“Oscar Sunday” Night At The Sport Flicks

 

RAGING BULL (1980)

Its Oscar Sunday and time for another installment of “Sunday Night At The Sports Flicks”. While the obvious choice would have been to go with only Oscar winning sport movies, there would have been quite a few boxing films in the mix, so for variety’s sake I decided to open it up to Oscar nominated films as well. For a fun trivia question, what are the three sports films to win Best Picture? Answer is at the bottom of the post. As always, click the image for movie preview.

Directed by Martin Scorcese, Raging Bull is the based on the rise and fall, life story of 1940’s middleweight champion, Jake LaMotta, a self-destructive boxer played by Robert DeNiro in his Academy Award winning role. The film launched the Hollywood careers of Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty, who also received Oscar nominations. DeNiro famously gained 60 pounds for the role to accurately portray LaMotta in his later years.

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BREAKING AWAY (1979)

Academy award winner for Best Screenplay and nominee for Best Picture, Breaking Away is a charming movie about four friends coming to terms with life after high school. Doomed to live in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana, where the local kids are nicknamed “cutters”, a derogatory reference to their quarry working, blue-collar families, there exists a social struggle with the students of the nearby university. One of the friends is a talented cyclist, who in order to win the affections of one the college girls and emulate his cycling heroes, poses as an Italian exchange student. It is by chance an encounter with an Italian racing team that leads him and his friends to a cycling showdown with the local college boys where the true champions are victorious.

 

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CHARIOTS OF FIRE 1981

Chariots of Fire is indeed one of the three sport movies to win Best Picture. The film is the true story of two British track athletes competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics: one is a devout Scottish missionary who runs for God; the other is Jewish and is running to escape the anti-semitism and class struggles he faces in Cambridge society. The movie’s opening sequence, set to Vangelis’s iconic theme song, is probably one of the most recognized in movie history.

 

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MONEYBALL (2011)

The most Oscar nominated sports film with six, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, Moneyball is based on the true story of Oakland A’a manager Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, forced to reinvent his team on a lean budget. Inspired by a young Yale grad played by Jonah Hill, Beane defies conventional baseball scouting wisdom by using a controversial method of computer generated analysis called Sabermetrics. He puts together a winning team made up of flawed and overlooked players, all of whom have an ability to get on base and score runs, outsmarting and beating the richer clubs.

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Little Sporty Spring Dresses

 

HUSSEIN CHALAYAN ~ ROLAND MOURET ~ NARCISO RODRIGUEZ
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PREEN ~ LANVIN ~ MICHEAL KORSSD2

DOLCE & GABBANA ~ DIANE VON FURSTENBERG ~ JASON WU

 

Graphic, bold, color blocked and striped, the look in dresses is very sporty this spring. Hope everybody has been keeping in shape, because its form fitting too! Need some workout ideas? Click HERE.

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Case Study

 

 
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Row 1: INCASE Dots iPhone 5 Snap Case $34.95STM Harbour $35ADOPTED Leather Wrap Case $49.95CASE MATE Colorways $25-40; Row 2: ADOPTED Iridescent Lens Case $34.95MICHAEL by Michael Kors $34.95NIXON Carded iPhone5 Case $30KNUCKLECASE $120; Row 3: UNCOMMON Classic Stripe Capsule $39.95PANTONE Case Scenario $39.95SLICKWRAPS Glow-In-The-Dark $24.95; INCIPIO Stowaway iPhone 5 Integrated Credit Card Case with Kickstand $34.99

The iPhone is one of the most beautifully designed pieces of gear in the history of electronics and I find it a shame that in order to protect this precious item, one is often forced to cover it with a case so far below its aesthetic level. Thus I went on a quest to find the most beautiful and protective iPhone cases available, with that chic and sporty style, and above is what I found. Most are iPhone 4,4s and 5 compatible.

 

The Sport and Fashion Mash-Up

 

 

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Clockwise from top left: COMMES DES GARCONS “PLAY” CONVERSE CHUCK TAYLORJEREMY SCOTT  FOR ADIDAS SUPERSTARSCOLE HAAN LUNARGRAND CHUKKA WITH NIKE AIRSUPERGA FOR THE ROW CASHMERE TENNIS SNEAKER; MILLY FOR SPERRY BOAT SHOEWOOLRICH FOR PRO-KEDS;

Burton Snowboards just announced the debut of a new outerwear collaboration with L.A.M.B by Gwen Stefani for Winter 2014. The creation of capsule collections by fashion designers and labels such Jeremy Scott for Adidas, Milly for Sperry, and Commes Des Garcons “Play” for Converse are a growing trend. In both mens and womens lines, these partnerships infuse some new cool into both parties, while highlighting the respected legacy of the sport brands. The result of these all-star collaborations is a new generation of sportswear that blends tradition with modern style.

