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Author Archives: Woody Hines

Photo via wizkhalifa.com

photo via wizkhalifa.com

If Southern rap’s your thing, then Houseparties 2011 probably is too. Def Jam’s website for Big K.R.I.T. gives us high hopes — K.R.I.T. and Wiz Khalifa have a tour date on campus the Sunday of that glorious weekend. These two have collaborated several times before, including on “Glass House,” the hit song off the much-loved mixtape by Wiz Khalifa, Kush and Orange Juice.

Perhaps they have a penchant for all things orange, or maybe they just knew they had to come after seeing the “Black and Yellow”-inspired  “Black and Orange.” Whatever the cause of the duo’s visit, Khalifa’s a timely act: his debut album for Atlantic Records, Rolling Papers, came out today. Despite being a bit limited in his range of subject matter for album titles, Khalifa’s still one of the bigger names we’ve seen in a while.

Screen shot 2011-03-29 at 1.52.27 PM

Screen shot via islanddefjam.com

Mar 29, 2011

Wiz Khalifa for Houseparties

By Woody Hines
Posted in Arts, Fun Tagged , , , Leave a comment

Here are three fashion tips for all the gents looking to get equipped with the proper menswear this Fall.

1. Out with the boat shoes. In with the loafer.Detail ImageI love boat shoes just as much as anyone, but the Fall breeze is coming soon, and a flimsy Topsider won’t be cutting it. This season, I’m really looking to swap in a penny loafer. It’s a little more durable, definitely warmer, and it’s the slightest bit more dressy than your dockshoes. And it’s a breed of dressiness that says you’re down to business, without being a stiff; I’d argue that a penny loafer actually feels just as fun and down to earth as the boat shoe — especially when paired with some quirky socks (like these from Smart Turnout). I’d recommend you equip yourself with a Bass Weejun (pictured) if you’re looking to buy something new.

2. Invest in some new pants.

James Wool Flannel Pant - Black Label - RalphLaurenAutumn — more than any other season — is about the texture of the fabric. In addition to some nice corduroys, look into wool, flannel, or tweed pants. They don’t have to be loud or ostentatious — a subdued charcoal flannel or brown tweed in a slim fit is perfect. Just try something different from your run of the mill jeans and khakis. You can pair your trousers with anything simple on top — even a white tee shirt goes well with some brown wool pants.

I usually start my trouser search with Ralph Lauren — but the price point this season is a little daunting. Be on your toes and try vintage shopping, as well as brands like J. Crew.

3. Look into some scarves.

princeton-scarf_1Scarves are a great way to accessorize and they can actually be pretty masculine when done right. Avoid loud colors: keep the hues relatively muted. Smart Turnout has about the best selection of collegiate wool scarves out there — even an awesome Princeton one.

Sep 24, 2010

Men’s Fall Fashion Tips

By Woody Hines
Posted in Style Tagged , , , , Leave a comment

myroom12

This is the aftermath of exam period. This is the carnage. Somewhere under this mound of everything is my room. A wad of papers and toiletries sit on my desk. My bed is just a sheet and a dirty pillow on it for sleeping during those 4 hour transitions between work and more work. The clutter on the floor is near impossible to get through. I woke up this morning and tripped only to catch myself by banging my hip into the desk. It’s full of books, dirty laundry, papers, shoes, and I think that’s my wallet — I’ve been looking for that for ages!

I’d say it’s time for some rest. If I wake up from this post-exam hibernation, I hope it leaves me with enough days to clean this thing before I depart.

May 15, 2010

The Aftermath

By Woody Hines
Posted in Musings Tagged , , One comment

I crack up at the outrageous looks that line the Street on Lawnparties. What we all wear on this day of debauchery is a unique way to display school spirit and overall solidarity, without donning the black and orange.

