Confessions from the Velvet Ropes

Afrika Bambaataa at Maimonide of Brooklyn - March 7, 2012. Photo by Glenn Belverio

See my full coverage of the M.O.B. opening party here.

Fashion Rio Fall/Winter 2012 in Rio de Janeiro

Dear Carioca chasers & cachaca shakers,

My reports on the latest edition of Fashion Rio are up on A Shaded View:

Fashion Rio part 1: Bossa Nova album art exhibit

Fashion Rio part 2: Retro-futuristic stewardess chic, Osklen party, Sergio Rodrigues furniture exhibit

Fashion Rio part 3: ABIT lunch in Santa Teresa

Fashion Rio part 4: La Isla Bonita Extra, Mayan knitwear, haute Venusian thrift

Snapshots from Copacabana

Beijos,

Glenn Belverio

2011: My year in jet-setting photos. By Glenn Belverio

Dear Mile-High Millies,

From the beaches of Brazil and Phuket to the delightful dystopia of Red China to remants of the German Democratic Republic, it was another year of exciting global adventures. (Unfortunately I didn't get to see Diane Pernet this year....but hopefully in 2012!) Here are some of my highlights from 2011.

 In February, I was invited to Madrid to cover Cibeles Fashion Week for Diane Pernet....(my early morning view from my suite at the Puerta America Hotel.)

My suite at the Puerta America was designed by Jean Nouvel and featured Japanese-style sliding screens made of heavy glass that are printed with photos by Araki.

 Madrid is better known for the energy and party-hard attitude of its people, but there's also some pretty Moorish architecture to look at.

In April I jetted down to Brazil's equatorial north coast, to Fortaleza, which boasts some of the country's most beautiful beaches with the cleanest water.

 A typical beach dish, this northern Brazil specialty features creamy shrimp served in a pumpkin shell from a pumpkin grown at a nearby farm.

 In May I was booked the long way to Singapore (through Frankurt--ugh!) but it was worth it just so we could try the (overpriced) famous Singapore Slings at the flagship of the legendary colonialist Raffles hotel empire. I made new friends, including Kristen Lum and Alice McInerney who both live in Beijing.

 Singapore is glutted with luxury shopping malls but because I don't like to shop, I sought out the city's temples. This Burmese Buddhist temple had a psychedelic vibe.

 Of course no trip to Singapore is complete without dinner at Jumbo Seafood so you can stuff yourself with chili crab.

 After Singapore, I took a jaunt up to China to visit some friends in Beijing, including Beijing Design Week creative director, Aric Chen, who was my host in Dongcheng District. Here's a shot of the vast main courtyard of the Forbidden City.

 I was thrilled to be able to climb and hike along the Great Wall of China in a remote area, completely free of tourists.

 Beijing's drag shows are a curious affair: The queens put on earnest, satire-free vignettes that pay homage to classical Chinese motifs as closeted, and probably married, Communist Party cadres attempt to bed the queens and every other local gay boy in the joint.

 Me with one of the performers outside the club. She and her pals tried to drag me up on stage but I was having none of it.

 Later in the year, in September, I passed through Berlin (thanks to the lovely organizers of MQ Vienna Fashion Week) to visit my friends Isabel and Vaginal Davis, and to take a little history tour.

We had a late dinner with the inimitable Dr. Vaginal Davis at a 24-hour cafe in Charlottenberg.

 I was mad for the monumental Stalinist ghost town that is Karl-Marx-Allee...

 "Sensurround sound in a two-inch wall....I was waiting for the Communist call. I'm looking over the Wall--and they're looking at me!"

 Full moon rising by the former-GDR's iconic TV tower.

 Me and pop Poe somewhere in a deserted gallery on Karl-Marx-Allee...

 After Berlin, I flew to Vienna for fashion week....and had some time to wander around the cobblestoned streets of Spittelberg...

 I love Austrian food and this savory goulash made with chunks of  beef, kielbasa, boiled potatoes, a fried egg, pickle and a rich sauce did not disappoint.

 In Vienna, I also wandered around the lovely gardens of Belvedere Palace.

