FashionIndie » janelle monae

Set Phasers on Stunning: The 10 Hottest Robots of All-Time

Lester Brathwaite — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:44:13 +0000

It’s officially the future, but color us disappointed. We’ve got a black president, handheld computers and weapons of mass destruction, but what about what else was promised to us by sci-fi films and Saturday morning cartoons. We see nary a flying car. But more importantly, where are the robots, the androids and the bionic men and women? On the one hand, they’re the harbingers of humankind’s downfall. But on the other, they’re the sexy, sentient superbeings here to fulfill our every desire. A good idea in theory, but amazingly creepy in practice. These robots, however, keep our hope of a future rife with robosexual adventure alive and mechanically kicking.

P-Art-Y Basel! Our 5 Favorite Events at Art Basel

Samantha Lim — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:33:44 +0000

Celebrating its 10^th birthday this year, the festivities at Art Basel Miami almost outshined the actual artwork. With 18 other local art fairs simultaneously going on around town, over 260 galleries showing the works of over 2000 artists and 50,000 creative enthusiasts from around the world, South Beach and downtown Miami’s Design District were the country’s creative mecca this first week of December. Our week was jam packed, with back to back versions of “the most fun party ever”, sandwiched between “the best art exhibit ever” Here’s a rundown of our favorite events:

Where There’s Le Smoking, There’s Bound to Be Fire

Lester Brathwaite — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:04:10 +0000

Along with the bikini, the wrap-dress and the tranny heel, Le Smoking is the greatest sartorial invention of the past 50 years. And it would behoove every woman to have one in her repertoire. Created by Yves Saint Laurent in 1966, Le Smoking forever changed the women dressed by simply giving them a tux all their own. It was further immortalized by a series of photos by Helmut Newton in 1975 and when Bianca Jagger made it her signature in the heyday of 54. Now 400 years later the trend is still going strong.

Bianca Jagger, 1979

30 Songs to Add to Your Getting Ready Playlist

Jessica Lapidos — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:38:59 +0000

Your mojo for the night is heavily dependent on the mood you’re in when you get ready, because that reflects upon what you end up wearing. For a summer’s night out, you should be feeling wild every time you step to your closet. The soundtrack to that process is key. Now, of course the FashionIndie Mixtape will always have your shoulders poppin’ as you get dressed. But here are 30 more songs that will keep you looking and feeling fly.

Fashion of His Love : Lady Gaga : This bouncy and all the way uppity tribute to McQueen inspires fabulosity. But really, you could listen to every track ever laid by Mother Monster and have an excellent getting ready sesh.

Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag : James Brown : Get funky. He might even inspire you to wear that brand new purchase.

Wondaland : Janelle Monáe : Ethereally uplifting, it’ll get you ready for the wonderland you’re about to party at.

Flashing Lights : Kanye West : Prepare for the flashes from your personal (or professional) paparazzi.

Fancy : Drake : You fancy, huh?

Filthy and Gorgeous : Scissor Sisters : Cause you’re filthy and I’m gorgeous.

Young Hearts Run Free : Kym Mazelle : This might impede your getting ready process, unless your process involves spinning ’round in raining glitter.

Free Your Mind : En Vogue : And the rest will follow.

On Point : Electrik Red : Get an education on How To Be a Lady.

Hot for You : Brainstorm : Ten minutes of disco heaven.

Sexi Bitch : David Guetta ft Akon : Damn, they’ve laid out your getting ready aspirations.

Flashback : Calvin Harris : Reminisce about a great night while getting ready for another.

Bad Habits : Maxwell : Take a moment to slow it down a touch – good for eye makeup application.

Sleigh Bells : Kids : Dub steppin’ metal move.

Electric Feel : MGMT : Jolt some voltage into your body.

Just Can’t Get Enough : Depeche Mode : But remember Chanel’s golden rule, take off the last thing you put on.

Give Me Everything : Pitbull ft Ne Yo : Know what you want and sieze it all in the night.

Run the World : Beyoncé : B has started a revolution ‘pon de floor. Dress accordingly.

Don’t Wanna Go Home : Jason Derulo : Daylight come when you get home.

We R Who We R : Ke$ha : For the kinda night that’ll end all sloppy. You won’t remember, and it’s probably for the best.

You Make My Dreams Come True : Hall & Oates : Stay with the eighties for a moment more because, and I quote a Youtube comment, “This is exactly how I feel after sex? ……….. Every time.”

Just Dance : Lady Gaga : Gaga fittingly makes the list again with her epic first anthem to partying.

Revolver (one love remix) : Madonna & David Guetta : This one’s killer.

Not Myself Tonight : Christina Aguilera : Prepare yourself for a night where anything is possible.

