Comic Con Panel: Marvel Ultimates, part one

I am a die-hard, longtime Marvel fan in general. So it comes as no surprise that this year at NY Comic Con, I tried to attend as many of the Marvel panels as I could.  And one of my favorites was the Marvel Ultimates Panel.

    The panel was a discussion and outline of the future of some of the comics in the new Ultimates Universe. On the panel were 

• Axel Alonso. Former editor at DC comics, current editor at Marvel Comics.
• Saba Amana, editor of Marvel Ultimate Comics
• Sara Pichelli, illustrator of the Ultimate Spider-man.
• Esad Fubic, artist and illustrator
• C.B. Cebulski, Senior Vice President of Creative & Creator Development
• Arune Singh, Director of Communications

To my great delight, one of the first topics they spoke about was the new Ultimate Spider-man series.  I've been reading the first few issues and didn't know what to expect.  I actually enjoy it a lot- it's very well written and I'm excited to see where they take Miles in the future.

On the panel, they spoke about Miles representing a great inner innocence and strength.  (Spoiler, in 4 he is going to be wearing the costume for the first time!)   Miles is different from Peter Parker, they are two separate people wearing the mask!

Sara Pichelli talked for a bit, prefacing her comments with an adorable, "I sound smarter in Italian but, I have to speak English."  I was super happy when they began to talk about Miles' look and costume design.  She showed some of her original character designs and sketches for Miles Morales.  She had some pretty funky hairstyles being tried out there- including Miles in cornrows!- but ultimately decided that they would cause problems under the costume.  She talked about her life drawing process, saying that she noticed interesting faces or bodies or the way that people moved.  She draws inspiration from people she knows or sees in her life, and practices facial expressions in the mirror!  The panel agreed that, for Miles' new costume, "black and red was a natural response.  It pays homage to Peter Parker but is very much distinctly Miles' own costume."  Sara also said, of the differences in costume, "I think Peter Parker was more comfortable [as a superhero].  Miles Morales is just a kid. If I were in his position, I'd be less relaxed [than Peter]. Often I look at myself in the mirror for expressions. If I was a child, how would I look while I jumped [from the top of a building]? That's why Miles has pads on his elbows and knees."

The question of Peter Parker's death in the Ultimates universe was a big topic of discussion between the fans and the panel.  It was asked many times whether Peter would be coming back, why they killed him off, etc., but a lot of support was actually shown by the fans towards Miles. Axel had this to say: "We didn't kill Peter easily.  It hurt no one more than Brian to do it but it was necessary and beautiful.  We're peeling back the mask to reveal a different face.   That's what superhero comics are all about....and Peter has had fans of all races and creeds....at the end of the day, Miles transcends race."

They also showed some sneak peeks of what the future holds for this comic.  Some of Peter's friends and family will be reacting to the new Spider-man.  Sana Amanat said, "Expect there to be a lot of amazing things happening in the next couple of issues.  You'll see who he's gonna become and you'll love it."  I have complete faith in the Marvel team, and I'm excited to read Ultimate Spider-man issue 4 and beyond!

Are you a comic fan? What do you think of the Miles Morales becoming the new Spider-Man?

GREETINGS FROM COMIC CON!!!!

Hey all! If you are a consistent reader than you know that I am a huge comic fan.  This year I had the honor of being able to cover New York Comic Con. I spent the whole weekend at the con, from Friday to Sunday and will be covering it for you guys on my blog! (People who follow me on my Twitter know that I live-tweeted a bit all weekend from the con.) I had an amazing time and can't wait to share it with you! I am trying to get notes together and edit hundreds of photos amidst a hectic week of mid-term projects but bear with me.  I met some amazing people and saw some really cool stuff!

If you're a college student taking midterms right now, good luck!

International Lolita Day NYC

Heya! So last weekend I went to an International Lolita Day NYC meet-up.

