Some Zanotti in Ya Life...

Shopbop has select Giuseppe Zanotti shoes and boots on sale, including this gorgeous Open Toe Bootie.

It's marked down from $695.00 to only $486.50.




Ok, so that's still not really a sale... but at least it's an excuse to look at pretty shoes!

Orale!

The Crew from "Mi Vida Loca", Allison Ander's 1993 film following the lives of 4 LA Cholas. 

If there's one thing you know about me, it's that I'm obsessed with Cholas. After a recent, and very successful, Halloween stint as one, I've decided to show my love by breaking down the often misunderstood Chola for all my readers out there...
A rare breed of functional and fierce, their gangsterific look is not only practical for carrying them knives to cut ya'll up with, but it's sexy too. What is the Chola look exactly?

1. Dickies. A good chola wouldn't be caught dead in anything else. Low rise, loose fit, and preferably khaki. Although, your homegirls would forgive you for rockin' a black or brown pair. If it's hot out, turn your dickies into cut-off shorts and wear with hella high tube socks. And always hold your pair up with a black or blue web belt, you know the deal, ese!

2. Wifebeater. Tiny and shows off your stomach, toned or not. Make sure it's thin enough for your black bra to show through.
3. Flannel. Long before the flannel became an essential to every good hipster's uniform, the baddest cholas in the hood were reppin' with their flannels. Top button at the neck and the rest free-flowin' is the way to do it up.

4. Nike Cortez or Chucks. These only two pairs of kicks that a good chola would ever need.

5. Bandana. The bandana can either go in your hair, or hang out your pocket, but wherever it goes make sure you're showin' your colors, chica!6. Makeup. This is what really sets the big dogs apart from the rest--red lips and eyeliner are required. But to make sure your chola-ness comes full force, line those red lips with black, unblended liner, and put on enough winged liquid eyeliner on your top lid to make Amy Winehouse jealous. Of course you'll need some killer nails, go to the shop to get it right.

Throw on some crazy huge hoops and you're ready to go. Lastly, just be fierce. A chola never lets nobody tell her she ain't worth shit, so rep hard for all your homegirls out there!

Need some examples?

More recently, MAMA clothing just released their Fall/Winter 08 collection, which is inspired by the Chola Lifestyle. Get a closeup of the rest of their lookbook in all it's Chola glory here. 





And even though she jacked the look, get a good idea of how to lean like a Chola in Gwen's homage to her South Cali roots.

The State of Sampling

I recently read this article on Spin.com regarding the dwindling use of samples in current hip-hop that saddened me deeply.

As a hip-hop fan from an early age, samples were what drew me to the music initially. I grew up in a household that consistently played the best in Soul, R&B, and Jazz-- Miles, Stevie, Otis, Ella, and even Percy Sledge. Hearing a classic in a new genre of music was always exciting and made me want more. The more samples I heard reworked into street jams--a memorable stand-out for me is Jigga's "Ain't No Nigga", which interlopes The Four Tops' "Ain't No Woman"--the more I began to understand that hip-hop was a music dedicated to exploring its roots.


Then, as I got older and my attentions became more focused, I learned that hip hop artists frequently sampled each other-- Rakim shows up in Nas, Nas shows up in Jay Z, and all three show up in Girl Talk. Not only was this a genre that paid homage to where it came from, but one that challenged its contemporaries to grow musically and lyrically through healthy competition.

But, at least according to the article, with the rising costs of clearning samples and falling album sales, the era of sampling is long gone. T-Pain's Vocoder is taking over, and while I'm all for progress, somehow "Chopped and Screwed" doesn't excite me in the same way as hearing a song that took me back musically and moved me forward lyrically, all at the same time.

(Thanks to Adeli's Music Blog for Image)

Muslims no more...

As reported by BrooklynVegan, the San Diego post-punk group formerly known as "The Muslims" has now changed their name to "Soft Pack". I have to wonder, in this Obama age of progress, did liberal PC pressure get to them?

No matter, they still rock and are working on new material.


I had the chance to see them live this past summer, a great night which involved plenty of dancing, free Colt 45s, and secret flasks. Although they looked like a bunch of frat boys on stage, I really enjoyed their seamless blend of dreamy punk riffs with modern garage band-esque irony (if The Strokes and The Velvet Underground had an inbred bastard child, it might one day pick up a guitar and try to sound like The Muslims/Soft Pack). They had a lot of energy on stage and that natural charisma you can't deny. What I most love about them is that while a lot of indie groups are going in a more experimental or folksy direction these days, The Muslims/Soft Pack remind you that old-time-rock-and-roll is still relevant and, most of all, fun. While they still have some stuff to work out--name change included-- I'm excited to see what they'll come out with and am commanding you all to keep them on your radars!

Check out their new Soft Pack material here and listen to their jamming as The Muslims here.

The Infamous is Here...

Flightclub has once again brought us the ultra-exclusive kicks we've been craving. The first to reportedly get their hands on the Wu-Tang joints earlier this season, they've now upped the ante by dropping the $1500.00 exclusive Deftones Nike Dunks. With supposedly only 40 pairs made for members of the Deftones and their crew, the only "public" pair in circulation until now has been the set owned by DJ AM.

If you put off rent and utilities for a month or two, you too can now own these size 11 limited editions, with a simple green and black colorway and matching green gum sole. If I didn't have a conscience, I might've had to cop...

Sorry B!

(Thanks to FlightClub NY for the exclusive image)

Fabulous Fringe

These are now available at Nasty Gal Vintage's online shop.

The fringe looks great on the pink pair, overall it's unexpected and funky-sexy. I can think of a million ways to rock these.

Thoughts?

Cupcakes and What Not...

For the past few months, the lovely ladies over at Missbehave Mag have been feeding my obsession with Suri Cruise in their "Suri's Lonely Life" column.




They've outdone themselves now-- I am impressed and newly obsessed. Cupcakes and Suri make my world go round.