Claremont 56 is an independent label dedicated to releasing beautiful music that has been lovingly crafted and genuinely felt. The music is released in limited edition format and is collected around the world. Oki-Ni is the premiere fashion boutique from London Uk... what happens when you mix the two?
you get some good music! check it out here...
Claremont 56 has a really interesting blog going which can be seen here
the music mixes are also very nice to listen to while im working on the computer, having in the background, and just enjoying some great relaxing time.. those mixes are free to download on their blog...
i personally havnt had the chance to puchase any of their records, esp after having a talk with agent mike in regards to starting up a record collection....
but i just figure im just way to behind... and just even thinking about the money investment its gonna take to start a audiophile record set up and collection is just making me that more hesitant....
but if i had the time and scratch .... you best believe id have some claremont 56 in my collection! but if you are like me and downloading the mixes is all you have time for.. then do so!!! toss on a pair of great headphones!!! and ur ears will thank you!!!
happy listenings!
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Claremont 56 X OKI-Ni X Independent Music Label
Kanye and co. on South Park
left-to-right: taz arnold of sa-ra, fonzworth bentley, kanye, don c of sa-ra, and chris julian of fruition/undftd lv
In last night's episode of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker didn't have to get very creative to be funny. Kanye and his people are already caricatures of themselves in real life so they just drew them exactly as they showed up to fashion week in Paris this year.
Peep the original photo that made its rounds on the intarwebz a few months ago, after the jump...
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Another One Bites The Dust! Active Ride Shop Bankrupt
Tough times... Bad economy... unpredictable stock markets.... crazy real estate markets.... etc.... just another one bites the dust! Active Ride Shop has filed for a CH 11 bankruptcy. Which actually means its not all that bad for them... just some good ol protection and reorganization of the company...
About Active:
Established in 1989, Active Ride Shop maintains its position among the top retailers and mail order businesses in the action sports industry. Awarded Surf Industry (SIMA) Men’s Retailer of the Year (2008), #1 Specialty Retailer by the Future Trade, #36 on DNR’s “top 50 most influential menswear retailers.” Active has locations throughout Southern California and delivers catalogs to action sports enthusiasts nationwide. Active Ride Shop sponsors the most elite skateboarders and snowboarders in the world, and is proud of its offering of the finest brands an hottest trends in the industry. For more information about Active Ride Shop, visit www.activerideshop.com.
basically its SO CAL'S premier HYPEBEAST super store!
read on!
Active has closed eight stores during the past few weeks, bringing its current store count to 21. The stores that have closed are in San Diego (downtown, Las Americas and Chula Vista), Mission Viejo, Lake Elsinore, Westwood, Irvine (Alton Parkway), and Simi Valley. Three more stores are on "the bubble" and will stay open if the company is able to renegotiate leases with landlords, Active co-owner Shane Wallace told me in an interview.
ACTIVE CEO Shane said many of the stores that closed did not have time to mature before the economic crisis hit and were "sucking cash from the company." He also said Active opened some new stores too near to older stores and that cluster strategy did not work.
Other new stores, such as Santa Monica, are doing well. "We found we do great as a destination, not as a cluster," he said.
Shane said that he hopes the bankruptcy filing, while painful, will allow the company, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, to begin the healing process and return to being a strong company with 21 stores instead of 29.
now for months i knew this was going to happen... but damn i didnt think that it was ACTUALLY gonna happen!!! ... 1st sign that i knew it was a wrap for ACTIVE was talking with a Burton rep asking why Burton wasnt being carried for the 08/09 season... just a quick simple answer...
ACTIVE doesnt pay their bills!
pretty much they built faster than they can earn... large pretty stores.... fully stocked... awesome locations.... but just not enough income to offset all those huge bills!!!
word on the street is that ACTIVE owes BURTON like over 2 million alone in unpaid bills.... so what they do? come in.. kick down the door... and take back their shit...Interestingly, only BURTON is on the list of secured creditors...Secured creditors get payment priority in a bankruptcy.
werd up BURTON.. handle biz.... i hope other clothing lines aren't seriously affected by the fall of ACTIVE... here is a list of who owes what
Annual Revenues
3/31/07: $58.9 million
3/31/08: $61.8 million
3/31/09: $59.9 million (projected)
Annual net income (loss)
3/31/07: $368,356
3/31/08: ($2 million)
3/31/09: ($7.7 million) projected
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Bloomingdale's Men's Spring 2009
The Bloomingdale's Men's Spring Catalog for 2009 came in my mail box in the past couple weeks and between the science nerd/engineer that I am, and the well-dressed fashionable person I wish I was, I enjoyed thumbing through this catalog a lot.
