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LIGHT TO DARK | Jesse Boykins III – A Film [By] Street Etiquette

Dec 042011

Joshua Kissi : What started as a casual joke has now come to fruition. You may remember Jesse Boykins III, an independent artist and good friend of mine, from our last musically-influenced editorial Sartorial Sounds. A song featured on his latest EP inspired me a great deal: potent lyrics dipped in substance and awareness, accompanied by a cinematic instrumental. I knew I wanted to add visuals to the song, and was excited at the prospect of shooting and directing the video. As this task was not without its challenges, I decided to write about my experience making this project come to light.

‘Light to Dark’- The song resonated with me, both its abstract definition of “Light to Dark” and its lyrics: a testament to global socio-political events and ethical dilemmas. As a fan of music and art, I appreciate that this song is saying something new instead of beating the same drum and coming up with the same message. I asked Jesse how he would describe this song and he said it was his interpretation of what John Lennon’s “Imagine” would sound like if he grew up in our environment, time and culture. Reimagining such an iconic song sounds daunting, but justified nonetheless.

The process – Once the first day of shooting started and finished, I quickly realized that maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew. The preparation and thought process required to prepare a full treatment and capture the shots I had in mind visually was anything but easy. We spent 3 days scouring the city for the best shots – our illustrious budget meant relying on local thai food, pizza and all the other low budget food NYC has to offer. Even when luck wasn’t on our side we made do with the day light we had available available to capture the essence of ‘Light to Dark’ in time.

The result - What I found interesting was that despite preparing 100% for a shot, we would sometimes get unintended results. I learned an important lesson about planning but leaving room for growth and creativity. I’m not saying all of this from my comfortable director‘s chair with “Spielberg” etched on the back, I’m just saying that if you are inspired to do something, embark on it and you may never know where that path will lead you

Hope you guys enjoy the video as much as I did shooting and directing it.

Enjoy.

*Special Thanks to Sam Sneed of We Are Not Pilgrims, Ali of A noble Savage, Cleon Grey and Jesse Boykins III for providing the opportunity for such a collaborative project.

Photos by Cleon Grey

Subway Etiquette : NYC [Brooklyn]

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Nov 272011

Fit Details

Army Surplus Wool Knit Beanie
Brooklyn Circus Henley
Alpha Industries MA1 Flight jacket
Woolrich Plaid Hunting Trousers
Dr. Marten wingtips
Billykirk Carry All bag

Fit Details

Vintage Varsity
Thrifted sweater / beanie / shirt
Doc Marten shoes
DIY Dye Jeans

Fit Details :

Mr. Freedom Chiller Vest
Homespun knitwear Henley
Helmut Lang L/S Shirt
Marc By Marc Jacobs Denim
Marc Jacob Boots
Andrew Marc Duffle Bag

Joshua Kissi : I have always been intrigued by the NYC Subway system – observing the placid behavior people take on them, predicting who gets off where, and what disturbs people to take notice outside of their little glass box. Although I have been traveling through this underground maze since the tender age of nine, I am still susceptible to getting lost at any moment due to my inability to ask for directions. [I know I'm not alone in this!]

Some people may ask what does this have to do with street style? Subway Etiquette? What? *I just want the fare to be lowered, Ha. * Well before the beautiful cobble stone streets and paved sidewalks there is a mutual commute for most. Mine in particular is 45 mintes to an hour depending on the never ending construction of train tracks uptown. I feel the subway is a state of limbo, another world that is seperate from all the madness above ground. Essentially this is a daily piece of our lives captured in photographs.

Featuring - We teamed up with photographer Andre Wagner of abstractElements to provide the visuals for this post. We are huge fans of his photographic perspective on story telling as he captures the moment without saying much. Kadeem & Rinaldy ( who were featured in the Black Ivy editorial and Sartorial Sounds ) came along and lent their visuals for the ride.

Listening to [ Blackstar ft Common - Respiration ] produced by Hi-Tek

The perfect soundtrack for riding the subway, it just screams gritty. Although Jazz is not frequently listened to by younger generations its potent roots in Rock and Hip Hop are evident. Here Don Randi’s “The Fox” is sampled and looped through out the song. In hiphop beats especially in the 90s my favorite lame past time has to be identifying samples often times soulful jazz songs sped up with a vicious loop, dropped with a kick and snare.

Enjoy..

Footwear Etiquette: Brogue Boot

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Nov 212011

Fit Details:

Army Surplus hat
Banana Republic jacket
Vintage Pendleton Pants
BKc Tricker Boots

I was lucky enough to find these vintage Pendleton pants. They are definitely one of my favorite pants right now. The condition of them were surprisingly like new. Its really hard to find heavy wool pants of this quality, especially in such a unique color.

