Nightlife Safety, or How Not To Get Shot At Munchbar

To those of you in disbelief that a deadly shooting could take place at a trashy bar/nightclub in Bellevue (Munch Sports Grill), let me teach you a lesson about trashy nightclubs: they tend to draw a dangerous crowd. As a result, your chance of getting shot there is MUCH, MUCH HIGHER than if you had gone out to the Irish pub across the street. This regrettable occurrence should come as a surprise to no one. If you value your life, you might consider avoiding the following venues:

-Munchbar
-Blue Martini
-Belltown Billiards
-Club Sur
-Most nightclubs in Pioneer Square

If you’re not sure whether the bar you’re going to is dangerous or not, a rule of thumb is that if you answer ‘Yes’ to two of the following questions, you should head elsewhere:

1) Is there a dancefloor inside the venue?
2) Is there particularly loud music anywhere inside the venue?
3) Is the venue charging a cover?

It is unfortunate that we all need to make conscious decisions in order to avoid danger, however, in that respect, choosing a nightlife venue is no different than selecting a mountain to climb: if you choose to climb Mount Everest (or go out to a nightclub full of lowlifes), you should expect a certain amount of risk (and even death).

More unfortunate still is that those who enjoy dancing must be extra vigilant. Is dancing something that people should be afraid to do? Of course not! Unfortunately though, dancefloors and loud music tend to attract trouble, and just because you wish things were different does not make it so.

Please stay safe and consider where you go partying before you get yourself into unwanted trouble.

Skateboarding in Moccasins

It is possible. Here’s proof:

Skateboarding in 1901 Maui Driving Shoes/Moccasins from Nordstrom from Cameron Newland on Vimeo.

Shoe performance while skateboarding: Acceptable.

I’m wearing the 1901 Driving Shoe in Brown available at Nordstrom.com for $89.95.

Le 21ème – New York’s Best Street Fashion Site

Do you read The Sartorialist or occasionally take peeks at lookbook? Meet the new Sheriff in town: a photoblog called Le 21ème Arrondissement.

It all started in Seattle in 2008, when photographer and fashionphile Adam Sinding began taking photos of the fashionable denizens of his adopted hometown and posted them on his now-famed photoblog. Years later, in 2011, Sinding moved to New York City, enabling him to capture and curate an elite fashion scene that was on an entirely different level than that of the very provincial Seattle.

Adam’s work has been featured by Elle Magazine, mega-influential blog Refinery 29, Mary Claire, ELLE Japan, and New York Magazine. Just last week, The W New York Times Square hotel and Elle Magazine hosted an event to kick-off fashion week called Scene On The Street, a photo exhibit curated by Elle Fashion Editor Sydney Wasserman which featured street fashion photos from Le 21ème Arrondissement.

Here is a taste of what you’ll find on Le 21ème, as well as some photos from the event:

The Scene On The Street photo exhibit is viewable at the W New York Times Square’s Living Room until February 29th.

Visit Le21ème

Follow Le21ème on Twitter

Subscribe to Le21ème via RSS

Festival of New Spanish Cinema in Seattle presented by SIFF and Pragda

I was lucky enough to attend the opening night of the Festival of New Spanish Cinema in Seattle on Wednesday at SIFF Cinema, and ran into the star of the film we’d just watched, (With or Without Love), Angie Cepeda:

The film was light-hearted and funny, and full of surprises. I wouldn’t have normally chosen to see a film in this genre, but after seeing the film I’m quite glad I did.

Check out the remainder of the festival, which goes through Sunday:

festival of new spanish cinema
September 21–25, SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall

The energy of Almódovar. The risk-taking of Amenabar. The unadulterated exhilaration of Buñuel. SIFF celebrates the return of the Festival of New Spanish Cinema, unveiling the next generation of Spanish film legends. Featuring first-time filmmakers and established masters alike, the very best in contemporary Spanish cinema comes to SIFF Cinema. Join us for award-winning comedies, romances and dramatic masterpieces, and the special unveiling of a horror classic.

Organized by Pragda and SIFF Cinema. Supported by the Embassy of Spain in Washington DC and Ministry of Culture of Spain-ICAA. Additional support comes from Consulate of Spain in Seattle and San Francisco, Instituto Cervantes Seattle, University of Washington, Iberia Airlines, American Airlines and Eurochannel. Wine courtesy of Martín Códax Albariño and Las Rocas Garnacha, our exclusive wine sponsor. Promotional consideration by 88.5 KPLU.

Series Pass Available!
All 10 films for $60 | $40 SIFF Members

Fashion’s Night Out in Seattle 2011

Fashion’s Night Out last night was a monumental success, thanks to both its hardworking organizers and the boutiques and restaurants that invited us inside for a luxurious evening of shopping, crudites, cocktails, and the city’s best-dressed.

We began our evening at Mario’s, Seattle’s landmark luxury shopping destination.

Click here to begin Slideshow

We perused their impeccably-chosen lines from Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, Kiton, and Isaia, sipped Caipiroskas provided by 42 Below, and enjoyed delectable bite-sized steak sandwiches from Morton’s.

Then, we ventured over to The Finerie, where we chatted with owners Michael and Tanya and sipped mojitos while we perused their racks.

Then, it was off to Barney’s, which kindly offered nibbles and a selection of cava and prosecco to us. A big thanks to Barney’s impeccable staff.

