ro.chas
April 27, 2008
my affinity toward esoteric materialism defies satiating my desires at length. anything ysl (shoes, shirt, cologne) is perhaps the means into my pant. & my signature scent, ysl homme, was major though now its marketed heavily and perhaps adorned by too many. i’ve teetered between two scents and settled on this.
rochas man. it’s distinctively airy & fresh amber cues ring of a new accord that blends two contrasting notes together: lavender & coffee. not to mention, that its wickedly elegant & modern for the new man. oh! its priced at $44 & that bottle design,.. eats.
cheers,
venus.as.a.boy
urban.dominance.for.the.kaiser.
April 27, 2008
karl is hell bent on dominance in the urban setting, as the influential designer makes an appearance in the recent installment of the grand theft auto (gta) catalog. apparently game developers Rockstar heard the legend of Karl’s 70+ Ipods (and the person he employs ventures solely to various countries and uploads whatever is current at the time.)
it’s earnt him an invitation to dj for his own station on gta IV as its apparent lagerfeld will be spinning a dance and electro set.
for justification, lagerfeld rebuffs, “they are the games of our times. those games in a way changed the world…. they had written a politically incorrect dialogue… i loved it, [particularly] in a time when everybody wants to be so politically correct when they talk… i prefer to be in a video than to play with it. i would love to be a very nasty, politically incorrect character.”
karl, you are indeed a nasty (pause) character though i’m to publicly disown my love affair of your genius soon.
cheers,
venus.as.a.boy
the.geriatic.rides.the.camel.
April 27, 2008
so its purported by the new york post that jay-z shot editorials with lagerfeldt for the new fendi advertisement campaign as the new face for the luxury brand back in march. whew! & not that good whew as fendi now presents… a hard face. i’ve been a hov fan since those reasonable doubt days, but this hustle from the brand’s aspect is mere foolery.
fendi, a luxury house formerly synonymous with stuffily, aged, white anglo-saxon, protestants has been trending toward a more youthful consumer since the ingenious kaiser was relegated the reigns as creative director. i understand using jay’s appeal to reach the urban demos, but at the risk of alienating old money, now that’s ludicrous.
i admit that fendi’s accessories division pops like rocks & this assertion has no relevance. so as i dish kudos to a white-haired, specs clad, visionary genius, this idea is like jay-z as the face of white diamonds. such the oxymoron… like a collegiate thug. just a thought.
what do you think?
the.21.thing.thats.killing.urban.music!
April 27, 2008
i apologize for the lack of posts. the fashion show i was directing, came & went (see a later post), challenged my time & ability to keep you entertained; i’m sorry. so, today, i’m reading through my gamut of online literature; mail; blog rolls when i stumbled across a posting in regards to this post’s context.
soulbounce perts how “we” forgot the slow death thats spreading across all urban media, as the legacy of soul and its first cousins are antiquated by a writhing mass of commercialism, homogenization, thuggification and overall laziness.
wow! was my immediate sentiment as i cosigned with this statement in entirety. & to my surprise, the 21st thing is something i’ve argued repeatedly, whether in & out of clouds of revery, as few have adopted my insight. i’ll list the top 20 & if you wish for a synopsis visit the source.
the list is as follows:
1. the end of the event album | 2. big name hip-hop producers
3. deaths of tupac & notorious b.i.g. | 4. “neo-soul”
5. “reality” show | 6. lazy a&r departments | 7. scarface & the untouchables
8. thugs | 9. crime | 10. ringtones | 11. lack of music education
12. b.e.t | 13. the radio | 14. club djs | 15. mainstream hip-hop publications
16. bloggers | 17. youtube/myspace
18. singing rappers, acting rappers, rapper athletes
19. end of real singing groups | 20. kanyitis
21. the death of aaliyah. indeed!!!
opinions are wild in discourse of whether she was what many believed she was. there’s no denial that the entire industry felt the impact of her passing though i dare not say this event single handedly put the nail in urban music’s coffin. however, urban music lost much, if not all, validity and eschewed in a throng of copiously pretty drones lacking musical relevance with no personality ie. ashanti, beyonce, ciara, teairra marie, rihanna, etc.
as expressed, aaliyah had a warm & humble personality along with effortless talent, ideas, and a willingness to experiment, which was evident by the direction/context of her eponymous album, aaliyah. the multi-hyphenate gave only subtle doses of herself leaving much to be desired even in death. now we’re left with the wretchedness that’s big & shiny (beyonce) & sounds of a cat being skinned (ciara/rihanna), all of whom are questionably talented with average inner drive. i ask, where’s the competition needed to aspire for artistic greatness or blissful demise? wait! by the sounds of it, interred.
wrap oneself not in packaging but the substance inside as you should never trust anything with a big butt or shiny.
proceeding with high caution,
venus.as.a.boy
lip.service.
April 16, 2008
man must embrace a modern aesthetic void of hyper-masculine cues toward obvious validity that affect proper hygiene & perfect health. in his diligence toward success, there’s no need for phenotypic self-degredation of how its amassed. (amen?!)
blue collar or the lay may possess importunities indicative of the lives led in the pursuit, such as, brushed & calloused hands, abnormally dry skin, shoddy nail plates, and chapped lips. many avenues lead to the fattening of a financial purse but here’s a product i stand firmly behind that warrants a healthy appearance regardless of employment status or employment class….. jack’s lip balm.
enriched with natural mint, avocado oil, shea butter and green tea, this emollient balm immediately soothes and relieves dry, chapped, irritated lips. plus, the moisturizing SPF 25 formula helps protect against free radicals. field tested in extreme conditions, this is not just any lip balm! jack’s is it if you want the best all-around lip balm in the world or to be kissed.
comest savatino, i owe thanks for introducing me to jack’s.
cheers,
venus.as.a.boy
good.libations.
