NANCY CHRISTENSEN // NEW WORKS

Tonight we receive Oakland artist Nancy Christensen and her new works, untitled.  The watercolor series is a zen-like exploration of space and attachment.  Her primary characters are connected to smaller entities conveying a quiet bond.

Party starts at 6pm, and we are offering 15% off storewide for the event.  Ed the Soulector will be here spinning his rare vinyl funk and R&B.  Last party of the year, hope to see you here tonight!

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This Is Oakland // Maple Street Denim

First off, imagine me squealing with excitement and doing a massively embarrassing happy dance.

Now that that is out of the way, may I introduce you to my new neighbor: Julie of Maple Street Denim, opened this summer on 9th St a block away from Crown Nine.

GRAND OPENING PARTY

Saturday OCT 4th

 

4-6pm @ 465 9TH ST

You should go.  It's gonna be way fun.

The Maple Street motto: "Quality Clothing for Quality People."

You, dear reader, are said quality people, so get your cute little butt down to her shop and let her work her magic on you.  Julie has helped me pick out jeans over the years (she used to work at Slash Denim) and never failed to get me into the exact right size and fit.  In general, she make me feel like a goddamn boss in some boss-ass jeans.  She is a denim wizard.

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I made Julie gimme the low-down on her and the shop, enjoy!

What is your philosophy for picking out the right pair of jeans with a client?

The goal is to always get somebody into jeans that are going to make them feel really good, so getting the right fit is the most important thing.  So I always ask first what kind of cut they want (skinny, straight, boot cut, etc) and then we go from there. Having a deep knowledge of my inventory and knowing how everything is cut makes it easy.   I usually start by grabbing a few pairs for them and asking them to SHOW me the way they fit when they’re on. Once I see them on, I can really hone in and see what is working or what isn’t.  Interesting fact, about 90% of people think they have “weird bodies” and “jeans never fit” but the fact is, they just haven’t ever bought the right thing, nobody’s body is actually weird. That is like my personal crusade, especially for women…. stop blaming your body!  As far as knowing what size people are, I just have special denim magic that I can’t really explain.  I’ve just been doing it a long time and have gotten good at knowing sizes almost just by looking.


Top things in the shop you are bananas about?

1.  Outerwear from Gerald & Stewart by Fidelity: Amazing outerwear for men and women, made in Boston by a company that started out as a contractor for the US Navy since 1941. Incredible craftsmanship, jackets that you’ll have the rest of your life
2.  Levi’s Made & Crafted - Marker tapered boyfriend cut for women - finally a boyfriend fit that isn’t just men’s jeans with a higher price tag. Tapered and slim through the leg with a looser fitting, comfy top. Perfect every day jeans in a super soft fabric.
3.  Nooworks dresses - Made in the Bay Area! Two styles, lots of prints and fabrics, super flattering easy to wear dresses with an incredible price point. Been selling through these like crazaaaayyyyyy

Top things you are massively pumped for?  

1.  My grand opening party tomorrow!
2.  Plaid Friday!
3.  Trunk show with James Jeans
4.  Starting my very own brand of denim! This could take some time, but I’m really really really excited about getting started


What’s the deal with The Boss?

Are you kidding? What ISN’T the deal with the BOSS? I have been a big fan of Bruce Springsteen since I was a little kid. The first big concert I ever went to was the Boss in 6th grade with my best friend Meaghan Moran and her mom. It was the Tunnel of Love Express Tour, which for Boss fans we know is kinda lame, but I was 11, so give me a break. His songs have always just resonated with me and I think he’s got a really insightful view on our culture.  Most people just think of Born in the USA when they think of the Boss and they think it’s like this rah-rah-rah USA!USA!USA! fight song, but it isn’t. His songs are both a celebration of America and a harsh critique of what is wrong with it. I could always relate to that. Mostly being a Boss Nerd Superfan is really just funny. I mean, it’s Bruce F**king Springsteen. His live shows are legendary and it’s no exaggeration. He’s an incredible performer. Also, I touched him once. So basically we’re best friends.

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Get to Know Solee Darrell

Yay!  So pumped to share with you our newest gal, Solee Darrell.  Solee will be working with me upstairs making jewelry.  Solee studied metalsmithing at Sterling Quest in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Mexico, and is working on her own line of jewelry too.  She is a bright light, a total jewelry aficionado, and a welcoming spirit.  So happy she has joined team Nine!

We asked her a few essential questions so you can get to know her a bit:

1// What inspires you?
What inspires me most is other women! I love meeting women who have they're own distinctive sense of style and getting the chance to see the world through their eyes.

2// What is your favorite jewelry piece?
I have so many amazing pieces of jewelry that I've collected through the years. I have made some amazing rings that I love but of course they are always first to sell. I would have to say that my all time favorite piece of jewelry is a gold coin necklace that my mom got me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I always wear it when I'm going on a plane or when I'm doing something really important because it makes me feel a little safer.








