wholly crap...

As seen in previous posts... I like anything Marie Antoinette-esque. Check these babies out!

Christian Louboutin Marie Antoinette Collection:

peep these...

Spring 09 Chanel Peep Toe Ankle boots:

new do?

I am in love with Kate's hair in the spring 2009 Versace campaign. New plan is now to grow out my bangs.

the 2009 culture vulture awards.

I'm loving this, true haters. I have put Satchel of Gravel on my blogroll for my morning giggle. Enjoy. (warning: if you don't have a semi knowledgeable backgound in streetwear, you might not get all the jokes.)
xo.

Much like screening on AAA tees and matching New Era fitteds to hyperstrike Nikes, culture vulturism is a necessary and ugly part of the uber-cool guy lifestyle. Here, we salute the people and places who have gone above and beyond the call of duty by biting other people’s work, re-appropriating a lifetstyle they don’t come from, selling out quietly and ultimately being responsible for this blog.

Props to all of the other bloggers and writers who contributed suggestions and help narrow down the list.

And without any further ado, here are the nominations for Satchel of Gravel’s 2009 Culture Vulture Award:

Jim Jones

Jim Jones (and the white boys who get all their information about Harlem from Dipset mixtapes) exude a swagger that’s nearly impossible to achieve. And by nearly, we mean as in, it can only be purchased at Hot Topic where sales of glittered skull tee shirts, rhinestone belts and True Religion jeans have sky rocketed since Jones & co. made them mandatory uniform of Koch Records. Hopefully by 2010, Jim will open Hot Topic on 125th street to sell copies of Byrd Gang albums and bootlegs of Twilight. That’s hip-hop.

Kubrick

For everything that exists on the fringes of pop culture, there’s a Kubrick figure. Some are collectible, some are questionable and all are completely unnecessary.

KAWS

When we sent out the call to action email for who should be named the 2009 Culture Vulture, KAWS made it onto everyone’s list. Why, we’re not completely sure, but he’s got a nomination. Congrats, we guess.

Nigo/Pharrell

Like sneakers, these two come as a pair. As the creator of A Bathing Ape, Nigo’s single handedly defined what it means to be a culture vulture by refining the elements of hip-hop culture to its most granular level, manufacturing bootleg Nikes and filtering American Black culture through a Japanese lens to sell to back to Americans and Europeans of all races and genders.

Pharrell “Skateboard P” Williams on the other hand has been incorporated all of the elements of skate culture into his lifestyle, with exception of actually knowing how to skate. Which is fine, since he surrounds himself with people who actually can and thereby gain credibility through association.

Satchel of Gravel

A blog that exists solely to pick at the work put forth by brands, designers, and scenesters who want nothing more than to quietly steal other people’s creations and re-appropriate the iconography from 80’s cartoons. Blogging from the veil of semio-anonymity, the sites’ writers fail to realize that if none culture vulturism existed, they’d have nothing to write about.

Long Island City, New York

Tucked neatly into the collarbone of Queens, L-I-C has become the safe haven for surly hipsters looking to avoid the gentrification of Williamsburg. So while most Bedford residents are content to slum it in lofts paid for by their parents, true troopers are taking an up north trip to further the art of douchebaggery, coifed mustaches and forming two chord shoegazing bands.

Spongebob Squarepants

There’s hype, then there’s Spongebob hype. It’s the type of hype that can be enjoyed by toddlers, Japanese girls and Windy City rappers all at the same time. Sutured onto every cool-guy brand imaginable, Spongebob has wrung his spunk out on A Bathing Ape, Adidas, and Russell Simmons Jewelry Co., just to name a few.

(To be fair Big Russ’s jewelry farm isn’t a cool-guy brand, but you get the point.)

*honorable mention goes to our girl Hello Kitty

Google Images

One would be remise not to mention the power of the internets and its role in streetwear. Without Google Images, none of this would be possible. After all, if you can’t scour 55 pages of images looking for the perfect pic of The Goonies for your Spring Summer Collection, you might have to actually come up with something original.

The Hundreds

A blog to riches story, the trials and tribulations of the streetwear prom kings are admirable. Coming from humble roots as ravers turned law school dropouts, Bobby and Ben have crafted a brand that flipped the acronym of “D.I.Y.” and made it mean “Disney It Yourself” when they dropped their infantile co-branded line with a company that has consistently and historically disrespected Asians, Blacks, Arabs and Mermaids. Remember, you can’t spell “independent-mentality” without “overtly racist multi-national conglomerate.” At the same time, The Hundreds have also set the benchmark for collecting the most cosigns of any brand, by taking pics of any celebrity or designer within a 100 meter distance for their SLR.

