California turns Lilac

Last night, at Minx, a glamorous restaurant/lounge in Glendale, dozens of well-dressed gay men and women gathered for a shining evening of brilliant conversation. It was a beautiful event, bringing a new kind of salon-driven socializing to gay nightlife. Every person found kindred spirits and interests they never realized they shared until they began communicating. I was beaming, as I was the host who started it.

Lilac was conceived a few months ago as the type of nightlife I'd want for myself - interesting, intelligent people gathering in elegant places, having cocktails, hors'd-ouevres, and lots of conversation. It's working. The event was scheduled to last until 10 pm, but we were guiding our guests out at 11, while they were deep in conversation, exchanging contact information. Couples met new friends, important business contacts were made, and we witnessed what was clearly a couple of happy romantic matches.

Some of the host locations for Lilac have been Cicada, in downtown Los Angeles, Tangier, in Los Feliz, and Viceroy, in Palm Springs - all of them elegant places setting the standard for excellent service and beautiful atmosphere. Next Tuesday, February 12, Lilac is hosted by Citizen Smith, a classic old-Hollywood glamour restaurant in the heart of Hollywood. On March 16, Lilac goes to Hip Kitty,a wild fondue jazz club in Claremont, that has the look and style of a "Shag" painting.

Press has been very favorable, and it's clear that Lilac offers a nightlife alternative that's been missing.

Lilac
818.980.1055
www.myspace.com/lilacmarcjoseph

Thierry Mugler makes women hot

Thierry Mugler is one of our favorite designers, and we just have to show off a few pieces from our collection. All of them are for sale, though we hate to part with such exquisite clothing. Please promise you'll be an excellent caretaker and you'll wear it proudly.

Born in Germany in 1948, Mugler moved to Paris to become a ballet dancer. I'm sure this influenced the way he gracefully shapes the body with his highly-formed clothing. His clothes are like architecture for the body, and accentuate your curves in the most amazing way. Though his first collection dates to 1973 (and we actually have a dress from one of the first collections), he rose to prominence in the 1980's with wild, dramatic shapes reminiscent of Jane Jetson, Blade Runner, space-age futurism, along with padded and peplumed forms from suits of the 1940's. Pure genius!





This is a trio of Mugler from our collection - left, black and white wool suit, size 38, $525


center, white wool suit with spectaculary exaggerated peplum and chrome hardware, size 36, $650


right, black and white tuxedo style dress, never worn with original tags, size 36, $650

OK, as I'm adding photos, they are being scattered all over the page in places where I'd never intended. Until I learn to blog correctly, and use HTML to get proper photo placement, I hope you will be patient. The photos and text are a mess, but I'm loving the content.

So, there are three photos of a black velvet dress, trimmed with black satin, that slings over one shoulder, with a sexy asymmetrical cutout and a scandalous slit up the side - a work of art, size 40, $650

The white suit has the most incredible draping I've seen - fitted waist, long flowing drape at the sides and back, and a drape over one shoulder down the center of the back, belted, with a simple straight skirt, never worn with its original tags, 100% poly, with the feel of very fine gabardine, size 36, $750

Yes, I have a lot more Mugler in the marcjoseph collection, but I'm going to work on this photo placement problem before I post anything else. Email me and I'll be glad to show more.

My, what a big bag you have!

Are we so over the giant handbags yet? Many of my friends have been talking about the trouble of carrying a bag the size of a suitcase - the weight dragging on their shoulders, the difficulty of storing it when they sit in a restaurant, the fact that it cost more than their monthly mortgage payment. It's also easy to see the impending spectre of widespread osteoporosis.

Well, we know there are benefits to these ginormous bags. After you've spent so much for a big that you fall behind on those mortgage payments and your house is foreclosed, you can live in the bag. The bags can easily conceal a small child, giving childcare options for working professionals. You have room in your bag for both the child and the nanny.

But if you are truly worn out from the weight of your bag, it's time to return to sanity. We foresee a swing to much smaller, reasonably manageable bags. And later this week, we're going to offer you some stunning options.

marcjoseph introduction

marcjoseph has 7000 pieces of mens and womens clothing from the 1930's to the present, which is more than he will ever wear. We also got a bit carried away with vintage and antique furniture and accessories. You'll see.

This site will show some of that clothing and furniture, and offer it for sale. Along the way, we'll talk about fashion, furnishings, art, architecture, music, nightlife, politics, and stream-of-consciousness ramblings, laced with both fact and opinion.

http://www.myspace.com/shopmarcjoseph