And yet, if I may, I’d like to throw the gents of Princeton some sartorial tips. Looking outrageous and looking cool need not be diametrically opposed. Contrary to popular belief, you can throw on a ridiculous seersucker jacket with a plaid shirt beneath, and still look pretty awesome. So, pulling from a weekly special that we do over at Prepidemic, called “Piece by Piece,” here’s an outfit I’ve arranged that I’m digging for this Sunday.

Brooks Brothers Slim Fit patchwork oxford

Brooks Brothers Slim Fit patchwork oxford

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Piece by Piece: What the Guys Should be Wearing for Lawnparties

By Woody Hines
Posted in Style Tagged , , , , Leave a comment
At this point, this is the only thing that may cut it for me.

At this point, this is the only thing that may cut it for me.

Anybody know a good place to get a high powered fan? Because I’m in a bit of a pickle.

My room in Whitman is an absolute sauna. Which doesn’t just mean I wake up sweating bullets (I sleep really, really warmly by the way); it also means that some awkward musty smell is beginning to take a toll on my 127 square foot single. Some creature below my bed is slowly beginning to take form.

I suppose there’s a seemingly obvious solution. Opening the window lets in air to clear out the stench and, yes, it has a cooling effect at night. But that’s precisely the pickle I’m in.

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A Dilemma: Do I Choose to Sweat or do I Choose to Cough?

By Woody Hines
Posted in Musings Tagged , , , , , , One comment
Students are gonna have to pay more to feed this guy.

Students are gonna have to pay more to feed this guy.

Yale students have always complained about how their financial aid pales in comparison to Princeton and Harvard’s.

In late February, they announced a 4.8% increase in tuition, and to compensate, they added a 10% increase in financial aid expenditures and guaranteed parents of students on aid would not receive any hike in the tuition bill.

It was all an effort to make Yale more appealing to antsy pre-frosh. But it left everyone wondering… what’s the catch?

A February 25 opinion piece in the Yale Daily News cut to the chase:

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Looking for an excuse to turn down Yale? Here’s one.

By Woody Hines
Posted in In the news Tagged , , Leave a comment
colconf1

Fifth? Or fourth circle of hell?

Admissions decisions loom over potential members of the Class of 2014. Tomorrow, April 1 at 5:00 pm Eastern, Princeton will inform a little over 26,000 students whether they will be able to attend.

Yikes. Maybe that sounds a little too grave.

(Also, April Fools seems like such a lousy date; I myself, in my initial stages of denial over the fact that I was rejected, might pray for at least 20 minutes that the school was just pranking me).

At any rate, a significant percentage of applicants seem to be tweaking out on online forums like College Confidential (see Princeton’s portion of College Confidential here). 

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Some of these are going to be Princeton students

By Woody Hines
Posted in Goings On, Princeternet Tagged , 3 Comments
Flawlessly clad Princeton Students back in the day

Flawlessly clad Princeton students back in the day

Yesterday, blogger Mister Crew posted that an American publisher is reissuing Take Ivy, a classic photobook that captures the celebrated Ivy League look through pictures of students on several Ivy League campuses — including Princeton.  The book is now available for pre-order on Amazon for $24.95, almost a hundredth of what many have been paying for hardcopies of the original.

The book, by Japanese photographer Teruyoshi Hayashida, was first released in 1965 and the few remaining copies now sell for over $2,000 online and elsewhere. Its re-release is huge news to prepsters and fashionista/o’s everywhere; the book is the authority on that classic prep look — best typified by a crewneck sweater, an oxford shirt, tapered chinos, and Bass Weejuns — that so many revere today. This is the look that current brands like Band of Outsiders and Thom Browne are celebrating in almost all of their collections, not to mention the look that seems to be sweeping through campus.

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Ivy Style, Revisited

By Woody Hines
Posted in Style Tagged , , Leave a comment

Fabr_634031215921547114_flYou might know that custom shirt-maker Alexander West makes some pretty awesome shirts. But you probably don’t know that company founder Alex Yoo recently filled us in on one of his brand new designs, a blue and orange button-up called “Tiger” — inspired, as Yoo told us, by none other than Old Nassau. And, of course, its hefty price tag of $175 suggests Yoo had Princeton’s aspiring i-bankers in mind.

