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Digitally reliving the excitement of Fashion Week, from New York to London, Milan and to France, while remaining static in Ann Arbor, Michigan gives you a taste of fashion just big enough to make you salivate over the newest from Yves Saint Laurent while simultaneously face palming every time you see another Ugg-and- legging-Northface-rocking- Lily Pulitzer-planner using female on campus.  What’s worse, any attempt to ameliorate this disconnect by shopping at retailers such as Forever 21 and H&M only reinforces the idea of mass fashion production and an overall lack of creativity.  Try going to Saks Fifth Avenue or Bloomingdales and you either  pass out from sticker shock because the average price for most remotely unique items are about a gajillion dollars, or you suffer from a serious case of #firstworldproblems because the newest collection hasn’t even his retailers yet.

The Solution? Salvation Army, Spring 2013.

The Salvation Army is a treasure chest of strangely unique but wardrobe defining pieces that can be exclusively yours.  Multi-textural black leather pencil skirts, men’s ethnic garb turned into chicly loose tribal dresses, white wing tip kitten heels, and perfectly broken in jean shorts (jorts?), all on the budget of a few drinks at your local hipster coffee joint, are what make this a haven for the economically conscious style savvy. Yes, you will have to sift through the clothing and it may take time, but the reward of finding something so different from what anyone else can even attempt to buy is empowering.  The selection may not necessarily provide the same results as off-the-runway trends, but the overwhelming amount of extraordinarily strange clothing provides variety so large that it is so easy to incorporate and interpret a trend into what you find at the Salvation Army, at least in terms of color, silhouette, and pattern, while constructing it to be a part of your personal style.

The clothes themselves tell a story other than being pumped directly out a machine, which was programmed to create a very calculated piece of clothing that would satisfy the trendy needs of most consumers. Instead, you are left with a piece of clothing that had a life and a story with whoever donated the item.  Someone may have used that blouse to block the sun while travelling in Egypt, used that coat while they watched their daughter’s first soccer game, or done something really unsettling and dangerous in those shoes. As long as the pieces are washed thoroughly, the dirt and smell will leave, and what’s left is a piece that may have lived a life as long as you.

The elephant stomping around is that the Salvation Army is a strong Christian entity and is notoriously against anything related to homosexuality.  The organization claims to not discriminate anyone it serves, although it will not hire anyone that is homosexual.  It provides a resource to families internationally that are constrained to an extremely low price point, and are inflexible in their budget.   The organization also provides food and shelter for those in need. Although the organization has formally apologized on behalf of Maj. Andrew Craibe of the Salvation Army who stated that homosexuals “deserve to die,” the choice to boycott an organization that also provides great resources to the community is a decision that has to be made on an individual level.  Strong social views against sexual discrimination, such as my own, may be reason enough to not buy into what the Salvation Army does. However it is also important to realize that it’s likely that the values of many organizations may not align with our own. Whether it is in terms of religion or environmental policy, outsourcing jobs or sexual orientation, the likelihood that one’s beliefs are completely in line with an organization’s is rare. In the case of this organization, at least there are strong benefits to the other pillars of charity that they do believe in.

Shopping, or “thrifting” as most trend seeking individuals would call it, at the Salvation Army also provides environmental benefits by decreasing the demand for market-driven fashion trends at the mass retail level.   The clothing is reused and therefore serves a relatively environmentally friendly alternative to shopping at retailers who use new energy to create these products.

The decision to remain loyal to Forever, designer pieces, political views, or the Salvation Army is up to you.  However, the resource to truly unique pieces, and the excitement of finding something so uniquely your own, is unparallel.

Confession Time: There are some movies that I am attracted to and utterly in love with simply for their looks. Their art design. Their sets. Their costumes. Their makeup.

Some films serve as aesthetic eye candy and I love them for it.

And, given my historical preferences towards clothes, architecture, and grandiose color schemes, my favorite films are often period films. And honestly, because some films are so beautiful, I require multiple viewings to actually pay attention to the story, since my mind cannot let go of the beautiful images that waltz their way into my life and weave through my consciousness.

