Why Don't Boys Dress Better?

That's it, it really breaks my sweet Southern heart to see cute boys, really genuinely cute boys, who dress worse than a McShaker Salad.

And I'm tired of their excuses:

1) "I'm too lazy."
2) "I'm not gay."
3) "I like the way I look."

I'm not saying I don't have a bias. My brothers are kiiiinda metro and I'm admittedly quite used to being asked if "this belt goes with these shoes" etc. etc. But seriously, it's not hard. Ask a lady friend, she'll tell you.

I'm done with excuses. Guys can keep some of their ratty-ass favorites and just pair them with simple things that take a look over the top.

Forever21
Chuck Taylors, Vans Slip Ons, Coordinated layers, Manly Scarves, Dark jeans




American Apparel
Super simple well-fitting tees, layered tops, logoless slim hoodie, soft cardigan



Urban Outfitters
Clean structured jacket, cotton blazer, v-neck tee, cut off jeans (instead of cargo shorts)


Sartorialist

And yeah, they don't have to have the "gay" little scarf but you can do well with good fit and nice colors. The"I'm not gay" excuse is just a cop out anyhow, because dressing well shouldn't have anything to do with the number of guys you'd like to do up the bumbum.

A clean cardigan over one of the 5 shirts you wear, a casual blazer with jeans on occasion, just a good fitting pair of pants, and not wearing shiny, ugly, basketball shorts when you're not working out... is this so much to ask?

The French don't celebrate Halloween...but

It's October which means Halloween will be swiftly upon us all.

Now, I'm a firm believer that Halloween costumes should be scary or just you know... awesome.
Which is why I still think last year's mummy was obviously more successful than store-bought slutty mummy (shown below) because it met both criteria.
But there comes a time in every girl's life where, she has to give up her standards and values in order to better ride the harsh, crashing tides of life and reality. I may just be saying that because I'm in college, and I'm jaded, and losing touch with my sweet and innocent former self, but also because...




HOLY FUCKING SHIT THEY MADE NAPOLEON SEXY!

I mean, come on.

Now all I need is someone to dress up as a come-hither Robespierre and I'll be set.

Muxtape, Neutered

Fucking shit they did it, they killed muxtape (kind of). The bastards.

Mad props to Justin for braving the storm as best he could. But it just goes to show that bureaucracy and avarice can muck(s-tape) shit up pretty quick. It was cool while it lasted yo':

"Muxtape is relaunching as a service exclusively for bands, offering an extremely powerful platform with unheard-of simplicity for artists to thrive on the internet. Musicians in 2008 without access to a full time web developer have few options when it comes to establishing themselves online, but their needs often revolve around a common set of problems. The new Muxtape will allow bands to upload their own music and offer an embeddable player that works anywhere on the web, in addition to the original muxtape format. Bands will be able to assemble an attractive profile with simple modules that enable optional functionality such as a calendar, photos, comments, downloads and sales, or anything else they need. The system has been built from the ground up to be extended infinitely and is wrapped in a template system that will be open to CSS designers. There will be more details soon. The beta is still private at the moment, but that will change in the coming weeks.

I realize this is a somewhat radical shift in functionality, but Muxtape’s core goals haven’t changed. I still want to challenge the way we experience music online, and I still want to work to enable what I think is the most interesting aspect of interconnected music: discovering new stuff."

Granted to be in the spirit of things, my band will certainly be among the first to join muxtape. Because we love you, mux and all that you stand for. Even if you stand for something totally different.

Fight the Power, brotha.

Top 10 Things You'll Miss in College

Dear former self,

Had I told you several months ago (or now? rather) that you would be going to Harvard you would have shrugged and asked me what the hell happened with Brown/RISD. But since this was more or less inevitable, give-or-take the possible changes of heart that might have occurred in the admissions office, here are a few things you really ought to know about Harvard... or college in general.

The 10 things you'll miss the most... not at all in order:

