MIDNIGHT BLUE.

By now, you guys know that I have a thing for colors–all colors!–and there’s something special about these 3, in particular, that amazes me, especially when they’re side by side! Each hue has a vibrancy and a strength to it that gets me revved up; plus, they have such a masculine tone, which is always a bonus in my book when it comes to dressing.

Interesting Fact #347: While some guys get in touch with their masculine side by playing
sports or driving cars, I get in touch with mine through my wardrobe. I LOVE executing
looks that are packed with [a boyish edge] in just the right way. I guess it makes sense why
my favorite designers all have pretty similar aesthetics…
Remember?! I talked about them in [this post].

This past weekend, I had some fun with my closet and put together a few monochromatic looks using these [POWER COLORS]. Each one has it’s own personality and flavor, don’t you think? And while any [single] piece of clothing from this color TRIO is great, head-to-toe looks are purely amazing. Check it out.

OXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLO
DOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLOODOXBLMIDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBL
IDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBLUEMIDNIGHTBLUHUNTERGREENHUNTERGREENHUNTERGREENHUNTERGREENHUNTERGREENHUNTERGREENHU
TERGREENHUNTERGREENHUNTERGREENHUNTERGREENHUNTERGREENHUNTERGREENHUNTE

 As you can see, HUNTER GREEN is my current favorite, so I gave it an encore!

There have been several times when someone has asked me how I have time for all the things that I do and how do I seem to do them all so well. In reality, I have so much to improve on but its quite simple and I’ll even put it in the terms of the experiment itself, “I’d rather have six different flavored jars of jam than twenty-four.” Some may be confused by that statement but its not at all complex. In life we tend to have dreams and aspirations of doing everything; especially when we are young. There is nothing wrong at all with being ambitious and fearless but one must remember to be smart, strategic and willing to be honest about what you’re good at and what you’re great at– we all know just being “good” enough doesn’t cut it. Back to the jam reference– imagine being offered a table of twenty-four flavors of jam to taste compared to a table with only six. Most would believe that the table with twenty-four is more appealing however, the table with twenty-four flavors could lead to absolute confusion. Although the table offers more variety compared to that of the one with six flavors, after you try all twenty-four flavors your taste buds will probably have no idea what just happened, let alone be able to decipher which one you prefer most. The table with six choices provides fewer flavors yet enough variety for you to make a decision on which ones you like and which ones you don’t like. It may be cliche’- a bit corny even, but that same “experiment” and rationale should be applied to your life. I’ve had conversations with so many co-workers, friends and strangers, all of which want/do so much yet never seem to master the true skill of any of the numerous things they “do”. Keep reading I’m not done just yet..

To break it down a bit more, i’ll apply this to my life and give you a brief overview of my strategic “blueprint” if you will. Growing up I was always in touch with my creative side. It ranged from attending a School of Performing and Visual Arts to watching/assisting my grandmother make clothes to writing short stories in elementary school that my teacher would read to the class during “story time”. As I became older and realized that high school was almost over and it was time to enter college, I decided to major in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. There were so many people who asked and still ask why I did not go to a design school or even major in Art. After long conversations with my mentors, parents and most importantly myself, I understood and began to think of the direction I wanted my life to go. I did what made the most sense to [me] and [my] overall goal, which has unsurprisingly changed a few times after “tasting a few flavors” and deciding which ones I enjoyed and which ones were a bit bland for my liking.

Although I was a Marketing major in school I found various ways to do what I loved and get even better at them. Just to name a few, I was Creative Director of the Homecoming Fashion Shows as well as the Director of Styling years before which lead to working some of the most sought after shows during Fashion Week. I did freelance work for a few Atlanta based magazines and Styled a few artists/photo-shoots which lead to published work in major publications. In addition, I consulted Fashion Brands and Music Artists in between exams and final presentations which has lead to the interest of other brands for potential collaboration/partnerships. The summer after my Junior year I interned in NYC for a major Retail Corporation, networked within (and outside of the company) and was offered a full time position as a Fashion Buyer upon graduation which leads me to where I am now. You see how one thing leads to another and how another thing can create an opportunity within something else? Even down to [The No Names] itself- its all strategic. The brands/artists we highlight, events we attend and even the people we follow on twitter (and those who follow us). You see where I’m going with this?  Call me lame, call me crazy BUT I view life similar to that of a Buffet with endless options. Although you can have whatever you like, you should be aware of the aftermath and think about “how you want to feel in the morning”. Don’t get sick from mixing so much that it leaves you with an upset stomach and doesn’t allow you to savor the flavor. I believe I’ve said enough for now- RANT OVER!

- KenKyM.

Needless to say, green was the color of the night. After the boat docked in my favorite borough, we entered what felt like the Emerald City packed into a warehouse (kinda like this <<< [click here]). The live art exhibits taking place and the energetic performance from fun. only added to the good vibe, making it another night to remember in my favorite city. Heineken’s events always offer a great translation for what “cool” means to them and I love that they share that with their audience so often and so openly. Once again, it was a job well-done from the “guys in green.”

[one of the best parts of the night for me]: This “secret” location just so happened to be in my backyard (quite literally). No late night taxicab confessions for me. I walked outside of the venue in the Navy Yard and was home in less than two minutes. Now, that’s icing on the cake.

If you haven’t heard of it, visit the official website or check out the trailer below. For those of you in the NYC area, check your local listings for showtimes.

Anne Hathaway has officially been elected my QB for the night, supported by Gwen Stefani as the halfback and Marc Jacobs as the coach. Miley‘s playing as the center and, with how amazing she’s been on every field (red carpet) I’ve seen her on over the past few months, Rooney Mara can be my wide receiver.

At the start of 2013, I set a special goal for myself to listen to a new album every week. It didn’t have to be a brand new release, just something fresh and unfamiliar: a new artist, a new genre, anything as long as as it exposed me to something [new]. With 17 weeks of the year out of the way so far, I’ve come across 17 albums from some great artists. I put together a little playlist for you guys to check out with my favorite tracks from my [January-April] discoveries. You can find most of these on Spotify and the rest are available for free listens (and downloads) online. There’s a lot of good stuff included. Enjoy!

#.Track x Artist x Album
1. TipToe x Imagine Dragons x Night Visions
2. Trying to Be Cool x Phoenix x Bankrupt!
3.  Elephant x Tame Impala x Lonerism
4. Apparition x Frank + Derol x Frank + Derol EP
5. When the Movie’s Over x Twin Shadow x Confess
6. Don’t Hold the Wall x Justin Timberlake x The 20/20 Experience
7. Take the Canyon x JoJo x Agapé*
8. So Many Details x Toro Y Moi x Anything in Return
9. If You’re Never Gonna Move x Jessie Ware x Devotion
10. Use Me x Miguel x Kaleidoscope Dream
11. Fashion Killa x A$AP Rocky x LONG.LIVE.A$AP
12. Hotel Miami x Phlo Finister x Poster Girl*
13. Crazy Driving (with JJ Johnson) x Kiya Lacey x Switchin’ Lanes EP*
14. Love Into the Light x Ke$ha x Warrior
15. Overgrown x James Blake x Overgrown
16. Closer Than This x St. Lucia x St. Lucia EP
17. Metropolis x Owl City x The Midsummer Station

*track is not available on Spotify