RAD

If you haven't been leaping out of your body with joy already, Rad Hourani is soon to launch an affordable diffusion line, Rad by Rad Hourani. 4 shows into his career and he is already making a diffusion line. He's not fucking around people.

Draped asymmetrical jackets, drainpipe trousers and loads of boxy layers. All with a price tag ranging from 100-400 bucks.

Here are some choice looks via WWD that you may see on me soon :)

Walking to Suicide for Fall/Winter 2009. The song is an extended mix of Ghost Rider and Cheree. Perfectly meshes with his aesthetic and stimulates the ears and eyes. Gorgeous.

Jennifer Lara

I don't think Jamaican songstresses get enough credit. Jennifer Lara makes beautiful music.




The best cover of a disco classic. It kinda rivals the original closely.

Movies With Style: Tampopo

Sex, food, noodle westerns and a little bit of 80's Japanese psychosis. This is my kind of movie! The first time I watched this film, it was in one of my favorite human sexualities studies classes, Images of Eroticism, where we would read a dirty piece of literature and watch an "erotic film," such as "In the Realm of Senses" and "Salo." Tampopo has since become a favorite I've watched again and again.

Here are my favorite scenes:

How to eat and appreciate a bowl of ramen like sex

Old Japan Vs. New Japan politic



How to eat speghetti like a westerner

The sexiest food scene in the film (skip to the tail end of the clip)





I think I'll make a omurice in the mean time :)

Cleaning House

Currently editing/cleaning out the closet once again to make room for fall and finding these kids really inspiring (why is it such a sin to wear head-to-toe snow white when it's winter? I guess I should just opt for cream).

I think as I'm getting older, I'm trying to keep everything really pared down instead of trying to re-live my teen years (better, edited jewelry, better versatile cotton basics, better designer pieces, better, better, better). I think once you hit your mid-twenties, you want to look like an adult, style-wise, and truly want to refine what you look like.

You feel invincible when you are in your late teens/early twenties. Wearing extremely short cut-offs, showing a little black bra, lingerie as daywear, shop at Forever 21, wearing tons of eyeliner and dying your hair 50 million different shades was completely acceptable. But life according to Teen Vogue doesn't seem to apply when you are no longer a teen. And does it look good on a 25/26-year old? Not really.

images from the Satorialist, Cracker Your Wordrobe, and Drop Snap

Potato Lover

Currently loving the latest Selby series on Susien Chong and Nic Briand, designers for the gorgeous Australian label Lover. It seems like chubby little Potato stole all the glory from her parents.

So cute

A family portrait. It looks like they are huge media buffs. Check out all of the movies, zines and books in their house.

Looking at the Selby makes me want to redecorate my house every week and clear out my closet. Does anyone else get this feeling or is it just me?

all images from the Selby

Style Iconoclast: Gino Soccio

I'm a pretty big Soccio fan and try to keep either the Outline record or "It's Alright" in my regular rotation. It always gets people on the floor. Gino Soccio makes some of the greatest italo/electro funk songs you will ever hear. These are all essentials in the genre.

Dancer

Oh Canada

"...I really believe in seasonless, trendless dressing. Style before fashion. Clothing is a form of communication and I feel like understated pieces provide a means for more varied expression..."-Clayton Evans on why he makes "tees."

Here is a great interview with Evans for my beloved Dossier Journal. He is as smart as his clothing (of course!) and this shows that fashion can be incredibly intelligent, versatile and fun at the same time. It is exciting that this great label is getting lots of press and I hope that Evans continues to blow our minds with his thoughtful, easy, beautiful clothing.

It was especially interesting to read that Evans made all of the clothing in the Arcade Fire project for Black Mirror. I guess I wasn't aware of the fact due to my disinterest with Arcade Fire's music.

The video is awesome as is the costumes. You just have to put it on mute (sorry AF fans. Just don't think it's good).

Here is the video for Autumn/Winter 2009. Be sure to nab a piece before I do :)

COMPLEXGEOMETRIES aw09 | TRAILER | Various Artists from JASON LAST on Vimeo.

Meditation Dressing

I guess I'm inspired by the Julius' show, but lately I'm taking this all-white kick to a whole new place. No more rock n' roll/punk references. I'm taking it to higher levels (my childhood adoration of the devoted monks in saffron robes, Chinese nuns wrapped in white, the lovely men's kurta tunics found in India, my love of ninjas and my Chinese-blooded/South East Asian/buddhist background). I suppose it my be part of getting older and growing up.

This father and son are a really charming, well dressed duo. I think they seem to get where I'm moving towards, stylewise.

image from the Satorialist

White Zen

My friends and favorite SF band Mi Ami have a new 12" out called Towers Fall. It starts out a a sort of oceanic meditation, weaving in and out of the body causing a zen-like state before drummer Damon taps into the heart with his snare and rhythms. Gorgeously sculpted techno synths swirl and sparkle around Daniel's dubbed out vocals. Finally, the 8+ minute song expires into a climatic resolution that falls back down to earth.

I always knew that all the disco, house and dub these guys listened to would ultimately shine through their body rhythms. Really beautiful record. This song sounds very organic, even with synths.

listen to it here at 20JazzFunkGreats

buy it here at Hoss Records

illustration by Géraldine Georges

Coconut

San Francisco has a poor, boring music scene. After being exposed to LA's strong art and DIY independent music community, I have to say that ours pales in comparison. It is embarrassing enough that fashion design in San Francisco is barely recognized and seems to be approached as a sort of cute, arts-and-crafts-amateur-hobby that is only a past time instead of someone's life's work.

