Blog
STICKY ICKY ICKY ICKY March 10 2010
New CA stickers. Free with purchase. Or free if we like you (which is generally the case).
HOLD UP ART March 9 2010
Little Tokyo just got cooler.
Hold Up Art, a new new gallery space on East Second St has its grand opening on Friday, March 12. Focusing on straight Los Angeles and California, they are displaying and providing pop urban art to everyday people - a very different model from the other spaces around here, and one I can definitely get hip with. Today, Brian Lee and Ben Kaufman are featured on our e-zine. Get to know them as creators, curators, and Los Angelenos. And then get to know their gallery as one of the better things to hit this city. Read our interview HERE.
WONDERFUL March 8 2010
There’s a saying by Albert Einstein that goes like this: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
When I first saw the movie stills of Disney/Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, I was immediately reminded of that quote. Burton took the beloved characters we know so well and tweaked them far beyond our imaginations. Given my excitement over it, you can guess that I took time to see the film during its opening weekend. I’ve since read mixed reviews about it - it didn’t live up to the hype, the movie falls flat, it’s visually stunning, etc. I’m more on the “like” side of the spectrum. I enjoyed it.
Tim Burton outdoes himself. The hybrid cinematography of live action and animation is fantastic. Helen Bonham Carter steals the show (and your head). I will admit, however, that this is the first time I’ve really paid attention to Alice and Wonderland, and maybe that’s the reason why I liked it. I never cared for the Disney version, I can’t remember if I even read the Lewis Carroll books, and when Jon named “Alice through the Looking Glass” as one of his favorite childhood movies, I was like “What??”. I knew the general idea and the characters involved, but Burton really made it all come to life. It gave me an unforgettable vision of Underland, and a continuation of a lesson that Einstein had already ingrained. Go mad, dream up far away places, and resist the norm. All the best people do it, anyway.
Photos courtesy of Disney
LOST IN TRANSLATION March 7 2010
I’ve been looking for these Japanese erasers to buy as a gift, and I didn’t want to make the trek to Little Tokyo or to Melrose in the rain. Then Bojo told me about this local store called Sugoi Life that would likely carry them. When I went, I was surprised at the entire establishment. It’s like a portal to Japan by way of lifestyle products - snack foods, vinyl figures, erasers, picture booths. So. Many. Things. Much like the clutter of the country, perhaps.
THEY’RE BACK March 6 2010
I think it’s safe to say that I’m over the shoe game (I told you this before). I’m done with the bright colors, the waiting in line, and the money spent. Call it maturity or maybe even degeneration when I used to just wear simple solids. Back then, Keds were my go to brand. I caught wind of their comeback sometime last year, but didn’t pay too much attention. Now they’ve become relevant in streetwear, complementing a pair of rolled up chinos or skinny jeans quite well. They even have strong brand presence at many of my favorite sneaker stores.
I came across their Spring/Summer 2010 line the other day. In my opinion, the shoes have reemerged on time. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have put Keds in the same category as streetwear, but as I’ve changed, so has it’s look. Maybe it’s not even called streetwear anymore…Here are some images from Keds’ seasonal lookbook. I say heat. Call it what you want.
Photos courtesy of Keds