It warmed my heart to see traditional, un-ironic Austrian folk clothing in the shop windows of Vienna's trendy shopping area. Take that, globalization! (Don't tell me that they only sell it for the tourists--I don't wanna know.)

 I stayed in the suite that Katy Perry lives in at Le Meridien when she's in Vienna. Lucky for me she was out of town, because the room had a large patio with a glamorous 19th-century view!

After jetting back to NYC from Vienna, I was back on another trans-continental flight three days later, Beijing-bound. After my trip to China's capital in May, I wanted more of this fascinating ancient-futuristic metropolis. Here's the view from the oh-so-chi-chi Capital M restaurant on the edge of Tiananmen Square. From left: The Arrow Tower, Qianmen Gate and Chairman Mao's Tomb. This was our view during a rather boozy Boys-in-the-Band gathering, fueled by "Glamour Cocktails", with Beijing's #1 dandy, Jeffrey Ying, and our friend Adam. The Russian hostess, who had the charming disposition of a Siberian prison guard (not that there's anything wrong with that), tried to give us the bum's rush in melody due to Capital M's ridiculously early (2am) last call. Nevertheless, we lingered past 3.

 A few days later, our merry troupe made an ill-advised journey to the Summer Palace, which was overrun by Chinese tourists on holiday. We sought refuge in the luxe lobby of the Aman Summer Palace Resort for harmonious cocktails and zen gossip. Pictured here: Jeffrey Ying and Nancy Stout.

I'm a huge fan of the Olympics and for me, Beijing's opening ceremony and architecture made 2008 the Olympics to end all Olympics. So it was imperative that we visited the site of the much-ballyhooed stadiums in the north end of the city.

 Detail of the "Water Cube", or National Aquatics Center. It brought back fond memories of all the sizzling-hot swimmers in skimpy Speedos.

I was over the moon for the futuristic design of the Bird's Nest interior.

 View inside the Bird's Nest Stadium. The pattern of the white seats, sprinkled among the red ones, is meant to evoke flocks of birds taking flight.

 Beautiful, clean design.

 Nancy talked Jeffrey and I into taking the notorious Bullet Train out to the city of Tianjin which, as you can see, was smothered in a ghastly shroud of acrid smog that day. Take a deep breath and smell the empire that conspires to rule the world!

Somehow through the haze we found one of Tianjin's most (in)famous sites: an odd-ball "museum" made out of thousands of broken plates and vases, allegedly from the Tang and Qing Dynasties. (Emphasis on allegedly.)

 In November, Diane Pernet sent me to Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of MIFA to attend Malaysia International Fashion Week.

 Macaque monkeys run rampant at the Batu Caves.

 View of the Prime Minister's office from Putra Mosque in Malaysia's federal district, Putrajaya.

 After Malaysia, I enjoyed some downtime on the private white-sand beach at Amanpuri Resort in Phuket, Thailand.

 "Night of the Iguana" is evoked at the hilltop CC Bloom's Hotel in Phuket.

 

Thanks for taking this trip with me.

Love,

Glenn Belverio

Beijing Design Week in Dashilar Alley & 751-D Park, China's National Day in Tiananmen Square, Jingshan & Taoranting Parks, the Bullet Train to Tianjin & dinner at the Yunnan Provincial Government Restaurant & Moscow, September-October 2011

Above: Opening Ceremony for Beijing Design Week at the China Millennium Monument

Dear Readers,

Here is a roundup of stories on my recent trip to Beijing:

My morning in Jingshan Park

Beijing Design Week Opening Night in Dashilar Alley

The surreal Opening Ceremony for BJDW at the Millennium Monument

Beijing Design Week at 751-D Park

Wuhao Pop-Up Teahouse in Dashilar Alley for BJDW

Our strange trip to Tianjin

China's National Day in Tiananmen Sqaure, "Tarantino's Cultural Revolution Film Park" & dinner at the Sino-Soviet Frenemy Hall

My stay at the Orchid Hotel

The mannequins of China

Me at the Wuhao Pop-Up Teahouse during Beijing Design Week in Dashilar Alley

The bizarro China House in Tianjin

Beijing, May 2011

Above: Inside the Forbidden City

Dear Readers,

Here is a roundup of all of my stories on Beijing from my recent trip in May on A Shaded View on Fashion:

