Jesus, I’m about to have an eyegasm. I already have a perpetual love for shoes, but add the impressionist artwork of Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and Henri Fantin-Latour, and you have created an eye-paradise for me. That’s what photographer Peter Lippmann did for Christian Louboutin’s Spring 2014 campaign. He added the coveted red soled masterpieces to literal iconic impressionist works of art, to create a baroque inspired look book for the French fashion house. The vibrantly colored shoes and accessories were artfully placed in paintings of floral scenery. Take a look at the images above! – Angel
For about 200,000 years now, human beings have ran roughshod on forests and natural dwellings, once home to a myriad of flora and fauna. Deforestation it’s called. We come in, hack down trees that in some cases have taken hundreds of thousands of years to build, and replace them with crude, ugly a*s suburban strip malls, factories that undoubtedly have contributed to holes in the ozone layers, thus, global warming, and cookie-cutter single family home neighborhoods. This is bad. And I’m not saying we aren’t suppose to live, but we could build along side forests, rather than decimate them. Clearly…
While researching images for the “Witnessing the Evolution of Egypt” post, I came across dope British-Egyptian photographer Laura El-Tantawy’s work. She captured sad, yet beautiful images of protestors in Egypt’s Lotus Revolution, calling the set, “Faces of a Revolution: EGYPT.” Check them out, then view more of her photos of Egypt at her site. I love seeing women photo journalists from other country’s that are brave and artistic in their work. It isn’t an easy job to stay objective when capturing real emotion. – Angel
When you think of Egypt, images of hauntingly-huge pyramids, sweeping deserts, grandiose sphinx and history comes to mind. Although this is the romanticized, tourist version of this place; egypt is a country in evolution. Since the Lotus Revolution of 2011, where the Egyptian people held marches, demonstrations, plaza occupations, non-violent civil resistance, and labor strikes, the country has been in constant flux. Millions of protestors from every socio-economic background demanded the resignation of then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his regime. The people decided that they would no longer stand for the elitist status quo, they’ll be in control of their destiny. Cairo was a…
Normally, I won’t post about who’s wearing what and why because simply put, I don’t care. 🙂 But when I saw Rih Rih rockin’ Moncler, one of my favorite skiwear labels for her Pisces (best sign, clearly) birthday celebration in Aspen, I had to post. Moncler, founded by French clothier René Ramillon makes luxury down jackets and sporting accessories. During the Barbadian singer’s snowy cabin getaway, she wore a Moncler fur trapper hat, down cardigan, and nylon laque and fur gloves, all in mauve. For my birthday on the 18th of next month, I rented this dope a*s cabin in Shenandoah…
FINALLY! An app that will teach the grammatically challenged (everyone on Twitter) the difference between their, they’re and their, your, you’re, where, and were… Just kidding. This new literary editing app doesn’t do anything as simple as teaching you what you should have learned in the second grade. “Hemingway makes your writing bold and clear.” Declares the app’s website. Created by brothers Adam and Ben Long, the Hemingway App does however allow you to copy and paste your soliloquies into a field, then the application assesses your level of writing, and grammatical errors. For example, if passages are highlighted red,…
Winter in America From the Indians who welcomed the pilgrims And to the buffalo who once ruled the plains Like the vultures circling beneath the dark clouds Looking for the rain Looking for the rain Just like the cities staggered on the coastline Living in a nation that just can’t stand much more Like the forest buried beneath the highway Never had a chance to grow Never had a chance to grow And now it’s winter Winter in America Yes and all of the healers have been killed Or sent away, yeah But the people know, the people know It’s winter Winter in America And ain’t nobody fighting ‘Cause nobody knows what to say Save your soul,…
I decided to start a series of posts highlighting some of this industry’s dope cinematographers and directors. Often, the artists get credit for the creative brain child of the music video director. Since I enjoy independent films, and whimsical video direction, it’s only right to share with you those creatives who are on my dope list, starting with Yoann Lemoine. If you’ve seen Drake’s “Take Care,” Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” or Lana Del Ray’s “Born to Die,” videos, then you’ve witnessed Yoann Lemoine’s video direction. Somehow, he weaves a story amist retro, yet clear and incandescent shots, with a shadowy…
Happy Valentine’s Day folks! In honor of the year’s most emo-day, I curated this quick list of mercurial mood-inducing videos for your viewing pleasure.
