Clothes make the man, and nowhere is this adage more appropriate than in the bull-fighting arena. A matador's cape is part of an ensemble, but it is also a tool for luring in a charging beast. His eye-catching outfit reflects his pride, but it is also tailored to accent the graceful lines his body makes when side stepping a pair of horns.

During his first season in the ring in 2005, the Spanish matador Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez was gored in the leg, a wound that penetrated to the bone. Ordóñez, not missing a beat, took off his necktie and crafted a tourniquet, then finished off the bull. Now that's accessorizing.

Ordóñez comes from a long line of bullfighters, and his family has been the subject of attention from many celebrities. Ernest Hemingway wrote about the family, and Pablo Picasso designed a costume for his matador grandfather, Antonio Ordóñez. Now legendary designer Giorgio Armani has created an outfit, which the bullfighter will wear to Corrida Goyesca, a historic bullfight that occurs once a year in Ronda, in the South of Spain. Hopefully when it's done, he won't need a new necktie. --BEN POPPER

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In the last few years China has emerged as a premier player in the world of contemporary art, producing sought-after works by artists like Zhang Huang, Wang Guangyi, and Shen Shaomin. This presents an exciting opportunity for collectors, but a challenging one as well, as many art lovers struggle to understand a scene that is rapidly evolving.

The Revolution Continues, a new monograph produced by the Saatchi Gallery of London, presents itself as an artistic primer and panacea for would be Sinophiles. It gives an extensive, detailed overview of new Chinese art, but also tries to place these works in the context of the massive changes that have shaped China since the Cultural Revolution. Essays by Jiang Jiehong, director of the Centre for Chinese Visual Arts at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, help to ground audiences in the thematic and aesthetic touchstones of contemporary Chinese art: calligraphy, Maoist iconography, and of course, the color red.

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For a relatively straight ahead proposition, the quality sporting hotel -- like the classic brasserie or blue blazer -- can be surprisingly hard to find.  Too often the modern lodge stresses luxury when what we want is the illusion of self-reliance. For a place that strikes the perfect balance of robust outdoor spirit, head to Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch, 50 miles north of Ketchum, outside the town of Stanley, Idaho.

Set on 1,000 acres along the Salmon River, the 1934 ranch and its half-dozen guest cabins have stunning views of the Sawtooth Mountains.  After a hearty breakfast beside the enormous stone fireplace, you're ready for a day of hiking, riding or rafting.  Or you can go fly-fishing on the Salmon River with a local expert; Verlon Herndon at Sawtooth Fishing Guides is a longtime favorite. At the end of the day you return to the ranch, which is on the National Historic Registry, and sit on the porch and admire the view, or have a restorative soak in the hot springs pool.  Remember to bring your own Scotch -- the Ranch only serves beer and wine -- after a long day outside that's one luxury that really is a necessity. --DAVID COGGINS

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The most iconic banana in American art is arguably Andy Warhol's 1967 album cover for The Velvet Underground and Nico. It featured a print of a banana that invited listeners to "Peel Slowly and See," revealing a flesh-colored fruit below the bright yellow original. The custom cover was expensive to produce, but MGM, the band's label, figured anything that combined the rock 'n' roll of The Velvets with the art and fashion of Andy Warhol was sure to draw attention.

Now a California company called Better Bacon is trying to recapture that magic: mixing art, fashion and rock 'n' roll with a twist. Better Bacon describes itself as a kind of Warholian "factory," dedicated to the celebration and advancement of artists with developmental disabilities. The company was founded in 1999 by Jesse Alba and Mathew Klickstein, two USC film students with a passion for obscure art. The duo have spent the last eight years working with the Kids of Widney High -- a group of developmentally disabled young adults who perform rock 'n' roll music -- to produce a wide variety of films, writing, radio, and comic art.

In February 2008 Better Bacon unveiled it's first fashion line, including Out of Shape Banana, a T-shirt by Luis "Pee-Wee" Fernandez, inspired by the fruit-filled cover of The Velvet Underground and Nico.

Each T-shirt comes with a small personal statement and a photo of the artist. "I always wanted to become a rock singer," writes Fernandez. "I think people should look at my artwork just so they know who I really am, and what I do is not about being a bad person and being rebellious, but just getting good things out of my system: humor, laughter, and other kinds of emotion."