It took place at the 

Kinokuniya Bookstore near Bryant Park. The bookstore is amazing! It is two floors of pure awesomeness- English, Japanese, Korean, and other international fashion magazines, art and design books, even some apparel and toys.  I met a friendly group of the most adorable girls (and a couple of guys!) that I have ever seen!

I don't own any real Lolita or Lolita designer clothes, so I wore my own interpretation of the sweet Lolita style.   :]

Wearing:

♥ H&M Tank Top (I think?)

♥ LF white vest

♥ Rodarte for Target skirt I got on ebay

♥ Jeffrey Campbell flats

♥ white bow in my hair

♥ Fossil bag with Japanese charms I got a few years ago at some store on 14th street

Were you at this event? Did you go to a similar meetup in your area? Share your story in the comments!

Recycled Runway Rehash

Photo Credit: Thi L. Wan

Recycled Runway is an annual fashion show run by two Parsons students. All of the looks were made from previous item
s of clothing or other reused materials.

This post has a lot of pictures, so:  
more after the break! clicky clicky.

You're Invited: Recyled Runway at the Green Event

Happy Friday everyone!

I wanted to let you know that you are invited to

Recycled Runway!

Recycled Runway fashion show taking place at the Green Event at Stuyvesant Park tomorrow afternoon.  It was started last year by two students at Parsons. Designers must make everything out of previously existing garments.  Ummm I have 3 looks presented in the show! It's my first time having pieces in a show and I am really excited! I made 3 looks out of 2 old prom dresses that I got last year from my high school's prom dress drive.

Come check it out for an afternoon of fashion and eco-friendly fun.

You don't need to present a ticket to get in, because it is free!

Hopefully I will see you there! 

Tips for Attending Summer Music Festivals

It's almost time for the 

Bamboozle festival 2010

and I know you are as excited as I am, because you know what that means!  Summer music festival season is almost upon us.

♪ Dress appropriately! This can be a big factor in staying comfortable, so here is my list:

• Wear comfy shoes.  Unless you're just going to sit all day, heels are a terrrible idea. 
• And crowd surfing in a skirt? This means: 1. skeevy dudes trying to grope you, and 2. skeevy dudes seeing your underwear.  :[  This is a music festival, not a fashion show. Trust me, I know all about wanting to look stylish every minute of every day!  There are tons of ways to look cute even when you are standing in mud and it is 90 degrees. Be creative and wear light colors, and light fabrics such as cotton.

"it's a comic reference! really. nerdy. can't we all just get along?"

• It  can get reaaally hot, so leave the scarves and leather pants at home!
• Don't wear anything valuable, or anything that can get broken easily. I've seen girls get earrings torn out, their clothes ripped and their jewelry broken or stolen.
• Don't wear flip flops! They get broken or lost easily and someone will absolutely step on your toes!  My advice is not to wear slip ons, either. I know from experience that they come off easily in a crowd! A few years ago at Bamboozle, I wore slip-on, low top sneakers. Halfway through the day, I was watching Taking Back Sunday perform and the crowd was too much for the space we were in! It got crazy, and people stepped on my shoes, which caused them to come off. They got lost in the crowd, and bending down to look for them was not only impossible, but would have been dangerous for my safety.  I never saw them again! The best thing to do is to wear boots or sneakers that you can tie or buckle.

screamo screamo gotta gooo

♪Bring food.  You need the energy, and the venues usually have really gross, overpriced food. I know you're usually not supposed to bring food in, but I always manage to sneak in a few granola bars or something, so you should be okay!

♪ Drink A LOT of water! Dehydration is no fun. There are often water bottle refilling stations. Use them!

♪ Wear sunblock. Your skin will thank you when you don't look like a lobster with a farmer's tan the next day.

♪ Don't drink too much! Alcohol, I mean. Word! You will thank me.

♪ Bring hand sanitizer or baby wipes. Yeah.

♪ Make friends! Be nice to people in the pit, talk about bands, strike up a conversation in the port-a-potty line, haha!

