Fashion Feature: ModCloth

I came across an idea today...featuring my favorite brand/store/style for the day (kind of like my Song of the Day and Excursions coming together...the semester just started and my Excursions are probably going to be on somewhat of a hold). This will be my first Fashion Feature post so we'll see how it goes! Today's feature is ModCloth, one of my recent favorite retailers, websites, and now blogs! I actually love ModCloth's blog, ModLife, because it's not just about their clothes; there's sections on fashion & beauty, music, recipes, and even home crafts. I think I'm partial to variety blogs, but only because I like a lot of different stuff and I appreciate when certain blogs/magazines talk about more than one of the things I like. Anyways, here are some of my favorite pieces on ModCloth's website via my Shopstyle!

TOPS 

OUTERWEAR

 DRESSES

 BOTTOMS

SHOES

For more info and shopping on ModCloth click here.

Cityscapes and Knives

This post needs no introduction. Watch the video, look at the pictures, and click on the link.

Malta

London 

Paris

The man behind the art: Kal Gajoum

For more info on Kal Gajoum and his work, click here.

Song of the Day: Thelonius (Not Monk)

I really wanted to make Like Water for Chocolate Album of the Day but there really is no way for me to put an entire album on here. I can tell you to go buy the album and then listen to the whole thing twice, but that's about it. So my choice for song of the day off Common's Like Water for Chocolate is Thelonius. It could be because I'm partial to anything Jazz related now that I'm in a literary jazz class, or because there's a Slum Village feature on the record. Or both. Probably both. And apparently, the song is perfect for walking in rainy weather...I almost forgot I was getting soaked on my way to class..

Excursions: Luck of Lucien

At about 7:15 on Friday night I realized that we were running late (again) and it was my fault (again). I wanted to take Brian to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe for the Friday Night Poetry Slam and we originally planned on eating closer to school. If any of you know anything about Friday night at the Nuyorican, you know that "Doors open at 10pm" means you'd better be in line by 9:15 if you want to get inside. Lucky enough for us, my tardiness led us to eating at this amazing French restaurant on the lower east side called Lucien. There was an authentic vibe to the restaurant that made us feel like we were right back in Mont-de-Marsan or a South of France city equivalent. We ordered Escargot for an appetizer...and it was healthy competition for the ones we had in France. Honestly. The fish soup (Soupe de Poisson Traditionelle sounds so much nicer) was really good too; they served us crispy bread and two different types of cheeses for the bread and soup....clearly they knew I was coming. It was really great and the people there (like the Parisian hostess) are actually friendly, despite what people think about the French. 

View from the entrance of Lucien.

The old couple is just adds to the cuteness of this picture.

Sadly enough, Escargot never looks appetizing in pictures.  

Soupe de Poisson Traditionnelle. And it was amazing.

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For more info on Lucien NYC click here

Freestyle Saturday

(sorry about the size. you can click the video and it will open to YouTube for better viewing.)

Yes, I know what I titled the post; I don't like conformity. I honestly cannot explain why this video have been on my blog yet, but better late than never. If you want to understand what true free-styling talent is PLEASE watch this video immediately. This video answers the question as to why Black Thought is one of my favorite MC’s of all time. According to Youtube, this clip is a part of a 2000 documentary called “Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme”. When you watch this, you’ll understand that this really is an art.  A comment on this page really sums up how I (and probably people like me) feel about this video:

"Now this is true hiphop music with real lyricism and content. A lot of people forget that hiphop is not a music genre alone. Hiphop is a culture consisting of 5 elements: Emceeing, DJing, B-Boying, Producing, and Graffiti. We need to remind the rest of the world what Hiphop truly is." 

No this wasn’t rehearsed. No he didn’t write this down. This is legitimate “Questo just said the word blue...what rhymes with blue...got it...let’s keep it going” free-styling off the top of the head. I need to learn how to do this. Now.