Refinery 29 Video: Shipley & Hamos

Refinery29 is a fashion site catered mostly to women, but they have done some great videos profiling some young amazing menswear designers. I will be sharing some with you. First up is the duo, Shipley & Hamos.

Who the fuck is Sidney Lo?

Are you tired of hearing his name? Probably not, but I am. It feels like every other day I hear some reference to him on a blog or in an interview or in a superfuture forum(where he is whorshipped by denim enthusiast). So I got tired of wondering "Who the fuck is Sidney Lo?" So I just googled him and it actually turns out there's actually a good reason for the hype. Here's a post about him and his little art project done by Cool Hunting.

"Sidney Lo's show, "What Are Your Wearing Today?", which he describes as "an exercise in time and digital replication," is a group of photographs documenting the passage of time and the agent of change that it is... Every day, for one year starting 10 March 2007, Lo (a Brooklynite by way of San Francisco) photographed himself. He shaved his head to physically illustrate the passage of time and its inherent ability to transform. To coincide with his growing hair, he also worn the same jeans daily to further illustrate the ephemeral nature of physical things as time passes. "

Nantucket Red

Refered to as nantucket red or sundried red, the color has been very popular as of lately. I actullay own two peices in the color, Polo chino shorts and a vintage oxford. Both pieces are probably the favorite two peices in my closet, but I get really tired of hearing, "Why are you wearing pink?" Who cares what color it is? The bottom line is it looks great. This season it has shown up in the collections of Our Legacy, APC, Ralph Lauren, Gitman Bros for Hyr Collective, J Crew, Brooks Brothers, and many more. The color is actually kind of hard to avoid. Probably because it's a detour from the norm and it goes great with a lot of different things, especially a chambray shirt or a nautica inspired top.(i.e. stripes) For more on the color and it's history click here.

"Bottoms"-Up

This post isn't so much about fashion, as much it's about how you can draw inspiration from normal everyday things, and quickly become the new "It" item in town. A couple of girl's I know have recently fallen in love with high heels that have "Red Bottoms" or soles that make them feel like they are walking with the elite of Hollywood. So I did some research and found out that the guy who makes these high end shoes name is Christian Louboutin. He changed the game up by simply drawing inspiration from models walking on the street. In 1992, the up and coming designer drew his inspiration from his models who walked home from his design studio which was in Paris' Meat Packing District and got blood on their shoes from the multiple meat businesses that surrounded him. This is where he got the inspiration to paint the soles of his shoes red to differentiate himself from other big name designers. Now this is his trademark that has made him an household name in fashion even to this day. The moral is, always keep your eyes open, and above all, your mind. You too can be the next GREAT.

More at: http://www.christianlouboutin.com/

The Making of The Erotic House of Peter Saville

Top Five Mags- Joseph

With the popularity of blogging and the recent decline in the quality of many top name publications many people have lost their interest in magazines. However, I'm still a big fan of a great magazine. I believe with the amazing design, articles, interviews, and advertising featured in some of the top quality magazines out there, it's more than a few pages with pictures and text. It is an artform. An artform that I'm very interested in. Kermit was telling me about this new mag he recently discovered and we decided to both do a post listing our top five favorite magazines.

1. Monocle Magazine- This magazine is the end all be all when it comes to design. The content of the magazine revolves around a broad range of topics, described as a current issues and cultures publication. The last time I read monocle there was a great article on design schools and the role of their graduates in today's economy. The article featured John Medea, the president of the Rhode Island School of Design, argubly the most most respected design school in the United States. The articles in Monocle are always great, but more than anything the magazine is held in such high regard due its flawless layout and overall design. Monocle is simply how a magazine should look. The publication is also great in regards to product design with collaborations with top tier brands like Woolrich Woolen Mills, Comme des Garcons, and Porter. Monocle is a very new magazine. It was just established in 2007; however, it is not evident with the worldwide success of the mag and numerous physical Monocle Shops in cities such as Los Angeles, London, and Palma, Spain. Monocle is certainly on a pace to change the magazine world.

