Uniform Experiment

I have been a fan of this company since their inception a couple years back. Obviously Hiroshi Fujiwara is one of forefathers of street wear, and when he started Uniform Experiment it sort of made sense - in the way that at some point you need more than t-shirts, hoodies and raw denim to wear. Him and Soph's Hirofumi Kiyonaga have teamed up again for a great spring summer look entitled "UE Navy." It references a more "trad" preppy look, very traditional in color palette and cut. I particularly enjoy the cuts in the suit jackets as it looks like they are tailored right at the waist. All in all the design looks great, and of course the reference to a more proper aesthetic is quite pleasing for me. Moreover the looks they put together are a sign of the times, jeans with ties, very clean lines, all of which are a mature versions of classic street wear. Meaning they are classic in design but still have the edge for someone living in urban areas. Definitely something you should check out.

The inspiration for Spring/Summer from U.E. -

"Navy" that is a color often used for various kinds of uniforms traditionally,
and at the same time, it means "Navy" as armed forces for sea. We reconstruct this keyword that has two different meaning by our own senses, and develop new creations with the theme of U.E. NAVY

And "Whiteline" newly starts from 2009 S/S. We introduce permanent products
which are based on spotless white color that is not restricted by theme and age characteristic.


-UNIFORM EXPERIMENT

Spark Inspiration

I remember Inqmnd first uping this a while back. It's a very interesting concept that allows you to gather all the photo's that inspire you based around whatever you chose. Hyrcollective did a nice little write up on it today. It's definitely something you should check out Image Spark.

Unsung Hero.

I forgot to put this up yesterday - Colin Munroe's newest mix tape. Check it out!

Louis Vuitton x The Artist.

Stephen Sprouse


Murakami


Kanye West

-Kanye Interview.

Found this over on Heron's site today. I thought it was interesting as Louis Vuitton received a lot of publicity during men's fashion week this year in Paris. As my friend Virgil puts it "they are the leaders of the new school." In these two interviews Marc Jacobs, the Creative Director for Louis Vuitton explains some of his recent collaborations with Steven Sprouse and Murakami. Also if you haven't seen these by now - Louis Vuitton recently collabed with Kanye West on some shoes scheduled to ship late summer, early fall.

Colin Munroe

Colin Munroe has really been making a move as of late. He first gained some play after his remix of Kanye's Flashing Light's. He plays all of his own instruments as you can see, and really has some depth as an artist. We made a post about him (here) a few months ago. Definitely an artist you should keep your eye on.

Vote for Hollywood!

HERE.

Mon Frere Monseiur Virgil

The homie Virgil has been in Paris over the last week getting a preview of the Du Jour in mens fashion for the next year. More recap after his return.

-More coverage here.

Throwing Pennies.

When Fish Ride Bicycles coming soon! Until then, peep this.

Pariee!!!

I received an email this morning from a few people on this. On bigs verse, i'm only bigging up my brother! The homie Virg, getting it in. Word!

An Absurd Message from Kanye.

A message from kwest on Vimeo.

A Witness

13th Witness also known as Futura's son just updated his website with a few pictures of Jay-Z getting ready for his Inauguration performance. Yes Jay-Z performed at the Inauguration, Barack Obama has indefinitely changed the landscape of this nation.

Via Highsnobiety.

Kanye x Louis Vuitton

There's this dude in the background that looks familiar - ha. So Fre$h & Proper.

Ryan Leslie Is That Dude.

Ryan Leslie Session w/Kid Cudi from Ryan Leslie on Vimeo.


I Know What You Like! from Ryan Leslie on Vimeo.

SEAN G MIXTAPE!

I had the pleasure of kicking it with Sean G (Pac Div Dj), when I was on tour with the Cool Kids back in November. I seem to vividly remember walking through the casino with Sean as he would "cross up" random strangers, making the walk way look like an And 1 video. Funniest shit I've ever seen. He also got me in Madden - nicely - no comment. I owe you one Sean.

*Download the mix tape HERE!

