DOUBLE D CHERRY has moved!!!

Well sorta.  I'm in the midst of trying to decide whether or not to stay on Blogger or move onto Tumblr.  There are a lot of features that Blogger does not have that I Tumblr has and sadly there are a few features that Blogger has that Tumblr does not.  But in the meantime I will  focusing my blog on Tumblr and see how it goes.  Anyway you can find future entries via this new link until further notice.  Thanks for being so understanding.  But I think once you log onto the new URL you'll see why I'm loving Tumblr so much! 

http://doubledcherry.tumblr.com/

Jeff Koons: Beyond Heaven

Zach Looks For A New Assistant

Imma Going To Be Rocking This Look This Summer

Donald Trump...Seriously???

Donald Trump continues to use the Birther issue as a platform for his campaign. Really Donald???  What have your "people" found in Hawaii??? 

Noma Named Best Restaurant In The World For 2nd Straight Year

via The Huffington Post

Restaurant Magazine's annual S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants were announced Monday afternoon and Chef René Redzepi's Copenhagen restaurant Noma has earned the number one spot for the second consecutive year.
The top North American restaurant, also for the second straight year, went to Grant Achatz's Alinea, which moved up one spot in the rankings to No. 6. Thomas Keller's Per Se rounded out the top 10 and was the second-ranked North American restaurant on the list.
The awards are decided by over 800 international restaurant industry experts, though there is no predetermined set of criteria, but rather just a simple computation of votes. The judges are divided into 27 different world regions, in which a chairman for each region appoints 30 jurors, including journalists, chefs and restaurateurs and food lovers. Each juror can vote for seven restaurants, and only four are allowed to be from the juror's region.
Controversially, the 50 Best organization does not require the jurors to turn in receipts, nor prove that they visited the restaurants they vote for, as the New York Times discussed in the recent article, "The World's 50 Best Restaurants? Says Who?". Other pitfalls of the process are discussed, including countries' tourism arms treating jurors to all-expenses-paid junkets to expose them to specific restaurants, and that jurors may actually include chefs that are also eligible to be on the list.
The impact of scoring a top 50 nod can be huge for restaurants even at the lower end of the list, Claude Bosi of London's Hibiscus (at number 43 this year) explained to the Times: "Business after the awards was, like, stupid."
Launched only a decade ago, the S. Pellegrino top 50 list is already stealing some of the Michelin Guide's thunder, though it does tend to favor more contemporary restaurants, as The Telegraph points out.
This year, two awards were announced in advance of the Top 50 list. A new award, the Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef, went to Anne-Sophie Pic of the three-Michelin starred restaurant Maison Pic in Valence, France. Juan Mari Arzak received the Lifetime Achievement award, recognizing his work for his family's restaurant, Arzak, which has been operating since 1897.

Notably absent from the list this year is Ferran Adria's El Bulli, which Adria chose to withdraw from the competition because it will be serving its last meal in its current incarnation on July 30 of this year, before becoming a gastronomic think-tank, of sorts.

The 2011 S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants
2010 ranking in parentheses
1 Noma, Denmark (1)
2 El Celler De Can Roca, Spain (4)
3 Mugaritz Spain (5)
4 Osteria Francescana Italy (6)
5 The Fat Duck, U.K. (3)
6 Alinea, U.S. (7)
7 D.O.M, Brazil (18)
8 Arzak, Spain (9)
9 Le Chateaubriand, France (11)
10 Per Se, U.S. (10)
11 Daniel, U.S. (8)
12 Les Creations De Narisawa, Japan (24)
13 L'Astrance, France (16)
14 L'Atelier De Joel Robuchon, France (29)
15 Hof Van Cleve, Belgium (17)
16 Pierre Gagnaire, France (13)
17 Oud Sluis, Netherlands (19)
18 Le Bernardin, U.S. (15)
19 L'Arpege, France (Re-Entry)
20 Nihonryori Ryugin, Japan (48)
21 Vendome, Germany (22)
22 Steirereck, Austria (21)
23 Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland (30)
24 Eleven Madison Park, U.S. (50)
25 Aqua, Germany (34)
26 Quay, Australia (27)
27 Iggy's, Singapore (28)
28 Combal Zero, Italy (35)
29 Martin Berasategui, Spain (33)
30 Bras, France (Re-Entry)
31 Biko, Mexico (46)
32 Le Calandre, Italy (20)
33 Ristorante Cracco, Italy (Re-Entry)
34 The Ledbury, U.K. (New Entry)
35 Chez Dominique, Finland (23)
36 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (31)
37 Amber, China (New Entry)
38 Dal Pescatore Italy (36)
39 Il Canto, Italy (40)
40 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. (26)
41 St John, U.K. (43)
42 Astrid Y Gaston, Peru (New Entry)
43 Hibiscus, U.K. (49)
44 La Maison Troisgros, France (44)
45 Alain Ducasse Au Plaza Athenee, France (41)
46 De Librije, Netherlands (37)
47 Hotel De Ville, Switzerland (14)
48 Varvary, Russia (New Entry)
49 Pujol, Mexico (New entry)
50 Etxebarri, Spain (Re-Entry)

