I just returned from a trip overseas and I came across this great article over at The Chronicles of Harriet about the role of black men in the evolution of Dandyism. Dandyism rose to prominence at the end of the 19th century, so there's a clear connection to Steampunk. I hope that many black men embrace the fashion and find their way into steampunk!
Following the police riot in Anaheim, California, after the cops killed an unarmed man, citizens in Dallas, Texas, confronted police following the shooting of another unarmed man. Police responded to the outpouring in standard paramilitary fashion. » Dallas: More Angry Citizens Confront Police.
LEGO knows no boundaries. We've seen it all- a life-sized LEGO house, LEGO runway fashion, puzzle solving LEGO-bots, a working LEGO V8 32 valve engine, LEGO animation, and more...
Created as an advertising campaign for fashion designer Adam Kimmel, filmmaker Ari Marcopoulos and friends dressed up total-skateboarder-nuts in Kimmel's spring line... and sent them barreling down a hill in Claremont, California.
Are you an intermediate level salsa dancer? If so, then this clever move, called a pass behind the lock, will quickly step up your game and make your dancing much more smooth.
Learn how to mix a Top Banana Cocktail with this bartending instructional video! Ingredients:
Hermès is all about giving out the free goodies—this week I posted a tutorial for making your own papercraft "Kelly bag" and for years now they've created "knotting cards", a set of DIY illustrations presenting different ways to wear their iconic scarves.
Alternating supermans are ideal for strengthening the deeper muscles of the lumbar spine. The abdominal muscles are also heavily involved in stabilizing the core during this exercise.
Here is a simple exercise. Heel touchers are primarily used to work the oblique muscles. The obliques are used to assist with rotation of the torso, as well as basic abdominal contractions. The obliques are commonly referred to as the "love handles." It is important to note that even though the heel toucher is an oblique exercise, the entire abdominal area is being worked. A workout mat or soft surface is recommended.
The bicycle crunch is traditionally used to work the oblique muscles. While that may be true, this exercise is good for overall abdominal strengthening. The rectus abdominis (the "six pack" portion of the abs) is probably more active than are the obliques. Nevertheless, it is still an effective ab exercise. Instructions for the bicycle crunch are listed below:
With film being such a vital outlet and marketing tool for fashion, movie stars are either wearing the coolest and latest threads, or retro looks that are sure to make a comeback. I regularly see a cool jacket or pair of sneakers being worn by an actor in a movie I'm watching, and I just know those items would look great on me.
A beauty dish is a device that redistributes the flash on your camera to make the lighting more flattering in portraits. It's called a "beauty dish" because it's used most commonly in fashion and beauty photography.
Do you wanna be that person who stands out in a crowd? Our society dictates our fashion sense. We believe we all must look like who ever is the "most popular" in the media (TV, film, magazines etc.). Our choice to express our self is very limited because of the stigma of what patterns, styles and colors belong to which gender. I have found by adding just a hint of feminine flair to my person that I am able to catch peoples eye's faster than a supermodel walking onto a runway.
One of the most beautiful makeup looks is the Indian wedding style. This look is versatile and can work for women of many cultures.
Audrey Hepburn has remained a fashion icon for years after her death. The classic makeup look in this how-to video in inspired by her style. The general idea is to put a lot of focus on the eyes and eyebrows, and keep all the makeup very fresh. Watch this video makeup lesson and learn how to create this 1950s retro Audrey Hepburn style look. Apply a 1950s Audrey Hepburn style retro makeup.
Create your own T-shirt design with host Lisa Bleyaert by following along with this how-to video! All you need are a cotton t-shirt and some fabric paint and you’ll be on your way to a totally YOU fashion statement! You will need a t-shirt, fabric paint: green, glittery gold, black, and glow in the dark white, a piece of cardboard, and the step-by-step instructions in this video activity tutorial. Paint a t-shirt.
Further proving I need to start the College of Winterhold quest line already, here comes this achievement tutorial for 'The Eye of Magnus'. This is the last main quest for the College of Winterhold, and the coolest looking quest in the storyline. In true fantasy fashion, there's a really evil wizard looking to uproot all of reality, and you're tasked with taking him down for good. Here's a tip, though: shoot The Eye of Magnus with The Staff of Magnus so you're able to directly attack Ancano.
The next time you go out for sushi with friends, impress your company by fashioning your own chopstick rest using the paper wrapper the wooden chopsticks come in. Keeping the ends of your chopstick off the table surface makes for good hygiene (who knows when was the last time the table was really wiped clean?), and there is no awkward moment of getting your chopsticks off your plate when your server whisks your finished plate away mid-meal. Gotta love functional origami.
Lisa Eldridge is one of the most preeminent makeup artists in the fashion editorial space today, working with nearly every A-list female in Hollywood. Her blog is full of interesting tutorials and articles, and Eldridge recently posted a fascinating interview with Madeleine Marsh, historian and author of Compacts and Cosmetics: Beauty from Victorian Times to the Present Day.
Luxirare's e-shop embodies her mantra of Luxury + Rarity. Incredibly original, her beautiful items have graced the pages of publications such as French Vogue, fashion photography site Jak & Jil, and Lucky Mag. A few of my favorite picks below; click through for more.
