INDIE MAN
Facebook Turns Fashion
Perhaps this trend will take off in a few years when the hotness of Facebook and other social networking applications cools off. The way I see it, the overall “coolness” of this particular trend is not quite ready yet and will probably have a greater success when there is more of a ‘retro’ connotation to this type of icon.
Popularity: 2% [?]
TrendSpark: The Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox is a pint sized teen idol from the days of Feris Bueller and Pop Rocks, so it should could as no surprise to anyone that his signature doo, a feathered style haircut ideal for the yuppie set, would makes it way onto todays 80s addicted fashion scene. John Mayer is one of the first “celebrities” rocking the look, which personally I feel is just his way to better connect with his over-the-hill love interest, Perez Hilton Jennifer Aniston, who actually grew up and was a teenager when Alex P. Keaton was running prime time TV with his Reagan lust.
Mayer, in true cooler than thou, look how much I don’t care, but really do style decided to rant on about his new hair cut and provide inspirations for the look on his blog. Yes, John Mayer keeps a blog where he talks about his hair. He claims the look exudes an “attitude of ease and quiet confidence that seems to have all but eluded our generation.” I think it exudes an attitude of douchebag ala douche. Hopefully, Mayer will eventually stop focusing on his hair and begin focussing on new songs we can bang to. “Your Body Is a Wonderland” just doesn’t guarantee the same type of action it once did.
We have John Mayer’s full take on his new look below…
Today I set off on my newest project; to grow and maintain an authentic ’80s style feathered haircut. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for some time and I’m very excited to bring this amazing look into today’s pop culture landscape. The feathered cut projects an attitude of ease and quiet confidence that seems to have all but eluded our generation.
This is a work in progress, and as my hair grows longer it will serve to become a more stirring and poignant statement.
Below are some photographs I used as inspiration. I look forward to reporting on my progress in upcoming blogs.
Back View
Below are some photographs I used as inspiration. I look forward to reporting on my progress in upcoming blogs.
Michael J Fox, the Master.
The Masterwork
Shaun Cassidy, the One With the Better Hair
Mary Lou Retton
Popularity: 2% [?]
Designer Discovery: Jim Rickey
The Market makes another footwear discovery, this time it’s Jim Rickey, a Swedish footwear brand that blends handicraft tradition with sleek design and a streety edge. The brand is owned by two sneaker freaks who started their careers at Onitsuka Tiger. The line is available online at Urbana.se
Popularity: 1% [?]
Poor Little Lost Boy
Ponystep.com recently featured this photoshoot inspired by the 1987 cult classic, The Lost Boys.
Alright, maybe I’m missing something but this is definitely not the type of shoot I was expecting. No blood, no fangs, no half naked vampire groupies. And where the fuck are the Corys.
For a proper homage to the classic check out Lost Boys 2 - The Tribe. It’s coming straight to a DVD near you and it features a Cory. Thank god someone knows how to treat the 80s right.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Views of Fashion: Shayne Oliver of Hood By Air
The Market got a chance to step into the world of Hood By Air recently, interviewing the brands poster-boy designers Shayne Oliver. He tries to explain the difference between hood and ghetto, tells us about the future of the brand, and share his design inspirations. We have bits of the interview below…
“Whether he’s co-hosting a party with Roxy Cottontail, or chillin’ with Vashtie at a 1992 affair, Oliver has become a part of the backdrop of the new LES scene.”
A label’s name usually captures the designer’s aesthetic. What’s the story behind “Hood By Air”?
It’s a multi-faceted name. It has to do with the sensibility that my friends and I had acquired from being involved in fashion but being from a different background than many of our industry peers. It’s like Men In Black (when the aliens were trying to appear like humans). We learned to appreciate, not condone where we came from (the hood), and incorporated the hood look into our style of dress and vice versa. So instead of it becoming streetwear, it evolved into street fashion. This is what Hood By Air works to epitomize. To us, this is the future.
I also believe that being “hood”, not ghetto (huge difference), is skill: to make something out of what you have. Instead of becoming a victim to your circumstance, find the pros and run with it… to find your way out of it!
The pieces have an unusual mix between edgy and chic– something even more unexpected from a boy who grew up in Minnesota. What would you cite as your inspiration growing up?
