Craft Spells is a great little duo out of Stockton, California which is a neat little town a little west of S.F. Their “Party Talk” 7” is due out this month on Captured Tracks. Until then, enjoy this single from the album, it’s pretty good.

Craft Spells – Party Talk

If you haven’t noticed the trend by now then it’s probably because you’re already out in the woods. In the past few years, young Americans seem to be shifting and appreciating the roots of simpler culture. Americana. It’s more than mere nostalgia; it’s a conscious effort to promote community and sustainability, the same traits that our ancestors were raised on. Click for the continuation.

The Traditional Way blog recently had the chance to interview on of our favorite Richmond tattooists,Matt Brotka of Salvation Tattoo. I’ve gotten to know Matt better over the years, he’s done two of my largest pieces which just so happen to be two of my favorites. Click for the continuation.

Lucky Magazine is featuring this Lightweight Anorak today.  Visit luckymag.com for the coupon code that gets you 50% off.  Use the code at NEEDSUPPLY[DOT]COM.

Australian actress Isabel Lucas is absolutely a natural beauty. And apart from her talents on camera, she’s also mastered the art of casually chic street style. Here are some of her summer styles for these last hot days.

A wonderful collection of behind the scenes images of Mad Men from the latest issue of Rolling Stone. Click for the continuation.

A wonderfully put together book from Powerhouse Books, Take Ivy looks into the aesthetics and style of the obvious: Ivy League Schools. Click for the continuation.

Margaux Lonnberg has what looks like an incredibly fun life, a casual cool sense of style, and not to mention an awesome head of dirty-messy white-blonde hair that’s to die for. And, a really really amazing blog. It’s not in English, but that only makes it cooler. Check out The Killing Moon here.

Being native to Virginia, more so, native to the Blue Ridge Mountains, seeing sights like this are familiar and beautiful. I grew up about an hour and a half from West Virginia, prime coal country, but often ventured into Nelson County, through the farm lands of the Shenandoah Valley and into maple syrup forests of Highland County which neighbors the coal deserts of West Virginia. The rivers in these mountains are literally roaring with life and the trees have more to say than you could ever hear. In West Virginia, coal mines were what formed the towns that exist today. Without the discovery of coal in those mountains, West Virginia and the majority of Appalachia would not be what they are today. Take a second to watch the video after the continuation. (via)

If you’re going to win, look good doing it. Click for the continuation.

Just discovered the musically inclined David Byrne keeps an online journal filled with mildly frenetic and properly explained rants about what goes through his head. Random. Informative. Humorous. He covers things from the fall of print/newspapers to analogies like the interet/bandwidth and showers/faucets. He also releases a themed radio playlist every month, which is unpretentious and inspiring. Dive in HERE.

Inspired my microorganisms, anthills, and auditory phenomena, artist Charles Clary layers cut colored paper to build up texture and shape in his room-sized installations. Every piece is precisely hand-cut and layered intuitively, every shape playing off of the one before. Check out Charles’ blog

for more work and info!

There’s a whole brand new batch of visual over at JJJJound for your pleasure. Nothing like a good update in the middle of the week. Click to see some of our favorites from Justin.

Made over 15 years ago (1994) Reality Bites’ Lelaina Pierce had the attitude, charisma and perfect amount of casualness to be considered an (almost) vintage style icon. Click for the continuation.

Didn’t expect this at all, but after Max Tannone’s summer banger, MOS DUB, the producer gives us an end of summer treat, DUB KWELI is now available, click here to download it. And as always, props to the dude for continually bringing us amazing FREE music like this.

She has got it down! Not only is she adorable, but her style is so right on. Here are two great looks from the street style maven.

Mos Def, as usual, was on point this weekend in NYC. (via GQ Eye)

Inspired by the recent video by Summer Camp, I was overwhelmingly curious about the background film that was used for the video. Did some searching around and discovered one of the most amazing little young-love stories that probably exists today. Click for the continuation.

