Attention Southern California Lifehouse fans!! Want to be a part of an exclusive major internet event with Lifehouse? Yahoo! Music and Geffen Records want you to join us when Lifehouse takes the stage for Nissan Live Sets in West Los Angeles, CA.
“One of the reasons my attendance in high school was almost non existent was due to a man who I have always looked up to as a role model, Gene Simmons," muses Jason Dussault of Dussault Custom Ink - a unique high end urban street wear line from Vancouver, Canada which customizes gritty-but-luxe hoodies for red carpet fixtures like Pamela Anderson, Nelly Furtado, Carmelo Anthony, B.E.P., and Robyn Williams. "I spent hours a day dressing, singing and emulating my idol for an upcoming air band, or drawing Gene’s character as the Demon all over my notebooks. My teenage dreams became a reality when I got to meet the man himself and we hit it off, the result being the MoneyBag collaboration. It is my great honor to co-release the first products of our line.”
Dussault recently teamed up with Simmons to launch the MoneyBag line streetwear with a limited edition run of 500 tees, each hand-painted, -dyed & detailed for a one-of-a-kind custom feel. They are priced at $250, and individually signed by Simmons (the signature can be cut from the label). "I have owned the trademark MONEYBAG logo for over 25 years. I have used it on my magazines, book imprints, my record company and a few other areas," explains Simmons. "Until I met Jason Dussault, I held off on really going out into the marketplace in the street wear line. It has to do with finding a kindred spirit. And, Jason is it. He and I share a passion for only doing things in life that mean something. Together we are creating cutting edge, in-your-face fashions. The MoneyBag Line, at long last, has become a reality.”
"I wanted something casual but naughty, sensible but sexy. That's me. That's how I am. I wanted the collection to be for a working girl," Madonna recently told WWD about the launch of her new M by Madonna for Swedish mass fashion chain, H& M. "This is a combination of outfits I would love to wear. Bits and pieces have been inspired by the outfits in my own wardrobe, and also by what I love, like kimonos or my favorite Seventies vintage dress with the butterfly sleeves. I bought it in New York 10 years ago, and have worn it down to threads."
Unlike their other collaborations with A-list fashion talent – including Viktor & Rolf, Stella McCartney & and Karl Lagerfeld – once H&M launches the line on March 22, it won’t be limited to flagship stores but will be available in 26 countries. The capsule collection includes dresses with kimono styling, walking shorts, pencil skirts with a cummerbund waist detail, trenchcoats, cropped leather jackets & tailored jackets, white shirts – and an array of accessories: skinny belts, clutches, boots & sunglasses. Prices for the clothing will range from 15 euros or $20 (a bodysuit) to 250 euros/$330 (leather trenchcoat); accessories will start off at 10 euros/$13 (scarf with an M-print) to 100 euros/$130 (leather purse).
As always, the challenge for a chain like H&M is to balance high design with a mass pricepoint. "I think my biggest challenge was to make clothes that looked chic, sophisticated and expensive, but that weren't expensive. Going into this, I made a promise that I wouldn't design anything that I wouldn't wear myself." Such as Versace, apparently, given that the print ads shot by Steven Klein are extremely reminiscent of a previous Versace campaign Madonna shot with him.
While celebs like Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez & Beyonce have launched their own fashion lines to mixed commercial & critical success, Madonna will probably follow in the footsteps of Gwen Stefani; her L.A.M.B. line does extremely well, primarily because the songstress has so much credibility. When fans buy a celeb’s line, they are trying to buy their look; if it’s believable that the celeb would actually wear the line, then they create the necessary credibility that a celeb designer line needs to succeed commercially.
By now you should have a pretty good idea who Josh Kelley is-- maybe you have read the other blog about his CD (Just Say the Word) or heard his music on the radio. Or maybe you haven't a clue-- no matter.. there's good reason here to take a listen to this "long-ish" podcast with Josh Kelley as he's just about to go on the road.
Currently on tour with Keaton Simons, Kelley is more than just a musician. This guy brings a wealth of talent to the table musically and artistically. Savvy-smart about his musical career, he's created his own label to allow him to create and present his music his way. Not only is he into his music but he's into the production end --not only of his own music-- but of others as well and Kelley talks about it on this podcast on the LA STORY Blog-- so check it out!
