RTW Fall 2012 Ralph Lauren

 Transgender Aristocracy

Putting an innovative twist on an antique design is at the core of fashion. Trends come, go and are often recycled, designers strive to reinvent a look into a fresh and enticing collection.

Ralph Lauren drew inspiration from early twentieth century English aristocracy for his latest fall collection. He put a modern touch on classic sets, forging antique style and transgender dress.

Whats not to love about a classic look? Paired with modest elements, it’s a definite hit.

Rebekah Rochelle XO

https://twitter.com/#!/Rebekah_DLIST

What Women Want

Recently, I shared with my dolls what gets men going. Now, it’s time to give the gents some insight into the ladies. Guys, you might entertain yourself with delusions of grandeur in the ladies department, but understanding the essence of a woman is more difficult than you realize.

Take good care of your appearance and your wardrobe. If you have your sights set on a dime, you’ll need to spend a little extra on your look. Take a look at my Men’s spring lookbook to carve out an appropriate ensemble for catching her eye.

Compliments are nice, but don’t oversell it. Be specific. If she looks good, tell her why and how. Deeper explanations grant authenticity to your compliments. Minimizing and specifying compliments keeps you credible.

Take risks. Introduce her to something new and daring. Bad boys are always attractive, but daredevils are irresistible. Dump the overrated dinner and a movie and go for an indoor skydiving adventure.

Whip out your chef hat and cook her something gourmet. High-end venues are great, but nothing beats a homemade grub sesh. Even if it doesn’t pan out, it’s the thought that counts (sometimes). Have a good takeout menu on hand, just in case.

Bring flowers. Not because it’s Valentine’s Day, her birthday or the anniversary. Do it because it’s a Monday. Unexpected gifts are the most memorable and touching.

Don’t be afraid to compliment her assets. Men seem to shy away from praising curves, simply because it’s been etched in your minds as verboten. Use words like divine, beautiful and irresistible and other flowery phrases.

Don’t be too available via text. Believe it or not, females aren’t hanging on your every text, despite what the Harvard Sailing Team satirizes. Ask her about her day or what she’s up to, instead of throwing out a midnight booty text.

Whether you think you have women figured out or not, these tips will round out your game. Play by the rules and get a big pay out in return.

Rebekah Rochelle XO

https://twitter.com/#!/Rebekah_DLIST

“I’m getting a lot of love from people I wasn’t getting love from on other projects, so that’s nice. And it’s nice to be getting respect for something I was fully in charge of, as far as direction. In a group you sometimes don’t see eye-to-eye, whether it’s song choices or production. But I’m happy. From the people that I’ve talked to, I’ve gotten a positive response. As for media, it’s been minimal. I’ve had some good write-ups, and some not so good ones, like Todd Hamm’s. But all press is good press, and the people’s opinions that matter most to me have been positive.”

Seattle Weekly’s Todd Hamm, painted Maven as a sped up album laced with “. . . second hand beats, and internet finds.”

“There’s no primary producer on Maven, I got beats from a few people. I did get some of the beats from the internet. Half of the project is original production, the other beats you’ve probably never even heard. But they’re production from producer’s beats, that haven’t been rapped to. Block Business is the only song that has been rapped on before. And I recently connected with the producer of that beat REL. Since no one has rapped on these beats, I feel like that doesn’t make it a second hand beat. They’re not hand-me-downs, per se. But they are beats I didn’t get clearance to sell, which is why the shit’s free. I’m not super-offended (LAUGHTER).”

Regardless of where the beats originated from, Maven delivers listeners 16 tracks of lyrical originality. Flowing together from beginning to end, in a story-like form, the full-length exposes the inner working’s of Thaddeus’ mind. Showcasing his artistic individuality, not necessarily spotlighted in his previously known group projects.

“When you’re in a group, with any group, people have their favorite member that they lean towards. I just want people to take away from Maven that I do group projects, but I also have solo things that are different. Maven is a spread of sound, I’m not trying to be typecast into any sound. I’m evolving, I guess. I kind of feel like this will be the solidifier of me as an artist, beyond doing just solo features on other artist’s tracks and shit. Altered State [State of the Artist EP] was a lot of sound blending, which I like, but on Maven, everything’s different.”

By approaching each beat with variations of creative delivery, Thaddeus caters to his awaiting fans’ expectations.

