you are the blood

In the dog days of winter, life can get a bit dreary. After the first snowfall of the season, us New York women grow tired of the same old same old. We are simply not accustomed to the flakes making our mascara run, or getting the tips of our noses Rudolph-red. Luckily, spring is right around the corner, and soon we can indulge ourselves in the cinema with these up-coming features.

Shutter Island
Directed by Martin Scorcese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo.
Snuck into this one last night with my homies, as I am not quite 17 yet. Not quite sure whether it was a "good" movie per se, because my mind is still in a daze and I still can't think straight, but it really makes you think. It's about a World War II veteran who becomes a U.S. Marshal. After a patient goes missing at a mental institution for the "criminally insane", he and his partner are hired to investigate, but later you find that isn't the only reason they were asked to pay a visit. Very well done and keeps you wondering. For the complex plot line connoisseur. (P.S. May not be up-coming, but still must be seen)

Alice In Wonderland
Directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, and newcomer Mia Wasikowska.
Coming out March 5th. Guaranteed to blow your mind. It's a new take on the 1951 cartoon classic, and uses a combination of live action and animation as well. I will definitely be attending a screening of this one.

The Runaways
Directed by Flora Sigismondi. Starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.
Coming out March 19th. I'm not quite as confident in this one. It will either be a complete and total dud, or it will turn out to be a huge success. It is about Joan Jett's all-girl rock band (The Runaways) that launched her career in the 1970's, and follows the story of her and her best friend, Cherie Currie, the lead vocalist. They hailed from the rebellious L.A. street kid crowd, and eventually rose to international fame and become role models for future rock-girl bands. Hopefully this one turns out to be a winner.

First photo from here, second: here, third: here.

i was having a daydream

Received an early birthday present this morning from the old man- the Nikon d3000. Still tearing up a bit.

Closet test shot.

the chronicles

Because looking at these shoes reminds me that nothing I'll ever write on here will ever be as genius as anything Nicholas Kirkwood does.

Photo from Jak & Jil.

high expectations

Mind is blown.

parkour motion reel from saggyarmpit on Vimeo.

Also, this.

lost in translation

Today, I present to you a very serious, urgent issue.

Why?

At first glance, you'd think this type of outfit is a shirt tucked into a skirt. Then you look a little closer and you notice the shirt and the skirt appear to be moving at precisely the same time when the chick who is wearing it walks, and you start to wonder. Is that possible? What exactly is going on there? Then it hits you.

OH! It's a dress that looks like it's a shirt tucked into a skirt. But why? Do people not have the energy to put on, dare I say it, two articles of clothing anymore? Is this another America-Getting-Fat-And-Lazy thing?

Here's another important issue.

The skirt with the elastic band on it. What's the deal, here? Is it supposed to be a substitute for a belt? I feel that both these skirts would have been just lovely before the elastic band was slapped onto them. Quite honestly, it flat-out ruins both of 'em.

What is the purpose of the mock shirt-skirt dress and mock belt skirt? And most importantly, why does it appear that every female, ages 10 through 30, have one?

First set of photos from Nordstrom. Second from Forever 21.

antiquities

New York City's famous Solomon R. Guggenheim museum gets a bit more hipper by the day. For their 50th Anniversary, other-worldly sounding art-rock band Animal Collective is collaborating with visual artist Danny Perez to put together a performance art piece.

"...that will transform the museum’s rotunda into a kinetic, psychedelic environment. Transverse Temporal Gyrus will feature original recorded music composed specifically for the event along with video projections, costumes, and props, rendering the band members and performers into intense, visual abstractions. During the evening, guests are invited to freely explore the space in order to fully immerse themselves in the environment created by Animal Collective and Danny Perez."

I want to go to there.

P.S. Take a look at my sister's blog, Doing It and Doing It and Doing It Well. It's totally awesome.

Photo and article snippet from here.

for your listening

For Christmas this year, I received this package.

And I was like what the hell is this Pops?

And I opened it up and discovered it was a pair of headphones!