I was born in Minnesota, but grew up mostly in St. Croix and Trinidad. My grandparents served as a huge inspiration to my views (in terms of fashion). My grandmother used to be a label-obsessed seamstress and my grandfather was a don dada.
In Minnesota I was inspired by the hood girls, they all dressed like their boyfriends (who were usually vice lords) with better hair.
St. Croix is where I first learned the concept of “getting dressed”. Everybody hung out in malls. The sneakers, the clothes, the music (The Fugees’ The Score had just dropped)… so much fun!
Besides the don dadas, Trinidad is a lifestyle inspiration for me. They are very free and work hard to be happy…. to me, Americans work hard to appear to be happy.
What would you say inspired the Fall ‘08 collection?
The goths and punks of Astor place, Wu Tang Clan and Joan of Arc. I wanted to play with the dark side of hip-hop.
Are there any trends in menswear that you love, or on the other hand, would like to send out into fashion exile (”hammer pants” style)?
Trends I don’t really know. I like when people acquire their own classics; hood boys in skinny jeans, that’s kinda’ cool (if you fit them right).
We should do away with exact interpretation dressing. If you’re gonna’ do it, apply something new. If you don’t, at least be good at it… Oh, and the Keffiyeh scarf.
This is literally just the beginning; what can we expect in the near future from Hood By Air?
Art, multimedia, events… they are all in the works. I want to make Hood By Air an obtainable product of our lifestyle. I just want it to be good.
Written by Virginia Jackson-Reed for The Market
Popularity: 2% [?]
Tom Ford Wants You to Rock Out with Your Cock Out
There are few things more troubling to discuss than dick love. While a penis has long (pun sooo intended) been seen as a phallis of envy for countless centuries, the modern man and society as a whole seems to have placed a taboo on the subject of honoring your King Richard. Well, Tom Ford, the perennially controversial everygay, has once again pushed some envelopes with his recent twig and berry worship in the spring/summer issue of Britian’s GQ Style.
His essay on the subject asks more men to be comfortable with their package and a) discuss them, b) compliment others, and c) whip them out in his presence. Okay, that last one’s made up, but I seriously feel he wouldn’t think twice about popping his mule out for a looksy if asked. Alright, before I venture into some questionable territories (even though some at the office seem to think I’m a bit passed that point) here are some excerpts from Ford’s strictly dickly report on his meat lust.
Tom, why do you objectify women more than men in your ads?
“As much as I’ve tried, it has been consistently harder to get images of nude men onto magazine pages and billboards than it has nude women. In a society where images of brutal violence are consumed during breakfast, the male nude is one of our last taboos. There’s a double standard at play here: magazines that are happy to fund ads featuring an artfully lit female nude will balk at an image of her male counterpart.”
American fashion magazines don’t show breasts like European ones do. Do you think nude phobia is a uniquely American problem?
“In Sweden or Japan, or other places … casual nakedness at the sauna or the bath house is part of daily life, but in the places that I call home, the fear factor around nudity seems to be rising. I have always found it ridiculous that, in America, if I wanted to run an ad of a woman with bare breasts I had to retouch her nipples. Now why would a woman’s bare breasts, created as nature intended, be more shocking than a bizarre pair of breasts with absolutely no nipples? What could be more perverse?”
So tell us the damn truth about being a woman.
“Women have long been objectified in our society; images of beautiful female forms are everywhere. Go to a dinner party and women are wearing tiny dresses, exposing their legs and baring their toes in high-heeled sandals. They’re basically naked, with a little bit of draping over their body. Think of how tough it must be to be a woman in our culture. Women are constantly judged by their bodies and the size of their breasts.”
But, Tom, what if we lived in a world where penises were breasts?
“Imagine … if our suits were entirely designed to show off our penises. Imagine if contemporary fashion demanded that you left your cock hanging outside your trousers, with perhaps just the head trussed up in a tiny pouch like a dick bra. Everyone would see our cocks all the time, in the same way that fashion features women’s breasts.”
Tell the ladies why male nudity is so very different from female nudity.
“Women may have a hard time understanding this, but imagine if, when they were dressing for a party, their breasts looked great, and then, just as they were stepping out of the taxi to enter the restaurant, their breasts withered to a sad, wrinkled little things. Perhaps the unpredictability of the penis can make us nervous about taking our clothes off.”
But the models in this photo shoot look so comfortable!
