Childhood is "In," Didn't You Know?

I was looking through the Cobrasnake Coachella 2009 pictures, because I still do check that site out sometimes, plus I wanted to see some sweet Bflow goodness... and I stumbled across this:



No this is not just random photo of young aspiring hipsters. The girl on the left is wearing my childhood sheets. It bugged me out for a second to see someone wearing my beloved Minnie Mouse bedsheets, until I realized oh durr she cut them up and sewed them into a dress. Now I know I usually like to poke fun at or, rather, bash endlessly (possibly jealously?) everything that has to do with hipsters, but even I have to admit that I was impressed by this creativity. So all I have to say is, you go girl. That is fucking awesome right there. And where can I get a sewing machine and lessons to make me an exact carbon copy of that dress? Fuck originality, I want that fucking dress and I still have the sheets stowed away in the back of some closet at home.

Speaking of the Cobrasnake, He posted this music video he filmed on his website:



Again, I know I'm being too easy on the guy (is my college turning me into a hipster enabler?? oh shiiiit. Too many hipsters, too little resolve). Nah, but I really thought it was sweet. I know there must be some kind of illegal activity going on with a 25-or-whatever-the-fuck-Mark-Hunter's-age-is-year-old-dude (with a creepo mustache no less) filming a scantily clad, seemingly under age "nymphet" (ew I feel creepy and Humbert Humbert-y using that word. i hope I don't get hits from child molesters now. But then again a hit is a hit and I'm in dire need for more traffic ever since I've abandoned my poor blog.... kidding! I will not stoop that low, promiseeee. uhum). that was a long parenthetical aside. Where was I. Oh yes, well the video is actually nice with the beach and the sun. Maybe if it wasn't so damn creepy, it would be even better. But honestly I've never hated Mark Hunter as much as others seem to, so I tend to keep my mind open when it comes to him. The trendy techno-y song is not so bad either. Apparently it's called "I'll get You" Classixx feat. Jeppe/ Kitsuné.

This is what it says by the video:

Exclusive video directed by Mark "The Cobrasnake" Hunter
When the most famous photoblog in the world meets the nicest music label on Earth, you get a wonderful association presenting the finest of the new American scene.

Please, welcome Kitsuné x The Cobrasnake !

Out on digital Worldwide 06-01-2009!

Aah it feels good to be back and blogging. I'll try to keep up now that summer has begun. I'm in NYC for the next to weeks (be jellis, it's ok) so I should have some things to report back on. Laters.

What's in Your Closet?

I wrote an article for my college's fashion magazine, Contrast, called "What's in Your Closet?" However I could only publish five questions from each interview and one picture from each, so I decided to post the rest on the Contrast blog. And here it is (I'll post the pdf of the magazine itself once they put that up- it turned out gorgeous).

Hells Yeah- The Killers Cover Bright Eyes' "Four Winds"

I can't not post this. The Killers have covered "Four Winds" by Bright Eyes and twisted it up completely. I love the original, and the two versions should honestly not be compared for quality because they're too different. They should just be compared for sheer polar difference. And still, in my opinion, this cover version works in its own way. Of course it's going to piss off hipsters to no end... but that's what the Killers do- take risks and endlessly bother music snobs- why not!

Take a listen for yourself-



I love it. Who knew you could mix Stewart Price's Pet Shop Boys effects, the Killers' touch, and Bright Eyes lyrics to make something awesome like this? Brandon's voice is flawless, too. Some people are complaining that he isn't expressing enough emotion the way Conor does- but I think it's a nice contrast. Anyway, he would be pummeled if he tried to show a lot of emotion too so he can never really win.

My favorite parts are:
:40 "four winds blowing through her hair..." with the sound effects, ah.
:50 "she just can't sustain..." with strings. Again, gorgeous. I'm such a sucker for pretty sound effects behind nice vocals.
1:20 "The Bible's blind. The Torah's deaf. The Qu'ran is mute. If you burned them all together you'd get close to the truth" - haha, I dig that Brandon is singing this even though he is Mormon. Respect.
1:48 "And it's the sum of man..." with the piano kicking in. I especially love the rising piano a few seconds later during the lyrics, "A heart just can't contain..."

