Latest news with #Kinfolk
NZ Herald
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Comedian Chris Parker On His Boyish & Satirical Sense Of Style
Comedian Chris Parker shares his perspective on fashion, from cultivating a distinct personal style to the scope of menswear in Aotearoa. For comedian Chris Parker, playing the clown isn't an excuse to dress down. 'People have paid to come see me. The least I can do is iron my shirt.' His ensembles are front of mind, as he prepares to head out on tour across Aotearoa for Stop Being So Dramatic. The show explores the titular accusation levelled toward Chris for his whole life through what's promised to be a 'dizzyingly expressive' comedy and drama. For this round of performances, he toyed with screenprinting a 'Surrender Dorothy' T-shirt (yes, from The Wizard Of Oz) or donning a dance-appropriate leotard. Though, he says it's more likely he'll opt for his reliable onstage uniform dressing – there's a rotating cast of cool button-ups, some white singlets and minimalist Thom Morison trousers. He's excited to see more playfulness in the stylings of other comics too – he points to the increasingly digitised mediums of comedy (see: Instagram) and the changing face of broad comedy. 'There was a time where comedy was held by a specific type of male and the industry was blocked off to other people, whereas I think queer comics have always historically used wardrobes to endear themselves to crowd.' Offstage, Chris cultivates slick, boyish and preppy ensembles, revelling in the promise of quality clothing and local designers (even when he's wearing sweats on tour). He's found a need to distinguish between his workwear and his off-duty wardrobe, hence his brainy interest in fashion. 'That's not @chrisparker11 on Instagram, that's mine.' It's playful and youthful. I never really got over that big Scandie pull from like 2015, when everyone was reading Kinfolk magazine. In recent years, I feel myself departing... I think it was the pull I found when I was on The Edge. It was a youth station but I was wanting to dress more maturely. When I go out, I like to be in a really nice shirt and pants and a jacket or a nice knit. Weirdly, an artist who I've always loved and I feel like I've subconsciously pulled from is David Hockney. His style is so colourful and playful, and I really love the palette. I just have an affinity towards it. I like crisp, clean lines [and colours]. I'm really kind of like trying to figure out silhouette more and as a tall guy that's quite hard. I was really scared when all the men were wearing like baby tees because I was like, 'I can't do that'. That's why [I like] this Kowtow [one]... it's playful but it's wearable and it's comfy but it's not just a boring T-shirt. It really feels like it's reflecting who I am. I'm on a real quest for a good T-shirt. I'm trying to kind of grow up in my sense of style while also holding on to a sense of play. Who do you dress for and why? I dress for how I'm feeling – so for me in a way. If I'm feeling kind of drab, then I'll sort of elevate my look to pull myself out of that a little bit. It almost feels like my styling is medicinal in a way. It's a reaction to how I'm feeling. In terms of the public eye... I guess that's why I dress boyish because when I dress masculine jokes start coming my way. People are like, 'oh, you look like a lad'. I think, because of how I position myself in terms of my own gender identity – you know, he/him pronouns, but like not 'one of the boys' – I do feel a bit uncomfortable dressing hypermasculine. This [Kowtow] rugby top, it feels almost satirical in a way, like provocative to wear that sort of stuff. I do love a pair of stubbies, though. I think that it's quite a quintessential New Zealand style. What first drew you into fashion? I think it's that kind of transformative element of it, it's the idea of it all being a costume and wanting to look and feel or present a certain way, which I really like. How do you think clothes and fashion have helped shape your identity? They haven't necessarily helped shape it, but I feel like clothes have been a companion on my identity journey. So, it's like at any inroad, they've been reflecting what I felt at the time. It's always just been like a companion to it all. It reflects where you were at, at any time. I actually just let go of a whole bunch of clothes that I've outgrown at a maturity level. For a young twink somewhere. I wish him well. Is there anything that you find particularly challenging or frustrating about clothing? The scope of menswear. It's actually really, really hard. There's Checks, there's Beach Brains – but again, they're like badass, whereas I'm playing little Christian boy. There was Thom Morison, and there's Porter James. That's my biggest gripe and, obviously ethical practices and sizing. Sizing is just crazy, isn't it? I'm a big unit and I would say the world of fashion is accessible to me, but it is still hard. Whereas I can only imagine people who feel like they're outside of those accessible ranges, it must be impossible. There's still so much work to be done there. Is there any specific piece of style advice that has been very impactful for you? Well, it's like Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep doing her cerulean monologue that everything is a reference of something. So, even if you feel like you're not involved in the conversation of fashion, you are a byproduct of it. You are a part of that wider ecosystem of fashion. It's more fun the more you know your references and the more you learn about why you dress the way you dress. It's not trivial, fashion is such an interesting part of the economy, style, politics, gender, race, all of it. I think the more you know about it, then the less you're sort of a victim to the toxic conversations of it. That becomes so much more healthy than 'I don't like the way my shoulders look'. You're making an intellectual choice rather than like a self-defensive [one] because the world's made you feel bad. I love people that have personal style, because they look like them. Chris Parker is on tour across the motu with Stop Being So Dramatic from June 28. He performs at Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland on July 26. More local fashion From emerging talents to statements through style. More on local fashion From NZ designers to local manufacturing. From Warkworth To London, Fashion Designer Kat Tua Is Challenging Māori Stereotypes. Menswear designer Kat Tua talks to Dan Ahwa about a deeply personal bespoke creation designed to underpin the values of her brand Manaaki for an international audience. NZ Jeweller Jessica McCormack Designed Zendaya's Engagement Ring & Opened Her First US Store. The designer has a knack for injecting cool-girl energy into top-dollar pieces. Is 'Made In New Zealand' Clothing Dying? The Reality Of Manufacturing Locally Now. Jessica Beresford looks at the challenges facing the local garment industry, which has been likened to an endangered species, and the designers staunchly protecting it.
