11.30.2011

StyleStalker : Nicaraguan DJ KILLA KA5

I asked 4 guys friends of mine (the ones I consider to be the most fashionista and Nicaraguan) if they could answer a few questions for me. I swear every time we upload a picture or mention 'Nicaraguan fashion' - there's a roll of + 40 comments.

When it comes to really making it from the bottom to the top of the DJ world, my friend DJ KILLA KA5 is definitely on his way UP UP n AWAY as an open format dj that has rocked private events for the San Antonio Spurs, Puma, Nike, and many more from Texas to Miami to his home, Nicaragua. killaka5 is considered the future of Miami, with his fusion of styles and ability to always stay fresh and current. Much like his professional life, killaka5's approach to dressing is carefully planned out and perfectly executed - here's his take on fashion, style, and Nicaraguan culture.

Describe your Style:

i would say im a product of my environment. im not your typical person, and obviously not your typical NICA. Ive been very involved in the streetwear scene for all my life, and seen fashion and styles evolve. From the baggy jeans and XXL tshirts, to cut off jeans and tank tops. I'm also very into high end fashion, i follow brands like Gucci, YSL, Versace, Prada, etc. Visit many blogs and sites. I take all that in and make it into my own. Always sticking to myself and staying away from the expected and predictable. I consider myself and elitist at times, yes i am that guy that says i wore this before they did, or see someone wearing something, and i dont wear it anymore. I dunno to me it takes out the  originality of it. during 06-08 there was a big "streetwear revolution" where brands came out and went all out, like everything it crumbled and now theyre all very simple and minimalist.

I would say thats where im at now. i dress pretty simple, mainly grey/black v necks, here and there ill wear a shirt with a logo or design, if not ill wear it inside out. during the day ill wear camo shorts, got a bunch of pairs, all prints. if its night ill wear fitted jeans, usually dark raw/untreated denim, dark wash only, i said fitted, not skinny, im a big dude, cant do that shit, by fitted i mean jeans that fit me, tapered leg, no boot/flare/wide leg. and of course a fitted hat and sneakers. To go out i usually always wear a light jacket/windbreaker/denim jacket. a gingham print button downs, or an oxford shirt (light blue, grey or red). i been wearing alot of chambray/denim-ish shirts. been feeling those alot..Ive come to realized  i mainly wear blue and grey shirts. all with a pair of chucks or what some call "dress sneakers" all black shoes with a white vulcanized soul. i use to wear alot of flannels and plaid shirts, but that caught on, so i kind of stopped. i remember some guys asking me why i was dressed like a lumber jack, few month later they caught on...

Who's your Celebrity Style Doppelganger?

since i have so many influences its kind of had to just name one person. I'll just name a few people that I feel very influenced by: Kanye West, Wale, David Beckham, Diddy,  DJ Vice, Justin Timberlake, Kid Cudi, John Mayer, Duck Sauce (Armand Van Helden and A-trak), TI, Yelawolf. All these people are very unique in their own kind of way. Some of their outfits are way off lol, but for the most part they have their own style and ways. Kanye has been WAY ahead of the curve, from his days of pastel colored polos, to his Givenchy outfit hes been wearing on stage during the Watch the Throne tour.

What do you think about fashion in Nicaragua?

(for the most part) it sucks and its horrible. SHEEP. Nicaragua has a horrible sense of style. I'm talking about your average Nicaraguan. They follow the worst trends and get stuck in them. Its a horrible snowball effect. Its all about approval from the right people. Its like a time capsule, some things never change. Last few times i went I saw how much people love Hollister (even HolliSTAR, the bootleg version), Aeropostale, American Eagle and Abercrombie. The shredded letters that look like they're falling off, pink/baby blue/green and white stripped polo, super faded flared/boot cut jeans, and (THE WORSE) white TICA TAC shoes. cmon. I'm not gonna lie, i had a pair of white shoes(and belt) in like 04-05, when white stripes came out, and the hipster look started coming around, wore them a few times. then got rid of them. but in Nica they are HOTTT!!!! if not those white Pumas/Lacoste shoes with the velcro strap. horrible. Now the whole polo/rugby shirt with the number on the sleve, big polo logo, etc are in. I had one of those in 06, i wore it a lot, even wore it to Nica once and i remember the looks/comments i got "DUDE is that real? why is the logo so big? "uyyy de donde sacastes esa camisa" but hey, i guess they're cool now. oh well...

At the same time, I see a lot of older women (40+) dressed very well. I see pictures of formal events and galas, and women are dressed in very nice dresses and tops. Alot of them made by seamstresses from magazine cut outs or influenced by stuff seen in "Hola!". I notice this because my Mom is someone who's fashion sense has always been on point. from her outfits, to her accessories and just overall fashion sense.  
 
