Pink Rock Candy – Top fashion trends, news and shopping of 2010

I love being introduced to new music, whether it’s “the next Lady Gaga,” a guy from Indiana and his guitar, or a French/Finnish duo called The Dø (pronounced like dough).

While Dan Levy plays the folky, surfer, dance beats, Olivia Merilahti’s bubbly voice chirps the lyrics making each song a sort of electro-nature call.

It was Olivia’s interest in fashion that initially piqued my interest, “I love Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Manish Arora, Chanel, Junko Shimada. I’ve been wearing a lot of Tsumori Chisato and Andrea Crews outfits on stage,” Merilahti says. At a glance you can tell she’s a girl who has carved out a style of her own, whether she’s wearing some secondhand find or designer duds.

“I love independent designer outlets that I come across when I’m abroad, Toronto and NY were my latest faves (I don’t shop much in Paris). I find a lot of designer shops in Helsinki. I also like the customized clothes that some vintage shops sell, like XXL t-shirts that have been changed into dresses, sleeves that become scarves, etc. ‘Episode’ in London is a nice one,” she continues.

The fashion definitely drew me in, but it was the music that made me want to keep listening, and when I say “keep listening,” I mean over and over and over again. After hearing the song “At Last” from their new album A Mouthful— recently released in the US— I couldn’t stop playing it.

It’s romantic. It’s cheesy. It’s tongue-and-cheek. Most of all, it’s addicting.

I’ve spent the weekend singing, “At Last! I found what I was dreaming of / Someone who truly understands me,” under my breathe. Best of all, the rest of the album is just as captivating and fun.

Watch the ‘At Last’ video below.

I think I say it every spring— if not, I should— warm weather makes me want to dress like a hippie. Many times, I don’t always achieve the look because it turns into an odd rocker/hippie mix. Today, was no exception. My look was slightly hippie, but more utilitarian rock fan.

I adore the Jimi Hendrix tee I found in the men’s section of Target years ago. I don’t often wear tops with images or writing on them, but for some reason, I feel it’s acceptable for me to display my undying support this genius across my torso. Plus, a new Hendrix album, primarily recorded in early-1969, came out yesterday entitled, Valleys of Neptune. I won’t turn this into an album review, but I will say, there are some guitarists who can stir your body, some who can stir your emotions, and some who can stir your soul. Only Jimi Hendrix can do all three.

The way music and fashion influence each other has always intrigued me. It’s a very chicken-or-the-egg situation, but after discussing this with various people in both industries, I often chalk the influencing up to being a sort of dynamic equilibrium. I do, however, sometimes say, fashion is my heart and my music is my pulse— I may need fashion to live, but music let’s me know I’m alive.

Talk Back: How does music influence your sartorial choices, and vice versa?

Click to see What I Wore

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Over the weekend, I had a mini adventure with my cerebral-twin, whom I’ve lovingly and ironically dubbed Smiles. We went to Park Slope, Brooklyn— a place, though quite cool, is forever away from Manhattan and a hell of a pain to get to when in 4 1/2-inch heels— to see another friend’s band called Cedric Needs Us.

When we arrived, there was what I can only described as a faux-Chaplin, cowboy hipster who sang songs that were unequivocally ordinary. In fact, there was one song about how he had two shoes. His southern twang was as false as his Charlie Chaplin-esque stache, but there was something entertaining about the entire situation.

Finally after about 45 minutes of the hipster Johnny Cash, Cedric Needs Us, a 5-piece band including a clarinetist and a pianist— that’s a clarinet player and a piano player— squeezed onto the 5×7-foot stage and wowed.

I’d only heard one song, “Silvi,” which can be heard on their MySpace page, and was hoping I didn’t have to grin an bare it as I tried to be a nice person, but I can officially say I’m a Cedric Needs Us fan and will hopefully be at their next concert on February 13, 2010 at Kenny’s Castaways (157 Bleecker Street, NYC). If you’re in the tri-state area, you should totally come too!

p.s. Cedric Needs Us is on Facebook too!