Perusing self-described “Pleasureman” Gunther’s tackylicious website, www.gunthernet.com, one inevitably comes to one of two possible conclusions: one, this mullet-sporting, pencil-mustached, pouting, aviator sunglass-wearing Swede is the cheesiest guy in the history of pop music, and that’s saying a lot, or this dude, who has conquered college music charts, climbed to number one in Japan, and sold out concert venues in a matter of minutes in California, is one of the most brilliant performance artists to come out of Europe in a long time. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, his legions of obsessed fans, who mob the stage when he performs and send hundreds of images of themselves decked out “Guntherstyle” to be posted on his website, might be onto something. Also, try as I might, I can’t get his ridiculous lyrics, such as “ooh you touch my tralala, mmm, my ding ding dong,” from his surprise hit single “Ding Dong Song”, out of my head.
Musically, Gunther’s offerings are not exactly sophisticated, but the point is that his songs are riotously, often hilariously sexy, as are his videos. His musical apotheosis is a duet with 80s pop sensation Samantha Fox, and the lip synching and choreography in his videos both look like they were done by a drunk “Gimme More” Britney Spears, speeded up. But it works. What’s more, the Fall 2007 Gucci collection looks like it was designed with Gunther in mind. Male models strutted down the runway sporting tight denim, fur, mustaches, and aviator shades exactly like Gunther’s. What is the secret to the Gunther mystique?
On the eve of his SF show, I scored an exclusive interview with Gunther, who was staying at the luxurious Westin St Francis on Union Square. When the Pleasureman himself sauntered into the hotel lobby, his 6’4” body completely and un-self-consciously encased in tight white denim, flanked by his two glamazon backup singers, known as the Sunshine Girls, every head in the place swiveled to follow his progress across the polished marble floor. It is impossible to deny that this man possesses an incredible charisma.
My first question was one intended to destabilize Gunther, and Olaf, his Cerberus-like PR guy, glared, since that one hadn’t been on the pre-approved list we’d sent him. “There is a rumor going around that you are a woman…do you care to comment?” All of a sudden the pout broke for a millisecond and the self-described “perfect hedonist” struggled not to laugh. “It’s my lips, right?” True, he’s very pretty- but he’s undeniably masculine- granted, in a lip-glossed, white denim kind of way. Sexy, even. I dare to admit that he looks good. The smile broadens. “Yeah, now you get it! It’s something I think I’ve invented: Tackysexy.”
So really, who is Gunther? We know his real name is Mats Soderlund, and he was once a model and is a night-club owner, though his musical career now keeps him fully occupied, as does the considerable enterprise of doing his own makeup and hair. But at the end of the day, he says, the issue is not whether his persona is authentic. It’s more about the point the Gunther character is trying to make using humor, style, and music, melded into something the artist calls “a Gunther Trend.” Gunther’s goal, claims his website, is to sexualize society, and to focus more on love. But is there a serious side of Gunther? “Quite seriously, I think this is a time when we really need love and respect. If we had that, the world would be a better place. “ All cheese factor aside, Gunther is involved in causes such as (what else) safe sex and AIDS, and a portion of the proceeds from several of his ventures has gone to benefit research and education. Asked if he has any last words, he smiles and says, as if on cue, “Always remember: Champagne, Glamour, Sex and Respect.”
Gunther’s new album, tentatively titled “Obsession of Lust,” is out soon.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Granny chic: Twisted Preppy designer Chloe Redmond Warner
Chloe Redmond Warner, Redmond Aldrich design: Eclectic Chic
It is difficult to believe that Chloe Redmond Warner, the impeccably turned out interior designer whose latest project is the eclectic-modern South Wine+Food Bar, was raised in Montana, by “hippie” parents. Turns out Chloe spent her childhood “obsessed” with her East-Coast grandparents, whose Maine house was her summer base. “They were so stylish,” she says, and influenced a lot of her taste. Warner’s education also kept her on the East Coast, where she attended Mount Holyoke. After graduation, a stint in San Francisco was followed by a move back East to attend Harvard University’s Architecture program, which Chloe found “very hard, more than I bargained for.” It was too theoretical for her, she recalls, and she didn’t exactly thrive, knowing all the while she wanted to do interior design, which some of the pure architects viewed as an inferior discipline, and thinking until the end she would drop out. Fortunately, her thesis project, which involved ten unique elevator concepts, was “all about creating mini-worlds,” and she was finally able to implement her ideas about surface and decoration. This project completely absorbed her and gave her focus, and was very well reviewed. After receiving her degree, Chloe followed her heart back to San Francisco, where she got married to her long-term boyfriend, purchased a new home, and started her business, all in a matter of months.
Chloe attempts to describe her signature look. “I would say it’s ‘granny,’ but people have told me not to use that word!” That’s probably because no one can imagine a granny as chic as Chloe’s must have been. “Ok, how about post-preppy glam? I like to think about what a rich Republican in the seventies would have done, and then push it further with weird colors and too much pattern.” Having experienced her grandparents’ house, she says, gives her the courage to go with things that don’t seem totally “right.”
