Category Archives: Swaggalicious

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Jan 22 2012

Foxxx Factor #1 – JoJo

It seems like eternity since she burst onto the scene with the ‘Get out/Leave’ song where she was out in the rain prancing about in a tracksuit but my oh my have the years flown by. After a long hiatus JoJo is back! No longer thirteen years old confined to a jail bait box she is ripe for the picking, she’s slender, she’s foxxxy, she’s also 21!!!… It’s peak times if I ever run into her cah she’s gonna get scooped up like vanilla Haagen-Daaz!

Beauty and smash factor fantasies aside, I love how she came back with the signature acoustic sound that showcases her vocal ability rather than jump on the techno-pop wave. For that I rate you highly because you’re back on your own terms catering to your core audience and the fans who’ve stuck by you from day one. I like that you’re providing a mature voice to those that like you have grown into adults too.

Foxxx Factor Rating: fx-TRILL (peak levels of smash-ability)

She also gets points for being the only artist to cover Amy Winehouse that hasn’t made me cringe. I love you JoJo, when you come to London I’ll have a Nando’s whole free bird card with your name on it. <3

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Hello Kitty x Vans
May 10 2011

Oi Ladies: Vans x Hello Kitty (June 2011)

To all my femme fatales who still refuse to don a pair of skate shoes, as if the safari print weren’t enough, please will you reconsider when you slip on a pair of the cutest sneakers collabs of the millennium?

Via Vans Girls Blog

It’s almost here, the Vans X Hello Kitty shoes are coming to stores next month, June 2011! I can’t wait to get my hands on those Sk8 Hi D-Lo’s. The checkerboard slip-ons are also Vans classic with a Sanrio twist. Are you excited for the collab? How will you wear them? Check out all of the style that will be available in Women’s sizes above, and Kid’s sizes below. (Via Vans Girls Blog)

Via Vans girls Blog

I wonder how many ladies will swap their heels, and high tops for skate shoes once they feast their eyes on this dainty collab?

K O

Apr 19 2011

Vans – Lo Pro Era: Leopard Print

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I encountered these earlier on my adventure to Birmingham to see Adele in concert. A whole lot of my female friends dislike Vans, a few in particular, and I thought this Leopard print Lo Pro Era may convert the naysayers…

Fingers crossed.

K O

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Apr 7 2011

Steed Lord – Listen Up!!!

Straight from the depths of the Scandanavian wilderness, Iceland to be exact, is a group of four individuals who make that ‘got you up all night on the dance floor party anthems’.

STEED LORD is a musical performance art project working on the frontiers of pure creativity and music making with impressive and energetic live performances, experimental filmmaking, photography, fashion design and styling, art direction, graphic design and other visual mediums.

The threesome KALI, MEGA and DEMO all hail from their nativeIceland where they grew up in the entertainment and art world learning their craft at an early age in their fathers studios.

Drawing their raw inspiration from their Icelandic background, they have managed to create a world of their own that they call New Crack City where they create their art and write their music.

Steed Lord have since early 2006 been a 100% DIY project and toured all over the world with their music performing for thousands of fans while being featured in numerous magazines, on music and fashion blogs, in TV-shows, on radio and they even designed a clothing line for retail giant H&M.

Steed Lord are independent musicians and release all their music on their own label New Crack City Records but they have also licensed their music and remixes on record labels such as Ed Banger Record (FR), Dim Mak (USA), Southern Fried (UK), Get Physical (DE), Disque Primeur (FR) and One Love (AU).

Steed Lord´s goal is to keep creating and exploring their own unique sound along with expressing their personal vision through their artistic outlets.

I first discovered Steed Lord on a whim whilst going through random song files to download. I was blown away when Ilistened to the DJ Medhi remix of Dirty Muther but my favourite Steed Lord song is ‘Take My Hand’, The Mustard Pimp remix is phenomenal!!! (I don’t use that word but there’s no other explanation for the tunage!!!)

