Film : 'Factory Girl'

Factory Girl, directed by George Hickenlooper, is a film based on the life of 1960s underground film star, socialite, and Andy Warhol's superstar, Edie Sedgwick. AMAZINGLY portrayed by Sienna Miller, the film explores her relationships with Andy Warhol, his infamous Factory, and Folk singer 'Billy', who is actually a portrayal of Bob Dylan.

This story is nothing short of amazing. I can honestly say I'm not a fan of Andy Warhol, and this movie definitely did not turn me into one. Warhol is portrayed as the very demise of the once glamorous Edie, basically setting off a life ending drug addiction and trip into self isolation and ruin. I find the philosophy of Warhol's studio and the people who associated there to be fascinating though.

Lou Reed, Singer/Songwriter of the Velvet Underground the group managed by Warhol from 1965 to 1967, and also one of the Factory people who knew Sedgwick, told the New York Daily News, "I read that script. It's one of the most disgusting, foul things I've seen – by any illiterate retard – in a long time. There's no limit to how low some people will go to write something to make money... They're all a bunch of whores."

Even more controversy came from Bob Dylan who threatened to sue, saying through his lawyers that the script insinuated his responsibility in Sedgwick's drug abuse and death.

Believe what you want after watching the film. Make sure and check out the Bonus Feature 'the Real Edie' on the DVD. It interviews actual 'Factory people', including Betsey Johnson, who detail her life and relationship with Warhol.

Duane Michals

Duane Michals is a mostly self taught American photographer. His work makes innovative use of photo-sequences, often incorporating text to examine emotion and philosophy.

Is it strange to have a fetish for words? Does that even exist? Yes. I'm here to tell you it does. I'm a big fan of "words". I love to write, I love to learn new words, play word puzzles, examine and understand languages, and translate words into different languages. I'm also extremely visual. So, it's no surprise that I would take to Michals work.

I came across the photo above [The Nature of Desire] looking through a photography book at Barnes & Noble one random day and I've been a fan ever since. It reads, "the most beautiful part of a man's body I think it must be there, where the torso sits on and, into the hips, those twin delineating curves, feminine in grace, girdling the trunk, guiding the eyes downwards to their intersection, the point of pleasure."

Burberry Gladiator Sandals

LUST at first sight. Just happened to stumble upon these amazing gladiator sandals while shopping at Barney's New York on Wilshire this weekend. I have to say I was a bit surprised that they were Burberry, but ever since I set eyes on the Givenchy studded men's gladiators a few years ago, I've been dying to strap up and get all roman warrior on the world. $795 and a major competitor against the Gucci ones I fell in love with at the beginning of the season. Haven't found them on any online site, and this is the only image I could find online. Which makes me want them even more!

Diesel Shioner 008PN

As a denim junkie, it's a bit shocking that I have yet to purchase a pair of Diesel jeans. The brand is considered to be a staple for most, but, it seems everytime I fall into lust with a pair they're never the $180 ones, but more like the $325 ones [pictured] from the SS11 Collection. I'm not sure I'm ready to commit that much to a new brand.

The Shioner 008PN is a low waisted, denim cotton, five pocket, light wash pair, featuring a delave effect [i had to look it up too, it means washed out], slashed detailing, boning, zip fly closure, and logo details. I'm sick of all the rinse and raw straight leg denim and am so glad someone put out something different for once. Let's move on to new washes in the denim world!

Model Lust : David Gandy

Breaking ground in Model Lust, another non-Spaniard makes the list. David Gandy is English, born and raised in Billericay, Essex, England where he was bullied in school for not being very fashionable and having a slight speech impediment.

His friends secretly entered him into a modeling contest for a local morning show while he was working delivering cars to car magazines. No surprise here, he won the contest. What is surprising is that even signed to a modeling agency, the beginning of his career was filled with countless rejections for runway and print ads. It wasn't until he hit it off with Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, of Dolce & Gabbana, that his career took off. Dolce & Gabbana initially booked him as the face of their fragrance Light Blue Pour Homme and the rest, as they say, is history.

