Jazzi McG » music

Inspiration: Oroma Elewa & Pop’Africana

Jazzi — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:26:30 +0000

(top) A preview of Pop’Africana’s stunning first cover; (bottom) Oroma Elewa

Another character I had the pleasure of hanging with in NY was Oroma Elewa of my new favorite project Pop’Africana. We met up at her place for wine and bonding over shoes & art. Oroma is a beautiful Scorpio who hates wedges, and I, a Taurus who hates stilettos, but we share a love of this seasons Miu Miu. Our personalities compliment nicely.

In the simplest of words – Oroma is inspiring. I could sit and trade inspiration or play dress up with her all day. The photographer & former model is so captivating, epitomizes personal style, and speaks like the artist she is… the way I still think in my head, but have outwardly somewhat diluted or even repressed due to years of trying to make people understand. Does that make any sense? Anyway, her baby, Pop’Africana is the coolest new shit – she’s redefining the mainstream view of Africa & fashion I can’t wait for you to see the rest.

What drew me to Pop’Africana initially was the art, and I continued to be sucked in from there. After hunting down the preview issue & scouring the blog, I saw style – real steez – that was Black, sure, but so much more than that. It is really just beautiful and it’s SOOO nice to see fashion on a color palette that resembles my own.

You can buy the magazine on newsstands in April, but til then check out a sneak peek on the Pop’Africana blog. There’s a more in-depth post on the magazine & Oroma coming soon! Aaand it looks like Oroma & I will be teaming up in the near future! I look forward to what out brains could do combined.

PS – Oroma introduced me to lots of cool stuff on our playdate – check out Baloji the best & most hypnotic new video/music I’ve seen/heard in a while. SO RAD!

Good Times: Jenny Lewis & friends at Largo

Jazzi — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:14:24 +0000

Queen’s Wardrobe dress, Drugstore tights, Aldo shoes

Last night I went to see one of my favorite artists of this generation, Jenny Lewis, along with a group of her closest friends perform at Largo’s benefit for Haiti. The concert’s proceeds went to (Jenny’s charity of choice) Doctors Without Borders and Largo will be holding monthly events to benefit the cause.

This was a music fan’s dream show. Basically, a jam session between friends that you got to watch. It was perhaps the starkest in contrast to Gaga at Nokia, and while I’m a fan of both Gaga & Jenny, Largo is where I’d rather see them any day. There’s a time and a place for large-scale production alcohol infused (and induced) “fun” and then there are shows like Jenny at Largo. A slow-burning fun that won’t give you a hangover.

A polite audience is underrated. The kind where no one whips out out a cell phone – not once, even me! – no cameras, no recording, no talking, no bar fights, no pushing – just sit the fuck down and listen. Some of Jenny’s best friends Azure Ray, Johnathan Rice (also her bf), Morgan Nagler, Becky Stark, and (Rilo’s) Jason Boesel joined her onstage for a song circle, where they passed some red wine, passed some guitars, and all tested out some (very) new songs. There were mistakes, tech problems, mid-song giggle fits, improvisation, stories told, and serious good times. Jason had never performed his own songs before, and rocked it out, Morgan was the cutest and a great songwriter (and it was nice to “meet” her since she’s name dropped in a few Rilo songs), and everything was perfectly imperfect. Something I didn’t get at Gaga. It was honestly like sitting with them in their living room and being let in on all the inside jokes. I’m mildly bummed it wasn’t recorded in some way, because moments like that deserve to be captured outside of my own brain, but I guess it’d be like when you whip out a camera and everyone changes from their beautiful natural smile to that awkward plastic one?

This was really something special.

And if you were here looking for outfit-talk… my grandmother gave me these shoes which she found on one of her many treasure hunting trips to Value Village (half inside joke, but it’s her & my favorite store in Seattle haha). The dress is new, I got it from Queen’s Wardrobe who wins for the BEST online customer service I’ve experienced. Came practically overnight from Korea, in personalized packaging, and the dress even smelled good. I have another dress almost identical to this one from H&M – bought yeeeears ago – that I officially grew out of recently. This is my go-to silhouette, so I’m really happy I found an awesome replacement.

Lady Gaga Killing “It” with Bad Romance!

Jazzi — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:23:22 +0000

It’s just too good not to post. Gaga definitely brings out the haters (pretty sure I lost some twitter followers over her today LOL) but looking solely at this video – no, scratch that ANY of her videos but especially this one – please tell me how you’re still hating!? I started out completely skeptical of everything Gaga, but she has more than won me over with time, and visually (and I like the music too, but see how one would hate it) just hits it out of the park. Unlike some others, her creativity is genuine, not just the product of… being a product?

This a perfect pop video in my book (minus the weird bug eyes, not really into that) and I would totally work for the Haus of Gaga any day haha. I would actually like to DIY the red number at the end and do the Charleston in it all day.

I rarely get this fangirl-y but I LOVE this video. Get it Gaga… killing the Pop game. Also, check out Elizabeth going Gaga too, because she does it better than us all!

Music: Uffie, Pop the Glock video

Jazzi — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:21:18 +0000

Love or hate Uffie – she doesn’t give a fuck. But her playful sound, spirit, and general cuteness make me love her and want to dance around, freestyling in my underwear Cameron Diaz style. Check out her new video for “Pop the Glock” – I love it. And my buddy AJ is in it rocking the Grey Ant status shades I need in my life badly.

Hipster disdain (temporarily) fall back.

www.myspace.com/uffie

First Look: Geronimo by Jenny Reyes Spring 2010

Jazzi — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:56:56 +0000

Above: Ava dress (left) & Berg (right)

Between Rilo Kiley, her solo shows, youtube videos, festivals, music videos, album covers, photoshoots, tv performances, & Troop Beverly Hills, I’ve seen Jenny Lewis look utterly adorable too many times to count. I’d always written off her stage get-ups as something from a secret vintage stockpile I’d never get my hands on, but I’m so happy to say: I was wrong!

Last week, after a long drive up the 405 (jamming to Rilo in traffic, of course), I met the inspiring woman behind said looks (and the new video), talented designer/stylist Jenny Reyes, and her fantastic line Geronimo. Much like Lewis’ music, there is something so distinctly California in Reyes’ clothing that just gets “me” at my core. Plus, she took some time off touring to hone her skills at Rodarte before embarking on her own with Geronimo – so you know she’s got skills.

She’s also amongst the sweetest, most humble people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in this industry. Jenny (Reyes) kindly let me, and now you, preview the Geronimo Fall collection (above). After I recovered from swooning, I pulled my favorites for a recent shoot, where everyone fell in love as I’m sure everyone else will come Fall. I’ll personally be getting the Ava dress (named after her adorable baby niece) & Berg suit (named after lookbook model, and LA darling Ms. Z Berg)…

Shop the Spring collection at geronimocollection.com

(top) Jenny wearing Geronimo, in the “See Fernando” video; (bottom) as the Mulleavy sisters’ date to the 2007 CFDAs. Remember that!?