The Power Players Club threw a bash for the Salahis the other night at District Nightclub in DC. We were tempted to crash the party, but found ourselves on the list for the party (big thanks goes out to Ali and KAC from Power Players Club).
As soon as we got there, we headed over to the stars of the night Michaele and Tariq Salahi. We obviously took pictures with Michaele, I should've worn a tux--would've worked better with the whole crashing the party thing. And if I could've done it all over again, I would've placed her hand on my chest.
I chatted with Michaele for a little and then told her that she should start going to these galas in t-shirts. She asked which shirt she should wear, and I told her: "I crashed the White House State Dinner... and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."
Tariq and Michaele loved it--they were super nice and had a good sense of humor.
Here's why: Last night I attended a fashion event in Washington DC for Luke's Wings. The event was fantastic and money was raised for a great cause. The location reminded me of our Warehouse Party.
Anyways, I was wearing the Tans&Hot Tubs& Fist Pumps& House Music& Blowouts& Hair Gel& Poofs V neck shirt. I've never been photographed so much before in my life. I felt like Paris Hilton. I empathize with her a little bit now. Paris, if your reading this, me and you, were not so different. Next time you're in DC, hit me up.
We love supporting charities, especially local ones in DC. A friend of mine organized a bar crawl for Suited for Change, and we donated t-shirts as door prizes.
They ended up raising a nice amount of money for Suited for Change, and the participants "Loved the t-shirts."
Sounds like a fun day: Drinking until you can't walk, getting free t-shirts, and supporting a Washington DC charity. Sign me up.
Five years ago, a group of girls had a vision. Blondes. Brunettes. Football. Charity.
Sounds like a recipe for success. And over the last five years, through their annual Team Blonde Vs. Brunette Fundraiser, they've raised over $100,000 for Alzheimer research. This year's goal is to raise $100,000. (Support their efforts by donating here). The game is on November 14th in Washington DC.
To help them get to their magic number, Team Blonde (favored to win this year) asked us to create a t-shirt they could sell for charity. We delivered. The t-shirts debuted, to great fanfare, at their fundraiser at a new bar in Georgetown called, George. In just one night, they sold out of the Blonde T-shirts--these blondes can play football, raise money, sell t-shirts. What can't they do?
If you want to buy a shirt (we're reprinting the tees), email us and support their worthy cause.
I hadn’t heard of the popular t-shirt company Crooked Monkey until I was invited to an exclusive party they recently held. You see, even though they get great press from actors wearing their shirts in movies and magazines talking about their fashion styles, Crooked Monkey is based in Washington, DC – not widely known as the fashion capital of the country. And they wanted to do some local brand building.
This wasn’t just any party. Sure, there were attractive guests in a cool setting with great drinks and music all the usual stuff. It was what they did differently that made it the most memorable event Ive been to in a long time.
Lets start with how I even found out about the event – a secretive email from someone I didn’t know telling me that my friend recommended me as a guest for the event. This is somewhere in between Facebook and Eyes Wide Shut. Then, a request for my home address, to which was mailed a package containing an envelope with a paper invitation, and also a sparsely decorated white t-shirt, which I was required to save for the party two months later and bring with me to gain admittance. Finally, a bag of tart banana candies finished the package.
Further inspection revealed that the event was on a Sunday night (no night is safe from parties!) at a secret location to be given to us later. Keep in mind that I dont know the person behind the party, nor the other guests, and now also not the location. Still later I discovered by email invitation that the event would be in a warehouse in a not-so-savory part of Washington, DC and that we MUST bring our white t-shirts because wed be doing something with them on the night of the event.
When the day of the event came, I really couldn’t stand not knowing anything! I texted the contacts I had for the event to ask questions, but they revealed little. I emailed some socialite friends to try to figure out who else would be there we knew it would be all tastemakers of different sorts, but no one really knew who was going, which was exciting. I used Google Maps to investigate the location of the warehouse. I stressed about what one wears to such events (I think I chose well!).