In 2009, Forbes magazine ranked Gandy as the worlds third most successful male model. He continues most of his work with Dolce & Gabbana and writes a blog for Vogue where he discusses his modeling and extra-curricular activities, such as his love for cars. 

Music : Christina Aguilera's 'Stripped'

Is it cliche to say that an album 'changed my life'? I'm not sure what it was about Christina Aguilera's Stripped that I related to on so many levels. The songs are all passionate, raw, emotional, strong, with just enough sex appeal.

Stripped was released in 2002 following the debut of the first single Dirrty and a whole new dirty image for Aguilera. It seems pretty tame now, but the song and the video were quite the scandal given Aguilera's previous squeaky clean pop star image. She describeds the album as really baring who she was, and who she was was an entire different artist than what we were used to.

Aguilera worked alongside Dr. Dre, Alicia Keys, Scott Storch, and mainly Linda Perry on this, her fourth, studio album. It received four Grammy nominations, and took home one for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for Beautiful. The album is ranked seventy seventh in the best selling album charts of the 2000's in the United States.

"Coming off of the height of being a part of such a big pop-craze phenomenon, that imagery of that cookie-cutter sweetheart, without it being me, I just had to take it all down and get it away from me. And that is why I actually named the album Stripped, because it is about being emotionally stripped down and pretty bare to open my soul and heart." - Christina Aguilera

Download these : Infatuation, Loving Me For Me, Fighter, Cruz, Makeover, Get Mine, Get Yours

Love Nail Tree 'Wrung Me Up' Tee

I'm exposed to a lot of fashion, so when something really excites me I'm all over it. When it's as reasonable as $36 it's a done deal. I had to have this tee from Love Nail Tree as soon as I saw it, I guess it related to me in obvious ways.

Love Nail Tree is motivated and fueled by a desire to provoke conversation about topics neglected and often ignored by our culture. Made with love in sunny Los Angeles, this unbleached, organic cotton crew neck tee features a subliminated chest print and symbolically reads "you've wrung me out too many times." Inside text includes a contemplatie story, "we will change the world with the stories we tell..."

Gucci Woven Leather Holdall

This bag has proven to be the highlight of Gucci's SS11 Collection. A supple brown leather holdall with woven handles, a detachable travel tag, discreet double 'G' insignia and a panel of woven intreccio detail. It is beyond timeless [or as us fashion icons say "an investment piece"] and I can definitely see myself toting this on the plane to New York next month holding l'Officiel Hommes and the iPod. However, at $4,700 it will probably be the only thing I'd be wearing, and something tells me I won't make it past security at LAX naked with an amazing bag.

Icon : Rihanna

Music, sex appeal, fashion, independence, dance, tattoos, the only girl in the world seems to have it all. First Icon, Rihanna.

Rihanna, a native of Saint Michael, Barbados, moved to the United States when she was sixteen years old to pursue music and almost immediately signed a record with Def Jam Recordings after an audition with then-label head Jay-Z. Five studio albums, countless music awards, and nine number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 [the most by any artist in the time of her career] later, Rihanna has cemented herself as a music and fashion icon.

I'm always excited to see Rihanna's next move in both music and fashion. My personal highlights of Rihanna would have to include her amazing video style in Hard, Rude Boy, and What's My Name? [pictured]. Even when she appears in videos for everyone else, she never loses sight of her individuality. Music videos aside, on the streets in her public life she never misses a fashion beat, creating an entire look distinctly her own out of even the most branded pieces and labels.

On top of all that, she did an amazing live performance covering Madonna's Vogue that you can catch on youtube.com.

"I hate anything that's too straightforward, too routine, too familiar. I get bored really, really quickly." - Rihanna

Download these : Rude Boy, Love the Way You Lie [Pt. II], Hard, Disturbia, Raining Men, Umbrella

Watch these : Rude Boy, Hard, What's My Name?, S&M, Rockstar 101

Film : 'Thelma & Louise'

You're seriously missing out if you haven't watched Thelma & Louise. Wild women on the run from the law with guns and Southern accents...it doesn't get much better than that.

Originally released in 1991 and starring Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise, Thelma & Louise follows the women as they head out for a two-day vacation of fishing in the mountains that nosedives into a nightmarish situation before they even reach their destination. The film chronicles their change from victims of circumstance into outlaw heroines of the road.

