Monthly Archives: August 2010

Musical Style {Style}

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With new artists continuously emerging from all walks of life there is constantly something fresh on the music scene however when an artist comes to the forefront of the public eye, it’s not just their music that makes them famous. It is their personality, their style and of course their fashion.

Fashion and music are inexplicably linked.

This idea is of course, is not a new phenomenon, think back to ‘The Beatles’ and their iconic suits, ‘Kiss’ and their unmistakable face paint, as well as Run DMC and their Adidas. In the case of Run DMC, fashion even influenced their music with the song ‘My Adidas’ which was a result of the group “rockin” their “superstars/shelltoes” with the tongue sticking out and no laces, making a huge impact on both hiphop and future generation styles.

More recently, Lilly Allen started the idea of wearing prom style dresses accompanied by trainers and Oasis set an example which Manchunians especially still emulate to a certain extent, with the casual-smart way of dressing.

Even hair styles are copied, this is seen again with the Oasis style; they are more dated now but even back in the 1980’s the long curls on men were copied from artists such as Brian May from Queen, amongst others.

A lot of these music producing fashion trends emerge and continue to appear for years to come. For example, Run DMC’s style; the fashionable street/sports wear, this is still very obviously apparent within the hip-hop music scene, take a look at Jay-Z or Justin Timberlake, but new versions are constantly evolving as well such as the N-Dubz, ‘Dappy-hat’ is a particularly obvious and surprisingly popular one of these.

An infamous trend which emerged some time ago is the Punk Music scene, which although materialized up to thirty five years ago, remnants of it are still constantly surfacing.

Vivienne Westwood is a prime and noted example of this but these characteristics are seen across the board with even high street stores using qualities of the style. For example tartan dresses and ripped jeans.

Fashion will always be influenced by music, the only question is, whose is your favourite artist?

Foot Phobia – Dressing our Feet for Summer! {Style}

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It’s an everyday scenario that when the sun comes out, so too do our feet. Our feet which have been locked away in the chastity belt encasements of lace-up shoes, trainers, and brogues have spent most of their time being battered through the winter months; toes are stubbed on bed steads , objects are kicked, and some have walked the distance from earth to the moon to the requirements of the lunch-break dash for the shops, lost car keys, housework, and trips to the supermarket (amongst other things).

As we look forward to our summer holidays away in Benidorm, Scarborough and the like, us girls especially, will almost certainly have a fit of panic (duration of a personal choice) when we look to our footwear, and hence contemplate the exposure (god forbid) of our feet. One must assess the situation with calmness and rationale and then organise the mandatory pedicure of the year pronto. If on a budget then a home kit will be satisfactory, but a speed read through the instructions shouldn’t go amiss.

Personal foot issues are not rare, the odd protruding fourth toe, or a ‘stumpy’ shape (always over exaggerated by the foot’s owner) for example, will have some walking around Ibiza in wetsuit boots. But this phobia can be overcome with some gentle persuasion and a friendly open door into the magic world of shoe engineering and design.

The seasons’ trend of gladiator sandals, along with a strong nail colour, have enabled us to really make a fuss of our feet. And whether we like it or not, those feet will be exposed sometime during the summer, even if it’s only to a household pet. So the only thing to do is to embrace this opportunity; get to Superdrug straight away and start buying out a range of incandescent nail varnishes. Then elaborately paint those toenails to one’s desires. Its carte blanche baby, rainbow colours all the way!

One can complement their foot shape, be it short, long, wide, narrow, etc, with a sandal. However, this is not just any sandal. With so many on the market, especially gladiator sandals, one can really pick and choose one that will show, or hide, the foot appropriately. For example, chunky ankles may require sandals with an ankle cuff like these from Dorothy Perkins £28. 

Alternatively, a long elegant foot may require little embellishment, hence a sandal with just a minimalist thong will do, such as these from ASOS.com.

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A sandal which encases the entire foot, almost like a shoe, would suit a wider foot as the lines will create the illusion of a more slender form, try these from Schuh for size. £39.99.

If walking around a lot, it’s worth investing in some rubber soled sandals. Hideous as this may sound, one can always fall back on a lifelong pair of Birkenstocks. This may well save you the humiliation of walking around in trainers for the forthcoming weeks on your return. But above all, ‘tis the season to have fun with your feet!!

By Katie Fremantle

Rainbow Stripes {Style}

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Stripes have been around for decades but this summer they are hitting the shops hard and in their masses. Whether your guilty pleasure is jackets, shirts, skirts, shorts or trousers, there will be no struggles in finding something suitable within this trend. If you find bold or subtle stripes, bright or muted colours appealing, there is plenty on offer. The best part about this trend is that you can work it into any outfit because if the clothing isn’t your thing, there is even a huge range of accessories readily available.

John Lewis Stripe Shoulder Bag, Plaited Handle

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John Lewis has some nice women’s bags like this women’s fabric bag shoulder bag with plaited handle. £20, John Lewis.