Check out the video below for another new collaboration in stores in March: H&M for Brick Lane Bikes, the UK’s first fixed-gear bike store and center of East London’s cycling scene. This men’s collection combines the function of cycling wear with great city style for both on and off the bike. Women next please!

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Tasty Little Bubbles Of Energy

 

There are hundreds of energy drinks on the market, many the equivalent of putting gasoline in your tank… literally. The energy high comes with a crashing low, that is both physically and mentally depleting. There are a number though, like E-Boost, David Kirsch’s Energy Bubbles and ZipFizz, with all natural ingredients that offer their pick-me-up power not with heart racing stimulants and chemicals, but vitamins, minerals and herbs recognized for a variety of additional health benefits. The ones I like are all individually packaged for on-the-go convenience and easily mixed with water. They are all refreshingly tasty as well!

DAVID KIRSCH ENERGY BUBBLES. From fitness and nutritional guru David Kirsch comes this effervescent orange flavored drink that provides a natural energy boost. David’s formula contains Taurine, Panax Ginseng, B6, B12 and other vitamins and nutrients to naturally energize both body and mind. It also has the special addition of chromium to help reduce body fat and build muscle.  ENERGY BUBBLES are a perfect pick me up before or during your workout, or any other time of day.

EBOOST. Available in Super Berry, Orange, Pink Lemonade and Acai Pomegranate, in the convenience of a shot or powder, EBOOST is packed with energy vitamins like C, D and B12, and super-nutrients like Green Tea, Quercetin, 5-HTP and Resveratrol, recognized for their anti-oxidant, immune and mood boosting benefits. EBOOST is sweetened with Stevia and contains no sugar, artificial flavors or colors.

ZIPFIZZ. I recently discovered this product at the Outdoor Retailer show, initially attracted by the cool packaging. ZIPFIZZ is an all-natural, great tasting drink-mix powder that delivers a revitalizing burst of energy to the body’s fuel system. Promoted as a hydrating energy drink, ZIPFIZZ is super charged with Vitamin C, B12 and potassium, among other ingredients especially beneficial for those traveling to high altitude (as I can attest having tested it out on a recent trip to Snowmass, CO). It comes in a variety of delicious flavors as well!

ACLI-MATE. Another great one for preventing high-altitude symptoms, I discovered ACLI-MATE in the very lofty ski resort of Crested Butte, CO. Available in a variety of tasty flavors, ACLI-MATE Mountain Sport drink contains the hydrating and energizing vitamins B and C, CoQ10, AND potassium, in addition to select botanicals like Rhodiola root, Schizandra berry and Ginko leaf extracts that provide a hydrating boost of energy both on and off the mountain.

EMERGEN-C. Really the original, this immune boosting blend of Vitamin C, nutrients, electrolytes and anti-oxidents, naturally replenish energy levels and enhance metabolic functions. Now available in a multitude of flavors like Tangerine, Mangosteen, Pink Lemonade and Triple Berry Blue, there is the tried and true Original Formula, in addition to Specialty blends like Multi-Vitamin and the sport specific Electro Mix.

 

“Cinelli: The Art And Design Of The Bicycle”

 

 
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Last November, Rizzoli published a beautiful book called “Cinelli: The Art and Design of the Bicycle”, an illustrated retrospective of more than sixty-five years of one of the most pioneering and influential names in bicycle design. Since Cino Cinelli began making frames in Italy in the 1940s, Cinelli has set the standards for bicycle and component design, and continues to be one of the most prominent names in the fixed gear or “Fixie” culture of custom bikes and components.

Those with no interest in cycling, it’s culture, or history, might enjoy the conversation with Cinelli president Antonio Colombo and fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, which opens the book. As it turns out Smith began competitive cycling as a boy, and it was his early love of the beauty of the bicycle that was the beginning of his appreciation for design. Surprisingly Columbo, as an industrial designer, as always been inspired by fashion and design, and consisitently sought to transform the bicycle into rideable art.

