willy chavarria is an american fashion designer born in fresno, california. he is the founder and chief creative officer of his eponymous label (stylized as WILLY CHAVARRIA), and previously served as the senior vice president of design at calvin klein until 2024. he is also the founder and creative director of palmer trading company, a new york-based menswear label sold exclusively in japan. by dd
i have a bottle of v.o… 1/3 left maybe… i bought it at a small perfume shop in boston many years ago and i always loved the mysterious scent, but knew nothing about the brand. i bought it because it was reassuringly expensive (for the time, and my broke ass student state) but also because it was truely different, like nothing else i had smelled. i had no idea who jean marc sinan was but i finally looked him up…
the story of this interesting character is a complicated and twisted one… but with thanks to sergey borisov we can now take a glimpse into sinan’s life. “born in 1951 in sham country (greater syria, or levante), he was a homeless london hippie from 1965 to 1967, then spent five years practicing meditation in the southern algerian desert. he was then a mine-worker for 2 years…
mine-worker, florist, intern at christian dior, to youngest couturier in paris
and a florist for three years, then landed as an intern at christian dior for marc bohan for a year. leaving the house of dior in 1980, he opens his own couture maison in the 15th arrondissement of paris, where he was “rediscovered” by regular dior clients – and jean-marc becomes the youngest couturier in paris.
from 1981 to 1990 jean-marc sinan develops a holding company of his own name – among 70 companies that were created, including a perfume brand, which launched his first fragrances in 1984.
parfums jean-marc sinan paris
live and rejoice, you just made your way from desert dust to prosperous bourgeois! but… in 1990, he buys up all the stock of his inventory he could reach around the world – and mercilessly razed everything to the ground with a bulldozer in chartres.
now not a couturier or perfumer, he begins the early ’90s anew as an artist, sculptor and painter. travelling to new york, california, indian kerala, paris, italy, bahrain – he practices as an architect, sculptor, painter, furniture maker. he studied religion intensively and discovers his god, he then burns nearly a thousand of his paintings in india, started a family and starts painted a new.
limited edition rare perfumes in hand blown glass
he created his own contemporary art center in paris, with a holistic food restaurant. his paintings are devoted to the relationship between the human and the divine, and three fragrances in handmade bottles (lettre a une femme, par femme du coeur, paradise no people – the latter bottle in the form of a green cloud on wings carrying water to people).
from this story, it becomes clear why the old jean-marc sinan fragrances are so rare and iconic. they hadn’t been produced for long, only 6 years (1984-1990), and only the few bottles that weren’t destroyed in chartres have survived. his first women’s fragrance, sinan, is best known for its crescent-stemmed, green and spicy rose chypre with a thick animal base – but today i’d like to talk about his first men’s fragrance, v.o. jean-marc sinan.
v.o. version originale jean-marc sinan
fashion photograph for jean marc sinan paris 1987 and below v.o. jean-marc sinan: the brand’s first men’s fragrance
rare v.o bottle design : top notes: lavender, geranium, neroli, lemon and tangerine middle notes: pepper, rose, jasmine, carnation, ylang-ylang and lily of the valley base notes: musk, woody notes, cedar, sandalwood and tonka bean.
v.o. stands for version originale, as if the artist had been bored with numerous copies beforehand, even before the release of his original (?). and it is as rich and full-bodied a fragrance as a woman’s – it is created like a couple; its floral heart is similar to a woman’s fragrance (rose, geranium, jasmine, ylang ylang), but the whole composition is deployed in a dark, fougere direction. v.o. is one of those dark intense men’s fragrances that lived in black bottles in the 1980s.
a very roughly spicy scent (pepper, cumin, carnation), with a dab of dark greens (pine needles, wormwood) over powerful citrus and lavender in the beginning. with a sharp and sweet intoxicating accord in which geranium dominates over honeyed rose and sweet fir balsam supporting the coniferous pine needles – it smells like soap infused with crushed spices and pine needles. the dense, dark base of v.o. version originale, besides fir balsam, is a fusion of vetiver and patchouli, musk, coumarin and oak moss – a typical 1980s masculine fragrance uniform.
i find similarities with the old jules christian dior and macassar rochas, and in this comparison the original version looks heartier and warmer. one could say, more human and oriental. besides spicy-coniferous soap, the fragrance can be compared to some balsams of taiga origin, which have herbs, pine needles, spices and roots, and balsamic dense sweetness.
each person is reminded of something specific from the past – i recall the tart smell and taste of balsam made of rhodeola rosea roots, the popular siberian alcohol-based potion. it’s a dark brown liquid of folk medicine, which was splashed into the sweetened taiga tea to lift the spirits of hunters and tourists in the middle of the day.
the artist himself at his 70+ years still works as evidenced by his website : jeanmarc sinan.com , there’s a permanent exhibition in his art center, the restaurant eat god and art has a permanent menu (dishes are prepared by the artist with his wife) and there are three fragrances on sale – their half-kilogram glass bottles were blown by the designer himself and then signed with his own hand.
the fragrance v.o. version originale jean-marc sinan can still be found on online auctions, but the price goes up to $599, although it is possible to find some cheaper bottles, the most inexpensive option is the mini-bottles… just be weary of the fake copies as there are many. by uh
photo credit roger mayne post war street photography
here’s how to roll a joint : now we don’t smoke no more “cuz we wizzzed-up and shit”, but… if we were to light up a joint one one day, we’d be sure to grab our composition notebook to roll that spliff. noy suggesting smoking vus smoking kills – and yah a joint here, a joint there is cool, but just know that no matter how bad ass you are now, it’ll creep up on you. hear that from the mother-load of bad asses. by cc
the marker loose jean by levis – blue tab
could it be? nice low pockets on the tail – looks like a proper fit finally!
