north carolina has been on fire for several weeks now, filling most of southeastern virginia with toxic fumes and heavy patches of smoke whenever the wind blows just right. these poses more than a few problems: air filters in automobiles are unable to filter out the gross dust particles and smoke from the air, the smoke is being released into the atmosphere which is raising the ozone threat (compounded by the immense amount of summer travelers on the road), and of course normal breathing function is interrupted. the first night the smoke showed up, i started a painter's mask gang. while it didn't last or jump off as a fashion trend, it helped us breathe, which is one of the best fashion trends you can start.
so today i've been thinking about health, and how the summer usually means so-fresh-so-clean to most people. when i envision the perfect summer, i'm reminded of water reflections against walls, twinkling garden lights, bright colors, ironically large sunglasses and dance music. (among other things, of course.) it's disheartening that the current state of my world is keeping me from feeling like summer is all around us freshing things up. it's also disheartening to know that areas of dense forest are continuously burning, destroying habitats and uprooting native wildlife from their homes.
the letter "c" gave me some particular problems, until i hit the ground running with the discovery of cheap monday's '08 fall line. in light of the burning woods some miles to my south, it was refreshing to see these muted colors in some very dense (not burning) forest, with a bunny thrown in. so, cheap monday (with a "c") kicks off the third letter of the alphabet.
1. cheap monday's ///08 fall line. i first discovered cheap monday on a trip to see a friend's band play in richmond, virginia. we went into a boutique called henry to fish around in their shoe sale, and i found a brilliant black pullover covered in white rain drops. it was a rainy day, so i bought it. then i discovered their skinny jeans, which are also brilliant, and cheap, like the name says. but so well done. their new fall line seems to be quite a bit more high-end, and though i'm dubious about the fur hat (that i'm hoping is fake), i am intrigued and can't wait to see more from the fall and winter lines they've got coming. 2. color-changing t-shirt from american apparel. american apparel is pretty standard. after all, they sell en bulk, and their every-day wear clothing isn't the cheapest. not to mention the trendiness level is off the charts. they consistently revive the best of the '80's fashion that is still burgeoning in the scene(s), and i absolutely love this t-shirt. the colors are bright, it reacts to heat and cool, and it's not especially expensive. 3. . cazal vintage collection ///08. not cavali, but still just as expensive. i really can't help but love every new style of aviators or shields that come out, and i love these for their thinner frames, and sturdy looking design. just the right amount of boxiness, and though they're definitely high-end they're still masculine and rock the summer style. they were popular in the '70s and '80s and are set to make a huge comeback. (i'll be taking money on when we'll see kanye in a pair, if he hasn't already rocked them.) 4. "crimewave (crystal castles remix)" by health from HEALTH//DISCO. this remix album isn't so much a remix, as a complete redo of the original self-titled by los angeles-based health. when not disco-treated, their music is very much noise meets dance, infused with LIARS-like tribal drumming, droning, waves of guitar fuzz and soaking wet vocals. crystal castles (i picked three c's there) treats one of their finest tracks, "crimewave", with their particular brand of warped nintendo dance to spectacular results. i can't get HEALTH//DISCO out of my cd player, and many of the tracks end up making the rounds in my sets when i DJ.
that bunny is cute. i hope that mousy-haired model clinging to the woodsman up top isn't wearing it. i keep red spray paint nearby at all times.
no more fires! our air was filled with smoke all of last week due to the thousands of fires burning throughout california. cool drought, right? it kind of put a damper on my summer plans / bbq.
ReplyDeletenever heard of cheap monday before but looks interesting. i'll have to check it out.
this is my first experience with forest fires. :( they suck. i can't breathe half of the time.
ReplyDeletethey keep thinking the rain will stamp them out, or roads will keep them contained, but they just jump right over the pavement. shows you how prepared we are on the right coast, huh?