TrendyNation

HighSnobette.com

2009-01-06T11:19:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone. If by chance your visiting here and wondering what happened to this blog, I'm still posting a lot on fashion, but over at HighSnobette.com, whose focus is women's cutting edge fashion. See you there!!

Love, Lois

Have a Very Rock Steady Holidays

2007-12-22T11:42:00.000-05:00

Hello my people. This is just a quick note before I got out to do basically all my X-Mas shopping. Me and Mr. Procrastination, we are gooood friends.

This lil' video clip of "Rock Steady" as performed by Aretha Franklin is my gift to you. Should you be feeling a little blue or perhaps overwhelmed by the craziness that is December, the compilation of best-of clips of Soul Train dancers that starts off the video will both make you smile and renew your faith in humankind. About half way through the track it cuts to vintage Aretha singing the damn thing. I'd try and describe what it is that makes her so awesome in this clip (and anything else she sings for that matter), but it's a reflection of her legendary status that there are really no words that can describe how amazing she is. Who since has surpassed her? In a word, nobody.

Reeboks Wit the Straps!

2007-12-14T15:51:00.000-05:00

I am a sucker for songs that call out fashion trends, but especially if they feature beats that make you want to get up up and shake your booty. Which is why I'm LOVING the song "Low" by Flo-Rida (somehow T-Pain is involved, too). In "Low," the key lines in the hook are: "Shorty had them Apple Bottom Jeans and the boots with the fur'''" which alternates with "Them baggy sweat pants and the Reeboks with a strap.." Too cute!

I'm not sure about the evolution of Flo-Rida's song "Low" 'cause even though I just started hearing it, there are YouTube videos of people dancing to it from a year ago (though maybe it was T-Pain's magic touch that got it mainstream attention). The official video is very much just okay, but maybe now that's it rocketing to the top of the charts, they'll redo it and get some more dance action.

Crap official video or not, there's a bunch of homemade videos of people dancing around to the song, and these are my faves:

This little girl is Awesome with a capitol A:

A very adorable foursome, I love the girls jumpsuit-y thinger:

Cheerleaders, which, I can NOT believe their advisor let these Wholesome County white girls do a routine to this, but oh well, the world aint what it used to be and that is a great thing as far as I'm concerned:

And this one just 'cause the way the whole "no homo" state of mind has infected the rap world, the sight of dudes gettin' down has become a total rarity and plus, I think it's funny how they sort of act out the lyrics by pointing to their sneakers when Flo-Rida sings "Reeboks with the straps...," which, while very four-year old/Hokey-Pokey dance move-y of them, is also just too damned adorable.

Karmaloop TV

2007-12-03T14:34:00.000-05:00

Most excellent online retailer Karmaloop recently launch a section devoted to people of the industry. This interview is with one of our all-time faves, M.O.B. designer Leah McSweeney. Wait for the end when you get to see her cute and smiling lil' boo boo baby.

Adidas Rumor

2007-12-03T12:39:00.001-05:00

There's a rumor going around Wall Street today that both Asics and Nike are looking into purchasing Adidas. How crazy would that be if Swooshy took over Three Stripe? As much as everyone I know has crazy respoect for Nike, I'll bet I couldn't find a single person who would be happy to hear that deal go down.

Clap, clap your hands

2007-12-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

I have issues with McDonald's as much as the next person (tho for real, the Egg McMuffins are the bomb!), but this commercial is pretty damn cool:

The kid eats his Happy Meal while boogying down to DJ Casper's "Cha Cha Slide" booming from his box. And I'm sure all you sneaker heads noticed that he's wearing Adidas Shelltoes. But did you know that Adidas is pulling back distribution of that particular style for the first three months of 2008? The idea is to bring back some of the brand cache that was lost because the Superstar was too widely distributed.

And p.s., yes, I am gonna just try and hop back into this blogging thing like I was never gone. So there!

Dark Days in the Evil Empire

2007-10-26T17:06:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody. These are dark days in New York for Yankee fans, I cannot lie. On top of having to watch the Sux march to another World Series, we've had to deal with the loss of Uncle Joe and what seems to be the demise of great leadership at the top of the Yankee organization.

Anyway.....it's not like I haven't been blogging. I've been posting quite a LOT over at HighSnob's ChicksWithKicks (god how I hate that name--thank goodness it's changing!). But it aint the same as my home base here. I'm gonna do my best to post here a little more.

Nike's Quarter

2007-09-21T18:26:00.000-04:00

Nike had reported yesterday that it had another great quarter, blah, blah, blah....the only negative they admitted to was that sales were down in Japan, BUT they were up like crazy in Asia overall. The exec who talked on the earnings call, who said he has been to his fair share of store openings, noted that the recent opening of a flagship store in Beijing was crazy like he had never seen before. Thus, we can safely conclude that like the rest of the world China has drunk the Swoosh-flavored Koolaid.

I swear to Christmas so times I hate Nike so much I love them.

Sneaker Boutiques

2007-09-21T13:36:00.000-04:00

I spoke to sneaker boutique buyers in July for a story I do twice a year for Footwear News magazine. I heard a lot about cleaner sneaker looks as well as boutique buyers wanting to give more floor space to clothes and accessories. Apparently guys having cut their teeth on sneakers as a fashion item have begun to appreciate putting together total head-to-toe looks.

^^Click to enlarge to read interviews with Atmos, Social Study and more.

Under Armour: Not Your Soccer Momma's Mindset

2007-09-21T11:52:00.000-04:00

A while back I was talking with retailers about Under Amour's campaign to promote their women's line. The people I spoke to it described it as one that features hardcore athletes, who weren't at all femmy. I, like the buyers I spoke to, thought that was a mistake on Under Armour's part. We all agreed that while women not only want to, but also and have more pressure on them to be in good shape, ultimately they still wanted to be soft and feminine.

And then after I saw the ad and it made me realize, I am an old-damn crow. Because you know what? This new generation of women is different. They're really serious about competetive sports in a way that my generation wasn't.

So now I have to give Under Armour its props. It created ads that set itself apart from its biggest competitor, Nike. It's like if you're a soccer Mom like me, you'll probably identify more with Nike, but if you're a young woman, you're going to like the feel of Under Armour more. So rather than take on the Swoosh head on, Under Armour chose to plant its seeds with the up-and-coming crew and slowly grow with them.

On a side note, we're going to see the launch of Under Armour's athletic footwear line in late spring. Me? I'm pretty damn excited about it. It's been too long since anyone has given Nike serious competition in the footwear category.

Kelis & Nas Performance

2007-09-18T08:05:00.000-04:00

This is sort of old--it's from this past July--but I just spotted it. Watch it to see Nas and Kelis perform "Bossy" and "If I Ruled the World" together. The concert ends with Kelis singing a line from "Me and Mrs. Jones." Their onstage chemistry is adorable.

Swagger!

2007-09-18T07:10:00.001-04:00

Wyclef called into JAM’N 94.5’s “Ramiro & Pebbles Morning Show" last week and the reason the interview got a lot of attention is 'cause he stated that he believes Lauren might be bi-polar. That's interesting gossip and all that, but I thought the better part of the interview came before he decided to torpedo his old bandmate/friend/lover.

Prior to Wyclef calling in, the hosts were discussing swagger and whether or not a man needs money to have it. This argument is as old as the hills and one that Kelis wrote about in the column that I posted up yesterday. Predictably, votes broke along gender lines. Pebbles was arguing that a man without money can pull a woman based largely on his confidence and how he carries himself. "Women see potential in men," she said. Ramiro wasn't buying it. He felt as though a man's confidence is directly proportional to the size of his bank account.

I'm not going to say that there aren't women out there who are money-seeking missiles and that money matters not a wit, but most females are looking for more than just cash. The mating game is a very complicated one and somehow I doubt that Mother Nature set things up so that only men with a big stash would be allowed to enter the gene pool.

And when Wyclef finally called in, what did he say? He agreed with the ladies! He said that back in the day when he and his woman started dating, there were "mad dudes" in his hood with a LOT more money than him, but he was able to pull the woman who is now his wife 'cause "certain dudes just have that confidence in them." For added evidence, at the time he met her he was living with his Mom!

I Want to Thank God......and Al!

2007-09-17T14:52:00.000-04:00

I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been posting around here much. Sorry, but I've been VERY busy watching Yankee games, as such, my absence could not be helped.

Before today, my last post was in August when I bragged about having great seats to a Yankee vs. Red Sux baseball game. I asked the Great God of Baseball to not only let the Yanks crush the Sux--which of course they did, sweeping the series no less--but to also allow for an appearance by the great Joba Chamberlain. As such, I am hereby sending my everlasting thanks to G.G.B. for making both of those requests come true.

Also, many many thanks to Al for coming through with an image from the game that features me. Yes, ME!

^^There I am to the right. And there's Robi to the left, waving to me shortly after hitting a crowd-pleasing homerun. He tried to get me to celebrate with him after the game, but I told him, I would be nothing less than a huge distraction and like the captain says, he needs to stay focused on winning each and every game. The sacrifices I make for the good of the team, I tell you.

Urban Outfitters Sueing Forever 21

2007-09-17T14:01:00.000-04:00

Unbelievably, Urban Outfitters is sueing Forever 21, stating:

"...that Forever 21 has infringed on its copyrights related to some garments that it sells through its Anthropologie concept."

What comes around, goes around, bitches. For years Urban has been jacking designs from independent designers. The sucky thing is that Urban stole those designs knowing that the indies would never be able to defend themselves. Now that they've finally noticed that Forever21 is eating into their business, suddenly Urban finds the practice of copying offensive. Rich.

Urban's not the only business that has issues with Forever21. According to the article:

"A little Googling reveals that designer Anna Sui has a T-shirt out that incorporates a picture of Forever 21's founders on a "Wanted"-style poster, with "Thou Shalt Not Steal" printed at the bottom."

Many many moons ago, I did a little side work for a designer, who Sui contracted to make her knitwear. What was the method to Sui's design madness? She'd have her assistants shop the Downtown thrift shops and she would then pick out her favorites and send them over to the guy I worked with to reproduce.

Fashion can be a beautiful thing, but behind the scenes, there's tons of ugly.

Kelis: MissBehave Column

2007-09-17T13:31:00.000-04:00

Betcha didn't know that Kelis writes a column for MissBehave magazine. I scanned for you, dear readers, but even if you click on it, it might be tough to read. In it, Kelis looks at how money affects relationships between men and women. It's not super deep, but I do like her conclusions, which I posted below.

"I'm a forward thinking modern female. I've posed a bunch of questions, so here's my take--leave the gold digging for the chickens and the birds. Expect more than money ladies. A man and woman should be partners. I business, partners play different roles equally important to the success of that business. Life and marriage are no different. so for all the jaded negroes Kanye spoke for, I suggest you made a T-shirt. Maybe the slogan could read something like: "Dig This: I Got Your Gold Right Here!"

Weeee!!! Yanks, Red Sux and Moi

2007-08-23T12:38:00.001-04:00

Appropos of NADA, I'm excited to announce that next Thursday night, you will find me, yours truly, sitting a few seats to the left of the Yankees dugout, sipping beer and watching the Bombers take out the Boston Red Sux. Woo-hoo!

Dear great god of baseball: Though I realize I should content myself with not only fantastic seats but the opportunity to attend a game featuring one of the most intense rivalries in all of sports, I am going to push my luck and humbly submit a request for a Joba appearance. Please note that if this request will in any way compromise the Yankees chances at CRUSHING Boston, you are free to ignore.

And btw, if you're a Yankee fan and your not reading beat writer Pete Abraham's Yankee blog, you are missing out.

Rhi-Rhi & Paper Mag: Ask and Ye Shall Receive

2007-08-23T11:06:00.000-04:00

Normally I don't post up whole spreads from magazine just 'cause that aint really cool, BUT because I got a request from a reader AND I think the shoot is amazing, I'm gonna do it anyway. Enormous and sincerely felt props to photographer Jessica Craig-Martin, assistant photographer Stephanie McNeil, stylist Masha Orlov, hair stylist Ursula and makeup aritst Mylah Morlales (all females--I love it!) who did an amazing job on this shoot. The only missing image from the shoot is the one I included in a post below.

Click to enlarge all of above.

Kanye & Takashi Murakami Cover Art

2007-08-17T09:49:00.000-04:00

New York magazine in a recent issue critqued the Takashi Murakami cover art for Kanye's soon-to-be released CD. The writer viewed the art as "confused and busy," and attributed its theme to nothing more or less than "West's recent stylistic infatuation with contemporary Japanese art and anime."

I'm not positive, but I don't think Kanye's love of Murakami is all that recent. Kanye's always been pretty up on the whole streetwear scene and Murakami as well as other Japanese artists have always been a big part of that trend.

For me, the cover art reflect his dichotomous personality as it relates to hiphop. While on the one hand, he's the ultimate insider from a hit-making pespective, he frequently takes an other-orbit, outsider position when it comes to his owns views on rap, as well how he chooses to present himself. Kanye is of the hood, which as the art illustrates, is in and of itself on another planet from mainstream America, but still in another orbit.

And perhaps I'm taking this analysis a step to far, but while the bear's body language is open and hopeful, his expression is blank if not a bit sad. In other words, while being a man without a country brings its own joys, as Kermit knows all too well, it aint always easy being green. New York magazine complains that the cover art would have been much better suited for his very first CD, but no, Kanye then was still very much feet on the Earth, focused on grinding out his hustle.

This worldview is perfectly illustrated in a recent issue of Complex magazine, in which Kanye rates the outfits of four celebrities based on how each of four cultural groups--"Devil Wears Prada, Hipster, Hood, & Middle America" would respond to it. In this particular issue, rather than breaking down the outfits of other celebs as he usuall does, he critiques four of his own outfits. (In some future issue, he needs to do a critique of four women.)

^^Click to enlarge

There are plenty of hilarious comments, like the one he makes on the Hood rating for his 2006 Grammy outfit that he sums up with a phone message he received after the event: "Damn, 'Ye, you let the city down." In the Hipster view on 2007 Hot 97 Summer Jam outfit, he says, "The matchiness is made up for by the ridiculous amount of jewelry and those glasses. Hipsters like it when black people wear a lot of jewelry." Funny yeah (and a little painful cuz I think that view on gold sums me up a little too well!), but the bigger theme is Kanye's Mac-truck-wide perspective combined with a fearlessness when it comes to acknowleding and even laughing at the multiple personalities all outsiders have to create to survive.

In rapping about "the gift and the curse" Jay-Z alludes to the alienation that results from being a black man born with an overload of talent and ambition, but Kanye puts the issue on blast and then even pokes fun at it. As a Scorpio rising with a deep appreciation for the deeply twisted I wouldn't want everyone to be like Kanye, but damn he is a refreshing change of pace.

And on that note, here are some gratuitous shots of Kanye at some recent event. Ya gotta love the kicks.

