Kaws x Marc Jacobs

Kaws does yet another good collaboration, this time with the King of NY (fashion wise) Marc Jacobs. The two came together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the mouse flats which have been totally revamped by Kaws artwork as seen above. These shoes are scheduled to be released on September 29th however they will only be carried by the MJ flagship stores in the US and London. So whether you are in the US or you're across the pond that is where you need to be on Monday. For those of you in Paris you need to get to Colette and if your in Tokyo make your way over to the Original Fake flagship store because there are only 200 pairs worldwide! 

Can we get in on the action too MJ? Can the blokes get some trainers as part of a collaboration with Kaws?

SoHo

Chic in SoHo

I like this look because it is a perfect example of what I would like to see women in for the cooler months. Right now it isn't extremely cold on the streets of SoHo so the slightly transparent top is a good choice how ever for the latter months it should be replaced with an oxford accented by a cashmere scarf. Most likely her top is a thin cotton, cashmere or a blend of both which means that she's still pretty warm. Rayban's are always a nice touch, the Chanel bag is classic and you can never go wrong with a classic bag. Overall I like the way she played with black, usually when people wear black they are being safe but this outfit doesn't come across like that, this outfit is discreetly whispering chic.

The guy that she was with had a nice outfit going on. Personally I prefer this approach to casual days, it's like saying just because I want to dress casually and feel comfortable doesn't mean that I have to be in sweats and a tee. The shades are right for his face structure and the scarf was a nice touch.

If you didn't figure it out already that's Rodger and Taylor from Bravo network's Rachel Zoe Project, check your local listings for show times.

SoHo

Eva Mendes for Calvin Klein

This shoot is a part of the new Calvin Klein campaign which is being spearheaded by Eva Mendes. Now after reviewing this shoot and reminiscing about the incredible work that she did this year in her American Vogue shoot:

CLICK HERE

The only question that plagues me is why don't we see more from Ms. Mendes? Her face was made to be adored by the lens of whatever camera man can craft to capture life. Modeling is a gift to the woman from the gods, she does it so effortlessly. It's so much more than just her face, it's like everything about her is perfect for being a super model for example: she looked away in the first shot, we see very little of her face but the shot is still sick. It is truly a shame that we only get served these killer shoots as dessert. This is enough to feed the Corléon family.

The looks:

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[as]+ Etnies Party

For more pictures CLICK HERE

Versace Spring 09

This is a very good collection, Donatella has shown us a complete package from swimsuits and innovative looks to unique silhouettes (similar to those seen in Calvin's collection) and elegant gowns. The best part about this collection is that it was cohesive and  fluid, despite the fact that we were seeing a full range of design skill and technique the collection still made sense. There was a subtle tone of elegant playfulness with the appearance of hearts on most of the dresses.

This is the unique silhouette that was first seen in Calvin's collection; quite interesting that it has shown up here as well.

Everyone has tried their hand at Grecian drapery this season but the difference is in the material. Silk chiffon enables the garment to move as elegantly as the woman wearing it.

This was the only dress where the hearts were displayed so aggressively, however the hearts were precisely scattered throughout the collection.

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Dsquared² Spring 09

Milan fashion week continues with todays show; Dsquared². Which honestly wasn't the most organized stream of thought that I've seen walk down a runway. Maybe it's me, maybe my expectations for a runway show are too high but the collection just didn't seem to speak the same language; I really couldn't catch the beat. However in every bad situation you should always try to find the positive so I have compiled the best looks from the show.

There were quite a few sexy looks like the tree above. Some came in the form of long flowing beautiful gowns, while others were long gowns with seductive splits and finally there were bathing suits that accented the assets of the women.

If memory serves me correctly there weren't that many looks from the men, it was almost as though they snuck onto the runway. However the looks that did come out were really good, note the contrast between the cut of the first pant and that of the second. Personally I would prefer the second look overall but this cut suit isn't for every body type which is why it's best to get your suits tailored. Going Prêt á Portér on a suit only works well if you get the jacket altered to fit your body (actually isn't a bad idea if your trying to save money) but suits come in sets of two or three pieces when you break those pieces apart and mix and match it is almost impossible to match the jacket with a pant so you'll get a look similar to that of the latter runway look.

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New Lanvin Trainers:

The newest edition to the Lanvin sneaker family, a beautiful union between patent leather, cotton velvet, satin and rubber. I advise against use during extreme weather conditions like heavy rain during storms or snow. As a matter of fact keep away from any form of precipitation.

Get your pair here: CLICK HERE

"What is this velvet!?!?" Eddie Murphy

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And In Urban Wear News:

Resonate releases some more looks at their F/W 08 collection and I find what in my opinion is the best kind of flannel shirt to own. The thick kind that the hunters use is what everyone on the streets are in search of. Love the opaque snap buttons...awawawawaw Opaque! (Homer voice).