Zune recently teamed up with brands like Stussy and Staple Design to pre-load the devices with custom playlists and images from their fall 2007 collections - creating kind of a walking tour experience you'd find at any museum, but in this case for checking out the collections to the designers' personally selected soundtrack. Later, the device came in handy as a digital lookbook.
Each device starts with a 30GB digital media player and has a ton of added functionality, including a bright 3-inch LCD video screen that works in portrait or landscape mode, a built-in FM tuner to listen to the radio, and the ability to wireless share full-length sample tracks, pix, or your home-grown creations.
My Fashion Life tests out Condé Nast's new online baby, Stylefinder.
Bag Snob interviews one of the most powerful figures in the fashion industry, Julie Gilhart of Barney's New York.
Papierblog wonders whether fashion is getting too violent, especially after the debut of Stella McCartney's line at Target in Australia.
Coquette loves the sleek look of dressed up bermuda shorts and gives her favorite picks.
ACCESSORIES, BAGS & SHOES:
eBelle5,the designer handbag blog, recommends
hitting the courts in style this spring with the designer Louis Vuitton
Damier Azur Badminton Set and Pouch.
The wonder of the $42,000 Louis Vuitton
Frankenbag...which has Fashiontribes wondering if it was inspired by
other handbags of horror?
StyleBakery.com finds the hottest handbags of the
season, from $13 cheap chic finds to $1300 splurges (and everything in
between)
Wrapped in peach-pink satin and midnight-black lace, Kristopher Dukes is sure these shoes are pure you.
Read the Stylehive interview with Jennifer Sarkilahti
for Odette NY jewelry who handcrafts elegant and pretty jewelry with an
artisan feel from wax carving and casting.
The Jewelry Weblog talks about the trend of jewelry as part of clothing. For example, this platinum and diamond jacket.
MEN'S FASHION:
Check out Fashiontribes Fellow for the checklist of the top 10 wardrobe must-have's for men this spring.
What hasn’t escaped the clutches of fashion? Nissan North America has teamed up with streetwear designer Marc Ecko to pimp out a Pathfinder & an Armada with one-of-a-kind designs inspired by two of Ecko’s lines: Ecko Unltd. and Cut & Sew. "Side by side, these two vehicles share a design heritage, yet each has its own distinct character," Ecko recently told WWD about the SUVs which will make their debut in October, and then be displayed at various events throughout the US. "My goal is to take that character to the next level and to express the vehicles' individuality through bold, original design and superior execution."
A black-and-gray camouflage design adorns the Ecko Unltd. Pathfinder, with bright orange detailing, Sixties-influenced seats, black leather, and a wood steering wheel. Tunes can be enjoyed via a hand-molded fiberglass subwoofer. The pimp-my-ride-worthy Cut & Sew Armada boasts a cream colored Landau roof to match the calfskin interior, custom hubcaps & white-walls, and side panels in safety-orange. A glove box inspired by a briefcase with beefy straps & buckles contains a subwoofer. The gauges were designed like those typically found on a roadster, and other special details include a wireless communications system.
This collaboration reflects the extent to which fashion has become an essential part of mainstream lifestyle. That these vehicles are merely for display rather than available for purchase cleverly capitalizes on the fashion industry’s love of exclusivity. (Items like the Hermes Birkin bag – and its five figure price tag – are so coveted, the waiting list is actually years long.) However, proceeds from sale of co-branded Ecko-Nissan merchandise - jackets with hoods, buttondown shirts, tees, and keychains, all of which will be available at Nissan.EckoUnltd.com - are being donated to Sweat Equity Enterprises, an organization dedicated to helping train youngsters in the fields of professional design & technology. This is a testament to the growing strain of philanthropy that is chacteristic of many younger fashion consumers. (via WWD)
To hear the Fashiontribes Podcast, visit the Fashiontribes Daily 5-Minute Podcast Show at PodcasterNews.com.
Scion and nuance marketing agency malbon Brothers Farms (mBF) have recently brought together some of the best and brightest upcoming filmmakers to headline their Route 06: Scion Independent Film Series. Centered around street art, afrobeat and hip hop culture, each film will be showcased in various US cities until the end of November - proceeded by a celebratory cocktail event and Q&A with the directors to follow.
From an intense journey into the dangerous lives and obsessed minds of six of America’s most prolific street artists, to a city divided and a favela (Brazilian squatter settlement) united, sneakerhead culture, and the cuthroat world of painting, this traveling festival provides a first look at the work of the new names to know.
For the details & schedule of city appearances, check out L.A. Story.