Even the party itself was very engaging. An artist created a mural from our white t-shirts that we used for entry right in front of our eyes. An old-fashioned photo booth let us take pictures with each other, and the photo strips had (what else?) a Crooked Monkey logo on them. Even the name of the event Photoshoot at the Warehouse gave the party an active quality.
Do you detect a pattern here? Crooked Monkey kept busy, elite attendees who get invited to tons of events mentally engaged with their event for weeks. They made us part of telling their story. They got us to talk about their brand before, during, and after the event. And in the end, the event delivered with a cool venue, outstanding bar, fun atmosphere, and lots of fashion.
Photoshoot at the Warehouse is a great example of putting the public back in public relations and brand engagement. How great? Im writing an entire post about them – and I dont even like wearing t-shirts!
We haven't had a chance to write the follow up blog to the Photoshoot at the Warehouse, but I wanted to give a small glimpse of the night. We transformed a beat up warehouse in Chinatown into an impressive lounge--with lighting (pictured above), a full bar, a kicking DJ and a live graffiti artist. Everyone who attended said they were blown away with the ambiance--that this was probably the coolest party they've been to this year. Nice! Our 6 weeks of work paid off! On Monday we'll post a blog with all the details. In the meantime read up on the press that we got for the T-shirt launch party:
6 weeks into the making and 100 invites later, the day has finally arrived. We've been preparing the warehouse this whole weekend--bringing in lighting, furniture, and toilet paper.
The invitation went out on August 17th--people were informed of the party via a t-shirt mailed to them in a black envelope. Since then we have sent out three emails: giving the address of the party, instructions on what to do with the t-shirt and regretfully informing people that there would be no plus 1s.
There will be lots of surprises, good times and brand new t-shirts. So sit back, relax and read people's live tweets about the party.
We've spoken a little bit about our Photoshoot at the Warehouse party, but not too much about it. Mostly because were not allowed to. It's a small venue--it only fits 100 people--and the guest list is sealed. It's next Sunday night, from 9-12Pm.
We're pulling out all the stops for this party. The invite was sent out in a black envelope, with banana candy, and a t-shirt as the formal invitation. Guests will bring the t-shirt to the party and be met with a myriad of surprises. We have an awesome DJ lined up--one of DC's best. Open bar is being provided by Emperor Vodka and Magic Hat. The Bar tenders are being supplied by Mie N Yu Restaurant. The photobooth, which will provide endless entertainment and awesome pics with Crooked monkey t-shirts, is provided by PoshBooth in DC.
The surprises and good times will be documented and published on the blog on September 14th. We're super excited for bringing Crooked Monkey's new graphic t-shirts and classic humor t-shirts to DC's finest.
We're gearing up for the launch of our graphic t-shirts, with a "Photoshoot at the Warehouse" in Washington DC, mid-September.
It's going to be as much a launch of our graphic line as a celebration of how cool DC has gotten. Over the last few years I've written a lot about DC--how it's become hipper and funner everyday. It's about to get a lot cooler.
The party, featuring our t-shirts and all that DC has to offer--from Emperor Vodka to Mi n Yu in Georgetown to graffiti artists--will be a true testament to Crooked Monkey's roots in Washington DC. Now all we need is a professional sports team that can win games.
Details about the party--including the invitations, timelines and guests--will be on the blog throughout the month.
One day a week, I work from my apartment instead of the Crooked Monkey offices. These days turn into mini staycations--I get to explore parts of DC, have meetings at new restaurants, and get lost in the streets of Washington DC.
It breathes inspiration into our funny and graphic t-shirts. If you're all about DC staycations, check out KstreetKate's blog--she's about to drop some knowledge on the topic.
DC bloggers and trendsetters Ebong Eka, Kate Michael, and Pamela Sorensen have a bi-weekly webisode called "The district Dish." They feature individuals with interesting stories/businesses/charities/lives.
