Nom De Guerre

With fall rapidly approaching your going to need certain types of clothes like: scarves, hats, gloves, sweaters, etc. So with that in mind I'll be giving you all plenty of options for things to wear this winter. I love the winter because you get to wear more clothes and it's just more opportunity for you to accessorize. In the fall and winter season's is when you see the clear distinction between the people who can dress and those who can't. 

I came across Nom De Guerre in SoHo and had no idea that they had their line in other stores or that they were distributed by other retailers. I came across these F/W pieces from their line here: Nom

I love this scarf and am really considering adding it to my scarf collection.

I love cardigans and a cardigan with a shawl is the best; its thicker and the shawl adds a new element to the look.

You can't go wrong with slim cut, dry denim.

This is a risk and it's for everyone but those who are brave enough to try it please do it right. Don't be afraid to try something new and never be afraid to look terrible because trial and error is the best way to learn about what works for you and what doesn't.

SoHo

Puma x Alexander McQueen

This is another McQueen collaboration that has turned out quite well. McQueen is more famous for his collaborations than for his own work; I guess thats the power of cross marketing. It is a well known fact that A.M is a little eccentric and his work isn't always so well received but no matter what few can deny that he makes works of art and we call them articles of clothing. 

Get into a pair: McQueen

SoHo

US Open Player Party

L&F Personal

J.A.M.A.I.C.A

There is nothing to say. The proof is in the video, 3 gold medals and 3 world records. Was I the only one that seen the competition disappear in this sprint?

SoHo

Trace Magazine Party

L&F Personal

Inspiration: Spike Lee

When you hear the name Spike Lee what comes to mind? For most people the first thing that will come to mind would be a character from his first feature film She's Gotta Have It; Mars Blackmon. Who in turn got the attention of Nike's marketing team and got a deal to produce commercials with Michael Jordan marketing the air Jordan sneakers. Some may think of Spike Lee for the award nominations and the acclaim that his films received while others may simply think of how good the films were. I wonder though, how many people will realize how much he pushed the envelope with his films? Who will say that he opened a ton of doors for African American film directors? Maybe they'll wait until he has passed to say what a great man he was and how we should recognize him for his actions and his advances in America. If you read L&F then you know my theory is "why wait?". Why wait until someone has died to recognize them? I want to recognize Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee right now for everything that he has done for African American's on a whole in America. I remember the humorous character Mars Blackmon and I remember Do The Right Thing but what I also remember is that the setting for most of his movies is Brooklyn, New York; the borough that he grew up in. It's so easy for people to run away from their past, go somewhere new and create yourself in the image that you think people will accept. Its so easy for someone to simply become someone else when they achieve a certain level of success. Most people would distance themselves from the places that they grew up in and never mention the fact that they had to struggle. It's so easy for people to assimilate once they reach a certain level of success but I just want to say thank you to Spike Lee for being a positive role model. I want to thank Spike Lee for being a positive example and showing us all that you don't have to change who you are. I could have spoken about the numerous projects that Spike Lee has worked on and the endless deals that he has signed but instead I chose to speak of the reason's that I will remember Spike Lee.

Of all my pictures, I am most proud of this one.

SoHo

Jonas Bevaqua: LRG

This is Jonas Bevaqua speaking on LRG. I wanted to share this with you all because he is very passionate about his work and his passion is conveyed through his tone. I agree with him on the fact that LRG was ahead of its time when it was released because people's initial reaction to it wasn't as receptive as the heads behind it would have expected. I honestly thought that it was just going to be a phase but it endured as a line and expanded and I think that the main reason they survived is because there is a message behind the clothing. It's more than just good clothes, it's good clothes with a point of view.

Video from our good friends over at Karmaloop.

SoHo

Fashion Rocks: Justin Timberlake

Fashion Rocks mag titled Justin Timberlake a fashion icon. Agree or Disagree? Agree, because he has set a lot of trends in society, one of which would be the vest. There are so many people out there that didn't start wearing vest until they seen Timberlake wearing one and wearing it so casually that it was well received. I mean there was a wave of people that just went out and consumed vest to wear and hence the term "JT vest" has been coined by the masses of people who acknowledge that he is their influence in the area of the vest. However I think it goes much deeper than that I think that he influenced (young) men to dress well and encouraged some to dress better than they were already dressing. That's what a fashion icon is supposed to do, that is how you define a fashion icon, a man/ woman that inspires other men/ women to wear something simply because said icon is wearing it. 

