Nails Did: Rosa Muerta Tee

Summer’s almost in full swing, which means none other than opportunities to break out your dopest warm weather gear. Here’s another addition you’ll surely want to make a part of your wardrobe: a new Nails Did tee, dubbed the “Rosa Muerta,” and featuring a super-sexy graphic of a tatted-up vixen sporting a pair of feathered wings. If Nails Did rings a bell, you may be remembering the T-shirt collab and editorial M.I.S.S. did with the brand.

Don’t sleep on this eye-catching red tee - it’ll be gone as quickly as summer passes by! For more info, check the Nails Did MySpace page.

We all know the indescribable feeling of that perfect tee. Everyone has one. It’s so worn in that the fabric basically molds to you, clinging to your body in all the right places. The softness is irreplaceable, created by the countless amount of wears and love you’ve given it over the years. Well, how would you like to experience this worn-in feeling in a completely new garment? It’s possible, and we’ve got the brand to prove it.

Enter Aviator Nation, the brain child of Paige Mycoskie. Mycoskie has spent years amassing her collection of vintage tees, which led her down the obvious path of discovering how to create the garments. After learning how to make these one-of-a-kind pieces, Mycoskie started Aviator Nation. The brand features vintage-inspired tees and sweats for men and women, perfect for translating from the surf to the street without missing a beat . . . appropriately so, seeing as Mycoskie spent years surfing the California coastline.

Aviator Nation designs are all vintage-inspired, using a touch of 1970’s style. Using Mycoskie’s applique method, each piece is hand-stitched, making every Aviator Nation garment unique. Both the men’s and women’s lines feature cropped sweatpants, ideal for wading in the shore without soaking the cuff of your pants (no rolling up necessary!). Also for the ladies and guys, tees and sweatshirts are adorned with stitched-on images of a surfer or runner. On the guys’ tees, Mycoskie’s hand-stitching is obvious in pieces adorned with plaid pockets and others with sewn-on stripes . . . casual enough for a beach side date, but can also be dressed up for drinks when the sun sets.

Read the full story to hear about Aviator Nation’s collection raising awareness of social issues and to see more photos.

Read the full story

Are you one of the ladies in your community who’s constantly trying to make a difference? If so, why not let all your hard work earn you some recognition? This year marks Ortho Women’s Health & Urology’s (OWH&U) second annual “It Girls Essentials” contest. OWH&U is looking for 18-24 year old women who are proactive in bettering their communities. The year-long contest is divided into three separate categories: Green/Sustainability, Health, and Arts. If this sounds like some of the charitable work you’re involved in, read on.

Applicants who are interested in the Green/Sustainability category can begin submitting their applications TODAY, which will be accepted until March 3. (Although the other categories are not officially open yet, you can still register to enter in the contest! OWH&U will e-mail you when you can begin sending in your submissions.) You’re probably wondering what you need to do to become an “It Girl.” To enter, submit a 1-2 minute video of yourself demonstrating how you’ve made a difference in your community, how you’ve inspired others to make a difference, and obviously, why you should be an “It Girl!”

Submission forms can be found on the It Girls Essentials Web site, as well as on the It Girls Essentials Facebook page. (So, even if you don’t plan on entering the contest, show these hard-working ladies some support by becoming a fan of It Girls Essentials on Facebook.)

OWH&U will select the top five videos and post them on the It Girls Essentials page, where visitors will be able to vote for their favorite video. The winner of the first category (Green/Sustainability) will be announced April 22nd . . . very appropriate, seeing as that’s Earth Day!

By now you’re definitely wondering exactly what the winning “It Girls” will receive. Grand prize recipients will be awarded a $500 donation to a charity of their choice. They’ll be able to select from a list of 10 charities chosen by OWH&U. In addition, the winning “It Girl” will be featured on the It Girls Essentials Facebook and MySpace pages.

So, what are you waiting for? If you’ve given back to your community and want to inspire others to follow in your footprints, begin your “It Girl” submission today! Plus, if you win, you’ll get to donate to a charity that works as hard as you do.

A few years back (August 2007), I wrote a M.I.S.S. Crew Art HERstory feature on Sister Corita Kent. This lady is an absolute inspiration so I was beyond excited when I saw this video of Aaron Rose discussing Corita’s work at CircleCulture in Berlin. Rose also reported on his MySpace blog that he has a short doc on Corita in the works. I. Cannot. Wait!!!