What Are You Going 2 Spend Your Tax Return On???

The PRADA Flatforms for Men

Vera Wang's David's Bridal Bridesmaid Collection: A First Look

Vera Wang and David's Bridal seem to be a match made in sartorial heaven.
Just several months after the designer debuted her White wedding dress collection for the chain store, she has released the first image from the accompanying bridal collection, Women's Wear Daily reports. A set of seven dresses will be offered in hues like amethyst, orchid and champagne come June, with price points from $158 to $200.
WWD writes:

A one-shoulder short dress with a bubble skirt adorned with oversize rosettes is geared for style-minded wedding parties. But there are also more traditional choices such as a short dress with horizontal pleats and a sleeveless chiffon column dress with swag skirt.

There's also long skirts -- "I never thought we would see that come back but it has," Wang told the fashion newspaper.
So, what's next in this happy marriage? Shoes! A series of four styles by Vera will be shelved in David's Bridal for summer.
Take a first look at Vera Wang's bridesmaid dresses for David's Bridal:

Gilt MANual Minute: Matching Your Sunglasses to Your Face

Here is a common problem, I would think, most men face when purchasing the right pair of shades for their face.  Josh and Tyler, along with a shot of whiskey, explain what you can do to fix it.


Gilt MANual Minute: Matching Your Sunglasses to Your Face from Gilt MAN on Vimeo.

Live Forever: The Stone Roses live at Spike Island

Fiat 500 by Gucci: The Launch Party

The Fiat 500 Gucci by Lapo Elkann

With his best Parisian accent Lapo describes the collaboration between Gucci and Fiat Group. The end result is quite dope.

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Highlights from Burberry Beijing Event

A Personal Tour of Ralph Lauren's Car Collection

Why is Glen Beck Leaving NEW YORK???

Galliano Booted From His Own Label

Despite having the empathy of most of his peers in the design community, things keep getting worse for disgraced designer John Galliano, who has been fired from his job as head of the John Galliano label, 91 percent of which is owned by Christain Dior.
According to a WWD article, there are some companies who have expressed interest in purchasing the label, including some of its licensing partners. However, it is looking like at the moment no effort has been made to put the John Galliano label on the block and supposedly the in-house design team continues to produce and a pre-Spring collection is in the works, which, how weird will that be sans Galliano? And given that he was fired basically for being the poster child for anti-Semitism is there any hope of rehabilitating a label named after him?
The image above was taken at the Spring 2011 runway show for John Galliano. By the time of his Autumn 2011 show in early March, the axe had fallen and Galliano was absent from a salon presentation of what would be his final collection for the label. Via Style.

Street Swag

via Mr Sartorial

Video | SoLost: Billy Reid at Home in Alabama

Saint Etienne [Nothing Can Stop Us]