1. Not having to worry about being lawn ornaments on a landmark
You'll be living in Holworthy, which though rad (Conan O'Brien totally lived on the first floor in 1981, yo) it happens to be on the path of Harvard Unofficial Tours. So keep dem blinds shut, and try to hide your unmentionables in the bottom of your hamper so when the Chinese tourists come a'clickin' your skanky panties don't end up in their photo album.
2. Bathroom time as a leisure necessity
Pooping in solitude is largely a luxury. Next time get a suite with lockable bathroom doors. On a related note, you'd be able to sing in the shower too.
3. Blaring your most indulgent guilty pleasures at full volume
While your suitemates may be playing Lil' Wayne and Carrie Underwood on the daily, knowing the music snob that you are, you're only going to be listening to the digestible good stuff out loud (Andrew Bird, The American Analog Set etc.) at least until your roomies know you better. Save the Kpop and the Incubus for winter break.
4. The little Mom N' Pop Chinese Restaurant You Loved So Much
Granted, Annenberg Hall ain't half badsies and its Hogwarts regalness is something to appreciate... they just don't make orange chicken or fried umplings like good ol' Sichuan Wok.
5. Free Museums in DC ... Scratch that, DC in general
Cambrige is righteous and all, but WMATA is so fresh and so clean-clean in comparison.
6. Local Music Scene Back Home
This is a "I MISS MY BANDMATES" post in disguise.
7. Mommy
Because she loves me more than Thomas Dingman, Dean of Freshman, or Drew Faust.
8. That Stuffed Animal You Didn't Bring to School Because You Thought Someone Would Laugh
youre the only one who didn't bring one, hon.
9. Security
Harvard University Police send you a courteous little paranoia-inducing alert everytime someone in Cambridge gets mugged. Isn't that just so...pleasant?
10. Being Able to Sleep on the Floor
Sometimes I think this hardwood hasn't been cleaned since Howard Hughes lived here. Remember to bring a swiffer, darlin'.

xoxo,
You/Me

College, Babeh

Sorry for the egregious lack of posts lately, dearest. Harvard has been keeping me a busy, busy, gal. I've been scheming to deface good ol' John Harvard Miyavi-style but we'll see how it goes.

No outfit posts unfortunately, and I really wish I had the good ol' Canon E40 because there are some nice Sarto-style photos I could be taking. Overall, a swank campus despite the stuffy rep.

Went to a decidely hipster-bicycle-enthusiast-attractin'-ironically plaid-and-vegan-scene zine fair and realized perhaps DC is much cooler than I initially gave it credit (compared to Boston that is). Snagged a nice free music zine, attempted to chat up a kid who looked like my beloved Chris Chu, and got a nice little patch with a silkscreened 1968 French Student Revolution poster on it. We sit playing guitar on the Yard, writing poetry and sketching passersby. Oh college, you're exactly as they said you would be...

Slightly Risque Pie Porn

Be warned, my fresh fig pie may be a bit too sexy for your eyes.



There's this beautiful fig tree in our backyard that to some is the quintessence of mother nature's giving, fruitful womb. It shades our stone porch and gently spreads its branches to share itself with our grateful neighbors. Some days I just sit there and think, "Those leaves are kind of small... poor Adam, he may have been God's first crack at it but fig leaves? Really?"

I'm just kidding, I love that goddamn tree. So much so that for the past two years I've been making these pies when I can.

Fresh Fig Pie Recipe:

Dough: 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour, 1tsp sugar, 1tsp salt, 1 stick cold butter cut into teeny cubes, 5-6 tbs water. mix ingredients, add water as needed (but not too much), when dough starts to stick if you pinch it knead and roll it in a bowl, plop it onto a floured surface and separate into two balls - one for crust and one for lattice topping. (you may need more dough, in my family we dont approve of wimpy thin crusts).

Filling: fill a large size bowl about as big in diameter as your pie tin, with 4-5 cups peeled figs cut in half, the juice of half a lime or lemon, 7 tbsp sugar or splenda, 1 tbsp cornstarch, some cinnamon as you like, little bit of nutmeg to taste, toss gently with your hands (esp. if your figs are reaalllly ripe) and fill dough covered pie tin. use about a 1/5 or 1/4 stick butter to dot the top of the filling then cover with lattice and seal.
bake 30 to 40 minutes 'til lovely and bubbling.

Hello Inspirator

Leslie Holt, Leslie Holt.... I swear that I know that name from somewhere. In any case she's a really wonderful artist that I've just come across. As an artist myself I always choose a brightly colored narrative perspective and something in her work feels just as narrative but without being as literal. Art is nothing without a story to tell and Leslie's tiny paintings (often 6" x 6") really push something out of her as well as out of these standard (and sometimes stuffy) masterpieces. Thats really something. I am never troubled by whether or not something in art is new or innovative, only whether the idea itself is worth the expression.

It feels like an easy game of Where's Waldo, yes, but theres something to be said about the (oh God I can't believe I'm going to use this word) juxtaposition of the classic and definitely art pieces and the questionable artistic merit of the Sanrio product. But then you just shove those feelings aside and enjoy the way Hello Kitty brightens up everything... even La Guernica.

Her website.
"Leslie Holt’s recent work includes several series of paintings that weave inter-related experiences-- including her experiences growing up with a mentally ill family member, pop culture and famous works of art. Leslie’s work often displays an unsettling intersection of childhood and the adult world. Leslie’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States and has been featured at the Aqua Miami Art Fair and Scope Hamptons."

I wouldnt mind seeing this series with landry or keroppi too.