Magazine Round-up: Killer Females

2007-08-09T13:10:00.000-04:00

I just read through a bunch of magazines and when I was finished pulling favorite pages, the theme was clearly females who have it going on when it comes to fashion.

^^Amy Winehouse up first. Amy isn't always on point fashion-wise--case in point this image--but I'll love her forever and always for her beehive, which continued to sport even when on her honeymoon in the Caribbean. So, big points for her ultimate, I-do-not-give-a-fuck-what-you-think take on life. (Source: Vogue Fashion Rocks)

^^Bjork: even better than the Winehouse beehive was the evening that Bjork wore her swan to the Oscars, an all-time great moment in f.u. fashion. In this image from Bust magazine, Bjork is sporting a crocheted costume which she wore for the art included with her recent CD release.

^^It's Kelis and this is TrendyNation. Need I say more? (Source: Vogue Fashion Rocks)

^^M.I.A. I'm not super crazy about how she's styled here, but we don't get a lot of images of her here in the U.S. and given that she's in my top ten, best-dressed list, she gets special priviledges 'round here similar to Kelis.

^^Here's RhiRhi as featured in a recent issue of Paper magazine. I thought this shoot was amazing, and while Kelis is looking great lately, I'm not convinced yet that she has the autonomy to become, as she states in the story, "the next Black Madonna." In the same article she graciously credits her recent style upgrade to stylist Mariel Haenn. Again though, did she choose the stylist or was she foisted upon her? I always like to give females the benefit of the doubt, but ehh, my Spidey senses are not feeling like she's an altogether independent woman. I could be wrong though.

Stuck in Pittsburgh

2007-07-30T15:46:00.000-04:00

Btw, my people, I am currently stuck in Pittsburgh. I was trying to go the shoe show in Las Vegas last night and my flight out of New York was canceled thanks to a bunch of rain all up and down the East Coast. After three or four hours in Laguardia, I went back home and then returned to the airport this morning in hopes of getting on a flight on standby. I caught a flight to Pittsburgh, which arrived at 12 or so, but my connecting flight to Las Vegas won't be leaving until 8:30 tonight. Nice, huh? I'm gonna be hustling around that shoe show like a MANIAC tomorrow cause I leave back for New York tomorrow night on the red eye. And I know I've promised it before, but this time I am totally going to take pictures. I swear! The catch is that I will probably post all of them on ChicksWithKicks.

Anyway, this airport features a mall, so I'm going to go explore. Lol, only four hours to kill! Ahh well, at least I got some time to catch up on some blogging, which makes me feel good.

UPDATE (with pictures!!) I'm just about recovered from my evening meal, which started with Ben & Jerry's and ended with ziti from Zbarro's. And that my body has processed that nightmare meal, I'm starting to get that loser feeling, like anyone else would have been in Las Vegas by now. Given all the time on my hands, I took some pictures while I was here:

^^These are my latest footwear acquisition. I adore them. I don't know the real style name, but in my mind I call them my Coco Chanel Jordans. I bought them in one of those shoe boutiques on 14th Street in Manhattan and I might go back and buy the beige pair.

^^Outside of my Jordans, today I am Miss Asics as I am wearing an Asics jacket and carrying an Asics bag. A few months ago, I went to an Asics showcase and received an the jacket and overnight bag for my efforts. A lot of times the samples companies give out suck, but I ran all winter in the Asics jacket because it kicked ass in a million different ways, but mostly because no matter how freezing it got, it kept me warm. But this isn't an image of the jacket, it's the Asics bag that I also received. My son calls it his "Coach bag." I thought he was joking and playing off on the stupidity of designer stuff, but then recently he asked me if it really was a Coach bag. I like the way it looks and feels, but I'm not yet convinced of its durability. If I was walking along one day and the handle just ripped off from its mooring, I wouldn't be shocked.

^^I noticed today and yesterday in the airport that everyone is carrying these quilty bags. I kinda like them, but I kinda think they suck, too. This trend started as an ironic play on the grandmotherly nature of quilted, homespun looking bags, but now they're being carried by people who are not mean and vain fashionistas, but like the bags themselves, are nice and wholesome, which ruins the whole concept and inspires my disdain.

M.I.A. "Boyz" video

2007-07-30T15:31:00.000-04:00

This is a craptastic copy of M.I.A.'s "Boyz" video, but it's still worth checking out. She filmed the video in Jamaica and it's amazing dancing from start to finish. The fashion is pretty hot, too:

There is a cleaner version on M.I.A.'s site and then, too, there are some images from the making of the video here.

Here's one cute pic I pulled from the making-of-the-video link:
^^Check her cute, sparkle running shorts.

Banned at Macy's

2007-07-30T14:47:00.001-04:00

Macy's got some Latino folks up in arms recently for carrying a novetly tee that read "Brown is the New White" I'm not quite sure why that's so offensive, but oh well. A Hispanic marketing expert who commented for the above-linked article didn't help enlighten me either. Dr. Ed Rinco said:

"Macy's doesn't know a whole lot about what Hispanics want in the way of clothing. It also says that Macy's doesn't understand Hispanic culture. More importantly, it says that Macy's doesn't understand the Hispanics that lives in the U.S. and the kinds of products they are looking for," Rincon said. However, Rincon said some Hispanic customers might enjoy and even purchase the shirt.

Anyway, I wanted to check out the company that sells the tees, and it turns out you can buy them on a site called Surropa. Interestingly enough, the company formed in order to provide Latinos with clothing they can relate to:

"We started Surropa.com because we saw a need to offer products that speak to Latinos from both aesthetic and cultural perspectives. This site will not be the Taco Bell equivalent for "Latino" clothing. We promise to carefully select only those brands whose designs come straight from the source, the streets of Latin America...No crunch tortillas filled with hamburger...This is the real stuff."

It seems the only label it carries is Naco (which I think I read is some play on a slur of Spanish people). All the blah-blah-blahing aside, I really loved some of the tees. Here are three of my favorites:

^^We have these icie carts in Brooklyn, but not with the bicylcle attached.

^^This one reminds me of my neighbor. He sells these kinds of bicycles. I posted up some photographs of them on this blog a while ago and now I can't find the post. Oh well.

^^My favorite! I love anything sneaker-hanging-over-a-wire related. I bought a photograph a while back of the same image. When you stop seeing sneakers on wires, you know the hood is changing and the money--for better and worse--is on its way in.

And you know the funny thing? When I was just on the site pulling images, there was a little note stating how they've recently been hit by huge demand (no doubt thanks to the story of their banning at Macy's) and thus are a little behind on fulfillment. Ha--maybe brown is the new white!

To My Good Friend Suzanne aka Gabby

2007-07-26T08:04:00.000-04:00

Dear Sue: I've been informed that it was just yesterday that a mutual friend of ours nudged you to finally listen to some Amy Winehouse. As such, you need to report to the principal's office for your late pass.

Much Love, Lois

p.s. There's this great portable, listening device called the iPod. Have you heard of it?

p.s.s. Same said mutual friend reports that Ibrahima loves me more than you.

Long Time No Talk To

2007-07-25T14:56:00.000-04:00

It's been a minute, hasn't it? The crush of deadlines has passed and I here I sit with delicious amounts of time on my hands. It's at these moments that I start thinking that I have to change the way I do my life. I feel like I've always had this adolescent tendency to only do stuff that I feel like doing. It's turned out wonderfully in that I actually enjoy what I do for a living, but I feel like that route has left my bank account lacking. As a result, I look at people who are much more motivated by the almighty dollar than I and I'm absolutely fascinated by them. They have better houses, furniture and all sorts of good stuff. How do they do it? Are they happy? I can't complain, folks, I really can't. I am blessed in many, many ways, but I wonder lately where this is all leading.

Huh. Oh well, I started this post intending to state that I'm not sure how much longer I should devote time to this blog given other blogging opportunities with more financial potential, but oh well, in typical teen fashion, it took me a whole five minutes for me to start backtracking on that very thought.

p.s. The above image is a photograph by photographer Lauren Greenfeld. It's called: "Sheena Tries on Clothes with her Friend Amber, 15, in a Department Store Dressing Room, San Jose, California" and it's the image featured on the cover of a book called "Girl Culture," which was published in 2002. In my humble opinion, it captures the power of girl teendom perfectly.

Dame Dash interview for Footwear Intelligence magazine

2007-07-04T14:25:00.000-04:00

Many of you probably think the world is round. I am here to tell you otherwise. Two weeks or so ago, I found the edge and fell off of it. I am still struggling with my time off the Earth (You'll never know how beautiful it is until you're two feet aren't standing on it!), but until I am fully recovered, here are the pages from the Dame Dash interview (click on images if you want to read--some of the things he said were really fun/interesting) I mentioned doing a while ago. I was gonna pull my favorite quotes, but I have to go buy beer for a couple of barbeques I'm going to today. Happy 4th my people!

Kelis in Concert Somewhere

2007-06-18T14:48:00.000-04:00

My buddy Dee sent me these images of Kelis, which were taken at a recent concert by a friend of his. And yes, as Dee pointed out in the comment of my last Kelis post, I think the world of Mrs. Jones. But let me be clear, it's not so much that she's some great beauty, but that she's one of the few celebs out there who understands street style and dresses not so much to impress as to provoke and entertain herself and whomever happens to be watching. I feel the same way about Kanye. Put the two together and you have the fashion prom king and queen of TrendyNation.

Girl works HARD for the money!

Finish Line Snaps Up Genesco

2007-06-18T11:21:00.000-04:00

Imagine my surprise when I happened upon the news that Finish Line had purchased Genesco this morning. Now see, this is how a merger should be done--in the dark of the night with everyone stunned, amazed and slightly impressed when the news breaks out of nowhere. There shouldn't be never-ending gossip and speculation akin to rumors of Jay-Z and Beyonce getting married. Because it's like the boy who cried wolf, after a while you start feeling like you're getting played for a fool. Like, do Jay and Bee really wanna get married or do they just want to creat events to help sell records?? Like, did Foot Locker really wanna buy Genesco or did it just want shareholder to think it still had it like that?

As for the actual combo of Finish Line and Genesco, I sort of like it. Not as much as Nike and Converse or PPR and Puma, but it works. This is gonna be like one of those couples that from an outsiders view doesn't appear to perfectly click, but because they're different in the right ways, ultimately will help each other be better.

Kelis: June/July Complex Magazine

2007-06-13T15:35:00.000-04:00

If you either haven't figured it out by now or you're just new 'round here, Kelis is pretty much the Patron Fashionista of TrendyNation. At the end of the year, when I do my in-my-head, best-dressed list, Miss Jones takes up spots No. 1, 2 AND 3. I don't post up every image of her out there, but if I come across one in which she's extra, special cute or I just feel like it's not on every-other website, I will do a post on it.

This image right here is from the Complex magazine that landed in my mailbox yesterday. It's more an interview with her than a photo shoot, but the picture of her in bunny ears is still neat and I thought some of her answers were great.

Complex is a men's magazine and a lot of times when females are interviewed, you can tell that they're giving the answers that they think guys wanna here. What I like about our Patron Fashionista's interview is that you can tell she's just telling it like it is, straight, no damn chaser.

Here are a couple of answers (it's not really a Q & A as much as a thinger where Complex makes a statement and Kelis responds) that I liked in particular (I think if you wanna read the whole thing you can click on the image and enlarge it).

Men say: You don't need to know how many women I've slept with.
Kelis says: That's OK I guess, as long as I'm not made to look stupid, like all the girls are still around and you all have this little secret without me. If they're out of your life and you did it and it's over, I don't care.

Men say: Watching porn is not cheating
Kelis says: If a guy just does it for fun once in a while or uses it to interact with his girl, that's cool. Do I like it? I don't love it, but I don't really care. Every guy has porn, but anything in excess is a problem--like if you have to have it, you should think about that. That's revolting.

It says in the article that Kelis is a reality show star. I keep hearing about that, but I've yet to see any official announcement as far as schedule goes. To be honest, as much as I like this chica, I'm kinda bummed that she's gonna do a reality show 'cause it's gonna take her to a level of popularity that's gonna be a turn-off for me.

David Ortiz's Beard = Nike's Swoosh

2007-06-12T11:29:00.000-04:00

Busy today, kids. I'm writing an assigned story that I'm pretty much dragging myself through. I'm pretty sure the topic has been written about a million times before, no one is saying anything interesting and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to incite them to do so. The upside is that even though I'm bored to tears, because I work from home I'm able to write the story wearing a tee-shirt, panties and my new white Jordan hydro slides (which I love to pieces), whilst listening to Amy Winehouse and munching on a box of Honey Nut O's cereal. And of course in between every call I take blog breaks, which brings me back to this adorable video I came across just now on Deadspin. It's a Tina Cervasio interview with Manny Ramirez and his stylist in his hotel room. Beyond the weird comparisons the team haircutter, "LMonstro" makes between Ortiz's beard and the Nike swoosh, there's this weird sexual tension floating in the air, inspired no doubt by the interview's location, the funny topic and what I'm thinking is a case of genetic makeup that makes it impossible for a Dominican man NOT to flirt with a pretty female. Watch just to hear Manny state emphatically: "When you look good, you play good!!"

UPDATE: Normally I would go back in and edit the post, but in the interest of being honest, I'm gonna use this moment to point out one of my foibles as a writer. Note how in the first two sentences of this post, I use "pretty" once each in consecutive sentences. And then when I'm talking about the video, I use "weird" twice in one sentence. I do that shit all the time and it drives me nuts. You'd think given that I'm a flipping college graduate I'd have the vocabulary to think of another adjective besides "pretty" or "weird" but apparently not!

Anyway, I'm off to a Yankee game. If the game doesn't get rained out and you happen to tune in, look for me about four rows back from where Derek Jeter takes his warm-up swings. I sat in the same seats for two games last year and I don't believe there are any posher ones in the stadium. I'll be checking to see if Robbie is still spending most of his warm-up scanning the crowd for pretty senoritas and just seeing what his friend Melky does before he comes up to bat since he is currently my heart's favorite Yankee (I'll be wearing his tee), and he didn't play in the games I attended last year. Yes I know--between these tickets and the freedom to work in my underwear, I am one lucky woman.

POSTGAME UPDATE: Robbie Cano still very much scans the crowd for hotties during his so-called warm-up bats. A coworker of mine thinks it's because he's such a gifted player that at times the game gets boring for him. That could be true in part, but mostly I think it's 'cause he's a young, single man who's thinking about getting laid a lot. As for what Melky, aka "Leche," does during his warm-up time, there's not a lot of interesting going on there. He keeps his back to the crowd the whole time.

I did hear some interesting gossip at the game. Wanna hear? I thought so. Word on the street is that the mistress that Alex was caught up with last week was the same one that David Wright was dating last year. This news is courtesy of a friend of some guys who work in broadcasting. I'm told they viewed the fact that Alex took Dave's leftovers as yet another knock on his personality.

