A dreary day inspires one to curl up with something indulgent. Grab that terrible movie or low brow literary fare and ensconce yourself in the confines of a sumptuously printed blanket.

Blanket September by Moooi, Price Upon Request @ Moooi 

I, like apparently the majority of gays in New York and America, did not think that Prop 8 had a chance of passing. This was our year. Sure, Hillary and David Archuleta lost their respective, albeit unequal contests, but for all of us liberal, non-God-fearing, cultural elitists, change was on its way. We didn’t expect that some change would not be moving us forward, but rather, reversing the California Supreme Court’s decision that allowed their gay and lesbian residents to marry. Were we simply riding the wave of optimism that washed across the country and foolishly thought that the victories in Connecticut and previous wins in other liberal strongholds would guarantee our success in the Golden State?

I can’t deny that I was aware of Prop 8, or that I was asked to contribute money to help support its defeat, but I honestly didn’t think that California, as vast and diverse as it is, posed much of a threat to my rights. Prop 8 has once again put gay marriage on the national stage, after an election that made it much less of an issue than four years ago. So what does this mean for us now? Our generation seems trained, if not poised to expect that gay marriage will be a guarantee for all in our lifetime. And while part of me thinks that still holds true, I think it may be time we reevaluate not only our expectations but our actions. 

Don’t get me wrong, I want nothing more than for my rights to equal my married, heterosexual siblings, co-workers, and neighbors. I want my relationship to be considered a valid expression of love and companionship in the eyes of the law and for my eventual wedding not to feel like an exercise in alternative living with a scaled down version of a marriage certificate. But perhaps, Huffington Post contributor Johnathan Wilber is right, along with others, when they say that it is time to stop pointing fingers at the alleged minority voters and Mormon Church who are accused of being solely responsible for Prop 8’s success. Perhaps it’s time we point our fingers to the mirror. More… »

It’s no secret that this homo-neurotic obsesses over Esquire. Since the publication of it’s first issue in the fall of 1933, Esquire has defined the modern gentleman–smart, sophisticated, ironic, and always progressive. Beyond what you’ll read/see in other men’s magazines, Esquire has featured some of the most influential, often literary, men in it’s pages. Earnest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, Ezra Pound, Truman Capote, Gay Talese, Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, Philip Roth, and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., are only some of the men who’ve contributed to the success of the magazine. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the magazine, and in an era of new media, paperless communication, and failed publishing ventures, fingers crossed that Esquire will continue another 75 years of “Man at his Best.”

WHEN BOBBY MET KYLIE - so i walked by starbucks on varick and spring and noticed a familiar face in the window sill. i went in to get coffee because she was there with her boyfriend Andres Velencoso. I worked up my nerve and said… “i hate to interrupt you guys but is it ok if i annoy u with a picture, KYLIE?”

she said yes id have to punch you in the face, jokingly, then said “of course, come here.” i’m still shaking. i said honestly i cannot believe i’m not going crazy cuz i’m a megafan. youre my michael jackson. she laughed and then i told her i just got a depeche mode lyric tattooed on me THIS VERY weekend in her body language font. she was genuinely flattered and said “come on, take off the duffel!” so i showed it to her, she was like how did the guy get the font and i corrected her that my tattooist is a “gal” and that we took it from the bodylanguage live dvd. we took a picture and her assistant said it was coming out dark. kylie said let’s go to the sunlight!

and we took another and she asked my name. i said “bob,” and she said “thank you so much bob.” i said i’m sorry to bother u kylie and she said, “please you are entertaining ME.”

and she said quote of the day. I said what was? she said “you’re my michael jackson. im going to be remembering that all day.”

then she asked, “did we come out beautiful?” i said, you did of course (i’m in gross mode today of all days) and then she pointed to her face and said please have you looked at me today. i said, “yes, but you’re KYLIE.” 

The impact of a massive and graphic silhouette embellished by technical sheen, color blocking, and glistening zippers became the desired effect by most European menswear designers in the early 90’s. It set the precedent for a kind of masculine chic which lingered far enough to become archaic and demand its own fashion victim classification. Abound in catalogs like International Male, the look (dated and outmoded) was left covetable by only the hopelessly out of touch and lacking in self-awareness. It’s a part of what we have come to identify as cheesy 90’s fashion.