I pretty much love the whole song, really. I can't stop listening. It's addicting.

To compare and see just how different they are, here is the original (sorry, embedding disabled):

"Four Winds" video by Bright Eyes

...and here is the same song but without the added crowd noise in the video, plus Conor Oberst's lovely, brilliant lyrics featured in it:



You know, no matter what music snobs say, it's pretty nice of the Killers to cover Bright Eyes, because this is giving them a lot of attention from Killers fans. They're also acknowledging the greatness of a very underrated song from Bright Eyes' latest sort-of-ignored Cassadega album. This is the first contemporary artist cover the Killers have recorded, or even just performed, previously- before they have all been covers from previous generation artists such as Dire Straits' "Romeo and Juliet", David Bowie's Moonage Daydream, Joy Division's "Shadowplay", Kenny Rogers/Mel Tillis' "Ruby Don't take Your Love to Town", Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", Morrissey's "Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself", etc.

This makes me even more excited for the Killers' upcoming covers album! It's going to be so fucking epic.

Brandon Flowers' Runway Looks: Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane

It's no secret that Brandon Flowers, singer of the Killers (as you should know by now), loves Hedi Slimane (ex-designer and founder of Dior Homme). He has praised him in interviews, he bought/wore almost exclusively Dior Homme while Slimane was still there. And the opposite is true as well. Hedi took these two pictures at different times, for one: Brandon smoking a cigarette (before he quit) & Brandon's "k" keyboard.


I decided to do some research on men.style.com... and, well damn, Brandon's closet really has been dominated by Dior Homme pieces. Almost all of his most memorable outfits included Dior. And before you dare say anything of the sort- Brandon in fact chooses his own outfits and has a very healthy and enviable personal style. No stylists for this guy, thankyouverymuch.

He has said that his only indulgences are clothes, and homeboy wasn't lying! Keep in mind, the runway pieces I recognized from Brandon's outfits are merely a fraction of the actual amount of Dior pieces he owns. They are the ones that are easiest for me to spot out, unlike the more simple Dior pants, jackets, and button-ups which I know for a fact that Brandon owns but are just too difficult to distinguish.


Also, notice that these pictures dwindle and start to end around the Sam's Town era (2006/2007). This is because Hedi Slimane left Dior Homme at that time for other pursuits, and Brandon probably wasn't as taken by the new designer who replaced Slimane, Kriss Van Assche. However, Gareth Pugh is to replace Assche any day now and pick up where Hedi left off. (Is it just me or does Dior only appoint fairly good-looking and young designers?). Pugh is known as a "consistently envelope-pushing, innovative designer" according to BlackBook so maybe Brandon will be drawn back?

Well anyway, without further ado, I bring to you- Brandon's Dior pieces, on the runway, and on him. In backwards order from latest to earliest:

From Dior Homme fall 2006 collection:

A sober gray jacket with black details. Brandon is seen here wearing it with some of his own added flair- red roses- while performing at the 2006 NME awards. He would later say in an interview that that was one of the most nerve-wracking moments of his life because he was singing a cover of "Shadowplay" by legendary band Joy Division in a room full of musicians who hated him and didn't want him to be there (the typical problem of the Killers- they're famous, so music snobs hate them. Well, you win some you lose some).
























Western-style button-up with black around and white in the chest area. I love this shirt. Brandon is here wearing it at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards while performing When You Were Young. This was a bit before Sam's Town was released.
























Spring 2006 collection:

Shiny red dinner jacket with golden square designs. This reminds me of the circus for some reason. In a good way. I believe Brandon is wearing it at a concert in Brixton Academy around October 2006 in London, performing songs from Sam's Town for the first time in the UK.
