It's a total rumor, but it seems entirely plausible to me. I've heard that most athletes these days stick to professionals (more costly yes, but only about 1,000 percent more sensible that effing the barely legal teen who, you find out after the fact, keeps a scrapbook of your headlines and only stopped bringing her "I heart" posters to the games last year) so it makes sense that there's some repeat business among the women who have learned to work the MLB circuit. What's funny to me is that despite the ratings potential this latest twist has stayed secret. Guys and all their codes of silence crack me up. Listening to the broadcasts during the time Alex's spot was being blown up worldwide, you'd think the event was a no-hitter-in-progress the way announcers avoided talking about it.

POSTGAME UPDATE NO. 2: EVIDENCE!!

My buddy Al sent me this image from the Yankee's game last night. It's Robbie caught red-handed!!

^^NOT looking for Rudy Guiliani's mug! (Thanks, Al. This is gonna make me chuckle all morning.)

Kanye & His Momma

2007-06-07T13:49:00.000-04:00

Kanye's been out and about helping his Ma promote her new book, "Raising Kanye." Here's some images of him and her from a New York book signing:

^^This one's cute 'cause you kinda get to see his softer side, but more importantly, check out how his Jordans. I'm hearing from retailers and just observing with my own two eyes that the kids don't seem to be as into the Jumpman this summer as they were last year. Lots of Nike yes, but not so much Jordan so it's interesting to me that Mr. West is putting them on.

^^Nice jacket, kid!

^^The book itself. I heard Donda interviewed on Wendy Williams today and it came out that they both used the same cowriter, Karen Hunter.

And here's a video of Kanye and his Mom making an appearance on the Ellen show. It's kind of a weird interview 'cause at first Kanye is just sitting there meekly as Ellen goes on and on about how talented and smart he is, then he starts talking all kind of smack, which is of course entertaining, but by the time the video ends, Ms. West has barely gotten in two words edgewise!

TooFly: Lookbook and more!!

2007-06-07T09:28:00.000-04:00

Talented young artist TooFly sent me her lookbook last week. The images include both her both her art and product, but just as important, since the shot was directed and styled by her, we get an angle on her vision of the world. Urban magazines and rap videos often feature "round the way girls," but what's refreshing about Toofly's images is how the women in them are sweet, subtle, sexy and so much more complex than the average video ho. And do not get it twisted. I am never against women working for a dollar--no matter how little clothing they're wearing, but simply put, the world would be a better place if more women of color like TooFly were in charge of how their images are put out to the world.

Photo shoot credits:
Art Direction, Design, & Style: Toofly
Photographer: Lady Eyecon
Hair and Make-Up : Alexandra Casula
Models: Jadeone, MelyC, Sheena Lee

If you head over to TooFly's MySpace shop, you can purchase the items featured in her lookbook and more. Here's a sampling:

^^A limited edition print (I bought one of these and I adore it--it brings me MUCH happiness.)

^^Tee shirt

^^Tank top

^^Cosmetic bag,which comes in a variety of sizes.

She's also got a vinyl toy customized with her designs and some postcards, too.

Webby Awards

2007-06-06T09:03:00.000-04:00

The Webby Awards took place last night and thanks to my good friend Rick, who was involved somehow in the production, I got to go. For those of you who don't know, the Webbys are considered to be the Oscars of Internet awards. I went with Rick six years ago, but this time around it was ten times more big money and fancy. I don't often go to chi-chi events in Manhattan and I'd like to say it's because I find them boring and ridiculous (which they always are), but the truth is that I'm rarely invited to them.

What fascinates me always when I go to these events is how white they are and the Webby Awards was no exception. New York prides itself on its diversity, but damn, looking around that room last night I felt like I had stepped out of my beautiful mosaic and into a show honoring the residents of Salt Lake City. Many awards were given out last night and I swear to you that while there were many people of color serving food and drinks, I don't recall one single one accepting an award. How can that even fucking be?

It's funny, I'll bet you that if you took a poll, 99.9 percent of the people in that room would tell you that they believe in the importance of diversity. What my people don't understand, however, is that belief aint enough. There are of course hugely talented folks who will always easily knock the door down, but the better thing would be if we not only opened the door, but extended an invitation. People of color will always find a way, but in 2007 at an award ceremony where the host bragged about how many attendees were international, they shouldn't be having to scrape and claw their way in.

I mean really, if Donna Summer can let Napolean Dynomite's father dance behind her, can my people not show even a sliver of her generosity??

Rhianna Rocks the Hot Trends

2007-06-01T15:10:00.000-04:00

^^It's been tough to find images of celebs wearing anything imaginative these days. Lately all females are wearing are those thigh-length pregnancy shirts either by themselves or with straight leg jeans and a pair of flats or low heels. This image of Rhianna aint exactly ground-breaking, but I like that she's rocking high-tops, plus her leather jacket is cute. Note also that this one of the rare instance that you'll see this Bajan beauty sans much makeup. Behind Rhi-Rhi, her friend (or assistant) is sporting the slip-on flat leather boots and that shemagh scarf that's been all the rage with Downtown hipsters. Both of these outfits are pretty much gonna be the casual uniform for young trendoids come fall.

Image source: Bossip.com

Foot Locker and Genesco: It's Over, Johnny!

2007-05-31T11:33:00.001-04:00

Oh happy day. I just got this update:

Foot Locker said that today confirmed that it had made a proposal to Genesco Inc. to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Genesco for $51 per share but that in light of Genesco's public release this morning, Foot Locker announced that it was no longer pursuing its proposal.

That slight tremor you just felt was all the employees of Genesco breathing a collective sigh of relief!

Foot Locker: Look Within, Grasshopper

2007-05-31T10:53:00.000-04:00

It was revealed today that Foot Locker made another bid of $51/share for Genesco. For the past five days, Genesco has been trading for slightly above $51. I'm hardly an expert on these matters, but it looks to me given the current value of Genesco's stock that Foot Locker is still low-balling it. That at this point, it's making an offer just to save face.

I don't know what's up with Foot Locker. Here it is trying to buy another major retailer while just last week it announced that it was going to reduce planned openings of its newest retail concept, Footquarters, 'cause the stores it has opened thus far haven't done so hot. Plus, its own Foot Locker stores are looking half a mess.

Somehow these days, Foot Locker is reminding me of Lindsey Lohan's father (yep, that's him in the image above). Here's a guy who just got out of jail and has a stack of issues a mile deep, and yet somehow he feels qualified to advise his daughter--through press interviews no less--how she should straighten out her life. It's like, Mr. Lohan AND Foot Locker, the 12 steps, you might wanna park yourself at No. 4 for a minute. Need a reminder on what that step is? Here ya go: "Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself." If you do that, you might realize that you're not exactly in a position to be meddling in the business of others.

The Whole Limited Thing is Getting Ridiculous

2007-05-31T08:45:00.001-04:00

There was a story in the Wall Street Journal this past weekend about how the term limited is losing its luster 'cause brands are exploiting the concept. This is one of those articles that I read and think, well DUH, everyone knows that! And then I hit myself upside the head and think, why the hell didn't I write it first?? Sometimes shit is so in-your-face obvious that it doesn't even occur to you that it could be newsworthy.

Here's an excerpt:

Just a few years ago, word that Nike was about to release a limited run of a cool new sneaker would set off a frenzy. Collectors would camp outside hip sneaker boutiques, hoping to score a pair. So would entrepreneurs, who often snapped up multiple pairs that they resold for three or four times the retail price on eBay.

Today, sneaker makers of all stripes are starting to see the once-niche world of limited editions as a key strategy to market their brands. Vans is releasing about 70 different limited-edition sneakers this spring, up from about 15 in 2003, while New Balance will roll out roughly 36, triple the number in 2005. Makers say these styles can help grab the attention of influential sneaker devotees, generating buzz for the mass-market lines, too.

"We're trying to have a trickle-down effect," says Paul Fisher, director of global lifestyle footwear for Reebok. The company this year is launching "The V-Pack Collection," inspired by the 1980s cartoon show "Voltron" and ranging from $75 to $155.

The upshot: It's getting a lot easier to find coveted sneakers that have more cachet than your average pair of kicks. But for avid collectors--a critical group for sneaker makers to court--it's creating concerns about watering down the value of the limited-edition concept. Already, some classic Nike styles aren't fetching the premiums on the resale market that they did only a few years ago.

Jason of JB Classics, a brand which is mentioned positively in the article, hosted the entire article on his site and you can read it here if you're interested.

p.s. I found out about this article on HighSnobiety's newest platform, USnob, which enables whomever to broadcast their news on the site. Check it out. It's actually kind of neat.

Hip Hop Weekly: Issue No. Ten

2007-05-29T15:58:00.000-04:00

In my last post I said I was going to do a punk-rock fashion retrospective and I am still going to do that, but in the meantime, I picked up another issue of HipHop Weekly and I wanted to go over it a little.

Previously I reviewed another issue of HHW and said that for the most part I liked it. Since that last issue, it looks a little more polished, but I still think that it devotes far too much ink on rap artists that nobody gives two figs about. I know that might sound strange given that the magazine is called "HipHop" Weekly, however, the truth is if someone wants to read about some MC on the come up, they can buy a magazine like XXL that is 100 percent devoted to boring crap like that.

HHW is positioned on the newstand next to magazines like Star and National Enquirer so it should stay focused on bringing the hot gossip and images that we haven't yet seen on a million different blogs devoted to black celebrities.

On that note, one of the best articles of this issue was the cover story on the beef between Cam'ron and Jim Jones. Now granted, I haven't been all the way up on the rap gossip scene lately, but I hadn't heard about their fallout until I read this story. And it's well written, too. Like any good he-said-she-said gossip story, not a stitch of it may be true, but it sure is entertaining to read.

^^Dipset Divide! Their Tension Reaches a Boiling Point: "Me and Cam'ron Haven't Spoken to Each Other in a Year."--Jim Jones

There were a bunch of different fashion-related articles, but because TrendyNation is a big fan of Kelis, I scanned her two-page spread:

^^Unfortunately, the photography/styling (no credit listed) for these two images is a tad rough and then, too, the writer forgot to identify the flats she is wearing in one image and the purple bag she's holding in the second. Well wait. I'm looking at the bag image again and there's some small print on the side that reads "Kelis: Retina" so maybe that's the name of the bag. Anyway, check out the tee-shirt she's wearing with all the wrestlers on it--cute! Think she's making a statement about the current state of rap feuds or she just liked the way it looked?

Finally, there's an article in which the writer takes quotes and interprets what the celebs are truely saying. I liked this one 'cause it was related to the ongoing controversy over whether or not Jay's manhood is compromised because he wears sandals:

^^The actual quote is from a spokeman for Frye shoes and it reads: The perception of men in sandals is changing. If it's good enough for Jay-Z, it's good enough for every man." You can click on the image and enlarge it to read the writer's interpretation of the quote. I didn't think it was all that compelling.

And that's all folks. And by the way, the magazine for which I did the Dame Dash interview is out so in the next couple of days, I'll get it scanned and post it here.

Henry Rollins: The Wayback Machine

2007-05-25T08:38:00.000-04:00

Seeing as fashion these days seems to be a tad lullish, I figured I'd dredge up some pictures from my past. Back in the 80s, I was in an all-girl punk bad, plus I self-published a fanzine called "No Worries." Because of that, I have a fair amout of pictures from those days. I thought it would be fun if scanned some of those images and detailed some of what was happening fashion-wise in those nascent days of the U.S. punk movement.

But before I get around to that, here, as a little intro, are some images of Henry Rollins from when he was the lead singer for Black Flag. They were taken by Frank Mullin, who contributed quite a bit of (amazing) photography work to my fanzine and is still a photographer today.

^^This one is from a concert Black Flack did in Tampa circa 1984/1985. Kira was the bass player at the time and I interviewed her after the concert for the fanzine. I remember being tipsy (lol, actually I was probably flat-out drunk) at the time and feeling like the interview just didn't go well. I sort of got stuck on the theme of how it might be challenging for her to be the only female in such a macho band, but she wasn't having it. So whether I put her on the defensive or we just didn't click as people, the exchange never flowed, which, as any writer knows, will happen from time to time.

The following three images were taken by Frank at a concert I organized for Black Flag in Gainesville, Fla. I'm close to positive that this show took place just before the one in Tampa. Punk concerts were so far and few between in those days that we would often follow the band to Tampa or Miami to see them and whatever local bands were opening for them. At this show, which was at a local community center, my total cut was something like $663, by far the most I ever made putting on a show. Because the band manager and I were punk like that (he was actually very straight-laced and super-organized, the perfect persona for any club owners that might be put off by either the name of the band or the reputation that preceded it), he added on $3 so that I was paid a total of $666.

After the show, a bunch of us locals plus members of the band had a late-night breakfast at a Gainesville restaurant. Henry and I sat at the same table and--ever the writer even then--he mentioned having a bunch of letters to mail. I told him that I would be happy to do that favor for him and he thanked me and called me "the bee's knees." To this day, that's one of my all-time favorite compliments.

As Idle as a Painted Ship upon a Painted Sea

2007-05-23T17:22:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of images lately. I've been searching around the Internet for the past week or so and I haven't seen much that's worth posting. I'm feeling like we're in this fashion lull moment. Oh well. That happens. If you're not a design genius capable of taking the world by storm, you just have to wait it out. In the meantime, I was thoroughly amused by the t-shirt my downstair's neighbor was wearing yesterday. He swears it's a real company and that he got it from one of its employees, who lives down the street from us.

Too funny, no? And I pretty much hate poop-related humor. Hate.

For what it's worth, over at ChicksWithKicks, I did an interview with 80%20 designer Ce Ce Chin and I also posted up some images from the June Elle magazine that I thought were neat. M.O.B. designer Leah sent some images of her summer 2007 line, which feature her lil' sis Sweet Sixteen. Coney Island and its locals served as a background for the shoot. Leah's designs as always are awesom, but the images, while beautiful, are sadly emblematic of what the future holds for Coney Island. Out with the old and worn out and in with the new. It's progress people, but dammit, in the case of what is happening to the Coney Island amusement park it makes me think of a small angry dog, sitting on its haunches with its head held back as its owner drags it forward utterly against its will.

Genesco After Shocks

2007-05-21T12:52:00.000-04:00

We're going on about two months that rumors have been swirling around Genesco (note to casual readers: its most famous retail formats are Lids and Journeys) and at this point I'm thinking that the stress of all this b.s. is starting to take a toll on its employees, however small. I'd say all employees should either be treated to a free round at the local bar or a month of free yoga classes. Whatever is their pleasure.

The latest rumor is that a European private investment company is planning to buy Genesco and Skechers and then mush them together as one. WWD (Women's Wear Daily) is the source of this latest rumor and for all I know it is in general a rock solid source of this type of info, however, the last time I recall WWD being the source of a buyout rumor--that being Foot Locker going private--nothing ever came of it. As such, I'm not convinced that anything will come of this Skechers/Genesco thing. (Then again, maybe WWD was reporting what it knew to be the truth on that buyout and it just got screwed over by Foot Locker's slippery ways.)

