Favorite From Bape Collection

The Rationale Behind Loop Dream

David's Story from Kanye West Foundation on Vimeo.

“I thought back to when I was in high school: I was very much into music, but the equipment was really expensive and hard to get a hold of. The basketball court at school was free; it was also free to play a violin or a drum set, but the way music on the radio is made, there was nothing in high school that helped with that.”

- Kanye West

A Look Inside Paul Smith Parris

Its Nice That offer a closer look into the Paul Smith London storefront, which features an authentic vintage vibe paired with a new age flair. Best described by Paul Smith himself:
“The very exciting point about the Grenelle shop is that it is in premises that have been empty since the 1980’s and is in a very ‘interesting’ state of decay! The walls are unpainted for many years, the floor tiles are the original, 80 year old shelves, everything dates back to the 1930’s when La Tourrette was opened by Monsieur Tourrette as a ‘Bougnat’; the left side of the shop selling coal, the right side selling wine. The business was run by Monsieur Tourrette and continued through the generations, including his daughter and then later other members of the family. In the early 1960’s it was opened as a little cafe and from then until its closure was a famous haunt of many intellectuals including Jacques Prevert and his brother who were regular visitors along with actresses and writers.”

That's Our Girl

Anna Chlumsky's fan base, is extremely weird. See, for instance, Annachlumsky.org, "Your number one source for all things Anna." It features a forum -"omg omg i love u ur my hero and idol"- and lots of teenybopper stuff. The most bizarre example is a music video set to the Temptations' "My Girl," filled with clips of Chlumsky as Vada Sultenfuss- only here, reenacted with Sims avatars. Now, this stuff might seem no weirder than what you'd find on, say, a Miley Cyrus fan site. Except My Girl happens to be almost 20 years old. Chlumsky basically retired from acting a couple of years after making it.

All of which goes to prove that Chlumsky, now 28, has always been with us- even though she's been out of sight - in that dreamland where the stars of our childhood movies write poems, nurse crushes, and eat ice cream for dinner.

But now she's back. Her new film, In the Loop, directed by Armando Lannucci, opens this summer. The political farce pits acid-tongued, wily bureaucrats against each other in the rush to a brain-dead, preemptive war in the Middle East. It's like the West Wing, if it were to be remade by the writers of the British version of The Office. Chlumsky plays Liza Weld, a plucky aide at the State Department and the author of a report that - if leaked -has the power to derail the war altogether.

This movie is the reason Chlumsky is sitting across from me-hair pulled back, wearing a brown turtleneck, smiling widely- at a restaurant near her home in Brooklyn. "It wasn't about art," she says of her years as a child star. She swirls the red wine in her glass. "It was about pleasing people." So she quit. "When I started to feel like I had to have jobs, everything was tainted."

Instead, she went to college in her hometown, at the University of Chicago, where she studied international relations. She toyed with acting again, but the one audition she went on seemed wrong, like a visit to her former self. The thought of retuning to the craft seriously didn't occur to her until she moved to New York after graduation. There, she lived the workaday life of an ambitious twentysomething. She was a fact checker at Zagat, then an editorial assistant for a publisher of sci-fi novels. "I was geeking out! I spent 9 to 5 reading about princesses and goblins. But I was still crying at lunch every day." That's when it hit her. "I remember seeing Mercedes Ruehl, in The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? And I thought, This is totally different from anything I ever did in acting. I want to do that."

So she started taking classes, which she'd never really done before. "When you're a kid, acting comes easy because everything comes out truthful. As an adult, you develop ways to mask that truth. Acting class was about getting that honesty back." She started back at the bottom: hustling for off-off-Broadway gigs; an episode of Law & Order; a cameo on 30 Rock; a couple of tiny movies.

Then there's In the Loop. And she brings to the table something that few child actors ever have: a real-life experience.
--CLIFF KUANG

Manos Al Aire

Nelly Furtado - New Music - More Music Videos

Kid Cudi "Call Me Moon Man"

Check out the extremely talented artist kid cudi’s new song “Call Me Moon Man” on KanyeUniverseCity.com

Volcom Or Barbarella?

Swimsuits and stun guns at Volcom's west coast runway.

Lock Out

OMG!!! New Balance keychains.

All In The Timing

In New York's vast downtown, there's a one-stop store for toys (Kid Robot), a one-stop store for jeans (Inven.tory), and a one-stop spot for exotic Asian ice cream flavors (the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory). But there hasn't been a place where guys could go for wallets, watches, and general acoutrements of style until now.

This weekend, the design brand Nooka opened a pop-up boutique in the East Village, partnering with the revolving concept store Den to use their space.

The store is open through August 16, and features every Nooka product on the market right now, including their new Asset Organizer, fragrance, and The Nooka Strip, a new kind of belt. Though they're not set to launch until Fall, the stuff makes its exclusive debut a month earlier in the store, so trend hunters can get a kick start on their autumn style.

Located at 11th Street between First and Second Avenues in Manhattan, the store is easy to find if you're in New York - but if you're not, and still want to partake in the Nooka goodness, you can phone them at 212-475-0079 to place an order.

Blue Jean Baby

It's easy to see why paparazzi chase Sienna Miller around the world - there's just something about her that makes you want to watch her every move. Maybe that's why she's one of Hollywood's busiest actresses, with thirteen films completed in under five years (including office favorites like Factory Girl, Edge of Love, and Alfie).

Thats Phresh!!

Toy Story

Some DJs endorse clothing brands. Others open tea shops. But A-Trak is doing something a bit more playful—he’s designed a toy for Kid Robot.