What labels, brands or designers do you usually go for?

I would say Nike and New Era (fitted hats) is pretty much it. Everything else it depends. There's always a name brand items i might be interested in, with enough digging and looking i can find something along the lines of it, but for a reasonable price. To me its not the price on a piece of clothing, but the value you give to it.

As far as Nike and New Era goes, thats a different story. If i see a pair of shoes i like, ill buy them, no matter what. Same for a fitted hat. I have probably owned over 75+ fitted hats, some I wear till they loose the shape and have to get rid of them, it sucks when its a limited hat that i just cant buy at a store. Ive lost count of the amount of sneakers I have, somewhere over 100 i would say. Mostly Nike and Jordan, being a Nike employee helps, lol.

What does the word fashion mean to you?

fashion is what you make of it, how you grab the ordinary and make it your own. your originality and way of being. usually goes with the times or far from it.

Is there something in particular that influences your style?

music. i been djing for almost 10 years, and music has to be the number one thing that influences who i am. most of the people i named are musicians of some sort. i guess the music i listen to has influenced my ways in one way or another. At the same time, it has thrown people off, when I show up to a hiphop gig wearing a Metallica tshirt, i get looks like "oh shit", but when i go on all that goes out the window.
 
How important is your sense of style at work?

I think its very important, specially being a dj. You always judge a book by its cover, like it or not, its just a human instinct. I always stay on it when i'm djing. Since i am working i'm always wearing sneakers, its whats comfortable, since i'm going to be on my feet for at least 4 hours. Its the appearance that you give out. If i look super corny with a too tight Hollister shirt on, people are gonna look at me and be like "uhhmmmmm" who is this guy? so i just stay chill with a well put together outfit.

What are the Biggest 'Fashion Faux Pas' you just always find yourself "SMH"?

I would have to say that my biggest fashion dont is being a SHEEP, doing something because everyone is, not because you want to. Going back to everything i said about Nicaragua. I think thats my main concern. I personally dont have anythign against hollister or any of those brands, in fact i own a pair of basketball shorts from there, but you dont see me praising the brand with every outfit that i wear. Another thing i SMH about is dressing accordingly to your size. I'm a bigger guy, not always use to be my size, but when i gained some weight, i altered the way i dressed. If you feel/look uncomfortable wearing something, dont wear it. I HAAAAAAAAATE seeing fat people wearing things that dont fit them, specially fat girls. I seen some very well put together bigger girls, because they dress to their size, thats what matters in the end.

DON'T FORGET TO ........

Check Out DJ KILLA KA5 ' s Facebook Fan Page ----> Dj killaka5
Tweet DJ KILLA KA5 ' s Twitter ----> @killaka5
Check Out DJ KILLA KA5 ' s Blog ----> killaka5.blogspot.com
Listen to DJ KILLA KA5 ' s downloadable mixes ----> killaka5

11.28.2011

Quote: Karl Lagerfeld

"I’m very much down to earth, just not this earth." 
— Karl Lagerfeld

Moodboard: Holiday

que año! para arriba para abajo! desde nyc pase a nicaragua y un poco de buenos aires. desde factory pr pase por muchas oportunidades de trabajo - pero desde el inicio del año siempre fuerte con Shantall Lacayo.

i thought life was suppose to be easier after my masters program. guess not! i'm here n there!
but at the end very thankful for the those who have stuck by me, motivated me, and slapped me in the face and told me i got something y que todo viene a su tiempo!

at the end of this year, i've met a lot of people involved in the fashion world, blogger world, designer world, and finishing the year i'll be producing my 1st runway show with Shantall in nicaragua - closing 2011 with a bang!

2012 is looking good! ;)



the moodboard portrays some of my favorite shantall lacayo SS12 pieces, my musical addiction, florence and the machine, my mentors, the Olsens, the creative one, lady gaga, hair style inspirations i've followed, tango scene in San Telmo, Buenos Aires, thick heels with wedges in bright colors or in velvet, my favorite looks in neon, color blocking, orange; designer love, ricky sarkany, shantall lacayo, roksanda ilincic, halston, and stella mccartney and my latest fedora acquisition, Helene Berman! ;)


11.26.2011

What I Wore : Friday Night : Girls Night Out!

I can't believe I'm doing this again! but here's another personal style post - it was Friday night and I felt hottie! ;) I knew I'd get a few stare downs but in Nicaragua - damn do people STARE! there aren't much people that are fashion risk takers - I probably know 4 girls n 4 guys in all of Nicaragua (that don't even live in Nicaragua) that don't give a damn n dress in something not abercrombie n fitch, hollister, lacoste, polo - anything related to classic prep - hmmm, I should probably do a little write up about them and ask them for tips? Come on people!! Change up a little!
"that awkward moment when u walk into galerias with a V cut top n EVERYONE stares!"