“Delivery always varies. I feel like every beat will cater to the way that you deliver a lyric. I definitely try and switch it up with different voice inflections and lyrical delivery, depending on the beat. Some beats are harder, some are softer. I kind of let the beat tell me what to do.

And while the Seattle MC’s musical inspirations seem evident in his music, his lack of artistic diversity is surprising.

“I listen to hella ignorant shit on a regular basis. You really want to get into what influences me, Elisa (LAUGHTER)? You know what I listen to and I know you hate it! I listen to just about everyone you hate: Soulja Boy, Two Chains, Rick Ross, and Big Krit. I just don’t like slowed down rap . . . I’ve even tried to rap on beats like that; it just doesn’t go over as well.”

With the end of the rope now in view, Thaddeus is focused on prioritizing his goals; which includes creating a solid foundation. Along with breaking through Seattle’s musical glass ceiling and bringing more attention to the unspoken artists of Emerald City.

“I’m talking it more seriously now. There’s stuff that I have achieved, that make me strive to want more. I feel like I am at a weird place, where I’m starting to re-accomplish the same things I have in the past and I don’t like that. It really is like a glass ceiling. To break through that, I plan on moving by the end of the year. For my New Year’s resolution, I knew I owe it to myself to move. I’ve never lived anywhere else. So I’m going to put in a lot of work this year, so I can branch out and bring other audiences my music. I love Seattle, and I’m sure that moving will give me a better appreciation for it. But I want to go somewhere nobody knows my name. As an artist you want to possess the influence of your city, but there’s a lot of thirst out here, dehydration. There are a lot of quenchers too (LAUGHTER). I feel like the same artists in Seattle are getting the most shine, there’s a lot of favoritism. These are the artists leading into the face of the Seattle Hip Hop. You look at Seattle Hip Hop, and the things you see on big blogs are redundant. But we shouldn’t box our sound; it shouldn’t be the same artists.

If you look inside you’ll see much more, like Fatal Lucciauno and Nacho Picasso. There are lanes and lanes of music that aren’t being seen. A lot of the artists beneath the surface would be big in other cities. People just need to know about them. They just need the opportunities that the same artists in Seattle are getting. I guess it’s all about getting your name out there. My goal is to have a down-ass engineer/producer that can cater to all of my musical needs. Someone who knows the type of tempo that works best with my flow. Somebody with a whole lot of time, a little bit of patience, that’s all I need. I use Nacho’s foundation as inspiration, because everything is in house for him; his producers, his music videos, his press, it’s all handled in house. Kingston handles it all, he’s the fucking man.”

We wrapped up our lunch interview, with a Drake-ish moment in which he explains his longing to watch his ex-girlfriend dress for work each morning and a trip to a local store to drop a few bills. He left me with these words of wisdom,

“People try to present themselves in so many different lights. It should be about the music.”

photo via USC

This month’s Decibel DJ is Seattle veteran turntable maestro Hyperfunk. Find him Thursdays at Trinity for his “pride and joy” free.BASS and at USC Events as their resident electro DJ.

Speaking of which: Hyperfunk will spinning before the great Christopher Lawrence this Friday, the 10th, at Volume. If you RSVP, there is NO cover before 11. Be sure to get there early, because this one is going to reach capacity quickly.

Read on for an exclusive interview Hyperfunk in which we learn about how Seattle goes harder than most, the city’s changing attitudes toward the EDM scene and unexpected travel companions.

You’re a Seattle transplant by way of Alaska, correct?

I lived in Anchorage for six years. I grew up mostly in New Jersey. That’s where I found electronic music. I used to go to New York all the time and go to underground clubs. I got my first taste of electronic music in New York.

What hooked you?

I saw Donald Glaude and DJ Dan play back-to-back at a warehouse party at NAF. NAF was like the staple Seattle community raving back in the day. I loved the way Dan mixed, and I loved the way Donald pumped up the crowd. I really got inspired. They both played the same track and it was a track that I really wanted to have. That was the first time that I had experienced that — I must have that song, in my life somewhere. That track was the first record I ever bought.

What was that track?

This is embarrassing, but it’s called “The Grind.” Ricky Get Down is the artist. It was a Prince remix. It was super-sick back in the day.

You’ve been involved in the Seattle scene for a long time. How have you seen it grow and evolve?