“[I]t was almost impossible to find non-professional models to volunteer for the photographs on these pages. The result is a mix of models, actors and ordinary guys … [M]ost of the straight models who showed up had their pubic hair completely shaved; some artistry on the part of the hairdresser was required to get the natural look we wanted.”
But you make clothes, Tom. Gorgeous ones, too. Why are you championing being without them?
“With a more natural relationship to nudity, we might also be freed up to find each other a lot more fascinating. There’s an equality to being naked; the fewer clothes and accessories a person wears the less you judge them, and the more you notice their truest traits, like their eyes or their charisma, their great hands or their one-of-a-kind hair or, most importantly, their personality and character. As much as I love clothing, it gives us one more layer to hide behind.”
Masculinity Stripped Bare [GQ Style]
Photo: GQ Style
Popularity: 2% [?]
Beauty for Boys
Jean Paul Gaultier has just launched a collection of makeup, for men.
The line includes cleanser, toner, shaving products, concealer, eyeliner, brow grooming gel, and bronzer.
It’s official. Men are becoming the new women.
I thought we were all over the whole “metro” thing, but then again…
Weigh in ladies. Is it okay for boys to wear makeup or is there not enough in the medicine cabinet for two sticks of lipstick?
Popularity: 2% [?]
Australian Wool Innovation and John Pearse Change Suiting Forever
For all guys out there that need a suit for their daily grind, John Pearse (under license for Konaka) and the Australian Wool Innovation are gonna make your day. The group have created a wool suit that requires no dry-cleaning (the eco-friendliest suit ever?) and is wrinkle-free. So far the suits only available in Japan, but we’ll be making phone calls pronto to get the suit here in no time. I need me some low-maintenance gear today.
Hopefully this fabric makes it’s way over to the states and leaves the suiting world. Can you imagine having wool suits, jackets, and sweaters that can be cleaned at home?
Popularity: 1% [?]
Maharishi: On the Front Lines of Sustainability
The war in Iraq, inconvenient truths and fashion merge in Maharishi latest collection. The designer, who was one of the forefathers of the sustainability front, offers a menswear collection that is militant with a mix of African guerrilla infusions. Basically, it’s a collection full of looks for the modern day warrior.
Do you love the military trend that’s been hitting the runway or is it finally time to give peace a chance?
Answer up indies and one lucky commenter will get a couple of eco-friendly goodies from our Earth Week adventures.
Popularity: 1% [?]
WonderButt. Men Get A Padding Boost
Thought this was just one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a real long time. Men’s underwear can now be purchased with butt padding. That’s right ladies, that hunky dude you see walking down the street with that perfectly rounded, muscular bottom might be hiding a pancake booty once the drawers hit the floor. Finally, men can be just as superficial as Wonderbra sporting ladies with a pair of boxers that ass-cent our favorite feature.
You can find your own pair of booty boosters at BottomsUp.com
Popularity: 2% [?]
Tape Measure Belt
If any of you are looking for the easiest way to tell if you have lost weight, Martin Haldimann has the solution to your problem. This ‘tape measure’ belt will let you know daily if those inches are coming off. Pretty genius…
Popularity: 2% [?]
Belstaff, Rebels With a Cause
Belstaff—known for its tough-looking, high-performance jackets that have outfitted rebels such as the handsome crew of Ocean’s Twelve and Gotham city’s favorite crime fighter, Batman—is reaffirming its political stance on Tibet this spring/summer season. As a continuation of the Black Prince range launched in 2004, the British brand has created a limited-edition, six-piece collection of “Free Tibet” jackets with intricate oriental motifs that Tibetan monks helped conceptualize. The jackets are available at Belstaff stores, and all profits made from sales of the Free Tibet jackets will be donated to the Dalai Lama Foundation.
Content courtesy of JCReport.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Photographer Turned Fashion Designer
New York-based photographer Dom Smith has fused his striking photographic aesthetic with his love of fashion to create a unique range of T-shirts under his own AntoineDom label. Smith’s tees are cut longer and slimmer than most of the mass-produced men’s tees on the market, making them the perfect complement to a pair of skinny jeans and boots. The images adorning the jerseys are taken from Smith’s extensive portfolio and include fashion portraits as well as still lifes. Particular favorites of ours are the trash bag caught in barbed wire and the pensive, black frame-bedecked “officer.”
Content courtesy of JCReport.
Popularity: 1% [?]