Max over at 4Q Conditioning today published a remembrance of San Francisco’s own Mr. Ben Davis, including this shot of the mustachioed signage outside the Arik’s at the corner of Mission and Valencia. Max begins:
black bens, grey bens, dark green bens,
cut-off bens for shorts….
part of the costume for many years.
Link. Taker easy, Ben!
This is the first time I’ve seen advertising on the Valencia Street Art Wall. I’m torn, because it’s pretty badass.
Okay, okay, so Supreme is a big multinational brand. But look at Lou’s arms! And I mean, Lou Reed is basically a big multinational brand too, and we all love him, right?
Where do we stand, y’all? What is art? If I drink too much tonight and make some art all over my shoes and no one is there to brand it, is it still art?
Click pic to view Lou’s arms HUGE.
Update: TriniDad says…
And you can even buy a t-shirt of the same image: http://tinyurl.com/bdghkf. How very meta!
The top story on Cool Hunting right now is an exclusive feature about Self Edge, everybody’s favorite Valencia Street high-end denim purveyor. They’re releasing an epic new pant on Saturday morning, and the fashion world is all a-titter. Link.
Hipster-related comment of the week, courtesy of Aaron Mayfield-Sunshine:
hipsters cannot be 30 or 40 something. 32 is the max! after that you become a cool dad.
Link.
Previously:
American Apparel just posted the above note in the window at 988 Valencia.
THE END.
Our old pal Melena is on Fashionist today. Asked to explain her outfit, she said, “I like cowboy boots and I like purple.” Link.
Previously:
Alright, that’s it. All this hipster talk is getting tiresome, and has taken a turn toward the violent besides.
Aaron from The Passionistas and World Famous in San Francisco had an interesting premonition in his Predictions 2009 post: “Cool Kid will replace Hipster.”
I don’t want to be some kind of vocabulary Nazi or anything, but what if we called a loose moratorium on “hipster” in favor of “cool kid”? I say let’s try it out, for 2009 say, and see how it goes. Might be the innocuous breath of fresh air we all need.
Note: Aaron’s Fashion Predictions 2008 (from November 2007) were pretty spot on, so maybe this will be for the best.
Former Missionite Sarah Hromack was going through the Interview Magazine archives and came across a quote from Marc Jacobs that is both timely and timeless, and probably applies to a lot more than just fashion:
The only time anything ever changes is really when you’re respectful and disrespectful at the same time.
Link. Something to think about over the weekend.
Previously:
The Duality of Man on Mission Mission.
Marc Jacob’s Boyfriend’s Dead Mouse Brooch on SFGate.
Last week we contacted American Apparel asking for their comments on the controversy, and the company responded with an open letter to the residents of the Mission. The letter talks about company history, business practices and intentions here in the neighborhood. Note that they preface everything with, “[I]f the community doesn’t want us there, we have no intention of forcing our way in.”
An excerpt:
Our first store was in Echo Park, a small artsy district of Los Angeles, which is a lot like the Mission. Since we opened the store in 2003, the neighborhood has flourished with new independent businesses. The City pays closer attention to the area, keeping it cleaner and safer than it ever was before without denting its original charm and flavor. Our store is a permanent fixture in the community now, just as much as Burrito King and the infamous tranny hairdressers are. Not every location is like Echo Park or Valencia St., but for the ones that are, we’re perfectionists about getting right.
So how can they get it right?
Statement in its entirety after the jump:
I asked Tony Pierce for his analysis of our American Apparel predicament, and here’s what he said:
ive spent a lot of time in the mission. i lived on folsom and 23rd, i lived on 24th and potrero, and i lived next door to the old yellow levis building on clinton park. that place had a dishwasher, a washer dryer, a fireplace, and… a garage. i have much love for the mission. especially around 16th and valencia of which you speak. and trust me, im not crazy about ben n jerrys or the gap on haight ashbury but i liked amoeba plenty when it was a bowling alley. therefore i believe that we should just let business happen the way its going to happen. noone would be complaining if they wanted to be on mission and 16th. therefore its not that they wanna come to the mish, its that they want to come into the funky part. control is an illusion. let there be socks.
Link. Thanks, Tony!
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