Dress Code: Fight the Northface Monotony

-Pretty soon it's going to be raining every single day. I was already thinking about how I may have to finally concede this year and buy a Northface, since my only waterproof jacket is my badass coast guard jacket, but it doesn't have a hood. That being said, the announcement of the Penfield colorblock line the other day (from Hypebeast) couldn't have come at a better time. With comparable prices to Northface the color block line offers those of us who want to stay warm and dry a more creative option, as Tim noted earlier this month. Check after the jump for a bunch more photos from the line, including vests. Also check back soon for an examination of some of my Northwest winter essentials.






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Administrative: Boring States Hate Style

-I just thought this was funny enough to share: Below is a graphic of the states from which most of our hits come from. The states that are white have nobody cool enough to have visited our site. Fuck you Oklahoma. And props to New York and California, who interestingly beat out Oregon for the 3rd and 2nd spots. Also, props to London and Manchester, our top two European cities for hits. Keep spreading the word kids.
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Peer Review: What I Saw Today

-Selectism informed me about this site, What I Saw Today. The blog is a lot like The Sartorialist, but instead of photographs, the author/artist sketches looks he saw. This is an interesting take on the street fashion blog scene. It's almost a reverse process of the designer sketching his initial designs, I'll definitely keep checking back. On the same subject, since school just started back up again, I'll have some scene on the street photos up within the week. more

Peer Review: NYT on Skate Shoes

-The other day the NYT style section (I got it via skatedaily) had an examination of the function v. style of skate shoes. The article was pretty interesting considering that it came from a publication far outside the skate world, and included interviews pro skaters including Mike Vallely. There was also this sort of odd audio slideshow, so check those both out if you're interested. But really what this post made me think of is the post-skater epidemic. Let me explain, after the jump, of course.
-Post skater is a term I coined to describe the stylistic state of many of my peers. That is to say, that college aged males, who skated in high school, and still may skate, but can't move on from the skate aesthetics that shaped their adolescent wardrobes. I think you can probably envision someone who embodies what I'm talking about. This relates to the NYT article because the biggest trait of the post-skater is the inability to accept that skate shoes are not adult shoes. Skate shoes are cool, many of them are on the forefront of design. But they should be worn only while skating. I have Nike 6.0 Dunks and I love them, but they only get foot time when I'm actually skating. The reason is because skate shoes are designed with a ton of padding, fittingly. This makes them absurdly bulky. In the 90s when skating really boomed, tis bulk was okay because the pants worn by skaters were primarily baggy. As skinny jeans have pervaded skateboarding the huge fat shoes haven't (for the most park) gotten any slimmer, making skaters look a little clownish. I accept the clowniness at the skatepark, but please , if you're an adult, dress like an adult and keep the etnies on the concrete. That's my rant.
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Dress Code: No Mas x 1986 Mets

-Today's Mets loss marked their final game at Queens, NY's historic Shea Stadium. While I briefly mentioned Dwight Gooden a while back, I thought it necessary to further explore the legacy of the 1986 Mets, which included Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, and Seinfeld pretty boy Keith Hernandez. The team's various legal troubles made them the most infamous crew in Queens (aside from a rapper or two), and neither Gooden nor Strawberry ever reached their full potential.









-We have always been fans of UNDRCRWN's animated idolization of sports figures. However, New York's No Mas has taken a different approach to sports-influenced streetwear, with modified vintage sportswear and messages as cynical as they are celebratory. Above, Strawberry's legacy lives on. Below, some No Mas tributes to Wilt the Stilt and Pablo "Vinny Chase" Escobar. more

PoliSci: PAlife

-While he was always clearly the hip candidate, the streetwear movement has latched on to Obama to an alarming degree. The good folks at Complex decided to explore the alternative, and see what a Hockey Mom x Hypebeast collabo might look like instead. More here. more

Design Major: KAWS x Marc Jacobs

-Pop artist KAWS (aka Brian Donnelly), the guy who makes those toys everyone likes and who collaborates with almost every streetwear powerhouse, has gone in a different direction with his latest collaboration. Donnelly has teamed up with Marc Jacobs to design these flats, complete the signature KAWS Xs for eyes. more

School Supplies: Be Like Spike

-Spike Lee is easily the most recognizable filmmaker in the country, mostly because of his ability to stay in the spotlight (or just courtside) at all times. Whether he's acting with MJ or feuding with everyone from Reggie Miller to Clint Eastwood, Spike has never had any trouble marketing himself. That said, the new Jordan Spizikes are the coolest Spike/Mike collabo since the Mars Blackmon ads, New Era recently dropped a Lee-designed Yankees hat, and Casio is set to release a Spike Lee G-Shock watch in the coming months. Unfortunately, these are all about as rare as a positive review of Spike's latest movie. more

