Last weekend, The New York Times hosted its fourth annual Sunday with The Magazine, a series of conversations led by the editors and writers of The New York Times Magazine. The participants in the conversations–political and cultural newsmakers including Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman and special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke–were asked to give their insight into the first 103 days of the Obama administration and the new era in politics, media and fashion. Also included on the program (and slightly more relevant to my coverage brief) were conversations entitled Fashion Designers for The First Lady featuring Narciso Rodriguez, Maria Cornejo and Thakoon Panichgul and Design Leader with Marc Jacobs.

Led by Cathy Horyn, the conversation with Rodriguez, Cornejo and Panichgul compared Michelle Obama’s style with that of previous first ladies (she wins, duh!), and congratulated her for wearing pieces more than once, actually paying for her clothes, having an eclectic and modern style and for not ceding to detractors such as Oscar de la Renta (who recently suggested that The First Lady should be wearing more established designers).

The conversation also demystified the process surrounding how the designers’ garments find their way to The First Lady: Ikrama Goldman of Chicago’s Ikram boutique, Obama’s fashion guru, will contact the designers and ask them to create a look safe in the knowledge that she trusts their vision–the designers don’t know when, where or if their creations will be worn in public. For example, Panichgul revealed that he was visiting his elderly grandmother in Northern Thailand when he received word that Obama had chosen to wear his design during her recent meeting with style heavyweight Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (a move Panichgul described as Obama bringing her “A-Game”).

Notably absent from the conversation was any mention of the designers’ recent journey to Washington D.C. where they lobbied for greater copyright protection for the fashion industry.  Given the recent attention that has been given to the issue (see here, here & here) and an admission from the designers’ that they have not noticed a discernible increase in sales as a result of their association with Michelle Obama, it would have been interesting to hear if advantages were being felt in other areas.

Later, in the early evening, T Magazine editor Stefano Tonchi was joined by Marc Jacobs to discuss his career and new directions in fashion. In a departure from the Obama-centric tone of the day’s proceedings (guess who’s not carried by Ikram?), the conversation instead focused on his early inspiration and the exponential rise of his fashion empire since his recruitment as Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton in 1997. Revealing that his shrink describes him as “the architect to an alternative appetite,” Jacobs also added that he was a sponge for the spirit of the 80s, despite admitting that he really can’t remember much from that decade (which included frequent patronage of clubs like Studio 54 and the Roxy while he was still in high school).  I don’t know how you spent your high school years, but I have a lot of catching up to do.

Information and tickets for upcoming events in The New York Times’ TimesTalks series are available through their website.

Joseph Wright‘s 1768 painting An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump* depicts a white cuckoo being suffocated in a glass vacuum. Onlookers are alternately transfixed, frightened and apprehensive — the legacy left for a trio of young Londoners who create music which is captivating and at times disconcerting in its brevity and primal intensity.

The track ‘Lights Out,’ which can be heard below, is one minute and eight seconds of pounding drums and over-driven bass beneath sweeping vocals. While there’s not a lot masking the influence of original post-punkers Lydia Lunch, Teenage Jesus & The Jerks and even The Birthday Party, the band also reveres Nirvana, and their debut EP These Sins features a cover of Sonic Youth’s ’100%.’ Whether you listen because you like a little guttural rush with your musical appreciation, or if you just want the chance to reference somewhat obscure no wave, this is vital new music.

These Sins is available now through their myspace profile. The band is playing in France before returning to the UK to play a series of dates including Camden Crawl and The Great Escape festivals.

*Dossier does not condone animal testing in any form and the only birds we want to see in pumps are Agyness Deyn, Kate Moss and maybe Karen Elson.

Our friends at Anthem are holding a benefit show under the banner of ‘Bone To Party,’ in aid of DKMS, the world’s largest bone marrow donor center. The show goes down at Santos’ Party House in lower Manhattan on May 9 from 7-10 p.m. and features performances from some of our faves, including Cale Parks, Luke Temple, Real Estate and the So So Glos.

In addition to the great music, there’s an open bar from 7-8 p.m., and you can register at the show to be a bone marrow donor and for a chance to pick up giveaways from Tiffany’s, Anthem, Adult Swim and Andrew WK.  It’s not often that you get the opportunity to pick up a hangover and possibly save a life on the way, so do what you were bone to do.

Tickets are $10 at the door or in advance through Ticketweb.

If today finds you thinking about ways that you can help the planet, head over to NPG.org, where you can read an article by New York Times columnist and author Mark Bittman, entitled ‘Back To Basics: Good For You, Good for The Earth.’ The article details his lifestyle as a “Vegan Before 6″– a smart but simple personal strategy to protect your health and save the environment by reducing your intake of animal products. It’s an enlightening view of veganism and stands in stark contrast to other food critics — such as the Times of London’s Giles Coran, who recently described vegetarianism as an eating disorder.

We’re on your side, Bittman.

L.A.’s Space 15 Twenty is currently playing host to a pop-up shop centered on Kim Gordon‘s MIRROR/DASH fashion line. This Saturday, they’re having an opening party featuring live performances by The Entrance Band and Pocahaunted from 7-10PM. As a special treat, and if you’re so inclined, you can also pick up a piece from Kim’s personal collection of vintage Daryl K, which will also be available (Friday & Saturday only) with all proceeds from sales going to Community Resources for People with Autism.

You can also catch an interview with Kim in the new issue of Dossier.

