The Hipster Boyfriend Gift Guide

Although I love the holidays, buying presents during them has become the bane of my existence. As soon as Thanksgiving ends stores are quickly over crowded and Christmas music infiltrates the radio. Luckily, technology has advanced so that you can avoid those annoyances and do all of your holiday shopping straight from your computer. Still, with anything you want at your fingertips it is difficult to decide what exactly to get, that being especially true if you happen to be dating someone who's cooler than cool. You know who I'm talking about. The guy in your life who sports skinny jeans in confidence, who makes amazing playlists from bands you've never heard of and has the dopest blog on the internet. Yes, this is about your hipster boyfriend.

VENQUE CRAFT CO.

This Toronto based bag company is so hip that you probably haven't even heard of yet. For just that reason you should definitely get one of these beautifuly designed bags before you start seeing them all over Williamsburg. Your boyfriend will be so impressed that you discovered this brand before he did and even more so that you understand his personal style. Although he loves basics, he appreciates high quality. Both of those attributes can be found in a Venque bag. Made for a man on the move, Venque bags are designed to compliment and serve a busy lifestyle, their timless style infused with contemporary sensibility. Comprised of slate gray Quanta fabric with tan leather trim and detailing, Venque bags are the epitome of cool. Get one today at Venque.com.

FLIPS HEAD PHONES

There are no other headphones like the ones Flips Audio makes, therefor you need to make sure your hipster boyfriend has a pair. With these he'll be able to jam to the great playlists he creates both while riding on the subway to meet up with you and also out loud while he's hanging out at his friend's Lower East Side apartment. How's that? When you flip the headphones outward they become speakers and great ones at that. He'll easily be able to share that cool new Mansions on the Moon cover with all of his friends in the best quality. Get a pair at FlipsAudio.com.

THE IMPOSSIBLE INSTANT LAB

There is nothing a hipster appreciates more than analog film, especially when it's instant. Everyone knows that the coolest way to document anything is through polaroid film. So give your hipster boyfriend the gift of impossibly cool technology. The Impossible Project's new Instant Lab allows you to derive vintage looking polaroids straight from your iPhone. It sounds insane right? Select a picture, place your iPhone on the Instant Lab and within seconds it ejects your analog instant photo, ready to develop in the palm of your hand. It doesn't matter whether your digital image was shot with your phone or created in Adobe Photoshop – any image on your phone's display can be turned into a real analog instant photo. Get your Instant Lab now and discover a whole new world of artistic possibilities. More information on The Impossible Project at The-Impossible-Project.com.

Photos taken with Instant Lab by: Kazumi

TWO GUYS BOW TIES

This highly original brand of wooden menswear accessories will be the coolest addition to your hipster boyfriend's wadrobe. Trust me on this one. On a night out together my boyfriend paired a wooden bow tie with a sweater over a button down shirt. We party hopped downtown that night. Everywhere we went from a hip friend's apartment in the East Village to a party of young bankers in TriBeCa, he recieved compliements the entire evening. Everyone wanted to know where he got it and it was constantly a topic of conversation. Today, Two Guys Bow Ties makes more than just that, they've recently put out a line of lapel flowers, which are just cool as their bow tie counterparts. Laser cut and paired with fine fabrics, Two Guys Bow Ties exotic wood accessories are a sure hit within the hipster community. Your hipster boyfriend will be the best dressed man of the evening no matter where you go. Get Two Guys wooden bow ties and lapel flowers at twoguysbowties.com

First Photo by: Greg Jones

HANK

Launched only a few weeks ago, HANK is a new menswear accessory that adds functionality to a menswear favorite. The first of it's kind- HANK is a pocket square with a pocket! Yes, you can stuff it in your pocket to add flair to your blazer or use it to protect your phone and wallet. A simple, yet brilliant idea that your hipster boyfriend will be totally into. With many different prints to chose from you can find the perfect HANK for your guy. It's also an added bonus that their branding is super clean and as a man of the internet generation, he'll greatly appreciate that as well. Check out all of HANK's different variations and be the first to get one on MeetHank.com

Still unsure of what to get him? Well, I always find that simplicity is key. If you want to do something extra special for your hipster boyfriend buy some tickets to the next DFA Records concert for the two of you and preface it with dinner at a cool asian fusion restaurants (hipsters love fusion). All in all no one knows how cool he is as much as you do, so I'm sure you can figure it out! These gifts however, are guarenteed to win him over and gain you some cool points. I'm absolutely sure of it.

