UO Blog

From Los Angeles

05/21/13 03:41PM

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Books of Love' "Space Time"

Books of Love is a cute duo that's a side project of La Sera's Katy Goodman and The Hush Sound's Greta Morgan. This hazy, perfect pop song "Space Time" is bound to be your theme song for the coming summer months. I can't wait to hear more from them! —Hazel


 

From Elsewhere


05/21/13 01:28PM

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Comedy Couture: Rita Leeds

Even though Rita Leeds came along a bit later in the plot of Arrested Development, she's a very important character indeed. Rita is Michael Bluth's rather childish (or spy-ish) girlfriend in the third season of the show, and also happens to live in "Wee Britain." Rita's outfits always reflect her silliness—as they should! Most importantly, she always wears a hat. Maybe for better spying on the Bluth's activites? Time for you to try Rita's five-year-old meets thirty-year-old look. —Maddie







Get the look:


Deena & Ozzy Ears Bowler Hat
Step one: have an utterly adorable hat that might be able to hide a spy camera inside. I think she'd like this one. I mean, cat ears!


UNIF Cake Sweater
Rita wears lots of colors, and I'm sure this rainbow cable knit would fit right in with her many other crocheted wares.


Kimchi Blue Printed High-Rise Pinup Pant
Polka dot trousers to perfectly mismatch the rest of her outfit.


UO Heartbreaker Sunglasses
It's impossible to forget those heart-shaped sunglasses she always wears!


Wild At Heart Necklace
An adorable bunny necklace, just to top it all off.

From Elsewhere


(via Buzzfeed)

05/21/13 01:22PM

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Arrested Development Sets

Several pictures of the sets from Arrested Development Season 4 have been released, and they provide a little bit of information about what we're going to see in season 4, but mostly they just add to the mystery. The above apartment is apparently in Spain? And there are multiple sets for a character named Rebel!? The suspense is killing me! To see the rest of the sets and the explanations behind them, head over to Buzzfeed. At least we don't have much longer to wait at this point. 5 days! —Katie

From Minneapolis

05/21/13 11:57AM

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"My Bike" by Y.N. RichKids

Y.N.RichKids recently dropped a video for their song "My Bike" and they kinda kill it. You might remember their previous single Hot Cheetos & Takis that made a lot of noise for them last summer. Well, they've stepped up their rap game for this track and it shows! —Lorin

From Elsewhere


05/21/13 11:44AM

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Della x UO Interview: "Nii" Addotey

Selorm "Nii" Addotey, co-founder of Della, recently took the time to tell us what it's like to have the business located on his front lawn—and his dream superpower, of course.



Hi Nii! What is your role at Della?
I’m the co-founder, and I basically run everything on the Ghana side of Della. I check in on the ladies to make sure the production schedule is running smoothly. I fix machines when they break. Some days I cut fabric for the upcoming projects. Now that Rachael is here and we have more help, I don’t do much of the administrative stuff.

How did you get involved with Della?
I’ve been involved from the start. I met Tina [other co-founder] at a drinking bar in Hohoe four days before she was leaving back home, and we became fast friends. She had some bags made from a seamstress in town and told me she wanted to see how they would do in America. I knew the Ghanaian culture and everything she needed to keep it going, so I helped out from here. I have worked with Della ever since.

Since you’ve been with Della since the beginning, how have you seen it grow?
It started with me, Tina and one seamstress. We didn’t even own sewing machines. Now, we have a facility full of sewing machines and more than 18 employees. We are giving members of the community regular income, which is great. I never expected it to grow like this. For the fact that we’ve been in business for almost three years now, I think we are doing well. If we have done these last three years, we can do another three and then another. There is a bright future here.

What made you interested in the mission of Della?
Tina and I built a friendship before we built a business partnership. I liked Tina and her vision, so I wanted to make her ideas work. I see myself as an entrepreneur, and I like helping businesses grow.

What do you and your friends do when you hang out?
As entrepreneurs, we think about the future and ideas. I have a large porch, so my friends and I often sit through the night, listen to music and talk. Sometimes we talk politics or music. I also like going to the beach when I get the chance.



What kind of music do you listen to?
Reggae. I only listen to Reggae and Craig David, a British singer. My roommate played him all the time at polytechnic, so I started to like him.

