Must Hear: Say Lou Lou, the New Sister Act

There’s just something good and right about the way siblings sing together — it’s got to do with genetics and harmonies. Add to the list of sibling acts we love, Say Lou Lou’s Elektra and Miranda Kilbey, who are making waves for their sexy, synthy, dreamy sounds — a perfect reflection of their hybrid laid-back Aussie and pop Swedish roots. The twins, who named their band after a great-aunt, released two singles this summer, the catchy Julian and coolly serene Fool of Me, and are working on their debut album. They have their own record label, too — it’s appropriately named à Deux.

All week long, we’ll be highlighting our favorite musicians, albums and songs in our second annual Music Issue. Check back daily for more.

Best Dressed: Harper’s Bazaar’s Duang Poshyanonda

Known for her signature scarlet lip and striking style, Duang Poshyanonda is Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Thailand. In honor of our new store in Bangkok, we chatted with Duang — here wearing Tory’s Hattie jacket, Liam hinge cuff and Stencil Logo cuff — about surrealist glamour and the city’s highlights.

Did You Know? Hemingway Habits

In honor of Ernest Hemingway’s birthday today, here’s a fun fact for you: Did you know that the author preferred to write standing up? He would write on a chest-high bookcase in his bedroom in Havana, while wearing loafers and leaning down on the top shelf. Nearby on the wall, meanwhile, he had a large chart, which logged his daily word count (the average: 500 per day). According to Thornton Wilder, Hemingway also had another quirk — he would always start the day by sharpening 20 pencils. As Celia Blue Johnson writes in Odd Type Writers — which traces the unusual habits of the literary set — Hemingway would later deny that bit, but he did offer this advice for writer’s block: “First,” he said, “you have to defrost the refrigerator.”

Street Style: Ashley Avignone

Denim done right can make an outfit. Here, wearing Tory’s Cropped jeans in Rinse, L.A.-based stylist Ashley Avignone shows us how it’s done (and shares her best jeans-wearing tips, to boot).

Tory On: Great Jeans

Jeans — they’re an all-American staple you can spin off into a myriad looks, from coolly casual to office-appropriate chic and polished. What’s Tory’s favorite style? Keep reading to find out, and get her denim style tips too.

Book of the Week: Paris Street Style

There’s no denying a certain je ne sais quoi when it comes to French style. A little effortless, a lot of chic, it’s hard to parse and pin down — or is it? In the book Paris Street Style, Isabelle Thomas and Frederique Veysset do exactly that. They break down the staples (e.g. thin-soled Tropézienne sandals), offer up bon-chic dos and don’ts — say yes to the V-neck cashmere pullover; no to the velvet hair grip — and even give tips on how to properly raid your grandmother’s/boyfriend’s/teenage niece’s closet. Here, a few select quotes from the tastemakers they interviewed.

Word of Mouth: Happy Bastille Day

It’s Bastille Day! How better to celebrate the French national holiday than with a French national pastime? So turn up the Edith Piaf, grab a glass of pastis (or rosé, if you prefer) and pick up a game of pétanque, the 100-year-old lawn bowling game. German actress Elke Sommer, snapped during the Cannes Film Festival in 1962, makes it look good, doesn’t she?

Just One Thing: Flowers-On-Flowers

We’ve introduced you to our love for tone-on-tone and print-on-print. But our new favorite motif? The curiously named but no less chic flowers-on-flowers. Simply pair a beautiful bouquet of blooms with a chic floral vase. To keep the combination elegant, stick to similar tones like Tory did here with whites. And let the size of the flowers do the contrasting — if your blossoms are oversized, arrange in a vase with a smaller floral pattern, and vice versa.

Tory On: Working with Tabitha Denholm

Making of a Show isn’t the first time Tory’s worked with Tabitha Denholm. Here, she talks about their relationship and the experience of being shot by a fly-on-the-wall filmmaker this time around.

Tory with stylist Tabitha Simmons, left, and Tabitha Denholm

Meet the Band: Making of a Show’s Blue Hawaii

For some, Blue Hawaii evokes an Elvis Presley Sixties surfer flick. Around here? It’s the new must-hear band, whose song Try to Be serves as the soundtrack for Making of a Show, Tabitha Denholm’s behind-the-scenes film of Tory’s Fall 2013 show. Slightly ethereal, coolly ambient, it perfectly sets the mood — but what is the song, from Blue Hawaii’s debut album earlier this year, really about? We spoke with one-half of the Canadian duo, Raphaelle Standell-Preston (pictured here, right, with Alex Cowan), to find out.

Recipe: The Southside Cocktail

Tory’s favorite cocktail to serve during the summer is the classic Southside, which seems to work with any occasion. Get the recipe here.