Guest Blogger Alert: Robert Shabazz of Bowties + Beer

Whenever anyone moves to San Francisco or is newly minted 21 years old, there is one crucial thing they must do: find a happy hour spot.  Not just any happy hour spot, YOUR happy hour spot.  I’ll admit that in this city, it’s not an easy task.  Price + food + selection + crowd + ambiance all play factors into a good experience that will make you want to come back.  It can also be intimidating.  There are just SO MANY bars in San Francisco.  For a city that is only seven miles by seven miles, it sure does pack a punch.  I’m going to give a forewarning, finding that bar that just fits will be a tedious, but believe me, once you find it, you’ll appreciate the adventure.

For now, may I make a suggestion in the mean time?  Housed on the corner of Ellis, right off of Powell, sits Puccini and Pinetti.    For the years, this place has been tried + proven to be a pretty surefire hit for any group of friends + coworkers I take.  While the Mission + Marina + Hayes Valley offer up some incredible spots, you can’t dismiss the locations in Union Square.  Despite being in the hub of the tourist hustle, Puccini and Pinetti still manages to maintain a pretty consistent flow of the San Francisco work force.

The happy hour fare is probably one of the cheapest tickets I’ve seen here.  And I don’t mean San Francisco cheap, just regular cheap.  The portions are hearty and the bartenders don’t skimp on the booze.  If it’s your first time, try the $5 margherita pizza + a plate of the $5 Parmesan fries + a $5 whiskey ginger.  Delicious + quick + affordable.  Or if you want to imagine you’re in the Mission on your lunch break, be shameless + enjoy a $3 PBR tall boy.

I have lived in San Francisco for nearly five years, so I’ve had some time to explore + judge + get a little tips at a good chunk of the scene.  But believe me, I’m always on the hunt.  So don’t be discouraged if nothing clicks right away.  In the mean time, give Puccini and Pinetti a try.  I guarantee you that you + your friends + coworkers will be happy you did.

A Very Special Message

Living in San Francisco is awesome, I love it and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. But on days like today I get a tad homesick for Rhode Island. Wellllllllllll not so much Rhode Island but home sick for my mum! So on that note I just want to send a very HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to my most favorite person on the planet!

Creative Spot-Lite: Agustin Sanders of Apartment 415

I first met this monster 7 years ago when I first moved to San Francisco. He was a co-worker and friend of my friend Russ, who I moved out to San Francisco with, well a year later but never the less. Anyway, Agustin and I became the best of friends and room mates. I couldn’t be happier or prouder of the dude, he’s accomplished a lot so far and it’s just the beginning.

Agustin lived in Mexico City until he was 20. His first design job was working as a set designer for a big deal Mexico City fashion photographer when he was just 19. Soon after, he moved to San Francisco to enroll in the BFA program at the Academy of Art University. In 2009 he designed the school’s Urban Knights Cafe. They must have liked the results because they signed him up to design five more spaces at the university, including Cafe Rodin. Plus, the university recently hired him to teach interior design and write their design blog, Interior Design School Daily. On top of that he recently launched his website Apartment415, which fuses the glamour of the fashion world with the lustrous realm of Interior Design.

He’s such a success story that I wanted to share him with you all.

What projects are you working on at the moment? 

I recently started teaching commercial space design and writing the interior design blog, Interior Design School Daily, for the Academy of Art University. I’m also working with the Academy of Art on designing a few more spaces: the International House dorms cafeteria, the New Media and Wen Design Gallery and reception area, the School of Fashion cafeteria “cafe Dior,” and the School of Interior Design student lounge and cafe and reception areas. I’ve also launched my website Apartment415.com

Where do you get inspiration for your designs? 

I get my inspiration from everything around me: art, music, fashion even from talking to my friends and family.

What’s your dream job? 

I would love to own my own restaurant and hotel design company. Also I would love to work at some point with my mother in Mexico City — she is an interior designer.

I know you have a lot of siblings… can you tell the readers a little bit about your family and upbringing? Did your family life have an influence on your career choice or aesthetic? 

I do have a lot of siblings: I have four sisters and two brothers. Half of my family is in Mexico City and the other half is in San Diego, so its pretty hard to get everyone together, but we try to at least once a year. I grew up in a very artsy environment. My grandfather was a well-known Mexican painter, Guillermo Sanders, my mom is an interior designer, and all of my sisters are very into fashion. So all that combined had a great influence in my career choice and who I am.

 Who do you admire most in your field? 

Two of my favorite interior designers are Marcel Wanders and Philippe Starck.

 What’s the biggest mistake people tend to make when decorating their homes? And what’s the easiest thing people can do to improve their space? 

I think the easiest way to improve your space is by reusing unconditional items around your home as furniture or decorative items. I spend hours in antique stores and find items that could be reused and make them into something beautiful for the home. I think the biggest mistake people tend to do is spend a lot of money in renovating their homes when it could be done with much less.