A Hit of Scream Colour by Illustrator, Humberto Cruz

I've found that passion is very often confused with financial success. In actuality, passion is exemplified through loving an activity enough to do it without any form of reimbursement, wether that compensation come monetarily or in the form of accolades. However, it's our society that tends to highlight the million dollar business man over the starving artist and as a result we also prefer stacks of bills over the blood, sweat and tears they came from. Still, real passion lives in the people who sacrifice their time and sleep for the sole reason that they really enjoy doing whatever their personal affection may be and that's really all they need to keep doing it. Illustrator, Humberto Cruz, is an excellent example of an artist with this type of immense passion.

Every night when Cruz returns from his full-time job in San Diego, California, he goes home to spend evenings with his blending markers and fine tip pens. As a child, Cruz, began teaching himself to draw- sketching his friends and family members along with his own made up characters. After High School, his affinity for creativity lead him to enroll in the graphic design program at the Art Institute of California. However, despite being well educated in computer applications that could enhance and digitalize his work, he still prefers a simple pen to paper. With time he began developing his skills and personal style and chose to progress by illustrating his favorite pop culture and fashion icons. Later he added pieces of his collection of stickers, as well as drawings inspired by them, to amplify and distinguish the backgrounds of his final products. His work is characterized by bright colors, an air of fun, with a strong youthful spirit in it's conception, but it wasn't until recently that his work began to become widely recognized.

Today it's hard to under estimate the power of social media. Many of our nation's favorite contemporary entertainers were derived from popular videos seen on youtube. In Cruz's case, it's  instagram. I first noticed his work on the instagram of a Jeremy Scott creative team member. I absolutely loved it and explored his account for more of his adorable illustrations. After weeks of consistently pressing the ♥ button I knew it was time to email Cruz some appreciative words. Happily, I found that I wasn't the only one. After starting an instagram, tumblr, and twitter, Cruz has been able to gauge the interest of many far and wide. He has recently done collaborations with other talents such as Luca Finotti and Marley Kate, and I am confident there will be many more in his future. I'm so happy to be able to share both his illustrations and his story because I am always inspired by those who never cease to pursue their true passions no matter what limitations they have to face to do so. I'm also lucky I was gifted with an I Scream colour original of myself in a favorite hot pink vintage Balmain look!

For more of Humberto Cruz's amazing illustrations be sure to check out + follow him on Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

What Beyoncé Taught Me

My parents, like most, often speak of the great and talented musicians they listened too growing up. They had legends like The Beatles, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, and several other musical talents that helped shaped popular culture, society, and many other aspects of their youth. Their stories helped me understand how powerful music and the people who make it really are. Like them, I know that when I'm older I'll be telling my own children about the music that I grew up with and I'll have a lot of names to speak of. However, one in particular, I feel really did assist me in becoming the woman I am today. That musician is Beyoncé.

Independent Woman
When Destiny's Child's music hit radio stations in 1998, seven year old Sarah was joyfully listening to it in the back of her mother's mini van. It's amazing that I've continued listening to Beyoncé's work to this day, over a decade later. So you can say, I grew up listening to her and in many ways I can say that she not only provided me with entertainment, but also taught me a few lessons in how to be a strong and independent woman. In 2000, Destiny's Child released the hit single Independent Woman. Although not rated as highly as some of the group's other hits, I think that this was one of their most powerful songs and ostensibly an incredibly positive message to females everywhere. That message being: "Depend on no one else to give you what you want." In our society so many girls are constantly told to date or marry someone rich and successful in order to live well. Meanwhile the ladies of Destiny's Child state "Try to control me boy and you get dismissed. I pay for my own fun and I pay my own bills. Always 50/50 in relationships." You don't need to be dependent on a man for the things you want. This is 2013, you have the power to get them on your own.

Bootylicious is Beautiful.

One thing that makes Beyoncé more admirable than her pop diva and movie star cohorts is that she promotes a healthy body image and always has. It's because of her that I handle weight gain so casually. Jeans too tight? That's fine, my body is just too bootylicious for them to handle right now. She further promoted this ideal assisting Michelle Obama in her "Let's Move" campaign in 2011, an initiative to help lessen obesity in American children. She sings Move your Body and obviously, what Queen B says always goes- so get to it and move it.

