I'm a 'COMPLEX' individual...

So we all have a style. Some of us have good style and others have no style whatsoever, yet this still is a form of style. The guidlines, or lack there of, come from somewhere. Some influence. Over the next few posts I'll be offering up a few of my personal faves in the arena of personal style and lifestyle reading.

First up: COMPLEX (by Ecko and founder Marc Ecko).

With humble beginnings as a pure urban (read: hood) streetwear line Ecko has grown the hell up as a brand. Enough to transcend even it's own branding and marketing to put out a men's style mag showing the what-you-should-be-checking-for style of the moments. Bold considering many of the offerings are competitor brands. This says a lot about the brand's ability not only exist above the retail aspect and go on to lend it's own trend-prediction prowess to the greater good of all things "lifestylish". My word! I made it up. You can use it if you want though... just shoot the credit back here!



Visit COMPLEX

-Steve G. of the YP

My head about exploded...

... when I saw this vid yesterday. Kanye West has plugged straight into the "now" trend of Asian influence in media and global style trends that is sweeping the planet.



For the video "Stronger" from he new-release Graduation, Kanyeeezy has done a shot for shot recreation of the anime classic "Akira" (any conincidence that the anime cartoon movie has been playing off the hook lately?). I flipped out just seeing it which shows my complete geekdom, but it left me wondering a bit...

Is it a hot vid because he, like many who are far more ground-level in the Hip Hop community have been facinated and long supported many imports of Asian subculture (movies, anime, street style clothing trends). As a matter of fact, Hip Hop culture found a rebirth and second home in Japan and exploded back to us where it was born with a new adaptation and twist that has spawned huge growth in streetwear and, like this video proves, entertainment mediums.

OR... Sadly...
Is it just an attempt to strike a "hot iron" and piggy back a classic with hopes of tapping into an enormous sub-culture to get some of the overlap that exsists. I mean obviously I noticed it and my background is as street/hip hop as it gets.

You can be the judges, I'll just chalk it up to a study in global street culture, which is cool in and of itself to even say that something is truly global and we're not all that diff.

--Steve G. of the YP

Are you kidding me!? Paint Jam w/ Dan Dunn

It's moments like these when I am reminded of the amazing creatures we are. We are so much higher-level than we give ourselves credit for or even aspire to be. Sit back and enjoy and don't fast forward... the amazement is in the process.



--Steve G. of the YP

Federer Express: Nike Delivers The Goods.

Whaaaaaaaaaat!?! As if this man ain't pimp slapping the globe on the grass courts, Nike has effectively put him on his high-fashion high horse. Welcome to (and salivate for) Nike for Roger Federer...


[ img courtesy of High Snobiety, http://highsnobiety.com/ ]


[ Courtesy of Charles & Marie ]
≠≠≠
As a token of appreciation for Roger Federer’s amazing career success and his dominance of men’s tennis, Nike is surprising him with a luxury bespoke kit fit for a legend as he seeks his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title.

The kit, which has echoes of tennis outfits from the earliest days of the game, has been customized specifically for Roger at a level of quality that matches his championship talent; a bespoke jacket, sweater, and warm-up trousers for warm-up on court pre-game; a luxury leather tennis bag , and an on-court performance outfit. All of the product abides by tournament’s strict white dress code, but includes accents of majestic gold to honor of the reigning king of the Wimbledon court.
≠≠≠


[ img courtesy of High Snobiety, http://highsnobiety.com/ ]

Now I don't know about you, but some of us aren't cut out for the Euro-chic ultra slender model look or the classic wing-tip + Brooks Brothers steez. I can certainly get my country-club-meets-streets vibe on all day, e'r day! I love it when ahtleitc goes label goods. Seriously, here we have a Nike bag doing its best CHANEL or Coach imitation. On top of that it's got the backing of a proven winner and the added status of a country club sport... Quite please. Pimpy-ness coming thru.


NIKE

--Steve G. of the YP

Chrome On Your Ride.

Aight then, straight to it. I know these bags are fully functional and made or the serious bike messangers out on the roads in major cities getting the job done every day, like army of ninja-trained, street-level urban FedEx'ers on Emperial speeder bikes... HOWEVER... These are the hottest, most stylish, largely usable and consumer lust inducing bags ever!


A very uniquely designed bag, it (the main style of messenger bag) has a very ideal carrying position that sits flat against the user's back while maintaining that over-the-shoulder style that is a staple in messenger style bags. But no matter what style you choose the calling card of the bags is the automobile seat belt buckle and accompanying fit system that allows fit adjustments happen with one hand and on the fly. Wait... one hand + on the fly is not the combo of words I was going for.