Fit Details

Travis Gumbs : Fall is finally here, and sadly enough winter is right on its heels. Last year I added a pair of Florshiem brogue boots to my arsenal for the treacherous journey through winter. They served me well, but I put them through more abuse than they were built for. I’m upping the ante this year and emptying my pockets for a pair of Tricker Boots. I will have no mercy on these boots – after all, they were built to take abuse.

Any discussion of menswear will inevitably lead to wingtips or brogues. With the menswear explosion in recent years, brogues/wingtips are not hard to find. As the colder months arrive we see many variations on these boots take shape. I love the style of these boots. I like how they allow you to be casual without looking too casual and as formal as boots allow.

Looking back at Josh’s Hiking Boot post, he made an excellent point about boots looking too chunky when paired with pants with a smaller leg opening. I can attest to that – one of the reasons I love brogue boots so much is that they are on the sleeker side without sacrificing comfort and durability.

I was able to get my hands on a fine pair of Brooklyn Circus’s Tricker boots. You may have seen pictures of them floating around on our tumblr page or on their BKc blog. They also come in a really nice cognac color. Tricker is a 180 yr old English shoe making company that makes each shoe with handcrafted perfection. Just by touching them you can literally feel the quality and care that goes into each shoe. Not to mention they are also really comfortable, especially for boots of such heft.

Josh is wearing a pair of Grenson Tan Brogued Fret Boots. Grenson is another English shoe making company with excellent handcrafted quality and a history spanning over a century.

Listening to [ Haruka Nakamura - Harmonie Du Soir ]

Here’s a nice little piece to go along with the season. This song is by Haruka Nakamura, a composer from Tokyo, Japan. His music mostly consists of interesting ambient instrumentals using piano, saxophone, drum, percussion and violin. I hear this stuff and I feel the romance of autumn.

Until next time…

Fall Etiquette : Coverall + Overall

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Nov 042011

Fit Details

Round House Brown cotton duck Overalls
J.Crew Waffle knit henley
SOLE socks (Recyclable cotton)
Dr.Martens wax canvas/leather 3989 oxford

Overalls – The Round House overalls were tailored, quite possibly the hardest tailoring job because of the double knee stitched portions on each leg. Interesting that Travis overall’s are from a clothing brand, while I went the opposite route of purchasing my overalls through a workwear retailer. A total of $50 considering the overalls and tailoring job.

Footwear – Dr.Marten oxfords are one my favorite footwear choices going into the fall, great details with waxed canvas, leather and brass eyelets.

Fit Details

Vint. Red knit beanie
Vint. Waffle knit crew
Club Monaco Coverall
Converse All-Stars

You may remember Jerry from our Black Ivy editorial, or being featured in last fall’s Quilted jacket post. He accompanied us on the journey of location scouting for this post while also recommending the industrial area to shoot this particular post.

Joshua Kissi : It’s evident that practicality and men’s clothing favor each other; before guys were striving to solely look the part there was a need for your casual items to just hold you through the years. Given the fact that brands like Dickies/Carhartt were founded on uniformity and functionality, they eventually became embraced in the style/fashion realm. Both companies have embraced the change of climate by collaborating with boutiques, or creating a demographic specific line which would be labeled as more “trendy”.

Listening to [ Soil & Pimp Sessions - Mo' Better Blues ]

A fresh breath back into a genre some people may label a dying art form. Soil & Pimp Sessions are a Japanese electric jazz band from Tokyo. I find most of their usual records are readily energetic, but the band’s select few blues ballad tracks are amazing. Have fun exploring their musical catalogue, truly so much to tap into. -

Workwear has found its way into the wardrobes of many people who aren’t necessarily performing tasks 8-9 hours a day, but because of its comfort and durability. Even if labeled “fashionable” workwear you may feel slightly guilty if not possessing some sort of brute force while wearing it.

A hop and a stone’s throw away we came across this industrial construction area in the Bronx. Of course, private property with signs of “No Trespassing” plastered around the entrances. We managed to speak to the directors in charge in order to capture photos you are now viewing. Ironically enough they found comic relief in knowing that people actually considered what was uniform, coffee and a hard day’s work remotely stylish.

Fashion and style are probably the last thing traditional workwear companies are thinking of while manufacturing their product. This is where designers come in, drawing inspiration from the likes of traditional brands while adding their own personal touch. The weeks are trickling down until we arrive into the winter season. Last year this time we wanted to cover these garments, but mother nature had other plans as the temperature dropped. This time around we caught fall at the perfect time.

Footwear Etiquette : The Hiking Boot

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Oct 282011

This specific color way/design is a collaboration between Danner Boots and Tanner Goods a local leather goods retail boutique in Portland OR, where they were manufactured. You have probably seen the brand name appear on our mainly for their excellent quality leather belts Travis and I wear.