Who is this guy? I don't know but he's excited

♪ Don't complain! It is nice to have a plan, but don't be afraid to change it up or try  new things!  Sometimes things go wrong. But whether you didn't get to meet 30h!3, or a crowd surfer fell on your head, just make the best of it and remember: you are there for the music!

HAVE FUN! Rock on and have an awesome time.

xx! Nikkidee

In Other News

In other news, today is Vincent Van Gogh's birthday!

Happy Birthday Vincent Van Gogh!

Maybe he'll cheer up for a change.  Everyone loves you now, man! I'm sorry that she didn't!

Come on, you're bleeding in the cake. Oh that's paint? Well that's okay, we're used to that here.  Love ya!

In other other news:

♥  Lady Gaga's song "Alejandro" is apparently number 87 on the itunes charts

♥ These are pretty funny! I think they are really accurate.

♥ I WANT THIS. I would eat golden meals every day and of course, when life gives you lemons you paint that shit gold

♥ the rain was pretty intense today and I secretly enjoyed it


♥ DEADMAU5 was on Gossip Girl last night.

♥ David Bowie. Enough said.

If you are in NYC, come see my friends The Years Gone By play at Webster Hall tomorrow night! They are super rad.  Jetlag Gemini is playing too.  I will be there! Come say hi, I promise I'm friendly!  I'll be the girl with partially pink hair, probably wearing a TYGB shirt and losing ten thousand scene points while I smile and dance and sing all the words.  I told you they were rad. Pop punk will live forever! I accidentally wrote "love" at first instead of "live" but it is all the same.

xx Nikkidee

Volunteering at New York Fashion Week: My Experience

Hey duckies! I know I haven't posted in a bit, but hopefully this makes up for it.

A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to volunteer for two very different companies for fashion week.  Here I will tell you about my experience!

On Friday, I worked for a company called Modelinia. They are a website, www.modelinia.com, that follows models and keeps you updated on model news. Their tagline is, "because models don't get enough attention", which I thought was pretty funny.

I heard about Modelinia from a friend. A few Parsons students were going to volunteer for them throughout the weekend.

In my opinion, they did not treat their volunteers very well, being misleading about what we were actually going to do.  At first, I worked in their office for a bit.  Then, the schedule said that my group of volunteers would be "at Bryant Park", or "at the tents".  Once I arrived and saw my friend Jack standing next to a ginormous pile of magazines, it was clear that we were going to be outside in the freezing cold for six hours, trying to force Modelinia magazine on the passers-by.  They had not told us in advance that we would be outside, so most of us were not dressed properly for the job.
They also tried to make us stay well past our previously established shifts, which we weren't getting paid for it.  I am all for starting at the bottom, and I understand that interns and volunteers have to do the work that no one else wants to do.  However, I could not feel my feet!


The only good part was that I met the band Semi Precious Weapons! They are super fantastic, put on an awesome show, and have opened for Lady Gaga (a few years ago, she was opening for them!)  They were also reallyyy nice, called me "baby", and took a picture with me. Haha!

They are gorgeous. ♥

The next day I was supposed to work for a designer, Ivy H. 
She's a Parsons alumni, and she has a beautiful website (www.ivyh.net).  I knew that we would be helping out with an actual fashion show, so I was a bit nervous. However, I was also super excited!
Before the show started, there was a lot of running around and doing a million tasks at once. Everything had to be perfect, many things were going wrong, and it was not as glamourous as you might think!  But it was an amazing experience and I loved working for Ivy. I hope to help her out again next season!
The clothes were beautiful. Ivy's influence for this season was Japanese Samurai and armour.  I got to help dress the models in these beautiful clothes!

Coat check. So glam.

Me and my friend Jack, another volunteer.

The beautiful models doing an after-show photoshoot.

The amazing Ivy fixing an outfit for the shoot. (I am in love with that coat!)

One of the fabulous models!

Ivy and her interns.