Made in Rochester | Hickey Freeman

via A Continuous Lean

Home to corporate juggernauts like Kodak and Xerox, Rochester, New York has a rich industrial history. In addition to some of America’s largest companies, the city is also quietly home to Hickey Freeman, one of the country’s oldest and last surviving (and arguably one of the best) clothiers. Founded in 1899 by Jeremiah Hickey and Jacob Freeman, the company is still at it, making suits in their sprawling 77,000 square foot factory in Rochester. Having been to several other clothing factories in the U.S., I have been interested in paying a visit to Hickey Freeman for the past several years. I wanted to see firsthand the quality of the Hickey Freeman full canvas construction. Needless to say, when I finally got the opportunity to see the operation I was not disappointed.
The factory in Rochester ranks up there as one of the most well organized I have ever seen. Wait, I should clarify that last statement a little bit. Hickey Freeman’s plant is one of the most well organized clothing factories that I have come across in the U.S. Allen Edmonds also has a pretty amazing production facility in Wisconsin that I have toured. There aren’t a lot of clothing companies still operating in the U.S., which is why it is interesting to see how advanced the Hickey Freeman process and facilities are. Everything is clean, well organized and modern. And all of this in the same building the company was founded in. Pretty amazing if you ask me. All of the garments move through the production line on special trays that the company has produced especially for its needs. In most clothing factories pieces and parts are bundled. You will notice in the photos that special care is given at every step to preserve the desired shape of the clothing as it snakes its way through the process. This example just illustrates the care and attention that goes into making a Hickey Freeman suit.
Another thing that stood out to me about the factory is the diversity of the work force, something that is also unrivaled at any facility I have been to previously. The plant manager told me they have workers from 17 different countries under one roof. It literally is the closest thing to a melting pot that I have ever seen working together. And everyone is working toward one common goal, to make fine tailored goods.


In the past few years Hickey Freeman has gone through a bit of a reorganization and was taken over by a new ownership group. Through that process the company has taken on three very skilled stewards in Doug Williams, Joseph Abboud and Mike Cohen to help lead the brand. I would think it would be tough to find three better people to run an American clothing company. Williams as the CEO of HMX Group (Hickey Freeman’s reorganized parent company), Abboud as group creative director and Cohen as Hickey Freeman president.
I have spent some time with Mike Cohen and he could be the best dressed guy in the game. In addition to being painfully nice and in possession of a much evolved sense of style, Mike can literally construct an entire suit by hand. Now that’s not something many executives can say. Cohen also understands the ins and outs of what is happening in menswear at the moment. Mike is the type of guy you want to go out drinking with and talk shop. The simple way to say this is that: Mike gets it.
All of this adds up to a return to the classic style and expert construction that gave Hickey Freeman the reputation it has today. To see HMX Group revitalize and re-brand the company should be pleasing for anyone interested in wearing a quality American made suit.
The photos below are pretty extensive, but there was so much to see in Rochester that I couldn’t resist sharing all of these with you.

The Devil In Miss Jones

January Jones, the star of X-Men: First Class, on mutants, Mad Men, and facing the paparazzi.

January Jones covers the new issue of W Magazine, opening up about her rise from being a model to TV actress to movie star. She originally auditioned for the role of barrier breaking, career-focused Peggy -- the role went to Elisabeth Moss -- and instead, series creator Matthew Weiner created a role for her.

Although she was named after January Wayne, the prototypical Seventies heroine of Jacqueline Susann’s Once Is Not Enough, January Jones projects the cool but complicated leading ladies (Deneuve!) of the Sixties: gorgeous but mysterious. Beauty has its own undeniable power, and the 33-year-old Jones uses her looks to seduce and agitate. Her portrayal of Betty Draper on Mad Men, the ultimate trophy housewife, is complex and disturbing. Betty could have been just a lovely, lonely clotheshorse with social aspirations, but Jones imbues the character with a mix of barely stifled rage and longing. Similarly, Emma Frost, Jones’s character in X-Men: First Class, is much darker than her pure-white ensembles. Frost can read minds and transform into a diamond: a diabolical and alluring combination. “Emma Frost was not in the earlier X-Men movies, so I wanted to make her true to the way she is in the comic books. I’m one of the most powerful mutants,” Jones said, laughing. “It’s fun to imagine what life would be like as a diamond.”
Lynn Hirschberg: Despite the fact that you are perfectly cast as the chilly, gorgeous WASP-ish housewife Betty Draper on Mad Men, you originally auditioned for the part of ambitious plain-Jane Peggy, the lapsed Catholic career gal.
January Jones: There was no Betty in the pilot when I auditioned. Matthew Weiner, the creator of the show, had no intention of showing Don Draper’s home life. I read for Peggy two times—it was between me and Elisabeth Moss, who eventually got the part. At the end of the scene, there was a casual mention that Don was married. Matt went home that night and wrote two scenes that featured Betty. I auditioned a couple of days later, and he made me a verbal promise that the character would grow. I took the part on faith—there was no script or fleshed-out character or Betty plotline.
Do you like Betty? She’s superficial, strange, and often mean, and yet fascinating.
I don’t judge Betty or necessarily understand her. The audience is passionate about her. After season one they wanted her to speak out against Don and his infidelities. Then in season two, when she did, there was a huge reaction against Betty. They want her to talk—just not too much.
Like Betty, you started out as a model. You left South Dakota at 18 for New York City. Were you nervous?
Not really. I was excited to be independent, but I was also naive—I just wanted to be rich and famous [Laughs]. I lived in an apartment near the Empire State Building. There were a billion girls in New York City who wanted to be models. After a while I was immune to rejection, which helped when I went out to L.A. to become an actress. In modeling, the criteria is purely aesthetic. So when I got to L.A., I didn’t care if they said I was too small, too blonde, too pretty, or not pretty enough.

