Dope Ambition

I was walking around and discovered an alley filled with wall-to-wall pieces, tags, spray paint cans, and Swisher Sweets wrappers. Some graffiti artists went ham, to say the least.

xx,

chandler

At Dolce & Gabbana’s runway show in Milan, over-sized blazers bordered on Zoot Suit-like breadth and length and shrunken tuxedo jackets offered flavors (yes, I say flavors) like animal print and velvet. But the star of the show, literally, was the star prints that decorated sheer, flowing maxi dresses and gold sequined numbers alike. While Dolce & Gabbana is known for their penchant for lace, the fabric only made its debut as a sidekick for Fall 2011, letting the stars shine and the rest take the back seat. Oh, and take note: the more rockstar the ensemble, the flatter and more manly the shoe.

For the full collection, click here.

Five dollars to the darling who can spot the Miu Miu in this trio of photos from Vogue China’s March issue.

Lindsey Wixson plays an innocent schoolgirl-with-a-secret for photographer Willy Vanderperre.

link

I don’t usually post collections from men’s runway shows, and it’s not because I don’t love all my gentles, but more because I am more infatuated with decorating my own body than I am with concerning myself with suits and slacks.

But I would actually rob, steal and maul any man wearing these exquisite John Rocha suits with textured details and Black Swan-like feathered shoulders. Even the small tufts of texture peeking out under trenches are enough to make me swoon, and probably rob the wearer blind if given the chance.

I am smitten with these delightfully dark mansembles. #Lemmegetthat.

images via coutequecoute

Backtrack to Los Angeles circa 2005, and you will surely find Britney-inspired disheveled wardrobes complete with Ugg boots and In-N-Out takeout cups, hot mess panty slips by celebutantes hungry for their place on page six, and babies as the new black with baby strollers serving as the new Birkin. Steven Meisel’s 2005 editorial for Italian Vogue satirized the Hollywood aesthetic that sadly served as a stark contrast to the mystery and glamor of Old Hollywood.

Celebs in L.A. in 2005, especially those of the LohanHiltonSpears variety, had the entirety of their lives on blast, splashed across the front page of every glossy gossip mag. But with stars choosing patio dining and driving convertible cars worth the average American’s tuition money, the flashiness of it all was normal, and these celebs went on to crave the flashing lights like the coke and pills they consumed at the newest nightspot.

Overexposed mid-drifts, pantiless “oops” moments and a uniform of swimsuits and Juicy Couture sweats oozed “New Hollywood,” and America became obsessed with its new set of sweethearts who were, put kindly, not so sweet.

Fast forward to 2011 and Hollywood looks a little different. Lindsay Lohan is still in and out of court, and starlets still are seen with In-N-Out Burger, but it seems those who followed LohanHiltonSpears generation learned important lessons from their predecessors. One of them: keep your life private and your privates private. Another: if you want to continue living lavish and raking in the massive pay checks, stay out of trouble and say no to blow. And the most worthless of celebrities have gotten smarter about self-promotion…note to self: sex tape + big ass = B-status stardom = reality show = endorsements = $$$$$$$.

And to supplement this genius spread, I’ve included Chester French’s “Life In L.A.” ft. Pharrell & Jermaine Dupree. Read the lyrics…so fitting.

Jessica Stam for Wonderland Magazine

My friend Jason over at SGC N-Y-C might know a little something about the subdued coined NYC cool; the ingredients include a little bit of careless personal style, a hefty amount of rock-n-roll, and large doses of the notorious downtown bohemian I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude.  Mixed together, this is the SGC N-Y-C clothing and lifestyle brand concoction. And for the editorial, girl-about-town Sarah McSweeney was thrown into the mix, which is when the clothing quickly transformed into the laid-back go-to accoutrement collection for the summer/fall.

Think wardrobe staples like denim button-up dresses, black cotton skirts with bunching details and oversized tanks with

Part of/affiliated with the on-their-way-to-total-domination OFWGKTA and recently Twitter co-signed by the great Lupe Fiasco, Frank Ocean‘s “nostalgia, ULTRA” is, for lack of better terms, a real-ass musical trip down all kinds of different lanes, ultimately leaving you in a spinning world of stawberry swings and Lincoln town cars with bleeding hearts in the trunk. I said the album was a trip, didn’t I?