Notably, the film stars Brad Pitt in his first significant role in a major Hollywood film. Pitt plays a parolee robber who wins over the heart of Louise while hitch hiking with the two women. Thelma & Louise was nominated for six academy awards, including both women for Best Actress, but sadly only took home an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

"You said you 'n' me was gonna get out of town and for once just really let our hair down. Well darlin', look out 'cause my hair is comin' down!" - Thelma

Model Lust : Noah Mills

Surprise! The first Model Lust who isn't a Spaniard, as far as I can tell. Noah Mills was born in Canada, grew up in Baltimore, and later finished school in Australia. I can only hope he picked up a bit of that sexy Australian accent while he was there.

But, judging from his few lines as Samantha's wedding night fling in Sex & the City 2, no accent here. Either way he's pretty close to perfection. He began his modeling career at twenty walking runways for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Currently he's in print ads for D&G, Tommy Hilfiger, and Lacoste.

This is probably the first time I prefer Coke over Pepsi.

Yves Saint Laurent Leather High Top Sneakers

I'm a sucker for a white high top sneaker. Check these out from Yves Saint Laurent. White leather high top sneakers with a perforated 'Y' motif on the toe, YSL embossed tongue and branded heel, velcro ankle strap, and grey trim at the tongue. Wear them before, during, and after Labor Day. $595

Model Lust : Miguel Iglesias

Perhaps it should be called Spanish Male Model Lust, given the Spaniard theme lately. Meet Miguel Iglesias, and as far as my research can tell he is not related to the singer. The modeling sensation is only twenty five years old and already has a healthy resume in tact, including Vogue, DSquared, Dolce & Gabbana, and Puma. Two years ago he started school studying marketing with a plan to one day start his own business. I wonder if he's looking for a tutor? I'd have to brush up on my math, but I know all about multiplication.

Band of Outsiders Suede Baseball Jacket

I immediately lusted after this jacket when it appeared in the GQ Spring Style Preview sometime last month. Band of Outsiders baseball jacket in soft khaki suede with red and blue striped cuffs, collar, and waistband, $1,590.

 Their AW11 show is one of my favorites, which means it will only get better next season!

l'Officiel Hommes

I talk about it enough, I thought I should tell you about it. l'Officiel Hommes is one of my favorite twenty-dollars-for-a-magazine-you-don't-really-need guilty pleasures. Big, glossy, high fashion, and in French, which means I can't actually read it. The cover pictured is actually the first issue that landed in my hands, and the first time I fell in love with frequent guest, and my first Model Lust subject, Andres Velencoso.

l'Officiel Hommes made history in 2005 as a magazine created for the first time by a stylist and not by a journalist. Marie-José Susskind-Jalou,of Editions Jalou Publications, asked one of the founders of the Colette boutique in Paris, Milan Vukmirovic, to make a bi-annual magazine dedicated one hundered percent to fashion. It sets out to adress the trends of each season and presents a luxurious showcase for men's fashion.

Diesel Coral Riff Trunk

I realize I have a fetish for swim trunks. I think I just love to be in the sun. But, here's another pair to sweat under the sun in with a glass of Absolut Citron and 7Up.

Diesel's Coral Riff trunk [in my favorite of the three colors, Coral] features a drawstring closure, internal slip, elasticised waist, and side logo print. At only $55 you'll still have plenty of cash to get into all the Vegas pool parties.

Model Lust : Jon Kortajarena

Maybe I was sleeping on Jon Kortajarena, since he has been modeling for major fashion campaigns since 2004, but I never took notice of him until he played the street hustler Carlos in Tom Ford's A Single Man. Yes, another Spanish male model on the Model Lust list. I think I'm just a sucker for passion, which obviously exudes from his piercing stare, out of control hair, signature pout, and chiseled cheek bones.

A native of Bilboa, Spain, his mother is a hairdresser who still manages his signature locks [hey! just like me!]. He was discovered by a modeling agent when he attended a fashion show with a friend on vacation in Barcelona. He was only a minor at the time, and had to convince his parents to let him venture off to Paris to begin his now successful career. He has worked with numerous campaigns and designers including Versace, Etro, Diesel, Guess, and Tom Ford, to name a few. In 2009, Forbes magazine ranked him number eight in the World's Ten Most Successful Male Models.

