Refinery 29: Independent Style, Defined and Refined

Style and People

Spotlight

WOMEN: Pretty Stoner

MEN: Wave Runner

Hot For

Joe Zee


Creative Director, Elle magazine


1. Hong Kong. "I detoured through there recently on my way home from China, and it was my first time back in 10 years. It was so electric and so full of energy and at the same time so sophisticated and cultured. How could you not love a place with more people than Manhattan on an island smaller than Manhattan?"

2. Dash Snow's photo collage. "Despite all of the controversy around Dash's jizz-sprayed newspaper photo collage, there's something so provoking and intriguing about his art. You just can't turn away from it, not unlike the early works of Mapplethorpe."

3. Timbaland's beats. "This man is a genius. I'm a huge hiphop/rap/r&b guy, and for me, he's the Dr. Dre of our generation. He's done brillant jobs with JT, Missy, and Nelly Furtado. But he's also made Ashlee Simpson and Duran Duran cool. I'm anxiously awaiting his next big project: Madonna."

4. Zen Butter ice cream. "The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory on Bayard Street is such an ice cream lover's joint. I love all their homemade flavors, but Zen Butter, a perfect blend of peanut butter and toasted sesame seeds is unbelievable."

5. James McAvoy. "What a star! Good looks with acting chops to boot. Steals the show in Atonement."

6. Deli coffee. "None of that Venti-soy skim extra-foam blah blah latte for me. I prefer the classic bad cup of deli coffee. Simple. Just a little skim milk and half an Equal. Can't live without it."

7. My Uniform. "I spend all my time looking and dissecting clothes and trends and colors and silhouettes that the last thing I want deal with is my own wardrobe. If I could, I would live in my jeans, T-shirt, hoodie, and sneakers. Pure comfort!"

8. Gossip Girl. "It's such fun. And that Blake Lively looks just like [model] Raquel Zimmerman."

Joe Zee is the creative director at Elle.

Recent Hot Fors Next »

  • Peter Jensen


    Designer

    October 15, 2008


    1. Pippi Longstocking. "There's a new Pippi book that just came out, and it really inspired me and brought me back to childhood."


    2. Midsomer Murders. "The Brit crime T.V. series...no explanation needed, it's just fantastic."

  • Jorge Elbrecht


    Musician, Violens

    August 27, 2008


    1. Krallice. This is my favorite band in NYC right now. Truly moving black metal, transcending black metal. If you are lacking inspiration you should go see a show. The song "Forgiveness In Rott" is particularly special.

    2. Creed Shreds. My favorite thing on YouTube right now. I watch it at least 10 times a day, laughing more with each viewing...

  • Chris Benz


    Designer

    July 17, 2008

    Greek rosé wine.
    "I was ready for summer '08 to be all about Domaine Ott rosé, like last summer, but my friends and I discovered a new Greek variation while in Athens, Veriki Gran Rosé, that is a terrific compliment to hot summer nights and rivals any of its French counterparts!"

    Vintage Italian grocery store sunglasses.
    "I've been buying up all the inexpensive vintage sunglasses I can find, especially those with the Made in Italy stamp, but clearly dime-store knockoffs from the '50s, '60s, and '70s."

  • Jason Hammel


    Musician, Mates of State

    May 27, 2008


    1. The HBO series, Rome. "It's smart. It's sexy. It's sad. It's hopeful. We watch an episode every night. We were not the first civilization, and we will not be the last."

    2. Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan. "This is everything you want to know about our industrial food system. I hope you like corn. I'm continually in the process of changing my eating habits."

  • John Whitledge


    Designer, Trovata

    May 22, 2008

  • Skye Parrott & Katherine Krause


    Co-founders, Dossier

    May 7, 2008


    1. Pamela Love Jewelry. "Our friend Pam makes the most beautiful, well-crafted jewelry. Skye likes the gold eagle talon cuffs. Katherine likes the bird skull necklace."

    2. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion (Katherine). "This book made me move to California a couple of years ago..."

  • The Dodos


    Musicians

    April 22, 2008


    1. Tiger Balm. Logan Kroeber (drummer): "Tiger Balm is a Chinese Herbal Internal Pain Reliever. When I'm playing drums on tour, after awhile my body, especially my arms, hurt like hell. This stuff makes me feel real good...

    2. Cracker Barrel.: Meric Long (singer, guitarist): "No matter where you go around the right side of the country, you'll find one of these restaurants...

  • Erin Fetherston

    April 10, 2008


    1. My GHD hair straightening iron. "It's hot pink! I love it when an everyday appliance becomes part of my décor."

    2. Chinoiserie. "I'm totally into this at the moment. I want to cover the walls of my new New York apartment with it! De Gournay has the most beautiful versions…"

  • Isabel Marant


    Designer

    March 31, 2008


    1. My own soundtrack. "I'm obsessed with the music from my last runway show in Paris, which was a combination of Sol Peppy and Patrick Watson."

    2. Art Books. "I love the extremely beautiful book on photographer-artist Jan Saudek published by Taschen. The images are always inspiring..."

  • Scott Schuman, aka: The Sartorialist

    March 24, 2008


    1. Aspesi. "I keep buying stuff in Milan from Aspesi, this really great store. I love it. Like little nylon jackets that mix techno fabrics and cashmere."

    2. My first cover of Vogue Paris. "They're doing a model supplement for April, so I shot a lot of the top models, like for their personal style. It came out really good so I got the cover...

Next »
 

About Style & People
At Refinery29, we know the most intriguing part of independent fashion and style are all the incredibly diverse people behind it. When it comes to delivering the best and latest style news, we believe in heading straight to the streets and the source—the designers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, publicists, starlets-in-training, and everyday vagabonds—for showing us what's new and worth talking about.