GIANTS WIN GAME 3 :D

Didn't get a chance to post this yesterday, so I figured I should at least post something before Game 4 starts this evening.

I won't rehash the details. But I will say that considering how many of the "experts" were predicting an easy sweep by the Phillies, it is totally cool for the Giants to be ahead, with two more home games to go.

A few observations from yesterday's game (that have nothing to do with the actual game):

•  Zooey Deschanel sang "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch. (Apparently Ben Gibbard sang the National Anthem, but I missed that part.) I'm not really a fan of either, but kudos to SF for thinking outside the box.
• The main guitar riff from Franz Ferdinand's "The Fallen" plays during the NFL on Fox commercials. In which case, perhaps we can get one or more of them to sing the anthem during the 2011 season. I know they're technically Scottish, but still....
• Saw a promo for the new season of Human Target. The first season was so-so, but I'm actually looking forward to the new one. Chuck, my go-to comedic-spy-action show, has gotten a little bogged down by "relationship issues" of late. So I'm hoping Human Target will provide a nice counterpoint in that respect.

MAC x Rodarte x Controversy

When the MAC Rodarte makeup collaboration was revealed this past week, it was met with distaste and outrage from many a blogger. Why? For the sake of brevity, I'll let this article from New York Magazine explain.

Rodarte's A/W 2010 collection inspired this makeup, and was described as being partially inspired by the maquilladora workers. Style.com's write-up actually went as far as to say that the runway models resembled the "ghosts" of Juarez's drug wars. It makes me wonder why there was not more converstation, if not controversy, about this when the clothes were shown. When I read the post on Jezebel, commenters seemed to be equally outraged at the clothing and cosmetics. But the clothes were shown all the way back in February. I can only guess it is getting attention now since MAC is a widely available cosmetics line, as opposed to the relatively narrow audience for $5000 dresses. Further, the product names are more explicit references than when a designer makes vague statements to travels along the border.

But are the Mulleavy sisters getting a free pass because what they do (creating clothing) can be categorized as art, rather than just a consumer product? Is designing an expensive dress inspired by the workers on their way to the factories any more socio-politically aware than naming a nail polish "Factory"? I know that MAC can't be excused for releasing a collection with such provocative and sensitive subjects attached to it. At the same time, I find it odd that they are being held more (even solely) culpable than the fashion designers who originated this idea.

From the statements that were issued, it seems Rodarte are trying to diminish the negative connotations associated with product names like Factory, Ghost Town, and Bad Lands. But it is somewhat hard to believe they didn't intend for people to make these associations, as they have a history of utilizing macabre imagery in their designs. Yet most of the ire seems to be aimed at MAC.

?

Happy Peep-ster

This probably isn't as enthralling if you aren't an avid viewer of Project Runway. Yet, the cute factor cannot be denied.



Happy Easter!

It's April, Fools

(Title sounds best when read with snooty English accent, in case anyone was wondering.)

Make sure to take a break from leaving the salt shaker cap unscrewed, offering your loved ones cookie tins full of springy snakes, and other such prankery to celebrate a most important doctor. Dr. Martens, natch.

Today marks the brand's 50th anniversary, and to commemorate they've launched a site full of new-meets-nostalgia goodies. Check out this clip, for a start, which features everyone's favorite combat boot sporting, punk rock warlords, The Clash:



The clip really tries hard to drive home the boots' "non-conformist" appeal. (Nothing like a middle-aged guy in black nail polish to say "rebellion', eh?) Yet they are one of the only items I can think of, clothing wise, that has truly stuck with so many disparate sub-cultures, and of course the mainstream public. They match with absolutely everything, even when they don't.

And for that, Dr. Martens, we salute you.

JPG for Target Hi-Res Pics & Nylon Ed.

Pics of Jean-Paul Gaultier's Target line were released a few weeks ago. See them in all their hi-res glory. Compared to the photo seen in last month's issue of Elle, the styling leaves something to be desired. What made the clothes look better in the Elle pic, I think, was the restricted color palette; it made everything gel into a cohesive collection, as opposed to the wacky splashes of neon found in the rest of the line. Here's a new shot from March's Nylon mag, where things look a little more mismatched-in-a-good-way:

(scanned by me)

According to the press release, the collection is based on American style icons, drawing from rock, punk, hip-hop, ingenué style, and hollywood glamour. A short clip posted on Target's site cuts up the collection by "looks". While some of them are straightforward-- a punk-rock moto jacket, a flouncy halter dress reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe--others seem like more of a marketing stretch. Since when did hip-hop style involve army striped trench coats?

The collection, like so many of Target's, basically boils down to a second-hand approximation of the designer's aesthetic. Pinstripes? Check. Bustier dress? Check. Egregiously knocked-off tattoo prints? Double check. However, some of the pieces seem like they would make good fun. Trench coats and breton stripes are perennial classics, after all.

Photo: Target.com

• The aforementioned motorcycle jacket, retail $199.99. The bold red accents make this less versatile than your average black jacket, but why would any JPG aficionado want just an average jacket, eh?

The line launches March 7th and will be available at 250 Target stores nationwide; see the site linked above for the full list.

.... And So It Begins

Whether by the celebrations and gift-hunting bustle of the holiday season, or admitted procrastination, the start of this blog has been pushed back quite a ways. So, finally, we at Smashy Smashy thought there would be no better time to make our debut than right on the evening of the year's end, on the cusp of a new decade full of unforeseen possibility, and during a blue moon at that. (Perhaps starting the blog now would also do some good, in a symbolic way, to quash any possible future procrastination; we can say we've already got a head-start on 2010!)

Our first published post will be cut short of course, as we, like billions of people around the world, prepare for the festivities and fireworks tonight will bring. But in the near future expect a site redesign, at the very least.

It is with excitement and anticipation that we usher in this New Year, and this new venture. We hope to see you along the way for all that it brings.

THIS is Smashy Smashy.