“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

Now Is The Summer Of My Discontent Two nice days back to back and summer is officially here. This just shows how desperately I to cling to the notion that the winter is finally over; though deep down I fear that there is one more cold snap lurking. There are two times that I have moved to Los Angeles, both after long, arduous, bitter winters. First in 1989, returning five years later and then again in 1998 until 2003. New York is a great city to live and a great city to leave. It’s a long story, not for now.… Read More »

It’s not fair that I was NOT put on Earth as the blond daughter of an Upper East Side, Protestant, Republican with Democratic leanings…depending on the year. No, my lot in life is that of a downtown, non-hetero, scraper-byer. It is just not fair. After reading the article in today’s The New York Times Style, I wanted to get a wig, take a few extra spinning classes and buy some Ralph Lauren to justify my existence. This week is the International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria and if ever there was a room that I have no business being in…that… Read More »

I’d like to take this moment to wish Miley Cyrus a Merry Christmas. She’s been the object of scrutiny for years and I say leave her alone. She has brought me plenty of I Mean What?!? traffic and for that…you go girl and lap dance with whoever the hell you please. Peace and merriment forever… Today’s The New York Times Style section highlights Miley’s recent bout with Salvia. You must have seen the video of her bonging up with what is a legal substacne which causes hallucinations. Word is that her video will actually help draw attention to the danger… Read More »

A recent article in The New York Times Style about Miley Cyrus is reason one to celebrate the passing of Hannah Montana. The article quotes Percy Hamm, some 11-year old who is disenchanted with her recent risque behavior. When asked about the Vanity Fair pictorial, she said, “I don’t know what was going on in her head.” Like I…or Miley…give a hoot about what some judgmental tangerine thinks about her life choices? Let me clarify: A tangerine is what I call precocious, unruly, overly verbal, whiny kids. Several years ago, Tropicana was launching a line of fruit flavored drinks, and… Read More »

Who besides me thinks Patti Stanger is an overblown yenteh who has no business advising people on matters of the heart since she herself has failed miserably? The real question is, can you find solace from people who are guilty of, “Do as I say, not as I do”? Once again The New York Times Style Section has a lead story that has nothing to do with style. On the contrary, Patti Stanger, The Millionaire Matchmaker is anything but stylish…rather…she borderlines on tacky. In fact, Ms. Stanger is a recent nominee for I MEAN…WHAT?!? Gross Baboon of the Year. I… Read More »

Everyone and anyone in the fashion/media industries has been monitoring the major changes that recently took place at W Magazine. With Stefano Tonchi at the helm, having left his post at The New York Times Magazine, all eyes are on each issue of W. The recent covers shot by Inez van Lamsverde & Vinoodh Matadin have been dynamic and the fashion editorial pages look great. Much of the filler content seems old…but that is due to the internet delivering content at the speed of light. When I read that Kim Kardashian will be nude on the cover of the November… Read More »

Eric Wilson from The New York Times Style did a great piece on an experiment called Six Items Or Less a while back. Heidi Hackemer, an advertising executive and total groovy chic, decided to limit her wardrobe to six pieces, not including undergarments, accessories and workout gear for an entire month. She created a website and challenged friends to join her and within no time 250 people participated in the experiment, which was a massive success in that it was picked up by the mainstream media. Six Items or Less became a statement on where we are in relation to… Read More »

Finally, men can come out of the closet…and we are not talking about their sexuality here, rather, that men can openly say they use cosmetics and still maintain their butchness…ish. The New York Times Style section has an article about the rapidly growing market of cosmetics created exclusively for men. I love that the evolution of man boils down to his desire to maintain his youth and beauty. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. On the contrary. When men became admitted metrosexuals…though I prefer the term Manzies for this purpose…all bets were off. Suddenly, “straight” men were allowed to… Read More »

There is a fascinating article in today’s The New York Times Style about reincarnation. I guess reincarnation is a style issue. Questions raised are: What to wear in your next life? Or better yet, What did I wear in my last life that I can correct in this one? The article begins with a psychiatrist, Dr. Paul DeBell who believes he was a caveman, and that, “I was going along, going along, going along, and I got eaten”. Oy. Now if that were me, for the sake of this Style piece, I would have said, “I was going along, going… Read More »

We all think that our lives are meant for the pages of a book. Come on…admit it. And if you can’t admit that, then surely you have considered your workplace as the setting for a hilarious sit-com. Don’t lie to me. We all have delusions of grandeur and relax, you are not alone. I read Eat, Pray, Love after everyone else did, that summer when those three words were all you heard. That’s the problem with hype, Oprah-based or otherwise. By the time everyone raves about a book, movie or TV show, you get there and wonder…what’s the big deal?… Read More »