RentAFriend

"Making friends has

never been easier"

Ever been the new kid on the block? We all know it can take a while to meet new people sometimes. Especially when you

move somewhere knowing absolutely no one. But eventually by random chance we meet someone at our new school, job, or local shopping market, and bam! The wait is over, and before you know it you’ve built yourself a brand new circle of friends. But what if you could eliminate the wait period and meet someone as soon as you make the big move? That would certainly ease the transition. Thanks to websites such as RentAFriend.com, you can rent-a-friend for a monthly or annual fee, not including the hourly rate for any friends you may meet. That’s right! Not only can you rent houses, cars, and movies, but now you can rent friends too. What used to take socialization skills and a number of shared experiences to build, you can now buy at the click of a button. That’s capitalism for you.

RentAFriend.com is a site that provides people with the opportunity to rent local friends from all over the world. While the website makes it abundantly clear that RentAFriend only offers platonic friendships and does not serve as a dating website or escort service, users can rent friends for a multitude of platonic reasons, whether it’s to learn a new skill from their new found “friend”, have a personal tour guide to show them around an unfamiliar town, or just to simply have someone to hang out with. Need some personal advice? Use RentAFriend. Or perhaps you’re in need of a tutor. Fear not, RentAFriend can save the day. They even list offerings for needs as random as prom dates and psychic buddies.

While the idea of friend rental is still a relatively new subject to the American population, the RentAFriend website is not the first of it’s kind. In recent years, a wide number of “rent a friend” companies have been popularized in Japanese culture. According to company research, family structure is a very big part of Japanese society, so friend rental services will offer fill in family members to substitute for anything from absent parents to stand in activity partners. This may be a somewhat strange concept for the American psyche, yet in Japan it’s an amiable solution for those looking to keep their social status in tact. Thus in response to the lack of a “friend market” in the United States, the creator of the site, Scott Rosenbaum, decided to launch Rent-a-friend.com out of Stewartsville, New Jersey in October 2009.

I decided to peruse the website for myself after stumbling across an advertisement during a night of late night web surfing. When you reach the home page of the site it prompts you to enter your zip code into a friend finder database in order to see potential friends. This is a great feature because it allows you to view the profiles of all the potential “friends” in any location you wish, while other “rent a friend” sites may ask you to sign up before viewing members. Upon entering my own zip code into the friend finder database a number of local Richmonders instantly appeared on my monitor, with ages ranging from 22-45. These friends for hire advertised a number of activities for which they were available including poetry, sight seeing, video games, business events, personal advice, pet sitters, and even running errands! (The latter of which almost tempted me to join the site). However if you wish to go further and message someone you must sign up for the site.

As interesting a concept as this may be, one can’t help but wonder if these “friend market” websites are a sign that we’re connecting with each other or disconnecting with one another? It’s a known fact that friendships are vital to a happy life, but is it possible to buy real friendship? I think we all know the answer to that. But the site does have it’s good points. For the lonely new kid on the block or the bored executive with some downtime on his/her business trip it could be quite useful to rent your very own tour guide. Only time will tell if this phenomenon will catch on in America as it has in Japan.

Interested in friend rental? Visit http://www.rentafriend.com/ today to check out local friends in the Richmond area!

Random Play

On my first day off in what seems like ages, I decided to go to Pump House park to do an outfit post. While Maymont offers Richmond residents beautiful man made gardens Pump House park offers an alternative site with just as much history if not more. There's something majestic about this castle-like structure complete with a moat. The pump house is the second oldest pump house in Richmond. This is why I love Richmond. There's a lot of beautiful historical architecture to be appreciated.

Carytown Street Chic

A number of exciting trends have hit the scene this season, from minimalism to maximalism and everywhere in between. Getting lost in the fashion landscape? Ground yourself by mixing some of this season’s top trends with classic pieces.

It’s the call of the wild this fall. Animal prints and fur have infiltrated the runways of multiple designers. Chanel turned out everything from yeti boots to full out suits made from faux fur while seemingly everyone including the likes of Dolce and Gabanna showcased tops, dresses, and accessories galore in leopard print. It’s a wonder PETA didn’t spring to action. Just remember there is such thing as too much of a good thing. Try to limit yourself to one leopard print garment or accessory. A fur vest, one of the season’s top pieces, is the perfect finishing to touch to spice up a simple ensemble. Or for a more sassy look, try mixing fur and animal prints together. You’ll look positively ferocious.

