Get your vintage fix at Nastygal.com
October 23, 2008
From oversized lumber jack shirts (just add wet look leggings) to 80s sequinned dresses and signature eco cotton totes; Nasty Gal ‘for the discerning fashionista’ is currently my virtual second home.
A relatively new company, Sophia Amoruso founded Nasty Gal in 2006 and is lucky enough to be based in the vintage goldmine that is San Francisco. A rather talented little lady, Amoruso is also the owner of Sophia Amoruso photography.
Not only has the slick, simplistic and very contemporary design of Nasty Gal’s website caught my fickle eye but the amazing calibre of hand selected vintage items has left me close to drooling. With such a fantastic range – everything from original 80s fabulously cut drape dresses to must-have ‘Cosby sweaters’ and the most covetable of leather jackets; a shop in the UK would simply tear up the London vintage market.
Check out the Nasty Gal blog and unusually (and refreshingly) you wont see a lot of wordy posts but a snapshot of all of the phenomenally styled upcoming garms and accessories winging their way to the site. With a lookbook on its way too, things are looking ever optimistic for this growing and hugely successful site as a firm vintage favourite. And let’s face it, with not much competition out there excluding vintage mecca’s Absolute Vintage, candy says and Beyond Retro (whose website incidentally has had an amazing re-design); Nasty Gal are hot footing it to success with a fully transactional website.
Which leads me into delivery. The great news – Nasty Gal ship, not too costly, worldwide and offer free delivery on orders over $150 (approx £92). The downside – it would appear that this offer is only available to US customers and with vintage items being non-returnable, make sure you heed their advice on checking your measurements match theirs. Thankfully, they’ve been kind enough to post a pretty comprehensive fit guide too.
The perfect destination to get your fix of super cool vintage or new clothing, accessories and sunglasses a la American Apparel, Nasty Gal may not be the cheapest at ranging from $18 to $295 – but you definitely get what you pay for. It’s clear to see that this range really has been hand selected, cutting hours off your Portobello and Camden market rummaging and putting an end to ‘I saw it first’ cat-fights.
Don’t forget to sign up to the e-newsletter – you’ll be hot on the pulse of new arrivals before anyone else and trust me, they go…fast!
Take Me Away – Damian Wilson feat. Ann Bailey
October 22, 2008
Thanks to a free sampler CD by CR2 records that I picked up in Café Mambo, Ibiza (which turned out to be awesome) Take Me Away by Damian Wilson has become the latest dance track I’m obsessing over. Sadly, the particular remix I’m after by Searle, mixed by female Danish duo Delicious would appear not to be gracing the digital world…or available to buy on vinyl. So, I’m afraid you’ve got the original mix at least for now.
I will be hunting down the floor filling, bass thumping version by Delicious and bringing it to your fingertips very shortly. In the meantime, give this one a shot; it’s still good but only on the condition you play it very, very loud.
(Can you) Take Me Away by Damian Wilson featuring Ann Bailey can be downloaded on Juno. And, you’ll be pleased to know you can even have the Searle remix – maybe not quite the Delicious mix but indeed, a very good second best.
Track listing for LIVE & DIRECT Ibiza Sampler 2008 by CR2 records & mixed by Delicious:
I wanna freak you (Classic mix)
Souvenir
(Can you) Take me away
Hulk (Original)
Aviation
Royalflush
Bounce
New Heights
Ain’t nobody
If you really love someone (Paul Woolford’s 11 minutes of magic)
Hey sweet
Lifting me high
Pyramid (Dirty South remix)
All of the original versions of the above tracks are available on YouTube.
Ever wondered how to stop your banana getting battered, bruised and liquifying en-route to work or school? ‘Passionate purple’, ‘mellow yellow’, ‘sublime green’ or glow in the dark (because everyone looses their banana at night) – look no further than Bananaguard.