Space 15 Twenty | 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd | Los Angeles, CA 90028 | RSVP for Saturday – rsvp@space15twenty.com

French singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sebastien Tellier is about to embark on a 13-date North American tour in continued support of his 2008 album Sexuality. The album, produced by Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, is part of what has been a very busy twelve-month period for Tellier.

Around this time last year, a song from Sexuality titled ‘Divine’ (which you can preview below) was selected as the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest — an annual competition wherein the winner performs a track on live television. Before he was able to perform, Tellier became embroiled in a scandal dubbed Eurovisiongate (‘Divine’ is sung almost entirely in English — a major faux pas in France). Tellier later attempted to re-record the song, but admitted, “‘Divine’ is better in English. I went to the studio to try and make a French version. It was not good, so I just kept two sentences, just a wink to the French people.”

Not content to leave the controversy behind, Tellier performed ‘Divine’ with a set of look-alike backup singers — including a number of bearded women — and at one point inhaled helium from a beach ball to change the register of his voice. It was a gleeful moment in an otherwise gaudy competition and showcased Tellier perfectly as an artist from the Gainsbourg school of playful irreverence. Despite the fact that Tellier placed 19th of 25, The Times described ‘Divine’ as the best Eurovision entry since Abba’s ‘Waterloo’ took the top prize in 1974. That’s actually a compliment in case you were wondering.

The tour gets underway tonight at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City (with Lemonade and DJ Ol’Stark) and concludes with an appearance at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in California.

Sebastien Tellier – “Divine”

Having already rocked the skinny jeans off Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin and London, Cheap Monday’s Customized Jeans Tour landed in New York this week to coincide with the opening of INVENT.ORY’s new Lafayette Street store. Dossier was on hand to witness the opening party that featured Swedes, sweet tunes, one-of-a-kind distressed denim pieces and more than a few rounds of complimentary drinks.

Cheap Monday has grown to become a lead proponent of the cheap denim movement since first emanating from Sweden in 2005 — and followers of the company are in for a treat with their latest offering. The customized jeans, individually numbered 201-250 (pairs 1-200 were available in equally-sized batches in the previously toured cities), are regulation Cheap Mondays that have been patched, punctured, washed and sewn by hand to within an inch of recognition. In keeping with Cheap Monday’s commitment to affordability, the jeans are marked to sell for $70 per pair — the same price as their less-distressed counterparts. While the brand new worn-to-death look might not be for everyone, the limited edition jeans are probably one of the more sound investments you could make these days. The new store will also sell pieces from the Cheap Monday Spring / Summer 09 collection in addition to offerings by Cheap Monday’s sibling lines Kostym and WKND.

The overall verdict? The jeans are a steal and Cheap Monday / INVEN.TORY really know how to party. I’m surely not the only attendee of the party to wonder if they shouldn’t have a new collaborative line called Hangover Tuesday. INVEN.TORY is open daily from 12 – 8 PM at 237 Lafayette Street, New York.

Pictures courtesy of INVEN.TORY and Cheap Monday

Earlier this month Ralph Pucci debuted his new female mannequin ‘Girl’ at the Ralph Pucci nine (Gallery) in Chelsea. In keeping with Pucci’s quest to avoid one-dimensionality, the unveiling — titled The Journey — involved a collaboration featuring the designs of Frank Tell and a site-specific performance from the Buglisi Dance Theatre.

The collaboration with Tell was borne out of Pucci’s desire to showcase his new mannequin to the fashion industry and an attraction to Tell’s sculptured, metallic and black-white creations. In dressing ‘Girl,’ Tell selected 30 dresses from his Fall/Winter 08, Resort 09 and Spring/Summer 09 collections. You can see more of Tell’s work in the next issue of Dossier.

More pictures from The Journey after the jump.

Images courtesy of Greg Mills Ltd.

Residents of New York and Los Angeles (and those with frequent flyer miles to burn) have until December 18th to catch Steven Soderbergh‘s epic Che Guevara biopic in one sitting. Featuring Benicio Del Toro in the Cannes Best Actor-winning title role, the film clocks in at 257 minutes and is currently being shown in two parts with a 30 minute intermission.

The first part of the film follows Che’s involvement with revolutionary forces in Cuba, which ultimately led to the overthrow of the US-backed Batista regime in 1958/59. The story of guerilla warfare is successfully balanced with scenes portraying Che’s visit to New York in 1964, where he addressed the United Nations as Cuba’s representative and participated in a number of interviews with foreign press. The film’s second part depicts Che’s attempt to bring a similar outcome to the people of Bolivia as he did in Cuba.  I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying that things don’t work out as well for Che in this part of the film.

Che is screening at the Zeigfeld in New York and the Landmark in Los Angeles.  A wider release in two parts will follow from January 9th, and the films will be available on demand through the Independent Film Channel from January 21st.

Image courtesy of IFC Films.

A quick note to let you know that limited tickets are still available for the Brooklyn Philharmonic‘s February 28 performance featuring Final Fantasy and Dossier faves Grizzly Bear at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. If the performance is anything like the Philharmonic’s concerts with Joanna Newsom earlier this year or last year’s outing with Antony Hegarty, it’s going to be a very special night for those who are fortunate enough to attend.

Tickets can be purchased through the Brooklyn Philharmonic website here, in person at the BAM Box Office or by calling 718 636 4100.

Photo courtesy of grizzly-bear.net