Better Bacon's wares were included in 2008 Oscar gift bags, and will soon be available at exclusive dealers around the country. To see a video about their unique approach, check out www.betterbacon.com.  --BEN POPPER

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Last year Americans consumed 50 billion single-serve plastic water bottles, 80% of which wound up in landfills. Factor in the carbon footprint left by manufacturing, transporting and disposing of them and you're looking at a statistic that has made sporting a Fiji water bottle akin to sin. But that also leaves a foothold open in the market for someone to finally create a well-designed non-disposable water bottle that puts Nalgenes to shame.

Three years in the works, the KOR ONE "hydration vessel" is the result of a challenge to "'reimagine' the reusable water bottle." Fashioned by the firm RKS, and using the latest in cutting-edge, eco-friendly materials, the design features a flip-top opening large enough to accommodate ice cubes, as well an interior placket inscribed with a daily mantra. The sleek little bottle (available August 1, check www.korwater.com for locations) can hold up to 750ml, is tapered elliptically for comfort, and has an ergonomic handle for easy carrying. Furthermore, on the eco front, its makers claim that it will reduce an individual's water-bottle consumption by 200 units annually.

Prepackaged water bottles are, we've been told, dangerous to reuse, but KOR's plastic  — Titan™, manufactured by Eastman — does not contain BPA (Bisphenol A). According to some studies, this chemical, found in polycarbonate plastics (its use runs the gamut from CDs, to medical equipment and even baby bottles), has shown to be toxic to humans in large quantities and is present in the bodies of 90% of Americans. Titan™, which is dishwasher safe, is also said to retain its clarity for an exponentially longer time than other plastics.

KOR's chic little canteen also requires less energy to produce, so it's eco-friendly to use and even friendlier to make. Plus for less than $30, you can get a new piece of art and live green without overdrawing on yours.--SAM LEEDS

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Africa Israel, an Israeli conglomerate controlled by billionaire Lev Leviev, has announced that it will be hiring luxury brand Versace to design the interior of a historic New York landmark, the Clock Tower building on Madison Avenue.

Donatella Versace has done custom interiors before, and has styled everything from homes to yachts to helicopters.

A Versace-designed helicopter interior

Africa Israel paid $200 million for the tower last year and expects that the Renovation will take two years and cost an additional $110 million. No prices have been set yet for rentals, but developers expect to get about $3,500 per square foot.

While the U.S. economy, and especially the housing market, has been hurting of late, the luxury sector continues to show signs of strength.

Versace interior

Not wanting to be outdone, Roberto Cavalli announced today that he will be opening a the first of a series of clubs, beginning, where else, Dubai.

The club will feature black quartz floors that "shine with crystal dust reflecting light and shape throughout the space while six-meter high walls dripping with Swarovski crystals illuminate the room."

Whether it's for the glitz factor or a unique touch, developers these days seem very interested in adding a designer's touch. And the designers appear to be more than happy to leave their mark on a new landscape. --BEN POPPER

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Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

It only takes one viewing of The Dark Knight, the new record-breaking Batman film, to set aside the hype surrounding Heath Ledger's performance. As the arch-villian Joker, Ledger delivers a nuanced, devilish interpretation, overshadowing the special effects and Imax excess to become the white-hot center of this summer's biggest blockbuster.

Talk has now turned to the possibility of a posthumous Oscar for Ledger, who died in January 2008 of an accidental drug overdose. Venerable actor Michael Caine, who plays Batman's butler Alfred in the film, suggested that Ledger at least deserves a nomination. Others, like director Terry Gilliam, who was working on a film with Ledger at the time of his death, have decried the Oscar talk as a disgraceful attempt by the studios to drum up more business.

If Ledger were to receive a nomination -- and it's unclear if the Joker qualifies as a leading or supporting character -- he would be in good company. Leading men Spencer Tracy and James Dean both got the nod after saying the long goodbye; in fact most of Dean's career as an icon occurred after his death. Neither of these actors went on to win. The last posthumous Oscar was given to Peter Finch in 1977 for his role in the movie Network.

Following a deluge of bets, online gambling sites have put Ledger's odds of winning an Oscar around 3-1, way down from the 12-1 line they were giving before the blockbuster opening weekend. "At this point, it's a lock," said author and film critic David Meyer.

Others are less certain.  "It really surprises me, all this early talk," says Christopher Costigan, publisher of Gambling 911, a news site that tracks online betting.  "Usually we don't hear Oscar odds until January."

Costigan feels the early hype could wear thin by the time red carpet season rolls around, especially with a glut of Oscar bait films slated for the final months of the year. "This might be a good time to bet No."