What’s it like having Della in your front yard?
I had the intention of running my porridge company in the rooms next to my house, but those plans changed when we started Della. I was planning on using it for a business anyways, so it’s not too bad. I am always on call. Even when I am sleeping, I am only a few feet away from the work.

Do you and the ladies hang out together?
We had a Della party at Obama Gardens when we launched our line with Apple. We were the first to supply cases to Apple from Sub-Sahara Africa, so we had a lot to celebrate. I drank and danced with the ladies. We got cake. After working hard for weeks on the order, we were able to hang out as friends and celebrate together.

Three words to describe yourself.
Brave. Serious. Brilliant.

Where do you see Della in five years?
In three years, we are already international. So that means in five years, the sky is the limit. I’d like a new production center with more workers. We could maybe have more than 100 workers. I’d like to have a vocational school with accreditation, so we can not only employ already certified seamstresses, but give interested people training and then give them employment. I don’t know what the future holds, but it is exciting.



If you were an animal, what would you be?
A lion, king of the forest!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
It would be cool if I could snap my fingers and marijuana would appear any time I wanted. And it could disappear, too.

Do you have any secret skills?
I cook. I don’t do it often, but when I do, it’s good. I’m good at every local food, especially ground nut soup.

What do you want people know about Ghana?
In Africa, Ghana is a gateway to Africa. Since history, Ghana has set the pace as a leader and peaceful country to live in.

Shop Della x UO

From Elsewhere

05/21/13 10:30AM

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Maya Fuhr: Garbage Girls

Garbage Girls, a photo series shot for Vice by photographer Maya Fuhr, is a project that focuses on girls in their really, really, really messy rooms. Each girl featured has an accompanying interview that discusses how their rooms got to their current states, but it might be nicer to imagine that some of these messes are planted. In any case, the resulting photographs are pretty awesome. —Katie










From Philadelphia

05/20/13 03:16PM

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DIY: NPW Nailwraps

These NPW nail wraps are super easy to use, and that's coming from someone who is mostly a disaster whirlwind when it comes to anything that is vaguely related to "doing" beauty. If you don't have the time to paint beautiful (but hard) flowers all over your nails, look no further than these flowery nail wraps. I'll even break down the (super easy) steps for you. —Katie


NPW Nail Wraps

Nail DIY:


(Even my sweaty hands couldn't mess this up.)

Step one: Peel off nail decal
These decals are not super flimsy and are easy to pull off the paper, so you'll have to try pretty hard to fuck them up. (Just make sure you don't go getting your grubby hands all over the sticker part, because then they won't stick as well, obviously.)

Step two: Put it on your nail
These Nailwraps have good adhesive on them, which is a must for nail decals. (After messing around with several brands of decals, we realized how important getting the right amount of "sticky" is.) The good thing with these is that you can readjust if you mess up the placement the first time, and they still go on smoothly.


(See? So easy!)

Step three: File off excess
Unless you have beautiful talons (I have stumpy baby nails :c), you will have some excess nail decal hanging off your nail. Sand it off. You don't have to go nuts with it; the file will take the decal off smoothly, and it's better to just gently rub, so as not to get a jagged line.

Step four: Topcoat, y'all
You don't need a topcoat with these since they're a durable vinyl, but it certainly won't hurt. In case your topcoat is buried in a gigantic tub of cosmetics and you can't be bothered, your nails will still hold up on their own, but a topcoat will make them last a good deal longer.


(My nailbeds suck.)

Step five: Admire
Honestly, this entire process took me about 10 minutes, and my friends were complimenting my nails all weekend long. It made me feel like a nail wizard. You'll definitely want to do some gratuitous Instagramming. Trust.

From Elsewhere


(via Vulture)

05/20/13 01:16PM

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What If Spock Were A Stand-Up Comedian?

Boy, I'm super sad I didn't think of this, but Vulture put up this awesome post with the kind of jokes Spock would tell if he were a stand-up comedian. They are so not funny that they're actually hilarious. Read some below, and then click here to read the rest. Vulture is the best. —Katie


Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
I am Spock, first commander of the USS Enterprise.
Spock, who?
I have just informed you of that information and it appears you have heard me, as you have repeated my name. I would like to enter this door now.

