Boys from the Block

Jil Sander | Alessandro Dell'Acqua


Neil Barrett | Prada


Versace | Alexander McQueen

Men's Spring 2009
Photos: Men.Style.com

Can I Borrow That?

Alessandro Dell'Acqua | Neil Barrett

Neil Barrett | Burberry Prorsum

Menswear Spring 2009
Photos: Men.Style.com

Tagged: Summer Songs

Tagged By: the lovely Live Fast, Die Pretty

My 7 Songs for Spring SUMMER!
Brand New- Lil Wayne
Can't Tell Me- Soldiers of Jah Army
The Anthem- Pit Bull feat. Lil Jon
Dance, Dance, Dance- Lykke Li
Nothing to Hide- Rebel Souljahz
Knock Three Times- Tony Orlando and Dawn
1963- Rachael Yamagata

I'm Tagging: Pretty Legit, Carol Han, The Fashion Cupboard, Michele Lau, and Raven!

What are the rest of you listening to now? Enjoy the weather and/or no school days! :)

The Fanny Pack is Back

I know you all remember these being popular in the 80s! Well, they're back... at least according to the LA Times.

Do any of you also remember fanny packs being a fad in the early 2000s? When I was in high school, some girls wore the Gucci style or similar ones with flap pockets and guys wore Quicksilver or some other surf brand slung over their shoulder or even messenger style. I don't know if the guy part was a fad in other places, but I remember that being the cool thing in Hawai'i, I even saw a guy in his 20s with one a few nights ago! I never understood or ever found it attractive when the guys wore them.


LD Tuttle; Jerome Dreyfuss

And for 80s babies that wanna stay true to their beginnings can go vintage shopping for acid wash denim styles or just get American Apparel's version.



In other fanny pack news...
The Fanny Pack dancers are my absolute favorite on America's Best Dance Crew!

And for laughs, listen to "Camel Toe," my favorite song from the music group Fannypack. This song brings back many high school memories with my best friend, we even did a school project video with this song playing in the background!

Egypt, Egypt, Everywhere

Anyone that knows me well, knows my odd obsession with Egypt!

It all started my freshman year in high school (2001) and later became my domain name for a popular networking site, the name stitched on my cheerleading jacket, what I introduced myself as to some, and me drawing pyramids as my trademark.

In April I designed an Egyptian inspired t-shirt line using Illustrator for a computer apparel design class.


I'm not trying to brag at all about my Illustrator skills (which are clearly elementary) or my sixth fashion sense (which is also elementary level), but I think Egypt inspiring fashion is gonna be a trend in the making!

Refinery29 even gave King Tut a special shout-out.

Is Racism Still an Issue? Yes, Thanks to This Ignorant Commenter

The following comment is not mine and was written by someone in response to CitizenSugar's blog post about racism.

Why should TV execs sit down and say "okay we need X amount of black shows, X amount of white, X amount of asian, X amount of latinos" and so on and so forth? SO what if the networks are whiter than the national average of caucasians to minorities? All that should matter is does the show work, is it funny-dramatic-action packed not "is there enough black people on it" ridiculous.

Blacks Have BET, you dont see me freaking out that the percentage of whites on there is minimal? why? cause its a waste of time.

I think the SockObama is very tongue in cheek but funny and nothing to get riled up about.

Is racism still an issue? i am sure in some places it is, but in the nation as a whole? No.

WTF?!?!?!?!

People like this make me so mad! And how can you say that racism is not an issue in the nation as a whole? Clearly said by someone who has never experienced or even tried to understand the struggles of minorities.

Italian Vogue All Black Issue Countdown

Please read Cathy Horyn's article and her accompanying blog post about the upcoming All Black issue of Italian Vogue.

If you don't have time to read either, here's my rundown:

-Available in Europe next Thursday and soon after in the US (Though for Hawai'i folks it might take longer because I went to Border's the other day and they only had the May issue.)

-Shot by Steven Meisel, makeup by Pat McGrath, hair by Guido Palau

-Featuring Iman, Naomi Campbell, Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn, Toccara Jones, and Tyra Banks, to name a few

-The editor of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani, says that her inspiration for an all black issue comes from Barack Obama and the "lack of diversity seen on the runways," among others.

-While it is not the case for all mentioned, the lack of diversity within the industry stems from modeling agencies unwillingness to find and properly train nonwhite models and advertisers, magazine editors, and designers unwillingness to hire nonwhite models

What really touched me about the article was that Barack Obama was one of the inspirations behind this issue. I find it amazing that him running for President has helped open new doors for black and other nonwhite models in the fashion industry. His appeal is so far reaching that it has even reached Italian Vogue before American Vogue. Aahh... I can't even describe how incredible I think this is!

I can't wait for this issue to come out, and judging by the first photos released, it is going to be a visual feast for my eyes!

Topshop AW08 Faves

Nagi Noda: Hair Raising Imagination

Have you ever seen the poodle workout video on YouTube or the Scissors Sisters music video for She's the Man? (If not, you need to see them!)

I didn't know who directed either of the videos when I first saw them, but thought both were mesmerizing for its quirkiness!

When I came across this Hair Hats editorial a few days ago I was equally mesmerized and blown away by how real the animals looked! I quickly searched for Nagi Noda in Google and discovered through her website that I've seen her work before in the previously mentioned videos.

And, she ain't small time, she's done a commercial for Coca-Cola and a campaign for Nike!

Now, I am a huge fan of hers. I love all of her creations and would love to work with her someday!

Here's some of her work. Definitely check out her website for more!

Si Se Pinchen Puede!

Thinking about it gives me the chills...

Yves Saint Laurent 1962 Video

Found this video at The Moment and wanted to share it not only to commemorate the passing of one the greatest designers, but to also show how the fashion industry has since changed.

I found Edmonde Charles-Roux's comments to be very insightful into some of the fashion industry's mentalities during the 60s:

But nothing can be copied... nothing that's good can be copied.

The future of fashion? Ready-to-wear? No. It'll always be creation, the creation of haute couture that ready-to-wear can use.

How times have changed! Today, brands 'borrow' inspiration from the high fashion designers - some blatantly, some plain ugly, some I kind of like - and knock-off designer handbags are a thriving industry in itself.

As for the haute couture industry, I don't have any hard facts, but it's not hard to see that haute couture today doesn't dictate the fashion trends as much as it did forty years ago. Ready-to-wear takes it inspiration from a vast assortment of sources, from all directions in the fashion chain, including street fashion.

In contrast to Edmone's comments, the mid 60s was also a time where styles were becoming much simpler (think shift dresses) and therefore, much easier to copy. Additionally, this was a time where trends were being set from all types of designers (think Mary Quant).

Andre Courreges vs. Kanye West

Andre Courreges Eclipse Sunglasses from the 60s; Shutter Shades popularized by Kanye West and designed by Alain Mikli today.