Spotlight On: Holly Zausner

In her Berlin-based film Unseen, New York artist Holly Zausner walks by an exploding gallery (her own), goes toe-to-toe with tigers in a sculpture garden, plops through Bode Museum with a rubbery doppelgänger and visits a newspaper plant, bread factory and one defunct amusement park in the former East — and then creates photo collages from the stills. We talked to Holly about her work and got her list of must-see museums in both the German capital and the City That Never Sleeps.

Look We Love: The Easy, Breezy Tunic

Can you say, Weeeeeeee!? There’s something wonderfully easy about a great cotton tunic, especially one with a lace-like print. Slip it on over white jeans or, like Dree Hemingway here, a little bikini.

Feyt On: New Year, New Look

As the saying goes, new year, new you — and around here that means sprucing up your wardrobe, too. We went to the experts, Eleanor Ylvisaker (left, wearing our Marlien denim legging) and Ferebee Taube (in our Brach shorts) of personalized shopping site Feyt, and got their tips on the closet facelift and fighting those sartorial winter blues. It starts with donating great pieces you don’t wear anymore, adding in some texture and a dab of boho and more.

Video: Shoe Lover

The key anchor of a basic (or any other) outfit? The right pair of shoes. We took white jeans and a white shirt — which, it’s safe to say, every woman has in her closet — and showed six different ways to wear the look by switching out the shoes. It might seem impossible to change such a simple style, but it’s all about the subtle nuances (shirt buttoned up or left low and louche?). Hence, our ode to the leg-elongating, forever-chic nude shoe.

Shop our new nude shoes.

Word of Mouth: Downloading Downton

Ten months is a long time to wait. Then again, if Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary could wait nearly a decade to sort out their will they-won’t they, US Downton Abbey fans could wait for the much-anticipated Season 3 return last night. And it was worth it. Matthew and Mary have one more spat for good measure; the scheme-team of O’Brien and Thomas are at odds; Branson makes his way upstairs permanently, and a certain American matriarch arrives on the scene. Discuss.

Spotlight on: Cathryn Collins

Since 1988, Cathryn Collins has worked with artisans in India and Italy to create I Pezzi Dipinti’s über-luxe knits and textiles. From her latest trip, to Pakistan, the entrepreneur and magpie checked in to discuss inspiration, her favorite color and what everyone should have in his or her home.

Word of Mouth: ParrLuxe

By trade, Stuart Parr is a developer and designer known for his glass Clearhouse in Shelter Island as well as his producing stints on films like 8 Mile. It was a recent coastal getaway, however, that inspired the latest chapter in his career: Creator of ParrLuxe Sea Cabana, which allows you to sunbath and swim comfortably (and chicly) at sea. There’s even an inside net for a private swimming pool of sorts. We spoke to Stuart about the project and learned how it one-ups lounging on a yacht.

Tory’s Playlist: Hello, 2013

In need of a festive 2013 kick-off? Here are some songs we’ve taken with us into the new year. We haven’t quite had enough of them yet.

Day in the Life: Daphne Javitch

For Daphne Javitch, the Creative Director and designer of TEN, life is not about lounging around (save for this shot, in our Biarritz Boy Shorts, taken by Hanuk Hanuk). It starts with a green apple and sprint practice on East 6th Street and ends with salad night in Brooklyn. In between it’s about new ideas for TEN and consulting for Theory and Uniqlo.

Spotlight On: Shangri La

Doris Duke’s honeymoon to India in 1935 was a love affair in more ways than one. A visit to the Taj Mahal sparked a life-long passion for Islamic art and culture, which she channeled into her Honolulu home known as Shangri La. Tory visited the estate and was inspired by the Islamic tile work, the mix of outdoor-and-indoor living and the idea that each room had a story to tell about every subsequent trip Duke took to the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Here, Tory’s photo diary of her trip, as well as Shangri La Program Manager Carol Khewhok’s take on Duke’s enduring mystique.

