Urban Pulse

The Countdown to Coachella is finally over! I don’t know about you but I get excited just thinking about all the great music that will be happening over the next two weekends. Not only is this a place of great music, but of great fashion. Every year we see performers, celebrities, and those in attendance rocking springs hottest trends. There is such a great range of music, which is reflected in the variety of styles and fashion on display. The relationship between music and fashion is a symbiotic one, with music inspiring a different sense of style. The Black Keys, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and Florence and the Machine are just some of the bands that epitomize the different soundtracks to your style.

The Black Keys will be headlining Coachella both Friday the 13^th and Friday the 20^th. We love this duo for staying true to their vision; a soulful mix of blues and rock, creating a unique sound that resonates with listeners. For the past 11 years the rock duo has been able to successfully create an edgy rock sound with soul, giving them the rock credibility they deserve. The Keys inspire a style of that true rocker edge, so pair a denim jacket with a great pair of black boots and some accessories that add that cool factor.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is one of my personal favorites that will be at Coachella this year. The band mixes blues, soul, and rock from the 1960s and 70s giving it true grit and emotion. Grace Potter herself represents the band’s music through her personal sense of style, rocking sparkly fringe minis and heels, and mixing her inherent rocker sense with a girly edge. For a festival look inspired by the girly edge of Grace Potter pair a sequin mini with a white tee and a great pair of boots or wedges. You will be on trend with a spring favorite – white. It is crisp, clean, girly, and perfect for a hot day at Coachella.

It can’t get much better than seeing Florence and the Machine live. Their trademark sound of folk-inspired rock is unparalleled due to Florence Welch’s powerful voice and the band’s dramatic melodies and lyrics. Florence herself has a cinematic wardrobe adding to the drama and romanticism behind the band’s greatness. Florence empowers her audience and inspires a style of romantic dresses and floral statements, which is right on trend for spring. The softness of her style balances the powerfulness of her voice, and I cannot wait to see what she wears on stage.

Decades-long before The Sartorialist brought street style photography to the online world through his blog, Bill Cunningham was already shooting New York street style trends for the Style section of The New York Times. Cunningham, like The Sartorialist (or formally known as Scott Schuman), traverses the streets of New York to spot upcoming trends and shoot subjects who do not all work for the fashion industry–rather, they range from philanthropists to socialites and artists. However, unlike Scott Schuman who appears to find inspiration for his own wardrobe in his street style shots of smartly-dressed (especially Italian) men with fitted, well-tailored suits, Bill Cunningham surprisingly sports a more “practical,” less trendy wardrobe. Although Cunningham’s staple blue jacket, which resembles those of Parisian street cleaners, appears to be an ironic statement for such a legend with “an eye for style,” he nevertheless carries two accessories that are more important to his work–his bike and camera. Cunningham is considered one of the key lensmen in streestyle photography, with Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue who wields her influence beyond the pages of the magazine, stating “[w]e all get dressed for Bill.” Now that is a compliment not to be reckoned with. A new film entitled Bill Cunningham New York premieres this month and currently plays in select theaters. It gives an insider’s view of his work and includes interviews with some of his subjects. Bill Cunningham New York is a celebration of Cunningham’s contributions to the fashion industry and his fresh take on the word “fashionable,” which long before The Sartorialist was established as not being limited to industry insiders alone.

If you are in the Bay Area, you can see the film at the Embarcadero, which will be screening it starting April 8th. Please visit their site to view specific times: http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/SanFrancisco/SanFrancisco_Frameset.htm

For more information, visit: http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2011/03/new_film_1

To see his work, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/01/18/fashion/0120-STREET_index.html

-My

Elizabeth Taylor, the legendary actress known for classics such as Cleopatra and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, passed away last week at the age of 79. According to sources, Christie’s will be auctioning off $240 million worth of Taylor’s jewelry, with most of the proceeds going to charities such as the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation and amFAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research). Elizabeth Taylor’s philanthropic efforts during her lifetime led her to raise $270 million for her AIDS foundation, and the auction of an estimated $240 million worth of jewelry after her death appears to be able to match or even surpass the amount Elizabeth Taylor raised herself. Elizabeth Taylor has not only left her legacy in Hollywood classics, but will also be iconic in a more significant social endeavor–to support AIDS victims and research.

For more information, visit:

http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2011/03/28/elizabeth-taylor-jewelry/

-My

Roofs in Kenya

JR’s wish was to change the world, so TED gave him $100,000 to do it. This guy (presently known as my hero) has been traveling the world for the past few years, taking pictures of local faces, blowing them up into huge black and white posters and putting them everywhere they don’t belong. From rioters’ faces on sides of bourgeois Paris buildings, to locals peering up from the roofs of their slums in Kenya, to Israeli faces outside Palestinian doors, this art can’t help but resonate powerfully with anyone who sees it. Now with the funding, the project is expanding to include anyone who wants to participate. All you have to do is send a black and white portrait to InsideOutProject.net, and your photo will appear somewhere in your community. So, so cool.

Would you submit a portrait? I think I’ll send them a picture of my roommate.

Check out the website: http://www.insideoutproject.net/

- Sandra