Milkshake : Kelis : It’s not exactly the pre-game we had in mind, but if it brings all the boys to the yard…

Dancing On My Own : Robyn : What else would you be doing whilst getting dressed?

Ooh Yeah : Moby : Oh yeah, this song will get you pumped on the upbeat.

Prendre L’Air : Shy’m : Everything sounds better in French.

What do YOU listen to while getting all glam for an evening?

Fabulous photo courtesy of Flying Saucer

13 Free NYC Summer Concerts

Jessica Lapidos — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:16:51 +0000

Summer skies are opening up pools, hiking up hemlines and firing up free concerts. Quite an exciting time indeed. NYC is a bountiful land of free live music in the summer months, you just need to know where to look. We’ve got your start here to get you grooving for free, so when you spend all your money on clothes, you’ll still have someplace to wear them.

Good super early Morning America Concert Series

Either stay out all night and rage through the morning, or set your alarm for 4:00 AM for the kickass lineup GMA has in store.

Who: Beyonce, Goo Goo Dolls, Florence and the Machine, Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez, Brad Paisley and more!

When: 7:00-9:00 A.M. every Friday, June - September

Where: Rumsey Playfield in Central Park

The Today Show Concert Series

Friday Friday, the News shows love it. Here’s another early bird special that will score you the big acts free.

Who: Maroon 5, Cee-Lo Green, Kenny Chesney, The Script, Bruno Mars, Train and The Backstreet Boys with New Kids on the Block (NKOBSB is tomorrow, Friday June 3rd!), and so many more.

When: Every Friday, be there at 6:00 A.M. June – September

Where: Rockefeller Center

Kanye West

Always with a flair for the dramatics, Kanye is planning a surprise free show, somewhere on this island.

When: Thursday, June 9th, 6-10 P.M.

Where: Pier 36, 299 South Street, New York, NY

Black Eyed Peas

Fergie, will.i.am and those other two guys are giving away 54,000 tickets to see them play in Central Park for the charity Robin Hood, fighting poverty in NYC. Win (or buy $500 VIP tickets) tickets here. But will you even try? They’re right opposite Kanye!

When: Thursday, June 9th, 7:30 P.M.

Where: Central Park Great Lawn

Hillstock Festival **THIS WEEKEND**

This Brooklyn weekend-long festival is astoundingly free all day Saturday, and chock full of indie artists you should know. Full lineup here.

Who: Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt (pictured above), Ava Luna, Sports Bar, Gunfight, Porches, The Honey Dos, Swear and Shake, Seascapes, Twitchers, Quiet Loudly, EULA, Team Genius, Marra Barra, Kidstreet, Julian and the Lopez, Young & Old, Noisy Crane, and more.

When: FREE Saturday, June 4th, starts 10:00 A.M. ($8 Friday, $7 Sunday)

Where: 106 Emerson Place, Brooklyn (285 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn, Friday. 402½ Park Avenue, Brooklyn, Sunday)

Coheed and Cambria

Have a hankering for some seriously hard rock? Take a taste for free.

When: Saturday, June 11th, 5:30 P.M.

Where: The Williamsburg Waterfront

Jadakiss

For some politically charged spittin’, Why not check him out fo’ free?

When: Tuesday, June 14th, 7:00 P.M.

Where: Apple Store in SoHo (103 Prince St)

Mya

For her new electronic dance tune Fabulous Life and everything else she’s been up to since Ghetto Superstar, see her gratis.

When: Tuesday, June 21st, 6:00 P.M.

Where: 1 Union Square (corner of 14th street and 4th avenue).

Northside Festival

The whole weekend of live music in Brooklyn will run you about $60, but the DJ sets from noon on on Sunday are free!

Who: Brahms (DJ Set), Project Jenny / Project Jan (pictured above), Infernal Devices, Friend Factory

When: Sunday, June 19th, 12 noon

Where: 184-6 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn

Wanda Jackson and Imelda May

For your rockabilly, Elvis nostalgia needs, see the legend and new inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Wanda Jackson and acclaimed Irish songstress Imelda May duet it out.

When: Wednesday, July 27th, 7:00 P.M.

Where: The Central Park SummerStage.

Friendly Fires

Do you miss LCD Soundsystem as badly as we do? Well, Friendly Fires can ease that pain a bit, because they’re electronically sonically awesome.

When: Sunday, August 7th, 3:00 P.M.

Where: The Central Park Summer Stage

Funkmaster Flex

Get your hip hop funk on.

Who: Rakim + EPMD + Funkmaster Flex

When: Sunday, August 21st, 3:00 P.M.

Where: The Central Park SummerStage.

