some coverage of what Occupy Wall Street really looks like. Besides, it might be interesting to see how anti-consumerists are dressing these days...

So armed with nothing more than an aggressive tube of lipstick, stilettos and a camera, I boldly set off to Zuccotti Park to capture the look of the zeitgeist.

Protests attract three types of people – tourists, police officers, and militant activists. And I wasn’t quite sure which group gave me the most anxiety. [Answer: Cops. Lady cops, especially.] But given my strong commitment to solid, investigative journalism [haha], I waited for my third brunch mimosa to kick in and slid to the other side of the barricade.

I found myself walking through a twisted Yippie-esque demonstration circa-1968, except this time the signs had #hashtags and the protesters had iPhones. Costumes, DIY lanyards, and candy-colored locks were the looks du jour. Oh, and remember that thing I said about throwing parties for a cause? Well, these people seem to have it figured out.

So, did I stumble upon any earth-shattering 70s-revival trend that I didn’t already anticipate? No. Did I tell the girl with the guitar that American Apparel is, in fact, a corporation? Of course, not.

But one thing is for certain: London and Paris still have us beat in the “riot” department... C’mon, 99%, step it up.

Post by Amanda LaMela