This morning, a colleague brightened up our day in the office by sharing her newly acquired Bananaguard in all its glory. Designed to accommodate all sized bananas, including those ‘highly curved’ which ‘can be straightened ever-so-slightly without harm’ the Bananaguard is made from high quality plastic and arrives complete with a sturdy lock and on board ventilation to prevent ‘prematurely ripening’. Needing no comment, I will leave its symbolic aesthetics to your imagination.
With a pistol toting logo, the ‘Protect your banana!’ strapline and even the option to customise your Bananaguard with a few select words or company emblem, surely their response to some of their FAQ’s could only be in good humour:
Q: “Is there a battery attachment?”
A: No. The Banana Guard was designed for its intended purpose only as a device to prevent banana trauma during transport.
Banana trauma? I’m all for avoiding a bruised banana so you’ll be pleased to know, they’re delivered world wide from Bananaguard directly to your door for the small fee of £3.99 each plus P & P or £34.99 for pack of seven. Upgrade to the glow in the dark version (coming soon) for a nominal extra £1 per guard; a well spent investment enabling you to locate your fruity friend twenty four hours a day.
Best not to leave it sticking out of your bag in the office though.
Bananaguard in action preventing office related banana trauma
Scar 3D – Slasher horror just got a whole lot scarier
October 21, 2008
As a bit of a horror film enthusiast, imagine my excitement in discovering that in January, the first horror film in 3D will be released.
Scar 3D is due to hit the cinemas in January 2009 and has been filmed using cutting edge Real D technology, enabling it to be shown in High Definition live-action 3D. If you’re a horror fan (and I don’t know many other than myself), it’s worth checking out the website here for all sorts of ‘making of’ and post production stills. With a z list cast and fairly unknown filmmakers including director Jed Weintrob (sorry who? I doubt many of you will remember his 1994 film Pumpkinhead II), this is definitely a flick to check out simply for it’s gory cutting edge technology – including ‘spraying’ the audience in blood. Roll on January…here’s hoping it lives up to the hype.
Image thanks to Thirsty 5
Winding down on a Sunday evening, I put the radio on last night in time to catch the last hour or so of Radio One’s Sunday Surgery. No stranger to the show, I’ve often tuned in by chance and been fortunate enough (or something) to listen to everything from teenagers confessions of sexually transmitted diseases to the delicate subject of last nights show; suicide.
Initially, I didn’t realise the topic of this session presented by Aled Haydn Jones of Chris Moyles show fame (standing in for regular host Kelly Osbourne). Heavily focused on the subject of depression, the show was actually based on an insight into suicide yet additionally, articulately and informatively gave a comprehensive insight into the illness that is depression. For those of you with family or friends suffering from depression, I strongly suggest you click here to listen to this edition of the Sunday Surgery whilst you can. Although the show is focused on discussing the serious nature of suicide, it also has some very useful information on depression. Radio One’s producers should be congratulated for devising such and informative show that not only offered help to those sorely in need but for heightening the awareness of this mental illness, so often misunderstood, to friends and family desperate to offer support. If you know someone that you think may have or has been diagnosed with depression, it’s worth checking out Sunday Surgery’s coherent website to see how you can help.
As a direct result of listening to the show, I’ve signed up to volunteer with the hugely worthy cause Samaritans whom without, millions of people in need would have no-where to turn to when they need it most. I hope that with depression running in my family and first hand experience, I too can help raise awareness and make understanding depression easier for those who want to help friends and loved ones.
The Surgery – Radio One every Sunday from 10pm to 12am.
ASOS Magazine Goes Digital
October 9, 2008
I’m very pleased to share the news that ASOS have launched a digital version of their hugely successful magazine and for extra brownie points; they’ve even made it clickable.
A fun, fashionable and clued-up read it’s one the few brands that have successfully delivered the ‘magalogue’ concept combining editorial and mail order. As a regular ASOS reader, it’s probably the only shamless marketing tool I’ve actually ever bothered updating my details for if I’ve moved address. That in itself is one mean feat conquered for any direct marketer.