AFro-Punk Festival

Who: Cee-Lo Green, Santigold, Janelle Monae (pictured above), Jay Electronica, Toro Y Moi, and more.

When: Saturday and Sunday, August 27th and 28th

Where: Commodore Barry Park (266 Nassau Street, Brooklyn).

And enjoy the free jams.

Janelle Monáe Hairdo How To

Jessica Lapidos — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:55:10 +0000

New girl in town is flouting a ‘do that’s frontin’ side and wild. POW! This funky hair she’s wearing is called the “Janelle Monáe” because, well, she’s the lady that’s heating things up on her gorgeous album The ArchAndroid. Now, many of us wouldn’t imagine our hair could do a thing like hers – aka defy gravity in a tight flying pouf. But don’t doubt your hair so quickly! You can get this look, too, and make it your own. Watch our How-To Video on FashionIndie TV to learn how to do it yourself, and to hear Janelle Monáe’s bumpin’ new single Tightrope feat. Big Boi.

“When you copy me, you copy my past.” – Janelle Monáe’s Twitter bio. And I’m strangely okay about copying her past right now. Her look has the ability to look fresh on so many faces. And it’s not a cut, so you can rock it for a day, an evening, a moment, like you’re walking in a Wondaland.

Like the toxic two-toned lips and nails? These hues are from the Toxic Nature Collection by Illamasqua. The look is out of this world.

How-To get the LIPS: Atomic (fuchsia violet) Lipstick, leaving a strip clear in the middle. Apply Bedaub (mint green) Cream Pigment down the middle, blending slightly with the lipstick.

How-To get the NAILS: Start by painting the back end of the nail with Gamma (neon orange), and let it dry. Paint the tips in thick and curved with the nail in Radium (acidic lime shimmer).

The Ladies of ASOS Magazine’s Music Issue

Amanda Gabriele — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:36:53 +0000

The October 2010 issue of ASOS Magazine is dubbed “The Music Issue” and features some of music’s most stylish females. Shot by Thomas Giddings, the issue features Robyn, Sky Ferreira, The Like, Sunday Girl, Hayley Williams, and Janelle Monáe. See more…

The full issue will be live on ASOS October 1.

spotlight on: Janelle Monae

The Fashion Web — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:44:19 +0000

I fell for Janelle Monae last night as I watched her performance on “So You Think You Can Dance?” (don’t judge – I love the art form of dance…)

Janelle’s style of singing, dancing, dressing and performing is so refreshing in today’s monochromatic world
of music. I especially love her menswear-inspired style. She mostly
performs in tuxedos – black or white – and it creates a mixed sense of
Yves Saint Laurent’s le smoking, Michael Jackson, Thom Browne
and The Sartorialist. Her dancing is also hypnotic as she slides around
the stage like she is suspended in water, yet without the weight of
water slowing her movement.

LINK LOVE:spotlight on: Janelle Monae

Video Premiere: “Cold War”

The Fashion Web — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:06:51 +0000

How on point is the Arch Android in her video for “Cold War?” Simplicity and vulnerability at it’s best and for the right reason. In case you haven’t peeped the lyrics to the song, it’s about the only thing that should matter in this video…

So you think I’m alone?
But being alone’s the only way to be
When you step outside
You spend life fighting for your sanity

This is a cold war
You better know what you’re fighting for
This is a cold war
Do you know what you’re fighting for?

If you wanna be free?
Below the ground’s the only place to be
Cause in this life
You spend time running from depravity

This is a cold war
Do you know what you’re fighting for?
This is a cold war
You better know what you’re fighting for
This is a cold war
You better know what you’re fighting for
This is a cold war
Do you know what you’re fighting for?

Bring wings to the weak and bring grace to the strong
May all evil stumble as it flies in the world
All the tribes comes and the mighty will crumble
We must brave this night and have faith in love

I’m trying to find my peace
I was made to believe there’s something wrong with me
And it hurts my heart
Lord have mercy, ain’t it plain to see?

This is a cold war
You better know what you’re fighting for
This is a cold war
Do you know what you’re fighting for?

KELLINDOOOOOOOOOOOO!

- Makisha Timothy

LINK LOVE:Video Premiere: “Cold War”

Become a FashionIndie.com contributor. Subscribe to Envy.

Kia Motors Takes Jeff Staple on Tour

Saynt — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:19:38 +0000

Jeff Staple, the Owner of Staple Design, STAPLE & The Reed Space, and the dude behind Threadless is going on tour with Kia. I’m definitely not missing this one.

