Gentry style

As the Art World winds down for this year, there is one last week of parties  before going into hibernation, Art Basel Miami.  We certainly enjoy a party and there is nothing better that observing these various social groups bathing in the hedonistic waters of Miami.  Here is our guide to the subcultures of the sixth annual art bacchanal.

TRIBE: THE COLLECTOR

HQ: The Four Seasons
Members: Jerry Speyer, Eli Broad, Steve Cohen, Peter Brant, Beth Rudin De Woody, Asher Edelman, Michael Lynne.
Party of Choice: After-party for private screening of Berlin, the Lou Reed film directed by Julian Schnabel.
Spot Them: Trying to sneak into the NADA fair early to see Daniel Reich’s booth.
Most Likely To: Promise never to sell a piece, then sell it.
 

TRIBE: THE ARTISTS

HQ: The Raleigh
Members: Damien Hirst, David LaChapelle, Doug Aitken, Jack Pierson, Aaron Young, Kehinde Wiley, Terence Koh.
Party of Choice: Visionaire. It’s launching a $250 “sound magazine” (tracks by U2, Courtney Love, Robert Wilson).
Spot Them: Doing midnight karaoke at the Shelborne.
Most Likely To: Hoard the gift-bag bottles of Imperia vodka. (more…)

November is ‘National Beard Month’. Now there are many reasons to grow a beard—curiosity, whimsy, lowness of character among them—but once the decision to grow has been brooked, one must choose from a dizzying variety of styles. Nonetheless, fear not! As a comfort to the boggled, and following the scientific and philosophic rule that entities should not unnecessarily be multiplied, I’ve prepared a small list of common beard types.

Regular Beards
These are bland beards that eschew excitement: fine if you want to look like a Fisher-Price construction worker, bad if you want to score. A nice variation is the Miami Vice five-day growth (also called the “Indiana J.”), which offers a slightly edgy look, but risks associating its wearer with people who are—never mind the insistent, boozy reasons—irremediably stuck in the 1980s.

Long Beards
These are your basic Santa Claus/ZZ Top full-facial hair shafts. Wearers account for 35% of official Sasquatch sightings each year. (more…)