DC...How I Love Thee!

CONFESSION: I'm completely obsessed, HEAD OVER HEELS, madly in LOVE with Diet Coke! I especially love it at midnight while flipping through the latest issues of GQ & Vogue in my kitchen. I don't even flinch at the idea of a pimple forming from all of the sugar I'm consuming - oh me and acne, we go back like diapers and sandboxes. That sweet refreshing sound the can makes when you pop it fresh out of the fridge...CLASSIC AND ORGASMIC! I JUST LOVES ME SOME DC!

That's all!

EB

Gas or iPhone case...

Gotta have some Warhol ($38)...

Man Repeller x Dannijo...HEART FOR SURE...($98)

DUH! More Warhol...($38)

Marc Jacobs, enough said...($38)

To spend or not to spend...that is the question! That's kinda always the question for me seeing as I know jack squat about saving money (SORRY MA! I'M TRYING FOR GOODNESS SAKE!) Anyway, let me start by again, apologizing for the lack of posts - I'm sure some of you wrote me off seeing as it's been a good 5 months since my last post, but I'M BACK FOLKS AND BETTER THAN EVER!

Now that we got that little PSA out of the way, back to my little dilemma of whether or not to spend my hard earned (very little saved) money on a new iPhone case. Of course, nothing I pick is ever cost effective and the simple all black, rubber iPhone cases just won't do...while I may be working on my fitness and upping my manly points, I still work in fashion and must express myself at every given moment. And, why does iPhone cases always seem to cost so much money - Yes, I think $40 is a bit much for an iPhone case: #JUSTSAYIN. I get it, we spend $300+ on our sacred tech babies, but should protection for them cost just as much - HELLO!! CONDOMS PROTECT OUR LIVES AND THEY'RE ONLY $10 A PACK! I mean, we could implement a little CPU (Cost Per Use) for justification, but good grief, my top fav is running at $100 and I don't think I'm strong enough to pull the trigger just yet...thanks MAN REPELLER, your case shall haunt my dreams, and nightmares of my Wells Fargo financial advisor for many nights to come. 

These cases are just a few I keep searching back to...now to decide if I'm sacrificing gas or groceries this week for my new obsession...what do you think?

EB...

Judas...

I know it's been like forever and 3 months, but I'm back ladies and gentleman! So I'm not going to get too deep into how I found myself in my absence from the blog, I want to continue to apply a little more of myself in everything I do, and how I think there's no reason I shouldn't be as successful as the next genius with a great idea, blog, design, photo, etc...you get the picture.

Anyway, so we all know I have this crazy obsession with Lady Gaga (wait, do you know? Damn, not sure if I revealed that part of myself to you, the dear reader, but yes, I'm COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH LADY G!) and her new single Judas is beyond amazing! What's even more amazing is the video that she put together to depict a very popular story in the bible. I'm not going to bore you with how she is completely genius by making Jesus' disciples members of a biker gang and how in the end she is stoned for her betrayl of Jesus (leader of the biker gang), meeting the same fate that the Judas in the New Testament met when he betrayed Jesus and gave him to the priests.

I'll simply let you view this amazing work of art and make your own interpretation!

Ciao!

So Hip...

Whoa! It's been like a gazillion years since I last posted. Been terribly busy with my career and it's been consuming my life to the point that I'm not even sure of the last time I read an actual fashion magazine! FOR SHAME! Anyway, as you know I don't like to dwell in the past so let's move right along.

I went kayaking this past Saturday to celebrate a friend's bday, and it was the most amount of fun I've had in a very, very, very, long time! What was also cool was my friend showing me this cool camera app for my iPhone4 (will have to do a separate post on how this phone absolutely changed my life...YES, IT'S THAT DAMN SERIOUS) called Hipstomatic! Have you heard of it?! It's a really cool hipster app that allows you take photos with all of these cool lenses and flashes, in turn producing these vintage inspired photos.

I took these photos while at lunch on Sanibel Island and they look like something straight out of the 60's. I'm somewhat obsessed with the app that I'm pretty sure you'll be seeing more photos from my iPhone on here and not my Canon. Hope you missed me because I terribly missed you!

Chow!

Where's CPS When You Need Them...

So, I happened to stumble upon this video while reading one of my favorite sites, Refinery29, and I'm a bit disturbed at the fact AOL agreed to allow Snooki to makeover an 11yr old girl! WTF! I mean come on. Last time I checked, Jersey Shore wasn't running syndicated reruns on PBS. I mean, where is this girl's parents. Someone should call the CPS (Child Protection Services)...this is borderline kiddy porn. SMH!

How Much Is That Baggie In The Window...

Reed Krakoff Utility Messenger II (Duffle and Python) - $796

So I know you all saw my post yesterday regarding the iPhone4 and my excitement to purchase it for my upcoming 25th birthday. Now I'm thinking I wanna go one step further and get myself a really nice bag as well! Over the years I've discovered the functionality of bags makes sense for both women as well as men! Let's face it, nowadays men are caring a little a more than their wallets and cellphones like before. Most men also have some form of lip balm (if he ever wants to kiss a girl he has something to keep those things moisturized), keys, ipod, reading material (for the train...talking to the city dwellers folks. Where my folks that take that public transportation???). And, I don't know about you, but I'm not about to ruin the pockets of my favorite jeans because I don't have a bag to carry my items - keys, BB (soon to be iPhone4!), wallet, lip balm.

