Weekend Reading: February 8, 2019
- Words Grailed Team
- Date February 8, 2019
"Weekend Reading" is a weekly rundown of our favorite stories from around the web.
Is there a story worth scoping out that we missed? Discuss this past week's headlines, and share your favorite stories from the week that was in our comments section below.
21 Savage and the False Promise of Black Citizenship
"In an interview for a 2016 Fader cover story, the rapper 21 Savage offered a rare glimpse into one of his most deeply held inspirations. The artist born She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, who gained notoriety for his deadpan delivery of eerie tales said to be culled from his experiences with poverty and gang life in Atlanta, spoke about his longtime practice of Ifa. The West African religion is common in many Caribbean countries and Afro-diasporic communities in the United States, and he’d briefly referenced its role in his life earlier that year, during an interview with The Breakfast Club, the syndicated radio show. But here the rapper described a holistic reason Ifa appealed to him: “I’m African American. I’d rather follow an African religion,” he told The Fader before describing its tenets. 'That’s my heritage.'"
via: The Atlantic
King Kerby: Inside the World of Pyer Moss
"On September 8, 2018, Pyer Moss took over the fashion world. People flocked—in the rain!—to Weeksville Heritage Center, one of the 19th century’s first free black communities, in Crown Heights, which is a long way from even the more far-flung shows in New York’s increasingly decentralized Fashion Week. When particularly strong looks came down the run-way—a FUBU gown, a dress that rendered a painting by artist Derrick Adams in 200,000 Swarovski crystals, a boxy T-shirt that read, “Stop calling 911 on the culture”—people actually clapped and shouted approval. The rapper Sheck Wes walked in the show in a pale pink tuxedo. A choir stood in front of a row of houses and, in white robes, sang gospel arrangements of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway’s 'Be Real Black for Me' and Fast Life Yungstaz’s 'Swag Surfin.' The audience gave the show, and Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, a standing ovation. For this magazine’s website, I wrote that 'Pyer Moss Deserves All Your Attention, Love, Money, and Brainpower.' The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Cathy Horyn all wrote glowing reviews."
via: Garage
On Tour with Vince Staples, Who’s Still Getting Used to the Whole Celebrity Thing
"Vince Staples is back in the office. The Long Beach rapper’s “Smile, You’re On Camera” tour kicked off on Friday night in Arizona, and over the next two months Staples will bring his indomitable flow to clubs and theaters across the country. Though already one of the most popular artists of his generation, the 25-year-old has always shrugged off the narratives imposed on him by a worshipful pop culture apparatus; Staples has long insisted that he’s just a regular guy, doing a job. But his humble interpretation can’t quite cover up the sheer force of personality he brings to everything he does—not least his carefully produced, exceptionally confident live shows."
via: GQ
This Is What to Expect from Sneakers in 2019
"2018 was filled with a plethora of retros, new silhouettes, collaborations and many releases-turned DIY projects in the footwear industry—Virgil Abloh continued his collaborative dominance with Nike; adidas breathed new life into its nostalgic catalogue and kept Kanye West’s 'everyone will get YEEZYs' promise alive; we also saw PUMA re-enter the basketball market and snag DeMarcus Cousins from the Swoosh. Even luxury fashion houses sprinkled some streetwear into their own offerings—seemingly obsessed with the bulky sneaker craze—as Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace and others have contributed their own footwear offerings. In addition, hiking footwear saw a purpose outside of adventurous trails and made their way onto runways."
via: Hypebeast
Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren Serve Comfort Food, of a Sort
"You’ve got to hand it to Tom Ford: He knows how to spin familiarity. That sharp ruby velvet jacket on his fall 2019 runway — the one that, for those who remembered, acted like a rip in the space-time continuum, sending them right back to the ruby velvet Gucci suit Gwyneth Paltrow wore to the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards? Those unbuttoned silk shirts in Charles James tones that were like (Hello!) Madonna in a blue satin Gucci shirt at the 1995 VMAs? Those slinky jersey gowns with asymmetric necklines and peekaboo backs, the sides held together by draped chains, that seemed so much like the white jersey gown with gold hardware that Georgina Grenville made famous in a 1996 Gucci ad?"
via: The New York Times
Eckhaus Latta's World is the One we Want to Live In
"This season Eckhaus Latta presented a collection that felt both polished and homespun, which brilliantly showed how their aesthetic, and skill set, has matured. The opening look, Jane Mosely in a shearling coat and loose, pinstripe pants, encapsulated this perfectly, demonstrating their love of tailoring and experimenting with new materials. 'They’re never thematic, they just kind of evolve from one season to the next,' said Mike Eckhaus after the show. 'I think this season we just really wanted to push ourselves with silhouette and textiles, and really focus on what those two things mean to us. Zoe was talking about going back to our roots… Now we feel confident in making clothing, and have a really strong team around it, how can we push forward?'"
via: i-D
The Scruffy, Stylish Love Of Jesse Rutherford And Devon Carlson
"Jesse Rutherford dressed like a rock star way before he actually became one. “I shopped at Hot Topic when I was really, really young,” admits the frontman of the L.A. band the Neighbourhood. 'Like, inappropriately young.' Got-sent-home-from-school-for-wearing-a-fishnet-shirt young. (Really.) And since he grew up in Thousand Oaks, a Southern California exurb he calls the 'Middle America of California,' he spent a lot of time scouring the racks at the local mall."
via: GQ
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Moncler Coat Has Fast Become a Stealth Status Symbol
"Last year, Valentino’s head designer Pierpaolo Piccioli debuted a personal collaboration with Moncler, joining other global talents including Britain’s Simone Rocha and Craig Green for the luxe outwear brand's “Genius” collection. For his part, Piccioli put forward a whimsical take on Moncler’s signature puffer coats with a series of dramatic, floor-length styles. And it was genius, indeed: his rainbow assortment of ground-kissing outerwear proved to be a refreshing update to a classic winter staple. It didn’t take long for Piccioli’s statement styles to end up on some fashion-minded celebrities. Notably, Ezra Miller shut down the Fantastic Beasts red carpet back in November, where he totally committed to Piccioli’s long, black Moncler puffer by wearing it with the hood up, and with matching black lipstick to boot. (It was a lewk.) Now, it’s Naomi Campbell’s turn—and she’s doing it the supermodel way."
via: VogueWorld
Manolo Blahnik on His New Men’s Shoe Collection
"'Every second, I am looking for one thing: beauty and happiness,' says Manolo Blahnik. 'Okay—two things!' Since opening his first shop in London’s Chelsea neighborhood in 1970, the designer’s business has grown into a global brand with more than 300 points of sale worldwide, four women’s collections per year and a fervent fan base. And while women have been the primary beneficiaries, lining up for shoes and personal appearances from Blahnik, his label is now expanding to include shoes for men."
Blackface is White Supremacy as Fashion—and it’s Always Been in Season
"Blackface is in the news. But then, blackface always seems to be in the news. As long as there are costume party revelers, thickheaded college students, button-pushing artists, free-associating designers and plain old unrepentant racists, there will be blackface. The blackface currently in question is, most notably, that of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and the state’s attorney general, Mark R. Herring (D). They have admitted to dressing up like African American performers they admired—the former as Michael Jackson and the latter as Kurtis Blow—and darkening their face for effect. They didn’t do this as elementary schoolchildren with a tenuous grasp on American history but as young adults at least moderately informed of it."
via: The Washington Post