All Summer - Bethany Cosentino, KiD CuDi, and Rostam Batmanglij
Here it is folks, the video to Converse's second forray into music. I still don't like the track, but the video really makes me want to like it. I want a KiD CuDi head, lol.
“We don't go through life with it all being smooth sailing. We all understand situations where you know it's swim or drown. It's a choice you have to make, and sometimes we surprise ourselves, when we actually make that choice and start swimming, with how well we can do it.”
Ten minutes worth of very useful information for those who have ever questioned their gender, are interested in the topic of gender, or who want to have their preconceptions about gender identity challenged... you have the right to information... Evolve.
[sidenote: for other videos on the subject, check out the above's YouTube channel: sillyyetsuccinct]
Crazy For You, the debut album from indie darlings Best Coast, is streaming in full, for free, now over at Urban Outfitters; yes, a full two weeks before it's Jul 27th release date. Enough words, go listen... Enjoy!
[sidenote: Check out the video for the duo's single Sun Was High (So Was I), click here]
"I want women -- and men -- to feel empowered by a deeper and more psychotic part of themselves. The part they're always trying desperately to hide. I want that to become something that they cherish." -Lady Gaga [duh]
Vogue Italia offers us this wonderful video portrait of Dior Homme designer Kris Van Assche during the label's Paris fashion week show. This video embodies what I believe masculinity to be; the video effects, the soundtrack, and the commentary/sound bites provided by the designer all come together to be a true portrait of man, and the man. Dior Homme is one of my favorites for menswear, among Raf Simons, Tom Ford, and Lanvin; press play and get familiar with the designer.
The Challenge: Don't be afraid to ask for help, to open up, to break-free of your own self-imposed emotional prison sentence; you never know who may hold the keys to the healing you need and deserve. So, during my Fourth of July, the post-fireworks time was spent on the phone with a friend bawling my eyes out and rehashing/going over the mounds of emotional baggage I've accumulated over the years, and never really took the time to organize and purge away. True none of us can ever ruun from our pasts, they are a part of us and the basis for who we are. We can't ignore them either; trust me, I would know, I've become a pro at it up till now. I've enabled myself to avoid talking about the things I was feeling for such a long time, kept my guard up as to prevent any unwanted peeks into my personal life. Thanks to said friend that spent his night listening to me talk, in a shroom-induced rant to say the least, I was able to, for the first time, take an objective look at my life, and where I am/want to be. I'm not a religious individual, I prefer to believe that life is what we make it, free of some grander being that makes decisions for us; fate, I believe in to an extent, but not that it is unchangeable. I'm saying this to preface the quote used for this week, as well as the overall challenge: Don't be afraid to ask for help, to open up, to break-free of your own self-imposed emotional prison sentence; you never know who may hold the keys to the healing you need and deserve. "Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart." ~Mahatma Gandhi
Don't forget to share your testimonials in the comment section.
This is how you do couture; Alexis Mabille delivers with a collection that is just downright amazing. The pieces are so delicate and feminine, yet give off a certain attitude that's far from innocent lolita. Much like Givenchy with the pairing down of looks, this 15 piece collection blows many of the 25+ piece collections out of the water.
Chris M, 17YO Art School Student from SoCal [pic via Chris' Lookbook]
As of late, I have been seriously stressing over which direction to take my style in for fall; this photo is like a roadsign for me in a way, if that makes any sense, lol. If not, check out this runway video of Junya Watanabe's f/w 2010 collection.
Timex invites us into their Hot-Tub Time Machine to relive or, as in my case, get educated on the fast-times that were the 80s. True the site's purpose is to showcase the new customizable line of watches from Timex, the site also offers a bevy of free games and music in their Enjoy 80 section which will bring up fuzzy feelings of days past. Enjoy!
While this may be an incredibly tacky, tasteless collection (sorry to knock art like that), On Aura Tout Vu is one of the most conceptual and out of the box collections of the entire season. It's like that one uncle that makes ordinarily boring family events 10x better as soon as he gets a drink in his hand. My favorite look: the fishscale dress with the pufferfish clutch, lol.
This summer, my own personal style has been struck by a serious lack of color. I can't pretend like I haven't been hot in my all-black wardrobe; color just seems really obnoxious to me as of late. This young woman looks very unpretentious in her color; she's bold, she's confident, and she looks beautiful, tres chic. Color is a breath of fresh air in this summer heat; though I wouldn't be found in technicolor this season, observing those that are is just fine with me.
Finally, the music collaborative featuring Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast, KiD CuDi, and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend, and sponsored by Converse, has arrived. The track, All Summer, sports a very different vibe from the shoebrand's first forray into music. My Drive Thru (which featured Pharrell, Santigold, and Julian Casablancas) had a very rowdy, urban, in-your-face attitude; the new project sounds very West Coast, very surfer, very summertime. I'm not really feeling it to be completely honest, which is a disappointment considering who was involved in creating the track. I still suggest you all check it out; you can grab the track for free by clicking here.
[sidenote: mini-webisodes were filmed in anticipation of this track, each features one of the three artists involved; click their names to watch them, in cased you missed it]
The highlights of this collection is in the details; the draping, the ruching, and the beading are very interesting visually. Where George Chakra went wrong here was in the materials; the fabric comes off looking cheap, and coupling that with the cuts and fits of the gowns, it looks very matronly.