Ledger has been nominated once before, as best actor, for his role in the cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain, but lost to Philip Seymour-Hoffman. It now seems almost certain that, Oscar or not, Ledger will be best remembered for his role as the Joker. The part displayed Ledger's tremendous talent, but it also captured a feeling of chaos, a irresistible epitaph for a young talent whose own life was sliding out of control. --BEN POPPER

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Whether you've heard of the band or not, whether you're a fan or only dimly aware of their 25-year existence, you've probably felt the effects of Sonic Youth. For a band that never reached popular success or put out a top 10 album, Sonic Youth made themselves known in the art and music worlds as cultural icons during the 80s and 90s.  If the names Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, and Steve Shelley don't ring a bell, then Kurt Cobain, Beck, Sophia Coppola, Spike Jonze, and Chloe Sevigny might.  Like Gertrude Stein to the lost generation, the four members of Sonic Youth either directly paved the way or actively encouraged the young careers of the grunge generation.

As biographer David Browne makes clear in his new biography, Goodbye 20th Century, this is a band whose passion for music and the arts inspired others to achieve more recognition and success than the band themselves would ever know.  Some might view such stagnation as tragic or, at the very least, frustrating, except for the fact that the band's muse-like power was based in an unwavering sense of integrity. As one record label executive put it, "I don't know if [mass recognition] was necessarily important to them.  Or all four of them at one time, let's put it that way."

Though the band's obsession with uniquely innovative sounds (the noise coming out of a deli refrigerator was once recorded for a song) was considered too chaotic by the mainstream public, Goodbye 20th Century shows how their personal lives were as traditional as their music was revolutionary.  Browne, a longtime music journalist, warns in his introduction that, "You also won't find the usual litany of rock-star foibles here: no car crashes, drug overdoses, hotel room trashings, and other tales of excess that sustained Behind the Music for years." 

Sound boring? It would be if it weren't for Browne's ability to portray the band's very "lack of cliche" as such an exceptional feat.  In Browne's words, it's a story of "stability and relative well-adjustedness, of creating chaos onstage but not off it. In its contrariness, it's almost, well, punk."  Few other bands can boast that. --CHLOE KAMARCK

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If acting is reacting, then Liam Neeson's performance in Samuel Beckett's minimalist drama, Eh Joe, is a tour de force.  Originally written by Beckett for television in 1965, this stage adaptation now being presented at the Lincoln Center Festival in New York runs just under a half hour.

But don't let that brevity fool you.  This is one of the most intense and atmospheric half hours of theater you're likely to see.  Neeson plays an aging man who sits alone on a single bed as a woman's voice mocks him for his past failures.  We watch his face as he suffers this precisely calibrated verbal taunt.  There's love for you … Isn't it, Joe? … Wasn't it Joe?

The Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan -- who directed this production -- has found a brilliantly powerful solution for allowing us to zoom in.  A live camera just off stage is trained on the actor's face, as he sits on the bed in three-quarter profile, and the image is projected onto a scrim in front of the space.  In the darkness of the theater, our eyes are glued to the huge projected image of Neeson's face, which registers every flicker of emotion from defiance to regret to horror.

The effect is overwhelming, almost as if being inside the darkness of someone else's soul.  It surely takes an actor as skillful as Liam Neeson to be this revealing in a gradually intensifying close-up, as Beckett's ultra-terse words pile up to their crushing climax.   

There'll be six more performances of Eh Joe at the Gerald W Lynch Theater at John Jay College.  And this is just one of three Beckett pieces being presented, originally produced by Dublin's Gate Theatre.  Actor Ralph Fiennes and Barry McGovern are also starring in one-man shows (not originally conceived for theater.)  And if you can't get enough Beckett, there are marathon productions on July 26 and 27.  --DAMIAN FOWLER

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Of the humble dishes climbing up the ladder of culinary respectability, the roast pork bun is perhaps the most welcome.  Long beloved of dim sum diners, the pork bun has moved beyond Chinatown and is now a staple of progressive kitchens around Manhattan.

At Fatty Crab the pork bun requires some assembly and is worth the effort.  The pork is cut with a tart salad that includes cilantro, pickled radishes, and a charred green chili pepper.  It comes with a combination of Kecap manis - a sweet soy sauce from Indonesia - and Sriracha chili sauce that should reduce you to tears of sweet and spicy joy.  Oh, and there's also a quarter of a hard-boiled egg, proving that something decadent can be improved with still more decadence.