Fit Details

J.Crew Leather jacket
Club Monaco shearling sweater
Tanner Goods x Danner boots
Billy Kirk NO.166 Large Carryall

As far as brands/pieces pretty simple ensemble here with tones of heavy browns perfect for the season. Fresh off Travis’ last post on the motorcycle jacket – I have been breaking in/wearing this vintage motorcycle jacket since last year this time, basically J.Crews took inspiration from Belstaff’s Brad jacket a nice fit to the jacket.

Joshua Kissi : There is something intriguing about hiking boots, maybe the sense of adventure and discovery. [who knows..] I highly doubt I will be trekking across challenging terrains, other than slippery NYC subway platforms and a bit of snow – it’s great to have footwear that is pretty much ready for any terrain. Since there are already slip remarks of snow so early in the season,[fun times!] see this as the preliminary step to the upcoming brutal winter season.

Speaking as a NY native I think we saw our fair share of boots throughout the years from brands like Timberland, Vasquez, Goretex to ASolo that people gravitated towards for the fall/winter seasons. I could honestly attest to purchasing boots primarily based on the look/design of them, and advanced functionality would take a prolonged backseat during this whole thought process.Ok, let me rephrase my thoughts a bit – Size 11 US boots doesn’t exactly look the most flattering especially considering small leg openings on trousers/pants. I would come across many hiking boots from the usual suspects of companies, but once tried on had a second thought, it really depends on personal preference.

Now after some years with a bit of more grounded knowledge I’m not solely looking at the design, but the arch support, durability, traction of soles and overall warmth. I can’t tell any fales here the Danners were a good fit for me balancing functionality/design. [Ready for the season]

Listening to [The Souljazz Orchestra - Awakening]

Here’s another musical insertion from the Canadian band Souljazz Orchestra truly a favorite of mine with mixtures of Jazz, Latin, Afro beat and everything in between. The title of the song speaks for itself “Awakening” a progressional music journey with expanded trumpets through out. [It just sounds like the fall season to me]

Location : Central Park, NYC

Fall Etiquette: Motorcycle Jacket

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Oct 202011

Fit Details: Schott Perfecto Denim Jacket, Club Monaco shirt, Velour chinos, Swear boots.

I am completely in love with this Schott denim perfecto. Not only is the fit perfectly on point but its cone denim should show some nice fades with time.

Josh’s fit details: Schott wax perfecto, vintage baja hoodie, J.crew pants, Grenson boots.

Much thanks once again to Cleon Gray for the photos. He has been putting creativity to work and trying different techniques shooting with disposable cameras. We just had to try it out for this one. The grittiness of the photos add a lot to the feel and mood of the apparel. Never thought i would ever say this but there comes a time when you may have to put down the SLR and pick up a disposable camera to achieve what you desire.

Travis Gumbs: There are very few items of clothing that transcend trends. Of those, there are even fewer that find itself notable in every decade succeeding its arrival. The motorcycle jacket is undeniably on that list. From the 1920s on, the motorcycle jacket has found its niche in every era. It has become a staple in not only mens but also women’s clothing. Today, most brands have done their take and variation of the classic jacket.

This jacket is great for the cool fall weather, its heavy enough to withstand the breeze but light enough to hold you down until the bitter cold winter.

For this post we called upon the boys – Ali of A Noble Savage, Ouigi of The Brooklyn Circus and Kadeem of KJohn La Soul. One thing that these guys have in common is an amazing eye for vintage. It felt only right to have them dig through their goods and showcase their favorite motorcycle jackets.

The first jacket used for riding were aviator styled military jackets (similar to what Ali is wearing) in the 1920s. Before that there was no real attire made specifically for motorcycle riding. In 1928, Irving Schott founder of Schott NYC designed the perfecto jacket and the classic motorcycle jacket was born.

This jacket is far from just an item of clothing. There is a long list of what this jacket has represented in the past decades. Wether it was the rebellious nature of the people who wore it that forced schools to band it in the 50s, or the romanticism built into the journey of riding, it comes at no surprise that this jacket has stayed relevant for some 80yrs.

Thrift Etiquette : FALL 1

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Oct 102011

[ Woolrich Hudson Bay coat ]

One of my favorite finds this year to start things off for the fall/winter

[ Vintage Lettterman jacket c.1969 ]

In retrospect you can never have too many varsity jackets

[ Paisley button down ]

[Vintage embroidered Letterman sweater ]

Joshua Kissi : It is obvious if you have been following the site our knack for retrieving second hand items.Thrifting has become a great interest of ours whether online, or in-store everyone knows it’s becoming more and more common for people to partake in, which also heightens the chase. Although we would love to take part in our stylized articles all the time we thought it would be best with such a versatile layout to incorporate all the details behind the lifestyle, most times before a usual post happens there is a thrift session where we build those items in our wardrobe. [ taken into account the reality of coming across anything, at all ]