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Paul Smith Strips BagPaul Smith has a stunning range for you gents, plus Paul Smith also has a great range for this look overall with their signature stripe flaunting the style.

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Fendi Nautical Striped Dress

The current stripes have heavy nautical influences encouraging the boundaries between stripe directions to become blurred with some diagonal stripes emerging.

The varied nature of stripes means that every person will be able to find something appropriate and complimentary to them. Those who wish to make a statement might go for a full outfit, more on the girl side with a dress perhaps; Fendi has an interesting and unusual nautical striped shift dress currently available.

If you wanted to be a little more reserved perhaps a scarf would do this trick, LemLem has a nice nazret cotton striped scarf which is available from www.net-a-porter.com, £65.

There are some great trousers and shirts which fit in with this trend, Kitsune has my personal favourite in both these with a decent selection of stripy wear.

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The great thing about stripes is that the garments you buy can be easily layered in to your other favourite trends such as with your shorts or blazers and can be mixed and matched with other easily for a more unique and outgoing look. This fabulous trend can even be carried over into your interiors,  striped wall paper or sofa even striped bedding from Lulu Guinness are all readily available and are there to bring that added extra to your love of fashion.

Michael Moore To Broadcast San Francisco Kent State Truth Tribunal

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West Coast witnesses and participants are invited to record their stories

First New Media Truth-seeking Initiative Documents 1970 Campus Shooting of Kent State University Students

On Aug 7-8, 2010 filmmaker Michael Moore will livecast the hearings of the Kent State Truth Tribunal, streaming in real-time the accounts of participants and witnesses to the events surrounding the 1970 Kent State shootings, that left four students dead and nine injured. This livecast is a continuation of the first real-time broadcast of a truth-seeking initiative on Kent State and will be broadcast on www.MichaelMoore.com from 9am-5pm PT. The Tribunal in San Francisco follows a four-day tribunal in Kent, Ohio in early May which marked the 40th anniversary of the campus shootings and assembled over 70 testimonies.

The Kent State Truth Tribunal in May resulted in an outpouring of original participant testimonies, some who shared their stories for the first time since the shootings, forty years ago. Demand for participation was immense at the 40th anniversary yet many witnesses and participants in the events surrounding the shootings were not able to travel to Ohio.

“San Francisco was a cultural and political hub in the sixties and seventies and it is no accident that so many young people scarred by the events of Kent State headed west after the tragic events of May 1970. Forty years later, the west remains a progressive mecca and many Kent State participants made the west coast their home, like me. We will collect their experiences of the Kent State shootings to continue to try to learn the truth about Kent State in 2010,” said Laurel Krause, tribunal founder and sister of Allison Krause, one of four students killed at Kent.

The Kent State Truth Tribunal was convened by family members of students killed at Kent State in order to record and preserve the stories of those directly affected by the shootings and reveal the truth of what happened on that day 40 years ago. The Ohio National Guard, who opened fire on the protesters, has never publicized the findings of its internal investigation into command responsibility for the shootings.

Michael Moore commented on the truth tribunal: “40 years after the Kent State killings, justice still has not been served. The Kent State Truth Tribunal brings us closer to that goal by sharing first-hand accounts with the public. I am grateful for their efforts and hopeful that some day the truth will come out.”

Three days after the original Kent State Truth Tribunal the Cleveland Plain Dealer broke a major story about a recorded order to fire given to the Ohio National Guard on May 4, 1970. Then on June 15th, in the U.K., British Prime Minister David Cameron apologized for the killings of Bloody Sunday, a strikingly similar event in 1972 where British paratroopers fired on demonstrators, killing 14 people.

Tribunal organizers are asking the United States government to acknowledge the ‘wrongs’ of May 4, 1970, in the hope of reclaiming what was lost that day – freedom to protest and to peacefully assemble and the democratic right to question the government and hold it accountable for wrongdoings.

The Truth Tribunal is generating a comprehensive historical record of the Kent State massacre. Interviews are being conducted by award-winning filmmaker Emily Kunstler and like the 40th anniversary hearings, will be simultaneously livecast on the home page of www.MichaelMoore.com Archived interviews can be found on http://truthtribunal.org/testimonials. The footage and mementos from the tribunal will be physically archived and available for viewing by the public as part of the permanent collection at the renowned Tamiment Library at New York University.

The west coast tribunal will take place over the weekend of August 7 & 8, 2010 at 150 Green Street, San Francisco, California. Organizers are asking for all original participants and witnesses of the event surrounding the 1970 Kent State shootings to pre-register at www.TruthTribunal.org/preregister. An East Coast Tribunal will follow in New York City on September 25 & 26.

On May 4, 1970 the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed students protesting America’s invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. In a day that changed America, four students were killed and nine were wounded as they protested against the war. The incident triggered national outrage in a country already divided. In immediate response to the Kent State shootings, more than four million students rose up in dissent across 900 campuses, generating the only nationwide student protest in U.S. history. No one has been held responsible for the deaths and injuries that resulted from the shootings.