But trust me, these shirts are legit. (That’s a link to a story on my old menswear blog, prepidemic.wordpress.com — but while I’m shamelessly plugging my own work, check out Prepidemic.com, the new site.)

For those of you who don’t know about it, Alexander West is a pretty cool tailor service, and they have much more affordable options — starting as low as $105. And it’s completely custom. You can do it all online, or hop on the dinky and visit the shop in New York.

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A Custom Shirt with some Princeton Spirit

By Woody Hines
Posted in Musings, Style Tagged , , , , Leave a comment
Candidates walked down this runway before a long table of panelists scrutinizing their strut.

Candidates walked down this runway before a long table of panelists scrutinizing their strut.

Earlier tonight students piled into the basement of Frist to strut their stuff in auditions for Fashion Speaks, Princeton’s annual sartorial extravaganza to benefit the charity Autism Speaks.

Clay Blackiston ‘12, one of the candidates, decided to try out on a whim. “I did it for my ego,” Clay said, deadpan. “It’ll kind of suck if I don’t get it, but the risk is definitely worth the reward.”

Upon arrival, candidates dished out their measurements – for better or worse. “It was pretty awkward for girls because they had to fill out bust size,” Blackiston added. (Blackiston prides himself on the ability to identify awkward situations — see his blog, Awkwardize.com.)

Shortly after, judges measured candidates’ waists, took a mugshot, and asked the auditioners to do their best America’s Next Top Model impression on a pseudo-runway made of masking tape. (”I’m pretty sure I walked too slowly,” Clay noticed as his awkward-meter beeped. “I think I heard them mutter something about it not going fast enough.” A little awkward. A little.)

At the end, candidates walked down the runway side by side with a partner. Standard fare, but the highlight came when two burly male students arrived in pea coats and underwear. “One of them had clearly stuffed his underwear with tons of socks — it was way too big down there to be real,” Clay said. “The other guy was in some sort of thong.”

Looks like fashion speaks, sure, but I have no idea what it’s saying.

Feb 25, 2010

Work It, Tiger

By Woody Hines
Posted in Goings On Tagged , , , One comment

Remember the campy Yale musical/admissions video? Well this new Princeton video might just match it in levels of cheese.

The Chinese just celebrated their New Year, and from Feb. 14, 2010 to Feb 11, 2011, we’re looking at the Year of the Tiger. Trust the University to capitalize on the obscure connection to flaunt some Tiger spirit, a couple programs and facilities, and of course, heaps of cultural awareness.

It’s a pretty funny video on the whole. Highlights include footage of sporting events with empty stadiums/sports venues and subtitles for the locomotive chant (”Rah! Rah! Rah! Sis! Sis!”).

Here’s to the year of the Tiger, or, the year of underwhelming Princeton promotional tactics.

Feb 18, 2010

Chinese new year cheese

By Woody Hines
Posted in Goings On, Musings Tagged , , Leave a comment

Igloo1If you happened to make your way down to Whitman today, you may have seen some pretty epic snow sculptures. But I have to say — this one stole the show.

Freshman Emi Nakamura constructed this giant igloo outside Community Hall with fellow classmates Hyunmoon Kim ‘13 and Flora Thomson-Deveaux ‘13, who both helped Emi out after she sent a message asking peers to join in on her project over the WhitmanWire, a listserv for Whitman residents. “i’m currently by myself… D: anyone who wants to help me build it is welcome!!!” the message read.

“I was thrilled with the end product, and had no regrets in not catching up on schoolwork whatsoever,” Emi said.

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Chill Out in this Igloo

By Woody Hines
Posted in Goings On, Musings Tagged , One comment