The Best of the Best: BLOG's

Here it is finally, a small little recap of what I believe are some of the best blogs at the moment. Within the last year I think we've seen a rise in the quality of content, as well the context in which we view a blog has changed. Whether that's in the format of pictures, or video blogging. Either or its a great time to be a reader, with all the content out there you can almost always find exactly what it is your looking for.

I wanted to break them down into categories, for example this is a trend blog or this is a fashion blog. But a lot of times they were both so I just decided to make a complete list. This list is exponentially growing, I seem to always be adding to it. I will probably add to it more in the near future, but for your convenience and mine I added them to the list of links on the right.

My absolute favorite blogs on this list that I check almost daily are Hyercollective, Lastnightsparty, and Selectism. Hyercollective and Selectism are great lifestyle fashion outlets, and Lastnightsparty is pretty self explanatory. As for the rest I check them every couple of days, or whenever I get a spark of inspiration to. So without further a due for your viewing pleasure here go some of the best blogs right now:


Lastnightsparty
Gladwell Blog
Heron Preston
Honeyee
Hyrecollective
Inqmnd
Nah Right
Jrs Rules
Kanye West Blog
Married to The Mob
Rob Walker
Selectism
Seth Godin
The Brilliance
The Selby
The Trad
Tone Doc
Va$htie
We Are The Market

Two Blogs I Appreciate.

So I was going to do a blog 08' recap like most other blogs did. But I decided against, thinking I would just add my favorite blogs to my links at some point. Well I'm still getting around to that, but in the mean time I love these two blogs: A Continuous Lean, and The Trad. A Continuous Lean received a lot of pub over the last year, and I learned about The Trad through ACL. Both great web zines with particularly good writing. If you are in to timeless clothing (The Trad) and good perspective (ACL) then both of these are definitely good to check out.

Spring Trend Watch: Moccasins.

(saw these on selectism the other day)

I picked these up from work the other day. Army green Marc Jacobs Moccasins that I can't wait for the perfect spring day to break out and get proper with. I will say I have seen a lot of moccasins on the "want" list for a lot of people this spring. I think you will see them work their way into the trad look this spring/summer. As they are the perfect mix between loafer and moccasin.

I WANT: These.

As Winter has settled in here in Chicago, I've been on the look out for a good pair of functional boots at a reasonable price point. I have a pair of North Faces that you could hike up a mountain with but they don't have much form, they are purely functional. I am thinking about purchasing these pair of LL. Bean boots. I like them because they have the moccasin/loafer toe, yet are still high enough to trudge through the snow. And at $149, you could get a good wear out of these boots in this "recession" of an economy.

Find them HERE.

How to Be Proper.

Alexander Olch's accessories have made quite the stir in the last few years. Here he is showing us how to properly tie a tie.

ENDS WEALTH!!!!

ENDSWEALTH Corp / SANTOGOLD / "SHOVE IT" from Nem Perez on Vimeo.


An amazing video from the homies over at Ends/Wealth. They have been consistently building over the last couple of years, with amazing design work and an eye for quality they definitely are one of Chicago's best up and coming brands. Check em out!

Newest Obsession: The Ivy

I'm a little late on this, ok really late. As all the du jour blogs of the moment have covered it in the last couple of weeks. If you appreciate the style of Ivy league schools in the last few decades this is the creme de la creme of photography from the era.

Find it over at The Trad.

Where for art thou?

Shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to. Sorry for the lake of updates, we've been preparing for the new year, getting some things in order for 09'. It's first quarter, feel like this year could be the championship, a lot at stake. Either or it will be full of:

Good people, beautiful girls, fre$h kids, mod, hipster, preppy, proper, trad, seamless, communication, transparency, the best of the best blogging about the best, more pictures less words, less words more meaning, good times, great oldies, that nu nu, black family, white house, fung shuei, change, now not later, apple, opposing minds, outliers, business plans, jets, different places, working harder but better than you ever have before, realizing exactly what it is you want, having exactly what you need, knowing exactly where your going. Right now we're about here. Please join us for the ride. All aboard.

We're in the process of updating the site, be sure to check back soon for beta 2.0. Until then...

cheers.

Happy New Year!

New Years Tease
by bronques

Finally a recap.