Greetings from Behind the Bamboo Curtain

A Postmodern Maoist Moment at 798 Art District

Hiking on the Huanghuacheng Section of the Great Wall

North Korean Cuisine & Showgirl Couture

A Visit to Wuhao Curated Shop in an Historical Chinese Garden

Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City & the Beijing Subway

The Hutong of Beijing, the Bell & Drum Towers, Lama & Confucius Temples

A Visit to 798 Art District

My Last Night & Morning in Beijing featuring a Beijing Drag Show

 

The delightfully desolate "Yellow Flower Fortress" section of the Great Wall of China

Me, a kiwi martini and the Beijing night.

Later,

Glenn Belverio

The Mermaid Parade and unofficial after party at Ruby's Bar & Grill in Coney Island, June 18, 2011. Photos & text by Glenn Belverio

Dear mermastic and mermazing creatures of the deep and shallow,

It was my favorite day of the summer in New York: the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, which is actually the sort-of first day of summer when the mermaids march across the beach and throw fruit in the sea as a pagan gesture to celebrate the solstice. I was a bit bummed before we set out for Coney because I read during the winter that my favorite bar in New York, Ruby's, had finally and sadly been evicted from their legendary space on the boardwalk....but halfway through the parade my friend Nancy suggested we walk over and see if by some miracle there was a new bar there that might be tolerable....and lo and behold, the old Ruby's was still there!

 

Turns out there were so many protests from all the Ruby's regulars that the landlord agreed to renegotiate their lease....so they have another year here and it will be a year-by-year situation moving forward. My Mermaid Parade coverage this year is sort of in reverse....here are my photos from the during and post-parade gathering at Ruby's which was definitely the best celebration I've experienced at Ruby's since I've been hanging out there for the past 10 year or so....spirits were high, everyone was in a great mood and it was the best costume party I've been to in years. My parade photos follow.

My friend Nancy on the right with our new true blue gal pal. After hanging out here for a few hours, Nancy--who is a left-wing documentarian of the Cuban Revolution--pronounced Ruby's revelers "the new America." 

 Me and a bat-winged clown.

This guy's headpiece seemed inspired by mermaids from Mordor (click photo to see details)

America may be an empire in decline but what makes this country still great is the freedom to deep-throat a corn dog anywhere you please, with liberty, justice and saturated fat for all.

"I don't give a crap if you don't like my hat, because I know it's amazing."

While Nancy and I were sitting on top of the freezer and sipping our New Moon ale, Nancy turned to me and said, "There's a gay in here." I looked over and sure enough, it was Misstress Formika in all his Dior glory! I'm pretty sure those shades were the only high-fashion accessory in the joint.

 I can't visit Coney Island without sucking down some fresh raw clams at Ruby's....slurrrrp!

This was the first year they had helium balloons at the parade....I didn't mind because they weren't annoying branded corporate cartoon balloons like the ones at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

 

Somehow Marge Simpson ended up with an entourage of sea horses...

 The pair of tropical fish were probably the highlight of the parade and the crowd went wild when they came careening down the boardwalk at high speed. A genius couple were riding bicycles inside them and they wove around each other erratically to mimic the movement of fish swimming.....the fish above nearly went off course and almost crashed right into us!

The hula-hoop girl was a major crowd-pleaser.

I thought this blond superhero was adorable.

A bit far from the sea, Nancy and I spotted this lone mermaid as we exited the subway in Park Slope/Gowanus on our way to visit our friend Christine after the parade.

Previous coverage:

Mermaid Parade 2010

Mermaid Parade 2009

Mermaid Parade 2008

Thanks for visiting.

Love,

Glenn Belverio

 

Dragão Fashion Brasil in Fortaleza, Brazil

Dear Readers,

My reports on fashion week in Fortaleza are up on A Shaded View on Fashion:

Dragão Fashion Brasil Part 1

Dragão Fashion Brasil Part 2

Beijos,

Glenn Belverio

2010: My year in jet-setting photos. By Glenn Belverio

Dear Transatlantic Tammies,

2010 was a winning year for global galloping and I have the god Mercury (and many government and fashion & textile sponsors) to thank for a series of successful jaunts. Here are some of my highlights from over 7 international locales.

