Field Trip: Banksy

-My knowledge of street art is fairly limited, so whenever I pass a mildly subversive piece of art pasted onto a wall in New York or Los Angeles I am inclined to wonder if it was done by Banksy, the English graffiti artist who manages to be the face of the street art movement despite never actually showing his face. However, my first confirmed sighting took place on my recent trip to LA, when I happened upon these pieces on Beverly Boulevard and Melrose, respectively. These were cool to see, but unfortunately not as cool as the Guantanamo detainee Banksy put inside Disneyland's Thunder Mountain Railroad on his last trip to California.
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Field Trip: & Still

-Brands like No Mas and UNDRCRWN have been coming up with some ill sports-influenced streetwear, but LA boutique & Still has taken it a step further, carrying products by the aforementioned brands along with a ton of authentic throwback sports gear. I found the store completely by accident, but upon entering I was transported back to my elementary school days, where the playground was dominated by snapback hats, puffy Sonics coats and Orlando Magic jerseys. The store delivers a heavy dose of nostalgia while also staying relevant with a solid selection of current streetwear. & Still is located on La Brea right next to Undefeated and Stussy. more

Field Trip: ICONoclasts

-The second Class Act Field Trip has officially begun, and after the obligatory trip to Disneyland I decided it was time to get to work. My first stop was Downtown Los Angeles, where I was surprised to find the L.A. branch of Upper Playground, which happened to be right next door to Estevan Oriol's Vans-sponsored "ICONoclasts" exhibition. Though the seedy surroundings initially seemed less than optimal, one glimpse at Oriol's work proved that it would be out of place anywhere else. His gritty black and white renderings of L.A. life have made him a local legend, and the ICONoclast series examines the legacy of alternative icons like Henry Rollins and Stacy Peralta. Coincidentally, Oriol has also collaborated extensively with Upper Playground, producing the above shirt and several others that can be found here.

*Pictures courtesy of Hypebeast

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Field Trip: Alife Rivington Club

-On the last day of my NYC trip, I had to book it down to the Lower East Side to see Alife Rivington Club. I made it 5 minutes before closing, just enough time to catch a glimpse of the store that last month's GQ described as the city's ultimate destination for sneakerheads.
-A.R.C. was fresh off of a collaboration with Lacoste and the release of ?uestlove's exclusive Air Force 1s, and their shelves were filled with everything from your standard Dunks to Saucony runners, all branded with the A.R.C. logo. The service was unexpectedly good, and the dude with the ill Islam beard had more sneaker knowledge than anyone I've ever met. A.R.C. was by far the most impressive (though expensive) store I went to in NYC, so make it a top priority when you are in town.

-According to Hypebeast, A.R.C. recently released a line of outerwear with Penfield. Penfield is known for being pretty style-conscious while putting out some of the highest quality outerwear around, making this an unexpected yet welcome collabo. If you are trying to skip the fleece this fall, then check out A.R.C.'s online store. more

Field Trip: Great Jones Street

-While Great Jones Street makes up only two New York blocks, they are truly two of the city's most interesting. Great Jones is currently home to the stellar streetwear boutique Memes and the Acme Bar & Grill, where you'll find some of the best Cajun food you'll ever eat outside of New Orleans.

-I snapped the above mural on the corner of GJS and Bowery simply because it caught my eye. However, a few days later the New York Times ran a feature on the mural, which is actually a recreated version of a piece by the late Keith Haring. His protege, Angel Ortiz, repainted the wall and added his own flourishes as a fitting tribute to Haring's life and work. Parallels have often been drawn between Keith Haring and Andy Warhol: both were revolutionary gay artists who died young and hailed from Pennsylvania. Much like Haring, Warhol had his own protege, one who made his own mark on the history of these two blocks.
-In 1988, Jean Michel Basquiat died in a carriage house at 55 Great Jones Street, which he rented from Andy Warhol. Like Ortiz, Basquiat had used his graffiti inspired art to modify the work of his mentor. There is no plaque to honor Jean Michel, just an upscale sushi joint that now occupies the building's downstairs. Ortiz's mural is truly all that is left, the street's lone remnant of the three artists who left much too soon.
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Field Trip: Supreme

-On Tuesday, I returned home from New York City, the site of the first ever Class Act Field Trip. One of the first stops was Supreme in SoHo, which is one of the nation's best skate shops and the former stomping grounds of the late Class Act All Star Harold Hunter, the legendary skateboarder/Kids star who passed away back in 2006.
-Supreme's limited-edition merchandise, exclusive kicks, and notoriously smug staff make it seem more like a clubhouse than a skate shop, with the number of customers rarely equaling the pack of regulars skating outside. Of course, this only adds to the store's reputation. Supreme has been a skate mecca for years, and the hype surrounding it is as prevalent as ever. In this month's GQ, Style Guy Glenn O'Brien claims that, when the weather gets nasty, "you'll find me in my chocolate brown Supreme hoodie six times out of ten." The shop also has porn star Tera Patrick hyping their goods, and has released some exclusive shit bearing her likeness.

-Supreme's reputation alone makes it worth a look, so stop by if you have some money to blow or you want to pay your respects to one of New York's illest. Still, I'd take Laced over Supreme any day.

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Econ101: The Warhol Economy

-After one remarkably shitty quarter as an Econ major, I promised to never think about the subject again. I was ultimately forced to go back on my ultimatum upon discovering Elizabeth Currid's book, The Warhol Economy. The book traces the economic roots of New York's downtown art scene all the way back to the days of Warhol and Basquiat, focusing on fashion, art, music and their respective and combined effect on the city's economy. Don't worry, the book is more about name dropping than it is about supply and demand. However, the economic aspect puts an interesting new spin on the downtown scene, and serves to remind young creative types that there really is a way to make money doing what you love.
-In related news, only two weeks remain until the first official Class Act Field Trip. I will be bringing the NW to NY for a few days, so if you know of any can't-miss shit that's going down, let me know in the comments section. For snaps, clothes, news and reviews straight from the Big Apple, stay tuned... more