Mar 26 2011

Vintage Vixens

Up In The Ear would like to celebrate the stylish, beautiful, influential and timeless Vintage Vixens, who’ve left their mark on the twentieth century and beyond. These four ladies are the cornerstones of what a majority of ladies in the western world fashion themselves on, knowingly or not because they have influenced the world of cinema, fashion, music, and style.

These four ladies came and conquered at a time where immortality was for the taking. These icons, shall never be forgotten in the age where people come and go because they’ve already ascended to the dizzying heights of influence and notoriety, these Vixens are the top level foxes who the foxes on the come up aspire to be…

Up In The Ear would like to pay homage to the Vintage Vixens of the bygone era. In the words of Coco Chanel “Fashion fades but Style remains”.

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Anna Wintour, OBE

“Anna Wintour, OBE (born November 3, 1949) is the British-born editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. With her trademark pageboy bob haircut and sunglasses, Wintour has become an institution throughout the fashion world, widely praised for her eye for fashion trends and her support for younger designers. Her reportedly aloof and demanding personality has earned her the nickname “Nuclear Wintour“.”

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“Pamela Suzette “Pam” Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison and blaxploitation films such as 1974′s Foxy Brown. She is one of a few African-American actresses to receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Rotten Tomatoes has ranked her as the second Greatest Female Action Heroine in film history. Director Quentin Tarantino remarked that she may have been cinema’s first female action star.”

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Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot

“Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot (born 28 September 1934) is a French former fashion model, actress and singer, and animal rights activist.”

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Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE

“Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011), often referred to as Liz Taylor, was an English-born American actress. Beginning as a child star then throughout her adulthood, she was known for her acting talent, glamour, beauty, and striking violet eyes; as well as a much publicized private life that included eight marriages, several life-threatening illnesses, and decades spent as a social activist, championing the cause of AIDS awareness, research and cure. Taylor, a two-time winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress, is considered one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The American Film Institute named Taylor seventh on its Female Legends list.”


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Age is nothing but a number, you should only be as old as you feel. Beauty to me is always found in the heart, mind and spirit of a person, you can never judge beauty on a scale of time. Never worry about getting older because love keeps the heart youthful, if the hearts kept youthful, the woman smiles, if the lady smiles the lady never ages.

K O

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Mar 24 2011

Black Milk Clothing

A majority of people may associate Black Milk with the rapper but the style conscious among you will associate Black Milk with clothes. Black Milk is a rebel brand run by an innovative designer who had a vision to create something Foxy for women which had that WOW factor. If I was a lady there’s so many styles I’d wear from Black Milk’s collection, especially the cape!!!

“At the beginning of 2009 I walked into a little sewing shop and bought two shiny new sewing machines. It was a slightly unusual sight – a shop full of older women making patchwork quilts for their grandkids… and me. I didn’t mind. It seemed very punk at the time. My idea was fairly simple – I would teach myself to sew, buy some beautiful stretch fabrics, and make insane leggings. Then I would find girls who would get into them. Girls who wanted leggings that could pack a little more punch than the ones on offer at your average department store. I made the leggings, found the girls, and so was born Black Milk.”

“Things were slow initially, but the girls who bought the leggings were always really positive, which was super-encouraging for me in the early days. The turning point came when I decided that I was going to figure out a way to wrap chains around a pair of leggings. It took me a week of drawing, sketching, scheming and failing before I finally figured out how to do it. I called them Cages, and they were a minor cult hit. From that time on, so many girls were ordering Black Milk gear that it became a full time job.”

“We’ve come a long way since those early days sewing leggings at midnight on the kitchen table. We’ve sold thousands of pairs of leggings all over the world. We’ve been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers and blogs from the local paper to Vogue. Best of all, Black Milk has now got score a reputation as one of the most exciting designer leggings labels in the world. But a lot is still the same. I still stay up to midnight sewing. I still personally design each piece. I still get a buzz every time a girl emails me a picture and tells me how many people commented when she wore out her Black Milk leggings.”

The Store

“Yeah, it’s still fun.”

The Blog

Moo?

Alice In Wonderland?

This is not a silly excuse to post pictures of beautiful women in leggings, I’ve been a fan from afar for the past year or so. Now that I have the outlet to let everyone know about the company, I’ve decided that it’s the right time for my readers, who hadn’t known about Black Milk previously, to become enlightened.

