Classmates: Lookbook Inspirations

-Yes Lookbook.nu is hipster self-indulgence at its peak, but I'm addicted, and occasionally there are looks that inspire me. This look from Mister S. reminds us to embrace the color palettes of spring and how one well-chosen accessory can make a look.

-You check out our Lookbook page to check up on whether or not we practice what we preach, and to check looks we've hyped. Spring looks coming soon. 

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School Supplies: Urbanite

-We're as weary of Urban Outfitters as any other style conscious folks, citing its propensity for attracting doucher-hipsterati, but the brand continues to gain credibility with solid collaborations. A couple weeks ago ACL uncovered an Urban project with legendary PNW outdoors label Filson, and today we heard about another Urban exclusive tee (above left) by our friends at the Portland based Blacktooth Clothing. Then I saw (and impulse bought) this short trench by Lark & Wolff by Steven Alan. As always when buying online, I used retailmenot to get a 10 percent discount. If you're not aware of the fabulous utility of retailmenot, look into it before you buy anything else online. 

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Music Theory: The Last Kiss

-The long awaited new Jadakiss record dropped yesterday and I kept it on the pod throughout my day. I'm still a little unsure how I feel, it has been so long since I've heard any new Kiss it's hard for me not to like the entire disc by default. I'm a little disappointed in the number of tracks with R&B hooks (my hip-hop pet peeve, I like my shit gritty,) especially since Kiss called out 50 for putting out a disc of radio hits and love songs ("Bunch of love songs, just somethin' to break up buds on.") But I can't fault the man for wanting to put out a disc that sells well, even if he has to turn to Ne-Yo and Weezy, considering all the label bullshit Kiss has dealt with in his career. 

-Overall the beats are solid, the flow is solid as expected, and appearances by Ghostface, Styles P, Swizz, Raekwon, Pharrel and Jeezy among others add enough variety to keep me interested in the whole album. Kiss spits a little more like a veteran with an appreciation for the amount of work it takes to succeed in the business and he spends a little less time talking about slinging rock. And even though I knocked both these themes a few sentences ago, one of the best tracks is "Smoking Gun," a song with a pervasive female lead hook and some pretty heavy subject matter (killing your girl's abusive step-father.) On "Death Wish" Wayne drops one of the most solid, least-nutty verses we've heard from in awhile.

Death Wish (Bonus Track - Albu...

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School Supplies: I Got Colors

-According to Hypebeast, Levi's will be releasing a vibrant new series of 501s for the warmer months ahead. I have been devoted to 501s since a stole a pair of my dad's back in high school, and I was a big fan of the new washes they came out with earlier this year. While I don't quite share my co-editor's affinity for colored denim, I love the fact that Levi's never ceases to keep the world's first jean looking fresh as hell. more

Field Trip: Diamond Supply Co.

-I've been feeling Diamond since I bought one of their hoodies on Crailtap in 9th grade. I have since lost the sweatshirt, but Diamond has undergone quite the transformation, starting as a small hardware company before becoming a streetwear powerhouse in recent years. They still sponsor everyone from Koston to Stevie Williams, only now they have a slick Fairfax storefront with ridiculous gear and service that doesn't suck. I was upset that we missed an impromptu appearance by Rick Ross by only two days, but it was nice to rediscover an old favorite and replace that sweatshirt.

Nick Diamond x Rick Ross x DOM Kennedy more

Music Theory: Death Cab Opens Doors

-Bellingham's own Death Cab for Cutie released The Open Door EP on Tuesday, an upbeat and optimistic collection of songs that they deemed unfit for their last record, Narrow Stairs. Despite a few good songs, Stairs was probably my least favorite Death Cab record. However, the new EP is an impressive return to form, and it has me excited for the band's long-awaited return to Bellingham later this month.

My Mirror Speaks - Death Cab f...

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Faculty: Jason Lee

-Most people who only know Jason Lee from My Name is Earl (or Alvin and the Chipmunks, which I watched one day on HBO and it wasn't as bad as you might think,) are probably unaware of the fact that Lee was a pro skater before turning actor. Lee was part of a group, including Guy Mariano (click this for one of the best video parts ever), Mark Gonzales and Rudy Johnson, that really pushed the explosion of skate popularity in the early 90s. I ran across Lee's part from Spike Jonze's famous Video Days on Club Mumble and just thought I'd share. In Lee's part you can see what was then the forefront of technical street skating and a lot of the stuff he was doing, even looking at it almost 20 years later, is nuts. 

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Required Reading: Existentialism

-This is a collection of some of my favorite essays. The only high school required reading to ever catch my attention was The Stranger by Albert Camus and I've been enthralled by existentialism and existentialist theory ever since. I think most of you will find it fits pretty well with the overall mood of your college years. You can get it almost anywhere. more