The pork buns at Momofuku Ssam and at the nearby Momofuku Noodle Bar inspire fiendish devotion.  They come with hoisin sauce, cucumbers, and scallions.  Their secret is no secret at all: they use pork belly - the key to many culinary success stories.  Two buns come in an order and it takes some diplomacy to explain to your dining companion that you won't be sharing. 

Of course, you can still find good buns in Chinatown, but there's one less classic destination than there used to be.  That's because the venerable Mei Lai Wah Coffee House, which looked like it hadn't changed since Mao's day, closed in May.  That's a tough loss, though it did have something to do with Department of Health complaint.  We always knew that there was something unnaturally good about those buns, though maybe it's better not to know what it was. --DAVID COGGINS

The Fatty Crab
643 Hudson St
(212) 352-3590

Momofuku Ssam
207 2nd Avenue
(212) 254-3500

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Photo by Sodpzzz

In the midst of summer, I'm already thinking of fall. Fall is my favorite time of the year, a time when the leaves change from their verdant shades to yellow, orange, and red. Blue-bloods from the Yellowstone mountains to the coast of Massachusetts enjoy the beauty of nature and the crisp morning air. With the change in temperature, American men break out their fall wardrobes and speak their perennial favorite language, L.L. Bean. Even though we know they also speak Filson and Pendleton.

Pendleton argyle sweater

They don their wide-whaled corduroys with embroidered whales from Murray's Toggery, Brooks Brothers shirts, Pendleton argyle sweaters, and L.L. Bean duck boots. All of a sudden men look alike, from Bozeman to Chapel Hill to Richmond to Boston.

L.L. Bean duck boots

Oh, and lest I forget the Filson field bag they carry, which holds the latest copy of Men's Vogue. So, if you aren't a blue-blood or an American, but aspire to look like one, start getting ready now. --BUNNY TOMERLIN

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Photo by The Silent Wind of Doom

This is the final season for storied Yankee Stadium, which has been the home of the Bronx Bombers since 1923 and will host tonight's All-Star game. Before it's demolished, many expect that the House that Ruth Built will be stripped bare and the pieces sold off to collectors, who treat each item with the reverence of a religious relic.

Luckily a number of exclusive items commemorating the Yanks final year are already up for sale from Steiner Sports, a memorabilia dealer who has partnered with the Yankees.

This third base bag, signed by shortstop and team captain Derek Jeter, is going for $5,999. The bag was collected from the this season's home opener at the old stadium, in which the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-2.

Collectors looking for a more eclectic item might be interested in this clubhouse trunk, which is on sale from Steiner for $7,500 and has held the possessions of Yankee greats for over 50 years.

Yankees megastar Alex Rodriguez has been making waves on and off the field. Fans who want to own a piece of A-Rod can get a 2008 road jersey from Steiner, complete with all star and stadium patches, for $20,000, roughly half what Rodriguez earns each time he's at bat.

For a little more historical perspective, two recently published books offer unique perspectives on the legacy of the Yankee franchise.

A Yankee Stadium Scrapbook: A Lifetime of Memories (Running Press) by sports journalist David Fischer is full of fascinating arcana. The book peeks into the Yanks mythology -- including an original copy of the contract that sent Babe Ruth to New York -- but it also explores the myriad of other important events that occurred there. Fischer brings us advertisements for the 1938 fight between American boxing champ Joe Louis and his German rival Max Schmeling. The fight, one of many boxing matches held at Yankee Stadium, took on global significance, as a symbolic precursor to the Second World War.

Yankee Stadium: The Official Retrospective (Pocket) by Mark Vancil and Alfred Santasiere III is a more straightforward book, but valuable nonetheless. It features more than 250 photographs -- many never before published -- along with essays on the stadium by a cast of influential New Yorkers like George Steinbrenner, Mayor Guiliani, and Yankees past and present. --BEN POPPER

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Yefim Shubentsov, aka The Mad Russian. Image courtesy of unsolved.com

A year ago, I went on a skeptical pilgrimage to Boston with my friend Evgeny to see the so-called Mad Russian, aka Yefim Shubentsov. My friend, a long-time smoker, wanted to kick the habit and had heard about the Russian's unorthodox methods to "erase" the craving to smoke.

We sat through Shubentsov's 2-hour lecture in heavily broken English, nodded at his words of wisdom before Evgeny had his craving banished in a mysterious one-on-one session.  'Yeah, right,' we thought at the time.

