Photo Credit Caitlin Schiller
Some artists rest and regroup before shows, but Los Angeles quintet Local Natives took straight to the stage of Madrid’s packed-to-the-gills Moby Dick after a 2,000 km drive from Rome. Van time and a dizzying array of European cities aside, Local Natives really ought to’ve been too wiped to muster much above a subdued eight song set, yet what ensued was sustained sonic magic that belied sleeplessness and grueling drives.
Tags: MusicNo Comments.
Photo Courtesy of Les Queue de Sardines
Fetishists, consider yourselves officially on watch: hosiery just got even hotter (and a little quirkier, too).
Les Queues de Sardines, a registered trademark of French clothier, m + o studio, adds panache to your closet with a line of punchy, unconventional stockings. Equal parts elegant and amusing, these tights are screen-printed by hand in limited quantities, transforming obligatory childhood dress-up apparel into personalized luxury.
Tags: FashionNo Comments.
It was like falling in love.
Correction: it was falling in love with swirling three part harmonies, meditative percussion, dreamy, thoughtful guitar riffs that echo sirens’ calls, and sparkling lyrics recalling a fleeting, enchanted youth that clings to the collective consciousness of 20-somethings everywhere. Just one listen to Local Natives’ “Cards and Quarters” off of their Gorilla Manor debut brought on the infatuation that, weeks later, shows no sign of flagging. I’m hooked, so are thousands of tasteful British citizens, and when the new album drops, you could be, too. Introducing your new favorite band, Local Natives.
Tags: MusicNo Comments.
Being as it’s a holiday for a vast part of the Western world, we’re taking the day off from prowling for cool. From all of us at The Retrospective, felices fiestas, joyeuses fêtes, Ii holide ezimnandi, buone feste, and happy holidays, yo. We’ll be back with more good stuff soon!
Photo Credit: Justin Oullette
It was a mysterious email. Seven words, one punctuation mark; a question.
Are you guys based in San Francisco?
While the answer isn’t as simple as yes (The Retrospective team spans the globe from L.A. and San Francisco to New York City and all the way over to Madrid), for Francis Farewell Starlite of Francis and The Lights, we will be.
Tags: Event · MusicNo Comments.
Sony Pictures Classic ©2009
There are many reasons to feel lucky for calling a city like Madrid home: delightful weather, more (free!) cultural events than you can shake a stick at, alcoholic beverages that cost less than a bottle of water, and good, good coffee in virtually every café. Recently, I was given one more reason to love this city: movies. Though its mother tongue may be English, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus– the latest from director Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame–made its chaotic, splendid debut here in the land of jamón (Iberian ham) and Dalí.
Tags: FilmsNo Comments.
Until recently I had never heard the term sneakerhead, nor to my knowledge had I met one. Over three hours with Harley Carrara, owner of Mass Appeal Skateboard Shop in Plainville, Connecticut, and three Nike Design Customization Experts at Westfarms Mall’s Nike iD Studio, I learned that though I hadn’t realized it, the mythic sneakerhead is most decidedly among us, walking just a little taller than the tatty-Keds-clad masses. The sneakerhead looks just like you and me with one crucial difference: their footwear is far, far finer.
Nike’s latest retail innovation, the Nike iD Studio, holds the golden ticket required for entry into elite sneaker subculture–a ticket that just so happens to come in the form of swank custom kicks. How do you get your own pair of one-off Nikes? It’s as simple as finding an iD Studio near you, stepping up to a virtual customization station and designing the footwear that inspires you.
A few Fridays ago Nike invited The Retrospective to Westfarms Mall for a night of private customization. Carrara and a team of Nike iD experts guided us through the customization process, plied us with prime swag, and laid down the sneaker gospel. Read on to see what we learned.
Tags: Art · Design · Fashion · San Francisco · Technology · The Retrospective · street wear6 Comments
Wexley School For Girls commands a cheeky, quirky, downright gutsy online vibe that falls somewhere between a Monty Python skit and a Yo’ momma joke competition. The Seattle-based marketing, branding, design, and interactive agency holds clients that range from car dealerships to Italian soccer boot purveyor, Diadora. The best part? Despite its varied clientele, everything that leaves Wexley for a client–be it retailer or service–retains a delicious, exotic Wexley flavor. I’m thinking mangosteen. Wait: mangosteen with bacon!
Tags: Advertising · Art · Design2 Comments
Equal parts timeless elegance and rockstar rad-ittude, Barcelona design studio Alan The Gallant’s work is—to use a hopelessly bathetic phrase—just my cup of tea.
While ATG’s web work, album covers, identity pieces and neo-ornamental wallpapers are nothing short of enchanting (as discussed in Retrospective coverage from just over a month ago), I’ve got a little confession to make: as an inveterate words person, the thing that first tickled me about the ATG presence was the authorial voice of its delightfully courtly and urbane curator—Sir Alan The Gallant. Like many of Alan The Gallant’s press visitors, I emailed in hopes of securing an e-audience with Alan. To my chagrin, Alex Bedoya, ATG’s Business Partner, was the one to write back with some dire news: despite his larger-than-life persona, Sir Alan does not exist. Happily, I grieved very little over Alan’s non-existence; the ladies behind Alan The Gallant, the aforementioned Alex and Creative Partner Ana Montiel are, if possible, even more delightful than Alan himself.
Tags: Art · Design · We Are Each Other2 Comments
Alan The Gallant? Who is this dashing Mr. Mysterio lounging one table over in this, your favorite café? Charmingly quixotic and devastatingly refined, when you lean over to ask for the time—really just an excuse to steal a closer look at his exquisitely tailored trousers and perfectly patterned socks—he gracefully snags the receipt for your coffee, jangling a few euros onto the tray, and disappears in a whirl of sartorial splendor and kisses on the cheek.
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