Anyways, here's my Friday night look - my friend said, "Casual Chic" and took it as "Sassy Chic"




- Jumper by Complot (Argentina), Shoes by Aldo, Blouse by Express, Earrings from Positivo (Soho, Argentina)
- photos by Allyson Natasha -

 


11.25.2011

Event: NINI Fashion Style at Ponte Vecchio

Last night, I attended the NINI Fashion Style event at Boutique Ponte Vecchio for a quick bit. I was there so fast I didn't even touch the champagne (I know, I can't believe it myself but hey I had a huge Thanksgiving dinner waiting for me at home) - You may remember a while ago, I did a little write up on 3 Emerging Nicaraguan designers - one of which was Norma Gomez of NINI and since then I've been following her every move everyday on her fan page and I've already seen some pieces but once I was at Ponte Vecchio - it was a whole different experience. They were all nicely merchandised on the racks and boy was it was a beautiful array of colors, stripes, stars, and flower power! My first thought was "definitely a young version of fashion designer Patrick Robinson". She turns everyday basics into youthful playful pieces for all shapes and sizes - and the prices are freakin' AWESOME! This is one of the reasons I love and shop emerging designer labels - gett'em before their hot! Congrats to NINI!


For better pictures visit Nicaraguan photographer's Jorge Mejia Facebook Fan page
NINI is the new Nicaraguan designer addition to Boutique Ponte Vecchio (GEO Accessories, Shantall Lacayo) - Thank you Ponte Vecchio for introducing and being a helping hand for emerging designers! ;)

11.15.2011

BA Runway : Andrés Baño
















of all my terrible pictures from BA Runway i got this amazing shot of the model's heel broken off - she pulled it off and didn't fall all over the runway, amazzzing! this is a great model!




El cierre de Andrés Baño en Buenos Aires Runway - Alto Verano en el CMD

as you can see, it was a very mixed collection. it was entertaining specially with the heel mishap but i don't like collections that are this diverse; i feel like the designer just wanted to do it all and had no real concrete inspiration like "EVERYTHING, THE WORLD INSPIRES ME" kinda thing. however i liked. 

“Acá no hay solemnidad, ni lenguaje amanerado. La antropofagia imperial moderna es digerida y expulsada en recreaciones de piezas. Les pregunto a mis clientas: ¿Qué  lees? ¿Querés  ser corporativamente sexy? Considero que las últimas tendencias se cortan  en pedacitos y aparecen en un Klimt o en una foto de Newton”, comentó el diseñador antes de caminar la pasarela en el distrito de diseño de la ciudad.

11.13.2011

Sneak Peak: Shantall Lacayo S/S 2012







These pictures* are just teasers of what Shantall Lacayo is cooking up in Buenos Aires. Two weekends ago, Shantall and Eduardo De Crisci held a swanky showroom/sample sale event where her upcoming S/S 2012 collection was previewed to Argentine bloggers, Ellie of IT Style, Aninka of Desde El Vestidor, the ladies of The Modistas, friends from Harper's Bazaar Argentina and intimate friends (pictures below)








Argentine blogger, Elie of IT STYLE and Shantall


Edu de Crisci y Shantall Lacayo

 Edu de Crisci (modelo derecha, model on the right) y Shantall Lacayo (modelo izquierda, model on the left)

 the model friend, the social media friend


Stay tuned to more events in Buenos Aires and Managua! You will be blown away!

Facebook Fan Page Shantall Lacayo - Diseño, Moda y Arte Textil

*The pictures above are not the official photos for the collection but sneak peaks with our friend.

BA Runway: Rodrigo Abarquero

Las quince Reglas del Tokio Pic-Nic Club fue la inspiración que tuvo Rodrigo Abarquero para su colección Alto Verano presentada en Buenos Aires Runway el pasado jueves. Sonaban tijeras de podar, cortadoras de césped y sonidos de jardín cuando comenzó el desfile. Estampas de galletitas, vestidos con patchworks y reciclajes, homenajes a los manteles a cuadros y pilotos derivados de telas de cobertores de plástico y  que resultan de un modus operandi sobre el que el diseñador nos dice: “Parto de la premisa de hacer piezas que sorprendan para que quien las compre disfrute la experiencia a un precio razonable. Me interesa que mis prendas alegren la vida de las usuarias”. (informacion via BA Runway)








Rodrigo Abarquero was the first show I caught at BA Runway. It was definitely amusing, creative, and young. I enjoyed the grass headsets and the cutting of grass with a large pair of scissors sound effects. The collection's inspiration comes through clearly (picnic at the park)  but it's definitely a collection I wouldn't wear, I feel kiddie enough wearing Mickey Mouse t-shirts - I don't think I can pull off a chocolate chip cookie dress.   

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