You're Irreplaceable.

The boys you date may not be, but you definitely are. If there's any message that's encrypted within the majority of Beyoncé songs it is this. You are special. In the song, Survivor, she sings "I'm a survivor. I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to stop, I'm going to work harder." In that song, Destiny's Child is expressing the sentiment that no matter who is trying to hurt you, don't let them stop you from doing you. In Upgrade U she sings to her husband, mega rap superstar, Jay-Z "Don't doubt yourself. Trust me, you need me. This ain't a shoulder with a chip or an ego, but what you think they all mad at me fo'?" By singing these lyrics she's saying that whoever is dating her is lucky to have her. She's an asset, she is needed. Granted that is true for whoever dates Beyoncé, but us normal folk should go into a relationship thinking that too. And finally I ask "who run the world? Girls." With this song and others, Beyoncé has shown great attempts to empower women throughout her entire career. So next time you feel like you're not being treated as an equal to a male colleague, keep this song in mind.

Collaborate with the Competition.

You know what they say: If you can't beat 'em, join them. This tactic that Beyoncé has frequently used through out the duration of her career has not only produced interesting music, but also has kept Beyoncé consistently relevant. What ever female pop singer was blowing up the music charts at the time, you can be sure that Beyoncé was ready to collaborate. When Shakira was bringing latino pop back into the mainstream, Beyoncé was dancing seductively by her side in Beautiful Liar. When Lady Gaga was stealing the Pop music crown, Beyoncé was ready to costar in a ridiculous music video for Telephone. She has always managed to keep herself relevant and this is something to take note of. If you can work with the competition, there's  no competing. 

  
Handle Controversy with Class.

It's like any time Beyoncé is a part of any sort of major news story- whether it be her pregnancy or her lip syncing at the Presidential Inauguration, she is able to handle it in the classiest of ways. I don't even know how she does it. It's incredible. That time she adorably rubbed her tummy after her VMA performance I know that I wasn't the only one watching from my living room, smiling and feeling warm inside. Recently, when she made headlines for lip-syncing at the Presidential Inauguration she handled it by singing the National Anthem at the following NFL Press Conference. We all knew she could sing, but that was just like a "Yeah, so what's the problem again?" approach to it. Amazing.

You can put anything you set your mind too.

To be honest- Beyoncé sounded totally cray in her recent interview with GQ. However, behind the method to her obsessive narcissism and quest for perfection is a message we can all learn from. Queen B worked hard for that crown. She has worked for it for decades and sacrificed things like getting shit faced at frat parties and sleeping until 2pm on weekends. She continues to practice, try harder, create, and she has never given up. Like her, you should also never give up. Always pursue your passions and work hard to achieve them. You never know- you could just very well be the next Beyoncé.

Photos via: Vogue, The Gentlewoman

Pride 2012

New York City has one of the largest Pride parades in the world. Yesterday was my first attending the parade, which is quite surprising because I've lived in New York for most of my life. It's even more surprising because this parade is one of the biggest parades in the entire city. It starts from noon and lasts all the way into the evening and covers a good portion of Manhattan's west side. I even struggled getting into work yesterday because 5th avenue was madness, not that I was upset by it, the parade was so wonderful that getting through 5th avenue was well worth the struggle.

My best friend, Rachel (of I watch the Roses of the Day Grow Deep), used her design talents to create a unique colorful neon striped leotard with detachable skirt that she paired with neon orange fishnet tights, pom pom hair accessories and bright, colorful makeup. She was a big hit at the parade and we couldn't walk for more than couple of minutes without someone stopping to take a picture of her.

In the sea of jubilant faces and rainbow colored clothing I saw so much beauty. The individuals who marched in the Pride Parade came from all walks of life. There were religious groups, government institutions, and even individuals who came all the way from foreign countries because they were forbidden to show gay pride in their home lands. This year marked the anniversary of Gay Marriage being legalized in New York and you could see the happiness this brought to the people in this city and others at this parade. I felt so proud to live in a state where you can be whoever you want to be and love whoever you want to love. Freedom is bliss and I thank god I live in New York every day.

See more pictures from Pride NYC 2012 on my tumblr.