Well, skepticism has turned to belief: Evgeny is coming up on his year anniversary and he's neither touched a cigarette since, nor has he wanted to.  He says he feels fitter than he ever has, works out at the gym more regularly, and has managed to spread the word about the Russian to quite a few smokers who usually react to his feat with a "Getouttahere!" But then they go on their own pilgrimages and, before long, it's goodbye Marlboro, so long Camel Lite.  The general feeling is, "I don't really care how he does it, as long as it works."

Evgeny's achievement recently inspired a group of 10 Romanians to make the journey north to Boston, presumably in a cloud of smoke.  Now there's a mad challenge for Mr Shubentsov.--DAMIAN FOWLER

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The notion of adding dairy to a cocktail may strike some as heresy -- White Russians are fine for Lebowski, but let's stick to gin and vermouth, shall we?  It's time to reconsider -- bars in Manhattan are raising the stakes of dairy commitment and serving drinks with egg whites and no regrets.   

Death & Co in the East Village is an ideal place for an introduction the art of the egg white cocktail.  They offer a Celine Fizz which includes gin, grapefruit juice, and St. Germain, a liqueur made from elderflowers picked in the Alps.  The egg whites combine with the citrus to create a lightness that makes it all too easy to drink.  Owner David Kaplan says the drink's silky elegance is an ideal "early morning characteristic."  It's hard to disagree -- too bad the bar doesn't open until 6pm.

At Tailor in Soho, bartender Eben Freeman likes to use egg whites as a counterpoint to tart flavors.  His original Mate Sour, which includes Yerba mate Pisco and a dash of bitters, is a master class in pleasing contrasts.  The bar typically goes through at least a dozen eggs a night.  Freeman says that there's an appetite for trying new cocktails among the public, "The age of fear seems to have passed."  Across the bar from an expert like Freeman, progress never tasted so good.

If you'd like to take matters into your own hands, Everyday Drinking a new collection of writing by the late Kingsley Amis, describes a drink he credits his friend, the writer Paul Fussell.  It's a milk punch so heartening it gives him the courage to face dreaded events like Christmas morning.  If you possess the foresight to freeze cubes of milk in your freezer the night before, you're in business.  Rise the next day and in a large jug mix brandy, bourbon and milk.  Pour into a glass, add milk cubes, dust with nutmeg and serve.  Oh, and you're to consume it "immediately on rising in lieu of breakfast." That's the spirit. --DAVID COGGINS

THE CELINE FIZZ from Death & Co

2 ounces Plymouth gin
.5 ounce St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
.5 ounce fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
.25 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
.25 simple syrup
a dash of orange bitters
egg white

Shake first without ice (hard as you can muster) -- add ice then shake again (harder yet).

Strain in to a fizz glass, top with soda water, squeeze a grapefruit twist over the drink, do not throw in (discard).


PAUL FUSSELL'S MILK PUNCH

1 part brandy
1 part bourbon whiskey
4 parts fresh milk
Nutmeg
Frozen milk cubes

Mix the fresh milk and the spirits thoroughly together.

Pour into biggish glasses, drop in milk cubes, dust with nutmeg and serve.

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This week marks the beginning of the annual "Running of the Bulls" in
Pamplona, Spain. Injuries are common, but the people of the town, as well as
many internantional thrill-seekers, wouldn't miss the event for the world.
However, this small town in Northern Spain isn't the only one with an
eccentric animal tradition.

Photo by Dake

While bulls are set free to romp through the streets of Pamplona, their
female counterparts put on their annual show in the quiet hills of the Swiss
Alps. The "Battle of the Queens" pits Heren breed cows against each other to
war for the title of Queen of queens, as well as a new bell and a headpiece
of flowers. Fifty thousand fans watch hours of tournament-bracketed
competition, finally witnessing the glory of a bovine blue ribbon well won.

Photo courtesy of Startle Grams

Each September, the small seaside village of Lekeitio, Spain, honors the
town's patron saint by decapitating already dead geese as they dangle, grease covered, from ropes stretched across the small harbor. Boys of the village row out to where the
birds hang suspended over water and throw themselves at the body of the
bird. Clinging tightly to the slippery fowl, each boy struggles to wrench
the body free from its head while trying not to slide off the bottom end
into the ocean below. As if this weren't daunting (or ridiculous) enough,
the ropes are tightened and loosened in order to send the goose-beheader on
a bouncy roller coaster ride. Whoever can behead his goose first is the
winner of this 350-year-old annual competition -- and the only prize is
bragging rights.