Don't Piss Off the Hoi Poloi

2007-05-21T12:43:00.000-04:00

Given my fascination with class, I couldn't help but be, uhh, fascinated with this article, in which the mayor of Beijing blasts "outdoor advertisements that promote luxury and indulgence, for fear they would escalate hostility between the rich and the poor."

Here's another snippet from the article:

"Many use exaggerated terms that encourage luxury and self-indulgence which are beyond the reach of low-income groups and are therefore not conducive to harmony in the capital," [said Mayor Wang Qishan].

Apartments and villas that often cost millions yuan (hundreds of thousands of dollars) constantly remind people of the yawning income gap between the rich and the poor, Xinhua said."

Aint that some shit? I can't figure out if the mayor actually cares about the feelings of the poor is trying to stave off a revolution.

Anyway, thank god for the freedom afforded American businesses when it comes to choosing how much and where they can advertise. And how cool is that if the poor actually respond to those advertisements, we have the choice of either blaming them for being senseless idiots or dump it in the laps of rap artists!

At the Fulton Mall

2007-05-10T11:41:00.000-04:00

I was at the Fulton Mall yesterday, taking pictures for a story on sneaker trends. If you don't know, the Fulton Mall is a center for urban shopping in Brooklyn. All around it, the walls of gentrification are advancing, but once you're walking the blocks of the mall, you'd never know that some of Brooklyn's toniest neighborhoods, e.g. Park Slope, Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights are all within a mile. And then even closer are all the mile-high condos popping up all over the place so I just know that the Fulton Mall and all its many sneaker stores are not long for this world (in fact, there's already been some committee formed to spruce it up and bring it up to speed) so I'm trying to enjoy it while I still can.

Here's one of the images I took yesterday:

And yeah I have ones in which the girls are all facing me, but I love this one cause it tells an interesting story. I photograph people and their outfits all over the city, but whenever I go to Fulton, much more so than when I'm in Manhattan, I get a lot of questions about what I'm doing there. "Why are you photographing shoes?" "What's this for??" Obviously they're curious, but I think I get more questions there 'cause for the kids, this is clearly THEIR territory. My old white self is definitely out of place in Fulton Mall and they don't feel any way at all about asking me what my deal is.

Sometimes the people who are observing me as I'm photographing also ask questions, and often they're older and my guess is that they're looking out for whomever I'm shooting. Yesterday, I was shooting two young guys and a nearby store employee in his 40s immediately got in my face about how exactly the images would be used, and on top of that, warned my subjects that they should be careful about letting anyone photograph them. Good advice. I did a similar thing when I saw this nice-enough-looking young man and his female companion video-taping some of the girls who live on my block (and he SHOULD have asked their parents if it was okay 'cause not one of 'em looked over the age of 10).

So you have the curious, you have the concerned, but then there's a third group who see someone being photographed and their first instinct is to get in on the action ASAP. While it's easy for me to be nostalgic about the Fulton Mall, I'm thinking that a lot of the kids there are looking for the key out. Sure, the Fulton Mall is nice, but like every other young person who's been banged over the head repeatedly by the amped-up, in-your-face phenomenom that is new-millennium capitalism, they also want to be able to shop anywhere. And who knows, maybe they think having their picture in a magazine will be a step in that direction. (Then again, maybe they're just typical kids who like getting their picture taken!)

And it's the third group that you're seeing in that pictures. I was all ready to snap the shot, and BLAM, a group of three or four guys came rushing up behind the girls and demanded to be in on the action and that's who they're looking at in this image. Check out the eye-roll look the girl who is facing the camera is giving. In the next shot I took, the guys are gone, but the image captures the girl who's second from the right giving them MAD hell for invading their scene in the first place. The whole thing was too funny.

Under Armour

2007-05-01T08:28:00.000-04:00

Under Armour reported its first quarter results this morning. This is a brand I research so I don't want to get into too much analysis, but basically Wall Street is going to put a hurtin' on the stock today cuz Under Armour announced that the earnings investors can expect to make off of each share will be considerably less than Wall Street predicted. My bigger point is that I'm about to listen to the quarterly sales call, which all public companies do anywhere from a couple weeks to a month or so after each quarter ends (and EVERYONE can listen to the Web casts), and I' thinking, how FUN would it be if the execs got on the phone and just got real about the company's results. Like: "Let's be real. If you look at the numbers, shit aint looking great going forward, but here's the deal, it's not as bad as it looks, etc. etc." Instead we get, "We're very proud of our second quarter results, blah, blah, blah...." Got insomnia problems? Listen to the average sales call announcement and you will go past sleep and straight into a coma!

p.s. I post about Wall Street results because it's a topic that interests me, BUT I also do it in the hopes of showing people who are unfamiliar with the investment world that it's not that complicated or hard to understand. As much as we all love fashion, I'm hoping that we're all also regularly socking away some money--at the very least in a savings account that provides a competetive interest rate. But dear reader, if you're one of those people who can see a trend a mile off, you might also think about investing in the stock market.

p.s. Okay so my plan to post every day for 30 days didn't exactly go far. I lasted what, lol, 7 days? What am I gonna do with me??

Foot Locker and Genesco: Not Sitting in a Tree K-i-s-s-i-n-g

2007-04-24T10:04:00.000-04:00

Having read through all the analysis of this soap opera, it's looking like it is FAR from over. It seems as though when Foot Locker first started wooing Genesco, it was talking up a big game in terms of how much it was willing to pay for the stock--$48-$50/share, but when it came time to step up to the plate, the offer came well below that range at $46/share. I can see how Genesco must have been miffed. It's kinda like the guy who promises to wine and dine you in the most fabulous restaraunt in town and he ends up taking you to Applebys. What??

Still, it could be possible that Genesco is interested but simply trying to set Foot Locker straight. It's like, I might be interested in you, but in the future you need to step up your game if you want to be with me and you BEST not take me to one of these tacky-ass restaurants again.

My favorite take on this whole mess comes from a Motley Fool analyst, who points out that Foot Locker has become like a tired old vampire, taking life from others to sustain its own:

But factor in reality--Foot Locker is stagnating, in need of help, and Genesco isn't--and, well, you have the reason for today's 15% uptick in Genesco. As I pointed out last week, Genesco is growing more quickly and sports better investment returns.

If I assume improvements in operations at Genesco, extrapolate cash flow growth, and then plug a few numbers into my "model" (fancy Wall Street slang for "make up some stuff and run it through a spreadsheet"), I can actually see Genesco making itself worth close to $55 a share on its own. Assume Foot Locker would be the beneficiary of more cost cutting and "synergies" (yuck--I'm sorry) and why shouldn't Genesco shareholders demand a 20% premium to that $55 intrinsic value estimate?

I say keep sticking it to 'em, Genesco holders. If Foot Locker really wants to take away your opportunities for the future, make 'em pay $66 a share.

So what do people think will happen? Some are saying that the deal with Foot Locker is eventually going to go down and that's it's all a matter of negotiating the right price. Other says that a private investment firm may step in and buy Genesco, which means that it won't be traded on Wall Street anymore.

As things stand now, Foot Locker's stock hasn't moved much, but Genesco's is waaay up. In fact, it's up about 22 percent since these rumors first started circulating in early April. Its price is so high now that some analysts are now rating it as overweight, which means they think its stock price doesn't reflect its real value now or, even with growth, its value in the short-term future.

Anyway, if it's not clear by now, I am 100 percent team-Genesco-fending-off-Foot Locker-forever. And no, I don't own stock in either company. On another note, it should also be clear by now that I find these inter-company battles very entertaining (though nothing since then has topped the war that went down between Foot Locker and Nike in 2003--that was an instant classic). Everybody tries to act all serious, but the human element is still there. You just have to dig a little harder to find it.

Genesco Tell Foot Locker to Back the Eff Off

2007-04-23T09:35:00.000-04:00

Oh happy day. The news from the wire today is that Genesco rejected Foot Locker's buy out bid. I guess Genesco's CEO didn't appreciate being called out on the carpet (Genesco ignored Foot Locker's initial behind-the-scenes offer so Foot Locker CEO Matt Serra decided to go straight to the stockholders) by Foot Locker's CEO and he let him know what's what.

Here's the money quote, nice and simple:

Genesco said that after careful consideration, its board unanimously determined that Foot Locker's $46.00 per share cash proposal is not in the best interests of shareholders.

I said before that I thought this was a bad idea for all parties so I am pleased as all get out that Genesco threw up a Ben Wallace style block.

Complex Magazine: Kanye Returns

2007-04-22T23:52:00.000-04:00

And thank god for that. I'm not sure why stop contributing to Complex, but I definitely noticed he was gone. He returns to the May issue in a four page spread that's part fashion commentary and fashion shoot, plus his Beatdown column, in which he rates celebrity outfits. This issue features Lil' Wayne, Jude Law, Vince Vaugh & Owen Wilson and Nas.

^^Kanye is ably photographed here by Robert Maxwell (click to enlarge)

In the article, Kanye explains that he, like everybody else, is sick of all-over print hoodies. Nothing new there, but then he goes on to say that these days he's givin' hugs to Supreme, Stussy and Bape. Not sure what the Bape thing is all about--whether it's genuine or a deal, but it's interesting.

He also declares the "grown and sexy" look dead. Here's the key quote: "Enough already with the fuckin' three-piece suit. Ok, fam, we realize that you went up to the 5th floor at Barneys instead of shopping at the 4th (NOTE: Ha! How lost is that Barney's reference on not-even-close-to-havin'-that-kinda-money me??). Cool No more open bow ties stuck perfectly to your shirt with the vest! The grown and sexy movement is over with, rest in peace. I don't even know when't the last time I wore some hard bottoms. At what point did we become the bougie muthafuckas at the black-tie affair? How far dressed up are we gonna go?"

Such a bright kid he is and always entertaining.

Crush: The Story of My Life

2007-04-21T23:47:00.000-04:00

Ahh, so it's ten minutes 'til 12:00 and I'm writing here to maintain my promise to myself that I would post everyday for 30 days. I'm a little torn here on writing about the crush. It bothers me that this blog is often all over the place (theme matters!), plus it's sort of over at this point<----(Ha! Wishful thinking!) or at least in serious limbo. One thing I didn't mention before, which I want to address tonight, was that this crush is married--thus his tragic nature.

You know for many years I thought myself superior 'cause I'd never been with a married man, much less had a crush on one, but then I realized that the truth was that I had never met one that I was all that attracted to.

And because I lack a moral compass (or possibly have the common sense of a jackass), once I did find myself attracted to an already-attached guy, as I am wont to do when I'm trying to solve a quandry, I started doing various Internet searches to see if there was a way I could make make such an affair okay. You know, reading the various stories of people who have cheated and what they had to say about the experience and whether it ended well or badly.

One thing I discovered is that having sex with people you are not married to is a MAJOR taboo, maybe even as big as sexual abuse of a child. And yet, it appears, many many people do cheat (as opposed to abuse their children). And the other thing I discovered is that almost always, it's the "other woman," who is viewed as far more vile than the cheating spouse. Not fair, but hey, no big surprise there. As many people think cheaters are the scum of the earth, there are also many who don't think stepping out of the marriage is all that big of a deal.

So in the midst of trying to find the elusive loophole, it finally dawned on me that this isn't about the crush, it's about me (lol-just like A-Rod, it always comes down to me!) and what I believe might be my life's test, which is to find a way to stop jumping into relationships that are full of red flags from the get go. I swear though it's like cigarettes (one of which I smoked last night) in that from time-to-time, the potential for a dark form of seduction is oh-so appealing to me.

Foot Locker Trying to Buy Genesco: It Aint Over Yet

2007-04-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

I told ya this was gonna get greasy:

So it turns out that the rumor of Foot Locker wanting to buy Genesco (you probably know this company from its Journey's or Underground Station stores) are true. What happened was that the CEO of Foot Locker, Matt Serra, made an offer earlier this month, which the CEO of Genesco, Hal Penningto, treated like an unsolicited email from a Nigerian investor. So Matt went and took his offer to the street so that the people could decide. 'Cause, after all, Genesco is a publically held company and as such the shareholders do have a say.

Here's the excerpt from the letter in which Matt snitches out Hal:

Serra wrote: "Given Genesco's failure to provide a substantive response to my April 4 letter and recent public speculation, we thought it would be best for both of our organizations, and our respective shareholders, to make our position public."

I have no idea how this deal is going to go down, but I will tell you that the thought of Foot Locker owning Genesco sickens me. And I am not unilaterally opposed to big companies expanding through purchases--it's the nature of the beast when you're a publically-held company: grow or die. For example, I think PPR's purchase of Puma will go down in history as a great one. Same with Nike and Converse. But Just like Adidas buying Reebok, something in my gut tells me that this move will ultimately not be a good one for any of the parties involved and for retail in general.

Jay and Jordan: This Means War

2007-04-19T23:42:00.000-04:00

I was watching a Yankee game the other night, in which the umpire clearly called a low pitch to A-Rod a strike. A-Rod didn't say anything, but commentator Paul O'Neil pointed out how A-Rod used his body language to make it clear without saying a word that he thought the umps call was bogus. It's the same thing in the world of hip-hop. You have your "Ether" moments when we witness one man use words to publically eviscerate another man, and then you have your more subtle messages that fly under the radar for all except for a handful watching closely.

In this Rocawear ad, witness Jay's footwear. I can't speak for past ads, but even though Dame Dash and Jay have gone their separate ways, there is still a business connection between Rocawear and Pro-Keds. I'm not gonna say what Dash said when I asked him what he thought about Jay selling Rocawear and how he thought it would affect his company (gotta save that for the article), but I'm thinking this image of Jay rockin some sickalicious Jordans says a lot:

^^I got my Jordans on and they look like real sneakers

Note: And on an altogether different note, what kind of message is Jay sending Adidas/Reebok, with whom, as far as I know, he hasn't officially ended his shoe deal. Or maybe he has.

Source of image: Bossip.com

Jay and Jordan

2007-04-18T20:50:00.000-04:00

According to the calendar, it's springtime in NYC, which means it's the perfect time to break out a fresh pair of Jordans. However, if you wanna know how very motherfather cold it still is here, look past Bee, who knows she's gonna be photographed and wants to flaunt her bod, and check out Jay. He's got on a quilted jacket AND a vest!

