Dracula ... Again.

Most of us have read Twilight or have seen the various television shows that are a dime-a-dozen these days ... America, even the entire world, is ob-sessed with vampires! Yeah, yeah, we know the story - once you have gotten bit, you enter this extremely romanticized world of eternal life and beauty; that story's been around for centuries ... and it's showing NO signs of stopping! But nothing says living forever like sunglasses, right?

Designer Karen Walker, known to be somewhat of an extremist, is participating in a lookbook dedicated to the glorified creatures of the night; she literally is breaking out all of the stops - or in this case, fangs - for her Spring 2009 eyewear collection.

What's the lookbook's working title? Celebrate Sun. And I thought I've heard it all...

Music to Our Ears

With all the technological advancements to keep us abreast of our friends’ lives (Twitter), the best restaurants and recipes (Chowhound), even online shopping consolidation of our favorite brands and styles (Shopstyle), the one thing that hasn’t gotten any easier is figuring out how to sift through the endless of array of good (or atrocious) music. If you’re a college student, then yeah, you can listen to your school’s radio station, spend hours at the record store (since college towns still tend to have those), go to random shows just for the hell of it, or burn your roommate’s playlists. But what about the rest of us?

Well it seems that the times are beginning to catch up with us. Hype Machine (http://hypem.com/) which has been around for a few years now, let’s you listen to online radio, web streams of the most popular artists, and constant updates of threads with new songs. Then there's Largeheartedboy.com that keeps track of the latest album releases and features free downloads. There’s also musicforbusypeople.com that has a slightly different model—instead of you checking their web page daily, they periodically notify you via email with a list of the best and most interesting new music that recently has just come out (currently, this is a member only site but you can still sign up for the waitlist).

While there’s no ideal way to find out about the latest and greatest new artists without risking your 99 cents on iTunes, at least these and other sites are a start. Even Apple has noticed that their customers are anxious for a different way to try and experience music before they commit their hard earned dollars to it and will soon be offering a season pass feature (details to come). But for now, we can at least have some options before we click “Buy.”

Fruit Roll-Ups

Today I made a purchase: ladies denim roll-up shorts. Now, these have been popping up in a lot of places nowadays and everyone is sporting them. So based on this and the fact that I love showing off my legs, I splurged the $19.50 and invested. These are great for lots of summery occasions and aren't very atypical. That is, unless of course  a 6'3 white man is wearing them. This is where the term fashion comes in. To me, fashion is defined not just as what is in style but what isn't...yet. Sure, everything has been reinvented and this isn't the first time a man has worn denim shorts. However, it is the first time in the last 20 years or so that the shorts haven't been something found on an episode of Blossom, Fresh Prince, or Martin. You know, with the cargo pocket or painter's tab, and hanging halfway off the ass. So let's unite, men! Dig out your circa 1993 denim shorts, cut off the tab, and roll em up just past your knee. Or, you could just spend the $19.50. 

I Heart the 90s?

With London Fashion Week 2009 behind us, one must wonder, "does history really repeat itself? It sure looks like it! I'm talking about whether or not the 90s are back ... and with quite a vengeance.

The 90s were a time of grunge rock, greasy hair, and chunky doc martens paired with a lab coat - I'm sure you all can attest to wearing some combination of the above mentioned ... thinking you were "all that" and a trend-setter. Perhaps you were.

The catwalk in London was chock-full of "Tank Girl" looks and little numbers that could pass off as something straight out of Courtney Love's closet! Even prominent designer Richard Nicholl - who teamed up with Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs in the past - hopped on the "runaway train." He framed cutesy tailored lab coats and undone lingerie ... how "Vogue" of him!

Now I want to hear from you, our adoring readers: Will you be running to your nearest department store, rummaging for a baby doll dress and butterfly clips?

Cocktail Time

Have your ever thrown a dinner party or gone to some trendy roof top bar and thought to yourself, “I’ll be damned if I have to drink one more boring passion fruit mojito”? You know you can only have so many dressed-up vodka martinis before you can’t believe you’ve just blown $40 on what tastes like Smirnoff and Snapple. Never fear, though, we’ll rescue you from your liquor ennui.

One of the most misunderstood and perfectly delicious on it’s own cocktails is pure absinthe. While the US only recently began to allow the sale of absinthe domestically (it was banned back in 1915), really good quality brands have made there way on the market. Now we know what you’re thinking, “Absinthe? Isn’t that the stuff that Van Gogh was drinking when he cut off his ear?” Perhaps, but it turns out that the FDA and the EU did some extensive testing and it does not cause hallucinations, delirium, panic, or any other 19th century-esque ailment. Apparently, Van Gogh was just plain crazy.

Lucid, a French made absinthe, and Kubler, a Swiss one, are sold here in the United States. Another particularly complex Swiss absinthe, Mansinthe (named for Marilyn Manson), has some limited availability. If you are picking up a bottle for a party, it will run you about $60-$70 but, since absinthe is like scotch and meant to be enjoyed leisurely, you should get your money’s worth. And, considering you won’t have to by any lycee berries, maraschino cherries, mint, or God-knows-what-else special ingredient to make vodka palatable, you’ll probably end up saving money in the long haul. Now that’s something to drink to.