When you’re a Shaman, I think it’s safe to say that the cooler you look the better you are at your job. Click for the continuation.

In 1929, husband and wife, Kansas “Joe” McCoy and Memphis Minnie recorded a song entitled, When the Levee Breaks in reaction to the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. It was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States. Click for the continuation.

French actress and model Elisa Sednaoui is the best kind of simple dresser. She knows that with just a few edited choices and the right amount of accessories, you can really make a great subtle statement. She chooses mostly neutrals, but with areally remarkable cuts and fabrics. But could someone with Christian Louboutin as a godfather ever do wrong?

Want to get in this game? Start with the Fashionary, a new tool that can take any student or designer from baby steps to runway walks. It’s got everything you ever wanted to know about sketching, measurements, cutting, sewing, templates, etc. Click for the continuation.

Elin Kling is my newest fashion obsession. She really really knows how to rock it in neutrals, but always adds some unexpected touch or flash of color. Here are a few of my favorite looks on Elin, visit her blog to see more.

Kevin is a London-based sculpture that takes marble, resin and wood to the next level. His work is extremely detailed and unique beyond amazing. Click to see more of it.

Chicago’s own Sufjan Stevens has a new EP and full length album out now. With this release, Sufjan knows the power of the internet, so has decided to give his EP away for free. You can get it for free here.

It’s Better In The Wind is a photo essay of life on the road from the perspective of the rider, which in this case is photographer Scott G. Toepfer. It’s being released as a book and is showing now in Los Angeles. The images look awesome. Click for the continuation.

In the classroom of  men’s style, Rizzoli lays out the first text book you’ll need. It’s time capsule of images from the 20th century breaking down men’s fashion’s roots into 12 distinct categories with the best examples of each. Click for the continuation.

I’m really into Alvaro Puentes’ work right now. His images are really killing it, and he’s so well rounded- there’s a little something for everyone. Click for more on his website here

Nikki Salk is an artist, stylist, and hold a degree in interior design. Amy Flurry is a freelance writer, editor, and stylist of fifteen years. Together, the pair custom-make paper art installations fueled by both their love of fashion and an appreciation of the humble material. They make everything from animal heads to elaborate wigs and hats, and even have a collection exclusively for Hermes. Find out more about the project here

Do we even need to tell you how stoked we are for this weekend? With the festivities starting tonight, we’ll try and keep you posted on the happenings, photos and fashion (if people even have clothes on) all weekend long. For more information, visit BestFriendsDay.net

Wild Nothing’s Chinatown, is a great song to continue the week with. If you’re not familiar with this summer staple by now, it’s perhaps one of the best offerings from the groups debut album, Gemini. Click for the download.

More and more the idea of France becomes more and more a place that I would love to explore. These recent photographs of Cintia Dicker (best smile ever?) shot by Anne Menke for the September 2010 issue of Marie Claire France show an amazing vintage Paris feeling that’s simply timeless. Not to mention that we’re now craving those Roberto Cavalli silk-printed gypsy pants she’s dancing in after the jump.

Minka is an illustrator, tattoo artist, and all around bad chick. She’s always been a beast, but it seems like people are just noticing. From her unique fashion sense to her unmistakable penship, its only a matter of time til you’ll need a 4 month reservation to get a taste of her fine lined pieces permanantly place on your body. I recently had the pleasure of getting my second tattoo by Minka at the new shop she’s working at, Graceland Brooklyn, and once again was super pleased. If your thinking about getting some new ink, I definitely recommend Minka.Here’s some motivation.

Graceland Brooklyn
677 Lorimer StreetBrooklyn, NY 11211(718) 384-7677

Alexander Wang just teamed up with Flufftronix for his Fall 2010 ad campaign to do a remix of the XX’s Infinity. Directed by Craig McDean and Fabien Baron using Abbey Lee as the muse. Click for the video. Thanks Sway.

