Doctor KA

Red Light Off: The dealine is looming! …On a gloomy Wednesday I decided to walk towards west campus to find an interesting new interviewee. I was feeling a bit under the weather but pushed through it, as I searched through the many students passing by. I was lacking a bit of faith, until I noticed a stylish man chatting with his friends. So there I went towards the large group resting on the grass and proposed a chat…


Jacket with gold buttons from la bamba (from friend), Bell bottom jeans $4 from St. Vincent de Paul, Button up polyester shirt $1, Boots from friend, Ring from friend, 70’s hat from dad

--“Almost everything is a gift”--

Red Light On: Julian Marcelin, an English Creative writing major, is no ordinary CSULB student. The Carson native exudes originality with his 70’s style and musical persona. Marcelin’s mother initiated his love for this era, known for its laid-back hippie culture and disco grooving artists. “She gave me the 70’s and music, I give her the 70’s when I leave the house.” Some of his favorite musicians include James Brown, Roy Ayers, and Sly Stone.

These soulful musicians have inspired his way of dress and encouraged his light spending. Economy friendly thrift and vintage shops are where Marcelin collects most of his hip threads (along with generous retail working friends who hook him up with freebees). La Bomba (off 4th Street), Rewind, and St. Vincent de Paul (off PCH), top the list of preferred second-hand stores. Where not only affordable but give an opportunity to find authentic attire.

Although more of an 80’s trend than the 70’s, Marcelin’s can’t live without item in his closet is a light blue Adidas speed suit. “I call it the Doctor KA-stume,” he says. In case you were wondering who this character Doctor Kemet KA is, Marcelin broke down his creative counterpart to deliver to you. “It’s actually a revelation of sorts,” he says. Each name has a special meaning; Doctor refers to someone who is educated in the ways of the mind. Kemet is an ancient Egyptian word meaning soil and the word for the people, or “things of the earth,” and Ka is what he informed as the ancient Egyptian concept of destiny or “things of spirituality.”

As a man who delivers individuality, he believes that people should dress as they see themselves. “Whatever you’re doing, try to look like what you think you look like,” Marcelin says, “Don’t just let yourself become some fashion anomaly, choose to be the fashion anomaly.” Be yourself in all aspects no matter how simple or complex that might be. His tips for finding clothing are easy to follow, “Keep it cheap, why spend money on something that you’re gonna spill things on, if you’re having a good time.” This is definitely relevant to those party-going college students, so keep up the good times and shop smart!



Photos/Written by: Alexis Sparks

Keep It Classy

Red Light Off: After class had finished, my classmate and I stopped at several destinations before beginning our interview. As we walked she brought up her recent weekend…She informed me that she attended the music festival Paid Dues, where she herself interviewed musical artist Asher Roth. I was very interested as she described the process of getting a press release to write a story for school. She had heavy equipment in her hands to return to College Beat so I attempted at making our talk short and sweet, here it is…


Lace up wedges from Bakers $80, Vintage gold chain belt $10, Vintage jean jacket $15, Red sweater from forever 21, Jeans from Forever 21, Bracelets, Ring from The Crack Gallery in LA $15

Red Light On: Brittany “Bella” Graham, a Communication Studies and Journalism major, is inspired by classical style and beauty. The SoCal native idolizes actress Bette Davis as well as icons Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. Graham says being sexy does not mean showing too much skin, “…the lure of a woman is leaving something to the imagination.” She tries to maintain a balance between her sex appeal and classy style of dress.

Graham switches her outfits up daily and can go from being casual to getting dolled up and throwing on a pair of heels. She has no difficulty strutting around in them due to years of practice, “My mom made me start wearing heels in the 10th grade, I was forced,” she says.

Vintage shopping is key to her well-styled looks, her favorite thrift store is Jetrag in Hollywood. However, she also enjoys well-known and reasonably priced shops Forever 21, H&M, Steve Madden, and online site Bershka. Graham’s favorite item in her jewelry collection are her gold bamboo hoop earrings, “I feel like those earrings will never go out of style.”