A rabbi, priest, and a minister walk into a bar …
They each have three to four drinks, as that is the average for human males.

It was hot today.
How hot was it!?
So hot that the onboard temperature gauge read 35 degrees Celsius.

From Elsewhere


05/20/13 11:16AM

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Bazaaaaar Pop-Up: Photoshoot

It's the last week to shop BAZAAAAAAR, our zamrock inspired L.A. and NYC based pop-ups that have limited-edition and custom made apparel, housewares and art. The L.A. BAZAAAAAAR closes on Monday, May 27 and NYC closes on June 2, so if there's something you've got your eye on, you'll want to get out there soon! All outfits in these photos were shot with clothing and accessories from the pop-up, including brands Osei Duro, Fashion Rising, Bombe Surprise, Makono, Tallow, African Lookbook, and a dress from our very own Marissa Maximo. These pieces are available only in our pop-up shops, so you don't want to miss this!



















Photography: Stella Berkofsky 
Make-up: Amy Strozzi 
Models: Maddie and Kendall at L.A. models

From Elsewhere


05/20/13 10:29AM

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Album Review: Ducktails

Ducktails is Matt Mondanile's rather groovy side project (you might know him from Real Estate)—it's grown from a one man job to a full fledged band for this most recent release, The Flower Lane, on Domino Records. The Flower Lane mixes tons of different sounds that I guarantee you'll want to hear this summer when you're cruisin' to the beach in your convertible—or sitting at home with the air conditioning on. —Maddie



Packaging:
The Flower Lane comes in your standard LP sleeve, with some pretty cool checkerboard album artwork. Getting some real optical illusion-y vibes from it. Aside from the cover, there's an awesome inner sleeve that holds the actual record, and lists all of the people Matt collaborated with on the album in a faux-newspaper sorta way. On the back of the inner sleeve are all of the lyrics, because you're probably not going to be able to refrain singing along to the entire album.

Best song:
The song that most stands out to me on this album is "Assistant Director," (track 6) because it's just a nonstop jam. It really makes me want to have a disco dance party—I'm not joking. Another good one is "Planet Phrom" (track 5). This song is a little slower, and less dance-y (all while Matt sings hilarious lyrics about another planet), but you'll have to listen to find out!



What it's good for:
Basically this album is great for all those times you're just chillin' by the pool with your pals, but you still want the option to have a dance party somewhere in there. It's also good for when it's summer and 500 degrees outside and you need an album to cool you off. Matt Mondanile's sweet riffs will no doubt do that to you.

Shop Ducktails' The Flower Lane


From Elsewhere

05/20/13 09:33AM

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Gabi Fresh x S4A

Gabi Gregg, AKA fashion blogger Gabi Fresh, helped develop a 5-piece capsule collection for swimsuitsforall.com and it's now available to order online! The suits range from sizes 10-24, and are all made in amazing neons and prints (like SPACE PRINT). Plus, how can you not love her Spring Breakers references in the pics? —Katie





From San Francisco

05/17/13 04:11PM

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Nail Art with Floss Gloss: Round One

Floss Gloss has an incredibly fun palate of colors to choose from. With their bright colors and pretty packaging, we had a feeling the women behind the brand, Janine and Aretha, could teach us a thing or two about nail art... and we were right. Using inspiration from the Bazaaaaar Pop-Ups in L.A. and NYC, and products from our site, the duo has created three unique and easy-to-follow tutorials to get your nails on-trend just in time for summer. Here, Janine takes us through Round One, and it has us dying to see what they have in store for next week!

Your guides Janine (left) and Aretha (right).

Janine: "I was inspired this week by the Sparkle and Fade Cut Out Romper. 


I love the triangles and the variety of the print with only the simple triangle shape. This design is fairly easy and can be done just on one nail, two or all ten! Play with different color stripers or do the design on naked nails with a colored tip for a lace effect.



The Polish:
I used Floss Gloss Ltd Pro Nail Lacquer in Bassline for the base coat, Bikini Coral, Neon Nacho, Perf, Fastlane for the color scheme, and topped it off with Gloss for the top coat. All Floss Gloss Ltd lacquers are available online at Urban Outfitters. I used a nail art striper in white for the design.