For the South project, the Autralian-Kiwi owners told her “the weirder the better.” So Chloe came up with a new imaginary client: “A handsome, rugged uncle, not very PC, who hunts, drinks, and collects things. He’s straight, but not afraid to love unexpected stuff.” What this translates to are ostrich skin banquettes with nail heads, antique bird prints on the wall, drapes with a dramatically large flower print, modern plywood lights by David Trubridge hanging from an inky ceiling, and a mosaic bar inspired by a Maori infinity-sign-like pendant, made in China, rolled up like an extremely heavy rug for shipping (it was of course stuck in Customs for a while), and topped with an amazing slab of California walnut inlaid with bronze dust.
Chloe is thrilled about the direction in which her career is headed. She and her business partner, Tyler Dawson, who sometimes collaborate, sometimes not, on depending on the project, tend to “amplify rather than complement” each other, which according to Chloe can yield amazing results, even if she thinks they may need to create a balance, perhaps in the form of a third designer, in the future.
For now, Chloe has her hands full with several exciting residential projects that run the gamut from urban to elegant. But she can’t help but be especially thrilled with clients who evoke inspirations that might seem outlandish to a less audacious designer. Perhaps the strangest client request so far was for a built-in Kegerator in a bachelor’s very tasteful ‘entertainment kitchen.’ Chloe is quick to add, “it works really well- at first I thought it was absurd, but now I’m jealous!” And does she have more weirdness to look forward to? One of the firm’s current clients has requested a décor with, as inspiration, “Slim Keith meets Elvira Hancock.” Elvira Hancock? Chloe breaks into a smile. “Yes, Michelle Pfeiffer’s character in Scarface! Love that!”
We asked Chloe to free associate on several hot topics in decorating:
Symmetry?
“Yes! I’m a Virgo, I love symmetry!”
Lights?
“Everything on dimmer, that’s non-negotiable. And you need multiple sources, 3 levels if possible starting at below eye level and working up.”
Paint?
“I love dark ceilings and a picture rail for a crisp transition. And right now I’m obsessed with Shark gray.”
Books?
“My library is organized by color, and I love the Vitamin P and Vitamin D books. The Albertus Seba book is cool, but it’s everywhere.”
Collections?
“Taxidermy and bird prints. I have a ram’s head from my grandfather’s 1940 shooting trip to Alaska.”
Holiday decorations?
“Lights, fresh flowers, wreaths… I love to get my craft on, I love my hot glue gun and the smell of hot glue!”
It is difficult to believe that Chloe Redmond Warner, the impeccably turned out interior designer whose latest project is the eclectic-modern South Wine+Food Bar, was raised in Montana, by “hippie” parents. Turns out Chloe spent her childhood “obsessed” with her East-Coast grandparents, whose Maine house was her summer base. “They were so stylish,” she says, and influenced a lot of her taste. Warner’s education also kept her on the East Coast, where she attended Mount Holyoke. After graduation, a stint in San Francisco was followed by a move back East to attend Harvard University’s Architecture program, which Chloe found “very hard, more than I bargained for.” It was too theoretical for her, she recalls, and she didn’t exactly thrive, knowing all the while she wanted to do interior design, which some of the pure architects viewed as an inferior discipline, and thinking until the end she would drop out. Fortunately, her thesis project, which involved ten unique elevator concepts, was “all about creating mini-worlds,” and she was finally able to implement her ideas about surface and decoration. This project completely absorbed her and gave her focus, and was very well reviewed. After receiving her degree, Chloe followed her heart back to San Francisco, where she got married to her long-term boyfriend, purchased a new home, and started her business, all in a matter of months.
Chloe attempts to describe her signature look. “I would say it’s ‘granny,’ but people have told me not to use that word!” That’s probably because no one can imagine a granny as chic as Chloe’s must have been. “Ok, how about post-preppy glam? I like to think about what a rich Republican in the seventies would have done, and then push it further with weird colors and too much pattern.” Having experienced her grandparents’ house, she says, gives her the courage to go with things that don’t seem totally “right.”
For the South project, the Autralian-Kiwi owners told her “the weirder the better.” So Chloe came up with a new imaginary client: “A handsome, rugged uncle, not very PC, who hunts, drinks, and collects things. He’s straight, but not afraid to love unexpected stuff.” What this translates to are ostrich skin banquettes with nail heads, antique bird prints on the wall, drapes with a dramatically large flower print, modern plywood lights by David Trubridge hanging from an inky ceiling, and a mosaic bar inspired by a Maori infinity-sign-like pendant, made in China, rolled up like an extremely heavy rug for shipping (it was of course stuck in Customs for a while), and topped with an amazing slab of California walnut inlaid with bronze dust.
Chloe is thrilled about the direction in which her career is headed. She and her business partner, Tyler Dawson, who sometimes collaborate, sometimes not, on depending on the project, tend to “amplify rather than complement” each other, which according to Chloe can yield amazing results, even if she thinks they may need to create a balance, perhaps in the form of a third designer, in the future.