Most recently, you can catch him in ads for David Yurman, and occasionally you can catch him in spreads with Andres Velencoso, a close personal friend, and my first Model Lust subject.

"For me, it's more about seduction than just a pretty face." - Jon Kortajarena [and I couldn't agree more]

Music : Janet Jackson's 'Janet.'

Another album from my past, not just iconic in the career of Ms. Jackson [if you're nasty], but iconic in my youth. It was released in 1993, and the cover is about as infamous as the album itself. Oh, how I wish I still had that poster that hung on my bedroom wall!

After previous success with Control and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet. was not only a departure from Janet Jackson's typical themes of female independence and cultural issues, but a venture into a new record label. Janet. was her first release after being signed to Virgin Records for a then unprecedented multi-million dollar contract. The album explored love and relationships, as evident with the first smash single That's The Way Love Goes. She titled the album Janet., deliberately dropping her last name, in order to dissasociate her public image from that of her family.

It debuted at number one with the largest first week sales for a female artist at the time and is listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 200 Definitive Albums of All Time, and produced six number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

There are a multitude of songs from Janet Jackson's career that are a huge influence on me, but I used to listen to this cassette tape from start to finish. The interludes are perfection, and the video for If is probably in my top ten favorite videos of all time simply for the extremely sexual and groundbreaking choreography.

"Sex isn't just fire and heat, its natural beauty. Doing what comes naturally. It's letting go, giving and getting what you need. In the age of AIDS, it certainly requires being responsible. On a psychological level, though, good sex, satisfying sex, is also linked with losing yourself, releasing, using your body to get out of your body. Well, for the first time, I'm feeling free. I love feeling deeply sexual—and don't mind letting the world know. For me, sex has become a celebration, a joyful part of the creative process." - Janet Jackson to Rolling Stone Magazine

Download these : That's The Way Love Goes, You Want This, If, Throb, This Time, Again

Film : 'A Single Man'

A Single Man, based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood, is the directorial debut of designer Tom Ford starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hault, and Jon Kortajarena. The film chronicles the final day of a Los Angeles based professor in the early 1960's as he prepares to commit suicide in an attempt to end his grief over the loss of his lover of sixteen years. It was filmed in only twenty-one days, financed completely by Mr. Ford, and is nothing short of amazing.

I knew it would be love at first sight for me simply because it's a project of the amazing Tom Ford, but there are so many other aspects of the film that make it lust worthy. Julianne Moore is stunning in the film, as she often is, and the sets, costumes, and film effects are perfection.

Which is no surprise given that Tom Ford himself has confessed that he is a perfectionist. But, there are so many amazing details in the film that you would never notice if you didn't know the history of the story and Mr. Ford. There are cameos by Don Bachardy [the long-time partner of Christopher Isherwood] and Richard Buckley [the current-time lover of Tom Ford]. Even the suits that Colin Firth's character, George, wears in the film had a label stitched inside with his name and the date it was "made" for him, 1957.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Fluro Turnlock Bracelet

While I'm on the subject of anything but "beige", check out the Marc by Marc Jacobs Fluro Turnlock bracelet. That's actually neon fabric cord running through the gold chain links and it's pretty dope fresh. It's also available in other colors, including silver with neon yellow. If Nicki Minaj were a bracelet, she'd look something like this, and she looks pretty amazing on my wrist.

Francoise Nielly

I stumbled upon this image browsing the web one day and immediately fell in love. The painting is by Francoise Nielly, a woman who lives and paints in France. She describes her oil and knife paintings as "expressive, exhibiting a brute force, a fascinating vital energy".

I'm definitely not a fan of anything "beige" and this is anything but that. There is so much light, passion, and emotion in not only the color, but the technique. It's pretty amazing, and so is the rest of her work. Check out her website for more info.

