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New York Summer- Westhampton Beach

by Mark Giarrusso

Westhampton 5

Summer in New York City can be relentless.  The heat off the concrete and asphalt can stifle you.  So, where do you go? Jones Beach? Fire Island?  Sure, that would work if, you want to brave the traffic. East Hampton or Southampton?  Maybe, if you were a Kardashian.

West Hampton Beach offers all of the cool ocean breezes of the Jones Beach without all the glitz and glamor of the other Hamptons.  There is a quiet beauty of the surrounding area outside the quaint village.  Every New Yorker needs a respite in the summer and Westhampton Beach is the perfect way to take in some of the best of what Long Island can offer.

 

 

 

Westhampton 1
Westhampton Performing Arts Center, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2014
Westhampton 2
Westhampton Beach Barn, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2014
Westhampton 3
Shinnecock Bay, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2014
Westhampton 4
Butterfly Bush, Westhampton Beach, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2014
Westhampton 5
Blue, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2014
Westhampton 6
Beaver Dam Creek, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2014

 

 

Filed Under: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, U.S., uncategorized Tagged With: black and white, Butterfly, fine art, long island, Long Island Photography, NEW YORK, New York City, ocean, Photography, water, Westhampton, Westhampton Beach

4 Ways to Make Your Style Work for Your Body

by Greg Serebuoh

Luke Guldan_Sexy Ropa Interior

As a fashion and underwear model, I often get asked what diet and workout regimen I follow to maintain my body. But, let’s be real, not everyone needs to have a model’s body, and you certainly don’t have to have a body like Luke Guldan to rock an outfit.

600full-luke-guldan     Luke Guldan shirtless

So I wanted to discuss four ways that every guy can use style to bring out the best in his unique shape.

4.  Play to your strengths.

If you want to use style to make your body look as good as possible, you first have to recognize that regardless of your body type or what future goals you have for it, there is something about your body right now that is beautiful. It’s up to you to decide what that “something” is, but it’s important that you do decide and then begin to think about how to work it.

James Corden GQ Cover     Slim Build Guy

For example, the slender form of thin men can create the illusion (or reality, if you’re tall) of elegant, long lines. Bring out that stylish sophistication with long, slender-cut clothing or pairings of short and long pieces (a short bomber jacket with skinny jeans, for example) to highlight those lines through contrast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt mastered this kind of elegance in his skinnier days (apparently he’s JACKED now).

Joseph Gordon Levitt - Glamour     Joseph Gordon-Levitt 1

Joseph Gordon-Levitt 2     Joseph Gordon-Levitt 3

Other ideas are thin ties, lengthy, low-hanging scarves or necklaces, especially if you’re tall, and shirts that open up your collarbone area and create a long line from the base of the neck to the chin, especially if you’re shorter.

 Open button down shirt     Long knit scarf

The frames of heavier set men can create a sense of prominence and strength. Consider ways to make your style look decisive and formidable with solid blocks of strong (not necessarily loud) color, fearlessly bold stylistic choices, and larger accessories that match the power of your frame (e.g. watches with large faces and ties with thicker knots).

Blue Blazer     Messenger Bag

Corbin's style

Bigger guys also look great in suspenders, as an alternative to belts. And don’t forget SHOES. A fly pair of shoes can add the perfect amount of polish and balance to any outfit. That goes for everyone actually.

Leaping Big Man In Suit     Purple Shoes

3.  Balance your visual proportions.

Careful use of style is a great way to enhance and balance the proportions of your body.

If you’re heavier set, think about wearing clothes that give more angular shape to the body and that are more fitted up top to accentuate your broad shoulders. Blazers are great in this department, as are cardigans, tapered vests, or well-fitted jackets. Also, try untucking collared shirts. A choice hat can help balance your silhouette by adding a bit more height to your look, particularly if you’re on the shorter side.

big guy vest     tumblr_my3uuiEj2g1skauswo1_1280

tumblr_mrw11fNkHO1qbs8teo1_1280     Autumn Ensemble

If you’re slim, wearing more layers can add some visual “weight” to your frame. Stay away from oversized accessories. Use your small waist to outline a V shape by wearing shirts that are well-fitted at the waist and that accentuate your broad shoulders (if you have them), or create the illusion with a wider neckline, cap sleeves, or a jacket or blazer, perhaps with very subtle shoulder padding.

img-4489-400x295     Deep Neck and Long Necklace

26423a567c5b11e2aae322000a1f9858_7     Slim Outfit Layers

2.  Wear clothes that fit.

Know your correct size. Then wear it. A lot of people wear clothes that are way too big for them, often to hide weight or the lack thereof. However, this usually just makes things worse. An old acting teacher of mine once gave me this critique after an acting exercise: “You are the biggest, most noticeable person on the stage, and you are trying so hard to be the smallest, which makes you stick out like a sore thumb.” Focus on proudly highlighting your strengths, rather than hiding your (often imagined) weaknesses.