[Here are my four recent thrift pickups which were picked up at various places]

Given the current economical climate it is said one of the booming businesses lies in charity/vintage shops, which make perfect sense. On the contrary side of things this also effects the price point and selection of some shops especially in New York City with so many sprouting up. [many times similar prices to retail] Often times it is fairly easy to become discouraged or, overwhelmed by the vast selection of clothes depending on where you frequent. It definitely requires time/energy that everyone doesn’t necessarily possess [ ie - checking in at certain times, days - all prove to be beneficial]

There is a Goodwill/Salvation Army [or something similar] pretty much located all across the nation, you would be surprised some of the pieces you would find after rummaging through the racks. Also it is one of the best places to retrieve simple basics such as a navy blazer, or various tweeds.

Expect a bit more from the Thrift Etiquette series including videos, road trips and overall more in-depth look into how we go about it.

Recommendation : For NYC Locals check out the Church Street Surplus great for military pieces.

327 Church St (between Lispenard St & Canal St) New York, NY 10013 Neighborhood: TriBeCa (212) 226-5280

Fashion Week Etiquette : London S/S 12′

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Oct 032011

Joshua Kissi : After my trip to Berlin earlier in the year I have been apprehensive to travel back to Europe more frequently, if presented the opportunity. England has been on our radar as a travel destination for quite a while and considering our extended families across the pond it was likely to happen, the question was rather when we would go?

It is always a pleasure to travel abroad and document your travels The fairly short week that Travis and I were England bound we strived to get a real glimpse of the city even with something as alluring as London Fashion Week occurring. After an airport of nuisances which included the loss of my personal luggage, despite this we experienced a thrilling trip across the pond which was way over due.

Listening to [Cymande - One More]

Before taking our trip there I was on the pursuit of loading my mp3 player/hard drive with some good ol’ tunes that personified London at some point and time. [Digital crate digging, if you will] With the help of the internet and a few days of listening to many records there was almost too much goodness to consider. Insert Cymande a British funk band with Caribbean roots from Jamaica and Guyana who were popular in the 1970s. A truly great find I love coming across old tunes where the only thing identifiable to us is the modern hip-hop song it was sampled from, but also with some research contains reference and history.

Walking about the streets of London you get a keen sense of the various style hitting the pavement daily. The whole concept/direction of ‘street style’ may be considered mundane to some, but I think it’s a great element [city to city] to kind of gauge what is happening culturally up to some extent. One thing that seemed apparent was the flawless tailoring of suits in the city, and strangely enough that tailored aspect seem to trickle down to styles that weren’t so abrupt with suit/tie wear.

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Press Etiquette : The Gentleman’s Club Spread – Ebony

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Sep 052011

Street Etiquette : For this fall it was our pleasure to be featured in a men’s style spread [by Ebony Magazine] alongside some familiar faces and friends. The fantastic thing concerning the selection of individuals used for this spread was the notion that personal style varies all over the map. Clothing is only considered the surface layer of style, and the minuscule details whether a printed paisley shirt, or those old boots you came across in your dad’s closet are what connects us to each individual. [at least in my humble opinion]

The assorted list of people varies from shirt makers, men’s luxury accessory designers, stylists, graphic design artists to singers. We definitely recommend you to check out each featured artist if you aren’t familiar with their brand, or craft already.

[Clockwise]

We would like to thank Ebony Magazine for including us in this spread, and as always you guys for the continuous support on our journey. [more to come]

Pick up this magazine at your local shop Zoe Saldana covers the fall issue

Press Etiquette : Street Etiquette + New York Times

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Aug 192011

Street Etiquette : We are pleased to announce that we were featured in the New York Times Thursday Style section in a multi page article titled ‘Serious About Cool’, but also the online version of the article “Pushing The Boundaries of Black Style‘. We want to graciously thank everyone who has supported us thus far from every aspect of the spectrum. The article has been very well received being placed in the ‘Top 5 most emailed articles of the day‘ over at the Times and a nod to our relentless web server for holding on to its dear life. The most vital point about the piece is less about us, and more on the topic of encouraging others in pursuing your own innate passion.

We truly thank everyone for accompanying us on this extensive journey as we represent ourselves, you all and ideally a possibility through hard work.

A special thanks to writer Jon Caramanica, The New York Times, Black Ivy and the individuals who chimed in during the article.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

“The New York Times Style section gives an in-depth look at the rise of lifestyle bloggers Street Etiquette in a recent article titled “Pushing The Boundaries Of Black Style.” The stylish duo of Travis Gumbs and Joshua Kissi are profiled for their contributions to realm of men’s fashion from an African American perspective as well as the new multi-faceted fashion identity of the modern black man. Excepts of the article can be seen below while the article in its entirety can be seen here.”

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