I Wish I Knew How To Shred.

Marilyn Minter's 2008 Supreme Decks.

The coolest kids on the skateboard block--the folks at New York's Supreme--have a talent for reigniting my adolescent envy. I had an intense love affair with skater girl style back in the 7th grade (purple hair, baggy everything, x-Girl tees, and most of all, Bikini Kill blastin' in my ears) but never had the guts or the coordination to actually get on board. Now, I wish I had stuck with it so that I could weave down the streets or kick sick tricks on rails (or whatever the youngsters are doing these days) just so I could be in rightful possession of the amazing decks the company has released over the years. Supreme has collaborated with some of the art world's top contemporary artists to create supercool art infused boards: Marilyn Minter, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, Ryan McGinness, skate artist extraordinaire Sean Cliver have all put their stamp on Supreme skate gear.

Ryan McGinness' Pantone Paint series.

The catch is that the boards are produced in limited editions and cost more than a pretty penny, in fact it would take a lot of ciggy re-selling to rack up enough bills for a sweet one. If you are dedicated you can find resold editions on Ebay for the equivalent of a shitty used car, but think of how much cooler you'll look traversing the concrete jungle on a Minter rather than behind the seat of a clunker. Also, if you are like me and still have no coordination, nothing says the boards can't be hung on the wall like the art they are.

Um, I'm in love with Diane Keaton.

My newest imaginary friend Diane Keaton now and in college.

I've always known that Diane Keaton was cool for life, I mean the lady invented the Annie Hall look. If that's not an act that deserves a lifetime membership card for the cool club, I don't know what is. But, I didn't know that Diane also loves to decoupage (ah, be still my collage loving heart!), decorate homes, take photos, and has an endless appreciation for graphic design and art involving words. How did I find all of this out? T: The New York Times Style Magazine, does a regular feature called Profile in Style and it's an intriguing look at the details of a subject's taste. This edition dissects the visual loves of Ms. Keaton who until now I simply thought of as quirky and eccentric. Now she's my new imaginary friend. Here's a look at what she likes:

Cool pillows.

Collages that her mom made.

Her Annie Hall look. Classic, eternal cool.


A potato masher that states its purpose.


Graphic design, including the cover of Peggy Sirota's book and a b&w blanket.


A photobook of hers (who knew?).


Re-purposed barns and doors that speak.


Cool houses on stilts and in watercolor.

And, there you have it. Diane Keaton. Cool for life.

Read.

I have this habit of counting book readers vs. phone/game/gadget fiddlers when I'm on the subway and am always a pleased book nerd when the readers win out. That's why I especially appreciate the slide show on the New York Times site today about reading on the rails. Plus, this reader is so cool:

The hair, the board, the tee? They give reading a cool kick in the pants.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Ah, Brainwash.

One of my favorite parts of urban living is the ever-presence of street art. In New York we are lucky enough to have some of the world's best streetsters bombing the city on a regular basis. So much of the graffiti here is clever and even, dare I say, poetic. There's skill to the max on view on a regular basis, and it's usually conveyed with sly wit and smart humor. Most of the pieces have so much commentary wrapped up in something that's simply cool to look at. Last night I passed a piece that paired classic Marilyn Monroe poses with two faces of the new pop cult.

In giant paste-ups Angelina Jolie and Madonna were layered into Marilyn busts. The pieces were tall and towering over the cobbled street corner home. When I got to my home, I did a little research and found the piece on the awesome street art site, Streetsy. The work belongs to French filmmaker turned graffiti maverick Mr. Brainwash. Here's a sampling of his stuff:

Mr. Brainwash is not without his detractors. He is often criticized for being a copycat. He began his artistic endeavors as a cameraman/filmmaker following street artists in an attempt to make the ultimate graffiti documentary. In the process he got bitten with the bombing bug and started stealthily pasting stencils of his own onto buildings. His work quotes others, like Banksy and Warhol, with a heavy hand. But I think there's room on the block for more than one artist. So, keep your eyes peeled for giant pop figures weilding clever messages and decide for yourself whether you want to be brainwashed or not.

Tick-Tock, Ya Don't Stop

Watches are so pre-celly aren't they? I haven't worn one in so long because at this point in my life I am glued to some sort of time-telling device at each second of my day, but I do miss making that looking-at-my-wrist action when someone asks what time it is. Therefore, I'm on the market for a new timepiece. How perfect is it that I stumbled upon Flud Fresh Watches?

I mean these are just oldschool cool squared. I'm not entirely sure I could pull these off, but the world is ending/just beginnging anyways so I might as well try, right? I'll be able to put the needle on the record or pump up the volume every minute of every day. It will make me at least as happy as watching this video does!

Play With Your Fashion

Visionaire is a quarterly fashion publication that changes themes, formats, and contributors with every issue. There is a core team of editors and creative directors, including the fabulous Cecila Dean, who conceive of each issue and choose collaborators. Always featuring the work of brilliant established and upcoming artists with a fashion focus, Visionaire has managed to stay innovative and current even after 17 years and over 50 issues. Although I can't afford the $675 annual subscription cost, exploring back issues in their online gallery is a free taste of the couture mag's conceptual, cool fun. Lucky NYC'ers can also get their hands on the real issues at the Visionaire Gallery located at 11 Mercer St which houses back issues and stages exhibits related to the current issue.

Their latest issue is entitled Surprise! and is composed of a limited edition series of pop-up books from various artists and fashion world luminaries, including Sophie Calle , Solve Sundsbo, and Cai Guo Qiang.

The coolest thing about Visionaire, in my humble opinion, is their constant embrace of the new and their innovation. They've had issues you can taste, smell, light up, and wear. They play it so cool.