Skinny Suit     f989fa9ac279d5a9c315aaf30c10785b

Still it might not be the best idea to wear clothes that hug every inch of your being. Take the time to find the cuts and the fabrics that are snug in the places you want to highlight and that loosen up or add shape elsewhere. Even if you’re showing off a muscular frame with a tighter shirt, make sure it’s not too short, or it will be distracting.

1.  Carry yourself like you ARE somebody.

All of this said, there is absolutely no reason for everyone to strive to create the illusion of the conventionally accepted ideal male form. Nor is there anything wrong with subscribing to certain conventions. At the end of the day, what makes a strong and lasting impression in questions of aesthetics is a coherent concept and a confident commitment to it.

Happy Suit     Santiago Artemis

This is more important than anything else I’ve said.

I happen to prefer certain conventions in terms of the male form, but the streets of New York would be god-awful and unspeakably boring if everyone had the same taste as I. If we all recognized this, we’d stop judging each other and be less afraid to do whatever the hell we wanted, style-wise and otherwise.

Whether you take my advice or not, whether you’re in haute couture or sweats, whether you’re heavy set, slim, muscular, tall, short, or “average,” the way you carry what you wear (including your posture) and the way you feel about yourself when you wear it will ultimately determine the impression that you leave. I was lucky to have a mother who always told me to “Walk like you are somebody!” and it made all the difference. I love what Harvey Guillen has to say in his interview with Chubstr about his style as a big man. Nothing drags down a potentially amazing outfit faster than a person that’s insecure wearing it.

S4

So decide what is beautiful to you, what is beautiful about you, or what you would like to make beautiful. Organize your style choices around it. Then commit to that shit, and wear it like you ARE somebody (because you are), no apologies.

Take a note from this guy (extra points if you know what he is referencing) because he actually WINS.

Grace Jones Doppleganger

What are some of your tricks for playing up your beautiful bod?

Filed Under: FASHION, LIFESTYLE, STYLE Tagged With: accessories, big and tall, blazers, body, chubstr, Don John, fashion, fit, fitness, GQ, Harvey Guillen, hat, heavy, James Corden, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Luke Guldan, Manhattan, model, NEW YORK, Photography, Santiago Artemis, scarf, shoes, skinny, slim, style, suits, tailored, tall, thin, watch

Christopher Wool at the Guggenheim

by Austin Arrington

Christopher Wool

Christopher Wool’s self-titled retrospective runs until January 22nd at the Guggenheim. The exhibition fills the coils of the museum’s rotunda with a large sample of Wool’s work since the ‘80s—including digitally warped sikscreens, text pieces, photographs, and nods to No Wave and graffiti.

Christopher Wool nyc art

Wool had his breakthrough between ’86 and ’87, when he started using paint rollers incised with floral patterns and geometric designs. Like Warhol, Wool consciously allows the mechanized processes of reproduction to become a part of his art.

Due to the large body of similar pattern pieces done in the past decades, Wool’s early work may come off as somewhat unoriginal and uninspired—something out of Target’s Pop Art section.

However, Wool is a versatile artist that remains relevant today. In good form, he continues to question and tweak art through an applied knowledge of technology. Nowadays, Wool uses digital processing to warp the scale, color, and resolution of his paintings.

In the “gray paintings” done in the past decade, faded black enamel on linen reveals subtle tensions of composition and space. Wool is the kind of artist whose art tries to say something about what it is. He describes the gray paintings as an attempt to harness the forces of doubt and repression into creativity.

Christopher Wool. Untitled, 2010.
Christopher Wool. Untitled, 2010.

The blocky and disjuncted letter paintings stand out as an example of the exhibition’s ‘meta-ness’. In pieces like Trouble (TRBL), Wool maintains the form and order of language, while stripping away letters and manipulating spacing. The overall effect is tense and somewhat troubling.