A Message from Nike

2007-04-18T13:56:00.000-04:00

Nike emailed this to me yesterday; the subject box read: A Different Kind of Thank You:

Can't see it? It says:

Thank you, ignorance.Thank you for starting the conversation.Thank you for making an entire nation listen to the Rutgers team story. And for making us wonder what other great stories we've missed.Thank you for reminding us to think before we speak.Thank you for showing us how strong and poised 18 and 20-year-old women can be.Thank you for reminding us that another basketball tournament goes on in March.Thank you for showing us that sport includes more than the time spent on the court.Thank you for unintentionally moving women's sport forward.And thank you for making all of us realize that we still have a long way to go.Next season starts 11.16.07

Why is it that short of, say, the JetBlue CEO talking about how he was "humiliated and mortified," by the company's recent eff-ups, whenever a huge corporation tries to get all touchy-feely, it makes ME feel oogly on the inside? And I guess in the case of Nike, my cynicism is fueled by the fact that I've heard that Nike is questioning its level of WNBA player sponsorship and thinking of reeling it back in. It's just a rumor that I heard via a co-worker who's friendly with a Nike employee, but it's one that strikes me as a not altogether wild or outlandish one.

Anyway, who's Nike calling ignorant? For many Americans, THE only thing shocking about this episode was that ole, made-man Imus got the boot.

Swizz Beatz: "It's Me Bitches!"

2007-04-18T09:52:00.000-04:00

It's been a minute since I pulled images from a video (in part cuz it's time consuming, but also cause I haven't seen anything interesting), but there's no denying Swizz Beatz latest, "It's Me Bitches." Swizz does multiple outfit changes, for which the stylist deserves props, but the truth is, this video is about the man making the clothes and not the reverse.

As the artist behind New York's first legit anthem in way too long, Swizz's swagger levels right now are on full blast with him representing that we-STILL-run-New-York, hyper-kinetic Boricuaa flavor to the max. If City temps ever get over the 40-degrees they've been averaging for about the past nine months, expect to hear this song booming from every car slow-rolling down the block.

Here's the link to the video and here's a link to another video, in which he talks about the creative process behind it. And here's even another link to a lengthy interview in which he pontificates on a lot of random stuff.

^^Chillin' on my Beemer, listening to "Ether." Hightops is back, people.

^^Closeup on the white dress jacket. I wanna say that Kanye gets the credit for kicking off this look and that was a minute ago, too.

^^Swizz pays tribute to grafitti writers and old school, New York hiphop

^^Shine-wise Swizz keeps it pretty understated.

^^In New York, correct outerwear matters a LOT because unless you're inside, this is pretty much all people are gonna see you in for about six months out of the year.

^^Yeah, yeah, the kid's cute, but I'm dying to know what brand of hightops Swizz is wearing here.

^^And then you need your light jackets when it's too far into spring for Northface, but still too cool for just a tee. A hoodie all the time is fine if you're a young'n, but stylish, older fellas who aren't outgrowing their clothes every six months always have a couple of nice jackets in their wardrobe. I wanna say that Swizz is wearing the hood-classic, satin Yankees bomber here, but I'm not 100 percent on that.

^^"I smoke good eat good, drink and fuck good, Comin' to the club stuntin' like how you should." Headgear is another N.Y. essential. Of course you have your basic fitted, but in winter months, you need a wool cap to change things up and keep your ears warm.

^^The obligatory, barely-clothed dancing female. For a sec I thought this might be his woman, Mashonda, but besides the fact that she just had a baby, you know Swizz isn't about to make wifey do service industry work like that.

Barack the Roc

2007-04-17T18:45:00.000-04:00

Speaking of Ebay:

Hat tip: BlackFolks.com

Lucky Hippie

2007-04-17T18:34:00.000-04:00

I took my second pilates class in less than a week yesterday. Which a LOT for me 'cause I am not big on group excercise. I told my friend E. not too long ago that it's when I'm dancing that I feel my whiteness most poignently, but me in a pilates class? Let's just say that I do NOT stand out in that crowd. We're talking white-women-of-a-certain-age CENTRAL.

If you're living the true pilates life, there's a very good chance that you're also a fan of Lucky magazine. I like to describe the aesthetic of Lucky as new millennium WASP. The LaCoste dresses are gone, but that staid sensibility is still there, albeit modernized by slightly more sexual cuts and fabrics, not to mention the embracement of "ethnic" (which, along with "exotic," should be two words that any fashion editor would embarrassed to have appear in her pages, but oh well) looks as more than just items to be worn while visiting foreign lands. Slightly more slinky fabrics aside, it’s all still dignified enough for a proper lady.

Lucky is so aggressively married to this look that it takes pride in hiring top models, some of the most beautiful women currently walking the planet, and uglifying them to the point that their looks never exceed that of Lucky's gold standard for beauty, Gwyneth Paltrow. (I mentioned this to my friend KiKi earlier today and and she protested, "But don't they know she's half-Jewish?? Yes, KiKi, they do, but dammit, new millennium WASPS are inclusive like that!)

All of which brings me to the latest issue of Lucky, to which, full disclosure, I am currently a subscriber:

Yes, like editor Meredith Rollins, I too find myself suddenly enamored with “Mexican-inspired pieces.” In fact, I’ve probably viewed every vintage embroidered clothing item currently in existence on Ebay. Right now I’m watching so damn many of these tops, tunics and dresses that if I buy and wear even a small percentage of them, the only way I wouldn’t like come off like a white wannabe appropriating freak is if I move back to Gainesville, Fla. become a vegan and develop a serious weed habit. Then I’d fit right in.

Dear Readers

2007-04-16T15:07:00.000-04:00

Over the past couple weeks, I received some responses to posts that either referenced stuff I thought was interesting or included some questions. This post is here to play catch-up to all that:

First up is Al Cabino. I interviewed him ages ago on his efforts to have Nike reissue the Nike shoe, aka the McFly, worn in the movie "Back to the Future." Al already had a petition going back then and now he's launched a site called McFly.com dedicated to his quest.

A while ago, I posted up some images of Kelis at a party. A reader in the comments wanted to know where she can find the hoodie that Kelis is wearing in this image,:

^^My wild guess is that it was made by LRG, but whatever brand it is, it's possible that it was made custom just for Miss Jones. Can anyone help out with more than a wild guess on who made it and better yet, where it can be purchased?

Sometimes people arrive at my site via searches for brands or people or whatnot. They'll put a comment in the post, not realizing that it's waaay back in my archives. Fortunately, Blogger notifies me via email that I have a post on my site so I was able to catch a response that Hakim left on an entry I did on LRG. Hakim is an illustrator and in his post, he included some links to a bunch of his art. If Hakim is still reading, he should know that I really loved his work. He does a lot of sketches of celebrities and lucky for him, he's got a gift for capturing not just his subject's physical appearance, but also some essence of who they are as people. Keep doing youre thing, Hakim. You are a talented guy! If you want to know more about Hakim the man, here's a link to his MySpace page. And here's some of his artwork:

^^Ms. Alicia Keys.

Finally, Al, you wanted to know whether or not I could post the Dame Dash interview in its entirety. I think the plan is to run it as a Q&A, but I'll probably edit the order of the questions just so it makes more sense and flows better, but I agree that it'd be interesting to capture the interview in its exact original form because damn, it was all over the place! I'll have to see what my publisher thinks of that. He probably won't mind if I do it after the article is published, and knowing Dash, he wouldn't mind the added publicity.

UPDATE! MeLo-X also sent me a link to his MySpace page, where you can hear some remixes he did off of Amy Winehouses "Back to Black" cd. I liked 'em, MeLo! Definitely keep doing your thing.

Yeah it's been a minute

2007-04-16T09:23:00.000-04:00

Ugh, do I have some catching up to do or what? As usual I got bogged down by deadlines. A lot of you know this, but part of what I do for a living is research on ahtletic and other active footwear brands and there's four or so months out of the year when I just get slammed by one deadline on top of the next. When my busy periods begin, at first I'm able to keep posting here and do my work, but then I get sort of sucked up into it and I find that not only do I not write here, but my internet wanderings are limited to PerezHilton, Yankee blogs (speaking of which, hey Al--how funny has that Pinella diary gotten; poor RL,I guess we found the limits of his sense of humor!) and shopping on Ebay. In other words, everything very light and not at all mentally taxing.

The thing is, it bothers me a LOT that I can't seem to manage at least a few regular posts here per week during those weeks when I'm slammed so I've decided to do this self-imposed challenge wherein I have pledged to myself that from this day forward for the next 30 days I'm going to post something every damn day. Any post at all counts so that means as long as I check in and at least say something, that counts.

When I was mulling over what the penalty should be if I fail to complete my mission, I thought about promising my readers that I would reveal some potentially revealing yet embarrassing personal detail about myself, but now as I think about it, I doubt that I'd be willing to post anything all that juicy. This blog is not at all anonymous, after all, and lord knows who is secretly reading this blog without telling me (probably no one, but hey, us narcissists have a right to dream, too!) Heh, maybe I should let my kid post what he thinks my failings as a Mom are. Lol. NOT!

Anyway, I'm gonna go take a run around the park, where I will mull my possible punishment further (as if that goddam hill isn't enough pain--am I a glutton or what?) And then after I do a few annoying admin things, you'll be hearing from me again later today. I wanna catch up on some of the comments/links people left, plus Puma, Imus, the crush, Ebay and oh yeah, trends and shit!

For the Single Mommies

2007-04-03T11:40:00.000-04:00

I'm a Gator fan so I was happy to see the kids win their second national championship in a row last night. Like everyone else, I've been fascinated by Joakim Noah's sparkling personality and his obvious role as the heart and soul of the Gators. In poking around the Internet, I've noticed that there's been quite a few stories (here's a pretty good one by USA Today) that point out Joakim's relationship with his famous-in-France father, Yannick Noah. Not surprisingly, there's not a lot of coverage of the grinding out Joakim's mother likely did raising two children mostly on her own (once Joakim's parents divorced, they lived on separate sides of the ocean).

This clip is for all my single Momma sisters who get sick of hearing that a woman doesn't know how to raise a man. It was shot in the moments following the Gator's victory. If you haven't been following, Joakim is the one heading up into the crowd. A lot of us raise more than men, we raise very good men:

This video was captured by my good friend, Al Rogers. Either he is kind enough to read my mind when it comes to what videos I'm dying to see again and again and again OR we have very similar taste. P.S. to Al: last year, him and Donoven knocked heads over whether or not Joakim should have to attend a visit to the Whitehouse to meet the president. The kid didn't want to meet Dumbass cuz he doesn't respect his politics, but he went in the end for his team.

Dame Dash

2007-04-03T11:07:00.000-04:00

I interviewed him yesterday. The focus was on Pro-Keds, but we chatted about a LOT of stuff, including his old partner, Jay-Z. Naturally, I'm not gonna talk about details. Those get saved for the story I'm writing. But I will say that he was an interesting interview. There's that fog of fame that surrounds him, plus the fact that he talks about a million miles/hour. But what was cool was that he had NO editor. He really just said what he thought. I've interviewed LOTS of people and it's very rare that people speak like that and those who have had a lot less at stake than Dame does. Never once did he say something (and trust me he said some pretty controversial stuff) and then follow with the typical, "Don't write that." or "That was off the record." Still, while he was open, it was tough to get linear answers out of him and I think that's cause he just think like that.

p.s. As I'm typing this, I'm watching Beyonce as she narrates the many videos she made for her bonus tracks for VH1. Ya know, I don't always feel her, but damn, the music and the videos cannot be denied. And I love how close she is with her Moms. For real, this woman's talent and drive is pretty incredible.

Barton vs. Winona: A Most Amazing 45 Seconds

2007-03-29T15:47:00.000-04:00

Those of you who are sports fans have probably already seen this, but for those of you who haven't, please check it out. It'll bring tears to your eyes (especially if you're a dysfunctional like me who gets weepy over all the wrong things--like, say, McDonald's commercials).

Anthony Atkinson is the name of the amazing young man who scored the final ten points of the game for Barton, using nothing less than force-of-will to ultimately wrest the win away from Winona. You can read more about his thoughts on those final moments here.

And then on another note, I've been kinda busy trying to catch up, but I'm actually starting to get there (!!) so I'll be posting more here in the coming week or so.

The I-Ran: Apple's Newest Venture

2007-03-23T11:15:00.000-04:00

This video is a must-watch, but you have to watch it until the very end to see Apple's latest sneaker launch:

Lil Mama: "Fire"

2007-03-20T15:07:00.000-04:00

DifferentKitchen has been bigging up Lil Mama for a minute now and when I popped over there today, there was a link to her performing "Fire." It's from a whole two months ago, but very much worth watching, 'specially if lately you've been jonesing for authentic/strong female voices:

According to her MySpace page, Lil Mama is from East New York so you know she's not playing. I love her style, too. She's got that super-confident hoodrat swagger unique to sisters grown up in the boroughs of NYC.

Not sure if this'll work, but here's a slideshow from MySpace:

Infidelity

2007-03-20T11:37:00.000-04:00

I've always prided myself on my loyalty. People who cheat on their partners? Pfffft--how very weak of them. Folks who cross their friends or family for whatever reason? Scum of the earth. Naturally given my superior attitude on staying faithful, God has chosen to test me. You see, all my life, I've been a do or die Yankee fan. I've loved them through good times and bad, and prided myself on having never once attending a game at Shea Stadium (until last year and it was only as a favor to a friend!). But now I gotta admit, I feel myself mentally straying. Thoughts of cheating on the Bombers with--cough--I-can-barely-say-it, the Mets keep running through my mind, over and over and over again. I lay the blame of my treasonous thoughts at the feet of one man and one man alone....

^^...and I keep thinking, is he that good, worth throwing away all that me and the Yanks have had together until now??? My head says no, but dammit, my heart screams yes!

Amy Winehouse in Bust Magazine

2007-03-20T11:18:00.000-04:00

For all of you who can't get enough, here's a fresh image of Ms. Winehouse from Bust magazine (click to enlarge):

^^What is it about Brits that they always seem so effortlessly stylish? What is the special charm they possess that enables them to look sharp wearing fedoras and creepers (not to mention beehive wigs!), whereas any American trying a similar look comes off like a silly buffoon?

Winehouse fetchingingly photographed by by Jo Ann Toy

Foot Locker Trying to Snatch Genesco

2007-03-20T09:17:00.000-04:00

Foot Locker has been in an expansive mood this year. First it tried to buy Famous Footwear, and when that didn't work out, it announced that it was going to open up its own chain of family footwear stores. Take that, Famous! And today I read in Footwear News that ole Foot Locker is trying to purchase Genesco, which is best known for its chain of Journey stores. Here's a snippet from the article:

New York-based Foot Locker is said to be preparing a tender offer for shares of Nashville-based Genesco in the $44 to $46 per-share range. The bid is expected to be announced soon, perhaps as early as this week, the sources said.

And so far, it looks like Genesco aint interested:

Financial sources also said Foot Locker has made some preliminary, exploratory contact with Genesco. They also said they expect Genesco to rebuff the tender offer, setting the stage for an old-fashioned heated fight for control of the footwear and accessories firm. Should Genesco turn the bid down, sources familiar with Foot Locker's plans said the footwear and apparel retailer might be prepared to go as high as $48 per share.