Wow what a year, cool kids, entourage, la, new york, chicago, obama, time for a change, big like giants, fre$h & proper, the brilliance, iphone, blackberry storm, bbm, facebook, jrs rules.blogspot.com, 808's, heart breaks, the celtics, the lakers, lebron, jay, mia, mic terror, hollywood holt, hyrcollective, gq, me in gq - wow, wired magazine, outliers, blogging, twitter, facebook, vimeo, you tube, video blogging, sativas, indicas, high's, lows, marc jacobs, marc by marc jacobs, jacobs for marc for marc by marc jacobs, serato, pop champagne, vocoder, lil wayne, kenna, sportscenter, menswear, streetwear, nah right, justice, chromeo, mgmt, lastnightsparty.com, free champagne, timbuck 2, vitamin water, ties, bow ties, party all the time, do work, the come up, opportunity, getting ready for 09. I think that's about it. Merry 09'. Cheers.

Outliers Interview

A good interview about a great book. Check it out.

Straight Razor

I rarely shave with a straight edge, yet something about it is so precise so fresh. Here's a great article in the New York Times about F.S.C.and the straight razor process.

Happy Holidaze: From Fre$h & Proper

>>>

Don't talk just listen. A little busy, please pause for this visual break.

Hilarious

"This is a farewell kiss you dog!"


Bush almost got caught slipping, but them reflexes were on point. ha.

THE HUNDREDS X DISNEY - WTF???

THEHUNDREDS // DISNEY // THE LOST BOYS from Bobby Hundreds on Vimeo.

When I first came across The Hundreds a few, I thought of them and the way they positioned themselves as this anti-establishment brand. Like down with corporations go independents! Now come to find out - unless Bobby is really on some April fool's shit again they are doing a collaboration with Disney - one of the largest corporations in the world. I mean sure I like the ideas of the lost boys too, who wants to grow up and be an adult - we want to have fun forever and hopefully get paid for it, bangarang. But doesn't this seem to step away from their core model of being this hardcore independent fashion brand? Hmmm, just food for thought.

AN OLDIE BUT GOODIE

I know it's like enough with The Cool Kids footy already, but geez I have soo much I don't know what to do with. This video was before they were famous, when were still renting mini vans to travel, when things were just beginning. They call it the grind work before the tour buses and fancy hotels. Hey this doesn't happen over night - you work hard to get where you are in this business. But of course its all in fun. Enjoy.

FRE$H & PROPER PRESENTS: MIKEY ROCKS BDAY

Mikey Rocks birthday is this Friday! Yup we're doing it again, the homie finally turns 21! Their will be a few special celebrity guest and the home girl Va$htie is coming in to host the party with me & Million Dollar Mano.

The pictures are from the New York show after party courtesy of Ms. Va$htie herself.

LIL WAYNE @ Sundance.

Supposedly this film will be premiering at Sundance.


via Kanye's Blog.

GOOD INTERVIEW WITH KANYE

A picture is worth a thousand...

I found this over at the inquiring mind blog yesterday. I will say why get caught up in words, when pictures can say everything. I'm a little late on this discovery, but still its worth the up. I find my self taking certain pictures, and saving them for later inspiration. I suggest like the blogs author JJJJound, you should do the same.

I'm A Free Man

Freeman's is one my favorite places in the world. They encompass the whole feeling of Fre$h & Proper. Complete with their own retail space, their own clothing line - only available at Freemans. A barbershop in the back of the store, and a full restaurant down the ally - what more could you ask for. They have recently opened a new spot in Brooklyn. Check em out.

I'm Just a Kid who's Cool.

COOL KIDS BOUNCE TOUR DAY 3!!! from Jamar Eaton on Vimeo.

Above - this was one of my last days on tour. It's funny how things work. You go to bed in one city and wake up in another, its amazing how that happens. Let alone going up to a nice room at the Venetian and getting a much needed shower! Yet the Vegas stop for me though was about actually doing work, getting the merchandise organized, running to wal-mart to grab a few groceries for the bus and other much needed things. Do work, no matter what its a good look for everybody. After the show we jumped into a limo and went to the after party. Ended up seeing Mike Tyson - wow, and coming up a little bit off of the Roule tables. You have to love Vegas. Enjoy.