Personal Fave

A FUCKING CAPE TOO!!!

These are fly

Fucking Sick!!!

Very Deceptive

Black Milk, Up In The Ear salute you for being a creatively innovative self taught rebel with a vision. May you have lifetimes of prosperous creation, and if you ever need a place to showcase your new designs, holla at moi and I’ll be honoured to post something for y’all!!!

Peace & Love

K O

Mar 18 2011

Yes Please!!!! Nike Dunk x Pokemon – Pikachu

Nike Dunk x Pokemon

Not for me personally although if I were a girl with a size 7 foot I’d rock these!

I also have no idea whether these are an authentic collab or a creative alteration.

Pokemon was created by Satoshi Tajiri who, as I heard, may have passed in the Tsunami which affected Japan.

Tsunami Fundraiser event details

Please make a donation if you can’t make the event

Mar 16 2011

Lily Allen – Alright Still

I’ve always been a fan of Lily Allen, I remember when I first stumbled across her myspace page back in 06/07. I taped all of the the featured songs onto cassette tape and showed everyone.
I was excited and inspired because the sound and style was soooo different; It was animated, thought provoking and pleasant. I remember listening to the songs and instantly trying to load up Reason, to find that the user license had run out of my bootleg copy, I was fucked! I told everyone that she’d blow up soon, I don’t think anyone believed me at the time nor remembers but that first album was amazing, so were the b-sides.

I miss Lily, I miss her music because I think she’d make an ill Rap album as I believe she’s got flows, as anyone who’s heard Knock Em Out.

I’d always show love to Lily because she was rocking vintage Chanel dresses with Air Max 90s on some fly tip. She’s also one of the only women who could still look foxy in a dinosaur outfit.

I think it’s rare that you find an artist who is naturally themselves: music, visuals, attitude, swag. I’m glad that Lily Allen’s debut album, Alright Still, captured what she been doing up to that point. It was an album where she didn’t care about what people thought, she was just herself. Alright Still was a beautiful first offering because it was honest, no matter how blunt or thought provoking. Alright Still is a juxtaposition between content and soundscape, forever special because I remember the moment where I had discovered something new, scoured limewire for the demos, got them, listened to them in tracklist order before going out and getting the album from HMV on the Kings Road on my way to work.

You’ll always be a legend Lily, Up In The Ear salutes you.

K O

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Aug 17 2010

Design On Blast: Melody Ehsani

Since this is the maiden voyage of Design On Blast, I have dedicated my article to all my style and accessory heads. Not only is this designer innovative, she also has a great set of ethics, design values, and an all round positively spiritual approach to both work and life. Without further a delay, I present to you, the one, the only, Los Angeles‘ own… Melody Ehsani!

Melody Ehsani

I came across this designer by way of the highly regarded video blogger SoleDeVida, who put Melody Ehsani on blast after purchasing a few accessories from KarmaLoop. As SoleDeVida is quite a reputable tastemaker and video blogger, I decided to do some digging until I discovered a few of her designs, and became intrigued.

 

“I want the women who wear my shoes to have the same opportunity for equality, wholeness, and self expression.”

Through my research I found out a few things about Melody Ehsani that I found both interesting and inspiring. Melody studied Law after finishing college but dropped out to pursue a career in design. At first she had no idea what she wanted to design but began to design a high end line of women’s shoes after an internship at Cr8tive Recreation. Rather than wait around for things to happen, Melody hopped on a plane to Hong Kong, recruiting a friend from mainland China along the way to find a manufacturer for her shoes.

“My style is inspired by paradox, controversy, justice and pushing the envelope in showing that you truly cant judge a book by its cover.”

Upon returning to the US, Melody‘s collection of shoes were an instant hit, she became hot property and soon fell into designing jewellery when a friend asked her to create a new logo. Once she discovered plastics, things took a different turn from what she anticipated because the jewellery design was exclusive to close friends whose recommendations spread to the likes of Erykah Badu amongst many other prominent figures. Melody Ehsani cites her success to something which she calls her divine blueprint, and boldly states that she is not afraid of competition because there is no other Melody Ehsani.