This week they decided to interview yours truly. I was honored to be asked to be on the show. Kate Michael writes and produces K street Kate, Pamela Sorensen writes and produces Pamelas Punch and Ebong Eka owns a men's fashion line called Mi Chiamo Eka.
Great group of people. I discussed t-shirts, the origins of Crooked Monkey, where we get inspiration and celebrities wearing our t-shirts.
Michael Wilbon was filmed that same day--so I got to meet him. He's a real real nice guy and very interesting to talk to. He's got a few more views for his edition of The District Dish than I do, so go watch my edition so we can beat him out.
Helping the economy. Gettin DC outta this recession
Having a car in the city is a huge liability. Parking tickets, speeding tickets, accidents, and scratches are just some of the reasons that you might want to think twice about owning a car in DC. In the first 12 months that I lived in DC, I got none of those. In the last 3 months I've hit for the cycle--multiple times. Oh how my fortunes have changed.
I'd like to explore DC's main source of income: parking tickets. Knowing their joy in handing out tickets, I have become very cautious when parking my car. I carefully read and reread all the posted signs--I walk 30 ft in each direction to make sure that I'm not missing any phantom signs.
The other day I parked my car, for less than 24 hours, in a legal spot and then got a ticket for a temporary sign that was put up after I had already parked. That cannot be legal. Last night I parked in a spot that had been legal for the last 12 months. But a couple of weeks ago someone added a homemade arrow to the "No parking sign" that originally only pointed to the right--now it also pointed to the left (if you click the picture above, you'll see what i'm talking about). It was a questionable spot, so I looked at the other two signs (pictured below) to see if they corroborated this new restriction.They did not--according to the other two signs my spot was still 100% legal. So I figured the added sticker to the other sign was vandalism--or a funny practical joke. It turns out it was neither. This morning I walked to my car and saw that familiar pink slip. Under the comments for the ticket it stated that the signs were "Clearly posted." Clearly posted? No one should have to write a dissertation--weighing one restriction against another--to figure out if a parking spot is legal or not.
I was going to write about how I'm helping ease DC out of this recession. But the more I write, the more I realize that this is no joking matter. It's literally highway robbery.
Guess what. Another snow day another dollar. We're hosting our 20% off Snow Day sale on all our funny t-shirts.
You should all be thankful that Crooked Monkey is based in DC, and not Chicago. Obama recently made fun of us for how unprepared and scared the city is of snow. Last time we had a snow day, Obama said: "My children's school was canceled today, because of what?" an incredulous Obama asked Wednesday before a meeting. "Some ice?" He laughed.
We'll be working hard today. So if you buy a shirt, we'll ship it out.
I love that name. K Street Kate. K street is as close to South Beach as DC can get--Night clubs, long lines, tables, and gorgeous women.
My brother and his girlfriend went to some private inauguration function last week and ran into K street Kate. Apparently she was Miss DC in 2006. Props to the judges--usually they forget to pick good looking girls. Anyways, I'm assuming if she tried to win Miss DC 2009 she would probably fall to a respectable fourth--right behind Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama (in that order).
Believe it or not, I didn't actually meet Kate. But after writing this post I feel like we're almost BFF.
Prior to this weekend, I was excited about all the crowds descending on DC. 1.8 million people--Every single one of them super excited about Obama (and the accompanying BJs for Obama). Young, good looking, fun crowds. But then I had to wait in line every where I went. The bars, clubs, lounges, restaurants, Subway, Cab lines. And that was before the inauguration even started.
Never has a t-shirt meant so much to me than during the inauguration. I could've handed out 1.8 million I don't do lines t-shirts and it wouldn't have been enough.
Living in DC, we felt it was our duty to head down to the capitol to celebrate Obama's victory. On Monday, I drove down to the Rayburn Office building to pick up our tickets for the inauguration. With all the street closings and sidewalk barricades, I knew that we had some difficult days ahead.