Covering everything from hot hotels around the world to menswear, the requisite dose of celebrity spotting and of course, their latest and greatest garms; ASOS have yet again sealed their bid to become a super brand by stepping up the competition and launching the magazine online. As a rapidly growing trend to move from print to web, this is something that many brands would like to commandeer; however due to technical issues and often expensive software design provided from masters of the e-catalogue Scene7 or Think Tank it’s still a form of media that not everyone is quite ready to embrace.
Historically speaking, digital magazines can be a bit risky in terms of functionality; they may look great but if you can’t physically turn the pages at the click of a mouse, then reading them can become cumbersome. However, ASOS have been clued up enough to design three ways to read the brochure; turn the pages by clicking and dragging your mouse as you would do a real magazine, click the next (or back) button or more standard, download the PDF version. Have a look at their flat plan here. A really cool piece of design, thumbnail pagination of the magazine can be directly clicked into enabling the customer to literally buy off the page, serving to up the ante on their desired magalogue theme. Just one question, why does it link to a US version of the site and show the price in dollars? Surely a schoolboy error and unless you’re a hardcore fashionista in need your latest fashion fix, it might put you off. Well, maybe if it wasn’t ASOS.
So well done ASOS, who deserve a gold star and a bottle of champagne to congratulate them on doing a very good job at something few have had the confidence or finance to invest in.
Now if only they’d sort out their product codes in the magazine not working online…
Tough, tailored and to die for – Todd Lynn for Topshop
October 5, 2008
Todd Lynn AW08
Rock and roll’s best-kept secret is out -Todd Lynn has arrived at Topshop. In an exclusive collaboration, Lynn has designed seven limited edition pieces for Topshop combining this season’s monochrome palette, feathers and fur with structural cutting edge tailoring. The result: the epitome of rock and roll cool right at your finger tips at Topshop.com.
No stranger to dressing the world’s rock and roll elite, Lynn has styled everyone from U2 to Marilyn Manson (who has a very cool, slightly disturbing website) and Mick Jagger. Now with a range of deluxe tail coats, tuxedos and deconstructed jersey wear starting from £28, beat the fashion pack and stock up at Topshop.com for a wardrobe of staples that embodies rock star cool.
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- Todd Lynn AW08
Update your cool with yearbookyourself.com
October 2, 2008
It’s a really simple website that requires you to load a photograph of anyone you’d care to humiliate publicly be it yourself, a friend or like I’ve roped in, the rest of the office. The site will then do exactly as it says on the tin and present a full catalogue of what your year book would have looked like from 1950 to present day.
Check me and the team out…who said we weren’t cool?
I was pretty cool in 1954
Sam or Johnny Vegas in 1988?
Does social networking hamper our ability to bond?
October 1, 2008
I recently met someone who blogs practically for a living, which then provoked me to consider if all of the social marketing activity happening in this technology obsessed world, detracts from us being able to integrate as social beings in person.
With the creation of all sorts of distractions such as MySpace, Bebo, numerous blogs about nothing in particular and of course, the queen bee of the privacy invaders that is Facebook; we’ve never been more able to hide behind a virtual façade.
Now, no-one likes confrontation, but is it right for these ‘networking’ websites with applications such as ‘meet new people’, ‘compare people’ and ‘my hottest friends’ to replace actually meeting someone in a bar, park or tube and actually coughing up the confidence to ask for their number? Surely nothing webwise can replace that effervescent thrill of butterflies? On the plus side, those who are merely a mouse on the dating front will benefit from this non-confrontational platform to ‘poke’, play and ‘throw’ whatever they like at someone without the embarrassment of actually having to have to ‘talk’. Not to mention all of the other stalking activities you wouldn’t even contemplate practicing in the real world.
So I guess the question you have to ask is does social networking hamper our ability to bond in person? Well, I’m still in the process of working that one out, I’ll let you know what I discover once I’m able to put the ‘Texas hold ‘em’ to one side, worked out my ‘stripper name’ and hatched an answer out of my virtual ‘growing gift’.