3// Favorite Oakland spots for

Cocktails: Cafe van Kleef. I crave those greyhounds.
Beers:  Beer Revolution 
Burgers: In n Out, forever and always
Pizza:  Hi-life 
Fancy-Shmancy Date Night: MUA. Great ambiance great food.
Music:  The Fox Theater. It's beautiful in there!
Surpise us: Lake Merritt has been so good to me this summer. I love sitting on the cement slabs with some beer and friends.  And I recently discovered Oakland Floats. It's a deprivation tank spa! If you haven't tried it you need to! The coolest way to relax

Follow her @soleedarrell

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Top 100 Shops 2014!

Still catching my breath... so beyond honored to have been chosen as one of the Top 100 Shops 2014 by the SF Chronicle.  The story was featured in the Sunday Style section; we were nominated by taste-maker and author of This is Oakland book Melissa Davis.  I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful it feels to be recognized in this way.

It is also so lovely to see all the traction in Oakland.  I love this city, with all it's complexity and layers and I am so proud to call it my home both personally and professionally.

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting us over the years-- my little dream is nothing without the community of people who appreciate and love what we are doing, not to mention our bad-ass team-- Christina and Solee I'm talking to you!

Thank you!  So full!

In celebration, we are offering a 10% discount through October for those on our email list.


High-five everybody!

L O V E + M E T A L

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Insta Love // Re Elle

What influences, inspires, sets your heart on fire?  Curiosity about what does that for other people opens up new ways to get inspired and lit up.  I love to watch what my jeweler peers are doing, what they are being moved by and how that eventually turns up in their work.

My Insta Love feature will now be all about this: my favorite outtakes from the jewelers and artists we house in the shop.This art form and craft, at its best, goes beyond making pretty little things.  It is tapping into the same human and universal mysteries that all art gets itself into.

Today I am sharing some of my favorite shots from Brooklyn designer Re Elle.  I own one of her Fold Cuffs, it is a daily wear that feels a part of my body.  Her feed is one of my most heart-throbby.

Follow her @re_elle
Enjoy.

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Origins // Tyson Miller of T.Morgan Made

It's my honor to introduce you to one of the boys of our Crown Nine crew, hailing from Los Angeles.  In his words, his line is "LA born.  LA bred.  LA made."  Tyson is one of the nicest dudes you can be lucky enough to come across, and a talent to boot.  His recent work has been a study in the deconstruction of form, beautiful little geometric shapes with jagged textures that read as earthy and modern. Tyson also works in precious metals, jamming out wedding rings and bands (total stunners).  He has lots of stuff for the guys, as like all my favorite designers, he first began by making work for himself.  The gravitational pull of collections that originate in this way are magical, they result in connection with other people who spin in the same orbit-- and we're definitely spinning in his.  

Here is more from my conversation with Tyson, enjoy.

KE: Why do you make art?
TM: Because it’s good for the soul, the simple act of creating something with my hands makes me unspeakably happy. That and it beats working in an office all day. 

KE:  Current obsessions?
TM:  Trying to make something so good it’s impossible for you to see it and not want it. That and Instagram so follow me ok! 

KE:  I'll be sure to plug you, haha

KE:  What artwork or artists influence your work?
TM:  I’m most inspired by my friends who are fellow jewelry designers and also anyone/everyone who is out there on their own making things. Whether it’s jewelry or letterpress or screen printing or craft beer or whatever, independent makers putting their heart and soul into making something to share with the rest of us is awesome. 

KE:  How do you want someone to feel while wearing your work?

TM:  Confident and comforted, like it feels strange when they aren’t wearing it.

KE:  How do you know when a piece is finished?
TM:  When I’m happy with the way it looks, it’s as simple and difficult as that. That’s the beauty of being my own boss though, I get to just decide when it’s done. 

KE:  What do you admire in other people?

TM:  I’m a bit of an introvert so I admire the opposite, unabashed extroversion. People who can just talk to anyone and be comfortable anywhere without really trying. Also people who are genuinely kind without expecting anything in return are pretty amazing too.

KE:  What special talent would you choose if you could magically gain one?

TM:  The ability to give hilarious and insightful interviews. 

KE:   Touché, haha!

KE:  How does destruction play a role in your work?
TM:  I agree with Graham Greene, “…destruction after all is a form of creation”. Destroying one piece often leads to the creation of something entirely new so I try to embrace it. In fact the Jagged collection was born because I broke a wax in the carving process.

KE:  What design are you most proud of/ sentimental/ moved by?
TM:  My California born & bred necklace and my two finger bar ring. I originally made them for myself just because I wanted to have them only to have other people like them enough to want one too.

                      

Follow T.Morgan Made

Instagram @tmorganmade

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The Girl Who Knows

For the next few months I am a Guest Editor in Residence at The Girl Who Knows, a lifestyle blog for living with soul. It is giving me a fun chance to write about topics that that don't totally fit here, but interest me and I want to share nonetheless.  Some of it, like my post today, feels a little more personal, the kind of stuff I tend to chat about with my close friends. Other posts will just be about stuff I'm into.  Enjoy my first two posts, and checking out the rest of the lovely TGWK blog.