Some films on my list below have little to no character development or story, like Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette where the titular character tries on clothes, parties with her friends, and eats trays and trays of delicious food that looks so opulent and so colorful, it looks as done up and fake as the Queen’s set of friends.

Other films on the list are loaded with story (see: The Importance of Being Earnest). The characters’ emotions are so effusive and weighted that they literally bleed into the character’s surroundings (e.g. in another one of my favorites, Tarsem Singh’s The Fall). However, regardless of their plot lines, the movies that comprise this list are perfect if you are ever in the mood to disengage your mental faculties and fully engage your scrumptious senses.

And honestly, when you have sets and costumes as luscious as these, who needs a story?

WARNING: Some of these films look good enough to eat (case in point: Marie Antoinette).

I often make fun of my action-packed, adrenaline-junkie dad, whose taste in film begins and ends with action movies that have no character development, but lots of pyrotechnic development (and destruction). However, upon further reflection, I realized that I have the exact same feelings towards beautiful films.

Top Five Beautiful Films to Satiate Your Visual Senses

1. Life is Beautiful
   The title makes the beauty of this film pretty self-explanatory. I love the set design of this film because it reminds me of a cobble-stoned Italian city street or a pink and green speckled flower stand that is brimming over with life.  Although the end is not the happiest, the characters are fully realized thanks to excellent art design that reverberates the story’s highs and lows through color.
2. The Importance of Being Earnest
   In the true spirit of its creator, Oscar Wilde (one of my greatest aesthetic inspirations) the art design of this film is like a decadent raspberry cheesecake. Washed in tones of orange, red, and pink, this film captures the trivial, yet beautiful pursuits of the Victorian aesthete.  Including lavender dresses with hydrangea hats, and delicious chocolate colored velvet jackets and
3. Marie Antoinette
   The shoes. The hair. The cupcakes. While there is little to no dialogue throughout the film, there is plenty to gaze and wonder at what a life would be like with no darkness, gravity, or contemplation. The film thrives on light, fluffy pastels that adorn everything from the gleaming wooden floors to the gold-inlaid ceiling.
4. Memoirs of a Geisha
   Based on the novel by Arthur Golden, this film oscillates between heavenly white tones, black swirling night scenes, and blood red romance and vengeance scenes that will sweep you away to the Japanese world of the geisha. Brief flickers of soft candle light also add to the film’s mystique and intriguing visuals.
5. The Duchess
   Granted, any film that has Keira Knightley in it is going to be beautiful, but this film is so breathtaking, you will find yourself reaching for the golden chandeliers and decadent English boxwoods that beckon you from the big screen. Knightley’s wigs alone, adorned with feathers, glitter, and cascading ribbons will almost make you topple over in eye-candy ecstasy.

So there you have it! If you’re craving some cinematic eye candy, look no further!  Although do keep your eyes peeled for an ‘Eye Candy Film List: Part 2’.

Rockin’ cold ass honkies, releasin’ tear-jerking, heart-swelling videos and flat out killin’ it in every way possible, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have been headlining the music world across the globe in the past month. With the release of their debut album The Heist on October 9 and subsequent cross-country tour, the duo has exponentially grew in fame and following. Almost every show of the tour, including those happening in over two months from now is completely sold out. On the day of its release the album reached the number 1 spot on iTunes; this is one hell of a CD.

The team took a number of steps to effectively reach this level of success. First of all, they have been working on this album for years and have had time to perfect it. Two of my favorite songs, (well, they’re all pretty much my favorite) “Wing$” and “Can’t Hold Us” have been out for years. As this is Maclkemore’s first album he was able to use two of his best songs to boost the record. Furthermore, he released the videos for “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love” weeks before October 9, which also helped increase excitement and awareness. The distinction between these two videos proves Macklemore’s cohesive and well-rounded skill set. “Thrift Shop” is amazing because it is a big ball of fur coated fun, hilarity and entertainment, yet is still lyrically brilliant. It’s arguably his most impressive rapping on the entire album and he’s talking about 99 cent gator shoes and broken keyboards. Most importantly, it shows his crew’s swag. Unlike many of his fellow celebrities, Macklemore maintains an incredibly down to earth mentality, proved in part by his style. “Same Love,” however, is amazing in different ways. The quality of video remains on par with all of his previous releases, but adds an entirely new dimension of tenderness and sentimentality. The video follows the life of a gay man, from his birth to his death, including a full celebration of his marriage to another man. “Same Love” is a beautiful proponent of legalizing same-sex marriage and advocating for gay rights. Macklemore drops intelligible, sensible lines throughout the song, for instance, “America the brave, still fear what we don’t know/And God loves all his children it’s somehow forgotten/ But we paraphrase a book written 3,500 hundred years ago.” He goes on to equate the fight for gay rights with the Civil Rights movement, saying until we are all equal there is no freedom.

