MILEY, A MUST-HAVE SWEATSHIRT, AND MORE: LAUREN GOODMAN’S BEST OF 2014

Thinking over 2014, there are so many bright spots. Here are a few I wanted to celebrate just a little bit more. Like the Oscars, many of my favorites reflect a recency effect…there were so many blockbusters in December. Artist Clare Rojas made three major public art contributions to her native San Francisco in 2014. First, a mural for the cult gallery The Luggage Store. Second, two mosaic masterpieces at world-class hospital UCSF’s new amphitheater. And third, an enormous canvas at SFO (airport), as part of the San Francisco Arts Commission. Rojas also shared that she has something of the same vein in the works for 2018—the Chinatown station of the new-fangled North Beach train. Bam! Girl on fire. My fashion obsession of the year was L.A.-based designer Jasmin Shokrian’s now cult sweatshirt, “Je Pars Habiter a Los Angeles.” I bought it at semi-private boutique Gratus in Beverly Hills. The pale pink dream with rose gold lettering, which translates to “I’m leaving to move to Los Angeles,” basically became my muse. I Instagrammed a photo of it in a sultry peach bedroom in which I was staying this summer. Next thing I knew, Jasmin and I were e-mailing (our mutual friend Jessica de Ruiter connected us when she saw my fan-stagram). During NYFW, I wore the sweatshirt to breakfast with my gorgeous Nowness editor, Claudia Donaldson, and later to the J.Crew presentation where I saw my (also gorgeous) friend Jenna Lyons. Claudia was instantly obsessed with the top (and the saying) and ordered one to wear to a panel she was speaking on with Franca Sozzani in Milan later that month. Jenna just gave me the once-over and said, “Bitch, I want to move to L.A.” “The devil’s living room.” This is how my friend described the attached photo of the Johnson Trading booth at Art Basel Miami, with wickedly new-fangled furniture. It was my absolute favorite. The shiny, iridescent, pink plastic globulous chairs by Chris Schanck were hideous at first glance, but hellishly seductive. And when sitting on them, they were warm (fittingly) and shockingly comfortable. I wasn’t the only one seduced: Schanck has been working on commission for Dior. Also in the booth were gigantic travertine lamps by Max Lamb. Statuesque iconic beauties. These were the favorites of my art collector cousin, who is weak in the knees for refinement. Finally, the goede-tastical tables by Jack Craig: Shaped like enormous lopsided tubes of minty toothpaste topped with marble, they are irresistible. Nicholas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton. Now this is just a present to everyone. Ghesquière is creating some of the most exquisite, desirable, classic but offbeat clothes out there. The pleather pants from his maiden collection from Fall 2014 really slayed me. And Beyoncé wearing them with a T-shirt for T Magazine—j’died. Here are some outtakes from a shoot with photographer Skye Parrott that I styled, with model Kyra Green—same pants in navy. Heaven forever. Also blowing my mind at Art Basel Miami was Alchemist. It’s a super-fascinant boutique in a Herzog & de Meuron-designed garage. Alchemist collaborated with artist Daniel Arsham on Airball: an athletically inspired installation with a slew of fashion collaborations, including silver sneaker boots by Rick Owens. This Dr. Romanelli x Cali Thornhill DeWitt leather-paneled basketball jersey (minidress material) was a birthday present to myself. Miley money. The baby pop star performed at the Delano during Art Basel Miami bedecked in a Mylar wig, blue eye shadow, and little else at the V Magazine party (always the best of the week). Cyrus, a performer to the bone and quite beautiful in her silver Cleopatra psychedelia-rainbow vibe, made me a believer. Host Stephen Gan, just off the “Salzburg/Miami express” (from the Chanel Pre-Fall show), along with hosts Jeffrey Deitch and Tommy Hilfiger showered guests with blasts of glittering confetti and, at the end, Miley money. It was like the loudest, most glamorous pop of a champagne cork—to the week, and the wonderful year, thank you very much.