Yes, though I may not carry much to warrant my blood thirsty crave for a bag, I'm now realizing that I want to have a signature accessory that will always add that unexpected punch to every outfit. Chanel had her pearls, Karl and Anna have their sunnies, why can't I have my bag! Besides, I live in FL and when this cold front leaves (here's hoping it lasts for a few more weeks), I'm back to keeping the outfits simple and basic to battle the heat. Would love a bag, slung across my body that will give me the fashion credit I so desperately deserve. The two bags I'm eying are from a very unlikely source, Reed Krakoff. Though I'm not the biggest fan of the logo emblazoned Coach bags he designs, I have to take my hat off to Reed. The man can design some accessories.

Reed Krakoff Utility Messenger II (Flannel and Python) - $796

My boss in NY recently purchased his Utility Messenger II bag (above) and it's pretty much the sickest bag I've seen in a long time. It definitely has the "IT" bag appeal, which I'm surprised I haven't seen more starlet/editors carrying it...I wonder who's handling his PR. Anywho, the above bag is one that I'm so seriously thinking about draining my savings account for...Mom Dukes is taking care of the iPhone so we're all set there...in case you were wondering :). I just need to decide on which color - grey (though I don't wanna be a copycat) or the brown...Decisions, decisions.

What do you think?

Happy Happy Joy Joy...

This is the best news yet of 2011. FINALLY, Verizon and Apple have come together to bring the million, billion, trillion Verizon customers on the MOST RELIABLE NETWORK the iPhone 4!!!! My 25th birthday is March 18th (shout out to the Pisces) but it comes early when Verizon customers are allowed to pre-order the iPhone4 beginning February 3rd. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!! I think this post deserves a little song and dance. What do you say? Shall we...

Life, Decoded...

One of my many New Year's Resolutions was to read more. Yes, I said it. I don't read enough and this year I plan to do just that. Read one book a month. When I was in college, I could devour books like no one's business. It was out of control, I would read between study hall, long nights and numerous runs to Starbucks. The most exciting thing (yes, reading can be very exciting, just ask Oprah) each semester I read for leisure I found that I did so much better than the semesters when I didn't read. Maybe it was my brain constantly problem solving, thinking, doing what it does best! Could this be what Albert stumbled upon when he said we only use 5% of our brain's potential? Either way, I'm on it this year.


First up, Jay-Z's recently released book, Decoded. The book is sort of like an autobiography/road map to life's greatest lessons from one of life's greatest artists. Jay begins with his humble begins in the throws of Marcy Projects (Bed Stuy Brooklyn, NY) and all of the temptations that faced him growing up without his dad and wanting cash and a better way of life fast. The book is divided into sections that speak to the development of Jay as an artist, but also as a man. At the end of each section, Jay includes a few of his songs that relate to the section's topics. With the inclusion of foot notes throughout, you get a glimpse into why certain words/phrases are used and what they mean/meant when the song was produced.

I heard about the book watching, Oprah's Favorite Things, where she talked about how his book gave her another image of the hip-hop genre and made her rethink some of the images she had about the artists who dwell in it's often flashy world. I also watched Jay-Z's feature on Oprah's (yes, I'm obviously obsessed with Ms. Winfrey) Masters Class on OWN, The New Oprah Winfrey Network. To hear Jay discuss so eloquently his life and how he continued to believe in himself and what he had to offer the world made me overly excited to read his book. What a way to start the year. Thanks to Decoded, I have a new outlook on life and what I want to offer the world. Money well spent. I'd like to think I'm off to a great, literary fueled start :).

New Year, New Me...

The above video features The Sartorialist's very own, Scott Schulman, talking about the things that inspire his ever inspiring images found on his blog. I love seeing what makes amazing people tick and finding out where they get the inspiration to do the things they do. Scott's blog is definitely a "digital park bench" into the world of fashion and art. It's amazing how nostalgic his images around NY feel when I see them and think back to when I was a wide-eyed, bushy tail freshmen at FIT. Everything about NY excited me and made me thirst for a life that was very different from my humble Maryland upbringing.

My desire when I started this blog a year ago was to showcase my many sartorial choices, but also share my many views, ideas, and thoughts on the things happening in my world...our world. I'll have to admit, I lost my way a little since that first post. I tried to see what other blogs did and what made them successful and tried to, in some ways, incorporate those very elements into this blog. The one thing I never kept in mind was the fact that each and every blog, for the most part, is unique and special. An individualistic look at one's life through fashion, art, food, sports, etc. What makes any blog successful is the ability to remain an individual in a world of mockery.

So, here we are. My first post of the year and my declaration to remain true to me and what In Ernest will offer to the world. Because, like for Scott and so many other successful bloggers, its not always what other people will find fashionable or interesting that makes something "worthy". It's what feels right to you and what you want to say that makes it valid and worth being shared. Here's to a New Year and New Beginnings.

EB