The Steps:
Always base coat! Using a base coat will help make the longevity of your manicure longer and protect your nails from any staining from highly pigmented lacquers etc. This design can be modified for ability level by simply not doing step seven. Get playful! Try just one triangle on each side of the center front line or two center front lines! The possibilities are endless and because African Prints are so organic, the lines do not have to be perfect."


Step One:

Step Two:

Janine getting into the zone! (And showing off her crazy cool nail station)

Step Three:

Step Four:

Step Five:

Step Six:

Step Seven: Add the Gloss and...
Ta-da! Janine shows off her amazing work.


Already getting ready for next week? Stay tuned to find out!

Shop Floss Gloss and make sure to check back next week for Round Two!

Follow the girls on Facebook and Twitter at @FlossGloss 

From Elsewhere

05/17/13 01:30PM

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Della x UO Interview: Esenam Nyahe

Esenam was one of Della's first employees, and over the last three years has worked her way up to head seamstress. She lets us know what it's really like working with the other women on the Della team (hint: lots of fun).



Where did you work before Della?
I was a nanny. I loved the kids, but I wanted to start working as a seamstress, so I started looking and found Della when a friend told me about them. Della is my first actual sewing job, and I really enjoy it.

What is your role now?
I was one of the first to be at Della, so I am a leader. My teammates come to me when they need jobs to do and I assign them different tasks, like sewing parts of a bag or cutting more fabric.

What’s it like working with the other women on the team? Are you all close?
It’s cool. Everybody is friendly! We laugh and talk to each other a lot. We laugh when someone makes a mistake. When we were doing the moto jackets, someone sewed the sleeve upside down so the armpit was facing the wrong way. We laughed and teased her about it. We always laugh. Everybody is close.

Do you have any secret talents, or is there anything in particular you do to make people laugh?
Acting! I love it. I like to fool around and have fun. Once I was acting in a scene where I had a sick daughter and the husband couldn’t afford the hospital bills. I had to act really, really mad. It was fun because I didn’t know I could act to that extent.

What kind of music do you listen to?
Hip-hop. I like 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Rhianna and Beyonce. My siblings usually bring new music to our house, so I am always discovering new music from them.



What is a traditional Ghanaian style of dress?
We like to wear traditional clothing called a slit and kabba to church. The slit is a floor length skirt and the kabba is a top made in a matching fabric. You don’t buy slit and kabba in the store; they are custom-made for each person. I have so many of them I can’t count! On normal days, I prefer to wear simple clothes, like jeans and a t-shirt.

What’s a normal, jeans-and-a-t-shirt day like for you in Hohoe?
I like to stay in the house. I watch movies a lot! I can spend the whole day watching movies! I like American movies and television, like The Vampire Diaries and Twilight, but I don’t let my children watch those with me. We watch cartoons together, like Barbie.

The Vampire Diaries is definitely worth watching all day. What are your children like?
When I was seven months pregnant, my sister unexpectedly passed away during her son’s birth. With the help of my mother, we adopted him. Chris, my son, and Na, my daughter, are now five. My mom stays at the house watching the kids while I’m at work. As a single mother in Ghana, it is very difficult. You get judged. If you have a child out of wedlock, people talk about you. I don’t care what people think. We are a happy and healthy family, and that is all that matters.

Totally agree. Aside from providing for your family, what are your goals for the future?
I want to open an orphanage. When I see children on the streets every day, I feel bad for them. They are in the hot sun and have to sell things just to get by. There are so many orphanages that say they are first class, but they are not. Everyone has to share things from toys to even beds. Some babies even sleep in chairs. I want every child to be comfortable. I want them to have time for their books so that they can prepare for their future. I don’t want them to feel that if their parents were alive, things would be different.

