NIMBY writes: This portion of our campaign is all or nothing.  If we do not reach our fundraising goal in the next 7 days - we will not receive any of the $10,600 currently pledged.

All of the direct donations and tax-deductible donations have allowed us to make it through the end of 2009.  We are almost out of the woods, but we need to make this goal by January 5th.  Thank you if you have already lent your support.  Please pass this message on to anyone who has enjoyed the art that has come out of NIMBY over the years.

Oakland has responded to our engineering plans - and our use of shipping containers is APPROVED.  We have satisfied all the requirements set-forth by both hazmat and fire.  We are setting a new precedent for art spaces.  Spring is ushering in many exciting, new projects.

You can donate here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1362561841/nimby-industrial-art-and-diy-space

Donate directly:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=10559466 (Tax Deductible Donations - email rachael@nimbyspace.org)

[Be sure to click through to see the video of what goes on at NIMBY even if you don't pledge and BTW, they just got $200 from me. - Jake]

No brainy fashion content today, folks! Just want to wish you all a happy merry on behalf of the entire staff of SPWS.  May all your days be electrifying.

Should you wish to show 'n brag, feel free to let me know about your favorite gift given/received in the comments section. I scored this gorgeous graphic pottery bowl from MudStuffing. Note the sexy vintage boot images!

Cheers!

~~~~~

Time for another installment of my vintage punk street fashion column! Sticking with casual menswear, I'd like to introduce a gentleman that Jake and I acquired this past summer at the Bay Area Maker Faire. This is industrial designer Noah Beasley, originally hailing from Denver, CO. Noah does groundbreaking things with 3D metal printing to create jewelry with a sci-fi flair. He also rocks the geek chic to the elevens.

We shot these photos a few weeks ago outside of the Oddfellows Building in Capitol Hill, Seattle.

One of the best ways I've found to accurately convey a classy vintage punk style is to embrace time-honored trends (like traditional, tailored menswear), and then crank them up a notch with a slap of funky color. Noah is the ninja of cobalt blue.

One of my most common rants about steampunk style involves long-winded kvetching about the forgotten Eastern influences on the genre. I'll spare you the snarky details, but it comes to this: I want to know why I practically never see steampunks tapping into the deliciously decadent culture of India. I want to know to where Captain Nemo disappeared. Considering the rule of the British Raj in India from 1858 to 1957, Victoria's title of "Empress of India", and the 200-year force in the country of the British East India Trading Company (who dealt in tea, silk, cotton, indigo, and opium as well as political oppression), I am rather surprised that very few steampunks reflect this in their garb and choice of music.

However, a band called Sunday Driver was brought to my attention¹ this week, and let me tell you--these folks are definitely doin' it right. Their music is a careful and delicate fusion of Indian chant and English folk, laden with formidable female vocals and subtly morbid and mad lyrics (their band name supposedly came from a gene commonly found in mice!). The sound is energetic, crisply recorded, and each song is entirely different, keeping Sunday Driver on rotation over my speakers all week.

Vintage Punk¹ Street Fashion at SPWS

Because I am primarily a photographer (and only secondarily a coolhunting blogger), a major aspect of my posts here at SPWS is visuals. Thus, once a month or so, I will be posting photographs of the sort of timeless, casual style I laud. My goal is to display real people in their real, everyday clothing, proving that this genre isn't just for cons and parties. I also intend to post a plethora of photos of masculine fashion, as it seems like most of the fashion pics available online are female-centric.

Now, I expect some of you to get all uppity about sticking to established genre conventions or act disappointed that I'll be showing a wide array of mashed-up vintage punk styles (not just Victoriana), but now is your opportunity to get over it. My way is much more fun, anyhow.

So, let me introduce someone you may recognize--this is Nathaniel Johnstone from Abney Park.