music to get you over the hump day

We first fell in love with Caribou's ethereal psychedelic beats on the 2005 release The Milk of Human Kindness. We couldn't be happier to hear that Dan Snaith (aka Caribou) is at it again with his newest venture Swim.  Don't take our word for it, listen for yourself. "Odessa" is the first single off of Swim, and we're willing to bet this techno-infused jam will be a welcome sound for your ears.

in living color

on our wishlist for spring (from top to bottom):

1. Crayon Rings from Timothy Liles at The Future Perfect (made from real crayons!)

2. Hand embroidered necklaces from Maranón

3. Felted Rosette Fascinator from Giant Dwarf

in bloom...

I have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of The Garden Collection at H&M for ages, and the time has finally arrived! The collection is made from environmentally adapted materials such as recycled polyester, organic cotton and organic linen. The looks were inspired by chlorophyll-green gardens and sun-drenched landscapes, and just looking at them is giving us serious spring fever. With everything from muted peaches and pastels to richly saturated floral prints, there's something for everyone. The collection hits stores this Saturday, April 27.

Office Style Notebook

Claudia, BC Account Manager, rocks Flying Trapeze with acid wash denim and a Flight of the Conchords tee. Clearly, this girl has great taste.

music to get you over the hump day

Women's History Month is coming to a close, so we are dedicating this "music wednesday" to music icon and original riot grrl Kathleen Hanna. Kathleen first won our hearts as the outspoken front woman for 90s punk band Bikini Kill, then made waves with her electro-feminist performance art group Le Tigre, whose revolutionary dance jams still bring us to our feet.



Here are two of our very favorite Kathleen Hanna songs. Enjoy!

crafTuesday

Anni Jurgenson of Style Hurricane created this fabulous Givenchy-inspired studded headband for FOAM, one of our absolute favorite magazines. So easy and so unique. You'll be sure to make a statement.

things we love

We may have the sunshine and beaches here in LA, but lately we feel like everything cool is happening in Philly. For example? A Love Letter For You is a public art installation in 30 parts, stretching along a line of rooftops 20 blocks long. Powers enlisted members of his community to create the eye-catching graphics and moving text.

If you aren't lucky enough to see the murals in person, you can see the archive here.

Fun! Friday

Proof that art can be found in the most unexpected of places. We present to you...Diego Stocco's Music From A Bonsai!

Diego Stocco - Music From A Bonsai from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.

music to get you over the hump day

With their debut album Astro Coast, Florida boys Surfer Blood have blessed us with some good old fashioned rock and roll. Their blend of heavy guitar hooks, distorted acoustics, and impassioned vocals are a breath of fresh air. You can be sure we'll be rocking this album on our way to the beach this summer. Perfect music for a car full of friends, cruising with the windows down. We're not the only ones taking notice, either. Rumor has it they're one of the hottest new bands at SXSW this year, and Pitchfork gave the album the honor of "best new music."

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Happy St. Patrick's Day from The BC Girls!

our very own Miss Gladys Bouvier is here to wish you well on this fine St. Patrick's Day.

Office Style Notebook

Jessica, BC graphic designer & photographer, pairs Acrobat with a feather print dress and boyfriend blazer.

crafTuesday

The crafty ladies over at Whole Living magazine came up with an amazing way to up-cycle that raggedy old tee shirt you have lying around. They turned an old tee into an awesome necklace. We can't wait to try this one out ourselves!

this ain't your grandma's tea party

We are so into this exhibition of tea sets from All City. All Star graffiti artists were commissioned to re-interpret traditional Portuguese porcelain tea sets by infusing them with a contemporary urban feel.

things we love

We're a little late on this one, but I just stumbled upon this list of the top 50 artists of 2009 over at The Hype Machine. They invited 50 visual artists to create an original piece inspired by one of the bands. So awesome to see some of our favorite musicians visually interpreted in such a creative way.

from top to bottom: TV On The Radio by Andrea Foht, Bon Iver by Alex Witjas, Bat For Lashes by Mareen Fischinger, Lykki Li by Nitzaro Ron, Passion Pit by Niky Roehreke

TGIF!

lookout weekend, here we come. now this cat really knows how to get a party started!

Fun! Friday

Some days, making decisions is just too exhausting. If you're having one of those days, don't fret, the What Should I Eat flow chart is here to the rescue. We're particularly fond of the candy edition, but depending on your predicament, you may find the following helpful as well.

cereal
fast food
produce aisle

click here to see the complete flow chart.

PoP QUIZ! Thursdays

We figured there's no better time than Women's History Month to pay homage to our favorite celluloid heroines. These big-screen tales of female empowerment left a lasting impact on us. Check out our list and let us know what you think! What are your favorite girl-centric films?



9 to 5
A superstar trio of Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda stick it to the man in this 1980 comedy of ultimate revenge. Three female office workers turn the tables on their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" of a boss. As you might expect, antics ensue.

Girls Town
The ultimate tale of redemption. In the wake of their friend's suicide, a group of teenage girls hand out some serious justice to the man who raped her. In the process, they struggle with growing up and moving on with their lives. Phenomenal performance by Lily Taylor.



Harold & Maude
Hal Ashby's offbeat 1971 comedy about inter-generational romance is one of our favorite movies of all time. The soundtrack by Cat Stevens is an absolute classic, and the performances by Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort are to die for (pun intended). Don't miss this amazing film, in which Maude teaches us that women can be sexy at any age, and that every day of our lives should be lived with absolute abandon.



Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel about growing up in 1970s revolutionary Iran comes to life in this innovative animated film. A poignant look at what it means to be a young woman living under a tyrannical fundamentalist government and the struggle to create a personal identity at the intersections of Eastern and Western culture.



Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Now here's a musical we can get down with. The film adaptation of the cult-classic stage play starring John Cameron Mitchell as a transexual punk rock girl from East Berlin. In a search to find her "other half," Hedwig discovers that all she really needed to do was look inward. This stellar soundtrack will have you rocking your socks off.



I Shot Andy Warhol
Based on the true story of Valerie Solanis, a radical 60s lesbian feminist and author of The Scum Manifesto. Valerie (played by the incredible Lily Taylor) worked her way into Warhol's inner circle, but felt betrayed when Andy wouldn't produce a film based on her screenplay. So she shot him.

Whip It
Drew Barrymore's directorial debut pulled out all the stops, with an all-star line up of our favorite ladies, including Ellen Page, Alia Shawkat, Juliette Lewis, and Kristin Wiig. The film's tagline is "be your own hero," and that's just what happens as a small-town indie-rock misfit discovers the underground world of Roller Derby, and in the process learns a lot about love, family, friendship and self-discovery.

honorable mentions: Thelma & Louise, Carrie, Heavenly Creatures, Mean Girls, Kill Bill, Bend It Like Beckham, Boys Don't Cry

sisters are doin' it for themselves

March is Women's History Month! What better way to celebrate than to honor the awesome girls I work with here in the BC offices, who manage to be impeccably dressed and aren't afraid to bring out the tool box to get the job done. This morning we channeled feminist icon Rosie the Riveter as we gave our Los Angeles showroom a little face lift.

music to get you over the hump day

Brooklyn art-pop band Yeasayer have us dancing in our seats to their weird brand of futuristic, off-kilter pop tunes. They just debuted the first video for "O.N.E." off of their new album Odd Blood and we are totally feeling the post-apocalyptic dance-off and crazy Lady Gaga-esque wardrobe.

Get an exclusive look at the video over at Pop Justice.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

For more Yeasayer, and to hear them talk about their musical inspirations, watch them on Nylon TV. (Seriously, any boy who admits to a love of Chaka Khan has a permanent place in our hearts.)

Office Style Notebook

Alissa, Midwest Sales Assistant, brightens our day in this candy-colored hot pink necklace and BC Flying Trapeze flats.

crafTuesday

It's burgertime! Even those vegetarians among us can indulge in a tasty burger now and then, thanks to this fun recipe from Jill Gates of I Love Dust.



recipe courtesy of Cooler Magazine.

wizard dreams

For the past two winters, we've had an undying love for capes and ponchos. We found a kindred spirit in Noel from The Owls Are Not What They Seem. Check out how she pairs this wonderful plaid cape with BC Rainbow boots.

things we love

The Gun Reclamation Project makes gorgeous pieces of jewelry out of repurposed gun parts. In doing so, they hope to take instruments of fear and violence and re-frame them as symbols of non-violence. Better yet, for each piece sold from this collection, a contribution will be made to the NYC "Gun Buy-Back Program" aimed at getting firearms off the streets. Since 2008, 5,700 guns have been taken off New York's streets.

Check out the entire collection and learn more here.

notes from the studio

Hello everyone!

Spring is officially right around the corner and I have been obsessed with all things girlie! Jewels and embellishment? Yes! And the bigger the better as far as I'm concerned. It's like playing dress up, only now it's okay to go outside!

The BC shoe collection for Spring 2010 is inspired by everything from romantic details and frilly frocks to western details like contrast stitching. And we mustn't forget neon brights! As you may have guessed from runways and editorials, the 80s are continuing in a major way, with candy color-blocking that looks good enough to eat. It's like we've been magically transported into Candyland!

As always, I've tried to incorporate subtle, quirky details to keep you lovely BC girls entertained and coming back for more.

Until next time, darlings!

Fun! Friday

Keren Richter is one of our favorite illustrators. This delightful video has us captivated from beginning to end and provides a glimpse into her creative process.

short film. drawing and painting from keren richter on Vimeo.

Yellow & Green

The lovely girls at Polyvore have been finding springtime inspiration in BC's "Flying Trapeze" cut-out flats

Office Style Notebook

BC shoe designer Katie Mae channels her inner bohemian in navy Helicoper flats

POP QUIZ! Thursdays

OMBRE HAIR: Is this trend pushing the boundaries of cool or is it a major waste of money? While we see the benefits of sleekly styled bed-head, we just don't know if we're willing to shell out the dough for a hairstyle that basically looks like you've got a case of overgrown roots.

What do you think?

human (err, dog?) resources

we are pleased to announce two new additions to the BC staff.

Fidel (left) and Molly (right). Is a forbidden office romance blossoming?

fun with photobooth

BC shoe designers Katie Mae and Laura take a kaleidoscopic journey through the office.

music to get you over the hump day

The delicate, brittle melodies and beats of Pantha du Prince are irresistible. Paired with the unmistakeable originality of Panda Bear's vocals, they nearly make us swoon.

Office Style Notebook

Ashley, East Coast Sales Assistant, is giving us spring fever in a floral print skirt and BC "Stormy Weather" prairie boots.

crafTuesday

The talented ladies behind green design studio Compai have offered up a tutorial on how to reconstruct a plain white tee into something spectacular. The textures and shape in the "Chaos" tee evoke images of towering skyscrapers, and were influenced by the ladies' move from Italy to NYC. Make your own tee using this easy tutorial.