You officially have one day before Valentine’s Day ladies & gents! Although we’re currently experiencing a snow meltdown, we’re encouraging you fellas to break out the skiis, get to the nearest rental car company and rent a 4×4! If you haven’t figured out what you should do with your boo, here are some thrifty Valentine’s weekend getaways that are romantic, cost effective, and different. Thank us later. Wharf Master’s Inn – Point Arena, CA – $169The Deal: A two-night stay with a bottle of wine.Perched on a stone bluff overlooking a natural cove on the Pacific coastline, the buildings of…
We’re all snowed in on the east coast (and some of the south). Until we can dig ourselves out of this proverbial snow hole, why not enjoy some good a*s chocolate brew? I love to cook, and constantly experiment in the kitchen. Below you’ll find some of my favorite hot chocolate recipes that have been tested and tried. Just a note, this is hot chocolate. Hot coco is coco powder mixed with water (yuck) or milk. Hot chocolate is when you take the solid chocolate bars and melt them in milk with a saucepan. If you have the powder kind,…
Anyone who knows me, knows that I have this insatiable desire to be outside. While at my office, I’m mentally planning my next hiking excursion or trip. I started a group called Pretty Girls Hike so that I could encourage my fellow urbanite ladies to get outside and enjoy what nature has to offer. I’ve found that somehow, being amongst the trees, rushing water, mountains and beaches is undoubtedly my happy place. I’ve been crazy busy lately, with sweeps (Sweeps are basically the period in TV where new shows are made and broken, new shows are pitched during upfronts, old shows get…
Damn ‘Ye, you’re getting up there! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since Kanye West released his debut album which means I was fifteen when it dropped! Guess I’m getting up there too. Recorded over a period of four years, the album was a hip hop game-changer. Veering from rap’s pervasive gangster-isms of 2004, The College Dropout discussed family, love, being broke from college, and living Black in America. The platinum-selling album went on to garner West two Grammy Awards, and receive critical acclaim from music journalists. The College Dropout influenced rap’s direction from that point on. The album’s rich…
I had mixed feelings about writing this story, not because I don’t think it’s message is great and necessary, but because it’s sad that in 2014, after so many advancements in race and sexuality relations (we still have FAR to go) that this would be news. As the then 23 year-old University of Missouri All-American defensive lineman walked into his school’s facility this past August for the beginning of training camp, he had a mission on his mind; to come out to his teammates which largely already new that he was gay. As the players went around in a circle, telling…
One thing y’all will learn about me, I’m an unabashed, tree-hugging, ocean conservationist. I’m the woman who will mess up her Jordans while cleaning garbage from a stream on World Ocean’s Day. I volunteer for Oceana and The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, I don’t run water while I brush my teeth or wash the dishes, have a compost bin in my yard waiting for spring, y’all get the picture. Imagine my excitement when I heard about Pharrell’s announced long-term partnership with recycled textiles maker Bionic Yarn and dutch designer clothing company G-Star RAW. Bionic Yarn is a company that makes material (Bionic Yarn) out…
There is absolutely no relationship that I cherish more than me and my mother’s. Endlessly supportive, brave, strong, her love is unconditional and vast. You see for us it goes beyond a mother/daughter relationship. She’s my best friend, she motivates and compels me forward. I feel so blessed that God saw fit to bring me into this world by such a phenomenal person, that sometimes I stand in awe of her. In awe of her strength. Her love for me is nothing short of inspirational. I can only hope to be half the mom she is when I have kids…
via the Smithsonian Museum of African Art Africa ReViewed: The Photographic Legacy of Eliot Elisofon showcases the African photography of celebrated Life magazine photographer Eliot Elisofon and explores the intricate relationships between his photographic archives and art collection at the National Museum of African Art. It was Elisofon’s images-perhaps more than any other American photographer’s-that framed America’s perceptions of Africa and its diverse arts and cultures during the 20th century. Photography has enriched my life. It has enabled me to travel . . . to almost every corner of the globe, using my camera as a magic carpet to see and…
Bob Marley – Perhaps the world’s most iconic rasta, forever cemented in our minds as a positive, free-loving, socially conscious man who’s morals influenced his music. Unafraid to speak his mind, sure & right in his faith, sexy as hell, and an amazing musician. Every time I go to Negril and visit family there I can feel how Jamaica, it’s people, it’s culture, food, it’s life influenced him and the spirit of his music – as much as he influenced theirs. Such a gorgeous, symbiotic relationship Marley had with the people of Jamaica. When I listen to his music, it…
Pot heads rejoice! Kind of. Coincidentally, days before perhaps ganja’s most visible champion, Bob Marley’s birthday, the Washington D.C. Council voted 11-1 to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in the District. This doesn’t mean you can roll up a joint in front of the White House; under the proposed bill written by council member (and mayoral candidate) Tommy Wells, folks caught with it would be fined $25 for possessing less than one ounce or $100 for smoking it in public. How’s this a win for fans of the daze inducing substance? If the bill is passed (it’s still facing another vote and…
February 5, 1995 – Unsuspecting innocence born into an already rough world. One that would judge this baby, and find him guilty of nothing more that fitting this country’s physical stereotype of danger. Just over seventeen years later, his life would be unjustly taken – without repercussion, because that happens to be the reality that our young Black men face. We know what happened to Trayvon Martin. I won’t extemporize. I’ll just hope that because of him, the American conscious was awakened, just a bit more. I’ll just hope they see that every time we pull the “race card,” it…