2. i-D Magazine- "ID is a British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. i-D was founded by designer and former Vogue art director Terry Jones in 1980. The magazine is known for its innovative photography and typography, and over the years established a reputation as a training ground for fresh talent." -Wikipedia

3. Vice Magazine- "Vice is a free magazine and media conglomerate founded in Montreal, Quebec and currently based in New York City. The magazine covers contemporary indie and youth culture. The magazine's readership comprises mostly young "hipsters". Vice is known for its controversial content, and often strikes a sardonic and ironic pose on debauchery, sex, drugs, violence, crime, and social issues involving race and economic class." -Wikipedia

4. The Fader- "The FADER, or FADER, is an United States-based music/culture/fashion magazine that covers hip-hop, reggae, independent rock, pop and dance music from around the world. Founded by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen in 1998, The FADER is a freestanding, independent New York City-based magazine."

5. Hyr Collective- HyrCollective.com is a online fashion magazine created by Candian tastemaker Ryan Willms. I know this post is about print magazines, but I had to feature Hyr largely because I believe Hyr is the best thing on the internet, one of the best things to happen in the recent world on men's fashion, and it has been my bible for the last year. Just one year old, Hyr has made a lot of progress. The magazine regular features interviews, photoshoots, and features all revolving around quality menswear. The web mag's success is largely due to it's unflautering concentration on the basis of design and it's great eye for the best brands, designers, products, projects, and happenings in men's fashion. The site may make you question the institution that is GQ. Off the hills of their first product collaboration with Gitman Bros and Tannis Hegan Hyr is sure to soon be a major force to reckon with.

(No particular order)

Top 5 Mags- (Frogg's Edition)

1.) Indie Magazine- This is a British Mag that is dedicated to fashion, the normal and the not so normal. The stories are excellent, but the photography is excellent-er. The photos not only show pictures, but tell a photo story in relationship with the corresponding articles. Definitely art within itself.

http://www.indiego.at/
2.) 10 Men Magazine- A comprehensive look into British Fashion with excellt articles and awe inspiring photography. The number 10 is used throughout the whole magazine in conventional and unconvetional ways. Most are "lol" moments which not only grasp your attention, but tilt your head to the side and be like "What tha?"

http://www.10magazine.com/

3.) Motor Trend Magazine- Keeps you updated on whips that are out, coming out, rumored to be coming out, and beautiful machines you can't live with out.

http://www.motortrend.com/index.html

4.) Details Magazine- Aimed at a slightly younger audience than its Father-Mag Gentlemen's Quartely, this Mag is full off fresh ideas for fashion, food, and exceptional culture.

http://men.style.com/details/

5.) Sole Collector Magazine- All about shoes..shoes...inspirational athletic excerpts...oh and more shoes.

http://solecollector.com/

(In No Particular Order)

Five 5/6/09

1. Street Style Sites(TheSartorialist, Lookbook, Streetpeeper)

http://www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

http://lookbook.nu/

http://streetpeeper.com/

2. Ryan Willms Interview(creative director of Hyrcollective.com)

http://www.culturesinbetween.net/a-gen-y-collective-ryan-willms

3. Creative Exchange Agency(photo by accomplished art director Craig Tilford)

http://www.creativeexchangeagency.com/#p=Art_Directors/Craig_Tilford/Portfolio

                                  

4.Quoddy Trail Moccasin Company

http://www.quoddytrail.com/Bluchers.htm

                                             

5. Lester Bangs(acclaimed rock-n-roll critic)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Bangs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_Us_Now_Praise_Famous_Death_Dwarves

"A hero is a goddam stupid thing to have in the first place and a general block to anything you might wanta accomplish on your own."

