All posts tagged: textbelowcenterfullbleed

Why It’s Time to Embrace Hybrid Training

Why It’s Time to Embrace Hybrid Training

Published by skeptic

You know that friend who’s a super fast runner but can’t do push-ups for shit? He could benefit from embracing hybrid training. So would the guys who brag about his bench but can’t get through a 5k without walking. Hybrid training challenges you to push yourself beyond your comfort zone and your favorite disciplines to become a more well-rounded athlete. It’s not about being a master of every exercise, rather someone who can turn their fitness to whatever task is at hand. Weekend bike ride? Sure. Early morning CrossFit? You betcha. Legs day followed by a heart-pumping dynamic abs circuit? Let’s go. It isn’t just for elites, either. Who couldn’t benefit from being a bit more flexible? A bit fitter? A bit stronger? Hybrid training in a nutshell The name’s pretty self-explanatory: it means training in more than one modality, instead of dedicating all of your time to say, running, or Olympic lifts, alone. “Hybrid training incorporates strength and endurance, merging them to improve overall strength and cardiovascular fitness,” says Reece Williams, a physical therapist …

Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami Are Running Back Their Legendary Collaboration

Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami Are Running Back Their Legendary Collaboration

Published by skeptic

What do major fashion labels, superstar musicians, and streetwear maestros all have in common? They understand that there’s a simple recipe for success in any given creative field: Take what you know, do it at as high a level as possible, and if Takashi Murakami comes calling to collaborate, take him up on it. Murakami’s work is instantly recognizable, thanks to his signature blend of vibrant colors, bold lines, and a design sensibility that draws heavily from anime and traditional Japanese art. Since breaking through in the ’90s, he’s become a true household name—a rare feat in the modern art world—and over the years, he’s collaborated with countless brands, artists, and musicians, from Kanye West to Nike to Billie Eilish. Among his most prominent work of all is his iconic color-splashed collaboration with Louis Vuitton, which kicked off with an expansive collection two decades ago. And on January 3, to commemorate 20 years of LV and Murakami, the partnership returns in full force. Courtesy of Louis Vuitton The new collection is officially dubbed the Louis …

The Best Christmas Horror Movies To Make It a Dark Winter’s Night

The Best Christmas Horror Movies To Make It a Dark Winter’s Night

Published by skeptic

Some might be put off by the self-consciousness of this low-budget slasher from writer-director Joe Beogs: not just its retro influences (a horror director who fetishizes ‘80s slasher movies?! You don’t say!) but the endless reams of reference-trading, profanity-laced dialogue, particularly between its record-store-clerk leads (Riley Dandy and Sam Delich). But beneath that perhaps-overwritten bravado, the movie has a surprisingly lovely sense of last-call Christmas Eve romance, reflected in the movie’s visual style, depending heavily on 16mm cinematography, Christmas-light glow, and swirls of grainy snow – a dependably gorgeous combination that Begos really milks for all it’s worth. Oh, and eventually a killer Santa-bot starts stalking and killing everyone in sight. But Begos really lets his characters breathe before the murders kick in, and Dandy makes a terrifically scrappy Final Girl. This is the rare slasher throwback that’s significantly better than most of the movies it’s throwing back to, and made with a lot more care than most quick-hit plays for streaming attention, too. Terrifier 3 (2024) Everett Collection Damien Leone’s bozo slasher epic continues …

How To Open a Bottle Without A Bottle Opener

How To Open a Bottle Without A Bottle Opener

Published by skeptic

Beverages. You like them. I like them. We all like them. The only problem is that sometimes liquid refreshment is trapped in non-twist-off glass bottles which—while very attractive—can be a hindrance if you don’t have a bottle opener. But don’t worry. If you find yourself without the right tool close at hand, you can pop those pesky caps off with basically anything with a solid edge: lighters, keys, even your belt buckle. All you need is a little leverage. Note: There was a time when people would tell you that you could use your iPhone to do this. We don’t recommend trying it with anything later than a 4—in this specific respect, they really don’t make ‘em like they used to. You may be thirsty, but you’re not that thirsty. Instead, here’s how to open a bottle with something you don’t have to be as careful with: your basic disposable lighter. First, get a good grip around the very top of the neck. Brace your index finger against the glass, creating a U-shaped bridge with …

Chase 2024 Out The Door With This Pulling Weeds-Approved Playlist Of The Year’s Best Songs

Chase 2024 Out The Door With This Pulling Weeds-Approved Playlist Of The Year’s Best Songs

Published by skeptic

Like most of you, and every other media outlet under the sun, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite songs released in the previous 12 months. Year-end lists made by music journalists are always pretty funny. Especially these days, you can see them trying to thread multiple needles at once, mixing full-on poptimist choices with weirdo Pitchfork-approved electronic music, plus the occasional nod to cool indie rock, to clearly show range and illustrate superior taste, without steering too pop or too obscure. Do that many music journalists really listen to Chappell Roan, DIIV, Taylor Swift, Mannequin Pussy, and Burial in the course of a normal day? Who is to say? The unique gift of cohosting our podcast How Long Gone is talking to and often becoming friends with people who make my favorite music, people I respect, and whose talent I am sincerely in awe of. There is no better feeling than refreshing Gmail and seeing the link come in for an album you have been waiting on, which is precisely what happened with Father …

