Fall into the Gap?

Listen I don’t want to alarm anybody, but I might be shopping at the Gap this fall. The SND Duo has been flirting with the whole “back to basics” look for the past several months (not abandoning all flare, just engaging in a little light petting and hand-holding), and the Gap has got the basics down pizzat for the upcoming season.

The Elbow-sleeved Boyfriend Cardigan

Pinstriped herringbone blazer

They're clean, they're easy and they're foundational. What we love about basics is the liberty they give you to accessorize...with layers, color, jewelry, scarves ("so-called scarves" - heeeeey Miss Bruno!!!), head pieces, whatever blows your a-line skirt up.

Checkered popover dress

The leather private jacket

There is a catch…it aint exactly cheap…and I’m a huge fan of Karl Lagerfeld’s assertion that one should either “Go either very cheap or very expensive. It's the middle ground that is fashion nowhere." The Gap doesn’t fit into this, it’s definitely more expensive than it should be, but not expensive enough to make it classy/vintage/super upscale expensive. I'd say it's roughly $20-$30 more than you'd spend at Forever 21 or H&M...but it probably lasts about 3 years longer.

If you can afford it, I say Godspeed, children. Dig for the basics, dress them up, and walk tall...cuz if you do it right, that's a basic recipe for "Basics" success.

'prece.

Back...for Your 'Preciation

I don’t know how it happened…but somewhere between Rivington and the comeback of acid wash jeans, I lost my appetite. What used to fill me and nourish me and always leave me wanting more had somehow become bland…and made me a little bloated. The Scene. Thescenthescenethescene. So what’s a duo to do when their blog is based on, and inspired by, The Scene? Well step one, we felt, was to take a hiatus. When that got old and we started missing Snaps and Daps, step two inevitably called for a refocusing strategy. That didn’t work because…well frankly, our thoughts are a little unfocused. So step three became, we can no longer be a blog focused on the scene and all its buried treasures, local celebs, music, fashion and idiosyncrasies. Where does that leave us? Well nowhere really, which now makes us a blog on an adventure – through NYC, through racks of second hand clothing, through parties and not parties, through humidity and AC, through DJ’s and playlists, through day jobs and job searches, through “to buy gladiators or not to buy gladiators”, through drinks and technology and sex and our 20’s. We plan on enjoying ourselves…and we’re glad to have you back to enjoy it with us.

Say it with us now…

‘prece.

Sometimes a Blog Just Needs a Hiatus...

We've been getting lots of inquiries as to where we've been and what the hell we've been doing with ourselves. Well, to make a long answer very very short, we've just been doing other things, pulled in other directions...and frankly, we can't take the guilt we feel when we're not writing. Snaps and Daps is our baby and we want to give it our total focus. So we're going to take this time to officially go on a hiatus. Regroup, revamp, etc. etc. We're not exactly sure how long it's going to last, but don't worry, when we come back on we'll let it be KNOWN.

Until then, keep moving, keep living. We'll see you on the other side...

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Eddie Parties All the Time!

Listen, before I take it into throwback Wednesday with Eddie Murphy and his posse, I thought it appropriate to address the fact that SND has been so absent. I'm not even going to lay on the excuses. Just a message from us to you that we're trying to get back into the swing of things and bring you quality, rather than quantity (obviously, cuz there is no quantity as of late)...so hang in there, we'll be back in business real soon.

Until then, here's a nice blast from the past. Enjoy...it's Wednesday.



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Just Janet.

Rhythm Nation was the first Janet tape I ever bought. The video...classic. Perfect for a beautiful 68 degree Throwback Wednesday.



If you're at a dayjob like us--enjoy your hump day, make loooove to the hump day--only 2 more days...

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Life Does Exist Above14th Street!

New York City definitely stays true to its name. We are all about the new, the emerging...catching it (fashion, music, architecture, whatever) before it's hot, and once it blows we find something else to discover. I get the feeling, however, that it wasn't always necessarily like this. Yes, New York is a city of innovation and creation...but there was a time when less stars existed and people created names for themselves and their crafts--those people came to be known as The Classics.

I discovered the magic of this old New York City one balmy Tuesday night on 44th and 8th. Yeah you read that right--Times Square was not just a station to transfer at, I actually got out and planted myself there for a good 3-4 hours. The reason? Tennessee Williams' play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof...yes, I'm talkin about that crazy theater stuff again. James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Terrence Howard...ohmygoodness...


Up until this point Snaps and Daps has focused a lot of our energy--researching, investigating, and reporting back--on the up-and-coming artists and creatives of all kinds. To change it up a bit (put my thang down flip it and reverse it, if you will), I thought it wise to remind y'all of the legends...the masters of their crafts...the icons that bridge gaps across the board. A creative foundation for all these up-and-comers has to derive from somewhere, right? Because of this, my old New York adventures are worth mentioning, if for none other reason, than for the sake of honoring.

Next up my main squeeze treated the fam and me to a Victor Wooten show at Highline Ballroom in Chelsea. Most of you probably don't know him...I didn't...but when I tell you this man plays the bass, I'm not talking about anything matter of fact like I eat pineapple, or I play Super Mario World. He takes the bass and makes sweet love to it while his fingers go on an acid trip up and down (and round and round) the neck. And the strings!! Pluck them, slap them, strum them, rub them, own them and devour them. I'm no musician, but I know something unique and real and alive when I see it. The following video is a bit older, but it gets the point across...Victor is the one in the black t-shirt with the red & yellow tie dye-ish pattern, the other fellow who he is battling is his brother.



Sigh...

And it ain't just him. He was on stage with a group of some serious performers...drums, guitars, keyboard, electric violin, vocals--they all worked it and put me in a euphoric trance of energy and awe. The vibe was positive and wholesome--but not the trite kind of wholesome--the kind that makes you go "damn, I feel good!" It was music for music's sake--reasonably priced tickets, no Hollywood fanfare, we didn't have to wait 2 hours for the headliner to come on (in fact there wasn't even an opening act!), and after the encore the whole band stayed on stage and chilled with the crowd.

I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time I was at a show (and I go to a fair amount) when I felt the artist was as sincerely excited and grateful to be there as I was.

It's probably not entirely likely that you'd find Classics like this in a warehouse in Williamsburg, so I'm going to warn you now, you might have to travel north of 14th Street. Don't worry it's just like LES--but with tourists, and neon lights and Olive Garden. Go ahead. Be adventurous.

Godspeed.


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Need a Little Salt-n-Pepa with Your Lunch?

...well here's a fresh serving...



Holding it DOWN on Throwback Wednesday, the divas of Salt-n-Pepa bring me back to the good ol' days of Shoopehdooping in my living room and Pushing it Reeeeeal Good...well, also in my living room. How is it possible that they're singing about such dirty things, wearing vinal and air-spanking in "What a Man", yet the entertainment seems so wholesome? Ahh the days...

'prece.