MCM and TI$A present to you their newest overnight bag. Our friend and yours Taz Arnold has started up a clothing line named after himself (Taz Is $o Arnold) and seeing as he was already working with MCM for their own clothing line it should come as no surprise that he's collaborating with them on items like this bag. Many more to come.

-Just a thought-

He is also working with Kanye on Pastelle. Does that mean that we should expect collaborations from Pastelle x Ti$A? Only time will tell.

Raf Simons has re-released the astronaut boots in all leather. Right now the only color available is red but if you remember the original version that featured some subtle tones of suede and if history really does repeat itself then we should be expecting more color options. To get your hands on the pair seen above CLICK HERE

I saved the best for last. Raf Simons has ventured where no footwear designer has ever gone before; well at least successfully. The interchangeable sneaker, one body is high top while the other is low top. You get two Raf Simons sneakers for the price of one. The body is removed by unzipping it from the sole of the sneaker; imagine the possibilities. awawawawawa Possibilities! (Homer voice)

Make your purchase here: CLICK HERE

SoHo

Barack Obama: Mens Vogue

Unless I've lost count this is Obama's second fashion magazine cover. Many of you must be asking yourself "do fashion magazines always put presidential candidates on the cover?" The answer is no but you must admit there has never been this much attention on a presidential nominee before; ever. Not only is he a hot topic in politics but the senator is also very well dressed so it isn't a stretching imaging him on the cover of a fashion magazine. Now open your minds for a second. The president is the most influential man in the United States of America and aside from being influential he is a true role model. Now if the President of the United States of America is a well dressed man then imagine the ripple affect. He influences everyone, when he is scheduled to speak families fit it into their busy schedules just so they can gather around their television and sit in silence, just watching and listening to what he has to say. I predict that this is a great move on the part of the Gentlemen's Quarterly and Men's Vogue for recognizing his style and understanding the importance of acknowledging it. Imagine how many wardrobe's he can affect with just one siting. 

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Speaking of Tom Ford

Speaking of Tom Ford, he's on the cover Vanity Fair Germany for October. Unlike Marc Jacobs or Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford isn't as readily recognizable and isn't really in the public eye; it's almost as though he doesn't exist outside of the realm of designing. His suits are splendid and your guaranteed to see at least one on every red carpet but the man behind the tailoring isn't so easy to find. Is it because he doesn't want to be scene? Let's run with that and play with this idea a bit. Maybe he doesn't like all of the lights and attention all of the time and needs his personal space where he can exists without always having to make a scene. Whatever the case may be, when he is seen he looks great, dressed well and he is always so pleasant, it's a real shame that he doesn't come out to play more often. For those of you who don't know Tom worked for Cathy Hardwick and Perry Ellis spending only two years with each but is more famously known for his years of work with the house of Gucci. Starting out as a unknown American designer and working his way up to creative director of not only the women's collection but the men as well. When Gucci acquired YSL in 2002 he was creative director of that line as well, at least until his departure in 2004. Due to differences he decided to part ways with the company and start up his own line; Tom Ford. A line that started with eye wear but now includes: Men and Women accessories, menswear, eyewear and beauty.

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Gucci: Spring 09

Frida what have you done with the kingdom?

-style note-

Frida Giannini is the creative director of Gucci, she was one of the designers that was kept after Tom Ford jumped ship and swam about his own vessel.

 I was expecting to see glory and honestly I am disappointed. There are some pieces that I think are nice but this is Gucci and I don't understand this whole amazonian phase that your going through. It looks like she was trying to channel Pucci in a way but took a wrong turn along the way. This in no way shape or form says Gucci to me. When you take the reigns of a fashion house with as much prestige as the house of Gucci has you have to do justice by maintaining a certain amount of creativity and class. This is not a bad collection it just isn't good enough to bear the Gucci name. This is Milan! You have a responsibility to put on a good show and what I'm looking at is just too watered down and too commercial. I look to the future in expectation of a redemption collection.

The looks:

This is the best dress out of them all and what a coincidence my favorite model Chanel is modeling it.

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Interesting Fact: Burberrys

The company Burberry was founded in 1856 by a twenty one year old man by the name of Thomas Burberry. It is a little known fact that in 1888 the company was renamed Burberrys after customers abroad started calling it Burberrys of London. The name was changed back to the original Burberry name in 1891 but the older pieces will stay say Burberrys.

I know that you all are dying to know what I'm holding but it'll be quite sometime before I bring out this infantryman.

Infantry - The oldest and most numerous of the combat arms in the armed forces; consists of soldiers who predominantly fight on foot. 

Infantryman - A soldier that fought in the infantry. 

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L&F Personal:

To get a behind the scenes look at L&F and the people that make L&F what it is click the link:

L&F PERSONAL

Inspiration: Don James Batalla

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you all: 

Don James Batalla. 