When All Else Fails - Classic Tee

While I was sitting here wondering what I was gonna wear to this party tonight (Happy 21st Alyssa & Twin) , I realized I did NOT feel like wearing clothes at all today, or should I say, put the effort into finding something. Then my thoughts reverted back to two days ago when I was reading GQ Style: All Hail the New America! at Barnes & Noble. This issue of GQ was first bought to my attention by Mr. Joey himself and I had to check it out. But there was this certain excerpt that really stood out to me about us Americans and our Tee's. The basic white tee can be dressed up, casual, or simply worn to sleep. Whether it's a Crew neck or V-Neck the Tee is timeless and can be the go to shirt when it seems like you and your closet had a vicious argument the night before, and still have a disagreement in the morning. But like everything, fit is at the top of the list when it comes to this American classic. Closely followed by the care you put into action after owning the shirt. The best T-shirt I've owned was a 6 pack of Calvin Klein Crew Necks and a 6 pack of Calvin Klein's V-neck. They had the perfect fit, crispness (even after multiple washes), and all around feel. I also own tees from Banana Republic that's holding up great too, which is slowly becoming my favorite. But its mostly up to the individual to decide what's right for them, one persons comfort may be another persons discomfort. So go ahead and get ya Tee on, when your "wife" (closet) wants to be in a pissy mood and you don't feel like dealing wit that ass!

My Finds: http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=35922&vid=1&pid=273929&scid=273929002

http://www.calvinklein.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3172059

Bob Dylan

"LOOKING at the history of rock and roll, it is impossible to overstate the importance of Bob Dylan. As Bruce Springsteen put it, inducting Dylan into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, "Bob freed the mind the way Elvis freed the body. He showed us that just because the music was innately physical did not mean that it was anti-intellectual. He had the vision and the talent to make a pop song that contained the whole world. He invented a new way a pop singer could sound, broke through the limitations of what a recording artist could achieve, and changed the face of rock and roll forever."'
-ArtistDirect.com

Lately I've been researching a lot of classic American artist and bands. Jimi Hendrex, Marvin Gaye, The Beatles, Elton John, and Bob Dylan. Eventhough Dylan is by far one of the most respected musicians in American music I don't think a lot of my generation understands or appreciates his music or his influence on our cluture. Take a look at some of these videos from the documentary, "Don't Look Back", and you might just fall in love with the man and his music.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2h7hK9xGQ&feature=related

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18XflnNFRb4&feature=related

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4fE-awaKVI&feature=related

etc. etc. etc.

Chinos

Lately I've taken an interest in chinos. And so has everyone else. They're great because they can easily be dressed up for work and dressed down for a more casual look. The best looking chinos without a doubt are the slim tapered leg versions. Brands like Our Legacy, Acne, and Velour make some great ones. Being a college student I had to go look to a more cost efficient brand. J Crew makes some great chinos; however, the fit is a little off. I recently bought two pair of great looking classic fit chinos from J. Crew, but to achieve the look I'm going for I had to first take them to the tailor. I got the legs taper in a half inch starting at the knee down. I just got them back and they look amazing. I love them now. They definately will be getting a lot of wear. Here's some evidence of the chino craze from the blog ACL. They just recently did a post on a pretty popular trend at the moment. The post features many men wearing chinos and denim with the legs rolled up accomplishing a cool, stylish look that I'm very much a fan of. If you would like to see more pictures just click on the link.(featured picture of Velour chinos courtesy of hycollective.com)

http://acontinuouslean.com/2009/06/03/mister-mort-trend-report-rolledup-trousers/

Sizzle x Savings = Korean?

This post is dedicated to the car guy inside of me that's been there all my life. everyone that's really close to me know I have an impeccable passion for cars, be it old or new. I've been waiting for this vehicle to come out for a while now, because it fulfills a void that needed to be filled for some time now. Korean made Hyundai has done away with its economy car "lets give the consumer anything for cheap" image and is giving generation X consumers what they want. The Genesis Coupe is a two door sports car that comes with an available inline 4-cylinder or optional V-6 rated at 306 hp. It also comes with an limited-slip differential thats mated to a rear wheel drive platform. Import tuners will like this vehicle simply because from the factory, its set up for street racing, drifting, and also its stylish good looks. It roughly starts out at $21,000 for the basic model, but cant top out at $33,000 for the V-6 track tuned version. Seems kind of expensive? Considering a top of the line Infiniti G37 starts out at $38,000 for the base version (which is the car Hyundai is gunning for). So in my opinion, yo come out better with the Hyundai. Cheaper, Newer, but most of all CHEAPER but with growing and exceptional quality!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGjQ__10Vzs&feature=PlayList&p=8B067DEF166CB3A1&index=0

http://www.hyundaiusa.com/