Menswear inspired suiting is a major trend for fall 2010, with the pièce de résistance being the boyfriend blazer. Blazers are extremely versatile, allowing you to stretch out your closet by obtaining a variety of look form one piece. Don’t be afraid to get a little experimental with loud colors or prints, the blazer will tone it down. Pair your blazer with a pair of skinny leg jeans for a lunch date in the fan or with leggings and a tunic top for bar hopping in Shockoe Slip. For a trendier look, you can also try rolling up the sleeves, which looks especially great with a colorful lining. This go-to item is not only versatile but flattering and comfortable as well. Pairing a long, tight fitting shirt underneath will give you a long and lean silhouette.

Longer lengths are in this season. But who could resist this leather mini from Pink? Leather will always be in and this is one statement piece that will turn heads. A leather mini skirt is a great way to show off your curves. To achieve the best look wear heels with your leather mini. This will take your look to the next level. Not into short hemlines? No sweat. Leather mini skirts will always be around, but this season leather skirts don’t just mean the mini. A number of retailers are producing leather skirts in longer lengths with A-line silhouettes as an alternative to the mini.

Fall 2010 runway collections were filled with metallic gold hues, from the gold lamé frocks of Dries Van Noten to the gold metallic accents present in Jason Wu’s collection. This fall’s metallic style looks great from top-to-bottom. But beware when wearing metallic gold clothing, shimmering fabrics can highlight bulges. Generally, shiny satin and high-tech fabrics look great in metallic. When in doubt gold accessories will give you the perfect element of understated glamour. Add a bit of decadence to your outfit with gold metallic accessories. These shoes from EuroTrash provide the perfect touch of vibrancy to a dark colored palette.

Every wardrobe needs strong tailored garments to keep it all together. This short tuxedo style jacket offers another great play on menswear inspired suiting. Pairing it with a simple dress draws the eye to the detailing of the jacket and offers an updated look to the simple silhouette of the dress.

The dress shirt is a classic staple item. Fall 2010 styling updates the look by offering a slightly oversized fit, perfect for pairing with leggings or skinny leg jeans. Loose fits have become increasingly popular in womenswear of late, and this season the oversized trend has really taken off. When worn correctly, well tailored loose fits offer an effortlessly sexy look. These black snake skin leggings from Euro Trash offer the perfect edgy element to this oversized dress shirt while cutout booties give the outfit a look perfect for a night on the town with the girlfriends.

The cardigan is a quintessential piece in any women’s wardrobe. A cardigan can easily give an outfit a look of nonchalant sophistication. This fall’s trends in cardigans include chunkier knit fabrics and oversized fits. You can wear this staple item in a variety of ways to keep your wardrobe feeling fresh. Leave it open over top of your favorite tunic top for an easy day look. Or for a more traditional look, simply leave it closed. If you’re interested in a more fashion forward option, leave it open and pair it with a pencil skirt, then fasten a skinny belt around your waistline to accentuate your figure. Any way you wear it this piece flows easily from work to play. Try adding a brooch to your cardigan for a vintage flair.

Model: Courtney Culbreath
Special Thanks to Pink (http://www.pinkstore.com/) and Euro Trash (www.shopeurotrash.com) of Carytown! Remember to shop local.


This story was also featured on Richmond.com http://www2.richmond.com/content/2010/sep/01/carytown-street-chic/

Emoticons

Found this on Wired.com and thought it was cute! =D It's an English to Japanese emoticon translator. Useful for socializing on the other side of the pond.

Behind-the-scenes with INK Magazine

This is just a little video I made in a rush on the day of the photo shoot for the August issue of INK. My videographer skills are far from great but I figured why not play around with all the equipment I've got? Here's a sneak peak of what goes on behind the production of INK's fashion spreads.

The American Jesus

Over a year after the death of Michael Jackson, photographer David LaChapelle's latest exhibit features photographs of the King of Pop depicted as the American Jesus. The photos represent a series of iconic biblical scenes. When asked if he thought Michael to be a modern day Jesus LaChappelle answered, "I believe Michael in a sense is an American Martyr. Martyrs are persecuted and he was persecuted..." I can't help but agree somewhat. Michael Jackson was definitely punished by the American society. If you define a martyr as "one who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce a belief," then in a way Michael did that as well. As messed up as things may have looked from the outside looking in, Michael Jackson was somewhat of an eternal child and he refused to give that up. Whatever one's personal beliefs you can't help but find the photographs intriguing.

David LaChapelle's exhibit opens today at Chelsea's Paul Kasmin Gallery.




**All pictures used in this posting were taken from WWD.com

Local Music: My first 100% local playlist

Richmond as we all know is a relatively small city. But despite the college town aspect that institutions such as VCU have helped to create this small town has a rich amount of arts and culture that is growing. So in support of the growth of Richmond's arts community I am going to try to make it a point to listen to more local music...Voilà! Here's my first RVA playlist.