Cultural Funfair

Yesterday was a whirlwind of unexpected fun. It all started out at the Scout Candy Land fashion show in Dundee, where I got to dress up in an outfit of my choice and have my hair and makeup done by Halo* Studios. I wore a green boy scout shirt with a cranberry colored scarf, a Free People jean shirt with a rainbow belt, and vintage red Dorthy-esque pumps. My hair was big and backcombed (garnished with a hair clip made out of purple candy) and my makeup was blue and purple with matching blue lips painted geisha style.  

After strutting the catwalk and taking advantage of the free keg beer, I  went to Amsterdam Falafel around the corner for some delicious curry fries with my new found friends Nolan and Eric. 

We then headed back downtown to the Slowdown to catch Lincoln band, Mr. 1986, play 1 of 3 reunion shows, before retiring for good. I was happy to experience the multi-layered purely instrumental music that reminded me of a Midwestern Explosions in the Sky. Outside on the patio I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Lindsay Baker, the Omaha Reader's style beat reporter. 

As if the night wasn't colorful enough, my friends and I decided to stop by an after-hours party on the way home, where I got to meet Darren Keen, the crazy mastermind behind the anti-Creek Omaha band The Show is the Rainbow. 

My editor for the Creightonian recently sent me an e-mail that ended with a quote from Thoreau, "How vain is it to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." 

I think I'm on the right track. 

Apple of my Heart

It's been almost two weeks since I got back from New York and I have yet to talk about two of my favorite encounters.
First was the Colette Paris (for GAP) store temporarily set up adjacent to the GAP flagship store on 54th and 5th Avenue. Colette is a Paris boutique that carries a wide variety of products including clothing and shoes, beauty, art and design books and random gifts and treasures. This is the first time Colette products have been released in the US, and I was lucky to be able to experience the store. The first time I stopped by Colette, the line was too long and I had to book it to make it to the New York Library to set up for the Jill Stuart show. The second time I witnessed firsthand the Euro's power over the dollar. I stumbled upon a charm necklace/bracelet by Aurelie Bidermann that I just had to buy (but set me back $75). Each necklace was engraved with Colette loves NY and could be found in four classic symbols: the four-leaf clover, heart, apple and star. I of course chose the apple.
Speaking of the Big Apple, I often have heard that New York abuses you and you have to abuse it back to survive, but on my short trip the city embraced me with open arms. When I was leaving the Kidrobot offices in Chelsea, I was having a hard time finding the downtown F train that would take me to the Kidrobot store in Soho. I wandered around a bit and eventually wandered down into a station to look at a map. As I was walking down the stairs, a cute kind of hipster boy locked eyes with me and said hello. I smiled and said hello back and continued walking down the stairs. As I was staring down the subway map, it was clear I was at the wrong station and was kicking myself that I didn't ask the cutie boy for directions. I turned around and he was standing there holding out a demo for his band Baby Teardrops that was playing that evening at the Mercury Lounge. I asked him for directions and he took me to the correct station and rode with me to my stop. He ended up being from Kansas City and thought it was way cool that I was from Omaha. He was taking a mid-afternoon break from his advertising job and was telling me about his band and wanting to work for Sesame Street. I missed his show, but I have a feeling that won't be the last time we meet.
New York runs on energies (and lots of caffeine), being able to tap into that really helped me navigate my way around. I know the city is for me, now it's all about getting there.
[read about my experience at the Charlotte Ronson show at scene.creightonian.com]

Obama for fashion, or fashion for Obama?

While on Barack Obama's campaign site earlier today, I discovered that he has quite the (fashion) designer endorsement. I mean, it makes sense that he would be popular with the young, creative class, but I guess I've been living under a rock because I was astonished to see prominent designers like Nanette Lepore, Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, and Zac Posen with custom Obama T-shirt designs for sale. Not to mention tote bags by Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg and Rag and Bone, among others. 

My favorite shirt is probably the white racer back tank by Alexander Wang ($45) that says "Change", although if I was still in my Juicy Couture days I would have picked their "Dude Where's the Hope" tee ($60). 

I also like the Rag and Bone tote that says "Change is Awesome" ($75), but was disappointed with editorial darling Marc Jacobs's lame "Obama '08" tote ($75). 

I tended to favor designs without the campaign logo, but not because it's a bad design. 

If you're looking for poor design, visit the McCain store and while you're at it buy a Bikers for McCain bandana ($8). 

Omaha Fashion Week

Tonight I had the pleasure of taking part in the inaugural Omaha Fashion Week event at the Nomad Lounge. I had my hair cut live by Lisa Anderson, co-owner of Icon Studios. I would say the look is like a modern "bowl cut"...chopped short in the front, shaved along the sides and leaves me with just enough shape to put it in a ponytail (look for me on campus).

