July 24, 2012 – With '90s nostalgia in full swing it's no wonder MTV's bringing back its iconic fashion news show, House of Style — what's more emblematic of the era than alpha supermodel (ponder that) Cindy Crawford flossing mole and mane while frolicking backstage and spot-interviewing her cohorts, Naomi, Linda, and Yasmin. Not only will the show get a revamp, due October 9 with an as-yet-to-be-named new host, but MTV has unleashed a trove of deep cuts from the original show. Here's a clip from an early episode in which Crawford calls her ratted, vaguely Lady Miss Kier flip hairdo "a little funky". In an era when New York was at its most culturally vibrant and artistically important since the Warhol days, House of Style captured the inextricable confluence of fashion and music central to the scene.

July 19, 2012 – If you've ever been to an Odd Future concert you know that the wily group has sparked a sea change in young fashion. Specifically: everyone under the age of 19 dresses like Tyler, the Creator, mucked up in cat tees, tie-dye, shorts, and the ever-present socks (sometimes tube, sometimes graphic patterns), pulled up nigh to the knees. It's a highly specific look, and it's Tyler's through and through — except for maybe Jasper Dolphin, who rocks the same tees-and-knees combo but with the odd basketball short and house shoe thrown in. It's understandable that kids wanna rock the styles of their idols, even if they themselves aren't disaffected California skateboarders hyped on life and ADD — and OF has created an underground teen movement that's as voraciously worshipped by misfits as fangirls sweat Bieber.

July 16, 2012 – Palladium boots have a pedigree for real-life combat — they were first crafted in 1947 for the French Foreign Legion — but through the decades they've outfitted urban warriors' best, adding an edge of roughneck to a babydoll dress in the '90s and bringing back the stomp for those who don them today. So they were a natural go-to for designer Richard Chai's A/W 2012 collection, with loose tailoring and deep hues were inspired by his own concept of an "urban nomad." Showing sharp men's looks in smart, highwater trousers in corduroy and velour, he echoed the fabrics in his Palladium capsule collection, which comes in felt and corduroy with sheepskin lining in shades of wine and dark berry — perfect for chic'ing up your mean-mug. Chai only put his Palladiums on his dude models but the shades are lush enough for ladies in fall dresses.

July 9, 2012 – Since Krist Novoselic's career as Nirvana's bassist ended in 1994, he's been working in various levels of politics, as put most succinctly by the title of his 2004 book Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy. He's worked mostly locally, combating retrograde music-censorship laws introduced in his home city of Seattle, but for the past four years he's been the chair of FairVote, a non-profit organization whose goal is to help all Americans attain their Constitutional right to vote, as well as to pluralize the choices within a dual-party system. Just before Novoselic delivered his keynote speech for CBGB Fest last week, SPIN spoke with him about punk rock, politics, and being "obsessed" with the accordion. Check out photos from CBGB's big Times Square showcase. What have you planned for your keynote? A lot of finger-wagging and scolding. Just kidding!

July 5, 2012 – In the twilight hours of Independence Day, Frank Ocean published an excerpt from the liner notes of his forthcoming album: a tender tale of a man he once loved, who wouldn’t admit it was reciprocal until three years later. "based god was right," he wrote, "we're all a bunch of golden million dollar babies. my hope is that the babies born these days will inherit less of the bullshit than we did. anyhow, what i’m about to post is for anyone who cares to read. it was intended to fill the thank you's section in my album credits, but with all the rumors going round.. i figured it’d be good to clarify." The rumors started when a British journalist questioned his use of "he" instead of "she" on a love song — an exceedingly banal spark for the lovely fire that was to come. We have already known that Frank Ocean is a writer of considerable depth.

July 3, 2012 – Louis Vuitton showed a fisherman's cap in matte leather for their men's S/S 2013 show this week, but it was surely a bucket hat by any other name. Slick and structured, it's a couture capper on a trend that's had a bright and sometimes tumultuous life in hip-hop — but with rappers' lust for Louis, there's no doubt Kanye's skull will be topped with one tout de suite.

June 27, 2012 – New York menswear designer Mark McNairy went buck on his latest line for S/S '13, melding dapper downtown weekend prints with a refined uptown streetwear mentality — a New Amsterdam, indeed. So who better to model but lookbook figurehead Danny Brown, the rapper and a fashion maven (witness his hashtag/rap ad-lib #style)? Crispy Hamptons fare goes great with the asymmetrical-headed Detroiter ̬ the seersucker shortsuit with bowtie and khaki polkadot trousers are perfect looks for transitioning from day (beachside pig roast) to night (invite-only party at LeBain). Brown's most often seen in wild Jeremy Scott duds — God bless his Adidas shitkicker look at SXSW this year — but it's nice to see Brown in cleaner looks that don't betray his sense of flair. More, please! (And check out the rest of the photos at Dazed Digital.)

June 26, 2012 – When M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls" remixes drop in the corporeal world, they'll exist paradoxically in the tactical ether: on USB necklaces that look like a gilded Beamer ignition key. For $50, you can cop the late-'80s rap look in the new millennium — repping Maya, adbusting, cyber-reality, and feckless stunt-driving all at the same time. It's a good look for downtown-ing any ensemble, and the remixes are accompanied by behind-the-scenes footage and a special .gif. But M.I.A.'s simply the latest (and slickest) in a USB necklace/music merch trend.

June 14, 2012 – Kim Gordon's designed sunglasses and Gang Gang Dance have a skate deck, but over the past century, band merch hasn't really evolved past the simple T-shirt. It's a shame, particularly as American music fans become more fashion-conscious (thank you, diffusion lines) and designers better understand that repping the right musicians can help define their whole aesthetic: why not take this collaborative energy in a more sartorial direction for those of us who love both? Enter the latest piece of Peaking Lights merch, which synergizes the sparkling essence of the band as well as the gleaming, diner-blue cover art of their forthcoming album Lucifer (out June 19).

June 13, 2012 – When Adam "MCA" Yauch passed last month, probably his most-quoted lyric was from the Beastie Boys' 1994 hit "Sure Shot": "I wanna say a little something that's long overdue / The disrespect to women has got to be through / To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and the friends / I wanna offer all my love and respect 'till the end." MCA was reconciling his group's sexist past, with its beer-spills on boobies and other infractions, but it was also resonant for their change of spirit. A few high-profile obituaries discussed his feminism, but few referenced Kathleen Hanna, riot grrrl original gangsta and longtime partner to fellow Beastie Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, who no doubt had at least a little influence on their politics.