Style wars: attack of the clones

Heavens to Betsy, there are so many skinny jeans, high tops and faux hawks here in Vegas for Magic I'm scared that if someone went missing -- myself included -- it would take weeks to locate him.

Oh well. A look is a look, and the folks here have them in spades. The fact of the matter is that slim trousers with high tops is the look preferred by the indie/hipster/intelligent hip hop/skater crowd now, so it's no surprise everyone's rocking it. Also, cardigans. It is very chic right now to wear a cardigan (slim, natch) with a slim jean in dark denim -- maybe with a tie or bow tie -- and then either some cool high tops or some wing tips. Big, baggy jeans are way played out; I really don't even see anyone here wearing them and nobody is definitely selling them. I see 14,000 mohawk variations, which was disturbing because I more or less have the same look. Again, oh well. Barbers from that MTV show barber show set in Queens (don't ask me the name) were giving out free haircuts yesterday and you can be sure I popped right into the chair and got my hair freshened up...as three other dudes with the same style walked by. Yikes. But what can you do? At least it's still originial in VA. Look for our video recapping all the trends soon. Trust - you won't want to miss it.

Oh, Vegas. We are actually starting to dig this place just a little, but don't tell anyone. Tuesday we were shuttling back and forth from the Venetian hotel, where another trade show, Project, is going on. We fancy that show much better. It's a big calmer. The designers are more fashiony, as opposed to the Roca-Apple Bottom-Baby-Phat ilk at Magic. At Project we saw Triple 5 Soul, Rock & Republic, Lacoste and Shmack's shoe line, which had created a small furor. Dude was placing so many orders at his table, the leg came undone. We also saw this sick, sick brand called Public School, which, as it turns out, was started by a guy we knew back in NYC who once upon a time was a creative force at Sean John. He's now doing these beautiful architectual garments like hoodies in leather, white shirts with a leather skinny tie sewn on, dope shrunken wool coats with epiliets; we died and were reborn when we saw a wool cardigan with a leather front and rows of metal, punk-rock style rivets all over. It's very rock star, grown up. Actually, Brock Frederick from Cream (in Military Circle) placed a nice order with this brand, so you'll actually see these clothes in Hampton Roads soon. Look for a story about how he chooses what he'll put in his stores soon...

The Venetian is nice. One thing about Vegas, the decors are really breathtaking. Looking at 70-foot fountains at Venetian, the scluptures of thousands of flowers at Bellagio and the massive colums at Ceasar's Palace, you can't help but be impressed. Sure it's a bit vulgar, but Vegas is about art, consumerism, and dare we say it, spirituality. Because when you look at these hotels the size of small cities, you realize how tiny you are in the world; you feel like you're looking at one of the Seven Wonders or something. And with the natural, gorgeous mountains created by something bigger than all of this right behind them, you feel that contrast between man and nature...it's very Ayn Rand.

Yesterday at Project we saw Lil Jon, producer Dallas Austin, rapper Cassidy. We saw the guys from Beecroft & Bull (the Beecrofts, to be specific) and we saw one of the owners from Sole Brother in Norfolk. We also sat in front of rapper Vinnie, from Naughty By Nature, on a shuttle. Rather than say who we were and what we were doing, we felt it would be more fun to eavesdrop as he talked to his friends. (Plus, we were tired and I'm not sure anything he's doing would have been worth me writing down.) Apparently he's working on some kind of line, but is clearly having trouble getting something. He's trying to get Keyshia Cole for a photo shoot and hoping Queen Latifah (who I think signed NBN back in the day) can help.

The symphony of crickets is playing Bach right now...

We are getting long in the tooth. All this walking and such is killing us, and the crash from all the caffiene is brutal. We hit it way too hard at the Samantha Ronson event Tuesday -- the one with the open bar and lobster burgers and goat cheese waffle cone thingys -- and spent Wednesday HURTING. Hence the caffiene. So we didn't go to the many parties last night -- Justin Timberlake's line William Rast had one, and there was one at Playboy, and one at Planet Hollywood, etc. Plus, the wind was blowing really, really hard -- so much that there was talk that the airport closed, and we saw billboards actually coming apart. So, right after dinner at the buzzed about Dos Caminos, we hit the sack, like the old fart we are. Today, Thursday, is a big day.

We're hanging out with students from ODU, and making more video. There is the Triple 5 Soul party tonight, but more importatnly, we have dinner reservations at NOBU, one of the best sushi restaurants in the world. After that, we're going to see Cirque de Soleil's "O" the underwater show everyone says is amazing. Man, aren't we getting old? Anytime you're more excited about dinner and a show than a big party (featuring Diplo, the guy who produces M.I.A!) something is really wrong. Then again, we never really were one for doing everything everybody else does....

Happy Valentines Day. Good luck.

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