2K9 Bounce Tour - Backstage @ 9:30 Club in Washington, DC from The Cool Kids on Vimeo.


Pac Div and Mikey Rocks Freestyle - Backstage @ 9:30 Club from The Cool Kids on Vimeo.

The Kids in D.C. a few days ago, having fun, still pushing, anxiously awaiting their return back home.

Str8 from Va$hte's blog.

Yes i'm blog jacking today, been running around getting some things in order. I haven't had time to surf the world wide and find the most invigorating content. Instead I will pull some stuff from those who directly inspire me. Like Va$hte. Rumor has it she might be in town for Mikey Rocks birthday. Stay tuned for more info.





I must agree this is one of my favorite Spike Lee joints. Check her site for more!

I enjoy cute girls.

Violette Fall Winter 2008 Lookbook Shoot : ELYSE and MARYAM from va$htie on Vimeo.

Do you?

KEEP BOUNCING!!!

Yup it's going down! Be there or be laame. Get there early. Please RSVP to RSVP@FRESHANDPROPER.COM for reduced cover. See you there.

Just in case you were wondering...

The Cool Kids "Gold And A Pager" LIVE @ The Loft - Atlanta, GA from The Cool Kids on Vimeo.


The Cool Kids @ S-Line Studio w/ Don Cannon from The Cool Kids on Vimeo.


The Cool Kids "What It Is" feat. Alex - Revolution - Fort Lauderdale from The Cool Kids on Vimeo.


The Cool Kids - LTS Wakeboard Session - Fort Lauderdale, FL from The Cool Kids on Vimeo.

The kids still on the road plugging away on tour. Here are a few highlights. Don't forget to check their blog. CoolxKids.

Dubfrequency x Diamond w/ Uprise Party Tomorrow!

10 Year Commercial from Uprise on Vimeo.

I'm a good 5 months late on this video. The Uprise 10 year commercial. Anyhow the homies Nick Diamond and Jesse Lee for the weekly Dubfrequency jump off over @ Lava lounge. I will be stopping by to drink cheep beer and holler at trendy hipster girls hopefully wearing MTTM. Chuuuuch.

Hello America

Found this online just after the election. It's street art from somewhere in Chicago. Dooope.

A Black Bird

As many of you probably already know, the Blackbird online store is now open for business. I think I've posted in the past about how amazing Blackbird is and how they continue to stay ahead of trend with all things going on menswear. I continue to read their blog weekly. Check them out.

Most Official

I'm trying to be Married to the MOB. (Most official Bitch). Word.

Yup!!!

I'm full of inspiration today. Eat it up.

Colin Munroe

Just came across this cat over at Va$hties blog as well. What do you think? Food for thought. That's what i'm on today I guess.

Heaven @ Night.

Behind the scenes of Cudi's heaven at night video, directed by Va$htie. I haven't seen a final version of this yet...hmm. But I found it while digging through Va$htie's blog this morning. Isn't it crazy to think we dig through blogs now, or maybe just I dig through blogs because I'm a dork. But I wonder what our kids will be doing - instead of digging for records, will they be digging through old hard drives full of "old" music like those dope Pac and Biggie classics. Hmmm candy for thought. Word.

MIKEY ROCKS JUMP OFF!!`

A lil Kanye Interview

An Interlude

The 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards

I'm about to throw up some more cool kids footy from the tour. Just before they jumped on tour, they did the MTV woodie awards. Just putting another notch on the belt. Maybe next year they'll upgrade to the big show. Check it out.

The Bounce Tour Day 2!!

The Cool Kids Bounce Tour Day 2 from Jamar Eaton on Vimeo.


This was by far one of the best days on tour. The House of Blues was packed with people, you could feel the energy. A few celeb's were running around, and we smoked soo much in the green room that well the room was definitely green. All in all it was a great show, they rocked - had fun on stage with Pac Div, and met Raekwon afterwords when he came up to the green room to congratulate them on a good show. We ended up at an after party for a hot second, then me and Chuck dipped off with Kenna to the studio so Chuck could get some work in with one of the better musical minds of our generation. Check it out...Thanks Kenna!!!