 Below are some pictures of some amazing interior design work he’s done.

New York Dolls

So here we are, the day after the Met Ball. We’ve seen all the red carpet pics, they come and go. (I mean does anyone else think Anna set Kimmy K up for revenge fail.) But what we all know really want to see are the photos of the after party.

After the Ball, the fashion and entertainment A-listers gathered at The Boom Boom Room at the top of the Standard Hotel. Check out the photos below.

 

Nicole Richie with the brothers Brant

Jenny & her boy

Miley being Miley

Bow Down Bitches

photos via Vogue.com, Leslie Kirchhoff

Enter the “Magic Hour”

I recently stumbled upon this short film directed by Tara Subkoff starring Chloe Sevigny & music by LIssy Trullie. Its about making the that transition from NYC to LA. Check it out!

Sunday Streets

A few weekends ago my friend Miranda and I decided to finally check out Sunday Streets. Which if you are unaware of what Sunday Streets is; ‘Sunday Streets are events that encourage recreation, community activities and fun in San Francisco. Sunday Streets closes stretches of city streets to automobile traffic, and opens them to people for several hours on a various Sundays throughout the year, so participants can enjoy a large, temporary, public space where they can bike, walk, run, dance, do yoga, or do any other physical activity.’

After an ahhhhhmazing brunch and a few mimosa’s at Foreign Cinema, which really is such a dope place for brunch. (BTW I totally recommend the Champagne truffle omelet, so so so good!!!) We headed out to Valencia to check it out. I’ve actually never seen anything like it in the 5 years of living in San Francisco.

There was nothing too crazy about it, just a bunch of people walking around with their friends or families. But there was TONS & TONS of people there.

The highlight of the day was running into my friend Jaime, who was dressed as a unicorn and doing some kind of fundraiser for the AIDS Lifecycle. It was a trip to see him out like that. Miranda hated the fact that I pointed out that she had the same hair as his mane! Love you Miranda!!!

http://www.sundaystreetssf.com/

http://www.aidslifecycle.org/

Creative Spot-Lite: Dextrose and his collection ‘Death to Paulina’

‘Death to Paulina’ is the first solo collection from the line Dextrose, created by the very talented bay area designer Dexter Simmons. There’s something sinister about these photos shot by Kristen Cofer, which is beautifully juxtaposed against the warmth of a hazy daydream.  I caught up with Dexter and asked him about his current collection:

Give me a little information on the man behind Dextrose?

My name is Dexter Simmons.  I was born and raised in the bay area.  Urban living, nightlife, and San Francisco are what inspired me to become involved in art and fashion. I have always worked in some facet of fashion; styling bands, editorial, catalog, hair, makeup, fashion shows and art instillations.  Music is what really drives me, styling bands is probably one of my favorite things to do.  Besides that I am a power dork, comic books, fashion magazines, horror films, and concerts keep me percolated.  Don’t get me wrong though, I still like to go out to clubs and drop it like it’s hot.

How did Dextrose come about?

Dextrose is a manifestation of all the skills I have acquired while working in different facets of fashion.  I always wanted to work on my own solo project, but I never had the time.  I was propelled forward by a bad break-up/heartbreak.  Forces in my life fueled me to express what I was experiencing and it just felt right.  I remember waking up at 5:00 in the morning night after night like a zombie, sketching and draping to keep my mind right.  I have always used fashion as a way to express what I am feeling.  This collection is the most personal piece of fashion and performance art I have ever put together, I left my heart and soul with this one.

 

You started out designing clothes with your best friend Lauren Rassel and created the line Flawk, what is the most challenging obstacles about showing a solo collection?

The most challenging part about starting this solo collection after Flawk is expectations. We really set the bar high and hit the ground running.  What I have been doing on my own is just so different than Flawk; it really is a lot darker.  This really gave me a good chance to get in my own head and figure out who I am as a designer.

Why “Death to Paulina”? Is there Paulina?

Death to Paulina is a Pans Labyrinth version of my own personal heartbreak. It combines dark spooky classic American Mickey shapes with the occult. Its a story of a cult of women who believe the end of the world is coming and the only way to fix it and save humanity is to sacrifice Paulina. “We are not a cult, we are a cure, Death to Paulina”.

Who or what inspires you?

I get a lot of inspiration from horror movies, 70′s cult, religion, American classics and really just my emotional state.  I love to watch John Waters’s films; they remind that beauty can be found in the most insane places.

If you could dress anyone in Dextrose who would it be and why?

Grace Jones because she is one of the most inspiring performance artists of my time.   She takes all of the right risks, and isn’t afraid to make ugly beautiful.

When he’s not creating one of a kind fashions Dexter can be found bar tending special events and parties at Project One Art Gallery, http://p1sf.com/