Christmas Movie Reminder: ‘In Bruges’ Is a Christmas Movie

Christmas Movie Reminder: ‘In Bruges’ Is a Christmas Movie

Published by skeptic

For a while, they float around in this purgatorial state and Ray’s boredom (or perhaps just innate rebelliousness) makes for plenty of mischief—his punching of an “American” tourist (who turns out to be Canadian) in the name of avenging John Lennon, his goading of a (this time genuinely) American family into chasing him around the square after he tells them they’re too overweight to climb the clock tower. And a lot of it is a lot more fun than the sort of mischief a hitman typically gets up to. Then things get darker. When Harry tells Ken the real purpose of their trip—a final holiday followed by a swift execution for Ray, to be carried about by Ken—the laughs fade to black, as Ken contends with whether or not he’s going to be able to kill a man whose extensive whining he has clearly hated tolerating, but who we suspect he might still consider, albeit reluctantly, a friend. Brendan Gleeson’s gruff stoicism is perfect in this moment. When he opts for the personal and professional …

In Fashion’s Game of Musical Chairs, Matthieu Blazy Takes the Throne at Chanel

In Fashion’s Game of Musical Chairs, Matthieu Blazy Takes the Throne at Chanel

Published by skeptic

The long-simmering fashion vibe shift is officially underway. Matthieu Blazy, who until this morning was the creative director of Bottega Veneta, is the new creative director of Chanel. Blazy will reportedly oversee ready-to-wear, couture and accessories at the flagship French fashion house, and will make his debut in October during Paris Fashion Week. In a year where the fashion industry has undergone a profound creative upheaval, with over a dozen designers departing from high profile luxury brands, the Chanel job—vacated by Virginie Viard in June—was the biggest prize of all. Chanel is the second-biggest fashion house in the world, and among the most historically influential. Blazy beat out the competition (which is said to have included Hedi Slimane, Marc Jacobs, Simon Porte Jacquemus, and others) following a three year run at Bottega Veneta where he transformed the Kering-owned Italian luxury leathergoods brand into a beacon of creativity and craft. Following his departure, Bottega Veneta wasted no time naming a successor in Louise Trotter, whose exit from French heritage house Carven was confirmed this morning. The …

Topo Designs Mountain Gear Bag Review 2024

Topo Designs Mountain Gear Bag Review 2024

Published by skeptic

I’ve always had an obsession with bags, in part because I needed something to transport all my stuff, obviously, but also because carrying a bag is an opportunity to express yourself—and to nerd out over aesthetics, form, and function. At some point during college, I said goodbye to my backpack and opted for a tote bag as my daily driver. It was a bid to seem more mature, and look more like a Real Adult heading to important, big-city destinations than a college kid trudging to class. For years, that daily driver has been the L.L. Bean Boat and Tote. (Size large, long handles, zip top, Natural colorway—but who’s asking?) It served me well, accumulating what we’ll call a “tasteful” patina and some light fraying as I schlepped it through the streets of New York City, on international flights, and to the beach. It’s the quintessential tote bag, and for sure a cherished possession, but its single open compartment, propensity to get dirty, and lack of a shoulder strap sometimes left me wanting more. Then, …

The 10 Best Men’s Topcoats are Long and Layerable

The 10 Best Men’s Topcoats are Long and Layerable

Published by skeptic

We may only be at the beginning of winter, but if you haven’t broken out the big coat yet, consider yourself lucky. There are many varieties of big coat—puffers, ski coats, parkas—and while we’re into all of them, when we think about big coats, we think about topcoats. The men’s best topcoats are those you can fit any number of layers underneath. They tend to be long, and should, for the sake of the season, be fairly heavy. Your grandparents wore them, old Hollywood celebrities wore them, and we wear them today for the very same reasons: Whether you’re stepping out in a suit or your softest old hoodie and jeans, throwing on a topcoat over it all will keep you so much warmer, and help you walk a little taller. To help you layer up like history’s most advanced dressers, we’ve gathered up 10 of our favorites below. The Winter Topcoat Hit List American Trench Highlander Balmacaan American Trench The Highlander Balmacaan Made in New York from an impossibly handsome gun-check cloth from England’s …

Pharrell Loved This Hand Roll Spot So Much He Became a Partner

Pharrell Loved This Hand Roll Spot So Much He Became a Partner

Published by skeptic

The first time Pharrell Williams visited Nami Nori’s flagship location on Carmine Street in New York’s West Village, he found himself in hand roll heaven. “My friend told me it would be everything I loved in one experience, and she was absolutely right,” the multihyphenate recalls of what was the beginning of a hot-as-wasabi love affair. “I was first in awe of the precision and innovation in the food, but also the incredible energy of the space, which begins with the positivity and warmth of the founders.” From love at first bite, the Grammy Award–winner grabbed his chopsticks and soon became a partner and investor in the viral five-year-old temaki eatery, teaming up with founders Taka Sakaeda, Jihan Lee, and Lisa Limb, who have been at the forefront of what’s been dubbed a “hand roll revolution.” Nami Nori’s new Miami location Sebastian Lucrecio “For us, it really is about creativity,” says Limb, when asked what it was about Nami Nori that turned a nuanced tastemaker like Pharrell into a passionate disciple. “We really take the …