Travel | Painfully Hip

Painfully Trip: On Tour. Here we go again.

Ah roadtrips. It always surprises me what a sucker I am for the promise of all those endless asphalt ribbons luxuriating ahead of me. All that newness. All that possibility. All that Taco Bell.

This is going to be seriously next level. I am giggidy giggidy giddy about this trip.

November 20-23: San Francisco – For the SF Vistors’ Bureau. Feasting of San Francisco’s bodily delights and rooting out hidden gems, details forthcoming. A photo shoot with the indescribably talented Cecilia Austin featurning pieces by local designer, Danielle Due Citta with the theme: a stylized Edie Sedgwick about the City. Thanks to Cecilia for the concept. I believe she must practice mind-reading, I am loving this idea so much.

November 20-25: Sacramento, CA
November 26-27: Hawthorne, NV
November 27-December 2: Visiting dear friends, Ira and Andrea of Forkable and BTSIC fame, and then joining Agent Ribbons for the second half of their month-long tour. I might be drunkenly hawking vintage jewels at the merch table or attempting to infiltrate the spotlight with my sub-par ukulele twanging. Either way, there’s sure to be public apologies of, “Sorry, we only invited her because she is self-employed and has a drivers’ license.”

Here are all their entirely unmissable tour dates, in case you missed them in the summertime:

photo by Ryan Mihalyi and the Painfully Hip Design Collective, Tucson

Agent Ribbons Tour Dates

Nov 14 2009 9:00P
Lil’ Red Lion w/ Monster Women and Barbara Manning Arcata, CA

Nov 15 2009 8:00P
Ground Kontrol w/ Swallows, Helen Money + DJ Nate C
Portland, Oregon

Nov 16 2009 8:00P
Rotture w/ Lost Lockets
Portland, Oregon

Nov 17 2009 9:00P
Sunset Tavern w/ Slow Skate
Seattle, Washington

Nov 18 2009 9:00P
Empyrean
Spokane, Washington

Nov 21 2009 9:00P
The Woodshed
Salt Lake City, Utah

Nov 22 2009 9:00P
The Hi-Dive w/ Fissure Mystic and Weed Diamond
Denver, Colorado

Nov 24 2009 9:00P
The Zoo Bar
Lincoln, Nebraska

Nov 25 2009 9:00P
TheSlowdown w/ Beep Beep and Thunderpower
Omaha, Nebraska

Nov 27 2009 8:00P
Ames Progressive
Ames, Iowa

Here’s where I join up. Shall I see you there?

Nov 28 2009 8:00P
Turner Hall w/ Papercuts and Camera Obscura
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Nov 29 2009 8:00P
Beat Kitchen
Chicago, IL

Dec 1 2009 8:00P
Daytrotter Session! (www.daytrotter.com)
Rock Island, Il

Dec 2 2009 8:00P
TBA
Chicago, IL

Dec 3 2009 8:00P
Bauhaus Kaffee presented by Unique Ink art
Fredericktown, Missouri

Dec 4 2009 9:00P
O’Dowd’s Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri

Dec 5 2009 9:00P
75th St. Brewery
Kansas City, Missouri

Dec 6 2009 8:00P
TBA
Oklahoma City, OK

Dec 8 2009 8:00P
Trunk Space
Phoenix, Arizona

Dec 10 2009 8:00P
The Bootleg Theatre with Finches and Evan Way (Parson Redheads)
Los Angeles, CA

Dec 11 2009 9:00P
Soda Bar
San Diego, CA

DO it. Please? If you miss it you will die a slow death of Ribbonless regret. Plus, I want to see how you’d interpret “cabaret-inspired victorian punk garage” in your garb. Best outfit gets a free beer.

PS Let us know if you live in Chicago or Oklahoma City and can help book those dates. If you needed an excuse to have a madcap house party and/or wedding, look no further.

One more thing! Jamaica of Sapphire Cordial designs and Concrete & Cashmere fame moves into the Painfully Hip adobe tomorrow! Its going to be a renaissance, I can feel it.

check me out: N’awlins

Ah New Orleans, a magical land full of history, music, art, spirituality, douchey holidays and lax liquor laws. I loved this city!

Vintage leather jacket: best gift ever!
This jacket was given to me by its original owner who only wore it when riding on the back of her husband’s motorcycle in the early 80s. It is in perfect condition (worn in just enough), fits like a pair of stretch Levi’s, and is ALL MINE.

Turquoise leopard print sundress: $3, thrifted in Booneville, CA.
I have never ever owned a stitch of leopard print in my whole life, nevermind technicolored leopard print (Technicolored Leopardprint is totally the name of my new mathrock girlband). I just loved the cut and fit of it (racerback! pockets!) so I lopped 6 inches off the length and called it my new favorite layering piece.

Scarf bag: $7, Marshall’s.
This thing is amazing. I’ve been combing the stratosphere for a cute cross-body bag that won’t slide around the front of me when I’m riding my bike and this one rules! I can tie it tight around me and it’s so comfy it just feels like an extra layer of clothes. Plus it has this bizarre purple and yellow astrology and MC Escher-themed design that is awesome and completely weird at the same time. I wear it constantly.

Shiny grey leggings & cutout flats: $5 and $10, Marshall’s.
Hip Tip for travelers – Never wear peeptoe ballet flats whilst rubbernecking your way around a new city with dodgy sidewalks. These shoes are adorable and comfy as hell, but notsomuch when there is blood from a repeatedly stubbed toe seeping from them.

Thank you all so much for your New Orleans recommendations, I would not have had half as much fun without you! I only had 4 days there so I didn’t fit much shopping in, but if you’re going to New Orleans, my personal recommendations are:

NOT going for Mardi Gras – Mardi Gras doesn’t start for another month, but already the douche was starting to pool on Bourbon Street. It was ridiculously cheap to go now and I really enjoyed the peaceful sunny days, wandering the quaint streets.
UAL United Apparel Liquidators, 518 Chartres St – I bought a gorgeous silk designer top worth $235 for $39!
Pravda (thanks, kk), on Decatur – A soviet-themed absinthe bar. This is some hip shit.
Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (thanks again, kk)- the oldest continuously-running bar in the country, lit exclusively by candlelight.
Haunted History Tours – Titillating! The Travel Channel came along on our tour, so mine might have been slightly more awesome than usual.
The brand new PARAPLEX, the world’s first Paranormal Epicenter – Check out our behind-the-scenes paranormal experience over at my traveling partner-in-crime’s blog, AwesomeAllDay.com.
Ragin’ Daisy, also on Chartres St – the most beautiful collection of mens’ vintage button-downs I’ve ever seen for around $25 each.
Muffalettas at Central Grocery (thanks, Lillagah) – And I hate olives!
Absinthe and the Absinthe Museum - YUM (when in Rome)!

real style can’t be bought (beautiful photos of young, hip runaways)

one of my favorite online art magazines is San Francisco’s Fecal Face. they have an article on a photo essay by an amazing polaroid photographer named Mike Brodie (aka The Polariod kid), who travelled across the US on the railway taking photos of these gorgeous young kids who are middle-class runaways and true-to-life hobos. they are beautiful photos, but i was just so struck at the magnitude of their hipness. these look like fashion photography to me.