The locations for the photos included the Hoover Dam and the El Dorado Valley dry lake in Nevada. The locations provided a nice juxtaposition of the sleek stylings by the likes of Hugo Boss, Velntino and John Varvatos, and the old industrial technology of a hydroelectric plant built in the 1930s (as well as a dry river basin).
When the New York Times Fashion Magazine came out with the spring fashion recently and didn't do too much for me. Between the sport coats over shorts (never been a big fan) and the poofy dress-like shorts, I was not too excited by most of the styles or the possibility that some of them could make it to mainstream fashion. I do, however, respect the fashion presented in the magazine, I understand that while Bloomindale's is trying to make money, the NYT fashion magazine is trying to push the boundaries of fashion. Truth be told, many of these ideas have or will come to fruition in mainstream fashion (see sport coats over shorts).
Some highlights, product-wise, for me (a guy in jeans, t-shirt, and a hole-y pair of socks) have to be the Burberry brown wool suit, the selection of socks (step your small details game up), Theory grey suit, John Varvatos plaid convertible jacket, Aquascutum LTD aquamatic packable raincoat, and the Sutor Mantellassi Off-white/orange weekender bag.
Do I plan on dropping the money to buy this stuff full price as it comes out? No way, but it sure is nice to look at and appreciate none the less.
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COLLECTIVE CO. X MARK NICHOLAS CLOTHING X TALIB KWELI
TALIB KWELI X COLLECTIVE CO
SPIN NIGHT CLUB
SAN DIEGO
JAN 17TH 2009
PLEASE COME IF YOU CAN....
MENTION THE COLLECTIVE CO! GET ON THE GUESTLIST!
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DIESEL X CREATIVE MEDIA: SFW XXX PORN!
Not really much to say here.. thanks to the homie for sending me this greatness.... Diesel and their ad company teamed up to continue celebrating Diesel's anniversary with a totally wacky video and insane party all over the world..... i want to goez....
looolz
creativity media
diesel xxx
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5&A DIME Does Gumball 3000
5&A Dime is a street wear store in downtown San Diego's East Village. They have come a long way since being a small store focusing on the likes of vinyl toys to become one of the best clothing boutiques downtown.
The owner, who I have had the pleasure of meeting, and some of his people have been presented with the opportunity of a life time. They are going to be racing a car through 8 cities in 3 countries (US, NORTH Korea, and China)on 2 continents in the Gumball 3000 Rally. The race is $120K to enter and ends at the Beijing Olympics. They got hooked up with a sweet new Lancer Evo MR which they are adding some slight Mods and some dope gfx to.
Unfortunately, the sponsorships were not enough to cover the full expenses of the trip (shipping a car from China to the US is a GRIP) and so the team has been forced to give up for auction some prize possessions such as a vintage track bike built by the homies over at Veloculture, some limited run toys, and an ultra rare pair of Wu Tang Dunks. The race starts Friday in San Francisco and should be nuts! From what I have heard, there will be daily updates from the 5&A Dime crew on their blog and word is that there will be daily updates of the race from Hype Beast. So check out the nice cars and nutty race path online, and if you're ever in San Diego, drop by the shop, they carry what's hot, the people are chill, and the owner went above and beyond with the design and concept of the store.
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The Master of Complications... What is a Tourbillon???
TOURBILLONs have become something of a horologists wet dream and the mega rich man status symbol. And only the best watch makers in the world can even attempt to make them and at costs that are insane due to the intricacies involved in making such complicated mechanical parts... And more importantly they are rare and also they are very damn pretty to look at....