Each song on the album (except perhaps “Jimmy Lovine”) is quality; this is an extremely deep record. Topics range from Macklemore’s very real struggle with drug addiction and relapse to his feelings of white privilege to, most frequently, his hometown of Seattle, Washington. Macklemore’s affinity for Seattle is representative of his modest attitude and love of the general public. By looking at any of the group’s social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, their blog.. anything) you can immediately tell the two musicians are not interested in fame, fortune or glamor. They believe they are making music for the benefit of their fans, not for the money or compensations. The team plays free concerts for those who couldn’t buy tickets to their main shows, they love meeting people on their tours and interacting with the public. This most likely is due to their pretty recent entrance into stardom; as Macklemore points out in “Victory Lap,” when he first partnered with Lewis they played shows for a total crowd of 8 people. While they have come a long way from those days (Macklemore can now launch himself a good 4 feet in the air into a sea of fans) they still remember how they started. Macklemore is quite literally glad to even be alive. It is this humility, this “music for the sake of music” attitude that separates the band from other Hip Hop artists. The Heist is one of the most impressive releases in the past year, both lyrically and in its production quality. It pairs intelligent, creative lyrics with beats that are simply enjoyable to listen to; no matter what type of music you prefer, I guarantee you can find a song on this album to play on repeat for the next few months. I for one haven’t turned off the entire CD since it came out.

(Find some tissues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0)

I want to talk about one of the most terrifying things that occurred to me in the recent future.

A few weekends ago, my friend and I went to Dlectricity, an outdoor art show featuring electricity. The eclectic exhibits featured sculptures made of light fixtures, laser shows, and flashlight performances. The most memorable one wasn’t the brightest one or the the one that flashed the most but a fairly simple one.

It was called Psychic Effects: A Delicate Balance and it was by Dana Bell. It was a like a department store’s window display, only the background was a video collage of famous horror scenes and the mannequins were expressionless women dancing as if they were in a trance.

It was enchanting and appalling at the same time. They still haunt me, those bizarre dance movements of the women who seemed trapped behind the glass yet liberated at the same time because they seemed to know something that no one in the audience did.

The most memorable part of the exhibit was when in the middle of the odd dance sequence, both the “mannequins” lifted their hand and pointed at the audience. And didn’t lower their hand. I waited. And waited. And waited. But their hand didn’t lower. The crowd started shifting uncomfortably and it wasn’t from the chilly breeze outside. Their fingers were pointing vaguely toward at us and the only movement was their hand gliding so that the finger pointed at everyone. It was accusatory and accused of all the sins we had committed and waited for us to crumple up with guilt. And the crowd was now a unified body eager to defend itself against this wordless, indeterminate allegation.

And I waited. For those women, with their terrifying lack of disappointment, frustration, anger, or any expression whatsoever on their face, to lower their finger. I wanted to plead with them, tell them that I had done nothing wrong and it was unfair of them to point their finger at me when I was innocent of whatever they were accusing me of. Nothing. They kept pointing. The void of expression now seemed cruel. I was on an open street but couldn’t move. It seemed that their fingers and blank gazes were holding me and would not release me until I gave them something.

And finally, after what seemed to be eternity, they lowered their fingers and continued with their outlandish choreography. I released the breath that I did not realize I was holding in. I refocused on the sidewalk I was on, in the city I was in, and the people I was next to. I still do not know what occurred at that moment but I understand that it was something gripping and evocative and paralyzing.

As I looked around the crowd, I noticed I had not been the only one holding my breath in.