this is what happens when the marketing team at your company is fast asleep and clueless to the pulse on the street. every time i drop $300 on a pair of APCs, or worse $200 on a pair of levi’s E by END 568 i curse old levi’s for dropping the ball on the game. all this talk of japanese denim is really old original american denim before levi’s opted for shit mills to make that thin garbage denim. how was it that in the UK levi’s engineered jeans could produce awesome cuts and style and the US just cruised through mediocrity? how is it that a collab item with levi’s is a better denim than levi’s itself? like undercover knows more about denim than fuckin levis!!!
high snobiety, as usual hyping up whomever advertises with them, had this to say “ it’s no secret that levi’s knows denim. after all, you don’t get a beyoncé co-sign by being average. but levi’s blue tab collection extends beyond your classic pair of blue jeans. levi’s is entering a new era with blue tab, a new collection that transforms the brand’s specialty — denim basics — into dressed-up statement pieces (canadian tuxedo). if levi’s orange tab line is for a younger, more experimental crowd, blue tab is its sophisticated, older sibling. but it’s not just the sophisticated silhouettes that set this collection apart — it’s the textiles, too. levi’s blue tab experiments with selvage denim adding another degree of elegance to the collection.”
now i don’t know about “stylish” and “tuxedo” its a pair of fucking jeans. its just not cut to fit dorks anymore. also who gives a shit about a “beyoncé co-sign” – i mean that’s one sure way to show u are completely out of touch with cool. finally the quality and fit are still to be judged. its not like they cant do it, because they invented it… the question is do they really want to do it right or do they still wanna hit every marketing marker? i’m hopeful and looking forward to seeing the blue tab levi’s out and checking out its “actual value”. by nwa
TCB – two cats brand
williamsburg garment co.
g-star raw denim
evisu raw denim
levis engineered jeans
14-oz. white oak selvedge
momotaro jeans
gucci jeans salvage
altered jeans
jeans, jeans, jeans… doing some research on jeans. no one brand or fit is right for everyone. i loved the APC selvedge jeans for years but don’t love the cuts any more. my fav is still maybe the levis engineered jeans of the late 90s… but good luck finding a new one – i have found some random brands using selvedge jeans materials but they are way too expensive these days. alternatively indigo dyed denim can work, it has a similar deep color but not as dense and rugged as the selvedge. selvedge denims are made from denim that is woven using a shuttle loom, which creates a strong, durable weave and a self-finished edge that prevents unraveling. to identify selvedge jeans, you can look at the inside of the outseam. if the edges look finished and the yarns of the self-edge are a different color than the fabric, then it’s selvedge. but like i said they are stiff and they bleed. n one thing is right for everyone. what ever you do never wash your denim. by uh
“take pleasure seriously…” prankster and hair stylist ward stegerhoek.
this is the man behind wardements. a brand composed of tongue-in-cheek streetwear approved by the fashion elite, from inez and vinoodh to vogue to gigi hadid to model alessandra ambrosio, toni garrn, and daphne groeneveld… wards view on taking the piss out of vetements is nothing short of total punk attitude. less self serious than vetements, his absurdity has resonated with the times like fire to a hair sprayed wig. shop wardements here at blendstories… sorry most have sold out already.
mister ward stegerhoek above left-just behind raquel zimmermann on the cover of vogue italia.
wardements lookbook designed in the form of a deck of cards. collect all looks! brilliant design by ceft and company new york.
gigi in wardements “orange babies” hoodie. now this must mean so much to you!
wardements NOT juicy!
wards mugshot adorns many of the garments and here on one of the cards – sending you some love and kisses.
model daphne groeneveld sporting a wardements uber sized hoodie. much room to eat.
model georgia fowler in wardements… the line is now available at the V Magazines pop-up shop on mercer street new york or you can buy them online at the v-magazine e-shop here.
model romee strijd in wardements.
photographers inez van lamsweerde and vinoodh matadin.
model katya riabinkina in wardement RUDE XL hoodie.
show em who’s your daddy… follow wardements on instagram and get a couple of pieces before the first season all sells out. by xy
dig that silk scarf big boy
read all about it: paul weller and mick talbot of style council
nice fall cream raincoat by tim coppins
hi there, we’re just 3 models that got paid for a day to sit at an empty table in a cafe in paris
reminds us of the helmut newton girls in the alley – just day time version
herringbone and tartan pattern pants and scarf
paul weller and mick talbot of style council
love this men’s collection by tim coppins, relaxed dandy modernized by a bit of structuring. i’d take the whole wardrobe today if tim wants to spare a few pieces. nice job on casting and photography despite the contrived cafe shot… took us back to the late 80’s style council days. by uh
we all miss him, his music, and his looks. by kgb
some winter inspiration from PP’s alter ego monsieur alain delon. by uh
we got your “designer high tops” right here (by the way its terms like this that makes us puke at design in general). but we do like this one. tim coppens latest digs for common projects riffs on the CPs signature tournament style. they’re made from slick navy leather, have black arch panels, and are lined in soft beige leather you see on the back. $611 and available at matches fashion dot com.
it’s not always full of venom, but one should always be wary–especially when it counts. by sv
orson welles and anthony perkins enjoy some uproarious laughter on the set of the trial. josef k. having a much better day than one would expect. by sv
a visual collective outlet of inspiration