Now how much is one? Well... The 3 I'ma show you here are like $250k+ yes thats not a typo.. 250,000$ USD.. and up... like your house and some...for a wrist watch...
Now whats funny about Tourbillons are that they are completely unnecessary and just prove that "hey my watch has more moving parts and was a pain in the ass to build... so take your rolex and go die!" Why? Well because the original intention or design of a tourbillon were more for pocket watches. (click and read more)
By definition a Tourbillon is ( a type of mechanical clock or watch escapement invented in 1795 by Abraham-Louis Breguet that is designed to counter the effects of gravity and other perturbing forces that can affect the accuracy of a timepiece.) haha.. ok what the hell is that right?
Well its a type of watch complication (basically for mechanical watches functions besides timekeeping are called complications, while for quartz watches - just simply functions.) that was invented because of pocket watches back in the day... think about it ..before batteries and all that electonic stuff.. they made watches out of all mechanical moving parts... pocket watches are a prime example.... they would sit in a pocket or something for hours and well since its sitting and just doing nothing... the effects of gravity would mess up the accuracy of the pocket watch.... thus the necessity for a TOURBILLON and its countering effects on gravity...
See its all good for pocket watches... but now think of a regular wrist watch.. its mounted on your arm, and you are constantly moving and shaking your wrist, thus negating any negative effects of gravity, thus not necessarily requiring a need for a complication such as a TOURBILLON....
but of course.. like anything else completely expensive as fuck and totally unnecessary.. why not... if you can.... check out these other fine examples of MASTER COMPLICATIONS...
(The $250,000-$900,000 FRANCK MULLER REVOLUTION)
(The $275,000 Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon)
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What I Have Learned as an Engineer: The Construction Site
As a young engineer, you get a pretty decent amount of shit from some of the older engineers. It's normal for a newbie in any field to get this but step onto the job site where contractors are building your equipment, and it's a whole other ball game.
One of the things that bugs contractors the most is having an engineer (especially fresh out of college whose experience is usually solely theoretical) who has never changed a tire, much less coordinated the construction of a major plant, come up to him and try to tell him how to do his job. My first bit of advice is to speak as little as possible, this provides less opportunity for ridicule. Once you have internalized that, I've got 5 simple tips to make walking onto the job site easier.
First off you will need a hard hat. Whenever you go anywhere that will require a hardhat, they will have them to borrow. Besides the obvious problem with borrowing one, that it might be used by 100 other people who have sweat in it, another problem is everyone will know you borrowed it, it's cheap, you didn't bother taking the time to fit it correctly and it looks awkward.
When you go to buy one for yourself, make sure you steer clear of the fiberglass ones, although they look nice, they are usually reserved for the foreman on site. My suggestion when buying a
hardhat is to go with one like the one pictured. General contractors are generally pretty patriotic people (just look at their trucks or websites, the use of American Flags will have you seeing stars and stripes when you close your eyes). As Stephen Colbert has taught us, nothing screams patriotism like American Flags and Bald Eagles. A hat like this will get smiles and compliments from tons of people and will make them warm up to you. This will make discussions with them a lot easier because they will feel like you're one of them. Keep in mind, this is the hardhat you keep in the front seat and polish at the end of the day, not throw in the trunk. Normally a hardhat should be beat and worn but a hardhat like this needs to be cared for and respected.
The Second thing you'll need is Steel Toed Boots. Now I KNOW you will want to cop those titanium-toed boots, or those low top lace-ups. Who wouldn't, they are light and they breathe. The thing is, nobody wears them, you want to go with something more like that on the left. They are simple. they are leather and they do the job. I am not saying you shouldn't find a pair that is comfortable, but just keep the style simple and similar to the others.
Once you have the bought the shoes, I would recommend wearing them around for a while before stepping on site. Once you have water sealed them, rub dirt all over them and then clean it off, I would recommend doing this at least a dozen times (and I mean really work the dirt into the shoe). After you have done this, walk down to your local hardware store and wander down the isles, dropping anything you can find on them: hammers, 2x4's, a kitchen sink, whatever. Once you have done this, you are ready to take em on site.
The next thing you should pick up is a good piar of safety glasses. These should look a lot like sporty sunglasses, not like the ones your dad wore in shop class.
