Azealia Banks Takes Us Back to 1991

So, if you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed my undying affection for Azealia Banks. Yesterday, she came out with her first EP, 1991, under Interscope - and it couldn't have come at a better time. Her sound is precise and infectious. And for the first time in a long while, it makes me wanna get up, dance the night away and shake out all the problems of the day. As much as I've had respect for other female MCs, I've never been able to connect with them. Azealia is that breath of fresh air whose music connects people from all walks of life: the London club kids, the indie obsessed, the gays, the hip hop heads, the fashion kids. And she's taken us all along with her on her journey to stardom - live tweeting studio sessions, photo shoots, her performances commissioned by Karl Lagerfeld and the Met Ball where Alex Wang was her date.

Azealia understands the power of tribes and fostering a community around her music and her rise to the top. She has a knack for creating a language that only her fans could understand, she includes them in the decision making process for new weaves, songs and outfits. She calls on her tribe for opinions and isn't afraid to be herself and stir things up from time to time. She isn't for the faint of heart but I will tell you one thing: Azealia Banks is quickly becoming the artist of our generation. Generation Y, the generation of kids who grew up online and appreciate the power of choice.

As for 1991, well, that's exactly what it sounds like - the year of 1991 when up-beat dance tunes ruled dance floors, radios and club kids alike. It's fun and carefree. Raw and gritty, much like Azealia. And most of all, it's liberating. To hear a 21-year girl from Harlem making her dreams come true on her own terms and making people happy while doing it, now that's what Gen-Y is all about.

Bionda Castana: Shoes for the Long Run

It's been a while since I've gotten excited about shoes. It used to be a special experience for me, finding the perfect pair of shoes that'll last me at least past one season. But now a days there's so much over-saturation of trends and ostentatious labels that its hard to look past what's the shoe du jour versus what are the shoes that I will love forever. That's until I stumbled upon Bionda Castana. I love the lady design duo of Natalia Barbieri and Jennifer Portman, behind BC's updated take on modern classics. It's important that the items in my wardrobe have longevity, not an expiration date. There's always that added incentive when shoes become more special over the years. I really love the Christa Lattice shoe boot after seeing them on the BC blog - there's just such an understated sexiness to them. I wish they were mine, so I can wisk them off to my vacation to Puerto Rico coming up this week. The tropics would have loved me for it. 

Resources:
Bionda Castana 
Spring 2012 Fashion Film
BC at Browns Fashion 
In the Grace of Your Love

Still Image Credits:
Photography by Aaron Tilley
Still Life Styling by Michelle Hillier

The Spring Obsession: Nars + Thakoon

The collaboration between Nars and Thakoon is the partnership that keeps on giving. As if it weren't enough that I couldn't stop ogling all of the great, bold shades of polish and pinning them away. But now Nars is running a contest called Our Lips Are Sealed on Instagram to win your favorite shades and a scarf by Thakoon with a print from his Spring 2012 collection, exclusively for Nars.

Anything on Instagram is naturally a blast, and so are the contest rules. All you have to do is take a photo on Instagram showing off your favorite Nars lipstick and nail polish and use the #NARSThakoon hashtag. The photos are streaming to Nars' Facebook page, so you can see all the entries of Nars lovers showing off their goods. The team at Nars picks out the top five entries and the community gets to decide the winner. If you enter by May 28th at noon, you can be in the running, too. I love a smart contest from fantastic brands using digital in fun ways where the community can interact with one another. And really, who doesn't want a gorgeous go-to scarf for the summertime?

I can already hear the beach calling me. This is my entry, hope to see yours too. Good luck, babes!

Resources:
Nars Facebook
Thakoon Facebook
Instagram
Immaculate Complexion

Rookie Mag Gives Me High School Nostalgia

I think about what it would have been like if I had grown up reading and writing blogs in high school and the type of person it would have made me. And to think - I was just a few years off. Every now and again, I come across some bad-ass video of Tavi Gevinson singing, strumming her guitar or schooling professionals that've been in the biz for decades, in her honest lectures. There's no doubt about it, she's a brilliant creative. Her brainchild, Rookie Mag makes me wish that I had quality blogs to turn to instead of the pirating of Napster during my high school years. Sometimes when there wasn't enough room at the cafeteria table, you just wished that you had something you could connect with.

Rookie does that for millions of teenage girls. It has become a safe and real place that gives girls the permission to let their hair down and let your weird out, because it's better to be you, than pretend to love something you aren't. I remember my angsty days of wearing band tees and thinking I was so hardcore. Actually I remember them so well that I made a playlist on Spotify about it, with all my favorite songs and bands from Freshman year, you know, the awkward days.

I remember those days so vividly, playing Dookie in its entirety three times over. Head nodding to New Found Glory before MTV2 was playing their videos and thinking that Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional was a total dream boat because he used big words. Now, those were the days.

Resources:
My Teenage Angst Playlist on Spotify
Rookie Mag
Ask a Grown Man: Jon Hamm
How To a Two Minute Beehive

Stylmee Connects a Virtual World to Tangible Fashion Reality

There's nothing better than good news on a Monday. Especially when it involves winning the title 'Stylista of the Week' with an $100 prize towards designer goodies like these 3.1 Phillip Lim Sandals I have my eye on or these Tom Binns Earrings pictured above. And its all thanks to my affection for the Stylmee app for iPad and their newly added web version. To fit the theme of the week, which was "The Colors of Spring", I picked pieces that were vibrant in color and were sure to stand out if you saw them on the street.

As gamification is growing the social space, Stylmee serves as a great connector of technology, fashion and commerce. You have the opportunity to not only design your own virtual boutique in a 3D city, but you get to shop the pieces that you can merchandise in your boutique, as well. Stylmee has partnered with some incredible e-tailers to offer gamers the best, new fashion pieces and designers to choose from.

As I was picking out my styles to be merchandised in my boutique and perusing the selection of Lanvin - it hit me. If I were ever to open my own shop IRL or even if it were simply on Stylmee - it would have to cater to the woman I want to speak to. The styles and experience would be exclusively for intelligent and strong women that know exactly what they want in life, love, and shoes. And even if its just within my virtual boutique, I can do that.

Stylmee blurs the lines between imagination and reality - transporting you into a world of tangible fantasy that all fashion lovers can appreciate. I mean we all love fashion for just that reason - playing between the worlds of fantasy and a wearable reality, right?

Resources:
Stylmee
Stylista of the Week
3.1 Phillip Lim Domina Sandals
Tom Binns Medium Crystal Earrings