According to the article, supposedly Foot Locker wants Genesco for its Lids business, but I think it's Journeys that's bringing on the drool. Either way, being so heavily segmented in the malls of America strikes me as a rsiky move, but then again, if Foot Locker buys Journeys, it would have so much buying power that it could potentially bring competitors like Finish Line and PacSun to their knees.

Me personally, I'd hate to see this deal go down. Retail if anything needs an injection of upstart independents and Foot Locker is already too big and slow-moving. And it seems like a bad match from a company culture perspective, too. It's like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes as a couple. They were both successful in their own right, but together they make ZERO sense.

Anyway people, if you stop by the snack counter the next time you come in, please bring me the biggest bucket of popcorn they got. And bring some napkins cuz I have a feeling this one could get greasy.

Bust Magazine: Sneakers for Girls 101

2007-03-19T12:16:00.000-04:00

The latest issue of Bust magazine features an article by famed streetwear designer Claw Money, and here it is for your viewing pleasure (click on it if you want a closer look):

^^Photos by Gisel Florez

The tone of the piece is definitely instructional in that in assumes that the average reader doesn't have much experience wearing men's sneakers. Surrounded as I am by sneaker culture, it's hard for part of me to believe that there are girls out there who choose not to buy a pair of kicks--however cool they may look--cause they were made for men, but then I know that lots of women, who, even if they were once Tomboys, stop dressing in a boyish manner once they hit their twenties. I'm not sure if that's about being more presentable to men or feeling more comfortable in more feminine clothing and shoes once you "mature," but whatever, it's good to read an article encouraging women to embrace their masculine side.

p.s. Lately I've been posting more on Chicks With Kicks, but I'm gonna crosspost stuff like this here so TrendyNation doesn't become a blog that solely alternates between musings on single motherhood and what sneakers Jay-Z is wearing today.

The Jay Superstar Love Affair Continues

2007-03-18T12:58:00.000-04:00

These recent images were taken in New York after a dinner Jay and Bee shared with Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin (I actually spent some time wondering yesterday--what the hell do those guys have to talk about, but ultimately I concluded that it speaks to Jay's ability to speak expansively). For whatever reason Jay continues to wear Adidas Shelltoes. I always feel like the Wonderchild never does anything without a purpose--especially when it comes to what he wears--so what the hell message is he trying to send wearing Adidas?

It's good to see that Bee has put back on some jelly since Dreamgirls, but she's got to be careful with the leggings. While they look good in person, the shine from the stretch fabric always shows up in photographs and looks like crap.

Amy Winehouse: Back to Black

2007-03-15T11:18:00.000-04:00

I found this over at PerezHilton yesterday. It's a little bit off the beaten path for 'round these parts, but oh well, shit's been off the rails for a minute here now so in that way it fits right in. Amy's coming to the United States to support her cd, which was recently released here, and gosh I hope I can get a ticket.

This song/video is ridiculously grim. As one commentator said at Perez's site: Amy Winehouse is one dark bitch! Indeed. If you haven't experienced the heartbreak that'll allow you to feel this song, well oh boy, good luck to you, honeybunch.

Here are the lyrics if you wanna sing along as you dab the tears from your eyes with a hanky. Well wait, that's waaaay too dainty. For this song, it would be more about wailing the words between sobs, lying naked on the cold floor of your bathroom. And folks claim romance is dead!

Being Viciously Protective

2007-03-14T22:42:00.000-04:00

So it's later in the day and I've been thinking about my post this morning thinking that it's not only ridiculously cryptic, but makes me seem like I'm some kind of a weirdo control freak, and not the fun kind who comes equipped with a riding crop. See, I am protective, but I don't think I am necessarily viciously protective. Also, it's not like I'm proud of that trait. I am aware that just as self-confident people are sometimes viewed as arrogant, there's also a thin line between being seen as mysterious versus a standoffish snot. So I'm working on being less tight with personal info.

The thing is, I'm not even sure if I've always been like this. I feel like maybe the tendency was there, but things definitely got kicked up a notch once I had my kid. Up until then, I was just this average white girl, but once I had Isaiah, who is brown/black, suddenly we were this odd duo. That first year, I was really freaked out cause I felt like people were always staring at us. I was getting a lot of comments from the brothers, too, "Is that YOUR baby?" I got to the point where I just kept my head down and didn't look at people. Meanwhile, I was seething on the inside. (Funny right? How dare they look at us!! To this day, I don't know if my situation was unique because I was a different color from my son or that's just what minorities in this country grow up dealing with from the time they're born.)

Anyway, what this all has to do with my deal with privacy is that being a single Mom and having a child of another race makes me feel that a lot of me is automatically exposed for public consumption and judgement--much more so than the average person. Especially the single Mom part. There so much negative propoganda (public service announcents even!)out there against us as a group that I always feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle against people's perceptions.

And for real, it's not me that I care about. I've never worried too much about what other people think about me, but the idea that some of that judgement gets put on my son? That somehow people still conclude, despite that fact that MANY successful men grew up in households without Dads, that my kid is lacking?? Well damn, see my post earlier today on pushing ALL my baddest bitch buttons and then some.

So see? That is part of the reason I'm in this quasi en-garde mode at all times. It's like I feel that you've SEEN enough already and any additional details would just be adding to the heap. But anyway, I'm working on not being so guarded and part of the way I've done that is by not assuming the worst when it comes to guessing other people's thoughts on single parents and their children. The truth is, however, that that would be a pretty major mental leap for me and I think I'd be just as satisfied if I got to the point where I just didn't give a damn anymore.

I Need a Deadline

2007-03-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Looking at the blog this morning and I couldn't believe it's been a week since I've posted here. I swear, once a swarm of deadlines have passed, I become completely worthless and can't seem to get a thing done. This past week was the one when I was gonna get caught up on everything, and damn, here I sit, more behind than ever. Part of it (warning: excuse making imminent!) is that shit has blown up with my son and where he's playing baseball this spring. I'm having mixed feeling going into details just cuz part of the reason that this drama has descended upon us is cuz his coach uncovered his plans to abandon his team's ship this summer by snooping around other teams' rosters on the Internet. And having already been ambushed ONCE by his coach with his blockbuster find, I'm not in the mood to be sneak-attacked a second time. Suffice to say, demands to make a choice are being made, which, in all fairness, doesn't surprise me. Though whatever, you'd think a grown man would know better than to try and back a single mom into a corner. We as a group tend not to appreciate that as it presses all our baddest bitch buttons. 'Sides, god doesn't like it when you fuck with his solo mamis. It's a known fact that payback on any undue stress you bring them is double. So while you may at this point be wildly confused, I'm gonna just leave it at that cuz in case you haven't noticed, even though I have a blog and reveal more details than lots of folks out there (perhaps even you dear reader), the truth is, I'm viciously protective of my privacy--it's a Scorpio rising thing, you might not understand--and when it comes to my life, my life, my life, I'm a true Scrooge when it comes to parsing out juicy details. It makes for the perfect reporter personality, actually. I'm eminently interested in YOUR life and YOUR dirt, but let's just keep this conversation one-side,'kay? Cuz my story couldn't possibly be as interesting as YOURS.

Jay-Z in Adidas

2007-03-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the utterly craptastic quality of the image. It's a closeup of Jay's shoes, which I pulled from Beyonce's "Upgrade U" video. Since Adidas owns Reebok, which makes the S.Carter shoe, there's no big conflict of interest, but it makes me wonder what the heck is up with Sean's shoe. One of these days I'm gonna have to remember to ask a buyer if it's even being made anymore.

^^You may not be able to make out the shoe, but it's hard not to miss the Adidas Trefoil on the tongue of the shoe.

Rocawear Purchased by Iconix

2007-03-06T10:10:00.000-05:00

Inconix Brand group announced today that it is now the official owner of Rocawear. For those of you not familiar, Iconix is a publically held company whose best-known brands are Candies and Joe Boxer.

Iconix paid $204 million in cash. Given that folks have recently been speculating that it would be purchased for as low as $160 million or as high as $200 million, you gotta give Mr. Sean Carter some more props for his business acumen. Speaking of the wonder child, he will be staying around as the brand's chief creative officer.

"[Sean Carter] will retain his stake in the operating company and his two partners, Alex Bize and Norton Cher, will continue to run the company and enter into a long-term license agreement with Iconix for the core young men's apparel category.

As part of the deal, Iconix will also enter into a separate joint venture with Carter, to establish a new brand management and licensing company to identify brands to be acquired or developed."

Now this is where it gets interesting. 'Member all the recent chitchat about Jay and Dame mending fences? Now that we know Hov is in a spending frame of mind, it makes a lot more sense that those two are talking, doesn't it? As things stand now, Dame is the licensee for Pro-Keds footwear and apparel, which, as far as I know, is owned by Stride Rite. The thing that I'm confused about is why Rocawear is linked to the Pro-Ked web page. I thought that relationship ended when Sean bought Dame's shares in Rocawear in 2005.

UPDATE: My buddy Tarik, who only knows the sneaker game about 100 times better than me, wrote to let me know that "if u check out the new roc-a-wear ads....they are linked to pro-keds. They have matching shirts with the shoes." So does that mean that when Rocawear apparel goes mass market, Pro-Keds will follow along behind it? Or will poor Dame once again be left in Jay's wake?

One other thing is that word on the Rocawear brand was that it was slowly leaking sales. Which makes sense. It's an urban brand in a retail world that is suddenly running like an escaped convict from that description. These days it's all about streetwear, which people will also be running from a few years from now. "We're not streetwear, we're [insert next hot description for clothing that city people like to rock]," but in the meantime, Iconix didn't buy a brand so that it could let it slowly peter out with the retailers who currently carry it. So expect to find Rocawear showing up in all sorts of stores you'd never imagined it being in. Hopefully we're not talking FUBU levels of ugliness, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Reebok 25th Anniversary Freestyle Party

2007-03-02T08:39:00.000-05:00

'Member yesterday I said I was going to a Reebok party? Well I went and it was a blast. Eighties nostalgia was everywhere: roller-boogie dancers, Downtown Julie Brown hosting, and trays and trays of gross 80s food like mini-burgers and pizzas, corndogs, carrot sticks and dip, not to mention wacky cocktails in multiple colors (I had to leave before they served up the Twinkies, dammit!). The highlight of the evening for me had to be when the legendary Spinderella (!!) kicked off her set on the ones and twos with....wait for it, "Push It"!!!

Here are some of the images:

^^Happy Birthday to Freestyle

^^Wall art that detailed Freestle's history

^^My hang crew: KiKi, Constance and my blogging partner at HighSnobiety, Samia.

^^Partygoer: that's her Mom's purse she's showing off. Lol, me and Samia also brought our Moms' bags!

^^One of the servers (Samia was nice enough to hold her tray of corndogs for the picture)

There were also some celebs there like Cybil Shephard and Brooke Shields. We all figured that they were part of the nostalgia theme, but then Tara Reid showed up and it was like, huh, what'd she have to do with the 80s?

Sneaker High High High

2007-03-01T15:49:00.000-05:00

Here's a very recent story I did for Footwear Intelligence on the reemergence of mid and high athletic footwear styles as a fashion trend--in particular for the female customer. On the one hand, I LOVE this story cause I feel like I was out front on writing about this trend...waaay out front actually, but the flow of the story is just ehh (it's a writer thing, sometimes a story you write just moves and other times it jumps and starts--this one does the latter) and every time I look at it, I get mad all over again at the art director, who ignored my repeated pleas to make sure the story didn't get sent out without captions on the photos.

So now I'm gonna finally identify what the heck is going on with the pictures.

^^That's Samia, who blogs with me at ChicksWithKicks, on the left in her hightop Reeboks. I photographed the two kids on the right in the East Village. One had on Jordans and the other was wearing SBs

^^I shot the adorable teen on the left wearing a pair of green Chuck Taylor hightops at a boutique in Brooklyn and that's Louis Colon on the right, standing in his boutique, Laces, modeling a pair of Cr8tive Recs.

If you click on the images, they might actually get big enough to read the story.

Legwarmers Optional: You Knew it Had to Happen!

2007-03-01T12:51:00.000-05:00

Jane magazine's latest issue features a story by Celia Ellenberg on the latest retro craze, aerobic dance classes! Crunch Fitness is offering Retro-Robies classes where you can dance along with classics like "Shake Your Groove Thing," "Freeway of Love," and of course, "Footloose."

^^Click to enlarge article.

Perhaps not coincidentally, tonight I'm attending an event celebrating the return of Reebok's Freestyle, described as "a star-studded event commemorating the 25th anniversary of one of the most successful women's footwear collections of all times." Oh yes people, it's time to bring your braided, terrycloth headbands out of retirement!

Skechers: This is Rich!

2007-02-28T10:28:00.000-05:00

Skechers, a shoe company which has made a name for being the king of theft when it comes to stealing other shoe companies' hottest designs, is counter-suing Asics, which recently went after them for allegedly knocking off one of its lifestyle styles.

^^The shoes in question

Skechers USA, Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Asics Corporation and Asics America Corporation for trade libel, unfair competition and tortious interference with prospective economic advantage and economic business relations. Skechers seeks injunctive relief enjoining Asics from engaging in further unlawful acts, disgorgement of Asics' profits, attorneys' fees and $100 million in punitive damages. Skechers also seeks a declaration that none of its designs infringe upon Asics' trademarks.

"We believe that Asics has engaged in a campaign of unfair competition and trade libel against Skechers by improperly issuing press releases and filing a lawsuit to disseminate false public information about Skechers," says Philip G. Paccione, General Counsel of Skechers. "We also believe that these false statements were made with malice as they contradict sworn testimony of Asics' executives. These falsehoods threaten Skechers' reputation of being hip, cutting edge and original in its shoe designs, and they will interfere with customer relationships."

Skechers' lawsuit is in response to an Asics' lawsuit and press release asserting that certain Skechers designs infringed Asics' trademark.

The lawyers for Skechers must do side work as stand-up comedians! For real though, those guys don't feel any way about suing people. Perhaps it's just a scare tactic, but considering the fact that I'm even thinking I shouldn't write anything bad about Skechers on my little blog, I'd say it's effective!

On another note, I know a big cheese at a company that Skechers likes to "borrow" from and he explained that Skechers are experts at copying shoes in a way that keeps them out of hot water. Apparently the company knows exactly where and how much it has to alter its knock-offs so that that it's immune to litigation. Just looking at the two shoes side-by-side and remembering other copies that struck me as much more egregious, I have a feeling that Asics might lose this battle.

Wicked Shoes

2007-02-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

The New York Times had an added Women's Spring Fashion 2007 magazine this past Sunday and it wasn't half bad. There some decent essays and pieces on two of my favorite females, Colette and Patricia Field. The fashion shoots were just okay though and as has become par for the course these days, not nearly as interesting as the ads for the coutour brands. There was one shoot, however, that featured the most delish of shoes, which they paid tribute to by pairing them with each of the dresses that made up the four-page spread.

