What the Hipsters Are Up To

Alert:  Regular column Trend Alert has recently changed it's name (see above).  I'm feeling like it's more appropriate.  Show of hands? The trend to which I'm alerting you today has thus far only shown itself a couple of times and I thus have little evidence of it's existence.  However, I'm confident that, come Christmas, every Etsy dealer worth their weight in screen printed tote bags will have a variation on this theme:

Handmade & painted axes by Best Made Co

OK, these axes are beautifully crafted and the color stripes are a lovely touch, but I can't help but have like, 472 eye rolls.  I mean, really, who among you needs a $220 axe that you really can't justify using?  Please do not leave a comment about art, and that $220 is cheap-ola for art.  Yes, I get that too, I really really get it.  But I would rather take a $36 home depot axe to the head than fall prey to this hipster crap trap.

Striped arrows by Fredericks and Mae

Yes, it's all pretty, but for some reason it's just annoying.  Happy Weekend, the end.

Trend War Survivor: Bullets & Shotgun Shells

I am completely obsessed with following trends.  It's an odd characteristic considering that my wardrobe is about as dull as it gets (hello jeans and a black t-shirt) and I would have had the same hairstyle since I was 20 if my hairdresser didn't force her scissors and color upon me.  But, nonetheless, I love me some trend-spotting. I treat the act of predicting next season's color as though it were a sport and I'm always on the lookout for the animal du jour (you know the hipsters always have an animal, they're just now getting over bears, fyi).  What I find most fascinating about trends is their evolution:  from the '04 hipster adoration of sweet little deer to the '06 demand for taxidermy; the leap from skulls etched on everything, to the less predictable pirate craze.  Most recently I've noticed a trend that has risen from the ashes of another well on it's way out:  bullets and shells have evolved from the gun trend that has been set on, ahem, overkill, for a while.

Long-time friend Alex Reh, sorry, Alexander, left all of us Austinites for Industrial Design School in the Big Apple several years ago.  Apparently all those tuition fees were good for something because our native Texan walked out the doors of Pratt with this quaint shotgun shell chair in his portfolio.

Each Chair is made from 388 once-fired shotgun shells (I'm pretty sure he does this himself when he comes home to his ranch in Texas).  The Steel frame is gun-blued by hand, honestly, this finish almost rivals gold in my book, almost.

The buyer may choose from any of the bullet options above to work seamlessly with their decor.  All this customization can't be cheap and Alex promises me that I can't afford one.  And I thought we were friends.

I've been in love with his chair for a while and have been trying to coordinate an interview but apparently he's working on new things and wanted to wait until they were done.  I was Patient-Pam for a few months but then I started seeing bullets and gun shells pop up everywhere and I knew I needed to do this post before the trend passed me by.

Sorry, Alex, I promise a follow up on your new goods whenever you're ready.  

So, last week I was at a party during SXSW and caught the cute lady on the left wearing a bullet bolo tie, she was kind enough to let me snap a picture and mentioned that she found it on Etsy.  I managed to track down the artist, awelldressedbullet

At THE VERY SAME PARTY, I also spotted another gal with a bullet necklace, I forgot to snap her picture but I did grab her card.  Turns out, she's the artist behind Unearthen, a lovely jewelry site with lots and LOTS of bullets.

I knew that the bullet thing was about to go all trend crazy and I had to move forward without Alex's blessing.  I scoured the internet and found all of these bullet goodies:

Bullet Bracelet by Astali.  Man I love things in clusters.

Left: 22 Shell Necklace by etsy user oliveselkie; Right: Bullet, Padlock & Pearl Necklace by Etsy user sebastianjaramillo

Etsy continued to turn up the bullet charm with these finds as well:

Clockwise from top Left: Brass Bullet Belt Buckle by badassbeltbuckles; Mini Shotgun Shell belt buckle, also by badassbeltbuckles; Bottom Row: Shotgun Wedding Lights by awelldressedbullet

And, finally, rounding up the fashion portion of our program are these 2 t-shirts:

Lipstick Bullet, Left and Safety in Numbers, Right

Before you get all scared that this has become a fashion blog (remember I opened with a chair!) let me show you the few home goods I managed to dig up:

Clockwise from Top Left: Bullet Cocktail Shaker available at Amazon; Shotgun Canister at (wait for it) GREAT BIG STUFF (I'm so sifting through everything on this site after I write this post); Bullet Ice Cube Tray and the Bullets it produces along the bottom row.

