the Pad

By Jay Jimenez and Richard Tressan

Photography by Effi Cohen

Reproduced with kind permission from Next Magazine.

It should come as no surprise that American are reliving the days of the lounge lizard. Wasn’t Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me the biggest box office draw this summer? The era — once defined by its detached coolness — glorified everything from innovative cocktails and happening digs to easy listening music and stylish ensembles. Ricky Ritzel and Aaron Morishita — the consummate devotees of this lounge lizard lifestyle — comprise the talented singing duo called The Lounge-O-Leers. Cooler-than-thou and nearly as sexy as the Rat Pack, the ubiquitous team embraces the lifestyle that brought us Qiana fabric, debonair secret agents and martini-loving crooners. So sit back, relax and enjoy. Next’s homage to swiggin’ it down and swingin’ it up. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about living a lounge lizard’s life of leisure is outlined in this comprehensive guide to the bar, the pad, the tacks and the threads of a classic generation.