I got into it at a time when it was blowing up really big all over America. Then they had the big war on drugs and there was a huge rave crackdown. It used to be cool and then it became really underground. It wasn’t commercial at all, and tons of people didn’t go anymore. It was a crazy time.

I remember going to parties that were really well-promoted and would only have 100-200 people at them. Now, if you threw the exact same party, you’d have 600-1,000 people there, no matter what. There are so many people, today, who love electronic music.

The biggest things that have happened in the last few years that have really propelled the electronic scene into mainstream is having people like David Guetta, Black Eyed Peas, Deadmau5 and Skrillex. They’re getting on MTV, they’re getting on the VMAs. Daft Punk did a track with Kanye. All these hip-hop artists are actually helping make electronic music huge. They’re blowing up because of it, but they’re also making the faster BPM more popular.

Everybody is jumping on the electronic bandwagon, which is wonderful for the people who are already established as electronic artists, even local artists in their own cities.

Do you think there’s anything that defines the Seattle EDM scene, anything that sets it apart?

I’ve spent a lot of time on the road playing a lot of different cities, and what I found here — and I’m partially responsible for it — is that Seattle DJs play a lot harder. We take things a little bit more upbeat and in-your-face. It’s a big difference. When I play in Vancouver, for instance, other DJs are blown away by the tempo that I play and the fact that people are super into it. I play so much faster than a lot of the DJs up there, which they find just hilarious. They’ve all told me that if they went and tried to do something similar in their city, there’s no way that their people would let them get away with it. I’m the exception; I play really intense electronic music. I like to mix multiple genres together, and I play a little higher tempo so I can mix straight across, from electro into dubstep.

What’s your involvement with USC?

I am a resident DJ for USC. I’m kind of their electro guy. They’re the ones who have been pushing electronic music for so long. They went from the upswing, where everybody was on-board with electronic music, to the downswing where everybody hated electronic music and thought it wasn’t cool. Now, it’s back and they’re in the right place and getting all the right artists. Having them in the city is amazing.

You’ve shared the stage with a bunch of big names. Do any interactions with these artists stand out to you?

I met Benny Benassi in 2005, 2006. I’ve opened for him in five different states and two different cities in Canada. I went to Portland and opened for him the night before my first ever USC show, which was with [Benassi]at the Showbox in Seattle in 2008. I drove down and it was a horrible trip — I got a flat the tire, the roads were closed for floods, it was one of the worst trips down [to Portland], ever. I made it with 15 minutes to spare before my set. I pulled myself together, played and Benny comes on and gives me a hug.

After the show, it turns out we’re in the same hotel. He asks, “What time is your flight?” but I drove. He said, “I hate the little propellor planes they put us on to go from Seattle to Portland. Would you mind if I rode there with you and your friends?”

I didn’t tell my friends that he was coming. I said, “I’ve gotta grab something from the front desk,” when we checked out. I come out with Benny Benassi. He’s such a cool dude. He talked to us the whole way back.

That was by far my most memorable DJ experience ever.

What’s he like on a road trip?

He couldn’t believe how beautiful how country is. He was commenting that our highways are so huge and clean. We dropped off my friends on the way and so Benny went to their house. He was amazed by how new the house was and how nice it was. It’s crazy to me, but I guess we’ve got it pretty good over here.

He was just wide-eyed and looking at everything. What’s really cool is I had my 6-disc CD changer on random and one of my CDs came on. He turned it up and started head-bobbing, saying, “Oh, this is really good.” It meant so much coming from him.

You’ve been a resident DJ at Trinity (for free.BASS on Thursdays) since 2008. What’s it mean to you to have such a long-running residency?

free.BASS is my pride and joy. It’s something I started with a few of my friends. Then I had a real job and I used to work so hard so I could live in Seattle and DJ as a hobby. Now, because of a few different nights like that and all the USC things I get to play, I have an amazing amount of freedom in my life now. Electronic music has totally changed my life. I’m grateful for that and, obviously, for USC. They have put me on a stage bigger than any other stage I’ve ever been on. I’ve played for thousands of people in Seattle.

I’m very grateful for all the support I’ve gotten in Seattle, from all the people, all the promoters and all the clubs.

