Browsing Category

Fashion/Design

Fashion/Design, Hipstercrite Life

What Happens in New Orleans, Stays in New Orleans

Last week I lost twelve hours of my life. Those twelve hours were spent throwing up what looked like a mangled midget, but was instead jambalaya and one Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane.

I’m not much of a drinker (except for when I was 22 and drank myself to sleep on a regular basis and wrote emo diary entries about how no one loved me), but wanted to participate in the intoxicated fun of New Orleans’ Bourbon Street on my first visit to the magical city with my mother and our friend Margie. Each of us indulged in a Hurricane in the romantic courtyard of Pat O’Briens and enjoyed a pre-Fall evening in the jovial atmosphere of the French Quarter. We got tipsy, but no one was fall down drunk. We come from a lineage of non-drinkers and all my mother can handle is a few sips before falling into a giggle fit, then sleep.

We traversed the relatively tame crowd of Bourbon Street back to our hotel in the Warehouse District. Last week, the city was full of middle-aged men with pot bellies and polo shirts (more…)

Austin, Fashion/Design, Hipstercrite Life, Travel

East Austin Named One of America’s Hippest Neighborhoods (pics)

Forbes’ named East Austin the  no. 7 hippest hipster neighborhood in America, beating out other popular spots  such as New Orlean’s Warehouse District and Downtown Portland.

Though there is nothing remotely groundbreaking about this honor, it’s always fun to see our little neighborhood mentioned in the press.

The Armageddon-like proportions of Austin’s allergies are making it difficult for me to walk, let alone think right now, so in lieu of a waxed poem about my beloved neighborhood, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite East Austin photos I’ve taken over the years.

Though I’ve had my ups and downs with the neighborhood, there is no place else I’d rather live in Austin (except for maybe Hyde Park).

 

Selfie at Longbranch Inn on 11th Street

Geoff at Thunderbird Coffee on Manor Road

An adorable (and tasty!) Iced Latte with homemade vanilla syrup from Vintage Heart Coffee on E. 7th Street

Delicious homemade bread bowl soup from Gourmands on Webberville (more…)

Fashion/Design, Music

Fashion Friday: Happy Birthday, Amy Winehouse!

Today would have been Amy Winehouse’s 29th birthday.

Though I never took a strong interest in her music or her life, there’s no doubt that she was a falling star that burned through the universe too brightly and exploded into a million little stars into the  great abyss (or insert whatever cliche you want to put there).

She was an anomaly, a slew of contradictions both aesthetically and musically:  a Jewish girl from Britain who sang with guttural and smokey intensity, a cotton candy beehive hairdo and cat eye-wearer who enjoyed the heroin chic look of tank tops, wilted and tattooed arms and missing teeth.

She had the sound of Etta James, the look of Dusty Springfield and the self-destruction of Sid Vicious all rolled into one.

The majority of Winehouse’s pictures circulating the web are images of a sad, dirty and sickly young woman who looked much older than her age. Photoshopped photos emphasizing her cocaine-laced nostrils, her track marks or any other abnormality on her (more…)

Fashion/Design

How to Make Your Trash Can Look Less Ugly With Duct Tape

When you peruse Pinterest or Etsy and come across some glorious creation, do you often think, “Dear God! Everyone is more creative than me! Why do I exist? What have I contributed to mankind?! SOMEONE TELL ME!”

I do. Looking at Pinterest sends me into a tailspin of self-doubt and cheese puff-eating.

Once in awhile I get a bug up my ass to do something creative. Last night I was staring at our tiny and stinking trash can and thought, “You’re ugly, trash can. It’s time to give you a makeover.” I ran out to Target, bought a taller cheap-o trash can with a lid and an assload of Duct Tape. As you may know, Duct Tape has a line of unique colors and patterns now, including a mustache print. Out of fear of making my boyfriend throw up in his mouth every time he passes the trash can, I opted not to put mustaches all over it. Instead, I bought colors that would best compliment the New Mexico-vibe Geoff has going on in his house. Geoff went to college in Santa Fe and holds the wonderfully weird (more…)

Fashion/Design

Fall/Winter Fashion Picks from Alpha Industries

I’m guest blogging over at clothing designer Alpha Industries this week.

My first post is about one of my favorite subjects: ladies wearing men’s clothing!

Below are a couple of my favorite fashion picks at Alpha Industries. So glad it’s becoming the time of year where I can dress like Kurt Russell from the The Thing again.

Alpha Industries boasts some pretty incredible prices for the quality digs they make. If you’re looking for a solid new Fall/Winter coat or just want to dress like  Indiana Jones or a super intelligent dude from NASA, check out these jackets for men and women:

 

 

Ladies Pea Coat in White, $75

Fortress Wool Coat, $75

Ladies Motor Bomber, $180

N-2B Parka, $162

NASA Flight Jacket, $133

 

Austin, Fashion/Design, Pop Culture

Good Grammar is Sexy (And Other Curated Curios for the Curious Consumer)

Hey Gang!