Eater
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
The 12 Best Deals This Week (Including Paris Park Chair Dupes)
In the words of someone's dad, it's go time. Summer is here and Father's Day is just one extra-charred bratwurst away (so, a week-ish), which means there are all kinds of unfurling kitchen and food deals from brands designed to soup up the occasion. Granted, they orbit around the ooga-booga markers of 'manliness,' such as flasks and bouquets of meat, but I'm eager for any opportunity to buy a knife sharpener at 30 percent off. Last week, we cleared Goldbelly's shelves of Chicago-style hot dog kits and other summertime treats, scooped up the best heritage cookware brand items from Nordstrom's Half-Yearly sale, and browsed REI's camping kitchen sale. This week, the outdoorsy vibe continues with deals from Yeti on durable, I-dropped-it-on-a-rock-by-the-creek barware sets; aesthetic designer glassware from SSENSE's (always intriguing but right now up to 60 percent off) sale; and coffee-lover gifts from Bespoke Post's Father's Day sale section. Slip into something more comfortable (this leather oven mitt, perchance?) and let's shop. Score 20% off barware sets at Yeti Unsurprisingly, Yeti — the brand beloved for its classic, rugged coolers — makes durable, camping-ready barware sets. You can get up to 20 percent off barware sets for Father's Day, including flasks, shot glasses, and cocktail shakers that are made out of 18/8 stainless steel, making them dishwasher-safe and resistant to corrosion. For taking shots and flasks on the camping trip | Yeti Prices taken at time of publishing. Take lowballs on-the-go | Yeti Prices taken at time of publishing. Aesthetic kitchen items and drinkware are up to 60% off at SSENSE SSENSE, home to apparel and accessories by rising and established designers such as Collina Strada, Rick Owens, and Chopova Lowena, is also the keeper of some incredible designer glassware, cookware, and kitchen items. There's a 60 percent off sale live on the site right now, and the barware section is full of particularly personality-heavy finds, from amorphous hand-blown glasses reminiscent of Alexander Kirkeby (that cost a fraction of the price) to a set of tumblers that nod to vintage uranium glassware. This chic water carafe is 52% off | SSENSE Prices taken at time of publishing. Just in time for summer, this substantial set of tumblers | SSENSE Prices taken at time of publishing. This palette-shaped cutting board is 20% off | SSENSE Prices taken at time of publishing. This set of hand-blown glasses for juice and spiked iced tea | SSENSE Prices taken at time of publishing. Get up to 40% off Father's Day-worthy kitchen items at Bespoke Post Father's Day is June 15 this year, which means we're in prime ordering time for pops. Bespoke Post, the man-things lifestyle store dedicated to all things Ron-Swanson-meets- Kinfolk , has rolled out deals of up to 40 percent off all kinds of great Father's Day gift fodder, including a Zwilling knife sharpener that we're also going to grab for ourselves. A self-heating mug For the coffee-obsessed dad Zwilling's knife sharpener is 30% off Let Amazon's best deals this week bring Paris to you Low and behold, a smorgasbord of sales on Amazon this week that understand that what you really need to be doing this summer: sitting on your patio in Bushwick with a robust charcuterie board at a bistro set that is the perfect budget dupe for the iconic, sage-colored park chairs you'll find around Parisian parks (they're by Fermob, and will otherwise cost you $145 per chair). This charcuterie board bundle is 46% off | Drmvalg Prices taken at time of publishing. These dupes for Parisian park bistro sets | Grand Patio Prices taken at time of publishing. Now go suck down an Aperol spritz. The freshest news from the food world every day
New York Times
10-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Step Off the No. 1 Train and Into La Noxe
Harried New Yorkers might easily miss the brown door on the platform separating the street from the subway at the station on 28th Street at Seventh Avenue — home to the No. 1 train. Half a flight of stairs up, and you have the street. Half a flight down, the turnstiles. This intriguing experience is brought to you by Jey Perie, 41, who grew up in France and moved to New York in 2012. Eight years later, he opened La Noxe, a 600-square-foot hidden bar in between the street and the uptown train. The bar holds 30 people and is reminiscent of a speakeasy, 'because it's so hard to find, which was never my intention,' said Mr. Perie, who started looking for commercial rentals online in January 2019. 'I wanted something unique and intimate that would emulate the late '70s and early '80s in New York,' he continued. 'I stumbled upon an abstract drawing of a subterranean staircase with hardly any description, just a location and that they were asking $10,000 a month. But I was interested. When I saw the space I fell in love with it.' He negotiated a reduced rate of $7,000 per month, gutted everything and planned to open March 2020. Covid hit on the day he was to pick up his liquor permit, and the world shut down. The bar's opening was delayed. Mr. Perie started to worry. More setbacks occurred as the world reopened at 25 percent, then closed again, only to reopen a few months later. 'The stops and starts were really hard,' said Mr. Perie, who previously was the creative director and buyer for Kinfolk, a clothing store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 'But I didn't want to give up. I was going to stick it out.' In 2021, a random customer who shot a short video changed everything. This interview has been edited and trimmed for clarity. Why invest in something so small? I lived in Tokyo for six years and learned every inch matters. Space is very valuable, filled with high concepts and sophistication. New York is the same. In Tokyo they have a sushi restaurant, Jiro, in their subway. I wanted to bring that here and create my own vision of a nightclub. How many drinks do you sell? We have a DJ on the weekends so those are our busiest days. Then we can sell 150-200 drinks a night. What is the most popular? More Passion More Problems: vodka, passion fruit liqueur, lemon, orange zest. What does the subway add to the customer experience? The M.T.A. is the vein of the city. It's a great equalizer and helps make the city what it is. The craziness of the subway adds another energy. A 24-hour experience that never shuts down, it's perfect for someone who loves nightlife like me. I loved the roughness of the outside and the subway staircase. There's a transient feeling. Through the glass you can see people coming in and out of the subway, but it's just a shadow. I wanted to create a dichotomy inside. Something cozy and warm. A cocoon. When the music is on and people are here, the rest of the world disappears. You never know what time it is. How did this space become so well-known? In March of 2021, we had been closed for months because of Covid, and then told we could reopen, but only at 25 percent, which is like eight people, only to close again a few months later. When we were trying to figure out how we were going to survive, a random girl booked a reservation. She made a TikTok video showing her opening the door and walking out. She only had 400 or 500 followers, but her video got a million plus views. That got picked up on other social media. The M.T.A. president gave us an award. We became a New York comeback story. She brought the news, and Jimmy Fallon had us on his show. We went from 10 people DM-ing on Instagram a week to 1,000 people. We started taking reservations on Resy. Without that video, we would be closed. In the beginning, was it hard to get permits? We got a full liquor license, and were grandfathered in as a 'Use Group 6' retail space, and given permission to stay open until 4 a.m., but we usually close at 2. Initially they wouldn't give us a permit. The city isn't always friendly for quirky spaces and businesses because the city doesn't think you can make money with something so small. What was in the space when you first saw it? A massage parlor, with no permit, an illegal shower. It was six rooms with a panic button in every room. How did you make this space work? The M.T.A. and Department of Buildings had to approve all of my designs and material. We gutted the space completely. There was no plumbing for food and beverage or a grease trap which we had to create and install for the first time. We rebuilt the bathroom. We created a back kitchen and a separate bar area. We replaced the carpet, added a countertop and furniture. A concrete wall was taken down; glass blocks and a door were added along with red and black marbleized corking on the walls and red lighting to create ambience. All that took eight months. Have you seen a lot of bad behavior? Not too much. The challenge of a small room like this is one person can ruin it for everyone. No one has ever had a physical fight. The worst I've seen is a businessman, who was probably with an escort. They were getting high; I had to ask them to leave. What do you love about owning a bar? I love being part of something tangible and creating an experience. I'm making someone's day better. To know people met their husband or wife in a place I created is rewarding. I made great friends here. I found my partners for a second La Noxe, which we opened in January at Trinity Centre, a historical building in the financial district. It's 1,600 square feet, with high ceilings and huge windows on the first floor. It's the opposite of this space. This space became my 'proof of concept.'