Kia is launching The Soul Collective, a traveling event featuring some major thought leaders including designer Jeff Staple and musician Janelle Monae, film makers Jonas & Francois, and Jeffery Kalmikoff from Threadless. For the program, the participating members will generate original free content demonstrating “how they roll,” including original films, games and music. The original content will begin this month and be released throughout the year.

Through The Soul Collective, the vehicle is identifying young emerging talent who are defining new ways to roll in their respective fields by giving them a platform and the freedom to create original content that reflects their style and expertise.

Here’s the roster of talents and dates.

+ Film – Jonas & Francois
French directing duo best known for directing videos such as Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.”, Kanye West’s “Good Life”, Madonna and Justin Timberlake’s “4 Minutes”

+ Entrepreneur – Jeffery Kalmikoff from Threadless
CCO of the most successful community-centered online apparel store

+ Music -Janelle Monae
Janelle Monae is a Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, and performer.

+ Design – Jeff Staple
Owner, Staple Design, STAPLE & The Reed Space

In support of the Kia Soul, kicking off this month is “The Soul Collective”: a nationwide campaign to include original exclusive content and a 10-city live tour that starts this week in Seattle. Check out details and tour dates below.

Rolling into Seattle starting Friday, August 21 -

Friday, August 21st: 12-8pm
Test Drives all Day
Performances by Dum Dum Girls and Wavves
DJ Sets all day from Soul Uno, Risk One, Supreme LaRock

Saturday, August 22nd: 12-8pm
Test Drives all Day
Performances by No Age and Chairlift
DJ Sets all day from N8, Sean Cee & Four Color Zack

Sunday, August 23rd: 12-4pm:
Test Drives all Day
DJ Sets from N8 & Supreme LaRock
6:30-10pm: Exclusive Santigold Performance… Get a free pair of tickets by test-driving a Kia Soul at any of the events all weekend!

Official Dates for the 10-City Tour:
08/20 – 08/23 Seattle, WA
08/27 – 08/30 Phoenix, AZ
09/10 – 09/13 Chicago. IL
09/17 – 09/20 Washington, DC
09/24 – 09/27 Philadelphia, PA
10/01 – 10/4 Miami, FL
10/08 – 10/11 Atlanta, GA
10/15 – 10/18 Boston, MA
10/22 – 10/25 New York, NY
11/5 – 11/8 Los Angeles

Gap, The Shitty Retailer That Ruined Christmas

Saynt — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:10:27 +0000

Gap manages to fuck up the holidays once again with a series of videos which make me a) wish I had a bullet for Jon Heder’s and Jason Biggs face, b) pray that Freddy Rodriquez would quit giving Puerto Roc’s a bad rap by looking like a tan midget, and c) hope that one day the GAP goes bankrupt so that we don’t have to be subjected to such shitty attempts at marketing. Seriously, I would rather listen to a choir of trache patients gargling days old throat phlegm than have to hear these attempts at Christmas carols ever again.

Below are some lowlights…

Rainn Wilson reminding us that his 15 minutes are officially up and Selma Blair showing us just how desperate she’s gotten since her divorce in their rendition of “Baby It’s Cold Outside”.

“We 3 Kingz” was shitastically performed by a beaner (seriously refuse to claim this one as one of mine), the African-American fellow (see we can be politically correct sometimes) from Weeds, and a jew who decided to sell out his heritage for $100 in Gap cash. Of course at some point the tannest of the group has to throw in some beatboxing to throw off the whitey. Thank you Gap for maintaining racial profiling in all your marketing campaigns.

Janelle Monae, the only bright spot in this whole campaign, attempts to ignore Napoleon Dynamite as he dances around like an idiot in his striped CRAP sweater. Seriously, when was the last time this dude left his house without a helmet and a ticket to ride the short bus. (P.S. Anti-Gay Right Morman’s Suck Assneck Jon).

My assumption is that Trey Songz and Flo Rida fulfill the Gap’s gay spokesperson quota cause these two are definitely kickin it on the downlow. Honestly, these two are gayer than the dude from Reading Rainbow eye-socket fucking the blind black dude from Star Trek. Oh wait, their the same guy?!? Shit that’s a weird visual. Seriously though does Chris Brown know he has a twin out there stealing all his endorsement money?

Okay, wasn’t sure who any of these people were at first. Apparently one is a comedian who once showed Madonna the labia licking ropes and the others are a group of country singers better known for alienating their entire fan base by talking smack about the President. So basically, they hate Bush while she just can’t get enough…

You can watch all the videos at gap.com, but please don’t.

Indies to Watch: Janelle Monae

Saynt — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:00:15 +0000

Diddy just signed this Atlanta based artist to Bad Boy. Expect her amazing style, hair and sound to be quickly hitting the streets of Brooklyn in about … now.

Thanks for the tip BuzzFeed.