Dress Code: Tie Bar

-Valet had this piece today about one of the most underestimated style-elevating accessories, the tie bar. I had a great vintage sterling tie bar that I got at my favorite Portland vintage shop, Ray's Ragtime. Unfortunately I lost it one night after I consumed too much alcohol. I've been looking ever since for an affordable replacement with no luck, I may just have to spend real money to get a legit one again. But if you want a very simple way to kick up an outfit look into tie bars. I like mine without any design or etching. more

Podiatry: Kicks of the Week

-It's been awhile since I've done one of these so let's see what we have: Firstly, Nike SB gives its most iconic design, the Tre A.D., a McFly colorway makeover. Next we've got the Pony Randy Moss line which includes both on/off field kicks. Then yet another Supra Skytop colorway, this time in blue and tigerstripe. Lastly some classic Vans slip-ons. There you go. more

Music Theory: Bonus Cool Kids

-Hipster tune mecca Hypetrak tipped me off today about a bonus track The Cool Kids Bake Sale E.P. that was released in the U.K. only. So if you're sick of all the tracks from the U.S. Bake Sale release like I am, you can give this unheard track a listen here. more

Dress Code: Tie It Up

-Selectism had a little blurb about this Band of Outsiders bow tie. The gist was that a slimmer bow tie (not the Tucker Carlson kind) is a great addition to the modern outfit. Although I can actually tie a bow tie, I've been rocking the fake bow tie from my 6th grade band uniform lately for its simplicity and slender cut. Always a fan of Band of Outsiders I might get one of these, especially since I lost my favorite Brooks Brothers bow tie. more

Peer Review: Billy Sunday on Barker and AM

-We didn't drop anything about the Travis Barker/DJ AM plane crash because I didn't have anything to add beyond saying our hearts are with them and the families of the 4 people who died. But then today I was checking out the XXL magazine blogs, which are the funniest/most ignorant blogs on the entire internet, and read this post by Billy Sunday. Sunday gets around the obvious undertones of seriousness surrounding the subject and gets to the point in one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. His thesis is basically that surviving a plane crash makes your harder than getting shot 9 times. Here's an excerpt:

"Maybe if you went swimming in Australia’s Barrier Reef and you raped a white shark you could almost be as hardbody as these dudes but I’m not convinced, especially if that white shark was a female because we all know that sometimes females like it rough with borderline consent."

-The post also reminded me to mention the reason Barker and AM were on a plane together, which because they've been doing sold out shows that take remixing beyond simple mash-ups, so check that out too.
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Geography 101: Blame Canada

-Despite the fact that it is only 20 minutes north of us, we rarely give any credit to Canada. If you can get past the generally sketchy appearance, Vancouver is a prime destination for anyone who enjoys art, film, fashion, legal marijuana or underage drinking. Plus, instead of traveling across the country to buy ALIFE gear, we can just head 45 minutes north to ALIFE Vancouver.
-ALIFE recently released commemorative maple leaf shirts (below) at their Vancouver store, in addition to being behind the ALIFE x Canada Goose down coats that were released a little while back. The latter was the first collaboration done by Canada Goose, a quintessentially Canadian company, and proof that ALIFE cares about our northern neighbors, and we should too. more

Media Studies: Take Cover

-The American Society of Magazine Editors just presented the list of nominees for the year's best magazine cover. Our personal favorite is the above Interview cover, which is the only non-political nominee for Cover of the Year. Winners in eight categories will be announced at the American Magazine Convention on October 6th. In the meantime, check out ASME's Top 40 Covers of the Last 40 Years here.
-As for our favorite regional publication, The Stranger recently released their annual Back to School Guide, an all-purpose instruction manual that details everything from "How to Drink Like an Adult" to "How to Be a Lefty Without Being Annoying". Consider it a must read for every incoming college student. more

Dress Code: Play Cloths

-Our favorite rap duo, The Clipse, has finally begun releasing news regarding their long-awaited clothing line, Play Cloths. The PC site has been under construction for months, so aside from a few video spots the line has been pretty much under wraps. However, the new Play Cloths blog has given us a closer look at Clipse's product (which, for once, isn't white powder). Malice and Pusha T know their fashion, so don't expect another Ecko, just a brand that Clipse describes as "all work, all play." PC's first collection is set to release in November. more

