The final countdown to NYFW has arrived, and Sergio Kletnoy is ready to take on the whirlwind week. But don’t think a busy schedule has slowed this Cosmopolitan assistant extraordinaire down one bit; this week’s recap includes cameos from Robyn, Mary Lambert, and a new Canadian heartthrob.
How is it possible that the summer is almost over? I haven’t frolicked on the beach once, my faded tan is yesterday’s news, and my dog days memories from the last few months consist of binge eating in front of the television while watching marathons of Forensic Files. Not quite the hot and adventurous 2014 I had in mind. Don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of parties, events, and concerts, but with fashion week just around the corner I need a beachfront vacation pronto. So, anyone with a private jet and a house on a tropical island, please don’t hesitate to reach out…
Anyway, in the weeks leading up to the beginning of fall, my workload slowed down just a smidge. There were plenty of JoCo demands: oodles of meetings, lunches, conference calls, searching for front row ready outfits from Céline and Jacquemus, and the precise placement of fashion shows in between THE BOSS’ already packed schedule. All in a day’s work!
Of course, I managed to squeeze in a few fun encounters of my own. I interviewed Francesco Yates, an 18-year-old multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and teen heartthrob from Canada. Pharrell produced his debut album, Justin Timberlake is a fan, and only last week Yates performed on the same stage as Sting, Streisand, and McCartney. Francesco’s first single “Call” is one of my favorite songs of the summer, imagine Prince, Maxwell and Lenny Kravitz all rolled into one. Yes, he is that good.
I caught an electrifying invite-only performance at The Box by Mary Lambert. Doesn’t ring a bell? Remember the female voice featured on (and sharing the stage with) Madonna at this year’s Grammy Awards during Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ performance of “Same Love”? Yes, that Mary. You will be hearing a lot more from the uber-talented Ms. Lambert. Her debut album, Heart On My Sleeve, is out in October and her new single “Secrets” is a feel-good anthem about acceptance and self-love. Something we can all benefit from.
I also made it out to the Cinema Society & Grey Goose screening of Sony Pictures Classics Love Is Strange. The film stars an incredibly talented cast, including Marisa Tomei, Cheyenne Jackson, John Lithgow, and Alfred Molina. The story is about a newlywed couple, John and Alfred who finally tied the knot after years together, but in a blink of an eye, saw their life take a drastic change after Molina is fired from his teaching post at a Catholic school. Whatever you do, do not see this film if you’re feeling emotional or sad; you’ll definitely shed a tear or five. But then again, it might just be me.
However, the highlight of my summer was 19 years in the making, and came courtesy of Robyn and Röyksopp. My love affair with Robyn’s music began in 1995 when I first heard her massive pop smash “Show Me Love.” The three albums that followed her debut never came out in the U.S., but they played a huge part of my teens and my twenties. I still remember rushing to the local import record store with each release and learning every single song by heart within a matter of days. Robyn’s music is like a perfect soundtrack to my life (along with Madonna, of course). So, after all these years, not only did I get to see Robyn and Royksopp perform at Pier 97, but I also sat down for an interview with my favorite Swedish pop star and the Norwegian duo, to talk about their pop masterpiece “Do It Again”. Stay tuned.
I’m off to enjoy the last few days of summer and will be back soon enough; until then, be sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter at @SergioKletnoy and check out my favorite new tunes below.
OBSESSED:
“Monument” by Röyksopp & Robyn
“Race” by Yurs
“Outlines” by Mike Mago & Dragonette
“Take Shelter” by Years and Years
“Running Low” by NETSKY & Beth Ditto
“Never Enough” by Fantastic Fantastic
“Shells” by Laurel
“Wild Motion (Set It Free)” by Miami Horror
“Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj
“Happy Little Pill” by Troye Sivan
“Comeback” by Ella Eyre
“Shoot And Run” by Josef Salvat
“Strange” by Charlotte OC
“She Moves” by Alle Farben & Graham Candy
“Say You Love Me” by Jessie Ware
“Dangerous” by Jennifer Hudson
“Glow” by Ella Henderson