Nordstrom’s twitter team, led by Shauna Causey, held a tweetup at Nordstrom’s Flagship Store’s Nordstrom Grill, which was a real treat. A big thanks to Nordstrom!

Can Seattle’s retailers step it up again next year? Here’s hoping they do.

Seattle Music Morsel – Theophilus London

Theophilus London is perhaps my favorite music discovery of 2010 (thanks, Wine and Bowties!)

Imagine a cross between Kanye West, Michael Jackson, and 80′s synth pop, and you’ll have some idea of what Theophilus London sounds like. Really, he’s an enigma.

Theophilus London – Grey X Sage

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I was lucky enough to meet him last night when he performed at a private show in Seattle for Bing (thanks, Bing!):

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Here are a few more shots from his show (which was amazing!):

You can buy his most recent album on Amazon here:

And you can preorder his new album, Timez Are Weird These Days, on iTunes here.

Seattle Art Morsel – Z. Z. Wei

I was lucky enough to meet my favorite living artist, Z. Z. Wei, last night at Seattle Asian Art Museum.

And he even gave me a copy of his book, Light and Shadow!

Check out his exhibition in San Francisco if you have the chance (it ends 4/2/11).

His gallerist‘s Artist Description:

“Z.Z. Wei’ s paintings transport us to a place where time stands still. His compositions portray quiet, yet powerful images reminiscent of a whimsical, rural America. Richly complex, they are filled with humor and loneliness, peacefulness and pain. They balance on the knife-edge of meaning, half in shadow, half in light, tempting those who choose to look beyond the mundane to experience a unique and timeless look at life.”

The Classy Lady and the Jezebel

I love how the various visible elements in this photo work together.

Vanessa, seated with her legs closed, stands in contrast to the woman in the painting above her shoulder, whose legs are spread apart. Vanessa’s outfit is much more staid and formal than the hussy, as well.

My favorite part, though, is the bottle of Tanqueray seen above her opposite shoulder. Indeed, a bottle of liquor is often all it takes to turn a respectable lady into something much more sinister.

At night, do angels change into black? It seems so.

Black Swan Halloween Costumes

I’m putting on a preview screening of Fox Searchlight’s Black Swan at Seattle’s Pacific Place on December 1st, and looking through all the press coverage, I’ve found the following gems…it seems that some young ladies have been anticipating the premiere of Black Swan so much that they dressed up as Nina, the film’s main character, fully a month before the film’s commercial release!:

Marni From Toronto:

Sara from Los Angeles:

And Marisa from Toronto even found a life-size movie poster, for comparison (must’ve been at the Toronto Int’l Film Festival!):

Some even went as far as making Black Swan eye-makeup tutorials and posting them on YouTube! Here’s one:

SAM Remix Recap

The sold out SAM Remix on Friday was phenomenal. Everybody seemed to enjoy the Kurt and Warhol exhibitions upstairs, and there were so many other things that were going on, it would’ve made your head spin.

I really love the photos taken at Remix by Flickr user SheSchemes. Here are some of my favorites of hers taken on Friday:

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Here are some photos I shot of the event:

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Le 21eme Arrondissement and Needle + Thread also have some great shots from Remix. Click on over to see their shots.

With SethAaron Henderson at SAM Remix

I was lucky enough to meet Mr. SethAaron Henderson, the winner of Season 7 of Project Runway (the most recent season as of this writing) at SAM Remix on Friday. He’s quite friendly, and is a phenomenal designer.

Hopefully, we’ll be seeing him in Seattle again shortly.

My tour immediately followed his.

Ride Safely

Mary, giving us a reminder of proper comportment while on the high seas:

“Thank you for riding Washington State Ferries. We remind you to be safe while aboard.”

Party for Haiti! – Seattle

I’m proud to announce that I’ll be hosting a benefit for Friends of the Orphans on Thursday, April 8th at BoConcept in Seattle:

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Tickets are $10 presale or $20 at the door, and can be purchased here:

http://bit.ly/party4haiti

Get yours before they sell out!

It says Jackie, not Marilyn.

Penelope: we’re gonna stroll through Nolita then grab dinner at his favorite place!
so romantic
so cute
i’m gonna die
cameron
i’m not good under dating pressure
Me: you def can’t go in there nervous
Penelope: well at least i’ll be superficially confident
bought a smoking dress
not slutty
it says jackie, not marilyn
& makes him wonder what’s underneath

Italian Table at Stella Caffe in Seattle on March 4th

I’m proud to announce that I’ll be hosting Seattle’s first Italian Table at Stella Caffè!:

Add to Google Calendar: link
YPIN Event Listing: link
Facebook Event Listing: link

Location:

Stella Caffè
1224 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 624-1299

Map:

View Larger Map

Date/Time:

Thursday, March 4th from 6:30-8:30PM

Event Description:

We’ve been starved of speaking Italian for far too long!

Come and join us for an evening of buona conversazione at the very cozy Stella Caffè, downtown Seattle’s only traditional Italian bar/café. Recount stories of your time in Italy with a diverse group of global-minded, inclusive people. If you can converse in Italian and would like to practice and learn, we would love to have you. Bring a friend or two!

Co-sponsors: World Affairs Council – YPIN, Stella Caffè.