Video: Walk & Don’t Look Back

One of the great gifts of 2012 was getting to see the Rolling Stones — still, by our accounts, the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world. We were dazzled by the lithe and liquid moves of King Jagger who still summons the devilish in all of us. What is the secret to this ageless spirit? We think perhaps the answer is in this great video Mick made with Peter Tosh, and we wanted to share it. Happy New Year, everyone!

Jump — No, Cannonball — into 2013

Here’s to the New Year. We hope it brings peace, love and the jumping kind of joy to everyone.

Recipe: The Cotton House Mango Mojito

Celebrate 2013 with a little mojito mojo. The all-island cocktail party at Mustique’s Cotton House is a weekly tradition that draws locals (a mix of British royalty, rock legends and the fashion flock) and visitors alike to discuss the important topics of any tropical getaway: picnic menus and the rain forecast. The drink of choice this New Year’s Eve? The Mango Mojito. Here, the recipe, straight from the Cotton House’s bartender.

Book of the Week: Ron Church

Bronzed bods, ripping waves, the nostalgic filter of the Sixties, surf and sand — what’s not to love? Ron Church: California to Hawaii 1960 to 1965 features vintage surfing photographs (mostly unpublished) from the legendary lensman and onetime cinematographer to Jacques Cousteau. And he didn’t snap these cool shots as an outsider looking in; a longtime diver and record-holding spearfisher, Ron became a consummate part of the surf community, even paddling out with his camera to shoot from the water. It’s this truly insider view of a burgeoning youth culture that makes the book so compelling.

10 Minutes with an Entrepreneur: Wahoo’s Fish Taco

When the craving for a burrito stuffed with wild-caught Cajun fish hits, head to Wahoo’s, a taco spot with a Mexican/Brazilian/Asian menu and a Hawaiian surf-inspired vibe. The two Honolulu-based Wahoo’s are owned by sisters Stephanie Pietsch Gambetta and Noel Pietsch Shaw, who spent 10 minutes with us.

Tory’s Playlist: Surf’s Up

As the mercury drops this winter, our thoughts continue to turn toward sun-soaked surf days. To help us get in the mood, we’ve compiled the perfect playlist, whether you’re hanging ten or just…hanging around.

Chad Robertson On: Surfing & The Après-Surf Menu

Chad Robertson is more than just an outstanding baker and one-half of San Francisco’s famous Tartine Bakery — with two books out on the kneady stuff to boot. He’s an avid surfer, too, who hits the waves year-round — even while the rest of us reach for cold-weather comforts. Here, he shares his latest surf adventure in Japan, as well as his menu (and accompanying recipe) for the perfect après-surf meal.

Word of Mouth: Martin Parr’s Life’s A Beach

As a documentary photographer, Martin Parr gives it to you straight. He revels in the unvarnished, untony and imperfect. There’s an elegance in the bluntness of his images, which you can see in his current Time Off exhibit at London’s Rocket Gallery and in Aperture’s new beach-bag-sized edition of his photo book Life’s a Beach. The latter spotlights beach culture from all around the world, including Argentina, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, the U.S. and Japan (above). It’s a thoughtful counterpoint to typically dreamy beach-front photographs. The beachgoers here? Take a close look at the scene; they’re idling in Miyazaki’s indoor Seagaia Ocean Dome.

Spotlight On: Tony Caramanico

Since picking up his first surfboard in 1963, artist Tony Caramanico has been riding the waves around the world, from Montauk to St. Barts, all the while recording every kick-flip and reef break in surf journals. Five years ago he turned these collaged objets d’art — a striking mix of photos, illustrations and text — into prints, available at Clic Gallery. Tonight, a few of them are going up for auction at a party in St. Barth (6 PM – 8 PM, at Le Sereno) to benefit the non-profit St. Barth Essentiel, which conserves the island’s culture and environment. “The bottom line,” says Tony, “is that I’ve always been a surfer. The rest of it has been filling in the blanks.”