Besides who doesn't love JT?

SoHo

Trace: Keri Hilson

Keri Hilson gets the cover of the latest edition of Trace Magazine. The caption "Black Girls Rule!" is a very powerful positive statement. This edition featured a very special guest editor, Spike Lee (More on Spike later) and also features a Michelle Obama exclusive. I want to talk about Keri Hilson a bit because I don't think most people know who she really is. Hilson has been in the music business for much longer than most would imagine, she started out as a song writer in 2001 even though she always was a singer her first gigs came about through writing songs for other people and singing background or hooks for other people's songs. Some of the people that she has written for include: Britney Spears, Toni Braxton, Chris Brown, Ciara, Mary J. Blige, The Pussycat Dolls, Teairra Mari, Kelly Roland, Keke Palmer and Danity Kane. Just to name a few, the list goes on quite longer but she still wasn't recognized until 2004 when she performed at the European MTV Awards with Xhibit, they performed a song called Hey Now a song that she sung the background vocals to. In 2007 Hilson signed to Timberlands label and made some appearances on his solo album Shock Value, she was also the lead girl in the video to Usher's Love In This Club and she sung the chorus for Nas' single Hero off of his newest album Untitled. She is now set to release her solo album in 2008 entitled In a Perfect World so we can only wait and see how well she does but I expect nothing but good things from her.

SoHo

Inspiration: Terry J. Davis

There are conversational pieces such as: Fendi scarves, Goyard bags and Christian Louboutin shoes. There are people that wear conversational pieces and then there are people that are conversational pieces. Mr. Davis is a conversational piece, a person that sparks conversation, I can only imagine how many conversations were started as a result of him or revolve around him. I have known of Terry for about two years now, I was first introduced to him as "the flyest person ever". A comment that I laughed off and replied with "thats one outfit" but the more I got into Terry the more I realized that he can really dress. Now I mean there are tons of people in the world that can dress but this man doesn't miss a beat. Every outfit, every look, every style; everything that he does is so precise as if he had a back stage prepping before the show. His show is his reality and the world is his audience. This man does not wear sneakers, his closet is well organized and stacked with designer suit jackets, oxfords, vest and anything else that you could possibly imagine. With this walk in closet stocked with heavy artillery this man is armed and dangerous, nothing can defend against his seemingly endless ammunition  so if you get word that he's going to be storming through your city just take refuge in a basement or a cellar.

Get into the weather patterns:

If you have read this post in its entirety, gotten into all of the fits and still haven't drawn any inspiration from any of this then there is nothing I can do for you.

Seek professional help.

SoHo

Rei for H&M?

You are looking at some pieces from the new collection for H&M soon to be released, designed by Rei Kawakubo. Now for those of you who don't know, Rei Kawakubo is the woman behind Commé des Garçons; she is the founder and main designer. I love these looks and I think that this is a great idea. H&M regularly has high fashion designers guest design for their line and I think that is a great idea. However I am a little concerned for the majority of H&M shoppers that may not be so receptive to these looks. One good outcome could be that cross marketing takes effect and the people that wouldn't normally wear H&M venture in to pick up one of these pieces and get turned on to H&M while H&M regulars get into the Rei Kawakubo pieces and become patrons of her work. Win win situation for both parties in an absolute world.

Enjoy the looks:

SoHo

1955 Buick Century

L&F Personal

UBIQ

Well if you've heard the buzz about the Quest Love Nike sneakers then you would already know that there was pandemonium at UBIQ when they released the sneakers. Quest Love was actually on site for the release and CNN was there to cover the story. That was enough to get my attention so I had to investigate, there had to be more to this store than just the hype behind the sneakers because this store was selected to have the sneakers. So I went down to Central Philadelphia, 1509 Walnut street to be exact. 

As I stepped into UBIQ I started to understand why this store was selected to be the location for the release of ?Love's sneakers. As soon as you walk in you can clearly see that the store is huge, in the first corridor there is a wall to wall extensive selection of sneakers, this room is like a sole collector's wet dream.

As I proceeded into the back I notice the effort that went into the interior design of the store and honestly I was impressed. It made me realize that most of the clothing store's in SoHo are just open spaces or renovated warehouses and the upkeep is basically none so everything is profit. That is the inverse of what is going on here at UBIQ, you are encouraged to stay and relax while you shop, have a conversation with the associates about anything under the sun and take in the whole experience, something like Brooklyn Circus; stores like this understand that experience is everything.