And I was all, "Thanks Dad!"

And that's when I discovered Urbanears. They are a Scandinavian brand that started very recently. They only have three products out- the Plattan headphones (the ones above that I have), the Tanto headphones which are a bit smaller (actually the ones on the package up top), and the Medis, little earbuds. They all come in about 20 colors.

The Plattan ones have a "Zound Plug", which is a socket that allows a friend to plug in their headphones and listen in to your Plattans. They also have a microphone that is compatible with Nokia, iPhone, and if you're a crackberry person, Blackberry, too. They also can be folded down to the size of your fist so they don't take up too much room in your recycled canvas bag, you hypebeast, you.

They're pretty good priced for their sound quality- about $60- and who doesn't want a pair of hot pink headphones to wear on the subway?

Check out their website here.

First photo from here, second from here, third from here.

The Hipster: An Investigation

Ever since I saw Man Man play at McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg two summers ago, I have pondered the topic of the hipster.

What the hell are they?

Everyone has a different opinion of the hipster. Even self-proclaimed hipsters aren't exactly sure of what makes a hipster a hipster. This question was asked to a panel of four self-denying hipsters who all write for New York blogs on culture, food, events and other local coverage.



But as you can see, they aren't sure either, so I did some research, and came up with a few general genres of hipsters.

The Too-Ridiculous-Wannabe-Hipster

Examples:




Interests: Afghan scarves, neon-rimmed "nerd" glasses, MySpace, buffalo check shirts, asymmetrical haircuts.

The Mad-Fresh-Music-Making-Hipster

Examples:


Ninjasonik

Matt & Kim

Kid Cudi

Interests: Nike, A Bathing Ape, Supreme, hoodies.

The Female-Hipster-That-Mixes-Feminine-And-Masculine

The best example for this one would be the one and only Alexa Chung. No one can pull it off as well as her.



(She isn't very masculine in this one, but it doesn't matter because this dress is perfect.)


Interests: vintage, menswear as womenswear, lace, breton stripes, leather jackets, oxfords.

I think there are many types of hipsters and everyone has their own opinion on what they are. Through hours of extensive research and a coffee, I'm still not quite sure on what a hipster is, and I don't think I or anyone else will ever be, either. I do think, though, that there are a few essential items that every hipster needs, no matter what kind.

-Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective on their iPods.
-A good pair of skinny jeans.
-A plaid shirt.
-Something from American Apparel.
-Irony.

L.S.

first set of photos from latfh, second set here, here, and here, third from here, here, and here.

rabbit or hare?

This photo is from Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's upcoming music video for "Telephone". The track itself is complete shit, but notice the hair telephone in Gaga's hair. That is not. That is genius.

L.S.

photo from People

only us

It was 1967. It was 20-year-old aspiring poet Patti Smith's first day in New York. It was on this day, that while working at a book store, she met photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. This day spawned a relationship of friends, lovers, muses, and roommates, too, until Mapplethorpe's death of AIDS in 1989. At the time, they were both undiscovered starving artists, and they most definitely looked that way, too. Once, while they were in Washington Square Park, they overheard a tourist couple whispering about whether or not they were worth a snapshot. The woman argued that they had a look and were indeed worth it, but the man disagreed, replying with "They're just kids."

Smith has recently released an autobiography titled "Just Kids", a memoir about her and Mapplethorpe's lives together (while they occupy the famed NYC Chelsea Hotel, of course). It is $27 from HarperCollins. I admit it, I haven't yet read it myself, but the New York Times calls it "enchanting" and "splendid". I'd go for it.

L.S.

photo from SFGate

pleasure to meet you!

Hey there! I'm Lyris. I'm a New York City teenager living a few blocks away from Central Park. I've kind of had a few ideas floating around in my head lately, and I felt I should jot them down somewhere so I don't forget them. This blog will be about Lady Gaga, girl power, rock stars...anything that comes to mind, honestly. I hope you like it, but if you don't, whatever dude. I'm not about to judge you.

L.S.

photo from The Sun Blog