Wool doesn’t shy away from pop culture references either. In Apocalypse Now, he samples a quote from the film of the same name, coming up with the post-conceptual mantra, “SELL THE HOUSE SELL THE CAR SELL THE KIDS.” The price realized for the piece at Christie’s was $26,485,000.

The retrospective also includes lo-fi photographs of bleak urban environments, taken in New York and across Europe. In the 90’s Wool would find a way to reform his older work through photography—by taking a photo of a finished picture, transposing it to silkscreen, and reassigning it to a new canvas. He also creates hybrids by manually reworking the doubles.

Of course, Wool isn’t without his share of critics. Dave Hickey called his work an “academically palatable brand of designer-punk.” And Adriane Searle from The Guardian recently tweeted, “He. Is. Just. Not. That. Good.”

It’s not hard to find beef with Wool’s work—whether you think it’s pretentious, dry, or just mediocre. I won’t be the last one to say that he’s a tad overrated. However, it’s important to keep in mind context.

Wool reinvigorated painting when he broke out, by helping make the medium relevant again to avant-garde practice in the late 20th century. He also inherits and synthesizes notable techniques from the American artistic tradition—such as Abstract Expressionism’s painterly gesture, Pop Art’s use of reproductive technologies, and using language a la Conceptual Art from the ‘70s.

As you walk up the Guggenheim’s ramp, traversing Wool’s artistic phases—notice two things. Firstly, Wool is an artist who is highly aware of the time he lives in (as well as his place in art history, channeling Warhol and Pollock). Secondly, he takes chances, and chances are the lifeblood of art.

For more information on hours or tickets visit Guggenheim’s website here.

Christopher Wool
Trouble. 1980. Enamel and acrylic on aluminum.

Filed Under: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, REVIEWS Tagged With: abstract art, christopher wool, guggenheim, manhattan digest, NewYorkCity, Photography

New York City Photography: The Holidays in the City

by Mark Giarrusso

Christmas in Rockefeller Center

There is nothing better than the holidays in New York City. Thanks for a great first year everyone. I would be nothing without each and everyone of you. Peace and blessings to all of you. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you New York!

Christmas in Rockefeller Center
Christmas in Rockefeller Center, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Christmas in Rockefeller Center
Christmas in Rockefeller Center, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Christmas on 5th Ave
Christmas on 5th Ave, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Christmas on 5th Ave
Christmas on 5th Ave, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: uncategorized Tagged With: 5th Ave, Angels, black and white, Black and White Photography, Christmas, Christmas Tree, city, holidays, Monochrome, new year, new york city photography, Photography, Rockefeller Center, star, Street Photography, Urban

New York City Photography: The Queensboro Bridge

by Mark Giarrusso

Roosevelt Cable Car

The Queensboro Bridge is one of the most iconic crossings in the world. It spans the East River along side the world famous Roosevelt Island Cable Car. The bridge draws thousands of tourists and commuters per day. It also is one of the only toll-free crossings in all of New York City.
One of the best parts of the bridge is that it is available to pedestrians. Along the walkway is a chain link fence where many people leave locks with messages on them. Others are blank, leaving only the ones that have placed them to know their true meaning. It’s definitely something you have to look for but priceless when you find them.

Roosevelt Cable Car
Roosevelt Cable Car, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
FDR Drive
FDR Drive, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
1st Ave.
1st Ave., New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Roosevelt Cable Car
Roosevelt Cable Car, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge, New York City, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, U.S. Tagged With: 5th Ave, Architecture, BlackandWhitePhotography, Bridges, Candids, CityPhotography, East River, Engineering, Metro, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, People, Photography, Queensboro Bridge, StreetPhotography, Urban, UrbanPhotography

New York City Photography: 5 Ave Homeless

by Mark Giarrusso

Silhouette

In New York City, there is no greater divide between the haves and, quite literally, the have-nots than in Midtown Manhattan. According to reports from CBRE in 2012, rents between 49th and 59th Street on 5th Avenue were $3,000/ sq ft. Tourists line up to pay $60 for a t shirt and there are 24 hour computer stores. However, lost amongst the glitz and glamor are those who have fallen through the cracks of city society. Those whose stories are too infinite to mention and whose circumstances are too complicated to explain. They sleep on church steps and subsist on hand outs and charity.