Events take place all week at the Nomad Lounge with cute boys serving $3 drinks, and the more you drink the more special they get. 

Please see www.omahafashionweek.com for more information, and don't miss the Premiere Catwalk event on Saturday, September 20th featuring local designers and models. 

It's all about putting Omaha on the map, right?

Uncreated Light 1980-2008 By Steve Joy

Acclaimed artist, Steve Joy's, latest exhibit at the Joslyn is no short of stunning. Joy is described as "one of the most eloquent practitioners of art as a vehicle for conveying spirituality and the mysteries of the journey for self-understanding" according to the museum's provided information. Joy is an abstractionist that uses his artwork to create feelings rather than depict images. His use of color and geometry dominates the effectiveness of his art. Three paintings in particular stood out to me.
The first one is entitled Prairie Night (1987). The piece was separated into 4 black quadrants, and looked to me like 4 different views from one place in the dark. The top left corner had a faint rectangular image in the upper right hand corner that appeared to be a haystack or similar object in the distance. The top right hand corner had thick, bold white lines painted horizontally suggesting a nearby fence. The bottom left hand corner featured a waning moon-like shape, and the bottom right hand corner had a faint horizontal dark strip suggesting the texture of a crop in the dark. From far away only the left bottom left hand and the top right hand quadrants were visible. This painting made me feel secure and isolated, stars illuminating anything visible.
The next painting is entitled Knife/Rescue (2000). Up close the painting looked like a mutilated finger with gorgeous red 'blood' flowing from the 'finger'. It reminded me that pain is beauty with the incorporation of rich, gold and red tones. After making my rounds in the gallery, I spotted this painting again from about 100 feet away and it looked exactly like the silhouette of a Christian Louboutin shoe, complete with the red bottom. I got really excited and ran up to the painting again, but the 'bloody finger' remained.
My final favorite was a piece called Aquasparta (1998). This piece was separated into 3 panels with square gold or green leaves all on an entrancing aqua background. The aqua color in this piece drew me in like a bug towards neon. I wanted to drink the color, paint it on my body and take it with me.
Steve Joy has two photographs currently hanging in Aromas Coffeehouse at 11th and Jones... if you're lucky you might just find him there sipping a dry cappuccino with his girlfriend and her daughter.
Uncreated Light runs through October 5th 2008.

the Wack, Dope 90s

I have always had a sick love for Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. I can even still recite some of their songs from The Case of Thorn Mansion and You're Invited to Mary Kate and Ashley's Birthday Party! Disgusting right, no what's disgusting is that I drove to Lincoln to see a movie where Mary Kate has a 3-scene stint as Union, a mushroom tripping, ecstasy radiating sex pot.
Set in 1994, Jonathan Levine's The Wackness is a story about the foggy existance of a pot-dealing teenager, Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck), struggling with love and depression in the summer after his high school graduation.

Shapiro, constantly plugged into his walkman listening to Notorious B.I.G and the like, is suprisingly a loner considering his music taste and job title (all the pot dealers I knew in high school were extremely social people). Shapiro trades pot for time with his shrink, Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley), who tells him that all men need to have sex and encourages Shapiro to get laid.

Shapiro, who hasn't really had sex before but is "not a virgin!" desperately wants to get with his shrink's step-daughter, Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby). When Stephanie's hot (Ray-Ban wearing) Asian boyfriend, Justin (Aaron Yoo), leaves for the summer she decides to humor Shapiro coaching him through their (his) pathetic attempts at making love, ditching him on Fire Island after Shapiro drops the Love bomb.
The Wackness was worth seeing just for the soundtrack and seeing MK on the big screen, but what fascinated me most was Stephanie's power in deciding when she was through with Shapiro. The stereotype is too often the reverse. It's truly a women's world, and it's about time.
Mary Kate would know.

they passed the test!!

Last summer it was espadrilles, this year the summer 'it' shoe (if you haven't noticed already) is the gladiator sandal. I was weary to buy into this trend because even though I really like the style of shoe and have sold them to several customers, I don't usually like items that last only a season. When Trocadero's DV gladiators went on sale I almost bit the bullet and bought a pair, but I held out and was rewarded when a pair of silver(!) DV gladiators were brought back for me from the WSA (World Shoe Association) shoe show in Las Vegas!

I put them on immediately last night when I got them and have been wearing them all day...they even passed the Old Market Test, (if I can walk the 9 blocks to work and be comfortable, then I can wear them all day.) I guess the true test will be if I can wear them all day tomorrow.

You can't tell from this picture but my right big toe nail is missing from a dance party I went to last Saturday night. Which reminds me of an advertisement that I saw in Vegas in May, it was so awesome I had to take a picture.

Dancing makes everybody feel better, especially in Vegas and while wearing close toe shoes.