I was also impressed by the variety of clothing that is available at this store. Yes that's right, that is an original fake ad and they do carry original fake. More than that they had brand new original fake that I didn't even know was released yet.

My favorite section was the toy section. I stared at those toys for about 10 minutes. The miniature sneakers ranged from Vans to Bathing Ape's and they were just so cool. They also carry Dunny's and basically anything to that effect. Every section of the store that I checked out impressed me and just when I thought that I couldn't take anymore...

I went upstairs and found that there was another world of sneaker's and clothes. This room displayed above is a skater's wet dream. 6 columns and 7 rows in each column of nothing but Vans: High top, low top, mid, chukka, exclusive, general release, you name it and they have it. They even have used Vans on display on the wall over each column just to add to the feel of the room.

When I went into the last room on the second floor I found a layout of more Stüssy products than Stüssy New York has (trust me I just came from Stüssy New York). My whole experience was a memorable one but what impressed me the most is the fact that this store is located in Philadelphia, a state that isn't so readily noted for their great fashion sense. I would expect a store of this caliber to be located somewhere on West Broadway in SoHo New York but it isn't. That says a lot to me and it makes me wonder how long will it be before Philadelphia's name gets on the map for fashion? When will the natives of Philly get caught up in this wave of dressing nice? Will they turn up by the masses to trade in their white tee's and flip flops for a Neighborhood tee and a pair of Mork & Mindy dunks? Only time will tell but for now all we can do is wait. If your ever in town be sure to check out UBIQ.

(no offense to anyone with the white tee, flip flop statement)

SoHo

Hip Hop Cash Kings of 2008

This just in:

Hip Hop's 20 Biggest Earners For 2008:

1) 50 Cent - $150 Million

2) Jay-Z - $82 Million

3) Diddy - $35 Million

4) Kanye West - $30 Million

5) Timberland - $22 Million

6) Pharrell - $20 Million

7) Swizz Beatz - $17 Million

8) Snoop Dogg - $16 Million

9) Dr. Dre - $15 Million

10) Ludacris - $14 Million

Keep in mind ladies and gentlemen that this is only how much money these artist reeled in so far this year and is nowhere near their net worth.

For the remaining 10 people that made the list click here: THE LIST

SoHo

Big Boi:Exclusive Nike's

For years celebrities have been getting their favorite sneaker designers to design them a personalize pair of sneakers so that they could be the only one's in the world with them. I guess when your a celebrity you do things just to reassure yourself that you are special. Fat Joe has said numerous times that his favorite sneaker is Michael Jordan's so he has Michael Jordan sneakers that will never be released, Jay-Z had a Rocafella symbol put on a all white pair of Air Force 1's and the list goes on but now you can add Big Boi to that list.

SoHo

Quest Love: Conversation Piece

This is the release of Quest Love's Nike sneaker or as he would like to put it, conversation piece. Sources tell me that UBIQ (the store that is displayed above only had 15 pairs of sneakers and potential customers started fighting outside just for a chance to get a pair.

More on UBIQ coming soon.

SoHo

The Excused Absence

L&F Personal

Michael Phelps: Beijing

I'm sure you know by now that this is the new face of everything for the next 5-10 years. When I say everything I mean cereal boxes, swim wear, polo, America, etc. Right now the nation has been swept up in this Michael Phelps mania and with good reason. Just in case you've been under a rock Mr. Phelps has won a spotless 8 gold medals in all of the events that he participated in at the 08 Olympics. He went on record to say: "I wanted to do something that nobody ever did... this goes hand in hand with my goal of changing swimming." The whole world was watching as Phelps showed up and performed on the greatest stage in the world. This is really astounding to fans especially after braking his wrist in a nasty accident and not being able to try as hard as usual due to the injury and then there was the fact that it has never been done before with the original record being set at 7 gold medals. Phelps has impressed the whole nation and celebrities aren't excluded, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were in the stands cheering him on as he captured his 7th gold medal. 

In addition he has captured the eye of Lindsay Lohan who released a statement saying: "That's amazing, tell him that I want to meet him."

SoHo

The Williams Sisters:Beijing

Both the Williams sister's were eliminated in the semi-finals of the singles matches however they faired a whole lot better in the doubles competition. They came out victorious with gold medals in the competition. After their victory they went on record to say: "winning the doubles competition is just as important as winning the singles." This is their second gold medal in the Olympic women's double's competition, with their first being in 2000. Congratulations to them and all of their success in life so far, I don't expect them to stop anytime soon.

SoHo