The Olive Garden

If Italians were upset about their portrayal in The Godfather and Goodfellas, then they should be taking their arms up against the Olive Garden for butchering their native tongue while serving it alongside unlimited soup, salad, or breadsticks.

MC Serch

Every one gets that the Ego Trip crew’s whole thing is to approach hip-hop culture with a healthy spoonful of cynicism. And in most cases, it works. However when they cast Mc Serch as the host of the functionally retarded series that was The White Rapper Show (and its follow up Miss Rap Supreme) they allowed him to single handedly take hip-hop back to the dark ages where the notion of a white person in the genre was depicted as some douchebag waving his hands in the like he didn’t care while shouting cliched hip-hop phrases. Either that, or Serch just showed what he acted like during his days at Def Jam.

And the winner is… Vote HERE

in otter news...

Work has been pretty busy these days, and with side projects, and other drains; the days have been long and tiresome. But yesterday I got this little guy sent to me and every time I look at him, I smile.

Caption: There is no f&@king way I am going in there.ps: Isn't the word Otter awesome? Oh, and I took the liberty of Googling baby otter images for you. Click here.

be there...

Saturday night I'll be routing for my close friend DJ psychology at the Red Bull 3Style. I'm sure this will be an event not to miss. The DJ line is as follows:
A-ROCK
TRUSPIN
FIGURE8
MILES MOORE
DJ SPAZ
RILLY GUILTY
DJ PSYCHOLOGY
KELLY NUNES
(more info here)
I haven't seen psych play in a while, so I am excited. I hope you see you out there, it will be good to see some long losts.

GOOD LUCK PSYCH, I'LL BE ROUTING!

the selby makes me jealous of...

Stylist Elisa Nalin. I like that she has a Mr. Potato Head (because I have one too, a Transformer one).

home cooking.

Celia came over last night, we made tofu stir fry.

decor.

I've been paying a lot of attention to interior design blogs, sites, magazines these days. I save pictures of things and ideas I like, hoping that one day that I can execute them. Here are a few:
I like the white walls and staircase, hate the pillows and chair, love the wall art. I don't think it would match any of my other deco tastes, but it's still pretty.
Like the white walls and sheets, like the wooden accents, hate the curtains and the emptiness of the room. Oh and the fan is horrible.
I like the wall art, not necessarily where it is placed, but I think in the right location they would really complement a room without looking tacky. I would also put them vertical.
I love so much about this room. But first, I hate those lamps. I love that it is separated to create a 'sun room' with a simple shelving unit. I love the light, plants, and cosy feel. This is the type of room you wouldn't leave on a Sunday.
At my mom's house we have this great bookshelf in the living room, I think that's why I'm drawn to this one. I like how they actually organized and (I'm sure) bought the books to create a multicolor effect.
I love kitchens and I love white. I appreciate that its a little messy and that the appliances are kept out, also that you can see into some of the cupboards. One day I'll have a big kitchen...I'm not sure why I was drawn to this bathroom, maybe the red pumps in the corner? Maybe because I have hanging necklaces in my bedroom? Maybe because I'm obsessed with anything marine these days? I think that the thing that makes me cringe is the wallpaper border and the TV, but something in this motif would be great.

the poet of glamour.

I know who Peter Lindbergh is, I've seen his spreads; but after going though the new March Harper's Bazaar and seeing three awesome features with his photography, I definitely got on my best friend google and started reading.
The most interesting said, was that his childhood and where he grew up is what influenced his perception, thus his photography. He grew up in the West German town of Duisburg. Located at the heart of the Ruhr coal field (which was then a flourishing center of heavy industry). Growing up, he spent all of his free time outdoors. The side of the river where he lived was flanked by green grass and trees, while the other was crammed with factories and bordered by ship loading docks. Photographic historian Martin Harrison noted the impact of these contrasting environments and said them to be influential in his photos.
You be the judge:

I'm not going to talk about Lindsay's shoot with Hedi Slimane.

i'll make an exception...

I remember buying knock offs in college, I think that's what maybe killed it for me. Since then I haven't been a Louis Vuitton gal, I think that the print and cuts are are too bold, bulky, cliche.

But there are always exceptions to every rule... The Cruise 2009 Collection's Galliera Riveira. I'm in love.

she so pwitty.

hedi slimane x courtney love.

As you have seen in a previous post, I am a fan of Hedi Slimane's photography. The newly released photo journal called Portrait of a Performer captures Courtney as she is, in black and white.

color me white and navy.

I have been obsessing over this hat and scarf since Christmas, then it got out of control within the last week, so... on Saturday I took advantage of the beautiful day, went for the perfect walk and treated myself.
Dear Hat and Scarf, I love you. Truly yours, Mimi