Hey Man:

What do Bowie (circa Ziggy Stardust) and Glasgow designer James Millar have in common? They both emulate glam rock and consider boys and girls clothing as one in the same. Millar has been in the business for quite some time, working with Dazed and Confused magazine and Jonathon Saunders, but he's a new fashion face to me. Yet the moment I read that Ziggy was one of his inspirations for his designs I became curious.

With a wide range of influences, from dancewear to Art deco, Millar’s collection is bound to be full of juxtaposing textures and patterns, and it delivers. Not to be mistaken for the typical overkill of colors and clashing designs, the clothes are far from just a hodge-podge of color blocks. The colors never venture into neon, but rather he uses an interesting palette of muted, darker saturated tones, with a splash of pastel for lightness. The use of metallics (even as a subtle sheen on black) serve as the solid color throughout the collection while still keeping an interesting texture. As I click through the collection, nothing ever seems flat or static, and all the pieces have textures and prints that emit a playful but not childish appeal. And though you won’t find a kids section on Millar’s website, don’t expect to find a women’s or a men’s section either. All of James Millar’s clothing is unisex. So if you’re short on cash (because you just spent $60.00 on gas) and hurting for some new duds, try and get your hands on a Millar piece and split it with your best gal/guy friend. I say ‘try’ because Millar’s collection has a limited availability. And by limited, I mean Japan. But with his impressive design background and a promising collection, I have high hopes for future collections and appearances on U.S. soil, so keep your eyes on this young talent.

melanie

The people who have made me who I am

Yesterday I turned 24 years old. I sat down in my room and I thought about what my life was like 11 years ago.

When I was 13 years old I felt I had finally discovered my true self. I knew what I believed in and I knew what mattered to me. The pressures and the fear of life hadn't touched me yet. I was a punk. I was a rocker. I was a young and crazy. And ready to be influenced and molded by my surroundings.

These are the people who made me who I am. They are the way I dress.. They taught me freedom just by dancing hard and dressing harder.

west side story. a rival of turfs. The dance sequence in the ballroom is amazing. Circle skirts with worn in heels. Brightly colored pants with cheap sneakers.

turbo and ozone own my life. Miracles do happen.

bad brains dc with attitude. black, punk and proud

Abba. Melodic. space invaders meet disco keyboards. women creating a brain explosion of chill music and fashion only the coolest of the cool can wear.

David Bowie in the flesh. a God above men. Some people are born to be different. They accept it and they just go with it. David Bowie is one of these men. He didnt choose to be who he is. He just does it. Completely embodying an era.

Prince. Purple Rain, Purple Rain, Purple Rain. Prince is the only man who understands me. Lets go Crazy is always in the back of my mind . He came out of nowhere. He said. Im fantastic. Im wearing a blouse. Im wearing heels. I am 5'2 and women will kill to be with me. A living legend.

these people who made me who I am. Marshe Wyche...

Mexico City Fashion week. Lightyears before Europe and the states

Tomorrow morning Casey Rumors and Marshe Rumors will be heading to Mexico City to explore the fashion world of Mexico. Mexico is by far my favorite place in the world. Playa del Carmen, Palenque and Chiapas changed my life exactly a year ago. I gave the land a piece of my heart and I can't wait to go back and claim it. From my heavy very detailed research of the region. It looks like Casey's trip will go like this. A city with three times the population on New York City and a energy that flows throughout the land. As the Euro rises and the dollar falls. We pack our bikini's and our pesos and dream of a beach with bright blue water and crowded streets.

it only gets better

i think we will be having a very good time

"Mexico City's all mixed up," says Rafa Cuevas, who, with Roberto Sanchez, created Mexican design label Te Amo two and a half years ago. "You can be in the most fancy neighborhood and just around the corner is a [poor] neghborhood and just around the corner [from that] is bam, bam, fifties, fifties, futuristic, art-deco." And, of course, the earthquake-bombed. Before these peculiar positionings existed, the city's European architects designed a city of homestyle provenance, and the indigenous population, Quetzal Rangel of fellow design partnership Marvin y Quetzal tells me, interpreted and built upon their plans, creating a distinctly Mexican milieu of imposed and inherited influences that persists and explains, in part, the position from which Te Amo and a handful of their local contemporaries stage their eager sally upon the world.