^^Shoes by Pierre Hardy

There was also a cute piece called "My Shopper/Myself" by S.S. Fair, which included a fantastic description of the Samurai Shopper:

A Samurai Shopper never shops out of desperation but hunts sheerly for the sport, or to hone her sense of aesthetics. The Samurai Shopper lives by Bushido, the way of the warrior; through consummate artistry and keen intelligence she prevails on the bloodless battlefields of Bergdorf’s and Barneys. She remains unflappable at overrun discount houses and the chicken-without-a-head melees of sample sales, because she’s a powerhouse of Joriki: the ability to act instantly, even in the midst of sudden and unexpected situations. While personal shoppers keep the infinite specifics of the client in mind, the Samurai Shopper indulges her love of particulars, sure that her fearless self-appraisal will lead her to the right thing at the right price at the right time. Sometimes wrong, never in doubt. That is the Tao of Samurai Shopping.

I don't know about any of you folks, but that description feels like home to me. Don't get in my way when I'm shopping, people, cuz I will cut you with a quickness!

The only big disappointment was the New York Times jumping on the bandwagon that declares Mary-Kate Olsen as some great fashion icon of our times. She got the whole final page of the magazine to blather on about how much she loves Channel's classic quilted bag. She even said: "I look at everything with a designer's eye, but I wouldn't change a thing about this bag. I think that why it's a true classic." Oh gee thanks, MK. Not sure when you became a designer, but I'm sure Coco is sleeply soundly in her grave tonight, knowing that you put the seal of approval on a bag that became an instant classic in 1955, the very first year it was made.

Shiloh's Got Her Vans On

2007-02-28T08:44:00.000-05:00

^^Budding Sneakeristas! Vans on Shiloh and those are white Adidas Shelltoes on baby Zahara

And for all of you who expressed concern that Madonna's black African baby wouldn't get enough face time with people of color, you were DEAD wrong and here is the evidence. These recent photos prove that her hired help, the driver AND the bodyguard, are brown-skinned:

P.R. Agencies: Public Enemy No. 1

2007-02-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

As a longtime freelancer, there's not nothing I dread more than when I call a company for either an interview or art and I get referred to an independent public relations company. Maybe I'm exaggerrating in my mind, but I feel like 80 percent of the time, I have to make multiple calls to get what I want from them (versus in-house p.r., which is almost always fast and on point).

First off, they often have that crazy, annoying I'm-all-that-and-a-velvet-rope attitude, like everything is an exclusive club in New York, and um, is YOUR name on the guest list. You know, all that smile-in-your-face shit, meanwhile the dagger is always within reaching distance.

Bitchiness aside, they're often unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of their clients' industry and it's a pretty sure bet that unless you're writing for some very well known consumer mag (or Women's Wear Daily--back when I did some freelancing for them, I was amazed by how lightening fast EVERYONE got back to me, including typically tough-to-reach retailers), they're not gonna know your publication and are going to make you send/e-mail them something to prove you are worthy of their precious time.

If I were a manufacturer or retailer and HAD to farm out my public relations, I would DEFINITELY call from time to time and pretend to be some reporter looking for information. Just don't be suprised if you call and discover that two different people handle the account and neither one seems to care about it or, even better, everyone is out at the office because they're busy pulling together a party for a really important client, which, btw, is most definitely not you.

UPDATE: This post, btw, was inspired by a call I made to a p.r. agency on Thursday of last week. When I didn't hear back from them on Monday, I called backed Tuesday morning. Not surprisingly, the woman I originally spoke to wasn't there and wouldn't be all day. I was told I could speak to a second p.r. person, who never got on the phone, but instructed the receptionist to tell me to send my request by email. When I told the receptionist that I had already done that and now planned to called the company directly, the receptionist quickly called back p.r. person No. 2, who relayed back to me that she would call back shortly. Here we are a day later and I have yet to hear a peep out of anyone at the agency.

Three Most Influential

2007-02-23T13:01:00.000-05:00

I was just chatting with Danny Wasserstein, who owns Shoe Gallery, a sneaker boutique in Miami, for a story I'm working on, and when I asked him which celebs he keeps on eye on because of their ability to influence the people who shop in his store, he listed two that didn't surprise--Jay-Z and Kanye--and a third that I personally would list, but didn't expect him to mention. Can you guess who his number three trend setter was? Check below the Kanye image for the answer.

^^Kanye mixing formal wear w/ a pair of kicks at a recent 100 Black Men gala. As usual, I have NO idea on what brand's he's wearing....anyone wanna help me out??

And the answer is........the slick-talking Harlemite, the one-and-only, the new Diplomats Don, Jim Jones.

Sticks and Stones...

2007-02-23T12:50:00.000-05:00

...may break my styrofoam, but Ohio State STILL got its butt whooped in the bowl:

Go Gators!

K-Swiss Sales Continue to Tank

2007-02-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

I've been procrastinating like a pro all week, but I GOTTA get some work done today so I'm just gonna do a quick analysis of K-Swiss's fourth-quarter results, which it reported today. If you yourself are looking for ways not to work today, check out my sister site, ChicksWithKicks, where I posted up a couple things yesterday as did my mighty partner, Samia.

So, K-Swiss....

The brand's fourth-quarter sales in the United States were way down, but if you inculde in its international sales, overall sales were up 1.7%. The amount of money that K-Swiss earned compared to the same period last year, however, was down.

I've said it before when doing this analysis and I'll say it again, when it comes to how a stock moves, a lot depends on what the company reported versus what Wall Street THOUGHT it would report. In the case of its sales and earnings, Wall Street was okay, hunky dorey with K-Swiss's results. Happy even.

But then K-Swiss dropped the bomb on Wall Street that came in the form of how much the money the company expects it will stacking over the next six months. Worldwide orders for its shoes are down over 22 percent, but as grim as that number looks, Wall Street could have dealt with it if it was in line with its own predictions. Unfortunately for K-Swiss, its outlook for future sales and earnings was waaaay below what Wall Street was hoping for and because of that, as we speak, K-Swiss's stock is doing a full-on tank.

I think what is happening is that the brand didn't grow as fast internationally in its fourth-quarter as it has in prior quarters and thus, what it made overseas wasn't enough to cover the sales its been hemorrhaging in the United States for stubbornly sticking with an all-white classic play book for far too long.

It's funny cause at the WSA, every time I passed the K-Swiss booth, there were a ton of people milling in and around the entrance, much more so than some competing brands. And that should be a lesson for anyone who visits these trade shows and likes to make predictions on a brand's health based on the number of people they see in the booth. Buzz doesn't necessarily mean sales are following behind.

Foot Locker to Launch Family Footwear Chain

2007-02-21T08:11:00.000-05:00

Footwear News magazine yesterday announced in a front-page story that Foot Locker will open a family footwear chain called Footquarters, starting with seven stores during the second week of April. According to Foot Locker CEO Matt Serra, the chain could grow to 600 to 1,000 stores over time. The company plans to end 2007 with 70 Footquarter stores nationwide.

A lot of people don't know this--including me--but Foot Locker once had a similar chain of stores run under its Kinney division, which it closed in 1998. At one time, the company operated 467 Kinney stores and 103 Footquarter stores.

If this plan doesn't tell you something about the said state of athletic footwear, I don't what would.

Nike Nike Nike

2007-02-20T18:22:00.000-05:00

I'll be attending some Nike product launch meeting a couple weeks from now. I'm kinda worried cuz it seems like whenever people go to Nike-sponsored events, they turn into pro-Nike pod people, seemingly incapable of saying a bad thing about the brand.

I think it's cuz Nike makes the people it invites to its events feel like they're special, like somehow they're the chosen ones, the cream of the sneaker world crop. Often you get flown to some faraway, cool destination or you're placed on a very VERY special guest list where even a measly plus-one is not allowed. Once at the event, all the entertainment is top-notch and the product you get to see is made all the more special cuz you had to sign a nondisclosure agreement before you could even lay your eyes on it.

So I'm just warning you, if I start gushing non-stop about Nike with nary a sideswipe about its ugly, money-grubbing ways, send help immediately!!

*****************************

On another note, but still on the topic of Swooshy, I bought a gorgeous Nike jacket from Century 21 a month or so back. I wanted to make sure I didn't have an excuse for not running in the park this winter so I figured if I bought some top-notch gear, albeit at a C-21 discount, I'd be ashamed NOT to jog at least three times a week.

And man did I love that jacket. Like any shopaholic, I buy my share of shit that I end up hating and never wearing, but mmm-mmmm did I FEEL this jacket. It looked good, fit me perfect and I'm pretty sure I ran faster when I wore it. My son liked it, too (yup, it was THAT slick) so when he asked to borrow it this past week, I said yes, but told him he'd better be very very careful with it cuz I would have to kill him if he ever lost it, which would suck cuz I do love my son to pieces, but a hot jacket is a hot jacket. 'Nuff said! Naturally, within, oh, three days of wearing it to school, he left it in the cafeteria at lunch and, duh, it wasn't there when he went to look for a couple of hours later.

Fortunately, the school dean called me to warn me what had happened (my son was so distraught at losing it that he wondered what the heck was going on) before he got home so thanks to him, my son is still alive today. Alas, I'm still missing that jacket. There's an approximate .002 chance the jacket may still be found, but my son is on vacation this week so I won't find out until next week if some kind soul chose to turn it into the lost & found.

In the meantime, I'm feening to replace the old jacket. I've already looked on Ebay and it's gonna be hard not to check for it at Century 21 while my son is at one of his practices in the City this weekend. The fucked up thing is that I don't really need another jacket. I bought another Nike running jacket at the same time as the perfect one, I just don't like it AS much. Stupid I know, but these are the true thoughts of a girl who lives for that perfect purchase. Shopping, like Madonna famously once said, can indeed really cheer a gal up, but, sigh, it can also bring her down, down, down.

UPDATE: One of my five regular readers asked that I post up a picture of the jacket that broke my heart. Last week I took my son to the Westminster Dog Show and he was wearing the jacket that night so it turns out there is photographic evidence of its existence:

^^My son wearing THE jacket, which even the Bedlington Terrier loved.

^^And since I uploaded one show photo, I couldn't resist another. If you love pageantry like I do, there's nothing more beautiful than a standard poodle in show mode, and this girl here even knew her good side!

^^A whippet featuring a frou-frou jester collar. I'm not sure how, but somehow I lost the image I took of a chihuahua in a tiara. The Westminster: Truely the gayest show on earth.

Branding Overload

2007-02-19T22:04:00.000-05:00

Agenda Inc. recently linked to a BroadChannel article, which was a compilation of opinions on the future of marketing by branding experts. A lot of them were dull, dull, dull, but this one by Faith Popcorn, founder of Faith Popcorn's Brain Reserve, a woman who knows a thing or two about all things up-and-coming, caught my eye:

"Like the movement to combat environmental pollution, the next consumer-led reaction will be against the mental pollution caused by marketers. With every corner of the world—both real and virtual—becoming plastered with marketing messages, bombarded consumers are starting to say they've had enough. The current attack against marketing to kids is just the beginning."

Could this possibly be true? It seems like kids today are more into brands then ever. Then of course, all good...and bad...things eventually do come to an end. Still, I'd love to see or hear any evidence that early adopters are shrugging off marketing efforts.

Cigarette Girl

2007-02-19T21:31:00.000-05:00

^^Speaking of my fave celeb couple, did you all catch the cigarette girl that Nas briefly flirted with in the "Can't Forget About You" video? (And good lord, if the man to Nas's left doesn't have the most GORGEOUS cheek bones! Hot dang!!)

NBA All-Star Weekend

2007-02-19T15:50:00.000-05:00

Las Vegas is the perfect place for the NBA All-Star game. There's the whole win/lose mentality that matches up well with any sport, but there's something about the flashy, up-close nature of hoops that matches the sensibilities of Vegas more than any other competetive game. You know this morning all those young playas were thinking, "How come we can't do it here every year??"

I can't say there was a ton to comment on fashion-wise this past weekend, but there were still a few images that caught my eye:

^^I have this feeling that LaBron has a lot of love for New York. It seems like he's always here either attending N.Y. sporting events or attending some party or another. I'll bet it'd be a dream come true for him to play on Jay's team.

^^KardASSian was in the house. Did she and her ex, Whitney Houston's current beaux, cross paths? (I blogged about her porn tape over at ChicksWithKicks this past week.)

^^Wifey looking happy for a change and, as usual, Kobe's shoe game is as tight as all get out.

^^Al does his best to bridge the ever-growing gap between Jay and Bee, who rolls her eyes at the very thought.

^^Two ole hustlers meet and greet.

^^We RUN L.A.! Game proves that crazy is sexy. He wore these nerd glasses for you...and you... and you!

^^Funkmaster Flex: The ole New York wasn't ALL cool. Drugs burned though neighborhoods like crazy back then and too many people I know didn't make it through those times whether cause they were taken down by addiction its brother friend, gun violence.

^^Nells wearing his signature diamond cuff. He loves that thing! Other than the bling, this man loves to keep it simple. Here's he's wearing a simple white button-down with a wife beater, and in another image from the same weekend, he's wearing a plain white tee layered over a long-sleeved thermal top, both of which couldn't have cost more than 30 bucks.

And now for lots of images of my fave celeb couple:

^^For a minute Nas was all chunked out on his wife's cooking, but he's clearly got his gut back under control and then some!

^^Nas looking happy and HOT.

^^Maybe sleeping next to this woman each night is contributing to his positive outlook!

^^Husband and wife do their thing together. Hi Nas!

Nas on Letterman

2007-02-16T08:25:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Al sent me a link to the video he posted up of Nas's performance of "Can't Forget About You" on Letterman last night. Thanks Al! Esco kills it and Crissette is her usual lucsious self. Gosh I hope we see LOTS more of her in the coming year.

Notes on the fashion: check on Nas's very slim-cut denim, which he brings back to the hood with a pair of wheat timbs. The jeans make me feel like wifey must have had a part in styling him. And then there's Crissette's super hot leather dress. The girl is always sexy, but she took it up a notch in this outfit.

Dee on ESPN Piece on Starbury

2007-02-15T16:21:00.000-05:00

One of my fave people from the sneaker world, Dee Wells, marketing director for Sole Collector magazine, recently appeared in an ESPN piece on Stephon Marbury and his new sneaker/apparel label, Starbury. He appears at about 4.40 in the video and talks about how the lower-priced Starbury sneaker is going to put major brands on the hot seat when it comes to explaining why it is their shoes are priced so much higher.

Like a lot of investigative stories on Marbury's $14.99 shoe, it's a pretty positive take. The reporter challenges Stephon on the shoe's quality versus that of higher-priced shoes by brands, but never goes past taking him at his word that there's no difference between his shoe and those of competitors. There's also no delving into what working conditions might be at a factory manufacturing such low-priced shoes.