For those older than 25 the era is so resolved in their memory making any aesthetic reference or hint of nostalgia deplorable. The embarrassment is still fresh. But in the same manner it only took the 80’s twenty years to find it’s own revival thus the early 90’s will find it’s way, as the cyclical nature of fashion demands, back into our awareness riding the undaunted swing of the pendulum.

What exactly can this too soon forgotten period add to our contemporary aesthetics that officer jackets, skinny jeans, American Apparel t-shirts, and fauxhawks cannot? The return to a masculine but sensual silhouette and a dose of humor presents an attitude that neither needs nor desires approval from a generation swamped with influence. The Details Magazines, Justin Timberlakes, Kanye Wests, Julian Red Jeans, APC’s, A/X’s, Chase Crawfords, Zaras all go mute. It’s a sensitivity that is resentful of the current establishment, it is anti-fashion, a deliberate display not of bad taste but a distinctly different one. And one of the key concepts needed to be grasped in order for assimilation to happen is of scale. The look of yesteryear was designed for a muscular and large figure meant to fill out the clothes and provide a structure, but the new idea is deflated. It’s as much about the space between the body and the fabric as it is around the whole figure. To be worn correctly you will want it to hang. Essentially, it’s still a “skinny” look but only now naturally lends itself to a matured physique.

It won’t be easy to figure out how to interpret such a stigmatized aesthetic for today but there will be those who will try and they will show the rest of us how it’s done. And as in most sensibilities that are so silly and new it demands confidence which is precisely why in these uncertain times its appeal is slowly (oh so slowly) beginning to wax.

From The Spring 2009 Men’s Collections:

1- Calvin Klein Collection, Jil Sander, Michael Kors, Jil Sander

2- Junn J, Givenchy, Calvin Klein Collection, Givenchy, Jil Sander

3- Gaspard Yurkeivich, Obedient Sons, Marni, 3.1 Philip Lim

4- Prada, Lanvin, Duckie Brown, Vivienne Westwood

5- Paul Smith, Z Zegna, Obedient Sons, Bottega Veneta

12,000. That’s how many gays and friends of gays came out for last night’s march at New York’s Mormon headquarters on 66th and Columbus in protest of California’s passing of Prop 8 — which denies marriage rights to same-sex couples.  As expected many, many handsome, single, socially active, commitment embracing boys came out to show their support. A few of the bold-faced names in the crowd included Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Adler, Jessie Archer, and Dan Savage.  Can’t wait until Saturday’s march at City Hall.

Sensual and unpretentious, a sculptural armchair is a welcome addition to any abode. 

Antony Chair by Jean Prouvé, $1262.00  @ Unica Home

For those of you lucky enough to be passing through the City of Lights (aka Paris) this weekend, you might want to take time to check out the 12th annual Paris Photo exhibition at the Carrousel du Louvre.  It will be featuring a wide range of international photographers, some of whom you’ve already seen on Homo Neurotic including Lise Sarfati (last photo).  

Marilyn Minter’s brand of hyper-realistic paintings have quickly risen from marginalized curiosity to full-fledged fame.  While she shies away from the label of “photo-realism”, her work does indeed begin with photographed moments.  What starts as a compilation of multiple scanned negatives turns into the inspiration for the canvas where Minter memorializes grit, sweat, and make-up mashed together with extreme angles and close-ups of body parts.  In her most recent exhibition, The Pam Show, Minter takes on sex icon Pamela Anderson and creates electric images that diffuse her media-popularized brand of sex appeal and explores the artists own interpretation of sensual desire.  

Images from the new film about the interconnected lives of three of the most influential Spaniards of the 20th Century — painter Salvador Dalí, filmmaker Luis Buñuel, and poet Federico García Lorca. Named after Dalí’s famous painting, “Little Ashes” explores the all-consuming relationship between Dalí (openly omni-sexual) and Lorca (famously gay). The film stars Spanish actor Javier Beltrán as Federico Lorca, Robert Pattinson (Twilight, Harry Potter) as Salvador Dalí, and Matthew McNulty as Luis Buñuel (pictured above).