PAC DIV IS HUGE!!!

VIMBY - Everyone Knows Us: The Making Of

VIMBY - Everyone Knows Us: Music Video

Just got off of tour with these cat's, and I will say they are some of the funniest rappers on earth. Check em out - Pac Div is about to be huuge!! More tour footy coming soon.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW...

(Just before going on - House of Blues Los Angeles)


But you have no idea! Sorry for the lack of updates, as you can imagine the last couple of days have been crazy busy. When you become a part of the crew on the bus everybody's working towards a common goal - that is to have the best show possible. Everything from loading in equipment, to handling merch its amazing how many it people it takes to facilitate a show correctly. As I sit here at the Phoenix airport, waiting for my flight its hard to leave the road - think Almost Famous - once your on the bus its hard to get off. All in all it was good to be traveling with the guys again. Thanks to everybody who came out to the shows. I'll have a slew of exclusive behind the scenes jump offs soon. Stay tuned!

COOL KIDS BOUNCE TOUR!!!

Cool Kids Bounce Tour from Jamar Eaton on Vimeo.


So I jumped in the car and drove up to Santa Barbara Friday evening after running around LA a little bit. Making the usual stops at The Hundreds, SLB's, Diamond, Supreme, Alife etc. Caught up wit the kids and secured my bunk down on the bus. The SB show was good, a quaint little venue that allowed the kids an off show before jumping back on tour with Q-tip the following day in LA. It was nice to see them perform again, as it's been a minute since I've actually seen their live show. All in all we had a good time, followed by a nice ride back into LA to crash out on the bus and wake up to a beautiful southern california day. Check it out...

ON TOUR DAY 1

Cool Kids Tour Day 1 from Jamar Eaton on Vimeo.


Live blogging from the bus. Gotta love it. Don't forget to check the guys blog over @ CoolxKids.com

MIGHT MOS FOR PRESIDENT!!!

IM GOING ON TOUR

GOING ON TOUR from Jamar Eaton on Vimeo.

Gretzky to Smith!!

Hollywood and Million $ Mano

I love that I can follow up an in depth interview with Obama's campaign team, with this. Fre$h & Proper daily. Word.

Roundtable with Obama's Inner Circle

Watch CBS Videos Online

An in-depth interview with Obama's "inner circle." Perhaps the best political team of all time, an all-cast if you would. They have re-defined the political campaign spectrum beyond any measurable degree. The grass-roots operation they created was by far one of the greatest coalitions ever created. Indeed they owe it all to their candidate, but even Jordan had help. For real.

A little bit of insight...

Lupe's response to the election and Barack Obama's speech.

Do The Right Thing.

A Little Throwback.

LeBron James and Jay-Z at The Q

J Breezy, and Hov the day before the election.

Yes We Can!

Change the world!

Get Hype

I check out this blog from time to time. You should too.

Jamar Eaton

Check out the Jamar Eaton blog. Now.

The Liquor Store

Wanted: A J. Crew work shirt! Not to mention J. Crew's men's wear has appropriately taken a step in the direction as many independents with their Liquor Store retail space opening in August. Complete with a wet bar, and the small quaint Polo'esque (not a real word! but didn't Polo originate this look), that we've also seem from Rogues Gallery, Earnest Sewn, and well Polo Rugby to name a few. But you can't hate on it, there's something timeless about spaces like this, they tend to inspire the lifestyle from which the clothing was created. Complete with their own book "What A Man Should Know." They thought through all of the details well, which is always appreciated. Check em out.

Affiliated

I use to work for these cat's selling boards. Check em out. What up Dax! What up Neen!

That's Hype!!

Anybody Seen This Yet?

WHERE HAVE YOUUU BEEN?

We're back, its been a minute. It's good to take a break, let the dust settle and keep you guessing. Although that will be the last stand still for a good while as we ramp up to end the year strong. Hey Champ! w/ Cold Dust girl bring us back in. Word.

These Kids

Kids been doing work. And you thought you knew. Word.

Don't Flake