StW READS & VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

1. Dustin Hoffman Breaks Down Crying Explaining Something That Every Woman Sadly Already Experienced

StW Says: Just Watch! Then share this with the men and shallow women in your life.

2. Olfactive Branding: Retail's Fragrant Frontier by Rebecca May Johnson. Read/View via Business of Fashion.

StW Says: Soon, we'll be born as robots and told what to buy. Christopher Pratt's claim that this new tactic is about brand identity, not revenues is thinly veiled language for the real motive of enticing return visits and continued spending. We can't help, but recall a Jay-Z lyric that sums retailers' increasingly aggressive tactics to win and retain customers: "I'm a hustler homie. You're a customer croney." We can't knock branding, but many times we wonder where it will stop. How much before consumers' free will is no longer free or privacy undeniably violated? Take a look at the article Schuanne tweeted recently which also touches on this issue: High-End Stores Use Facial Recognition Tools To Spot VIPs and this one about how Nordstrom Uses Smart Phones to Track Customer's Movements. What do you think? Does this bother you?

3. MIDWAY : a short film by Chris Jordan

StW Says: It's tragic that one of my goals in life is to travel the world to see, live and breathe it before we completely destroy it.

4. Skin Bleaching Models Were Banned From Dakar Fashion Week 2013. Read/View via Clutch.

StW Says: This is another story Schuanne tweeted earlier this week. Brava to the woman running things at Dakar Fashion Week! The standard of beauty needs to be broadened. We can't make progress if skin bleaching is acceptable and commonplace in media and fashion and worse, encouraged. In fact, while we're on the topic check out Dark Girls, a recently released documentary film that aims to force dialogue and positive change about how dark skinned, black women are viewed and view themselves.

5. KAARI UPSON / LARRY’S HOUSE. Read/View via Mousse Magazine

StW: We first learned of artist, Kaari Upson through Trendland, but did some research and found an interesting artistic project he took on that really blew our minds, like the image above. If you're open to reading the entire article, which describes the project, we think you'd find the project intriguing and liberating, at least as far as open thought in rejection of social norms goes, because you'll likely find yourself uncomfortable at certain points or throughout. We were! We say note your discomfort and ask yourself why you're uncomfortable, what your beliefs are, where they come from and whether you truly believe them or if they were instilled imposed. Self examination is a good thing, if not for developing new outlooks, then certainly for re-affirming that we truly believe what we believe or how we view others or more specifically, how we feel about and what we think of sexuality.

6. A sit down with Ayzit Bostan, Fashion Designer and Artist. Read/View via Freude von Freuden

StW Says: We're in love with the bag pictured above; in fact! We thought you should know about it, and its designer, in case you haven't stumbled upon them yourself. There's a lot of great fashion coming out of eastern Europe. Ayzit is based in Munich, but we're keeping our eyes locked on Berlin. Might we add that Ayzit's design studio feels like home? It's probably because we are charged and fed by creative processes. Enjoy the feature!

7. Rebels Always Rebel by aleXsandro Palombo. Read/View via Trendhunter and Humor Chic Blog.

StW Says: aleXsandro's illustrations are cheeky and sometimes hilarious. There's one depicting Anna Wintour and President Obama in a sexual act, which we didn't care for, but the images above made us laugh and we thought they would bring smiles to your faces.