I came across the art of Mitsy Avila Ovalles via the wonderful world of MySpace a few years back and I’ve been wanting to do a feature on her ever since.

Before I get into her art, I want to let you all know that this lady seriously has one of the most amazing MySpace pages in the history of MySpace pages. If you have yet to see it, check it out. I guarantee you’re never seen anything like it before (and if you have they’re probably biting her style!).

Mitsy’s fine art pieces are amazing end products of growing up in a Mexican household cemented in California soil. Her work, is layered with elements of Mexican pop culture, with references to JuanGa [the Mexican Elton John—only a lot more talented], pan dulce, Menudo, the LA Dodgers and numerous icons from novelas.

Viewed online, Mitsy’s work appears grimy in texture yet feminine in essence—a nice balance for a M.I.S.S. girl’s taste!

In her digital work, Mitsy’s female subjects are portrayed in bold colors and they are heels & kicks, bamboos, lips and a whole lotta hips yet she can flip it and draw a hard lookin’ E-40 or Eazy-E.

Here’s what Mitsy had to say, in a recent email exchange we had, about her plans for the near future:

I’ll be spending some winter months in Mexicali to paint for a group show come next March at FIFTY24SF, catch some baseball Caribbean series games and Mexicali “Soles” basketball games, spoil my ahijados [godsons] and eat some delicious Chinese food and Mariscos [Mexican seafood...yum!]. Oh! A friend and rad artist Shizu Saldamando recently hit me up about designing a Poketo wallet. She was asked to curate a series from various artists. I’m psyched about that because I’m not very resourceful so I’ve never had ANYTHING mass produced (not even like prints…oh I did have buttons once) anyway…yeah, so buy one once they come out so I don’t end up in the sad clearance rack (I don’t know when they’ll be printed up).

In the past, Poketo’s artist series of wallets have featured the art of Hannah Stouffer, Andrew Jeffrey Wright and Greg Lamarche, just to name a few, so this is a pretty exciting step for Mitsy and fans of her work! We’ll have her keep us posted about when those drop.

For now, check out Mitsy’s hand-written interview below and take a step into this artist’s world, after the jump!

Read the full story

You know you have at least one Nails Did tee in your wardrobe and if you know what’s good for ya you better have more than one. Well take a pict of you rockin’ the damn thang and get featured in the Nails Did MySpace “RE:UP the PIN:UP” album…show your street uniform ladies!

80s Purple is having a giant sale with items marked down 30% to 50% off! That’s not all - if you spend over $99 you’ll get free shipping (domestic orders only). What are you waiting for? Go shopping! And, don’t forget to make them your friend on myspace.

As it was said in last week’s We Got the Beat highlighting UK songstress, Duffy, maybe it’s something in that UK water that has them “…churning out talented ladies left, right and center…” cause today, we have yet another UK songstress to tell you about:

Her name is Adele. She’s fresh and soulful and is already creating a huge buzz. This soul singing newcomer is the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics’ Choice, which was given to artists who at the time had yet to release an album. Adele has also been hailed by the British press as “the new Amy Winehouse” and, hence, together with Duffy and a few other rising stars of 2007-8, as one of the so-called “New Amys”.

Adele singing Chasing Pavements Live:

Adele says of herself, “I’m a soul singer and I love writing soul, pop and jazz tunes, some acoustic stuff and some really big ballads,” and when asked how she felt about the gossip and criticism about her weight, Adele told The Times, “I’ve always been a size 16-18, and been fine with it. I would only lose weight if it affected my health or sex life.”

The song “Daydreamer,”off Adele’s full-length debut, 19, is about her bi ex-boyfriend running away with another man and as scandalous as that sounds, the track is beautiful and very moving.

Download “Daydreamer” HERE and check out more of her on the official Adele MySpace page.

Best Of, a new line of tees for men, women, AND children, is dropping their Winter ‘07 collection for the masses. Check the full line here, and be sure to add them to your myspace.

All t-shirts come in black/white, or a multi-color. If you’re interested in ordering contact Benjie @: benjie@b-e-s-t-o-f.com.

Via Everything You Love to Hate

DJ Zita has dropped a new mix called “Get Up On This” a throwback party mix. If you like James Brown, Prince, and Michael Jackson then you won’t want to miss this one! You can listen and/or purchase the mix here. All of DJ Zita’s mixes are recorded live from her vinyl. You can also holler at her on her zitaspace.