We say that the French have a certain "joie de vivre," but Italians have something else more difficult to label. Italian culture couples a love of beauty with an ability to laugh at itself. The designs of Milan-born architect Alessandro Mendini embrace this attitude with their color and humor -- thou

Decorative, Funny, Ironic, Pop/surrealism/anti-design, Repetition

By rights, Todd Oldham should have been a fashion failure. He is exceptionally polite and sunny in an industry that punishes good manners and good cheer. He is openly critical of the fashion machine. Worst of all, he finds fashion funny, and fashion is an entity not known for its sense of humor. None

Bright, Collage, Couture, Decorative, Funny, Playful, Vibrant color

Few journalists have endeavored to crawl inside their subjects like Tom Wolfe. By applying the techniques, forms, and comic flare of fiction to the practice of reportage, he essentially created a new genre of writing. He gets inside people's heads, documenting almost every strange alcove of American

Eclectic, Egalitarian, Funny, Neo-ironic, New journalism & gonzo, Pioneering, Pop

Todd Haynes' biography reads as if he were an unlikely mix between Cheech Marin, John F. Kennedy Jr., and Quentin Crisp. Haynes was born in Los Angeles and educated at Brown University, where he was awarded an honors degree in Art and Semiotics in 1985. He is also the first -- and possibly only -- ar

Anxiety, Funny, Neurotic, Queer