Really dreamy work from Stockholm photographer James Whitmore. See more here

Mario Testino’s tenth book, Kate Moss by Mario Testino, was just released in July. The limited edition book is the photographer’s dedication to his favorite muse, following the iconic supermodel from her early days to her Vogue covers. Included are also never before published photos from his private archive. Buy yours at Taschen!

The GQ Eye recently posted a little insight on Shea and Raan Parton, the California-born brothers that launched Apolis Activism in 2004.

“Some of our earliest memories are at Hollister Ranch, and our family has had property there since we were born. It’s where we first learned how to surf and it’s a place that’s left an impression on us. It sort of represents our heritage in a way.” -via

A while ago we posted a little preview of The Arcade Fire’s upcoming album entitled The Suburbs, and since it’s release, we haven’t been able to stop listening to it. One particular track that really stands out is…

We just received the first of THIS IS NOT A POLO BY BAND OF OUTSIDERS at the store.  Great polos from one of our favorite brands.  There aren’t a lot of crazy details but everything is done really well.  The fabric is super soft — it’s all developed in Japan and the fits are right on.  The classic stripes remind me of polos I owned as a kid.  These are exclusive to our Carytown store so you won’t find them online but feel free to call the shop and place a phone order.  804.767.1825

VCUarts professor Siemon Allen has put his 10-year collection of South African records, stamps, newspaper clippings and cultural objects on display at VCU’s Anderson Gallery. He calls it: South Africa: Collection Project. Click for the continuation.

Good friend and confidant, Justin Van Hoy is having a show in San Francisco this Friday, so stop by and say hello, have a drink and buy something. I’ll be making the trip out for this one, mainly for the drinks, but don’t tell Justin that.

6-9pm at BELLJAR
(16th Street in The Mission)

These are really quite incredible. Brazilian born, Connecticut based artist Dalton Ghetti carves miniature masterpieces into the graphite of a pencil tip. He uses a razor blade, sculpting knife and sewing needle, not to mention lots and lots of patience. Click here to see more of his impressive skill!

New York Magazine took a little walk about Mad Decent’s block party last week to capture some of the most well dressed people there. We can’t agree with all of their choices but hey, there’s nothing like people watching. Click for the continuation.

All we’re saying is that this outfit is on point. Click for more.

In 2007 at Gaga’s first Lollapalooza performance, she left the stage and was noted as a “trainwreck” due to her poor performance. Thus on her 2010 return the to Chicago festival, she made sure that all changed by giving the crowd a feel-for-all ride over the hands of thousands wearing the same sliver-jeweled bra she wore during the 2007 performance.

Did you touch her? What did she feel like? You can check out the full Lady Gaga Lookbook here.

Standing out like a sore thumb, the old, yet marvelous structure at 190 Bowery looks at you everyday. With the New Museum and Bowery Hotel just down the street, along with an ever growing number of modernly-restored new buildings, the building leaves a bit of a mystery. With its own the resident stoop man holding it down and untouched graffiti left to cover the walls on the outside, it is now a reminder from New York’s yesteryear. On the inside though, it’s the NY dream house of photographer Jay Maisel. Click for the continuation.

Every time I go to lick the orange fuzz off my fingertips, it’s going out to you Morrie! In case you missed it, Business Day had an obituary for Morrie Yohai, the inventor of Cheez Doodles and a man who should have won the Nobel Peace Prize.

These beautiful pictures were taken by Alix Bancourt of The Cherry Blossom Girl blog on her visit to the dress designer’s showroom. The dresses are gorgeous, long, ruffled, with beautiful details and muted colors. Take a peek into MLH‘s gorgeous & inspirational studio.

Our friends from Philly are coming down to Richmond this Thursday night to play at Capital Ale house and we’d love it if you came. If you’ve never heard of East Hundred, check out their MySpace or click for the video.

East Hundred at Capital Ale House / 623 East Main Street / Richmond, VA / Thursday Aug. 12 / Doors open at 9:00pm / Show starts at 10 /