I first came across DJ by way of Coolness P, they attended the same school initially and P as a Bape head himself recognized DJ for his style. It's one thing if you just have a lot of Bathing Ape or BBC but its cool when you actually know how to wear your gear. When Teyana Taylor emerged out of Harlem with her Team Nerd movement in 06 DJ was a member; the entire crew was drenched in Bathing Ape, BBC and Ice Cream. Around that time Bathing Ape was something that you rarely saw on a SoHo Block and when you did you took notice to what exactly it was and who was wearing it. Seeing that was definitely a major thing because it made everyone pay more attention to DJ, the haters were doing their job and the fans were doing their part as well. Not long after DJ stepped back on the scene with a new vision, Ironic Extinction; which is a clothing line that DJ and his friends work on together. It has been around since 2006, originally including shirts and sweat shirts but recently they received a New Era fitted cap deal and it seems like the signature (Dinosaur riding a comet(hence the name)) is going to be everywhere by next summer. Aside from all of the accomplishments with the line lets not forget that this man is still fresh to death and has been that way for as long as I can remember. It's one thing if he was just wearing Bathing Ape but he mixed it with high fashion lines and at times he was wearing gear that I wasn't even hip to yet. He is definitely a pioneer in SoHo for a lot of reasons, it would be bias and selfish for me to proclaim SoHo B and not give DJ his props.

DJ seen above with his long time girlfriend Sweet Gem whom is also the graphic designer for the line. 

To get further into DJ: CLICK HERE

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Original Fake: Storm Troopers

Kaws does it again, this time recreating the storm troopers from Star Wars and like anything else that he adds his special touch to; it's cool. The only problem is that sources say these figurines are being released on September 27th at 9am at the Original Fake flagship store in Tokyo. So unless your in Tokyo as your reading this or you own a private jet this information is nothing but a teaser until it gets released in the US. Well on a better note there are going to be those consumers that just want to make a profit and are going to put the figurine for sale on ebay so stay tuned.

SoHo

Band of Outsiders: Spring 09

Band of Outsiders is looking like a good option for Spring 09. I'm a sucker for bow ties so they sold me from the first look. All bias aside the collection is well put together and really shows flexibility. The BOA boat shoes are great as well and are available right now: HERE

Aside from the bow ties, I really like the suits that they are producing. The lapels aren't too big and over bearing nor are they too small and non-existent; they are perfect. The cut of the suit is definitely something to brag about, it's slimming and complimenting to the body.

Enjoy the looks:

This is my favorite look.

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Words From The Wise: KL

"Diets have to be like high fashion, they have to be made by order." 

"I don't believe in one fashion of diet, it has to be made for your body, what's going on in your body and it is not something for amateur, this is a very professional thing because what may be good for you may not be good for me and worst for her." Karl Lagerfeld

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The Stuffed Karl Lagerfeld: Release

The bear drops today, for the history on the company CLICK HERE.

The KL bear is now available at Neiman Marcus, to get your hands on one:

CLICK HERE

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Shutta

Shutta

UK underground artist with a nice flow and some good lyrics. 

To take a listen to the bloke CLICK HERE

"far from a website/ but to me www means write write write/ your not really up for the fight/ my bars are off the chain like a broken bike" Shutta

SoHo

Swatch: Oddjob

Ever seen a James Bond movie? Who hasn't? These movies are classic and everyone is made with such prestige. There is a feeling of pride to be apart of the 007 heritage. The entire world knows that agent Bond is a well dressed gentleman. Everything about him is something to be desired in a man. He's a sophisticated man, multi-lingual, trained in hand to hand combat, can operate any vehicle, can handle and weapon and has a way with women that some men just can't understand. His suits are all tailor made and his watch of choice is either a Rolex or a Breitling. Swatch is feeling the 007 heritage and they are making sure that their name gets mentioned in the history books as a part of the Bond legacy. They are making a series of watches in honor of the villains of the 007 timeline. The watch displayed above is the best that I have seen so far is named: Oddjob after Goldfinger's mute assassin.

Get your hands on one here: 

CLICK HERE

SoHo

CNBC: Nike

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Gianfranco Ferré Spring 09

Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi how dare you? How can you be so bold to send these looks down the runway much less to a seamstress to be crafted into existence? Amazing. Any editor that isn't singing your praises after viewing this collection should be banished from the land. This collection blew me away, what innovation! These shapes are so unlikely, the designs were unthought of and no one used pockets like this before; spectacular! This collection is so refreshing that it would make a woman abandon her entire closet. The truly remarkable feature about this collection is that through all of the uncanny designs it all flows cohesively and tells a story of a time to come. I applaud you two for telling such a story when everyone else around you is telling the story of a time that once was.

-style note-

Common feature in all of these looks: the belt.

This is my favorite look and might I add that Chanel looked great in the first look.

SoHo