7x7 editors pick their favorites from the latest shops, goods, and happenings in the Bay Area and beyond.
MEET
Diane von Furstenberg at JCCSF
To herald her new memoir, The Woman I Wanted to Be (Simon & Schuster), Diane von Furstenberg will be telling stories about how she earnestly heeded her mother's guidance—"[She] taught me that my destiny was in my own hands; that I had to be independent; that no matter what, I should never be a victim"—in a hard-fought quest that ultimately led to her status as a fashion icon. Nov. 21; Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
David Sedaris at Cal Performances
Redefining humor is no easy task. And if you want to make it down-to-earth and fresh, you've got a full-time occupation—just ask best-selling author and humorist David Sedaris. Modernly satirical in a Holden Caulfield kind of way, Sedaris makes middle-class small talk relatable with his knack for observing human behavior with acerbic wit. After being discovered in 1982 by This American Life host Ira Glass, he's been churning out short-story collections, including crowd favorite Me Talk Pretty One Day (Back Bay Books). His latest book, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, topped the New York Times best-seller list. On November 15, he'll take the stage for Cal Performances' Berkeley Talks series. Fair warning: He's known to test his latest theories—Would two straight men share a slice of pie?—on the audience. Nov. 15, UC Berkeley
SEE
Dark Xmas
If you like a little gloom and doom with your comfort and joy, see John Waters at his snarkiest in the acclaimed one-man show, A John Waters Christmas, playing this month at the Great American Music Hall. The legendary filmmaker (Female Trouble, Hairspray) preaches, among other decidedly non-Yuletide topics, the virtues of holiday true crime, fetishes, and perverted gifts. Nov. 29, Great American Music Hall (Tenderloin).
Public Library
Kiria Koula, a new art gallery in the Mission, asks featured artists to curate a bookshop as a "window into the artist's research." Take a peek into the brain of New York (by way of Hong Kong) artist Paul Chan, who credits German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche with framing his understanding of art through the lens of Greek mythology. To wit, Chan's selection includes such, ahem, page-turners as Homer's Odyssey and Nietzsche and the Philology of the Future by James I. Porter. Currently in the gallery, works by Mexican artist José León Cerrillo are on view. 3148 22nd St. (Mission).
Dance Fever
Consider the San Francisco Dance Film Festival—now in its fifth year—the Sundance of, well, you know. Seventy films dedicated to impressive bodily movements of the balletic, jazzy, tribal, and interpretive variety include a Swiss short titled Narcissus, a nature flick set to Debussy's "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune," and a work by SF dance icon Robert Moses that's part of the festival's Co-Laboratory program, which plays matchmaker for choreographers and filmmakers trying to create the cinematic equivalent of a soaring grand jeté. Nov. 6-9, Brava Theater Center (Mission)
Greatest Gift
Stanford University is now home to a prized assemblage of 20th-century American art, thanks to generous Palo Alto collectors Harry and Mary Margaret Anderson and their daughter, Mary Patricia Anderson Pence. Doing the only thing a grateful beneficiary could do in the face of such an important endowment, which includes works by such blue-chip artists as Jackson Pollock, Wayne Thiebaud, and Ellsworth Kelly, Stanford constructed a special building—part of the campus' growing arts district—exclusively for the Anderson Collection. Stanford University (Palo Alto).
EXPERIENCE
Harvest Fête
When at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro in Yountville on the third Thursday of November, might as well do as the French do: celebrate the year's new release of Beaujolais Nouveau, a clean, fruity, end-of-the-grape-harvest wine that's made using a quick fermentation process. This year's companion prix fixe menu includes such Beaujolais-friendly dishes as a classic boeuf bourguignon and dried plums with Bleu d'Auvergne cheese. Nov. 20-23 (Yountville)
Good Condition
The W Hotel has debuted FIT, a new futuristic gym space, which, judging by its neon-lighting quotient and so-called "pulsating" soundtrack, could also double as a nightclub. Here, a vigorous workout seems to be a foregone conclusion, even if you're doing yoga: W FIT features Strala Yoga classes, devised by self-procalimed yoga rebel Tara Stiles, which feature energetic asana sequences designed to "ignite freedom." (SoMa)
DISCOVER
Moving Pictures
Brooklyn artists and Guggenheim fellows Kevin and Jennifer McCoy bring their wildly kinetic imaginations to Oakland's Johansson Projects with "All Exit," an exhibition featuring dark installations of the remote-viewing, video-looping, lights-camera-action variety. The pair is inspired by California as the "conclusion, both geographically and ideologically, of the frontier fantasy of the American dream." Through Jan. 3, 2015, Johansson Projects (Oakland)
Paradise Found
This month, Hawaiian Airlines is adding daily nonstop flights from SFO to Maui. Need somewhere to stay? Emerging from a multimillion-dollar reservation, Hotel Wailea's new idea of island luxury includes romantic one-bedroom suites designed by SF-based Marion Philpotts-Miller and hyper-local organic dining that only a resort with an on-property farm could deliver. (Maui)
Room With a View
The new Et al. Gallery is a tiny, white-walled domain, yet the emerging artists who exhibit there seem to play up its no-frills architecture: Andrew Chapman finished a painting in the gallery that was, perhaps deliberately, too large to be removed. How will artists Anna Sagström and Cason Fisk-Vittori handle the confines? See for yourself—their work is now on view. Through Dec. 5 (Chinatown)
COVET
Killer Suits
This month, Louis Vuitton in Union Square is launching a new men's tailoring collection for fashion-savvy, globe-trotting dudes who don suits as daily, even travel, attire. Comfort is key: Jackets, sans shouldeer roll, slip on easily; flat-fronted trousers are waisted and trimming. And with a full selection of classic haberdashery-style shirt patterns and colors (pinstripe, jacquard, chambray), dandy style just got razor sharp. (Union Square)
Lovely Bones
San Francisco native and recent California College of the Arts grad Zara Dramov has a new handbag line, The Common Knowledge, inspired by the way bone meets skin, the way paper folds, sci-fi movie costumes, and shiny copper bolts found in city street grates. Miraculously, each rigid, architectural design is made from one single sheet of leather. Once again, Lena Dunham would know best: the Girls star was recently spotted carrying the oxblood Mini Bone Bag.
Solid Gold
For the holidays, SF-based boutique Coléoptère—known for its edgy 18-karat gold hardware adorned ith rock crystal and Canadian diamonds—is releasing a holiday piece designed in collaboration with bauble e-tailer Stone & Strand that promises to be "a little subversive and a lot iconic." Coléoptère cofounders Lisa Baird, who daylights at IDEO, and creative director Vanessa Corrêa are also creating a line of everyday objects that "encourage the activities that constitute a considered life." Cribbage, anyone?
PHRASE OF THE MONTH
"It's Not Cricket"
British utterance used by the upper echelons to denote unsporting conduct.
"Did you see those people stealing flower arrangements from the party? It's not cricket." -Vigilant socialite upon exiting a Pac Heights penthouse soirée
This article was published in 7x7's November 2014 issue. Click here to subscribe.
