My latest iTunes download was the 2007 album What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf? by The NOISEttes. Fronted by the astonishingly fashionable Shingai Shoniwa, The NOISEttes have a sound that’s an amalgamation of punk, soul, blues, and good ol’ rock and roll. Their music is dark, heavy, sexy sexy sexy and I just had to have it!

Shingai Shoniwa sings like a songbird raised by Billie Holiday and Siouxsie Sioux and godmothered by Beth Gibbons of Portishead. She patrols the stage like a Runaway (Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Cherie Currie, Sandy West) and the way she rips on the bass would make Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart proud.

They’ve been likened to the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and the White Stripes but the dynamic collaboration of guitarist Dan Smith and drummer Jamie Morrison, who complete the trio, has the Noisettes in a category that teeters on Afro-Punk and indie-rock at it’s finest.

But let’s get back to Shingai’s eye for fashion. This girl is hot. The fiery frontwoman flaunts feather-and-war-paint stage attire mixed with elements of the London punk scene, all while pulling from her Zimbabwan roots, where tribes express themselves in the way they dress.

Music, outfits, and big earrings—all the makings of a fashion icon.

Check the shots of Shingai’s style below:

More on Shingai Shoniwa, The Noisettes and the Afro-Punk movement after the jump!

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WOW. So the latest issue of Dazed & Confused just dropped and it is NSFW!

Chris Cunningham shot the forever-fierce Grace Jones for an “anti-fashion shoot” and the shots will make your jaw drop when you realize the body you’re looking at has been on this good earth for 60 years!

Get a look at the spreads HERE or pick up the latest issue of Dazed & Confused on newstands now!

Tina Fey told TVGuide she’ll be “done” if John McCain and Sarah Palin win the election next month.

The “SNL” vet told the ‘Guide:

“We’re gonna take it week by week. If she wins, I’m done. I can’t do that for four years. And by ‘I’m done,’ I mean I’m leaving Earth.”

Tina Fey can do pretty much anything. So I totally believe her when she says she’ll do a Stephen Hawking and hop a Virgin Galactic rocket to space…Okay, she didn’t say that exactly…but you get what I’m trying to say—VOTE OBAMA!

Holy Patsy Cline! Is this not the most bad-ass hair dryer you’ve ever seen?!

This 357 Magnum Hair Dryer is a vintage find via Domestikate who sells “fine vintage novelties and housewares” via the magical world of Esty.

I love how the designer of this gadget rode with concept of the 357 Magnum and even made the hammer and trigger functional!

Pull the hammer (on top) to the desired heat setting, squeeze the trigger and let’er rip.

Am I all kinds of wrong for wanting this so bad?!

Make sure you check out Domestikate’s Etsy shop for other vintage goodies!

Hey ladies,

Check out my interviews with EyeASage and Hopie Spitshard about their upcoming performance at MILK SF this Friday!

Some mornings, I feel like I need a good punch in the face to wake up and other times, I just want to punch people…but—do not be alarmed—I’m not a violent person nor do I like getting punched in the face.

With all that said, I want this mug. Bad. It’s designed by industrial designer, J. C. Karich and it’s a little on the genius side.

Um, I have the sudden urge to double-fist with my coffee mugs. Yeah. Pun hella intended.

Via The Arab Aquarius

Swindle Magazine is, hands-down, one of my favorite magazines. Every issue is packed with culture, lifestyle and visuals that are informative and stimulating.

Issue #17, is no different. Among the many articles in this issue, Swindle brings us East L.A.’s obsession with all things Betty Boop! The cover story by Camille Lowry, Betty Boop Born & Praised in L.A., delves into the Betty Boop phenomenon with the Chicano Youth of East Los Angeles. The article makes some interesting points:

Colin Gunkel of the Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA points out that Betty “looks a bit like a chola. She resonates with a style that’s perhaps more cha-cha than chola.�

Colin believes that Betty was appealing because she was able to successfully negotiate the good girl being bad. He says, “She’s racy, sexual and flashy without compromising her morals, which are the competing demands of our culture.�

You can read the rest of the article at Swindle.com or pick up issue #17 at your local Borders.

While the REBEL8 Summer 2008 Collection is now shipping to stores worldwide, they just made the entire season available in their online SHOP.

…and with the new season up, REBEL8 also has some nice shirts up in the Sale section of their shop for as low as $6.50 (jackets as low as $15!)! Yep, you read right! Now get tah shoppin’!

I came across this ‘83 Skyway TA via the BMX Museum and I’m normally not big on pink but this sweetie made me swoooon. *sigh* Anyway—Go out. Ride…and pop wheelies like there’s no tomorrow!

Danyale, photo by Derek Blanks

There’s nothing wrong with having an alter ego (*wink, ahem). Superheroes got ‘em so they could save people and not be hassled at the grocery store the next day. Rappers have them if they aren’t lucky enough to rock the mic with their God-given name. And you can imagine how quick us girls can whip one up when some uninvited fella wants to give our cellies a ring.

Atlanta-based photographer Derek Blanks has an interesting photo series up that blurs the fine line between extra and ordinary. More photos after the jump…

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