Graham believes that knowing your body when deciding on clothing is more important than any particular style, “Be comfortable and be yourself, especially for girls, I thinks its important to know your body shape, not style your shape,” and ladies always make sure to show off your assets, “Accentuate the best parts of your body.”

Being a student at CSULB, Graham has noticed a lot of great style from fellow classmates, “I like coming to school because I get inspired by a lot of the students,” she says. “Everyday I get impressed by somebody else, like I see a girl walking around campus, and I’m like oh that’s cute what she has on.” Graham suggests that perhaps a student’s major might reflect their own fashion sense, “I don’t know if its just cause we’re in journalism and a lot of the girls are like into fashion…maybe it might be different if I were a biology major.” She may be on to something!

Check out Brittany's blog! http://beautyispoison.blogspot.com/
(Thanks for teaching me how to screen capture Brittany!)



Photos/Written by: Alexis Sparks

Hey Pachuco!

Red Light Off: After doing this blog for a few weeks I started noticing that I was missing something… Yes folks, I have yet to interview a guy! My mission for the week was to find a man who had his own unique spark. So here I sat between the LA-5 building and the PH buildings waiting to find some snazzy dressed male. I waited for a bit until finally, there he was, walking in my direction. I felt like a stalker but I quickly stood up and walked towards him. He informed me he had time before his next class, so off we went to the nearest bench to have a chat about his style.


Fedora from eBay $20, Leather blazer online $30, Pants from Urban Outfitters $30, Shoes online $40, Shirt from Second hand store $1-2, Scarf was a gift, Sun glasses from the allies of LA, Rings from a head shop in Northern California


Red Light On: Dusty Tailor, a Santa Maria native, embraces styles from the past with his love for “gangster fashion.” The Fine Arts major is greatly influenced by mid-20th century art, fashion and film. He is inspired by female icons from the 50s and 60s; including such actresses as Audrey Hepburn, Jane Birkin and Anna Karina. Among his favorite leading actors include Hollywood hot shots James Dean and Marlon Brando.

Although mid-century style made him excited about dressing up, Tailor credits growing up in a Hispanic neighborhood as a top reason for igniting his interest. He says that his community was filled with gangsters that were modern day Pachucos, dressing in 40s inspired Zoot Suits. Furthermore he enjoys watching gangster and mob films, “I’m big with Robert De Niro, I love him to death,” Tailor says.

Tailor is a saver when it comes to shopping, “I don’t like to spend too much money on clothes, they are just gonna get worn out eventually,” he says. He finds most of his pieces at thrift stores, however, when it comes to pants and shoes he rather purchase them new. “My wardrobe consists of Levi’s pants, those are like the most durable, and really good quality pants.”

Although thrifting is a great way to find good quality items at low cost, Tailor informs that Southern California is a lot more expensive and has less of a selection than up north. He likes to go to outlets and has ventured to "Retro Row" and Melrose for finds. However, he is also an avid eBay shopper and goes through the trials and tribulations of beating out the competition. “It bugs a lot…sometimes its like you can’t control the bidding wars,” Tailor says. He notes that some people constantly bid and that at times it’s not even worth buying the item anymore, “you have to spend a lot of time on eBay.”

Tailor has a huge collection of hats, “I always gotta have my hats.” Among his favorite style is the Kangol hat, which originated in Britain. He dresses up for the fun of it and believes people should wear whatever they feel most comfortable in, “I just enjoy dressing up, I’m more of like the fine artist rather than the designer.”

Lastly when it comes to style on campus, shoes on men are the first thing that catches his eye. “I’ve seen many guys in Uggs, yea it’s horrible,” Along with other fashion no no’s include men wearing sandals, TOMS, and Crocs. However ladies he is not a stickler to what you wear, and does not mind Uggs on you, so go for it!


Photos/Written by: Alexis Sparks