Monday night we brought my brother out into DC to witness History. He was wearing some raggedy shoes, jeans, and a parka that was a cross between a large tent and a moomoo. But we got him into the VIP room of one of the hottest clubs in DC, "Current." The night ended at around 4 AM rocking out on Rockband 2.Three and a half hours later our alarm went off and we set out on our journey. Armed with hand warmers, hats and gloves we mapped out our 3 mile walk to the Capitol.
It would take about an hour, in the blistering cold, but we knew Obama would do the same for us. Then we stepped outside into the freezing cold; we hailed the first cab we saw. He drove us as far as he could and we got out of the cab only to follow the crowds, in the wrong direction, for about 10 minutes. There were so many street closings and restrictions that figuring your way around DC was almost impossible. But we chose to go to the inauguration not because it was easy, but because it was hard.
We finally got to what we thought was our security gate. We weaved through the line and passed security in record timing. We were psyched. It was about 2 hours until Obama took the stage and we figured we had given ourselves enough time to get settled. We videotaped a victory speech of sorts--detailing our journey and our tribluations. The Mission was accomplished. We only needed to cross one street and we'd be at our gate. But between us and the street crossing stood hundreds of policeman on horses, metal gates and big concrete barricades. I pointed to the wall and yelled, Mr. Policeman, tear down this wall. That didn't work out too well.
When we go to tradeshows or meet boutique owners, buyers always ask where we ship from and are always surprised when we say Washington DC. The majority of t-shirt lines are based in New York City or Los Angeles. There isn't too much happening in the realm of fashion in this city, but that doesn't mean DC can't be cool once every four years.
At 11PM on November4th, CNN called the election for Obama and DC erupted. I went to a bar in Dupont Cirlce to watch the returns--girls were crying, guys were consoling, and everyone was euphoric. I headed back to my apartment to watch Obama's acceptance speech and I started getting texts from all my friends saying "To the White House." So immediately after the speech I headed to the White house with my roommates, Jon and Eddie, to meet up with thousands of others on their proverbial journey to the new White House. Our walk down 16th street was hilarious--high fives, low fives, and chants of "Bjs for Obama"--but it was quite a hike. So midway through our expedition I hailed down a car and we hitched a ride down to the White House. As you can imagine, parking was impossible to find, so as soon as they started looking for parking we looked for the exit door.And there we were, chanting and singing with the best of them at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It felt like America had just won the superbowl. The GW paper said that some girls were giving out "Hugs for Obama," but I think the paper was just being kind because "BJs for Obama" was in full effect. What a great time to be living in the Nation's Capital.
Working from Home--Funny t-shirts are much more fun
Today I "telecommuted." I had some meetings in College Park and instead of driving back to the office, I decided to work from my apartment. I just picked up a wireless keyboard and mouse so I can hook my laptop up to my 46" LCD 1080P TV (I had to drop that somewhere in this blog post) and sit back on my couch.
Running a t-shirt empire from a couch might sound easy, but it's not. I had to deal with the very tempting desire to nap, do laundry and light up the hookah. But instead I decided to stay steadfast and focus on funny shirts.
Well I did succumb to the wonders of happy hour--since I live in the city and work in the suburbs (Somewhat backwards I know), I rarely get to enjoy happy hour. And on a night like this I just had to. I just showered and am now writing this post in a towel. Ladies don't get too excited--I'm a sephardic Jew and thus was blessed with a hairy chest. Some women love it, some don't. I love the women that do love it. (That's my sister in the picture) Anywyas, that's it from funny shirt land. Cause i've got to go enjoy some margaritas at Lauriol Plaza
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The Power Players Club threw a bash for the Salahis the other night at District Nightclub in DC. We were tempted to crash the party, but found ourselves on the list for the party (big thanks goes out to Ali and KAC from Power Players Club). 