The other thing is, the reporter keeps talking about $180 and $200 basketball shoes, but the truth is there are very few shoes out there in that category selling at that price, and I'd bet that these days the average price of basketball sneakers is somewhere in the neighborhood of $75, and that's even with the continued popularity of higher-priced styles by Jordan, probably the only remaining brand that can still sell large volumes of $100-plus basketball shoes.

Various Shoe News

2007-02-14T14:17:00.000-05:00

Footwear News magazine is an industry weekly so there can be a lot of weeks in which there isn't a whole lot of news between its pages. This past week's post-WSA shoe issue, however, was info-packed and here are some of the more interesting items (the first three which came from the incredibly talented Brian Russak's "Insider" column):

Rockport is doing a big ad push for one of its line with four up-and-coming stars: musicians Lyfe Jennings and Yung Joc, actor Wood Harris and MTV personality Coltraine Curties. I actually visited the Rockport booth while in Las Vegas and thought this approach was an interesting progression on doing a mix of entertainers rather than just rap artists.

Two of Rev Run's kids, 23-year-old Vanessa (who's a St. John's University graduate) and 19-year-old Angela (a student at F.I.T.), are launching a sneaker line called Pastry, which will be manufactured by Vida Shoes.

There could be a shoe line in the works for Beyonce, but in the meantime, the Derion hoodie she wore in the "Irreplaceable" video sold out. And she may or may not help out Jay-Z when he does a fullscale launch of Rocawear's women's shoes at the MAGIC trade show (which I believe is going on as we speak).

And then elsewhere in the mag in an article on women's urban footwear trends, the executive v.p. of Baby Phat, Bob Mullaney, gets uncomfortable with the descriptive "urban":

"We don't consider ourselves urban here. That classification is fading. We don't apologize that there are some definite roots [in the urban market]. But it's really a designer lifestyle. [Kimora Lee Simmons] wasn't a hip-hop star--she was a model. She was closer to Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel than to hip-hop."

Oh sure, Bob. Kimora's marriage to and the fact that she had two kids by a guy who owes his life to rap is just completely meaningless. And I'm sure Kimora would have been JUST as famous without him. Look, I know the term urban has its shortcomings, but damn, Bob, could you run any harder from it? How about embracing and celebrating for a change, dude? Cuz it's not like 18 billion trends that Chanel eventually gets around to embracing didn't start in the hood five years before.

Nas & 310 Motoring

2007-02-14T13:37:00.000-05:00

By now you might know that Nasir Jones is coming out with his own shoe. I noticed that Eskay at NahRight, who loves to torment his readers by giving the "Little Homey" non-stop shit, criticized Nas for even doing a shoe, stating that "rapper branded sneakers are so 2005." I can't disagree with that. I've been writing for a while that sneakers as a fashion item just aint what they used to be, and while some special collabo with a hot skate brand and a rap artist MIGHT work (like, perhaps The Pack and Vans), just throwing out a shoe and expecting it to sell cause it has the name of a famous rapper attached to it is not gonna have legs. Especially since Nas is not famous for his fashion. Sure, his wifie has jazzed his look up a tidbit, but at his heart, you know he's happy in the first pair of jeans and tee-shirt he pulls out of his drawer and probably before Miss Jones whipped him into shape, was wearing most of his outfits for days on end.

^^Nas on 106 & Park, where he announced the launch of his shoe, Disciple. I take it that he's wearing a pair of prototypes.

But then Eskay gives goes after him for doing a sneaker with Skechers, which, again, I can't completely disagree with as I have NEVER like that company, but still, his man Jay-Z did his S.Carter shoe with Reebok, which isn't exactly the most genius footwear company on the planet. In fact, you know that right about now, no, correction, make that at least six months ago, there were some big execs over at Adidas's homebase in Germany seriously wondering what they hell they were thinking, NBA license or not, laying out all the cheese they did for Reebok.

Happy V-Day

2007-02-14T13:16:00.000-05:00

Nike just sent me a "Happy Valentine's Day" card. Christ. How ugly is that? Some multi-national trying to boost its bottom line via "love." Anyway, if you follow Nike's email linkies, you arrive at a page that features three film shorts dedicated to the "love of sport." This particular short (it's the one in the middle--I can't link directly) really cracked me up cuz it was no doubt created by the child of a Nike executive, whose parent is dedicated to athletics, but is too busy traveling and "just doing it" for Nike that s/he barely sees her/his kid, much less spends any consistent time playing with him. But hey, the kid's got FANTASTIC sneakers!

Stuff

2007-02-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

My foot, which was injured by new shoes a week or so back is fully healed, but yesterday I was running in Prospect Park and at about halfway around the park, I looked to my left and at the corner of my eye caught some guy in the distance staring at me. Next thing I knew I was lying face down on the ground. My foot got caught up in some pretty gnarly tree roots, but it was obvious to me that the man put a jinx on me. I'm just hoping it wasn't about "throwing a hex on a whole family." (Hat tip to Kim).

Having read that article in the New York Times which argues that one should continue to exercise through injuries, I soldiered on. The pain in my knee went away pretty fast, but I noticed how the second I stopped running, my hand started throbbing. Running is such an excellent drug--I love it! So yeah, now my precious running pants are all muddied up, I got a hole in my hand and my right knee is all swolled up.

The other thing that's going on my life is the continuation of my tragic crush. I've had my share of them in my life, but I've gotten a wicked pragmatic streak and have been good about not lingering too long on b.s. relationship fantasies that are going nowhere fast. This one, however, has hung around an annoyingly long amount of time, I'm guessing in part cause the person's in my face a lot, but also cause any sort of relationship with this guy would violate at LEAST three of my personal Ten Commandments of life, making it that much more interesting. It's like, just how destructive can I be? Could there actually be new heights that I have yet to scale??

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's hearing friends blather on forever about relationships that either aren't going anywhere or, worse yet, can't go anywhere so let me just apologize right here and now for even bringing this stupidity up at all.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, but much more important, it's the first dia of pitchers and catchers for the New Yawk Yankees. That's right, people, time for you to FEAR THE EVIL EMPIRE for another season!

Netpro Kickers

2007-02-08T17:35:00.000-05:00

I didn't actually get to visit this brand's booth while I was at the WSA, but I did see a couple people wearing the shoe and since I liked what I saw, I picked up some of the literature on it in the press room.

At first glance, it seems to be just another vulcanized shoe, but it's actually performance based. Apparently there's this sport called Sepak Takraw, aka kick volleyball, and the founder of the compay created the shoe 'cause he felt the availalbe footwear was lacking. According to the literature, the "tongue, side panels and inside the shoe around the toe area are reinforced for "maximum protection and comfort when striking the kicking obeject and/or when getting kicked."

If you want to see pictures of people playing Sepak Takraw, you can visit the shoe's Web site: NetProSports.com Me personally, I just liked the way that half-rainbow-y design looked.

Whirlwind Tour

2007-02-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

I'm back from my trip out West and starting to recover from all the crazy deadlines before that. As far as the show was concerned, besides my feet hurting the whole time(thanks to a blister I got from a comfort shoe, which will remain nameless), I hate to say this, but it's not looking good for sneakers. The world is moving on people. I say that not so much because of what I've seen in the athletic footwear booths (Nike doesn't even have one on the main floor--it basically hides out in a suite and sees a very limited number of its customers, mainly for closeouts, too), but because of what I see when I look at the fashion portion of non-athletic footwear lines. In recent years, a lot of lifestyle shoes were clearly athletic-inspired. This year, the fashion inspiration came from either vulcanized styles (a la Vans or Chuck Taylor) or outdoor-inspired looks.

Anyway, this won't be much of a post. I'm just trying to get back into the groove of posting. I know from looking at my traffic that I've got a lot of catching up to do, but my schedule for the next month is pretty light so expect a lot more frequent updating than you've seen for the past month or so.

The Story of Six Collectors

2007-01-26T13:41:00.000-05:00

Finally, finally, after many delays, a story I did for Footwear News on the ins-and-outs of collecting sneakers was published last week. At the time I wrote the story, I was feeling somewhat ambivalent about it if only because I felt the expiration date on collector-related stories had long passed.

Since I wrote it, however, I've read at least half a dozen stories on sneaker collecting. And now that I've seen MY story in print, I'm liking it a lot more. Not only did I find an amazing cross section of collectors, who were nothing short of a blast to interview, in rereading the story, I'm pleased to say that at the very least, it explores new territory in that it breaks down the different types of collectores and explodes the mainstream mythology that all collectors are guys who stand in lines for hours on end to buy high-priced shoes. I know that kind of sneaker lover is out there, but my story featured only one person who had experienced standing on a line to buy a shoe and part of his motivation was to resell the shoes.

Here is the second page of the article:

If you click on the image, you'll be able to read either part or all of the Q&A I did with DeJongh "Dee" Wells, advertising director for Sole Collector magazine; Lori Lobenstine, youth wroker and head female in charge of FemaleSneakerFiend.com; Tommy Rebel, sneaker guru extraordinaire and founder of B'Klyn Basements; and Sean Ziegler, who is a student. Two of the interviews that aren't in this image are with James "Koe" Rodriquez, hip-hop scholar and filmmaker and Hadry Muanza, Graphic designer and music producer.

And here are a couple of my fave quotes from the story:

"I love my Puma Clydes because they're reminiscent of better days, when hip-hop was still growing. I smell those shoes and it's like '83 all over again." --James "Koe" Rodriguez

"I'll haggle with a store owner until his lips off." --Tommy Rebel (who had one of his favorite pair of sneakers gold-plated!) commenting on his refusal to pay high prices for sneakers.

"The U.S. is crazy for sneakers. People never wait on line for sneakers in France. You might be mugged for your phone in France, but not for your sneakers." --Hardy Muanza, who splits time between New York and Paris.

I've written a TON of stories on shoes and more specifically sneakers, but I have to say, this is my favorite so far. Great people with great stories. I think I'm gonna remember this one for a while to come.

Lemme See Your What??

2007-01-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

My son has been bugging me for a while to get a pierced ear. I keep saying no cuz I just feel like he's too young and on a boy, I just think it sends a wrong message. You know, like maybe he's a little bit of a bad boy. But then the other day we were watching the ODB's "Brooklyn Zoo" video and my kid was feeling his grillz, and I was thinking, what the heck, unless he smiles, people aren't gonna see them anyway. So we went out and got him a set. And wouldn't you know? Now he wants bottoms, too! Kids these days, I tell ya!

^^Smile for me Daddy!

In Case You Haven't Noticed

2007-01-25T13:46:00.000-05:00

I'm still trying to get back into the groove of posting round here. I had one last deadline, which I put to bed yesterday, but on top of my usual crap, my son's had midterms all week and I've been helping him study for those at night. I'm finally gonna throw up some stuff today and tomorrow, but then early next week I'm heading out West, which means posting again will be light. I'm starting out the week in California and ending it in Las Vegas for the WSA (which, in case ya didn't know, is a massive shoe show). This time I will definitely be bringing my camera. I promise you that!

^^In a nod to Moms and sons all the world, here's a very cute image of Common and his madre. Now we now where he got all his cute freckles!

Chicks With Kicks

2007-01-19T11:50:00.000-05:00

Just a head's up that my other blog home, Chicks w/ Kicks is now up and jumping. I still haven't completely figured out the whole complicated-as-all-get-out back end of it, but I'm getting there. I've got a post waiting in the wings on female sneaker boutique Laces, and there's some images up there from the New York DunkXChange, which took place last week.

Here are some samples:

^^Two stellar humans: Lori Lobensite, head female in charge of FemaleSneakerFiend and Samia, who also writes for Chicks w/ Kicks,

^^Can't remember her name, but she's a designer and part of the Female Sneaker Fiend Crew

^^This sparkling female had a table at the show.

Lori's got some images up from the show at her site as well.

The Five Stages of Insane Deadlines

2007-01-17T16:32:00.000-05:00

So yeah. The intense crush of deadlines that come every year at this time of year is pretty much officially over. When I started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel a few days ago, it occurred to me that the emotional response to dealing with a crush of assignments is akin to the five stages of grief--denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance--only the order is a little different. And there's one extra phase.

Rather then ending up with "acceptance," most freelancers start out with an accepting mindset. You're happy to have the work, you know it's going to get rough, but you also know you can do it! Then, as the weight of the workload starts to feel heavy, comes the phase known as "denial," or, holy shit, I don't know if I can get this done on time this time. This is way too much work!

Next comes "bargaining," as in: "Dearest Editor: Could I possibly extend my deadline just one itty bitty day???" And even though they always say yes, it's around this time that you're starting to feel the first hints of "anger" as you silently begin to curse your editors for how easy their jobs are compared to how hard yours is. And the pay differential--for WHAT?? And that grows like fungus into anger about your whole life and how nothing in life sucks more ass than being a lowlife writer for hire.

As mental and physical exhaustion sets in, you become too tired to feel anger, and "depression" sets in. You look around you and you're surrounded by mounting tasks. Your stories may be getting done, but there are no clean towels in the bathroom, the bill pile grows thicker by the day, the walls desperately need to be painted, and oh god--I'm never gonna have time to write that book--ever!!

Finally it's all over and you collapse in a heap, or, do like a did last night--order take out pizza, eat half the pie and don't move from in front of the TV for the next four hours straight. The final phase is of course "euphoria." Everything has been turned in, you leave your house for the first time in a week and you're standing in the coffee shop, waiting your turn, and you find yourself almost smiling, thinking of the wage slaves who had to scurry into work hours ago. Life is damn sweet!

And on that note, I'm gonna catch up on a stack of magazines, see if there's anything interesting and I'll try and start posting again tonight. Sob--I missed you guys!

Derek and What's-Her-Face

2007-01-05T16:45:00.000-05:00

Ugh, what a way to start posting again. Apropos-of-nothing images of Derek Jeter and his new girl, Jessica Biel. Indulge me if you will, dear readers. This duo quenches my thrist for gossip about strangers' lives while at the same time provides a rare glimpse into the private life of a member of my fave baseball team, The Bronx Bombers.

Personally, I don't know what to make of Derek. He always gives the predicable, i.e. safe, response in any interview and because of that, he gives off a slightly robotic vibe. As for Jessica, since her 7th Heaven Days (don't watch it much these days, but I've loved that stupid-ass show), I've thought she was hot, but I don't know, these two aren't exactly loveable as a couple. Stay together, split up, I could care less.

^^Based on his facial hair, I have a sneaking suspicion that DJ is waxing his chest hair. Such a shame. I know I'm old school, but the fact is, I can't get with this trend of men removing all the hair from their torso. Back okay, front not.

Jess girl, I hope that's a tube of sunscreen spf 500 that you're clutching in your hands!

^^Cute, DJ's got himself a little off-season paunch.

^^Forget having sex with DJ, how perfect is her ass! How do I hate this bitch--lemme count the ways!

^^Derek in flip-flops: Cam'ron diss song eminent!!