Style Trends: Beverly Hills 90210

With the DVD release of its first six seasons and an updated CW remake, Beverly Hills 90210 has yet again become a source of entertainment and fashion inspiration for girls (and grownup girls) everywhere. References to the show in the fashion world began popping up in late 2006, around the time of the 90210 Season One release and Spring 2007 runway shows. The fashion blogging world was inundated with sightings of oversized blazers and floral patterns, many of which seemingly straight out of the halls of West Beverly.

Since then, 90′s influences in the fashion world have yet to cease. However, not an industry to stay static in its reference points, we’ve seemed to move from the first season of 90210 to the second and third. Light denim mixed with black leather jackets, cut off Levi’s jean shorts, lace bandage dresses, and loose knit sweaters almost seamlessly make the jump from 1992 to today. The Spring 2009 collections of Alexander Wang (bottom middle) and Givenchy (bottom left) make great use of the light denim / leather combination. Urban Outfitters (top right) is offering the 90′s favorite, Levi’s 501′s, in a distressed light shade. Kate Moss for Topshop’s (bottom, second from right) line of cropped leather motorcycle jackets sold out in a matter of minutes. And Erin Wasson’s collaboration with RVCA (bottom right) screams 90210 with its denim cutoffs and bustier tops. And of course I couldn’t leave out my favorite 90′s influenced fashion blogger Rumi of Fashion Toast. If you’re interested in incorporating some Beverly Hills 90210 into your wardrobe Rumi’s style is a great example of of how to utilize these trends without the fear of being mistaken for Donna Martin.

Listen To: High Diving Ponies

As the singer/songwriter for High Diving Ponies, Kansas City native Josh Thomas continues to explore what he describes as “post-shoegaze danger pop.” A sound Thomas examined in his former outfit Spidermums and is constructed from a myriad of indie rock influences and a pinch of Phil Spector. The song “Muppets” features a slowly evolving guitar riff with a 90′s angular, early Built to Spill feel and the fuzzy, distant vocal melodies familiar to fans of My Bloody Valentine. The stellar pop-gem “I Smell Like Smoke” could be a Guided By Voices b-side with its addictive lo-fi melody that rises above punky acoustic guitar strumming, while Steve Williams’ cello serves as a stirring break between verses. High Diving Ponies are also capable of stretching their sound. On “Meatheads” the band utilizes all parts to produce a more abrasive sound centered upon layers of washed out distortion.

Not bad for a band that just formed in January of this year. Although High Diving Ponies have not released any records they are playing live. Look for them at Chomp Womp’s Family Night (Eighth Street Taproom) April 6th in Lawrence, KS and at the Shamrock Lounge for the Tornado Bait Festival April 18th in Wichita, KS.

and speaking of Chomp Womp…
With the help of the Chomp Womp crew, Josh Thomas is overseeing the creation of a new zine called ‘Smuts in Love’. 100 copies of the first issue will be placed around Lawrence and Kansas City in early March. The zine comes in the form of one massive 24″ x 36″ page (art on one side, zine content on the other) wrapped origami style into a cd sleeve for a compilation CD.

posted by: Harold Johns III

filth E design

Currently the Bourgeois Pig (6 E 9th Street, Lawrence, KS) is featuring the work of Emily Eakes in a series titled “Domestic | Domesticated.” The show will run through April 11.

From the artist:
Emily Eakes aka filth E design, is an emerging artist with a degree in printmaking from the Kansas City Art Institute. She engages in a variety of mediums that include graphic design, oil paints, relief prints and embroidery. Her current series of work is called Domestic | Domesticated. With the use of patterns, layers and embroidery, Emily combines symbols to evoke a reexamination of “women’s work.” Emily has recently shown in Lawrence, Colorado Springs and Atlanta, GA. She has also been a featured artist on MyArtSpace.com, FierceandNerdy.com and MyStyle.com. You can learn more about her projects and exhibits by visiting her Blog or online Etsy Store.

posted by: Tricia Rock

Bummertown Recap

The Rathaus attended the opening reception for “Bummertown,” a new collection of works on paper curated by University of Kansas printmaking major Alicia Kelly, and photographed some of our favorite pieces for all to enjoy. Want more? Check out the show at Henry’s (11 E 8th St, Lawrence, KS) through the end of March.

Untitled by: Erin Bratzler (serigraph)

Daddy’s Little Girls by: Erin Bratzler (serigraph)

High on the Peace Train by: Clint Ricketts (ink drawing)

You’re So Immature by: Vanessa Hays

Cloud Series by: Mari LaCure (etching with spit bite, aquatint)

Cloud Series Detail

posted by: Tricia Rock

Listen To: Mi Ami “Watersports”

Watersports is an album that lurks like a hungry animal in the massive African Savannah – out of sight but never far away, carefully tracking prey with a hungry eye and stealthy footstep. Indeed, the influence of the African night is in the album almost literally, with vocalist Daniel Martin-McCormick sounding at times quite like a lonely hyena, pleasantly yapping away at some sort of unknown sign, while the sounds of relentless, fevered drumming fills the night air. Mi Ami is a band that does not shy away from the primal parts of music, and indeed Martin-McCormick’s voice, along with the drumming of Damon Palermo and Jacob Long on bass have created an album that seeps into the parts of the brain where the line between animal and man is at its most tenuous. In a world where most music is manufactured to the point it is difficult to hear the humans behind the machine, “Watersports” is all animal, full of blood and piss, and ready to break loose.

Because the edge is so readily trod by the folks in Mi Ami, this album won’t be for those who crave order, control, structure, melody, or anything approaching rules for songwriting or music making. But for those listeners who can let go and enjoy that strange tickling in the back of the head that suggests we’re not that far from the loincloth, Mi Ami’s “Watersports” is the perfect release.

If you’re lucky enough to be going to South by Southwest, check out Mi Ami. They’ll be playing with other Touch And Go/Quarterstick Records bands at 10 p.m. on  Friday, March 20 at Flamingo Cantina, 515 E. 6th Street in Austin, TX, 78701.

Mi Ami’s MySpace

by: Meghan Bainum