Luxirare is a site of mystery; the genius behind the intricate and painstakingly photographed projects remains somewhat anonymous, despite her culinary mastery, fashion pieces and e-shop being featured in the likes of Vogue, Lucky Mag, ABC, NBC, and the New York Times. Insanely stylish and original, Luxirare has been blogged about all over the web.
While most people go to great lengths to conceal their emotions, Japanese company Neurowear is offering a product that would reveal states of tension, excitement and relaxation—all by the up-and-down motion of a pair of cartoony cat ears. Necomimi is a "new communication tool that augments human’s body and ability." The device reads your brain waves and communicates your emotions before you even open your mouth:
It takes a special kind of mind to look at an M.C. Escher drawing and see a blueprint. And yet, looking at this working 3D model of Escher's Waterfall, one gets the impression that YouTube's mcwolles may have done just that! One thing's clear: like Escher's famous lithograph, the video employs some manner of trickery. But what kind? Good, old-fashioned forced perspective? CGI? Do the shadows provide a clue? Let's hear it in the comments.
"Freezing Moments" is a great piece of video of different liquids dramatically reaching freezing point, directed by Andrey Muratov. It's cryptically described as "Components of the space. Between existence and 'No!'. Alive - Absorbs." Hmm. Client is also cryptic: GTLK (Gosudarstvennaya Transportnaya Lizingovaya Kompaniya). Appears to be Russian, which would translate to the "State Transport Leasing Company".
Another sweet boat this weekend (see yesterday's Zipper Motorboat), the Seabreacher X is a high-speed sub, fashioned after a man-eating shark. Built by Innespace, the submarine has a 260 horsepower engine, can speed through the water at 50 mph on the surface and 25 mph when diving, and best of all: the Seabreacher X can jump 12 feet into the air!
We love it when everyday material is used in a new and unexpected application. Cardboard is something most of us take completely for granted. We need it when we're moving, and that's about it. When Frank Gehry created the cardboard chair in 1972, he blew the minds of both the furniture and the design world. So strong. So durable. So fluid.
African children have been fashioning soccer balls from condoms since condoms became widely distributed by large health education campaigns promoting AIDS awareness. But it is the anticipation of the hype related to the 2010 South African World Cup that inspired this elegant short to be produced.
Via WonderHowTo World, Cinematography: Lozzless demonstrates how to make a diy cheap macro lens with working aperture for his Canon 5D Mark II, coined the "SuperMacro".
Notice how it seems like every player is wearing the same cleats this year? Well, according to Nike almost 40% of the World Cup roster is sporting their new Mercurial Vapor VI boots. Originally endorsed by Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, the colorful kicks are catching on for more than their fashion-savvy model.
Happy UK vs US World Cup Day! Says Metafilter:
Janelle Monáe is simply in a class of her own. Genre-bending beats, distinctive fashion sense (à la the fabulous Grace Jones), and sweet dance moves to boot. Whether or not Monáe falls within your musical realm, you've gotta admit: the tiny five-foot-tall singer is chock full of infectious energy and exceptional talent.
So as of now June 24th or whenever it is precisely that the new iPhone comes out, we'll likely be in a situation where two of the most popular, talked-about filmmaking tools will be non-traditional video cameras: the new 720p-shooting/cutting Apple Flip-smasher and the Canon 5d. I feel positively old fashioned, a dinosaur, an archaic wreck, stumbling about with my mammoth Canon XH-A1. I can't slip it into my pocket, I can't take the lens off and put a f/1.8 50mm on it and get kabonkers depth ...
Here's a little inspiration for the aspiring fashion designers out there. Having majored in textile design (printing and weaving), I am totally stunned by these West African ritual garments.
Fads come and go, but classic and effective soccer tricks never go out of fashion. Created over fifty years ago by English legend Stanley Matthews, the Matthews is a technique also known as 'dropping the shoulder.' The move keeps the ball spinning inside your own jurisdiction, making it a hard task for a defender to steal the ball away.
Atlanta based designers Amy Flurry and Nikki Salk collaborate on some fantastic paper installations, which are “fueled by a love of fashion and an appreciation of grace and nuance of this humble material.”
Pretty impressive, as far as LEGO portraiture goes. Via The Telegraph:
Designer Xavier Calluaud offers a simple solution for the urban dweller with a green thumb. The "urb garden" enables those living in small spaces (without a yard) to grow food at home, or more specifically, herbs. The best part? The eco-conscious system has an integrated worm farm.
Tim Fishlock’s piece entitled What Watt? showcases 1,243 suspended retired light bulbs, the center illuminated by one low-energy fluorescent bulb. Beautiful eco-friendly design.
Nick Cave is the Willy Wonka genius behind the extraordinarily imaginative "soundsuits" pictured below.
Fashions come and go, but some beauty looks never go out of style. Take full, voluminous hair, for instance. Thick, enviably lustrous hair has been seen on stars on the red carpet for years and years, and the look is still going strong. And do you want to know a secret? There is not a single celeb who hits the red carpet without some hair that her mama didn't give her.
