Thursday, April 28, 2011

Craft Spells

In the cold and dreary winter of 2009, alone in his bedroom and thoughts and hidden from the darkness of the world outside Justin Paul Vallesteros had begun working on something that would change his life forever. What began as a couple notes played in experimentation soon transformed into vibrant melodies. .Guitar chords laced over pulse sating melodies and drum rhythms  he began to create the dreamy nostalgic pop music that is Craft Spells. Craft Spells is the epitome of the recent uprising of the DIY music scene.Sites like Weekly Tape Deck, Pasta Primavera, No Modest Bear and Pitchfork’s Forkcast took notice and thus began the never ending worldwide posting and re-posting on blog after blog of Craft Spells. The sound is led by Justin’s blissful voice, backed behind beautiful guitar melodies over heavenly synths, pop basslines and looped rhythms. Captured Tracks has released 7” single for the song “Party Talk” and will release the debut LP due out in Spring 2011 called Idle Labor. 2011 is going to be a busy year now that Justin has set up a live band for future touring. Keep a look out for tour dates in Europe and US come the new year.


Track Listing:


1. For the Ages

2. Scandinavian Crush

3. The Fog Rose High

4. Party Talk

5. From the Morning Heat

6. After the Moment

7. Ramona

8. Given the Time

9. Your Tomb

10. You Should Close the Door

11. Beauty Above All

RELEASE DATE: March 29th, 2011.

Also, see them on there West Coast Tour with Label Mates Berach Fossil and Writer.

Sun 05/01/11 Club Congress Tucson AZ


Mon 05/02/11 Soda Bar San Diego CA

Tue 05/03/11 Echo Los Angeles CA

Wed 05/04/11 The Cellar Door Visalia CA

Thu 05/05/11 Slims San Francisco CA

Sat 05/07/11 Chop Suey Seattle WA

Blouse into black video

I’ve got some more Portland love to share with you all this week. First and foremost meet Blouse, an up-and-coming Portland-based dream pop trio that just signed onto the stellar Brooklyn label Captured Tracks  and now meet Wooden Lens, a talented group of Portland videographers who create  this brilliant unofficial music video that was made from found and stock footage. They  pulled scenes from Léos Carax’s 1991 film les amants du Pont-Neuf comprise the video for Blouse’s first single and shows vibrant fireworks, strobe lights, and an eccentric, one-eyed Juliette Binoche that perfectly suits the music video.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Tom Binns

Safety First: Fabulous first lady favourite Tom Binns delivers punk meets posh safety pin cluster necklace and bracelets for Spring 2011. Regal and radical, these bodacious bijoux are certain to add a little edge to any look




Elizabeth Taylor Talks with Kim Kardashian

February 9, 2011


Elizabeth Taylor Talks with Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian caught up with her idol about glamour, giving back, and how to live like a legend. See Kim channel Taylor's Cleopatra, read the complete cover story and also see a collection of Taylor's most iconic fashion moments.

By Harper's Bazaar Staff


KIM KARDASHIAN: You are my idol. But I'm six husbands and some big jewels behind. What should I do?
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: I never planned to acquire a lot of jewels or a lot of husbands. For me, life happened, just as it does for anyone else. I have been supremely lucky in my life in that I have known great love, and of course I am the temporary custodian of some incredible and beautiful things. But I have never felt more alive than when I watched my children delight in something, never more alive than when I have watched a great artist perform, and never richer than when I have scored a big check to fight AIDS. Follow your passion, follow your heart, and the things you need will come.



KK: For this story, we were inspired by Cleopatra. What's your advice on how to be a queen?



ET: I have never wanted to be a queen! Cleopatra was a role, and I am an actor, so it was fun to play one, but it's not real. The real Cleopatra had an incredibly complicated life, and she had to be very, very canny to survive as long as she did. For me, the most interesting thing about her was her passion. The things that are important to me—being a mother, a businesswoman, an activist—are all things that were borne out of great passion.



KK: I am a huge Elizabeth Taylor nerd, as will now become clear. You have the world's most iconic jewelry collection. Of your three most famous diamond rings— a 29.4-carat from Mike Todd, the Krupp diamond at 33.19 carats, or the Taylor-Burton 69.42-carat diamond—which one meant the most? Does size matter?



ET: The Krupp is an extraordinary stone. It has such life and brilliance when light shines through it. Size does matter, but so does the size of the emotion behind it.



KK: What has been your greatest jewelry adventure?



ET: I have had many. I was especially thrilled to buy the Prince of Wales plume pin at the 1987 auction of the jewelry of the Duchess of Windsor. Richard and I had once admired it, so much so that he asked the duchess if he could copy it for me. She very graciously agreed, but we both felt weird about it, so we didn't. And then when it finally came up for auction, I really felt I wanted to have it in my collection—because I admired her great style so much, because Richard had wanted me to have the brooch, and, frankly, because the money from the sale went to support AIDS research. I bid from my house in L.A., and when they told me I had won it, I thought, Yes, this was really meant to be in my care, at least for a while.



KK: What are your personal favorite looks, on- or offscreen?



ET: I loved the Edith Head lavender dress that I wore to the Oscars in 1970. It was designed around the Taylor-Burton diamond. Some of the Cleopatra costumes were fun—they even had real gold threads—and I wore them as evening dresses afterward! I also loved some of the great caftans that I wore in the '60s and '70s with big sunglasses and major jewelry. I love to be casual and comfortable, but I also love the easy glamour of wearing jewelry all the time.



KK: It is coming up on the 20th anniversary of your classic fragrance, White Diamonds. Could you have imagined it would do so well? How does a lady smell good for life?



ET: I always wanted to have a fragrance, and I always wanted to be able to connect with people in ways other than through film. Fragrance is an incredibly intimate thing. It can evoke very specific thoughts or memories and is a little different for each person who wears it. I also think it's the most accessible luxury. I had no idea that White Diamonds would become a classic when we began, but I am thrilled it has because it means we have really succeeded in giving women a little bit of luxury every day. It is very special to me, and we certainly plan to celebrate this anniversary all year!



KK: You have starred in movies with some of the dreamiest men of all time: Rock Hudson, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Paul Newman, Michael Caine, and Warren Beatty. Who else would you have loved to work with?



ET: I love Johnny Depp, and I love Colin Farrell—both brilliant, nuanced actors with great range.



KK: Do you think if Richard Burton were alive today, you'd be married to him?



ET: It was inevitable that we would be married again, but it's not up for discussion.



KK: You have always been ahead of your time—and now you're on Twitter. What do you love about it? And [cheekily] will you please follow me?



ET: I like the connection with fans and people who have been supportive of me. And I love the idea of real feedback and a two-way street, which is very, very modern. But sometimes I think we know too much about our idols and that spoils the dream. So, like all things, it is to be used with care! Yes, of course I'll follow you, love.









Read more: Kim Kardashian Talks With Elizabeth Taylor - Interview with Kim Kardashian and Elizabeth Taylor - Harper's BAZAAR

Elizabeth Taylor!

In light of Dame Elizabeth Taylor's passing, I have compiled some of the icon's most memorable looks, from her roles in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Butterfield 8 to her diamond-adorned red carpet style: