IM // UR | Hey Handsome!

BEFORE TODAY by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

It doesn’t take much to make me feel stupid. Trying to find the words to describe the debut album of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti at 4AD is just one of many examples I could give you. To me, ‘Before Today’ sounds like an album that Kevin Barnes could be recording if he loved goth bands more than funk ones. Or like the cold wave genre entering a multicoloured psychedelic stage instead of glazing at it's own depression. Don’t mind my threadbare examples; this is the album that will make it onto every interesting top 10 of the year and you don’t wanna miss it.

WE // R \\ WEARING

I can't resist (probably overpriced) basics-with-a-twist. My wardrobe, full of T by Wang, Oak, Bassike and yes, American Apparel is proof of this; and since in Australia, a new favourite has emerged in the form of Nathan Smith. His selection of supersoft tees, tanks and dresses have sucked me into buying multiples of a number of styles in different colourways. You just can't go wrong with these though! Addictively and endlessly wearable - and not in actual fact, overpriced in the slightlest - Nathan Smith is the way forward for your wardrobe.

WE // R \\ WATCHING

I don’t think any series will treat teenagers the same way that Freaks and Geeks did almost 10 years ago. Although relying on every teen American cliché they could, this series was the closest thing to reality you could get whilst still being something fun and interesting to watch – cause, you know, life is boring. With bands like The Who, The Clash and XTC being either part of episodes or the soundtrack, this 80’s based cult show was short-lived (only 18 episodes), but long enough to enrich the careers of some young actors (i.e. James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps and, erm, Linda Cardellini) and is greatly missed. Can we have a movie about them meeting again in the 00’s?

WE // R \\ GOING

Once, a friend of mine wanted to take me to this 'cheap Chinese restaurant', situated in the heart of Liberdade, a Japanese neighborhood in São Paulo. When we got there the place was packed, but because it looked cheesy and kinda poor, I didn't want to wait it out. It took another friend for me to go back there and fall in love with it. Now, every time the mood for some freshly made noodles (you can watch the chief making the noodle dough through a window) framed in some horribly painted pink walls takes me, I go for Rong He. Did I mention the food is also incredibly generous and cheap?

WE // R \\ READING

The ultimate in peeping tom into other, cooler, more fashionable, richer, quirkier and more-hipster-than-thou lives is Todd Selby's The Selby. Having previously been an internet only voyeur's dream, Todd has just last month released The Selby Is In Your Place, a coffee table tome full of twee drawings, colourful interiors and people showering. Half of the images in the books are favourites from the website and the other is stuff he hasn't published online yet. So go check it out, maybe buy it if you can to make your crappy coffee table in your crappy apartment that little bit cooler with pictures of someone else's cool stuff.

Hey Handsome!

Wednesday // November 04, 2009 at 06:52 // filed under Music // Fashion

Say Hiya To:

The text on the above, the first page of the Handsome Clothing Co's lookbook reads:

"1969: Humans put man on the moon.

The world became full of possibilities and hope. "If we can do this, what can't we do?", became the pervading question. This is an exciting time. The future is limitless."

And with this lofty idealism, say hiya to Handsome Clothing Co, coming out of Toronto, Canada since 2007. Says co-founder Christian Rice of their latest collection, "With this particular release we really wanted to tell a story with the visuals and make it uplifting while still commenting on the futility of war and the importance of travel, knowledge and wisdom. Yeah, we probably sound full of ourselves but why not try to do something interesting instead of throwing some wild graphic on a shirt, right?"

A bit of cool graphic on a sweater for you

So a little bit of a breakdown on the whole 'handsome' thing. These guys are basically trying to give us the answer of what it means to be darn handsome. The word handsome to me has such wholesome connotations; and is far more encompassing than say, simply good-looking...

"Being Handsome is about being well-rounded and living life authentically regardless of sex, race, religion, or any other of the various words people use to divide humanity. We have chosen clothing as our main medium to spread our goal of making people look good and be good."

I would also like to know whose arms they are. Can you order those online too?

And you know what? The Handsome kids made a very tastefully put together Outer Space themed mixtape to get you in the mood...which includes one of our all time favourite tracks - I know, we know you know - 'Shooting Stars', so how can you NOT like these Handsome guys already?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE OUTER SPACE MIXTAPE

Tracklisting:

1. Sebastien Tellier – Universe
2. David Bowie – Space Oddity
3. Figurine – International Space Station
4. Nathan Fake – The Sky Was Pink (Holden Remix)
5. Cortney Tidwell – Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan’s Objects in Space Remix)
6. Mickey Moonlight – Interplanetary Music (Riton Remix)
7. Plastic Bertand – Tout Petit La Planète
8. Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars
9. Midnight Juggernauts – Into The Galaxy
10. The Space Cowboy – I Would Die 4 U
11. Fuck Buttons – Space Mountain

Go check the entire collection at the Handsome Clothing Co E-Shop, and in the meantime, here are my picks from the collection below:

GALLERY