Francoise Nielly

Cartier Panther Ring

There are probably only two rings I fantasize about. One includes a sizeable canary diamond, and the other is the Cartier Panther ring. Seen on the hands of Rachel Zoe, Cameron Diaz, and Lady Gaga [to name only a few], it celebrates Cartier and their infamous "Bestiary" theme. In fact, the Panther has been iconic for Cartier since it's first piece of jewelry to celebrate the animal in 1914. There are many variations available, but it takes a substantial amount of pocket change to tame even the entry level style.

Music : Madonna's 'Erotica'

Madonna's Erotica is by far my favorite Madonna Album. I was only ten years old when it was released in 1992. Like many things, I've come to understand it more and more the older I get.

Madonna was widely condemned in the media for having pushed the limits of sexuality too far with her first album to have a "Parental Advisory" sticker slapped on the cover. She was no longer considered acceptably suggestive, but vulgar and raunchy. She has never been as explicit as she was during this phase of her music. Which is probably why it's my favorite of all her persona's.

The album was released nearly simultaneously with Madonna's first publication, Sex. Sex is the most successful coffee table book ever released [selling all 1.5 million copies published in the first three days!] and features strong adult content and softcore pornographic photographs depicting simulations of sexual acts, including sadomasochism and analingus. She wrote the book as a character named Mistress Dita, inspired by 1930s film actress Dita Parlo. She told Larry King in 1999, "I didn't write a book about sex. I wrote a book that—I mean I published a book that basically was sort of a—an ironic tongue-in-cheek, sticking-my-tongue-out-at-society photo essay..."

Interestingly enough, Madonna was inspired for both the album and the book by Andy Warhol. She even pays homage to Edie Sedgwick in the Deeper and Deeper music video.

Despite all the criticism, the album is double platinum, and has sold over five million copies. So, it seems, as always, that Madonna had the last laugh.

Download these: Erotica, Deeper and Deeper, Where Life Begins, In This Life.

Marc by Marc Jacobs 'California' Swim Trunks

Who wears short shorts? Thank you Fred Segal for welcoming these Marc by Marc Jacobs swim trunks into my life. Summer could not come fast enough to lounge poolside or hit the beach in these.

Tom Ford Ace Sunglasses

I definitely have a fetish for sunglasses, and an even bigger fetish for luxury sunglasses. Tragically, the ones that I search high and low for and cherish, I end up either losing [my Valentino's that are now buried treasure at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean] or breaking [the Gucci's that I waited six months for].

Luckily, these have proven to be easily accessible at Saks Fifth Avenue, which gives me hope they'll last while in my possession. Tom Ford can do no wrong in my book, as evident with this summers "Ace". The bigger the better, and better than bigger is the smoke gradient lenses. I'm picturing these poolside in Vegas this summer already.

Model Lust : Andres Velencoso

I'm a complete "modelizer" and could not think of any one better to share as my first Model Lust than Spanish male model Andres Velencoso. You can find him on the pages of L'Officiel Hommes in almost every issue, which is where I first spotted him when he graced the cover of No. 15.

Andres says his career didn't begin with some cliche story of being discovered in some supermarket by an agent, but instead was pushed to pursue modeling by his mother, Lucia [whose name is tattooed on his chest], and two sisters after finishing high school. It is rather cliche though that his career began with many rejections until a New York modeling agency named Natalie Kates signed him to Q Model Management.

I've watched some interviews with him on youtube [sadly, the obsession is that bad] and he seems incredibly humble, which is incredibly sexy. I'm sure Kylie Minogue would agree, they've been dating since July 2008.

Gucci Thong with Horsebit

Ever since reading The House of Gucci by Sara Gay Forden, I've been borderline obsessed with anything Gucci does with the horsebit. Case in point: I've recently debated on a horsebit tattoo. Even though it's only myth that the Gucci family were saddlers to medieval courts, the equestrian history is like a jockey riding atop the fashion label. The double stitching used in saddlemaking, the green and red webbing from girth straps, and hardware shaped like stirrups and horsebits are all common design elements each season.

Which is why I've recently been debating on how I'm going to get my feet into these sandals from this summers collection. Brown leather, dark palladium hardware, and a leather sole. $395, but as Aldo Guccio once said, "quality is remembered long after price is forgotten".