Upon first skim-through listen, it may be easy to dismiss Frank Ocean as a Chris Brown-sound-alike; their voices hit many of the same notes and they carry out their words in similar ways. However, while Frank Ocean’s songs touch upon some of the same subject matters as the fallen pop-star – sex, broken hearts, girls – Frank Ocean manages to maintain pop-sounding choruses when really, he is talking about the subject matter in the most stripped-down way possible, with ample doses of romantic touches. So that is where the comparison ends; their voices are a touch similar, but Frank Ocean takes you on a journey the Chris Browns of the world can’t even fathom, let alone conquer. Where Chris Brown sang “Run It,” as a seductive ode to grown women around the world in attempt to prove his sexual prowess, Frank Ocean sings “Nature Feels,” an equally sensual song, but instead of bragging about “running it,” Ocean wants you to know how is nature feels; it doesn’t take much to recognize what kind of nature he is referring to, and his references to Adam and Eve conjure images of new sexuality and shy nudity.

But that is just one comparison. I listened to the album in its entirety about a dozen times now, and have given you a summary/insight into a few of my favorites. However, upon further listening sessions, I am sure to have new breakthrough favorites and discoveries; the best music usually has surprises in store, and I have a feeling this album is keeping a few secrets. And the fact that this quality of music is being given to us for free reminds me that I have paid hard-earned money for some bonified garbage in the past. Artists like Frank Ocean have the potential to change the game of pop or its subsequent hybrids; the sound may be similar, but the content is upgraded to an imagery-geek’s taste and a stoner’s  listening criteria.

If anyone hates on this album I will punch him/her in the face.

…just kidding. Kind of. Click the link below the pics for the download.

DOWNLOAD – Frank Ocean – “Nostalgia, Ultra”

Strawberry Swing: This song manages to create a dreamy, effortless sound bite while simultaneously singing about the fucked up world we live in. This belongs on stage with a trippy life-sized screen-as-backdrop playing crackly home videos at the hypothetical Woodstock of the future, perhaps with a few more drums towards the end for emphasis.

Nature Feels: Set to MGMT’s “Electric Feel,” this song is Frank Ocean’s take on seduction, conjuring images of cherries blossoming at climax. To MGMT’s chorus (“Ooh girl/Shock me like an electric eel/Baby girl /Turn me on with your electric feel) Frank Ocean has “making love underneath the cherry leaves//babygirl//tell me how my nature feels/said aww baby  oh //up against the cherry tree.” An electric eel vs nature feels under cherry trees? I’m turned on. Must move on to the next song.

Nature Feels by Frank Ocean

Swim Good: One of my favorite songs and it name drops (and pays homage to) Kanye’s 808′s & Heartbreak with a little auto-tuned goodness in the mix, although in “Novocane,” he hates on auto-tune a little bit. He mourns a lost love/broken heart here and hopes to “swim good” when he drives his car off the road and into the ocean.

Novacane: i think i started something
i got what i wanted
did didn’t i
can’t feel nothing
superhuman
even when i’m fucking
viagra popping
every single record
autotuning
zero emotion
muted emotion
pitch corrected
computed emotion
i blame it on the model broad with the hollywood smile
stripper booty and rack like wow…”

American Wedding (genius!) Set to the Eagles “Hotel California,” this song can encapsulates every overnight wedding that has become so trivial in Hollywood and the notion that marriage is like a driver’s license – just as disposable or easily renewed. Marriage is the new boyfriend-and-girlfriend, haven’t you heard? “…but if you stay//girl if you stay//you’ll probably leave later anyway //it’s love made in the U.S.A.”

Another day, another dope drop from Lupe leading up to his “Lasers” album release. This freestyle is his best in quite awhile, and reminds me of the “old” Lupe…not that I don’t love new Lupe, but some “Food & Liquor” Lu is never ever a bad thing, no? Check it out.

DOWNLOAD – Lupe Fiasco “Moment 4 Life” Freestyle

Lupe Fiasco – Moment 4 Life (Freestyle) by Hypetrak

I am dying for the reds and pinks in Matthew Williamson’s Fall 2011 RTW collection. The effortless trousers, ombre furs and ikat feathered minis are enough to have me wishing my bank account was bigga.

Until then, drool.