The final tool you will need is a good tape measure. Resist temptations and stay away form the ultrasonic, laser guided or the battery powered ones. The batteries will run out and you will never replace them. A solid, 25' long measure is probably the most you'll need. It's very important that you know how to use this properly. I would practice with this pretty regularly until you are a pro. Go around and measure everything in your house at least 3 times. Measure every crack and crevice. Hell, get your roommate involved and have them ask you to measure random things. You need to do this so when someone on site asks you for a length, you can draw that thing off your belt and slide it into position quicker than they can grab a pen.
My last tip is to take some hands-on classes (welding, shop class, electrical, anything). Stay away from inspector classes. The only thing a General Contractor hates more than "Made in China" is an inspector. You need to have some hands on experience so that you are comfortable out there whether you are handing someone a tool or yanking a piece of equipment apart. The last thing you want to do is giggle when someone asks you to hand them a pair of dikes...
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Yves Saint Laurent : Remembering a Legend
Well its been a few weeks and ive been meaning to make a post on this.. So better late than never... A few weeks ago a good friend of mine from LVMH group (the brand house for LOUIS VUTTION etc...) told me that designer extraordinaire Yves Saint Laurent has passed away.
Yves Saint Laurent, one of the top French designers of the 20th century, died last night (June 1 2008)in Paris, a source in the fashion icon's foundation said.
Laurent, like Lagerfeld, Slimane, Jacobs, etc have always influenced my style and taste... and basically they been killing it lately. Bridging high fashion to everyone and everyday use. reminding me why i love clothing and fashion and design in the first place.
As of lately YSL has been releasing very interesting pieces for ready wear and accessories... my favorite has always been the sunglasses and shoes... simply because im too broke to afford the clothing, but hell atleast i can get a little taste and get something right?
A personal favorite has been the YSL ROLLING SNEAKERS... a good friend already has the black patent ones from 07/08 season, and with the success of the sneaker, YSL decided to roll out some more colors in the ROLLINGS! yayy... HERE IS a little catalog scan to check out what im talking about... The shoes retail for about $410
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ROLEX SEA-DWELLER DEEP SEA 2009 X BASEL WORLD 2008
Ok ima let you in on something, im a Horology nut, so expect to see some overly expensive and unnecessary time pieces from me on this blog. With that said, i guess naturally i would feel inclined to make some comment about Basel World 2008. (MARCH 28-APRIL 2) "Basel World" is the world's leading Watch and Jewellery Show held at Basel, Switzerland from March 26 - April 2, 2009. It is the PREMIER show for the watch world, like The Magic Convention (Las Vegas) to Fashion, or Geneva Auto Show (Switzerland) to Cars.. And like most people (Rolex collectors) I was very excited to see what Rolex was going to bring us for 2009! And what does rolex do to make you wet??? They show up to Basel World with a shiny new toy, and debut their new ROLEX SEA-DWELLER DEEP SEA
Now i have a little bone to pick with Rolex collectors. For the longest time i have always said that the Sea Dweller and Submariner always looked the same! Yet the Sea Dweller has better features and is more capable in deep sea diving, thus in my eyes making it a superior timepiece compared to its Submariner brethren. However it commands significantly less resale value, and is never hard to obtain or find when it comes to hunting for one. Is it hype? is it because James Bond fuckin rocked a sub? History and heritage? well technically I'm indifferent, and honestly prefer my money's worth when it comes to rolex. such as 2 tone Daytonas vs. stainless steel, and sea dwellers vs submariners.Well i have been shopping for a sport watch and this new sexy Rolex Sea-Dweller Deep Sea (SDDS) is looking mighty fine, i love how rolex fits text on the capture rings, and its been said that the new dial is slightly larger than its predecessor. however that could make the proportion between the dial and the bezel look a little funky...
Yet we'll see. but knowing Rolex and hype i probably wont be able to see this thing for quite a while. Knowing Rolex im sure we will see a limited edition color for its 2009 release which will make this watch even harder to get when it first arrives! and i will have to pay a premium or fall in line and put a $2000 deposit somewhere, because hell im just a kid with an expensive watch habit
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