Design Major: Carhartt Collabs

-Similar to the 686 x Levi's collab I posted about in August, Burton has now teamed up with legendary workwear purveyors Carhartt. The collection is yet another in a slew of recent well-chosen Carhartt collaborations, like this Carhartt x Vans Chukka Boot.
-In addition to these projects, Carhartt Streetwear actually has a very respectable (and massive) collection available. The minds behind Carhartt's urban sector have been earning a lot of respect in the past few years with forward thinking projects like these, but I'm still haunted by the time last year when there were perfectly worn Carhartt pants in my exact size at Val Villy, but I didn't have the $10 they cost. I came back the next day, they were gone:(
-Photos from the Burton collection after the jump, and be sure to click the link to the streetwear site there's some ill stuff there.





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Music Theory: I Love College

-School starts this week, and bro-rap pioneer Asher Roth is back with another red cup anthem entitled "I Love College". Roth may not the best rapper of the decade, but he's the only one who raps about Miller Lite and beer pong bounces so there is always a place for him here at Class Act.



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Design Major: Wood Wood

-We first noticed Danish designers Wood Wood after their killer New Balance collaboration, and they have recently been involved in some equally ill joint ventures with Converse and Penfield.

-Penfield has had their share of collaborations recently, and this one looks especially promising. The weather is equally dismal in Copenhagen and Seattle, so I trust the Danes at Wood Wood to put together some solid outerwear.









-The Wood Wood Cons are part of the (Product) RED AIDs benefit program, and will release on October 1st.

-Wood Wood's Winter 2008 collection proves that they can, in fact, do alright on their own. Below, an interesting take on the classic Scandinavian sweater.

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Faculty: Trebek and Jennings

-The worst thing about coming to college two years ago was the fact that, despite being in the same state in which I grew up, 250 miles to the north Jeopardy! is on at 7:30, not 7, causing me to have to rearrange my entire fucking life. So anyway, I've watched the show much less in college than I did prior. But I've getting back into it lately and I had an epiphany. It starts with this: Alex Trebek is really old. Old as tits, even. So I was thinking about how Bob Barker was replaced with Drew Carey and how that was basically the worst thing that ever happened to TV. Then I wondered who would replace Alex Trebek. This is when I realized that there is only one possible answer, it must be Ken Jennings. Ken Jennings, Jeopardy's all time winner/mormon badass must be the next host, or the show should just be discontinued. And since many bloggers make a habit of throwing out unsubstantiated rumors, I figured I'd make one up and hope the hype will force the intended outcome: I heard from a friend who works at ICM that Ken Jennings is working on a deal to become the next host of Jeopardy! There. more

Faculty Retirement: Constant on DFW

-Paul Constant has an excellent piece in The Stranger regarding the recent death of David Foster Wallace. He reflects on the inevitable side effects of DFW's suicide, most notably the creation of "A Finite Collection of Books Written by a Suicide," through which we will search for anything that may have foreshadowed the tragic event.
-As Chuck Klosterman explored in his book Killing Yourself to Live, "death can be the greatest career move" an artist can ever make. It's why 2Pac is considered the best rapper ever despite his obvious mediocrity, or why Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" is the most popular version, or why "Needle In The Hay" is, in retrospect, the best possible song for the bathtub scene in The Royal Tenenbaums. David Foster Wallace was a brilliant writer who deserved more recognition than he got. Let's just hope he can get that recognition because of his work, not his death. more

Faculty: Jay McInerney

-If you tuned in to to the Gossip Girl premiere, you may have recognized Dan Humphrey's mentor as author Jay McInerney, who rose to fame some 24 years ago with his debut novel Bright Lights, Big City. McInerney and American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis redefined the concept of literary celebrity in the 1980s, as their exploits were well documented in the media and their own work.
-GG aside, McInerney has also been in the news recently in the wake of John Edwards' extamarital affair. The main character in McInerney's novel Story of My Life is based on Rielle Hunter, his ex-girlfriend and Edwards' mistress. Her character, Alison Poole, also has a bit part in B.E.E.'s American Psycho, and ulitimately falls victim to the novel's sadistic protagonist, Patrick Bateman.
-Before he got wrapped up in teen drama and political scandal, McInerney wrote The Good Life, a novel based around the events of September 11th. Like several of his other works, The Good Life received mixed reviews and was criticized for focusing exclusively on the lives of overprivileged New Yorkers. Regardless of the socioeconomic status of his subjects, McInerney's writing has always been earnest and heartfelt, and I will definitely say that Bright Lights, Big City is one of my favorite books. Jay might be getting older, but he obviously has no desire to leave the lights or the city behind. more