If you have followed this journal you have seen some of these photos before.  One could argue that it has been some what exploitative of me to use others destitution as “art”. I assure you that was never my intention, but only to simply showcase life as I saw it. However, I think there may be some merit to that argument. In order to rectify this I am re-presenting those same photos in this journal specifically to raise awareness to their plight.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter what keeps them on the streets, be it drugs, or mental illness, or disability, or anything else; just as it doesn’t matter what you do about it, as long as you do something. Give something. Even if all you do is think about it and discuss it in polite company. I hope that by doing this journal I have done something. I hope to do more.

Silhouette
Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Sitting
Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Guitar
Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Sign
Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Cold
Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Sleeping
Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Flute
Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Umberella
Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, U.S. Tagged With: 5th Ave, activism, BlackandWhitePhotography, Candids, CityPhotography, holiday season, homeless, journalism, Metro, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, People, photo journalism, Photography, StreetPhotography, Urban, UrbanPhotography

New York City Photography: Pershing Square

by Mark Giarrusso

In the heart of New York City, there is a tiny section named Pershing Square. However, in all of Manhattan, there is more asked of this little square than of any other neighborhood. Located directly outside Grand Central Station it serves as a gateway to all who exit the old, Art Deco designed train station. Emerging from it’s doors is like a trip back in time and a welcome to the modernity of the city all in a first glance.

Park Ave
Park Avenue, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Central Cafe
Pershing Square, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Grand Central Station
Pershing Square, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, U.S. Tagged With: Architecture, Art Deco, Black and White Photography, Candid, Chrysler Building, fine art, Grand Central Station, New York City, Park Avenue, People, Pershing Square, Photography, Sepia, Street Photography, Urban Photography

New York Photography- Rockefeller Center

by Mark Giarrusso

Rockefeller Plaza Noir

In the heart of New York City lies Rockefeller Center. The architecture is second to none. The art deco designs are perfect and when photographed in black and white they give off a perfect noir feel. The beauty of the gardens in the plaza and the views from the top of 30 Rockefeller Center are incomparable. When built in 1930, the 22 acres it covers were dedicated to beautiful murals, sculptures, and architecture from the most (and infamous) artists and artisans of the day. Today it stands as one of the most visited places in the world.

 

 

Flower Isolation
Flower, Rockefeller Center, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Statue Detail
Statue Detail, Rockefeller Center, NYC, Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Fifth Ave
Art Deco Fifth Ave., Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Rockefeller Plaza Noir
Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Atlas Noir
Atlas, Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2013 by Mark Giarrusso
Top of the World
Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
View from 30 Rockefeller Center
30 Rockefeller Center, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
View Up 30 Rockefeller
Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Angel Noir
Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
30 Rock Art Deco
30 Rockefeller Center, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Atlas Statue Detail
Atlas Statue, Rockefeller Center, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

 

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK Tagged With: 5th Ave, 6th Ave, Architecture, Art Deco, BlackandWhitePhotography, Buildings, Cityscapes, floral, Flowers, NewYorkCity, Night, noir, Photography, Rockefeller Center, Sculptures, Skyscrapers, StreetPhotography, UrbanPhotography

New York Street Photography- The People of New York

by Mark Giarrusso

The Pose

The people of New York City are what make it what it is. They are unique, strange, fun, powerful, humble, and hard working. All of which New York as a city most certainly is.

Through the Tunnel
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
The Pose
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Eternal Hearts
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Crossing the Road
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Waiting to Cross
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Taxi!
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Reflections
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Avenue of the Americas
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, U.S. Tagged With: 5th Ave, BlackandWhitePhotography, Candids, CityPhotography, Metro, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, People, Photography, StreetPhotography, Urban, UrbanPhotography

New York Photography: The East River

by Mark Giarrusso

East River South

The East River runs through New York City separating Brooklyn and Queens from Manhattan. It’s dirty and gritty and iconic; just like New York in every way.

Williamsburg Bridge
Williamsburg Bridge, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
East River North
East River Facing North, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
East River South
East River Facing South, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Barge on East River
Barge on East River, East River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Sugar Factory
Domino Sugar Factory, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Roosevelt Island Cable Car
Roosevelt Island Cable Car, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, NEW YORK Tagged With: BlackandWhitePhotography, Bridges, Cable Car, CityPhotography, Manhattan Bridge, Metro, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, Photography, Queensboro Bridge, River, Roosevelt Island, StreetPhotography, Urban, UrbanPhotography, water, Williamsburg Bridge

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