Ivy let us all hang out after the show, and gave us some advice about being a designer.  Her main tips were, to paraphrase: 
♥ work hard,
♥ don't lose focus, and 
♥ don't let the haters stand in your way!


She also talked about not letting boys get in your way. Having a boyfriend is sooo not the most important thing in life! "I ♥ fashion! Fashion is my boyfriend!"
And I ♥ you!


xx, Nikkidee :]

The PULSE Tour 2010: Atlantic City

The first weekend in January this year, I was lucky enough to attend the PULSE Tour in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

I got to take classes with my three favorite choreographers ever - Sonya Tayeh (I've written about her before!) , Mia Michaels, and Wade Robson - among others.


Here are some pictures from Sonya Tayeh's class. I'm the one with the pink shirt and long brown hair.

The above picture is Laurieann Gibson teaching a workshop. We learned part of a dance for Monster by Lady Gaga. Laurieann is crazy! And awesome! I follow her on Twitter, @BoomKack, and she always has something encouraging to say (see here!). At one point during the class, she swaggered up to one of the male dancers, laughing, and said, "Let me touch you, so you turn to gold." 

Definitely one of the best things I've ever heard!

Me with my friends Lilly, Allie, and Emily, and CRIS JUDD!

We learned some really cool dances. A lot of the choreographers have choreographed for the show So You Think You Can Dance, which I am obsessed with! So when I found out we were learning a few dances from the show, I was super excited!

For example, we learned this dance, choregraphed by the legendary Mia Michaels. She is so inspirational. During the class she gave a little speech about the importance of growing and pushing yourself, and I will never forget it.

Then there was Wade Robson. When he came on stage I believe I was crying, I'm not going to lie. He is amazing, and has accomplished so much for someone so young. He co-directed Britney Spears' 1999 tour at age nineteen!

We learned this dance, choreographed by the amazing Dave Scott. There is a really cool video on youtube of Dave and Wade doing the dance!

I had the weekend of a lifetime! I grew so much as a dancer and a person in such a short amount of time; I can't wait for next year!

Have you done anything to push yourself lately?

Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour

On Wednesday Night, I attended the first of four New York dates on the Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour.

It was, um, AMAZING. Of course.

I have been madly in love with Lady Gaga ever since the first time I saw the Just Dance video.

Glamophonic, electronic, disco baby!

Not the best pictures of me ever, I admit, but whatever! I'm sparkly!

Bee tee dubs, someone at the show asked me if my eye makeup was a decal- it is not. I painted on leopard spots with liquid eyeliner.  Maybe I'll do a tutorial ?

She is an amazing singer, dancer, and performance artist. She manages to be both mysterious and unbelievably candid.

Seriously, I love Lady Gaga. Any events including Gaga or her music are sure to include a. DANCE PARTIES b. OBSCENITY and c. DRESS UP FUN.  Three of my favorite things, woo!      ;]

We just like to party, like to p-p-party, yeah!

xx, Nikkidee! :]

Tag You're It NYC

My friends in my lab class at school did a really cool project called Tag You're It.

For the project, they created a "business" and identity, then gathered in Washington Square Park and attempted to start a giant game of tag.

Check out their blog! 

I think that this could really spread, and maybe happen every weekend in parks, schools, and recreation areas around the city and around the world!


xx,  Nikkidee! :]

What I Wore

My amazing, glamorous mother had her birthday yesterday!

We went out to dinner, and then to a club!

She's an absolute party queen and an inspiration to me.

Here's what I wore!

We had dinner at a fusion restaurant called Tao. They have the best sushi ever, and super cute dessert! I definitely recommend it.

After dinner, we went to Nikki Midtown.  It was so much fun! It had a bit of an older crowd, but the DJ was really good. :]

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

 xx

Nikkidee! :]

Halloween 2009 Video

Hopefully this video shows the vibe of my ridiculous, crazy Halloween night!

Sorry the quality is so terrible! Youtube is lame.