“I design to upset the equilibrium. I design to inspire. I design to serve. I design because I was created to do so.”

Melody Ehsani believes that through honoring her divine blueprint, she’s able to bring new patterns of behavior and equality for herself and all women in the future. In Melody‘s culture, brought up in a traditional Persian family, a woman’s value and status are determined by her marriage. it’s often a most difficult and challenging concept for many women in today’s world to accept, through design Melody believes she is helping women resolve the many paradoxes they face.

“A portion from each pair of Ehsani shoes purchased will go towards the advancement and education of women in our society.”

AirMe Swarovski Ring

 

I find Melody Ehsani inspiring, not only on a level of design but more the way she moves. Not only does Melody dream, but she creates more opportunities by taking action and allowing what is first in her imagination, to then onto paper before materialising through action into products. It’s a great example of why one should act upon ones dreams rather than sitting by the wishing well because with each bit of energy put into making a dream a reality, more opportunities arise for you to capitalise off of your dream, or as Melody would say “Divine Blueprint.”

“Anyone who loves accessories will love Ehsani because her designs are amazing…”

That’s what my dear friend said after I told her about my discovery, to reaffirm my intuition, so I suggest you give her sight a peek.

 

www.melodyehsani.com

 

 

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Adidas x Jeremy Scott: Wings
Jul 3 2010

Style On Blast: High Tops

Why don’t enough women know about High Tops?

If they knew what seeing a woman in a pair of High Tops does to me, would they wear them more frequently?

“I fall in love with women who wear High Tops, although being beautiful, amongst a lot of other characteristics is always 99.9% of the reason.”

High Tops are the choice for females who’ve got style, not the fashionistas who buy gossip mags and emulate everything they see on pages and inside the box.

Wildfox Couture

High Tops are for the ladies who know who they are, the individuals, the thrift store regulars who are out on the hunt for that extremely rare bit of vintage clothing.

High Tops aren’t for the try hards, or the run up in Primark on a £50 spree girl. They’re strictly for the fly girls in skinny jeans or leggings, with a vintage dress or a blouse fresh from Urban Outfitters, or a boutique that only the style conscious know about.

Swaggalicious

Whether they be Nike’s, Converse All Stars, Reebok, Adidas, Supra’s or something out of this world, They always accentuate a fly girls attitude.

Crazy Straps x Stripey Leggings

I’m talking about the ladies who’ve got style, I’m talking about the foxy female.

Foxy

The foxy females who flaunt their natural beauty, who apply make up in microscopic touches because they don’t really need it, they have enough confidence to love themselves thus realising that they’ll stand out from the crowd regardless.

High Tops are worn by foxy swaggalicious ladies, who wear big curly hair, with highlights, the type of females who are not into the weave or fakery because they don’t need it.

These ladies are not the typical commercial type of sexy. These ladies aren’t the designer handbag clutching, champagne swigging, expect you to pay for everything type of woman. High Tops are worn by women who pay their own way, and don’t expect anything from anybody. These are the women who turn you on from what’s inside their minds, and from the very nature of being able to conversate on so many levels.

Brains+Beauty+Style=Perfect

High Tops are not the option for the women who have their hands out expecting to be fed, they are for the ladies who can feed themselves; the tenacious, career driven, and aspirational women who are focused, determined, and all inspiring.

Vanessa x Angela Simmons

High Tops are worn by females who empower you because they’re honest, sincere and love you for being yourself.

She's a Nerd Lover

This is for the foxy women in the High Tops ordering a tall cappuccino from Starbucks, next to a lemon cheese cake, after an afternoon lunch at Square Pie in Selfridges, or Strada off of Regent Street.

Ellie Goulding

This is for the beautiful women, both inside and out, and all ladies of the High Top calibre. I respect you all on the most heavenly of levels, your style and the way you move is all inspiring…

NixonWatch x Nike x Baseball Jacket=Fly

Stay rocking those High Tops…

Cheeky

Peace & Love

K O

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