Snakeskin-print track jacket. According to Blender magazine it sells for $2,000. Brandon is serious about his clothes, people. Here he is posing for press photos for Sam's Town. Oh, and Kanye West owns this jacket as well. He has been known to admire Brandon's style...
























... Aaand one Dior Homme track jacket was obviously not enough because Brandon got himself another one- a Sergeant Pepper - style one no less. Here he is seen on TRL promoting Sam's Town's release. The truth is that Brandon has yet another Dior track jacket with bedazzled animal print, but it doesn't show up on the runway. Custom-made, I see? He has worn it to promote the Killers' latest album Day & Age. Oh, by the way, Kanye also owns this one.

























Oh dear. The dreaded manshrug. The less said about this one the better. Forgive and forget, right?

























Fall 2005 Collection:

Loose button-up shirt with long extended ends starting from the collar. Tiny white circle details on the shirt if you look closely. The one on the runway is burgundy but I'm almost positive that Brandon's black one is the same, just a different color. Whenever Brandon wore this (during the latter part of the Hot Fuss tour) he would wrap the extended fabric around his neck like a scarf, as seen here. I think it looks pretty damn good. He was here photographed by the Cobrasnake backstage at the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, either before or after performing "All These Things That I've Done". Fun fact- there was a big red heart stuck on the back of his blazer there. Another fun fact- this is what he wore the first time I saw the Killers in concert October 2005, at the Long Beach Arena. Ah memories...
























Burgundy pea coat with black buttons. In the picture he is seen with Sarah Lewitinn aka "Ultragrrrl," who has been credited with helping the Killers rise to fame. They are at a Misshapes party here (once hipster mecca party in NYC- they no longer take place) sometime during the Hot Fuss tour, post-"Mr. Brightside" fame explosion. Brandon doesn't usually go to such parties so this was a special occasion. Sarah wrote this next to the picture on Buzznet: "the best thing about this photo is that it was taken in the summer of 2005 at misshapes and it was FUCKING HOT. like painfully hot. And i guess brandon had just gotten this coat and he insisted on wearing it. i can only guess that he wanted to be the first one photographed in it ever, and misshapes would be the perfect place for that. he also wore it with the most amazing pair of high top sneakers i've ever seen." Haha- oh, Brandon.

























Spring 2005 Collection:

Powder blue jacket with black lapels. In this picture Brandon is wearing the jacket at a very important time- during the Killers' performance at the 2005 Glastonbury festival in the UK. This was a triumphant performance for the band and cemented their position as a huge act. Here's a video where you can also see the whole simple yet impeccable outfit.
























Oh, the famous pink leather blazer. Or "salmon" as some liked to specify. Here Brandon is wearing it at some Killers concert in the US during the middle of the Hot Fuss tour- probably at the Outdoor Theatre at Madison Square Garden performance in NYC. He also wore it at the Killers' first performance on Saturday Night Live. Introduce yourself to middle-Americans with a bang, why not. This jacket is a classic among Killers fans, especially those who, like me, joined the bandwagon early on. Brandon later said in an interview that he unfortunately had to put the jacket away because it started turning orange from extensive wear and sweat.
























So, that is all I could find for now. Maybe later I will make another post of Brandon's new designer duds- there have been many bits and pieces in magazines... one said that Marc Jacobs tailored custom clothing for Brandon, another claimed that Burberry Prorsum designer Christopher Bailey did the same. Or maybe I can talk about Brandon's J. Lindbergh shirts. Or the fact that Donatella Versace adores his style. Or the Dolce & Gabbana jacket with added feather epaulets that Brandon simply cannot stop wearing lately. Or maybe the designer, "Mrs. Jones" (Fee Doran), who stuck those feathers on for Brandon in the first place. Decisions, decisions.

