-Kid Cudi's long-awaited album Man on the Moon: The End of Day dropped today, and after a few listens I must say I am quite impressed. I've slowly become a fan of Cudi's introspective lyrics and wholly unique approach to hip hop, but some people are apparently hesitant to jump on the bandwagon. The Washington Post sees Cudi as a mediocre Kanye clone: "Signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint, Ohio rapper Kid Cudi has ripped off his label owner's formula."
-Of course, had they done their research, they would know that Cudi is quite the opposite. Most know that Kanye actually hired Kid Cudi to help write four songs on his 808s and Heartbreak album (including my two favorites, "Welcome to Heartbreak" and "Paranoid"), and many speculate that Cudi's mixtape actually inspired Kanye to do the album in the first place. BET's Rising Icon special (above) features some solid performances as well as some insight into Cudi's much-publicized issues, and is a must-watch for anyone who is not yet familiar with his work.
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-Band of Outsiders gets a lot of love here on Class Act so it's probably no surprise that I loved the new collection. I really love the dip-dyed shirts and tie. I've been vocal in my dislike of pea coats but I like them here thrown casually with shorts and Top-Siders. We've seen a couple of the pieces in earlier sneak peeks: The tailored sweats, and the new Band x Sperry collection (appropriately used in every look) but it's nice to see them worked in with complete looks. I also like the hint of Life Aquatic with the beanie x nautical vibe.
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-While my co-editor spurned A.P.C. denim a little while back, I felt slightly inspired by his post and decided it was time for me to ditch my dad's old 501s and make my own first-ever raw denim purchase. I am neither rich nor ridiculously skinny, so I figured it would be quite a challenge. Luckily, I found a deal on a pair of A.P.C. New Standards, and am excited to see how they turn out.
-Hypebeast recently interviewed A.P.C. founder Jean Touitou regarding the brand's future as well as the growing number of A.P.C. retail stores throughout the world. Touitou discusses an upcoming collaboration with Supreme and shares some kind words regarding fashion in Scandinavia, stating that "even small Scandinavian cities have a strong sense of inventive fashion." As I will be living in Aalborg, Denmark for the next four months, I will be capturing instances of said "inventive fashion" and sharing them in our new 'Study Abroad' section. Until then, check out the A.P.C. website.
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-Did anyone else read the interview with Gert Jonkers and Jop Van Bennekom of Fantastic Man magazine by Glenn O'Brien in the August issue of Interview? If you did not, I would encourage you to do so. Normally I wouldn't really post just inform people about an article I liked, but I thought that the pair had some really great insight into the nature of magazines and consequently, why blogs offer competition to magazines.
-We often stray away from our original goal of being a college oriented blog, but here's a product that brings us back to our primary focus: The Wonder Hanger. Now, let it be known that I'm a sucker for 'As Seen on TV,' but as someone who got the room with the smallest closet in a 6 person house, I wouldn't endorse these if they weren't the shit. I can fit 10 dress shirts/oxfords on one Wonder Hanger, which reduces the width of those 10 shirts to about the width of one thick sweater. If you, like many of the girl I've known, are lamenting having to fit your clothing collection into a tiny dorm closet, definitely look into the Wonder Hanger. Straight up.
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