APPLES+ORANGES

Shame On You!

From CNN.com -- Thai officials hope Hello Kitty can shame errant cops.

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thai police officers who break rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring "Hello Kitty," the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday.

Police officers caught littering, parking in a prohibited area, or arriving late -- among other misdemeanors -- will be forced to stay in the division office and wear the armband all day, said Police Col. Pongpat Chayaphan. The officers won't wear the armband in public.

The striking armband features Hello Kitty sitting atop two hearts.

"Simple warnings no longer work. This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor," said Pongpat, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok.

"(Hello) Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It's not something macho police officers want covering their biceps," Pongpat said.

He said police caught breaking the law will be subject the same fines and penalties as any other members of the public.

"We want to make sure that we do not condone small offenses," Pongpat said, adding that the CSD believed that getting tough on petty misdemeanors would lead to fewer cases of more serious offenses including abuse of power and mistreatment of the public by police officers.

Hello Kitty, invented by Sanrio Co. in 1974, has been popular for years with children and young women. The celebrity cat adorns everything from diamond-studded jewelry, Fender guitars and digital cameras to lunch boxes, T-shirts and stationery.

Can you really hate on Star Wars?

Who better to protect your docs than Star Wars characters like Chewbacca, R2-D2 and Darth Vader? Colette has a collection of Star Wars themed USB flash drives (there's a Stormtropper edition too if that's more your style). The creators are presumably trying to join the other companies that have jumped on the film's 30th Anniversary bandwagon by creating Star Wars stamps, mailboxes, cakes and other paraphernalia. What do you think of these drives? Are they fun or non-functional?
(taken from geeksugar.com)

4.25 Inches Closer to Heaven.

A couple weeks ago we posted the amazing $925 Emily Shoe Boots from Christian Louboutin, and was drooling over them. Well check out Steve Maddens rendition of the lovely shoe. The Steve Madden Chap Boots are now available for pre-order and are just $150. The good news is that they come in various colorways (black leather, black patent, creme, brown, grey, saddle, fuchsia and mustard) so chances are you'll find one you like. Knocking off the look for less, can't hurt.


Christian Louboutin @ $925

VS.

Steve Madden @ $150

Kendo+Nike's Claw Money Blazer Release Party

"After the Party it's the Dafterparty"

1/2 of GirlTalk is based in LA. Daft Punk stopped in LA last friday, and we were involved in throwing their official Dafterparty. I managed the bar and was unable to snap photos, but please check our our favorite parrot's blog @ The Arab Parrot for photos and a recap of the after party, from his point of view. If you're into shoes, and don't mind the naughty booty photos, that is. Thanks to the DJs and people who came out and supported! Daft Punk and their 30 deep French entourage along with Ratatat, Kavinsky, and So-Me showed up. What a Banger. More to come.

Check the photos out by clicking the following link:

Dafterparty Recap on Arab Parrot

Thanks Reza.

Knock It Off.

Forever21... don't lie... we all shop there -- for a last minute, wear one-time because it either is cheap and falls apart or because it's only worthy to wear once and is too trendy and snaps out of style with the snap of your fingers, or really if you can't afford high fashion or even higher price points, it's a simple alternative aka knock off heaven. Regardless, any reasoning, if you are a good shopper you will definitely go through their racks and find some amazing deals and/or designer look alikes. But Forever 21 has been pushing it to the limit as of late. Gwen Stefani is sueing retail giant Forever21 for trademark infringement. Stefani's lawsuit states that Forever21 used the same Harujuku Lovers all over print logo design, and just changed "Harajuku" to "Forever" and "Lovers" to "Love". Though this isn't the first time they've been in trouble over copying rights. Back in March this year, Diane Von Furstenburg sued them for reusing of her designs as well. Honestly, there is a big gap and difference between biting/copying and inspiration, but not everyone can afford high-end couture but who really wants to rock a Forever 21/Harujuku Lovers knock off, unless Forever21 is hot in your hood... but I think not.


Harajuku Lovers Vs. Forever 21


Forever 21 Vs. Diane Von Furstenburg


Forever 21 Vs. Diane Von Furstenburg


Forever21 Vs. Gucci


Forever21 Vs. Versace

Lately though, Forever21 has been doing a good job of knocking off Marc Jacobs. Is that a good or bad thing for our pockets?