Dubbed the Grateful Bear, the eight inch vinyl figure is a swaggering polar bear with sunglasses perched on his head, a fish in his back pocket, and a square that looks suspiciously like acid resting on his tongue. Although A-Trak claims “whatever’s on his tongue, I don’t know – I don’t even know what acid looks like,” the psychedelic drug would certainly explain the Technicolor igloo that comes with the set.

The former World DJ Champion wasn’t working alone—graphic designer Dust La Rock was his partner in crime for this project, which took about a year to finish up. “We were working on a bunch of stuff, so whenever we had a minute it would be like, ‘Oh yeah, the bear, we gotta design the bear!’ And then months would pass,” explains A-Trak. It wasn’t the first time this duo collaborated on a project; they met “four or five years ago,” when Dust La Rock designed a flyer for the DJ, and “it’s been magic ever since.”

And though it’s not all fun and games for A-Trak—he’s hitting the road with Rye Rye and Treasure Fingers this Sunday for a summer-long tour—he promises that the Grateful Bear is only the beginning. “The next thing? Energy drinks,” he says with a laugh, pointing to a six-pack of Amp energy drinks arranged on the table next to him. “For my trademark energy.”
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

Adidas SLVR

Instant Gratification

It’s easy to get snap happy with the Diana F+ camera, the plastic (and fantastic) updated version of the ‘60s classic model. It’s a bit harder to remember just how you did it, considering that part of the camera’s charm is its off-the-cuff shots. By the time you’ve developed the film, it’s hard to remember just what settings you used to capture the moment.

That’s about to change, with Lomography releasing the Diana Instant Back+ attachment. Fasten the box onto the back of your camera, load it up with Fujifilm Instax Mini (that’s the new Polaroid film, in case you haven’t tried it out yet), start snapping, and 90 seconds later you’ve got near-instant pictures.

The attachment still lets you have some fun with the camera—the double-exposures, split lenses, and pinhole shots the Diana F+ is known for still works with the Instant Back, only you can actually tell how your attempts turn out within minutes, rather than weeks. And to make the transition easier for those who haven’t yet been inducted into the world of Diana cameras, there are bundle packs, so you can get a discount when you buy a new camera and the Instant Back.

Polaroid film as we know it might be dead, but instant gratification is still just a click away.

Prep With A Rep

When designer Vincent Flumiani lived in his car for four months, he knew it would be the start of something big - after refusing to follow in more corporate family footsteps, he set off on his own to start an LA clothing label. After working as a graphic designer for Volcom, Quiksilver, and other skate-friendly brands, Flumiani ventured into uncharted territory with a new brand of his own.

Named Caufield Preparatory after Catcher in the Rye's lit misfit, the line has three-quarter length shirts to ease the tightening of a rolled-up sleeve, plus wrinkled fabrics inspired by bunking in back of a Volvo (and perfect for picking up off the floor in a hurried morning).

Caufield Prep launches its first full line this summer, with new clothes rolling into stores like Bloomingdale's and Odin every month. Unlike other new favorites in your closet, this one doesn't need steaming and dry cleaning whenever you want to look learned.

Best DJ Ever!!

DJ Skeet Skeet was raised in Davenport, Iowa. Yes you read that right, I-O-W-A. So how does a country boy like Trevor McFedries become a club king before he is even legally allowed inside? In a word: charm.

His knack for playing all the right tunes, and his cult following in the Indie club scene has allowed him to travel the world, be featured in countless magazines, and in the meantime win over the hearts of many adoring fans. His party rocking abilities alone have earned him residencies all over the US from Pawn Shop in Miami to Mur.Mur inside the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, even the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego.

While most DJ’s are known for playing a certain style of music, Skeet is an enigma - his appreciation for Pop and Hip Hop is outmatched only by his tastemaker knowledge of Indie Rock and Electronica. This uncommon ability allows him to rock Top 40 Vegas casino clubs and dive bars in Brooklyn all the same.

In 2007 he teamed up with long time friends Cisco Adler and Shwayze to complete the “Shwayze” outfit, soon after, they were quickly signed to Geffen Records. Skeet was also a featured act on Warped Tour in 2008 and was one of the first DJ’s ever to be brought on board for the traditionally punk rock tour.

Lance Armstrong & Nike Present Stages Exhibition

KAWS - STAGES PORTRAITS BY LA MJC from La MJC on Vimeo.

My Nigga And I... LOL

This is like my "ride or die" stay up on the phone late BFF. We always look out for each others best interest. We’ve been through ups and downs and drama filled weekends, but in the end our friendship is always intact. So I want the world to know I adore her.

Calvin Harris New Single

Love The Look

Aristotle is a nice balance of value and visual. Classic angles and sensible outfitting, Aristotle is a multi-purpose, practical ride at a beautiful price.

Erin Wasson

A “Classic Beauty” hailing from the great state of Texas, Erin Wasson embodies the modern female ideal. Ever-evolving, ever graceful, Wasson has enjoyed a career of dreams. Having walked the international runways for everyone from Chloe to Lanvin, Balenciaga to Gucci, graced the covers of countless magazines such as French Vogue, Elle and Numero and worked with the world’s most renowned photographers: Mario Testino, Elle Von Unwerth and Patrick Demarchelier, Wasson has an endearing, all American charm that’s difficult to ignore.

Some more new arrivals this week from G Shock. Some great basics like the Mudman in a “murdered out” flat black and the Classic G Lide in shiny black.