#2 80/20 Your Life

#1 What to Read This Summer

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ORIGINS // Miguel Farias

Our current photography exhibit at Crown Nine is body of work,'Ode to My Father' by Bay Area artist Miguel Farias.  Each small photograph shot in a color film that is no longer produced, the textures are vivid and eerie, the landscapes and small worlds photographed in California and Nevada over the course of two years.  Each image is perfectly hand framed by Miguel himself.

Miguel The Master Framer.  Photo by Paul Mueller

I sat down with Miguel to talk to him about being an artist, his process and work.  Enjoy.

KE: Why do you make art?

MF:  I've loved making stuff my whole life.  I think making art is hard, so am constantly challenging myself to make stuff that interesting and perhaps if produced well, it becomes art. I may set out to make stuff with the intention that it will elevate itself to art, but that's not always the case.  I love the feeling I get when i make something good and someone is moved by it and then shares that with me, gives me chills when that happens.

KE:  What themes are in your current work?

MF:  I've been making more portraits again.  I have a few ideas going at once, hoping one will get a little traction and I'll work those images through to hopefully produce an interesting and beautiful body of work.

Pyramid Lake 1995

Botanicals 1996

Old Car 2 1995

KE:  How has your work changed over time?

MF:  Well, I think it's gotten better, thank god! I can finish pieces better, faster, stronger, kinda like the six million dollar man...

KE:  Best piece of advice you have gotten?

MF:  Do a good job, ok.  Don't fuck it up, ok.

KE:  What artwork or artists influence your work?

MF:  All of my teachers from art school had a huge influence on me.  Folks like Jack Fulton, Linda Connor, Reagan Louie, and Hank Wessel.  I also really like photographers that work in color, like Richard Misarach, Edward Burtynsky, Len Jenshel, Pete Turner and John Pfahl.  But I guess the biggest influence on me has been cinema.  I love movies and watch a ton on a weekly basis.

KE:  How do you want someone to feel while looking at your work?

MF: I don't really care how they feel, so long as they feel something.  Photographs carry so much representational weight that its tough to control how someone will feel about a piece but I guess that's what makes a piece of art or a maybe even a good piece of art.

KE:  How do you know when a piece is finished?

MF:  It's usually pretty clear to me.  With modern tools, it's pretty easy to overwork a piece, so I usually do, then back it off until it feels right again.  I'm a feel player.

KE:  What do you admire in other people?

MF:  Elegance, beauty, kindness and a good sense of humor

KE:  What special talent would you choose if you could magically gain one?

MF:  I think I'd like to fly, I have flying dreams all the time.

KE:  How does destruction play a role in your work?

MF:  It really doesn't.  I like being a creator, but am not opposed to burning all down and starting over, I just don't practice that in my work.

KE: What design are you most proud of/ sentimental/ moved by? 

MF:  I guess I'm most proud of my last body of work, 'Gh0st L1fe', I produced it in 2010 with my dear friend, Allison Reilly, who was 18 at the time.  It got the most exposure of anything I've ever made and it was really well received.  It was shown in three venues over the course of two years, and it was very exciting to get so much attention for it.  Collaborating with Allison meant a lot to me.

Gh0st L1fe explores the nature of our relationships with technology, consumption, loneliness and solitude.

I love how these images capture a sort of passive attention that is very directional, it's almost as if the computer is in charge and the subject is just absorbing.

KE:  Current obsessions?

MF:  Pliny the Elder, David Bowie, La Luz, starting a band

Miguel's show runs through the second week of August.  You can see his exhibition during our regular business hours, Weekdays 12-6 and Saturday 12-5.  Every image in the series in a limited edition pigment ink print in archival hand frame.  $180.

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Go Far // Desolation Wilderness

This week I took a couple days off to go backpacking with some of my bro-dudes in Desolation Wilderness, just west of Lake Tahoe.  We started our journey at Echo Lake and walked 26 miles to Emerald Bay, camping out at a couple lakes along the way.  Our trail was an overlapping route of The Pacific Crest Trail that extends from Mexico to Canada, and the Tahoe Rim Trail that wraps the circumference of the lake, the terrain littered with stunning swim spots and wildflowers.  This time of year the thru-hikers on the PCT are walking this stretch and we were lucky enough to meet a bunch of them and ask them about their trip.  Here are some of my favorite outtakes from the journey, enjoy.

Dick's Pass overlooking Dick's Lake and Fontinellis Lake

Morning view at Middle Velma Lake

Loupin

Josh getting ready to fish

Lake Aloha

Campsite at Lake Gilmore

Bro-ing it out with my crew plus Michael, a PCT hiker who stayed a night with us

Mosquitos!

L O V E + M E T A L 

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