The current popularity of the very hip fixed gear bike, the very chic European city bike, and very fast racing bike is as much inspired by the desire to own a bicycle as to own a beautiful thing. “Cinelli: The Art and Design of the Bicycle” takes a look at how form and function meet to create beauty in this everyday object. Read More

 

The Color Of The Month is Red!

 

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In honor of Valentines Day, the color of the month is of course RED. It makes everything smokin’ hot and adds a little spice to all your sporty gear and fashion accessories!

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Row 1: MOUNTAIN HARDWARE Ghost Whisperer Hooded Down Jacket $300; SPECIALIZED S-Works Tarmac SL4 DI2 Road Bike $12,000KAMIK Solitude Snow Boots $96.99 (sale); Row 2: NIKON Coolpix 16 Megapixel Compact Camera with 1080 HD Video $199YSL Tribtoo Embossed Leather Platform Pumps $795; SKULLCANDY Enterprise Backpack $59.99; Row 3: SWISS ARMY KNIFE SwissChamp $74.99J.CREW Triangle String Halter $44 and Low-Rise Boy Short $46CONVERSE Jack Purcell $47.99; Row 4: DOLCE & GABBANA DG6078 Sunglasses $180MSR Evo Ascent Snowshoes $210; OAKLEY FR Driving Glove $135; Row 5: PATAGONIA Wavefarer Board Shorts $49; REPETTO BB Distressed Leather Ballet Flats $285; SWATCH Touch Chili $140

 

 

The Calendar: 28 Days Of Sunglasses

 

 

The calendar theme for this month is SUNGLASSES! It’s a short month and it’s going to be tough to narrow it down to 28 pairs of sunglasses, but here goes!

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FEB.28: RAY-BAN WAYFARER. Here we are at the last day of February’s 28 Days Of Sunglasses. There are still so many more shades to feature, but it seemed right to give this final selection to another iconic Ray-Ban style, the only brand to get two days this month. The Wayfarer was first introduced in 1956 and is credited with being the best selling sunglass of all time. Originally a black frame with gray lenses, there are now hundreds of styles and colors available. 

FEB.27: OLIVER PEOPLES. Since their first retail store opened in 1986 on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, Oliver Peoples has been the “it” eyewear brand. Originally selling authentic, unworn vintage frames, they were the first to bring back the retro style sunglasses that old Hollywood had made famous. Aviators, horn-rimmed, clip-ons are just a few of the iconic styles that have been evergreens in their collection, and I myself have been a loyal customer since the early 90’s! 

FEB.26: WARBY PARKER. Warby Parker has recently been in the news for having been retained by Google to design the look of their new internet glasses, and also for a recent investment by J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler in the company. Warby Parker is clearly a very successful and hip e-commerce site selling their own line of trendy but affordable eyewear, with showrooms in major US cities as well. Personally I’m loving the Griffin, Appleton, and Everett!

FEB 25: MICHAEL KORS. Lime green, magenta, orange, lavender, blue… how to pick just one color of these fab spring toned, clear framed aviators!

FEB.24: VUARNET. Created by Olympic champion, Jean Vuarnet, who won the Downhill Skiing gold medal in 1960 at Squaw Valley, CA, and renowned French optician Roger Pouilloux, who had provided the eyewear to the French Ski Federation, Vuarnet is another iconic ski and lifestyle sunglass brand. The Skilynx lens, offers maximum protection in the mountains, where the suns UV rays are intensified by the snow and altitude. The yellow/green mineral lenses with anti-glare and silver bi-shaded coatings maximize optical clarity. They make everything look warm and sunny too! 

FEB.23: OLIVER GOLDSMITHFounded in 1926 by P. Oliver Goldsmith, OG sunglasses have have been the trend defining eyewear since the 1960’s and 1970’s, when sunglasses went from eye protection to a fashion statement. The eyewear of choice by such 20th Century style icons as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn,  Peter Sellers and The Rolling Stones, in addition to the design houses of Dior and Givenchy, Oliver Goldsmith continues to create the most stylish of sunglasses. The gorgeous “Manhattan” created 1960, the cool “Karl”from 1967, the mod “Y-Not”from 1966 are just a few of the original designs still available today. Check out their vintage archive for fun too and see the original Space Visor, Butterfly and Tennis Raquet sunglasses!

FEB.22: CARRERA. Another iconic brand, Carrera has been making sunglasses and googles since 1956, but they became hot in the early 80’s with the CARRERA PORSCHE DESIGN collection. The look is still going strong and has some swagger, so get ready for stares if you want to rock these shades!
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