Everyone knows that Rio de Janeiro is my favorite beach destination and I was blessed to be there for my birthday back in January.

 It was my third time in Rio and I finally made it out to Niteroi with my pals Carole and Arjun to see Oscar Niemeyer's Contemporary Art Museum up close and personal. We were not disappointed despite wandering around lost in the 100F unshaded sun for hours trying to find the museum.

A view inside Gaudi's sublime Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. 

Food writer Mark Bittman of the NY Times claims the best sandwich he's ever eaten is made at Cafe Viena on La Rambla in Barcelona. He was correct. The rich, fatty ham from the black-hooved pigs raised near Seville and the perfectly baked baguette were heaven.

 While in Rome at the end of January, I drifted aimlessly along the banks of the Tiber like Tennessee Williams' Mrs. Stone.

Lunch with my dear friend, the Calabrian fashion writer Nunzia Garoffolo at our favorite spot in the Roman neighborhood of Trastevere.  

After Rome, I hopped down to Valencia in the south of Spain to take in some sunshine and the sight of Santiago Calatrava's eerily futuristic architecture. 

 Valencia is a quiet but elegant city.

The (alleged) Holy Grail in the Cathedral of Valencia

During Valencia Fashion Week I had the pleasure of meeting the divine Rossy de Palma.

In February I was back in Rio at the invitation of ABIT to attend Carnaval.

It's almost impossible to describe the mind-blowing sensory overload of the Samba School parades in the Sambadrome, the center of the Carnaval celebrations.

Mexican artist Gabriel Ibarzabal and I were shanghaied into marching with one of the Samba Schools. It took us awhile before we realized that we were dressed as the internet!

Me in Ipanema.

 In March, I flew over to Los Angeles to meet up with my pal Michael Schmidt. Before we set off for Palm Springs, we had a requisite pig-out at In-N-Out Burger.

Schmidt in his '71 Camaro cruising past the famous windmills in the desert.

 Joshua Tree

 The sun set as we sipped organic margaritas by the Ace Hotel Palm Springs pool.

I was back in Rome in July and checked out the Zaha Hadid-designed MAXXI Museum. This gigantic skeleton sculpture is by the late artist Gino De Dominicis. 

Me (center) with my Italian friends Rinaldo Rocco and Nunzia at the Bernini Fountain in Rome.

 Diane Pernet and I were invited by Alex Murray-leslie of Chicks on Speed to an over-the-top Fashion Paella lunch by the sea in Barcelona. It was the paella to end all paellas.

Thousands of eccentric Elisava University students and revelers spill off Las Ramblas in Barcelona during a guerrilla performance event organized by Alex Murray-leslie who is a professor at the school. 

A gaily painted apartment building in Madrid. 

 Lunch in Madrid. Spain is absolutely my favorite food destination.

 Shopping at the psychedelic punk mall in Madrid.

A concession stand in the Museum Quartier in Vienna.

One of Otto Muehl's perverse paintings at the Leopold Museum in Vienna. 

Ad for a theatrical production in Vienna. I think it was a comedy. 

 Vienna is a frothy fairytale facade concealing dark secrets.

Thanks for taking this trip with me.

Ciao,

Glenn Belverio

Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 Pt. 2 + My Zaha Hadid Room at the Puerta America Hotel

Dear Readers,

The rest of my Madrid reports are up on A Shaded View on Fashion:

Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 pt 2

Photo essay on Zaha Hadid's design for the Puerta America Hotel

Besos,

Glenn Belverio

 

Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 Pt. 1

Dear Readers,

Just got back from Vienna after 3 grueling flights and my body feels like Silly Putty. I'll be posting my reflections on Vienna Fashion Week soon but in the meantime, part one of my Madrid Fashion Week report is up here on A Shaded View on Fashion.

Besos,

Glenn Belverio

 
Agatha Ruiz de la Prada in Madrid. Photo: Glenn Belverio