SANF June 2008 : 37
THETALK 37 What’s new, whatmatters, what’s next | JUNE 2008 EDITED BY SCOTT HOCKER Quick! Which touted public space am I? Two refurbished alleys downtown vie for the public’s attention—and tax dollars. PHOTOGRAPH BY NAVID BARATY TURN TO PAGE 40
The Talk
Scott Hocker
FASHION
Boys keep swinging Score one for the gents as John Varvatos opens its doors on Maiden Lane, adding an iconoclastic, rock ’n’ roll edge to the ladies’ promenade. The spacious boutique offers 6,500 square feet of luxurious, multilevel shopping, but with a signature Varvatos twist. Housed in a turn-of-the-20th-century building, the new store maintains a vintage flair while incorporating striking design elements: rough-hewn counters, exposed fixtures, and a steel fireplace. These touches mirror the nonchalant refinement that’s come to defi ne the brand, making it a favorite among the rocker set, including with glam band Velvet Revolver.
Pop in for a narrow-lapel, two-button suit or a supple leather carryall—perfect for the tour bus or the office.
152 GEARY ST., S.F., 415-986-3035, JOHNVARVATOS.COM
FINANCE
Amount given to the military by a medianincome San Francisco family, based on federal taxes paid in 2007.
That’s 42.2 cents of every federal tax dollar collected, says the National Priorities Project—almost double the amount spent on healthcare and nearly five times the amount spent on antipoverty programs last year.
SHOPPING
A is for serious fashion Ac•ri•mo•ny: sharpness of words, manner, or disposition. Owner Jenny Chung hit the nail on the head when naming Acrimony, her chic new boutique for men and women in Hayes Valley.
Digital NekoShogun prints, hard-to-find lines such as Hussein Chalayan, and urban threads with street cred give the store’s stark white walls an edge and add a bit of color. Chung’s secret lies in mixing the already craved with the up-and-coming. “We carry lines that no one has heard of or believes in yet, and our standards are really well crafted,” she says. Case in point: New collections from labels such as Quail, by SoCal-based Michelle Nguyen, hang nobly beside United Bamboo and cases of iconic bar rings from NYC-based Bijules. Come fall, Chung will carry MM6 by Maison Martin Margiela, VPL, and Common Projects sneakers. Time to sharpen up your closets, people.
THEATER
Avant-garde theatrics slay mythic hero In the thousand years or so since it was first written, Beowulf, the famous poem about a Nordic hero who defeats two monsters before being vanquished by a third, has inspired everything from computer games and animated movies to operas and plays. In Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage, Berkeley theater company Shotgun Players collaborates for the first time with the award-winning bicoastal performance collective Banana Bag and Bodice.
Part homage, part parody, the highly physical production uses the unlikely medium of musical theater to present a raucous evening in which a handful of narrators struggle to tell their version of how the tale went down.
THROUGH JUNE 22, ASHBY STAGE, 1901 ASHBY AVE., BERKELEY, 510- 841-6500, SHOTGUNPLAYERS.ORG
MUSIC
A true singing actress Anyone who’s seen Audra McDonald live knows the performer’s prowess at creating a full-blooded character. Her portrayal of the quietly desperate spinster Lizzie in last year’s Broadway revival of 110 in the Shade was shattering. For those who haven’t witnessed her in action, the impeccable singer and actress brings her talents to Cal Performances this month. During a one-night-only concert, McDonald will perform selections from her latest album, Build a Bridge, a collection of contemporary musical-theater and poprock songs by such musicians as Elvis Costello, Laura Nyro, and Rufus Wainwright. McDonald is sure to put on quite the show—even without any scenery to chew on.
$36–68, 5 P.M., JUNE 1, ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY, 510-642- 9988, CALPERFORMANCES.ORG
DRINK
Ding-dong, the $5 upscale cocktail is (not quite) deadThe ever-escalating quality of local cocktails has led to higher prices to accommodate the top-shelf spirits, farmers’ market produce, and homemade ingredients those drinks require. Along with that, happy-hour discounts have gone the way of Rose’s bottled lime juice. In fact, most of San Francisco’s best drinking spots—Epic Roasthouse, Bourbon & Branch, Absinthe, Jardinière, and so on—have never offered happy-hour specials. But then, they don’t need to. These venues are often packed by 6 p.m. without providing any incentives. Even so, there are a few fine drinking establishments in this town that boast an old-fashioned happy hour—but you may have to pry yourself away from your desk early to get to them. ¦ CAMPER ENGLISH
Publication List