For now, Chloe has her hands full with several exciting residential projects that run the gamut from urban to elegant. But she can’t help but be especially thrilled with clients who evoke inspirations that might seem outlandish to a less audacious designer. Perhaps the strangest client request so far was for a built-in Kegerator in a bachelor’s very tasteful ‘entertainment kitchen.’ Chloe is quick to add, “it works really well- at first I thought it was absurd, but now I’m jealous!” And does she have more weirdness to look forward to? One of the firm’s current clients has requested a décor with, as inspiration, “Slim Keith meets Elvira Hancock.” Elvira Hancock? Chloe breaks into a smile. “Yes, Michelle Pfeiffer’s character in Scarface! Love that!”
We asked Chloe to free associate on several hot topics in decorating:
Symmetry?
“Yes! I’m a Virgo, I love symmetry!”
Lights?
“Everything on dimmer, that’s non-negotiable. And you need multiple sources, 3 levels if possible starting at below eye level and working up.”
Paint?
“I love dark ceilings and a picture rail for a crisp transition. And right now I’m obsessed with Shark gray.”
Books?
“My library is organized by color, and I love the Vitamin P and Vitamin D books. The Albertus Seba book is cool, but it’s everywhere.”
Collections?
“Taxidermy and bird prints. I have a ram’s head from my grandfather’s 1940 shooting trip to Alaska.”
Holiday decorations?
“Lights, fresh flowers, wreaths… I love to get my craft on, I love my hot glue gun and the smell of hot glue!”
Monday, September 10, 2007
Red on the Runway
After several seasons where red was virtually absent from the catwalk, excluding the infamously hideous Versace Red fox fur “hit” bag, which even though it had its own cocktail party at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC during Fall 2007 fashion week, was purchased only by Victoria Beckham, Spring 2008 has yielded a bumper crop of amazing red items. Australian designer Willow, worn by Nicole Kidman, naturally, showed a flowing red satin number perfect for matching the red carpet… 3.1 Phillip Lim had some great red accent pieces: trenches, skirts, and pillbox hats shone in this hot color, shown on boys, too… Alexandre Wang showed a bizarrely oversize short coat in a tomato hue… Anna Sui went the flowered route, with retro poppy red blooms as well as stripes and dots, paired with awesome mod Ziggy Stardust red hair on the models, and Kim Gordon showed up at the runway show wearing a splendid crimson tunic with gold buttons…. Betsey Johnson showed wild forties-inspired prom dresses and swimsuits in vermillion tones… plus she brought back Lolita glasses, which never really went away, did they?… Skintight rocker-red jeans put everything on display at the L.A.M.B. show… the running of the bulls inspired this season’s Lacoste looks, with scarlet sashes, berets, and stripes paired with bright white- simply oozing with Pamplona chic… the brightest crimson sweaters and bags you’ve ever seen were set off with contrasting turquoise at Marc Jacobs…Nanette Lepore used lots of red prints mixed with orange, hot pink, and moss green for a hot girly look… Rebecca Taylor showed a tomato red satin dress that lit up the runway… pop-art prints in cherry were all the rage at Custo Barcelona… daring ruby sequins at Tracy Reese, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Stephen Sprouse sequined football jerseys in the 80’s… prom dress chic at Zac Posen with a flouncy bubble-skirted, deep deep dee-eep v-neck dress complete with a weird spray of fake red flowers as a corsage… Heatherette showed red-white-and blue patriotic prints, white doily rompers with cherry-hued hearts, and matching red- and cobalt high-heeled hi-top sneakers that all the most stylish drag queens will be wearing on the Fourth of July…
Other red items we’re crazy about
“You are here” doormat by Feet First. One of the better doormats we have seen in a while. Not too cutesy, not too design-y, just right. www.perpetualkid.com
The Ex Knife Set. Enough Said. Designed by Raffaele Iannello, for those voodoo moments. www.gifts.com
Louboutin Ariella studded leather ankle boots
so sexy with their 12 cm high heels and signature red soles. $1,150.00 but worth every penny, get your sugar daddy to pay. www.net-a-porter.com
Red American Express. Featured in a Timbaland song for street cred, and easy to find in your wallet. Oh, and 1% of your spending goes to The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. www.americanexpress.com
The red patent leather Chloé Heloise shoulder bag with twisted handles. Really, any of Chloe’s satchels count as major arm candy, but in candy-apple red, it’s all the more mouth-watering. www.net-a-porter.com
Red lips: what shade could be better than MAC longwear lipcolor in Lasting lust? www.maccosmetics.com
The Bluetooth Jawbone headset in ruby red sets off your fabulous cheekbones to great effect as you chat on your cell-phone elegantly hands-free. www.jawbone.com
Iconic red heart Lolita-style sunglasses make a comeback. Get yours at www.girlprops.com, lollypop not included.
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