This Bullet Vase by Robert Langhorn was easily the prettiest home decor item that I found, consider it the Y2K9 version of the gun vase

If you're looking for something slightly less charming to cover your house with, might I suggest this:

Bullet Tape!  Who doesn't want Bullet Tape?  It's just so practical.

Speaking of practical:

Bullet ipod touch skin available here.  Does anyone even own the ipod touch?

And finally, if you hated todays post and want to send me a nasty letter, don't send an email, do it the old fashioned way, using these:

Bullet Pens

Letters of praise are accepted as well, however, we encourage you to use the comments section for anything of a positive nature for speedy response.

agrarian chic

The latest issue of Vogue Living Australia proclaimed that  "farmers will become the new elite."  My knee jerk reaction was adverse, which is a sure fire sign that a trend is-a-comin (oh, yes, all you Wearstler Bravura Modernism haters, mark my words, you will love it soon enough).  I also just think that I didn't like the word elite.  Not to sound like a jerk. Once I thought about it, I realized, that, yes, of course!  Farming and all things rural are about to be SO HOT.   Here's my list of why it's about to rule with an intermittent slideshow.  Enjoy:

1.  I hate the thought of it.  A trend is never born from something you live indifferent to for years then suddenly MUST HAVE ALL THE TIME.  No, a trend is generally something that you've hated for a while but are suddenly able to see in a new light.  One extreme begets another.

(scanned from vogue living australia)

2.  We've been chasing around all things tribal and ethnic for the last 4 years, as much as I hate to see this day come, it just may be time to move on.  We need the exact opposite (another trend pre-req) you can't get further away from tribal beading then with a good old fashioned milk-maid icon.

Farm, by Studio Job

3.  Part of what we loved about the tribal / ethnic thing was the handmade nature of the trend, with the economy in shambles, the environment going to hell in a hand-basket and an increased awareness of our food's history, the idea of sourcing your own food / clothing / furniture is only going to become more desirable.  Voila: farming is la perfect next big thing.  

City Farm by Etsy user Soop

4. One word:  Grunge.  You know it, I know it, we all knew it 15 years ago.  Grunge has died, Grunge has risen, Grunge will come again.  Those plaids will fall in line with the whole farm thing all too well.  And you know what the grunge kids love?  matching.

various designers from NY fashion week fall '08

5.  No one can afford to travel anymore, we need to make staying home and driving biking through the countryside look cool, or, even better: ironic.

Indigo Farm Pop Up Shop at Fred Segal Man in Santa Monica

6.  I really can't wait to see an over-reaching hipster in overalls.  

tattooed pig at Artfarm

7.  Do you see how many of these companies even use farm in their name or for their line?  I guess everyone is sick of studio and salon.  I'm down with that.  

The Farm Life Display by Veuve Cliequot at Maison et Objet

8.  All these dang flags that keep popping up everywhere are just adding fuel to the barn fire:

Paul Costello Photography

9.  Do you see how smug and excited people get when they've brought their own bags to the grocery store and they spot some looser with plastic?  Now, imagine that person gets to shop green at EVERY KIND OF STORE.  Green is here to stay.  

(don't get me wrong, I think it's a good thing, but I can live without the condescension)

Now, every trend has it's limits and I'm certainly not suggesting that we run buck wild through the pastures buying up every wooden goose in a bonnet we can get our hands on.  May God strike me down if I ever so much as contemplate a country kitchen motif.  Alls I'm sayin is, you may want to buy a flannel and toss a couple of milk jugs up on your window sill.