April 4, 2008
from afar & to the retiring, atlanta is the sweet escape but for the highly creative… a dismal pebble on the steps of ambition. though my best & i do take pleasure in making the best of this city’s diffident offerings. forgo a week and some days, we met for a light supper & wine at maggiano’s, followed with rushed shopping for that teedra moses show i blogged about previously.
dessert after dining is sacrilegious, and i had been wanting to patron cafe intermezzo, which offers free hors d’oeuvres & cocktails on mondays, for some time. intermezzo is a quaint, dimly lit romanticized european coffeehouse offering a varied selection of dessert, beverages and conversations. we grabbed a table by the store front windows and conversed over life & the pursuit for two hours immersing ourselves in subliminal discourse.
i ordered the bosco, which was an airy, rum tiramisu cake layered with a light cream and paraded with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and currants sided with a dollop of whipped cream. i paired my selection with a libation of muscato that was equally sweet and smooth. the experience, the service, and the selections were beyond excellence, and as i imagined intermezzo’s would be a place i’d come to frequent and will.
cafe intermezzo
1845 peachtree rd. ne
atlanta, ga 30309.
cheers,
venus.as.a.boy
beauty.in.the.beast.
April 4, 2008
a thrift guy i am not in an non-vintage, non-moth ball sense. there’s many places i avoid such as gap inc.’s triad (sameness), guess (implied), metropark (so tritely wretched), and that henin & mauritz. h&m as the latter is commonly referred to is merely a trendy outpost for frugal kids attempting originality in dress while looking more the same. 1,2 wears and the life span is spent when the fashion conscious should invest more in quality and not simply the lowest price point.
what surprises me about the brand is the relationships forged to create extensions with some of the world’s brightest designers. so frenzied was i when viktor & rolf debuted in ‘06 that i punched work early only to be kissed in disappointment as more product was devoted to women, and the clothes were so dumbed down the short bus wouldn’t pick them up.
i remember the successful? collections by madonna, lagerfeld, cavalli, & mccartney, and now its alleged by wwd that japanese maverick rei kawakubo is tapped to bring avant garde to the shelves in november.
what an oxymoron (avant garde & thrift)!
fearless and experimental, rei & the garcons de comme is my passion’s stimulus package so while you imagine the hysteria that will follow upon the unveiling at the swedish outposts worldwide, i won’t be peeled or pressed to follow the beauty in that beast.
an.artiste.
April 4, 2008
over the past few weeks i’ve extended myself in lengthy discourse with several peers about my anti-the establishment views regarding what’s authentic/laudable in music. anyone close to me is aware that my list of worthy musicians, artists, & entertainers is found in brevity.
nothings ever personal, the media just can’t sell the educated well-packaged hype when there’s characteristics i extol regarding genius. one must possess an artistic it factor, a mastered (non-contrived) image & the control of, and seminal talent. the world should be done with all image no-substance, fly by noon pop stars. i won’t reveal the hit-list so to deter the feds from knocking, but they should fall 6ft in an empty 3ft pool, head first, for some of the coonery they package as art. i.e. that increasingly doomed e=mc2 by mariah carried-away.
so with feist’s performance looming in the immediate distance, i began digging through my catalog and have been relishing in broken social scene, sacred cow, love/hate, the love below (which was as artistic to this generation as purple rain & thriller were to the 80s) & the sweet escape.
stefani’s last triumph served as runner-up to back to black as the best effort of 2006. “4 in the morning” & “early winter” echo volumes of empathy toward my life, and she supplied air in visual stimulation bringing those songs life. the videos were masterfully theatre. there was progressive artistic direction, style, & drama which married well with the below surface lyrics. i admit that the early singles skimmed the kiddie pool arena for appeal (sales) but the depth of the remainder delighted me. very few artists create & retain a niche & despite stefani’s intrepid treads into an urban groove, its her assault in the pop realm where she shines and amazes me most. beyond reason, this hp spot is a summation of my daily internal struggle & relegates misty watered eyes & the reason for this post.
creating magic,
venus.as.a.boy
agree.to.disagree.
April 2, 2008
perting recently, someone said that parisians amiss the ability to dress (age depending) despite the collective in abundance. was the tort literal, as my ignorance is solely due to my pending indefinitely delayed initial rendezvous in the louvre.
bitter.disappointment.
April 1, 2008
queuing, lines to get into the hill. not ant but that sugary one for the night’s featured performer, teedra moses. eager anticipation of those tones we’d sing along to in off-key delight, myself and company grew weary as time and anxiety waned with 1,2,3,4 hours rolling through the hood.
yep, we were punk’d like a wet cat.
i knew before this debacle that miss moses is slightly a hood rat per seagram’s gin tour several years back, but the lack of punctuality on friday offended my judgment & my $$. that ire was so strong, i expected vocal excellence, wardrobe genius or some stellar musing to imp my anger. needless to say she fell flat as empathy vacated reason 3 hours earlier. i lingered long enough to hear take me, which was 1 of 2 songs i wished to hear, though welcomed & equally spent.
the fashions were.. mmm…. ground-breaking? (as there no pictures.) i saw boot cut denim & dress shoes! regular fit denim & over sized button-downs! all the key trends this season. & i jest. somewhere, people lost touch with getting dressed as this involves evoking a statement. what’s a statement? its a cohesive thought reflective of temperament containing proper balance, colour, silhouette, harmony & lines that’s forward. what i witnessed? an androgynous see of sameness, while wasting my statement in limbo.
in the words of a foxx with a sultry method, we ain’t coming here no more.
agreed,
venus.as.a.boy