If you guys want to read some more about Brandon's style, I suggest this interview from last year with British GQ, after he won most stylish man of the year (click to make bigger):

Golden Globes 2009: Best Dressed

I've been watching the red carpet arrivals on TV and the pictures on ONTD... all I have to say is this is the Golden Globes of BEIGE. And other neutral colors. Way to be exciting stars. Anyway here are the standouts in my opinion:

First of all, best interviewer is Nancy Odell. She knows what she's doing. Calm, collected. The other ones on the other hand... well, let's just move on.

But back to best dressed-

Jenna Fischer. In a Zuhair Murad dress. I love her and she looks hot.



Madeline Zima. I don't know who this girl is but she looked really good in that dress. (Okay, i just IMDB'd her and she's in Californication. Yawnz. Still love her look though).



Kristin Scott Thomas. Work it girl. So elegant.



Anne Hathaway. In Armani Privé. This dress wasn't perfect but she was so striking and her hair looks so sleek and all together she is so old Hollywood glamor here that she deserves a spot.



Viola Davis. Look how her dress matches her skin tone. I love it.



Nick Jonas. I know he gets singled out often lately (creepily, as he's youngest) but he really was the most sharply dressed Jonas Brother at the Golden Globes. I love the velvet pants+jacket combo. Risks pay off! Especially when you're young and good-looking and have people fawning at you from all directions of course. [He's the one on the right].



Freida Pinto and Dev Patel [middle and right]. I love these bitches- Dev ever since Skins and Freida (here wearing Christian Lacroix) since I saw Slumdog Millionaire. Hollywood better get them some good jobs now. I'm watching you Hollywood! Anyway they looked nice and fresh-faced tonight.


Here's hoping for even more (much more) exciting and risky (in a good way) dresses and suits in the Oscars.

New SKINS Coming Soon!

... But to the UK, not America. Not to worry, those Brits will put the videos up online in no time. At least they better because I love this show to death. I was afraid about the new cast, but now I think it will be a breath of fresh air. There is only so much crazy shit you can do with one cast before you start running out, you know.

Some characters:

Naomi Campbell. "A beautiful idealist"


Effie. Soon her "home life falls apart."

Karen Mclair. "A firecracker with big dreams of becoming famous." New Cassie, yes/yes?


The new series (Third season, new kids, except for Effie who was Tony's sister) premieres January 22nd.

Here's the full trailer:

Skins The New Series - extended trailer


I can't wait!

source: ONTD

And some interviews with the cast.

Tom Cruise has an OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

I was moderating my lj community, because I'm a fancy mod of a fancy two-member comm, and an advertisement caught my eye on the right side of the screen. It is very minimalist:



Of course it is. Tom Cruise always stays classy.

Of course I proceeded to click on the advertisement. I mean I NEVER click them, on principle, but exceptions must be made at times like these.

Now, the OFFICIAL TOM CRUISE WEBSITE. All I have to say is... what in the name of Tom Cruise's pyjamas is this fuckery? I know he is insane, but goddamn.

Here, a screen-capped tour:

When you first enter the site, you are confronted by a 10-hour montage of ***grand Tom Cruise moments in cinema***, including this scene from the lauded masterpiece Vanilla Sky:


The accompanying dramatic music is a very nice touch.

Next, an amazing "Message from Tom" that nearly made me weep, especially because there was a dream-like ADDITIONAL montage playing in the background and it's hard to read with that kind of distraction!!:



In his message, Tom graciously reveals that he has created this website to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Risky Business, his "first starring role in a film." Got that? STARRING. He continues to say:

I created this site as a thank you, to you, for sharing the journey with me and to invite you to continue to explore what the future will bring.

Wow. More highlights.... all of Tom's STARRING role films:



A fancy photo gallery:



The "What's New" section advertises Valkyrie (and a link to buy tickets of course) and his appearance on Oprah. Also, a badass picture of Tom showing off his muscles (YOU CAN'T FOOL ME TOM I KNOW UR PUSHING THEM UP W/ YOUR HANDS):



Keep it classy, Tom. Keep it classy.