A few years ago, such a movement lay beyond the reach, and in fact the consideration, of most Mexicans. But just as filmmakers, artists, architects, and musicians have risen, over the past several years, from Mexico's growing middle class to create potent and internationally recognized work, and as urban youth in New York and Los Angeles, Paris, London, and Montreal turn envious eyes and take optimistic grabs at international opportunity here (compare it to Berlin just ten years ago), Mexico City's fashion forward have eagerly taken ownership of a ripe and virulent identity fresh to the outside world and have seized the tools of internet-age populist scene-building such as myspace, Facebook, and the like. As well they have tuned into websites like The Face Hunter (Mexico City has its own--Diario de Fiestas), which have allowed the fashion élite to share their ideas on a worldwide scope, and monthly European, American, and Japanese magazines that just can't put forth enough online fashion content to feed the hungry.

stolen from (http://www.coutorture.com/1568784)

another business trip for the globe trotters. Casey will be reporting back one week from now... LIfe is good...

images stolen from http://domesticfinearts.blogspot.com (Mexico city dance parties)

Sunday Mornings.

Sunday morning. striping the store down to the core.... scrubbing old paint to make way for new paint. Casey= armed with a gold automatic paint brush Marshe= armed with a mop and a water gun full of bleach were gonna clean up this town one way or another... dust shall die.. there will be many casualties. but we all live and die for the cause...

It seems like only yesterday we were putting those stickers on our walls.. and now over a year has passed.

interns interns and more interns..

casey and i were so insanely productive yesterday... with the help of our amazing interns of course.

1. We started a street fashion blog for richmond.


2. Made reservations for 4 events this month.


3. Sent our press releases to 8 different magazines.


4. Booked events for fashion week


5. Bought tickets for Gorgel Bordello


6. Planned out specifics for our trip to spain


7. Booked my sweet killer birthday party


8. Went to carytown to take pictures of all my favorite boutiques for the new blog

I am so excited about the Richmond fashion week we are in the process of planning. We are aiming for early September, and hopefully we can make it work with fashion week in dc and ny. I need to call all the boutiques and see what they would like to do for events. And of course if you are a designer who would like to be involved, contact us.

Last night was amazing. I went to Six Burner with Andrea and we had a fantastic dinner. Rockfish, Oysters, Calamari, Steak Tartar, Triple fudge dessert and a bottle of wine. Thank you Six burner for having the best food in the entire world.

Next we met Casey and several of our friends at Sticky Rice. We had recieved a 50 dollar certificate just for the night and we spent it very well at the bar. I wore a sequined top with high waisted shorts. Casey wore a sewed down Wowch shirt with RVCA jeans. We looked good. But then again we always do. Long was spinning and the party was amazing. There was no dancing but there was serious head nodding and shoulder swaying..

I am so excited about making this city so much tighter.. thankyou Doodie fresh and Long Jawns. Fresh to Death.......

Tonight we had one of the best small shows we've had at the shop. Cheeky & Screaming Females from up north and The Riot Before and the Well from good old RVA... if you get the chance to see any of these bands, do so... The show ended around 12 and the night winded itself up with a vodka sweet tea at empire then water fights on the dance floor at ipanemas.. All in a day. All in a day.

newyork newyork sun and storm. early summer 08

NEW YORK, NEW YORK- WE LOVE YOU. HERE WE GO

we got on the china town bus after many a shots at Empire. David rushed us the the bus and Casey myself and our intern Alex quickly found seats by creepy creepsters… we took 6 sleeping pills and next thing you know its 7am and loud techno music is welcoming us to the infamous china town. A hop and a skip later the rumors girl are preparing to meet with our labels. After throwing on our CTRL outfits we are in a cab and off to see the fall lines from Soundgirl, LA Made and Nick & mo. After having 2 glasses of wine with each vendor, we learned the day was still young and there was still much more time to drink and many more people to meet...