Surprisingly, San Francisco, of all the liberal, left-wing dominant cities, doesn't seem to have a music community that is united in a sort of socialist togetherness like the kind I've experienced in Echo Park. People in New York, LA or Portland should be able to say, "yeah we've got really good bands/shows here, but have you been to San Francisco?" We just don't get that, at all.

There is a theory that good bands always break up in San Francisco too which seems to loom over us in this foggy city (My Bloody Valentine, Throbbing Gristle, the Sex Pistols and the Beatles all broke up here). Little sprinkles of amazing talents thriving though (Mi Ami, Tussle, Jonas Reinhardt, Brilliant Colors). But, it always frightens me into thinking that this curse, this dooming grey cloud would blight any beautiful music into oblivion or force such talented men and women to flee to the east or down south. We would be left with nothing but the hundreds of Bay Area djs who play records, drawing upon the nostalgia and memories of what once made this town a great place for music.

Trying to save us is visual artist Colter Jacobsen and Tussle/Hey Willpower member Tomo Yasuda. As Coconut, They write sparkling indie pop songs that shine new light on our grey skies and bored ears. Hopefully, new music collaborations means a new beginning for this city by the bay.

I think Colter sounds a lot like Arthur Russell and that makes me smile a lot.

image is an old, burned keyboard at Lee Scratch Perry's home

Taana Gardner

And then, house music was born...

This is one of my all-time favorite songs. I literally listen to this everyday. Walking, biking, working out, sitting, cooking. If I'm not paying attention, it is probably due to this song.

This video is amazing with great body movements and the kids featured have such great rhythm. I think it captures an energy, a good feeling that dance music should have on our bodies and something that most music now does not capture. REAL SOUL.

Work That Body

Lover

Remember when I posted this Roxy Music cover by Nite Jewel? Here's the video.

I've been working on my singing voice on and off for a few months. Hopefully, I will reach Ikette status soon. Ha!

Here's a short list of songs I'm trying to teach myself:

*Nite Jewel - Lover and What Did He Say?

*The Velvet Underground - I Found a Reason (VU songs are actually quite easy to sing)

*Strawberry Switchblade - Michael Goes By (Who Walks By Night)

*Tanna Gardner - Work That Body (had to throw in some Larry Levan disco in. Not as hard as trying to tackle a classic like "Heartbeat." I will post more about her and this song later).

*Marianne Faithfull - As Tears Go By, Something Better and Come and Stay With Me

*Francoise Hardy - Qui Peut Dire (a little harder but this is one of my favorite songs of all time. It's fun to play on guitar too)

*Lynn Anderson - Rose Garden (Eno did say country tunes are great for singing. This song is a favorite).

*Anything by Nico (it isn't supposed to sound polished, is it?)

Legend Brian Eno believes that singing is such an essential tool for good health and quality of life. Here is an "This I Believe..." essay from Eno for NPR. It inspired the boyfriend and I to try starting up a singing group and the program ends with one of my favorite Eno songs/records.


See, she gets it :)

Dude Watch: Asian Design

The best of the East.

Miharayasuhiro

I am really enjoying what menswear designers are pulling out of their hats right now. Raf Simons used In the Mood For Love for the Jill Sander show and here, Mihara Yasuhiro takes the beloved book, "The Little Prince" and makes it into a stunner.

One of the reasons I really like Mihara Yasuhiro so much is that he is really good at crafting a narrative. The shows always have a good story to tell and there is so much cohesiveness.

Normally I don't like utilitarian looks, but here, with a splash of red, like the rose in the book, and some good draping and layering, the military looks are softened and romantic.

I think this cardigan is my favorite.

If only all men could dress like these little princes.

Great image of the designer himself. Mihara looks like my dad. Seriously.

Julius

"Blessed people living amongst gods" - Tatsuro Horikawa

I like a good designer who knows what he/she is doing and knows what he/she is talking about. Horikawa takes us all over Asia, from Southeast Asian Buddhist monasteries to the streets of the Middle East where devoted Islamic women practice hijab (the practice of covering the body except for the face and hands).

I had a friend tell me that in the Islamic world, a women's hair is so powerfully sexual. It had to be covered or it would drive men crazy. Perhaps the combination of the head wraps and leathers (something that dominates the wardrobe of most fetishists) was a statement about our perceptions on sensuousness and sexuality.

I love the combination of the organic, soft draping with the hardness and shine of the leathers.

These make me want to go back to temple.

Juun J

There doesn't seem to be any storytelling here. Just good fashion.

I definitely noticed there is a lot of sheer fabrics this season. Somehow, on these models, the fabrics don't look too overtly feminine. Doing so looses it for me. A lot of designers are dressing men up just like women, which is fine on a certain level. It seems that gender-lines are blurring more and more (notice the open toe boots, a trend that is really coming strong in women's wear). But the charm of menswear is that it is masculine, structured, well-tailored and subtle.

I'm glad that guys have the option of wearing short shorts now. I always thought they should show off their legs!

I'm especially smitten with the color palette used here. I think I'm going to incorporate more cream shades into my white, black, gray, red dominate wardrobe.