Shop Della x UO



From Elsewhere

05/17/13 12:00PM

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Arrested Development Superfan Quiz

Oh shit, Vulture made an Arrested Development superfan quiz! You should absolutely spend the next 10 minutes of your life taking this thing. I am, and apparently I'm a terrible AD fan because this shit is super hard and I'm failing it as hard as I fail chemistry tests. See how well you can do! —Katie

From Elsewhere

05/17/13 11:51AM

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Diplo Reviews Daft Punk

Diplo reviewed Random Access Memories and... well, I don't know. Did he like it? Did he not like it? I DON'T KNOW HOW HE FEELS! That talking steel guitar video is a very accurate representation of the album, though. —Katie




From Elsewhere

05/17/13 11:50AM

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Look Of The Week: Marcello Ochoa

Hi Marcello! Can you tell us what you do at UO?
I'm the Men's shoe specialist and self-proclaimed MAAC-ster (Master of Men's Accessories). I work at the Gaslamp location in San Diego, CA. We've got our own hashtag, #27killz.

Can you tell us what you're wearing?
I'm wearing the Hawaiian Print Shirt by CPO with my Hawkings McGill Cutoff Chino shorts and my TOMS.

You're rockin' the Zach Braff in Garden State look today (but like a cool Zach Braff). What's your daily style like?
I draw style from a lot of different places. I love Kramer's style (from Seinfeld) because his patterns are always on point, but I also love denim jackets and vests and band shirts. If I gave it a name, it'd be "punk-rock Kramer", haha.

By the way, how do you feel about Garden State? People still tend to have a lot of feelings about that movie.
I love it! The story is great, plus I've been a fan of Zach Braff since he was on Scrubs, and I've always had a thing for Natalie Portman. I heard Zach Braff was making a follow-up to that movie and I couldn't be more stoked to see it.

What's the general style like out in San Diego?
Ironically enough I feel like my outfit in the photo describes San Diego style perfectly, haha. Shorts/swim trunks and patterned button-up combinations are literally everywhere I go.

Are there any new styles/trends coming into the store that you're pumped to wear? I am not mad at all about the resurgence of Zubaz.
My favorite part of summer time at Urban is the swim trunk collection we get so I'm super psyched about those. I've also recently become a big Nike fan so I love the Rosheruns we've been getting.

Where can we find you online?
You can see what I'm thinking on Twitter, what I'm eating on Instagram, what I'm listening to on tumblr, and watch me on Vine, @marcelloisgreat.

From New York

05/17/13 11:14AM

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Avant/Garde Premiers The Cycle Revealed

The Avant/Garde Diaries’ spring season is starting off with a new series entitled “The Avant/Garde Diaries Premieres.” Samantha Casolari’s film, The Cycle Revealed, a "ruminative exploration of Robert Lepage’s production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle at The Metropolitan Opera," will be the first event in the series. The event will take place Thursday, May 16 from 8-11 PM at 372 Broome St., NYC. There will also be performances by Valentin Stip, and a DJ set by Dave Harrington, one half of Darkside. —Katie

From Elsewhere

05/17/13 10:21AM

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Peace: "Lovesick"

Peace are made up of four guys from Birmingham, England, that a) know how to dress better than me, and b) know how to make some pretty excellent music. Their new video for the song "Lovesick," from debut album In Love, is a whirlwind true to the feelings of actually being lovesick. Watch Harry and Sam Koisser, Doug Castle, and Dom Boyce do donuts in the parking lot while serenading us with an incredibly catchy tune. These boys are my new favorite. —Maddie

From Philadelphia

05/16/13 02:45PM

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UO x Arts Thread Contest

Urban Outfitters & Arts Thread are proud to introduce the Make It Design Competition! We like to party, but we need your help getting ready! Design something amazing for our Urban Outfitter girl to wear to a party this winter. Five winning designers will receive an incredible prize package and have their pieces sold at select Urban Outfitters stores! Can you make it?!

Make It Design Competition

From Philadelphia


05/16/13 01:23PM

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What Would Ann Want?

Her? —Katie



What would Ann want?


Eggspress Heart-Shaped Egg Mold
For when she's got a hankering for a romantic mayonegg.


Diament Jewelry For Urban Renewal Vintage Name Bracelet
It doesn't matter that it doesn't say Ann. No one remembers her name anyway.


Anna Sui Rose Body Cream
I'm sure that Egg is a very nice person, but I don't want you spending all your money on diamond cream for her.


Staple Satchel Jersey Baseball Tee
Ann's low center of gravity makes her a great asset to the softball team.


A Hipster Joke Book
...She's really funny.


TLC - CrazySexyCool
She needs something to bring to the record burning party.