Let me tell you a little bit about new york. First off everyone is hot; at any given time on every other street corner there is a girl or a guy that could be the love of my life. Everyone is wearing neon 80’s $12 glasses. The most stylish women are dressed in an updated Gladiator Sandal with bright bubble skirts or highwaisted shorts with tiny vintage belts R0031550 olsen-in-sequin shorts+girl-1 Active wear meets street wear all over Manhattan...simple jersey dresses with yoga mats thrown in small bags over one shoulder...Shockingly, the elongated loose vest is still staying very present with the new season as well as black tights under EVERYTHING

but honestly Bubble Bubble Bubble…… and sequins…bright neon glasses…. eurotrash haircuts have crossed the oceans and feminine white blouses with tailored slacks are what every girl over 25 is rocking…With the seasons adjusting and the daily weather changing from rain to sun shine every few hours, you get to see a very eclectic assortment of fashion…. but enough about that did i mention that everyone is hott.. hott.. hott..

1

Oh Samantha Pleet….and everything is so expensive...luckily we have a free place to sleep... is this New York or is this London? we have made very concrete plans to take over the world, starting with richmond. Tonight we are going to a Stussy launch party; hopefully i will die on the dance floor. The Deathtraitor boys and friends have been treating us like the gods that we are…. look out Brooklyn here we come. death Death Traitor… we own it.. we love it.. we sell it….. you should buy it…each season gets better & better.

Top 3 things that rule about New York

1. getting hit on by dudes

2. amazing stores like Iheart, nypull, 55dsl

3. having friends that make sure we have a wonderful time.

Things that blow about new york

1. not being able to leave the bar and be home in 5 minutes

2. tripping over and over again infront of lots of people

3. getting hit on by dudes….. but new york, we love you.

Casey and I visited a few boutiques that sell the same lines as we do and our jaws hit the ground when we saw how much money they are selling items for. If we lived here we would be gazillionares, seriously.

okay i have to put on a sequin dress….. im out….

professional bull riding. been there done that

So Saturday night started out like every Saturday should. We closed the store at 6pm and Marty our current favorite person in the world and new best friend picked us up in a dirty red pick up truck and took us the the pbr competition. And no PBR does not stand for pabst blue ribbon is stands for PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDING.

Yes boys and girls kick off your dirty sneaks and put on a pair of cowboys boots.. Take off that bright shirt and slip your arms into a plaid fitted shirt. But dont worry you can keep on your super tight Cheap Monday jeans as long as you have a huge belt buckle adorning them. Tonight is going to blow your mind. Marty is a baller and we are fine ladies so we of course had v.i.p seating. v.i.p seating is close enough that you cringe every time a rider flew from a bull but far enough away to not have to smell bull shit. So the event begins. Fireworks. Fireworks. Loud Cheering. The riders come out we all say a prayer. I find myself wondering what hotel all the cowboys are staying at. The event is amazing. I am full of fear and excitement. These are true athletes risking their lives for the sole purpose of entertainment. These men make every other athlete look so weak. They are getting speared by bulls.. Live bulls that weigh a ton. A TON. It was quite the show. I had a wonderful wonderful wonderful time. Thank you so much Marty and thank you so much to the pbr riders. I am hooked for life. there was even a child sheep riding portion of the show. And the most adorable little girl won. I

I see a star in the rising

more stylish with age. Classic prints never age

young, flirty and fun. The perfect outfit. dirty denim shorts, A tall can of beer, hair worn loose, Cowboy inspired shirt and an old pair of worn cowboy boots. you my friend are a 10

.

The New Kid on The Block

As the heat continues to skyrocket and push my a/c into overdrive, I can’t help but long for the days when I had to throw on a pair of tights everyday and trudge around in a coat. I'd welcome a day where all of a sudden we’d need to wear layer upon layer of hoodies and scarves. But reality strikes, and it is summertime. So to find a little inspiration for those hot days when all I want to wear is gym shorts and a tank top, I go to my arsenal of street style blogs that make my ‘quick e-mail check’ turn into a 5 hour blog marathon. And after a few clicks and taps of the keyboard, what do I find?