MEN’S SPRING 2012

Rebekah’s Lookbook

After sifting through the female lookbooks of spring, 2012, I delved into the usually stagnant universe of male fashion. I was pleasantly surprised, the spring color palletes and designs struck a deep chord of envy within. Ladies, in 2012, it’ll be permissible to wear more than his sweatshirts. Gents, pay attention to the spring lookbooks, and in turn, the ladies will pay attention to you.

JCREW’s success depends on a flawless synthesis of business-casual and incorporating these two elements within an outfit isn’t always easy. JCREW renders the look effortlessly. Mint hues are prominent this season (thankfully) and JCREW was wise to include the shade into their lookbook. Gents, let the mint hue stand out and keep the rest of your look classy and reserved.

Balmain takes their spring collection seriously. Balmain uses stereotypical emasculating soft colors and gives them masculinity. All men, take notes from this collection. Rough textures against the soft hues make for an electrifying contrast.

Buckler is pandering to this season’s bad boys, while throwing in some soft cuts and interesting designs to keep the look innovative and fresh. And boys? Those leather backpacks add an adventurous element to the look. So hot.

Roberto Cavalli is working the details this spring. The deliberate cuts and stitches work together for a splendid texture infusion.

DSquared makes shopping easy. This season, they went with layering, multiple textures and diced cuts, creating a delicious entrée for the ladies to consume. Each piece celebrates the wearer’s unique interaction with the clothing, giving each look an indelible element of originality.

No matter what you wear this season, shoot for something new. See what comments you receive according to each trend and find out what works for you. Never follow a trend strictly because it’s . . . trendy, own it in your own way.

Rebekah Rochelle XO

https://twitter.com/#!/Rebekah_DLIST

Spring 2012 Clutch Alert

After all the fanfare with the upcoming spring catalogues subsides, it’s prime time to move on to spring accessories, more specifically: handbags! A bag can complete the entire look and these designers have brought us some worthy picks for the upcoming season.

A sandstorm hit the industry, bringing hues of tan and brown into the spectrum. Anything from cork wedges, to beachy bangles will be gracing the upcoming season’s runways. Donna Karen introduced wooden pieces to her collection, featuring an exotic trend with a naturalist’s twist.

Icy whites are in! This Stella McCartney clutch brings texture to the highly anticipated mod-infused trend.

The season has to have some color! Look for red, orange and navy hues in spring’s handbag lineup. Marc Jacobs welcomed this look, with amazing results. This mod color scheme satisfies my deepest spring desires.

Rebekah Rochelle XO

https://twitter.com/#!/Rebekah_DLIST

Spring RTW Preview

Rose colored hues, flower print and tie-dye blues are in vogue. Elizabeth and James are no slouches with their ready-to-wear collections. This collection is par excellence, perfect for your spring-wear shopping list.

Rebekah Rochelle XO

https://twitter.com/#!/Rebekah_DLIST

A general curiosity along with my girlfriend’s love of horses brought us to the show to see what they hype was all about. Upon arrival we noticed the impressive set of tents filling the horizon at the park. The whole show from parking to entering the holding area was a well orchestrated production. They even spent that little extra on the “good” port-a-potties!

The show itself was an amazing spectacle of live music (this band gives Disney soundtracks a run for their money), 46 of some of the most beautiful horses you will ever lay eyes on and some extremely talented acrobats and performers. I don’t want to giveaway too much of the show but expect multiple set changes, themes, effects and the occasional “nail biting” trick that goes just enough wrong to keep you on the edge of your seat for each segment.

Due to the extreme weather during the opening week of Cavalia in Seattle the show opened on Jan. 20 instead of the original date of Jan. 18. Due to this the producers decided to extend the show an extra week in Seattle through Feb. 19.

For its exclusive run in Seattle, Cavalia will be presented under its White Big Top at King County’s Marymoor Park at 6046 W. Lake Sammamish Parkway N.E. in Redmond. Tickets are on sale now and are priced from $34.50 to $99.50 plus applicable fees. For guests who desire an extraordinary outing, the show can be customized for an extended experience from $129.50 to $189.50, including a Horse Lovers Package that lets patrons tour Cavalia’s stables after the show, and the VIP Rendez-Vous Package that includes the post-show stable tour, a cocktail/dinner reception and much more. Special pricing is also available for children (2-12), juniors (13-17), and senior citizens (65+).

Get your tickets here!