The recently modified tradition of eel throwing remains a sore subject for
the small English fishing village of Lyme Regis. Due to animal cruelty
violations, a mooring buoy now replaces the 9-foot dead conger eel, which
used to act as the ball in a game of human bowling. However, two teams of
fishermen still compete, facing each other and taking turns hurling the
giant buoy (which is a sorry replacement for the 25-pound eel) towards their
opponents. This 34-year-old event brings thousands out to the small fishing
town, and is one of the biggest local events of the year. --ERICA LOHE

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When Julie Allinson, creator of Eyebobs' retro and funky eyeglass frames, launched her eyewear company, I bet she never dreamt that high society, old-school preppies would be wearing them from shore to shore.

Eyebobs are for folks who are interesting and good-humored, and you can tell that by the frames' off-the-wall names such as Old Money, Total Wit and Adult Supervision. When I catch sight of a man wearing the tortoise shell frames, I'm thinking, Dominick Dunne or Arie Kopleman. You know, high society. --BUNNY TOMERLIN

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In a world where "green" and "luxury" are rarely seen paired together, the hunt for the perfect fusion of natural and novelty can finally be called off. While many all-natural skincare companies struggle to produce truly luxurious products, Lula Organics succeeds with the "everyman" grooming basket. The handsome (and reusable!) dark wood basket is stocked full of grooming essentials: shaving cream, peppermint body wash, moisturizing face wash, green tea bar soap, a triple blade razor, and a bristol body brush. All of the products included are paraben-free and made with natural ingredients -- the perfect way to express congratulations or thanks. --ERICA LOHE

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Aspen is without a doubt the Rockies' chicest winter ski town. But it is, in fact, the summer season that the most eager outdoorsmen prefer to plan their visit. During Aspen's hot yet breezy summer months, cycling aficionados travel near and far to take on the town's most challenging bike trails. Whether you're a competitive racer or simply looking to cruise around, every rider should make a pit stop at The Hub of Aspen. Before riding down the Rio Grande Trail or blazing through breathtaking Maroon Bells, the town's most serious racers head over to the Hub -- a top-of-the-line full service bike shop that rents, sells, and repairs. The shop is the home of Lance Armstrong's Tour de France-winning Trek Road Bikes, and Lance himself comes in once a summer to joyride with the cozy shop's owner, Charlie Tarver. -- LIZA HEYMAN.

Armstrong in Hub gear

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Declare your independence this fourth of July with the bold pattern of these summer shorts from PegLeg NYC. The clothing line is operated by twentysomething friends Harry McNally and Nick Poe. Harry's father, Keith, owns quintessential New York restaurants Balthazar and Pastis. PegLeg's approach to fashion reflects their cultured upbringing, more Cezanne than streetwear. --BEN POPPER

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The British and the Italians both have a proud tradition of exquisite men's tailoring, so it was no surprise when these two powerhouses decided to combine forces. Last year London's Royal College of Art entered into a partnership with the men's wear brand Brioni, giving students from RCA the chance to spend one week a year undergoing intensive tailoring practice at the Brioni Academy in Penne, Italy. Year one of this program has just wrapped up, culminating in a competition for best interpretation of a menswear classic: the dinner jacket. Four prizes were give out during Milan's Fashion week:

1st Prize - Simon Travers-Spencer

Creativity Prize - Jasper Sinchair Chadprajong

Tailoring prize - Jae Wan Park

Nieman Marcus prize - Louise Loubatieres

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The Bowery, for better or worse, has been undergoing dramatic changes of
late. Some additions are good -- the New Museum comes to mind -- some are not so
good -- just how many banks do we need? One neighborhood establishment that's
thankfully set in its ways is the Great Jones Cafe, which recently
celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Known to regulars simply as Jones, behind its vivid orange facade is an
intimate place with vaguely New Orleans overtones.  While Jones approaches
cult status, the food, happily, is better than it has any right to be.  Take
a seat at the bar for perfectly good jambalaya and cornbread, and ask Artie,
the expert barman, to make you a Shaggy or two (for the uninitiated, that
would be dark rum and spicy ginger ale).  Bring money for the jukebox
favoring rockabilly -- and you should be in business for at least a few
hours. -- DAVID COGGINS

54 Great Jones Street
(212) 674-9304

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