With a list of features such as marked water-resistance, large volume, various bag styles and formats, and extras that will allow you to carry normally back-packed and stacked. When you order from the Chrome site you can add on celly holsters and laptop sleeves made to mix and match with your new bag. This is especially nice if you have had problems finding a bag with enough guts to carry that sexy mutha effin' 17" MacBook you just copped. Yep, go get some.

CHROME Bags


--Steve G. of the YP


(images courtesy of www.chromebags.com)

YALE.PARK Offers Know HOW!

So what happens when one of our crew here at the PARK gets a chance to wax about collaborative creativity... we sweat bullets and pray it goes well. The next thing we do is just offer what we know to help fellow Creatives get a recharge.

Our own Steve G. or RDQ had the honor and opportunity to speak at the HOW Design Conference in the ATL (Atlanta, GA). The '07 edition of this great event was headquatered at te Hyatt Regency Hotel & Convention Center in downtown ATL. 4000+ designers and creative professionals converged upon "The A" in hopes of injecting a little bit of spark into their creative lives and careers.



While proudly sporting a limited-edition YALE.PARK tee, Steve's topic of speak was "We Are Smarter Than Me", focusing on collaborative efforts and building an information resource within our existing and growing network. A little bit anxious as the room filled, our man figured "... it was like being at the coffee shop with a room of Creatives and just talking shop". Well, that would be one hell of a coffee house. As the room came to life during a real-time brainstorming session, the networking kicked in and the information flowed freely.

"It is my sincere hope that I could give something back to the group and the conference on the whole. Bryn, Sarah, Megan and the HOW staff have given me so much that I wanted to give something back".

The conference is over but the information is as fresh as a Georgia peach. Check out the still ripe info and session notes at http://www.howconference.com

HELIO Mobile. Do NOT call it a phone...

... Oh but I will! I'll call it possibly the coolest collection of phones I've seen in a long time.

As a rabid mobile user (don't even have a home phone) I'm often looking for plans that fill my needs and phones that can utilize that plan of choice. With most carriers this is where the fork in the road shows up. You're faced with either a phone that is way too much for what you may be using it for, or a plan that makes your phone burst into flames every time you try to use plan features. On top of that many today, regardless of age, conduct business (both lifestyle and official) in different ways. With email, texting, picture messaging and more. I often find myself doing less talking on my mobile device but using it more.



Enter HELIO Mobile. Now the concept is not altogether new. Other services like Boost and Amp'd provide similar services. HELIO is unique in that they are not pay-as-you-go making them a bit more tantalizing to mainstream users, not just youngsters. Their plan offerings are what they all "All-In" meaning that all of the niceties that most mainstream providers offer (web, txt, picture mail, etc...) are automatically included. The only cost you incur is plan minutes. Hmmmm... Interesting that such a plan can be offered. Also included is a very cool buddy beacon to peep where your pals are, direct connection to the MySpace community, juggernaut and GPS with Google Maps. That's a huge offering considering their target market is 18-32 yrs old.

The phones... er... mobile devices?! SWEEEEEEET! Sexy, sleek, modern and anything just short of a Star Trek communicator fancy! They rock, straight up. No other way to say it. Feature-rich media powerhouses to match the plans that are offered guarantying you get the most out of your user experience.



The added icing on the cake is that Helio is a "borrower" in that they piggy-back Sprint's digital network. So why is it that a plan can't be devised for those on mainstream networks? Good question. The pitch is that the company is aimed at the young set of users who do more with their mobiles but as with most trend-spotting the youth market drives what the rest of consumers will soon see. I know a ton of ordinary suits that would clamor for this service provided that they begin to offer more "grown up" phones... oops I did it again didn't I?

(click any of the photos to zoom to Helio's website)

--Steve G.

Talk about a "pod" cast... the capsule hotel.

I've known about these for sometime and with my background and interest in architecture coupled with design i figured I'd share this coolness with those who have never seen them. Some are more aesthetically pleasing than others so do a search for some cool looking ones. Mostly very popular in Japan, these are some really amazing things.












From literal cocoons meant for sleep to small box rooms only big enough to turn around in, they don't come with all the amenities of a standard 3-5 star hotel but then you find that most often times you really don't need them. In some cases they pump oxygen, herbals and cleaner air while piping in music and television. Not the most plush, but damn cool design.

If you've seen the movie 'The 5th Element', director Luc Besson and his design team did a great job of including this futuristic take on space savings and efficiency.