'Locals Only' is a column in which we ask friends from ARGENTINA, our featured country, where they like to eat, thrift, hide out, and hang out in Argentina.

Every girl should have a shoemaker for a BFF, so get to know Lourdes of Argentinean footwear label Chicco Ruiz. The fact that she invited us round for sandwiches makes her a winner in our book!

---

Place for a low-key dinner with friends? El Preferido—they make a nice paella and serve very big milanesas!

Restaurant for a first date? Bindi, a private restaurant with delicious food. Remember to make a reservation.

Favorite gallery? PASTO

Bookstore? Libros del Pasaje MORE

FILED UNDER: LOCALS ONLY , ARGENTINA , USA VS. ARGENTINA , I'LL TAKE YOU THERE , TRAVEL , Chicco Ruiz

Meet Ezra, the newest OC Blog intern, hailing from the Bay Area!

Name: Ezra Marcus
Hometown: Berkeley, CA
Astrological sign: Leo
When I was 13, I was wearing: Zip-off pants and long-sleeve Billabong T's
Currently obsessed with: Chicago footwork music, Livestrong bracelets
Last song I downloaded: "Put Cha Back In It" by DJ Sliink
As a teenager I worshiped: Hot tubs, palm trees, driving around the city
Vice: Hour-long showers
Virtue: I'll eat anything
Favorite book: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Dream vacation: R. Kelly's Love Letter Cruise
Favorite Pandora station: Clipse
Items at OC that I most covet: The Opening Ceremony ribbed trim varsity jacket and the Mark McNairy New Amsterdam san salvador burro boot in navy.

FILED UNDER: Meet , Staff , OC Online , Ezra Marcus , New York , Wearabouts , Opening Ceremony Collection , Mark McNairy

With summer approaching, we knew another collab collection with NYC espadrille experts Soludos was in order. This year, we couldn't get enough of the standout stripes, perforated leather, and woven silk from OC's spring collection, so here they are again—this time teamed with Soludos' timeless jute soles! Woven just like the espadrilles of French holidays past, they're equally as cute for guys and girls, beaches and city streets. They even come with a light rubber outsole, on the off-chance of festival puddles! Like sun and sea or gin and tonic, bright linen and raffia are a perfect summer partnership. And it's always summer somewhere...

Shop all OC Soludos here. MORE

FILED UNDER: OC Soludos , SS12 , OC exclusive , footwear

Molly Marquand of  WILDER quarterly brings us some tips on how to have your home, garden or office smelling like spring all year round.

For those of us living in the confined space of a city, fragrant plants are a great way to combat city odors, and bring the sensuous and healthful qualities of plants into your apartment. Forget about your everyday roses or irises; beyond the deli and grocery selections, there is a whole world of fragrances just waiting to be discovered. But before we go on, let me throw out a disclaimer: you can't have your cake and eat it too. Some of the loveliest plants barely have a scent, and by contrast, some of the most odorous species aren't half as beautiful as their fragrance. We’ve created a list that includes both the bold and the beautiful. 

Sweet olive:
Osmanthus fragrans, otherwise known as sweet olive. Osmanthus is derived from the Greek osma meaning

MORE

FILED UNDER: Wilder Quarterly , Molly Marquand

Meet Nicole, Miami native and BFF of our other new OC face, Ashley. And yes––they were scouted together. Cute story!

Your neighborhood: 

East Village

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Astrological sign: Cancer

Essential photo shoot song? Anything I can dance to. Justin Timberlake usually does the trick.

Best gift you’ve ever given? A homemade card MORE

FILED UNDER: Meet the Model , Nicole Franzen , Ysterike , THEM , Stevie J and Yoni P

Elaine Sturtevant has been replicating Warhols, Stellas, and Duchamps for decades. But don't call her a copycat. The artist (who simply goes by her last name) explains it as prodding the visible surface of art to reveal its understructure, because isn't everything a copy of something anyway? You can agree or you can disagree. But in Rock & Rap c Simulacra, her new show at Gavin Brown's, the artist she seems to be replicating the most is none other than herself. MORE

FILED UNDER: Art , Exhibition , Sturtevant , Gavin Brown's , New York , Video

What makes a perfect summer? If you ask Warriors of Radness, it's bikini contests, muscle pants, and good waves. The California beach bums turn up the heat and sass this season with printed T-shirts ("My wave, go home"), palm-tree sweaters, and trippy faded swim trunks. Just looking at the bleached Haze shorts summons the smells of sunscreen, salt water, and beer.

And, if you needed any more encouragement to head to the beach, it's there in the form of WOR's printed GLSA (Gay and Lesbian Surfing Association) tees and sweatshirts. What began as founder Rick Klotz's playful assault on close-minded surf culture has grown into an essential part of the brand's identity. As one crewneck says, "Come on out... the water's fine!"

Shop all Warriors of Radness here. MORE

FILED UNDER: Warriors of Radness , SS12

In 2006, George W. Bush was still President, James Blunt had a No. 1 hit with “You’re Beautiful,” and The Da Vinci Code was one of the top-grossing films of the year. Amid this rather bleak cultural canvas emerged Chris Crocker, whose YouTube clips depicting his life as a gay adolescent living with his grandparents in East Tennessee, made him a cultural icon and the first (and last, sorry Boo) YouTube superstar. Dozens of hair flips, mental makeup lessons, and quotable quips later, came the one clip that solidified Crocker's standing among the roster of viral celebs—the emotional rant where he begged the world to just “Leave Britney [Spears] alone!” Today, Chris’ videos have had over 270 million views—not bad for a boy who left school at age 16 because of anti-gay death threats. 

Like most teenage boys, Chris turned to the Internet to satiate his boredom and coming-of-age curiosity. It was a universe where anything was possible and publishable, where no one could really hurt him, and where MORE

FILED UNDER: Me@thezoo , Chris Crocker , Hbo , Michael Stipe , Klaus Biesenbach , M.Wells , Film , Sundance 2012