Stay festive, lovelies, and treat every day like it's a cause for celebration [because it is!] !

xx

Nikkidee! :]

350 Day is coming up!

Oh my goodness, being a Parsons freshman is hard work. I have had a crazy week! 

However, that hasn't stopped me from being excited about 

350 day!

On Saturday, October 24th

there will be events occurring all over the world to bring attention to the issue of global warming. The point is to make world leaders realize that it is a big issue that people are passionate and opinionated about, and they all need to take action at the Copenhagen Climate talks in December.

Check out www.350.org to find an event in a city near you. On October 24th, you can find me walking across the Brooklyn Bridge with other Greenpeace volunteers!

So get out there and make your voice heard!

xx

Nikkidee! :]

Fashion's Night Out 09 Follow Up!

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great week. I know I did!

I've been super busy with classes and homework but I love every minute of it. I love my school; Parson's is amazing. I love my friends and my roommate. We have so much fun and motivate each other, and I live in a great dorm-style apartment. Most of all, though, I love living in the city! It's everything I ever dreamed of. I feel much freer than if I was in a normal college campus setting - I had some doubts but I am now confident that this was definitely the right choice for me.

I've been up to some really exciting things. On thursday I attended Fashion's Night Out, which was CRAZYYY! I went to Bergdorf-Goodman on fifth avenue, where they had tons of events going on. I bought some reaaally cute shoes, and I saw Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl!

Here's what I wore! It's not a very good picture of my outfit but I think it's the only one I

have.

So there you go! I'm taking a quick break from homework [read: procrastinating! uh oh!] so I figured I would listen to some Jay-Z and give everyone an update. Ladies is pimps too, ya know!

What kinds of fun things have you been up to this week?

xx

Nikkidee! :]

Fashion's Night Out

Fashion's Night Out is coming up and I will soo be attending. I'm super excited! I'm not exactly sure what event I'll be going to yet, but look out for me!

From FashionsNightOut.com :

In the United States, American Vogue has joined with NYC & Company, the City of New York, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America to enliven again the consumer spirit that churns the economy and boosts the local industry of America’s fashion capital, New York City.

Everyone's been freaking out so much about the economy that shopping has turned taboo. It's not a bad thing to be interested in fashion! The fashion industry employs tons of people, it is the ultimate form of visual self-expression and most of all, it's fun!

I'll see you there!

xx

Nikkidee! :]

Warped Tour 09: Uniondale

Big D and the Kids Table

Yesterday I went to Warped Tour 2009 in Uniondale, NY at Nasseau Coliseum. This was my second year attending Warped and it was awesome! I had so much fun!

They ride there was a total expedition. My friends and I stopped for breakfast at a diner, we ended up taking the wrong exit and had to drive through nyc... When we got there we met up with some more friends and hung out in the parking lot where we met this guy who was highhhh as a kite and ended up following us around for the first half of the day. Once we got in the gate, I got to see some of my favorite bands play, including some that I had never seen play live before [what up Meg and Dia!] Mad props to:

♥ Streetlight Manifesto. It was my first time seeing them live, and I've been wanting to see them for agessss! They most definitely lived up to my expectations.

♥ Big D and the Kids Table. Their music is so much fun, and the crowd was totally dancing and loving it the whole time!

♥ Monty Are I. For rocking super-hard despite their somewhat small crowd. Also, they played my favorite song of theirs- Dublin Waltz! And when my friend and I saw the lead singer walking back to their tent, we screamed STEEEEEVE! And he was super-awesome to us and let us cut the signing line. :]

♥ The people at the Medical tent, for giving away free water and being generally chill.

♥ NOFX. They are hilarious.

♥ A Day To Remember. They had a huuge crowd and must have thanked their fans about a million times. They rock!

♥ Bayside. They are amazing, enough said.

♥ My friends! They're the best!

By the end of the day I was totally exhausted but I had a total blast :D

What kind of music are you into?

Do you go to any summer music festivals?

xx

Nikkidee! :]