That’s right. Somewhere in perfect-weather land, they are still wearing tights and jackets and ensembles that say ‘it feels like fall,’ where as if I were to have a photo snapped of me walking down the street I think it would emit a sort of ‘I’m miserably hot and sweaty’ type of vibe. And though I do occasionally wish that I were in London skipping around in tights and boots, there’s nothing quite like walking through the dead heat and jumping into a pool, or more likely, the river. And more importantly, now you can use the excuse, “I need new summer clothes” to validate your shopping trips. At least I do.

Hi, I’m Melanie, the new intern for Rumors. I can consume my body weight in sweets and prefer spending my grocery money on magazines.

*image 1&2 from thestreetswalker.blogspot.com, image 3 from facehunter.blogspot.com

fashion in europe, antwerp, ghent,brussels,finland

Marshe' reporting about how fantastic europe is. I always get so excited when i step off the train in antwerp and i walk right into the fashion district. So many different languages, styles, religions. Individuality screams from within and is shown in everyday attire. Bowed skirts, graffiti inspired tees, oversized glasses, oversized hoods,suspenders, suspenders, suspenders, hats for personality, no jewelry, eurotrash techtonic haircuts.

The boys are either dressed like they don't give a damn or like they drum for some slightly famous elitist band. And the ladies.. perfectly combining earthy vibrant ethnic prints with vintage style skirts and flat shoes. Why wear heels when you are planning to dance all night?

Designers i have stood out:

numph, a label started by seven danish women

bjorvin, a label from Denmark

And girls from omsk, belgium label with russian roots available at Rumors Europe in its splender: Ghent where i am staying graffiti is not a crime fashion museum belgium designer And the music... oh the music. And the beer, oh the beer. Jupiler and cara for life...everyone must come here at least once.

It was like, ‘I need to be a rock star because this is no good: Being the kind of guy that everybody likes but no one wants to have sex with. I don’t want to be the person that makes everybody laugh before they go off and bang. I want to be the guy that everybody bangs.

Chris Martin

Carytown Street Fashions and Boutiques Part Deux

Well, I'm just picking off where Marshe left off in the last Carytown post. Btw, I'm the new intern, Bolaji, she mentioned earlier. Well, my trip to Carytown with Marshe wasn't what I was used to, it was a different experience...that didn't come out right. What I mean is, it was very enlightening, almost like a high school field trip. Normally, my Carytown trips are limited to shopping (more like window shopping) and getting something to eat. With Marshe, I got to take in Carytown; I got to take pictures, meet the people who work in the boutiques, and find out the history of the the shops. During my first official day as a Rumors intern, this is Carytown behind these brown eyes...hold the Kelly Clarkson.

NTIML (Need those in my life!!!)

My sneaky candid camera shots in Dominion Skateshop.

This is one of the Dominion employees gettin his Zoolander on outside the shop.

What's so special about Dominion is the fact that it was created by a woman, Kim Blankenship, and the customer demographic is predominantly male. Dominion debuted in 1994 and continues to thrive. There's another location in the West End.

Right next door to Dominion is it's neighbor, Need Supply. Need started in 1996, selling vintage Levi's and grew into a collection of vintage apparel, premium streetwear, and contemporary brands. Here, local town celebrity Marshe and I explored what Need had to offer.

My "sources" tell me that these are IN now.

Only if I could fit my size 13 in those...definitely a no go...hence the huge feet in the mirror beneath the sandles.

Josh is wearing a Pandasong shirt and his fave blue jeans. In the bag, he just bought some new faves, aka his "crotch-tastic" pants, according to Marshe.

After a hard day's work and picture taking, we cooled down with a nice brew and some volleyball at Babes of Carytown, a restaurant during the day and bar with dancing by night.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN! I definitely didn't have the courage to play. Ha!

The non-athletes on the sidelines. That's definitely not Gatorade!

I definitely enjoyed my new and improved day in Carytown with the town celeb Marshe. I hope yall enjoyed the blog as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time.

PS. I didn't enjoy writing it! Haha.