Hope y’all had a wonderful weekend. The weather has finally dropped down in the mid-90s in Austin, which translates to cardigan and scarf-wearing.

Fall is such a magical time of year in Texas. It means rather than finding ways to have as little fabric touching your burning skin as possible, one can start giving a crap about fashion again.

I’ve been perusing some neat-o finds on the new Scoutmob Shoppe to amp up my fall wardrobe and X-mas gift cache for the loved ones.

If you haven’t been to the Scoutmob Shoppe yet, it’s like Fab.com, but ten times better. That gang has some seriously awesome curating going on over there with an emphasis on keep it local.

Check out some of my favorite picks from their shop below!

Also, if you’re an Austin craftsman and you’d be interested in potentially having your products featured on the Scoutmob Shoppe, shoot me a comment down below.

 

Assorted Love Cards, 5- Pack $15

Good Grammar is Sexy Tote, $12

Stache Anything (more…)

Fashion/Design, Film, Music, Pop Culture

Inspiring Late Bloomer Success Stories to Keep You From Giving Up

Inspired! Mesmerized! This is how I felt after putting down Steve Martin’s autobiography Born Standing Up.

I knew it was going to be a good book because Martin is a fantastic writer. Every creative medium he’s ever touched has turned into a golden product. Stand-up, acting, banjo-playing…you name it!

One of my top five favorite books of all time is Martin’s Shopgirl, which for me, perfectly summed up my experiences in Los Angeles. Martin’s uncanny ability to voice the thoughts, feelings and actions of a twenty-something living in LA astounded me. He’s good. Very good.

Born Standing Up is about Martin’s first 30 years on this planet as an adolescent, then as a struggling comedian. He details the painstaking energy and determination it took to break into the scene. He acted at Knott’s Berry Farm, performed stand up at small folks clubs in Southern California and elsewhere, wrote for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and even appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson several (more…)

Fashion/Design, Pop Culture

Hipstercrite is in the Glossies!

As I mentioned on Monday, my brain is as fried as the skin of George Hamilton, but I’ll be up and running with some original content next week.

In the meantime, I want to share with you some exciting news!

Hipstercrite was selected to be included in the print magazine The Printed Blog!

What is The Printed Blog, you ask? The Printed Blog is a “monthly chronicle that focuses on creating a collectible, curated publication exclusively made up of content generated on the web, with the intention of giving bloggers credibility and exposure that they can use to establish themselves.” Co-founder and Photo Editor of the magazine is the new It Boy photographer Tyler Shields.

Each issue is comprised of blog posts paired with beautiful photography by contributors. I spied two of my favorite bloggers in the latest issue, Humans Are Funny and Kid in the Front Row!

In their current Deja Vu issue, my super wistful post “This Must Be The Place” was featured. In the blog post I discuss a (more…)

Austin, Fashion/Design

Even in Death, Cronkite Wows Your Pants Off: Ben Rubin’s Art Installation “And That’s the Way It Is”

Compared to cities like New York and Chicago, Austin is not known for its public art pieces.

Not only are there few pieces to gawk at, but their rating on the scale of epicness falls a little short. Stand out pieces include a bunch of blue solar panel flowers on the side of I-35 to make a freeway big box exit look less uninviting (not sure they succeeded), a foreboding statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn that looks like he wants to eat your young and street art by Daniel Johnston made famous by Kurt Cobain. I’ve also spotted a giant metal spider in a planned community, some Shepard Fairey pieces and yarn bombing around town, but it terms of big! and abstract!, there is little to see.

That is why when I walked through the campus of University of Texas last week I nearly fell backwards upon seeing, “And That’s the Way It Is”,  Ben Rubin’s Walter Cronkite-inspired installation art projected on the college’s Radio-Television-Film building. If you live in Austin and haven’t seen this phenomenal (more…)

Austin, Fashion/Design

Fashion Friday: Everyone Loves Austin!

What is Everyone Loves Austin?

ELA is an Austin pride and preservation movement created by the sweet Sophia Veronica Erian. Being a huge fan of Austin herself, she created Everyone Loves Austin as means for people to collectively share their pride for this wonderful city (think “I Love NY”).

10% of the proceeds of ELA’s merchandise goes to HAAM (Health Alliance for Austin Musicians), while another 10% goes towards Keep Austin Beautiful.

I love this tank. Every time I wear it, it’s gets a conversation going about how much we all love this city.

I will be holding a giveaway next week for an Everyone Loves Austin t-shirt or tank, so make sure to come by next week!