You often seem to be cast as a villain—Betty Draper has a scary mean streak, and in X-Men: First Class [out June 3], you play Emma Frost, aka Diamond Girl.
It’s a huge responsibility! [Laughs] And I’m a villain. As Emma Frost I’m telepathic, and I can turn into a diamond, which means I’m very, very cold. I always wear white: lots of iridescent stretch leather, lots of sparkle, and ass-kicking white boots.
You will get a zillion marriage proposals at Comic-Con.
Great! That’s perfect! Comic-Con is mostly male, and I don’t really have that audience. And I’m really like a guy in a lot of ways. My screen saver is a picture of me with Eli and Peyton Manning taken at the Kentucky Derby. The most starstruck I get is around football players. I like the Pittsburgh Steelers—I was going to be Troy Polamalu for Halloween.
The free-spirited, wild-haired Super Bowl champion?!
Yes, but I told too many people I was going to be Troy, so I ended up going as Yves Saint Laurent. I didn’t do nude Yves Saint Laurent, although I love that picture. Instead, I slicked back my hair and put on glasses. I wore a tux with a bow tie. Unfortunately, people don’t know Yves Saint Laurent, and they thought I was the guy in the Six Flags commercial.
A lot of people—men and women!—probably went as Betty Draper for Halloween.
Who knows? But because of the clothes, I understand. It’s strange, but when the season ends I miss wearing all Betty’s underpinnings. I love long-line bras and girdles. There’s a sexiness about girdles—on Mad Men I wear them four months out of the year, and I see my body changing. When you wear a girdle, you can’t bend in the usual way. Your thighs are cinched together, which makes your stride shorter. You automatically get a wiggle in your walk. It’s sexy.
When you’re out of costume, do you get recognized?
Yes. The paparazzi are lining my street, waiting for me to come out of the house. And I’m always doing the same thing: walking the dog. My poor dog is getting to know all the photographers. I say to him, “Why aren’t you barking?! These aren’t your friends.”

Fox News Goes After J.Crew's Jenna Lyons For Painting Son's Toenails Pink

First, Vivienne Westwood. Now, Jenna Lyons, Creative Director of J.Crew. Is Fox News branching out into fashion reporting and nobody told us?
The news outlet decided to take on a recent feature on jcrew.com showing Lyons polishing her son Beckett's little piggies, accompanied by the text, "Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon."
Cue the "experts." Talking head numero uno, Dr. Keith Ablow asserts, "This is a dramatic example of the way that our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity." Numero dos -- Media Research Center's Erin Brown -- called the pic "blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children."
To be fair (and balanced), Fox News also found some lefty author who was all like, who cares, but enough about her. What does she know? Her boy child probably has a lovely bubblegum-hued pedicure, too.
J.Crew declined to comment, other than recommending you use a quick-dry topcoat. Kidding.

Defected TV - Defected TV - Knights of the Playboy Mansion

Leggings for Men. I Have No Words...

Leggings for Men courtesy of Zara.  I have to give this look the big DOUBLEDCHERRY stamp of FUCK NO!  Why would any man consider wearing something like this in the public arena.  Unless he was going to wear it underneath a pair of sweat shorts pairing them with a pair of high tops courtesy of Rick Owens, then maybe I can understand.  But to actually try and rock this look.  And you know what?  There are some dudes who would actually pair this with a tote bag!  At that point you're just begging to be either laughed at or getting your ass kicked from here to Nantucket for poor taste.  Needless to say it leaves little to the imagination.

Zara March April Lookbook

It's All In The Cut

.

via The Style Blogger

Suede [This Time]

BLOOMBERG on Anna Wintour

Watch This: Struggling to Stitch

via Bryanboy.com

Watch this moving clip about what’s going on these days in New York’s Garment District. I don’t think I’ll forget this video the next time I buy something with a “Made in New York” label on.



I feel sorry for the unfortunate garment workers who don’t get the compensation they deserve.

Especially now when a lot of things are made in far-flung places while retail price tags remain the same, or, even higher than what was being charged before.

This is nothing new in the fashion industry. Many brands have come under fire for various labor issues (unfair compensations, inhumane working conditions, etc) elsewhere around the world.

Ideally, I want to buy smarter, buy less and of course, love what I already have, which means wearing the things I own many, many times until I get sick of it.

Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done.

The temptation to buy affordable, fast fashion is inescapable. After all, not everyone has deep pockets.

When I did the laundry at my boyfriend’s apartment two weeks ago, I felt disgusted at myself for having amassed all these socks over three months of traveling. Thirty six pairs to be exact. When you hop from one city to another, it’s more cost-efficient to buy new, fresh pairs of socks (I buy H&M or Uniqlo socks… for what, $5 a pair, maybe less?) instead of sending them to the hotel cleaners, paying triple or quadruple the amount you originally paid for just to wash them. It’s impractical to pay $15 (plus tax, plus service charge, plus plus whatever) to clean a $3.99 pair of coloured socks! Same applies to underwear. Try living out of a suitcase and tell me what my best option is.

And when the mood to splurge hits… what do you get? An “investment” piece, usually a very expensive classic, that you can use time and time again or do you splurge on something unique, bold and extraordinary that you can only use a handful of times? After all, you want value for what you are paying for….

Our lifestyles and resources (or lack thereof) dictate the choices that we make.

I’ve always disliked the idea of waste or wastefulness. My parents raised me and my siblings to finish everything that’s served on our plates. Growing up, I’ve heard the old line “there are starving children in Africa” countless of times.

Today, more than ever, I’ll do my best to be more conscious.

Nobody Does It Like LAPO!

Josh Duhamel in Los Angeles

Look like Bieber and Kanye West had a baby and this was the result.

Killing It!

These kicks give me a funny feeling in my No No Place! Blue Suede Rider’s

This is how we described the RBC suede chukka last fall when they first arrived.

“Looking for a stylish yet comfortable boot for fall than look no further than our new Rider Boot Co. suede chukkas. Made of water repellent Cape Butt suede they’re smart looking and extremely comfortable on natural plantation crepe soles.”

These boots flew out then and now they’re back but not for long because they’re super comfortable, and ideal for spring.  Now available at blog.leffot.com

RBCB10 Navy Cape Butt Suede, Plantation Crepe Soles – $550

The Statement iPad 2 Cases

via Esquire

 
iPads should be encased. There are many reasons for this, the $500 price tag among them, but the most important one might be so that other people don't stare at you and think, Oh, there's a guy with an iPad. Because you don't really want to be that guy. And besides, now there are actually many very nice iPad cases worth looking at, from designers like Brunello Cucinelli and Louis Vuitton. Some are leather, soft, and expensive, some are hardshell and fairly inexpensive. We also wouldn't pass up Apple's own official iPad Smart Cover, because it works, and it does look pretty smart. But if you've just bought an iPad 2 and would like to weigh your options, these are some of our favorites for the new tablet. And if you're still searching, you might want to wait around until April, when you can expect new cases from other brands like Cole Haan, Burberry, Gear 4, InCase, Acme Made, Tumi, Simplism, XGearlive, and Belkin.
Brunello Cucinelli, $695 (see above)


Coach, $168


Louis Vuitton, $390


Hard Graft, $76


Timbuk 2, $40


Speck, $29.95


iThrough, $4.36


Marware, $49.99


Piel Frama, $167


Proporta, $47.95


Vaja, $110


Hard Candy, $49.95


Dodocase, $89.95