If I Become A Hipster, Blame My Brother: 2014 Edition

This is what you wear when you wake up at 8am to go buy records.

Little bit chilly while waiting outside of Graham's before it opened!

Inside Graham's - great crowd!

As some of you may or may not know, Saturday was Record Store Day. And although my brother, Eric, and I are currently living near Erie and not the vinyl-loving city of Pittsburgh, we knew we had to still celebrate.

Eric looked up where to find some goods and we took an early morning trip into Erie. This year we were serious, too. We printed out the list of all the exclusive releases, highlighted the ones we wanted and hoped for the best. We went to a family owned place, Graham's Records, first (supporting the local economy is what it's all about, right?), and found a couple things we wanted and then headed to The Exchange in Erie on the way home. Although we both brought home a lot less than last year, it was a good experience for our first time doing Record Store Day outside of Pittsburgh. Graham's had a ton of old stuff that I would love to browse through again soon, like on a day where we're not looking for specific things, and The Exchange had some great new things and surprisingly still had a good bit of Record Store Day exclusives by the time we got there around noon. Although, if you know of any other places around Erie, please let us know! We're always up for exploring music stores and local businesses.

I also realized this weekend that Eric and I have four record players, we each have two. He has an awesome turntable that is in perfect condition from a rummage sale and one from our dad. And I have a cute little green portable one that Eric got for me at that rummage sale and the one I "inherited" from our grandma...aka, the one I stole from our aunt's house during Christmas time because she wasn't using it and said I could take it. Hipsters.

Fashion Forward Fridays: Meet Eric!

Alright ladies, feast your eyes on...my brotha! Now I understand that some of you might consider this cheating, but trust me, I went out in search for a fashionista during the afternoon and literally all of the people that I would have normally stopped were either on their cell phones or getting on a bus. So knowing that I was headed out with some friends, I didn't worry about it since I knew I'd be able to find someone.

Sorry so blurry: here be my bro looking stylish.

I however didn't think that, that person would be my own brother! To be honest (and probably a little embarrassing) I've been picking out clothes for Eric for most of our lives. Not that he had a choice in the matter! When your little sister, has a big mouth and is a fashion diva, the smart thing to do is just to go along with it. However, in the past couple years, Eric has taken his style over for himself and has mixed inspiration for outfits from everywhere to create what could easily be considered, clean-hipster. And I approve!

Since Eric has a low-key lifestyle, he shops mainly at Target, JCPenney's and thrift stores. H also has a habit of raiding our dad's closet for some quality flannel. He's also influenced by some of his favorite bands: think Mumford and Sons for a visual. But what I like best about Eric's style is that it's true to him. He advises other fashionisto's to simply be their selves when getting ready but to consider what does look good on them and their body type. With this outfit, I love the mixing of patterns. I love when guys are able to cross plaid and stripes, to mix and match with pieces to create a different kind of layering effect than we ladies do. And I must admit I am proud to see that Eric has a love for cardigans and mixing patterns as well as what I like to call "old-man shoes." Also known as boat shoes.

Close-up: check out the pattern mixing.

Now for all you people who think I've cheated the last two weeks with using my boyfriend MJ and now Eric, well, you folks can deal. Sorry that two of my favorite men are such great dressers. Tell your men to up the ante! Use tips from MJ or Eric for which kind of style to create for your man if you want their style to change. Whether it's classy-business like my MJ, clean-hipster like brother Eric or anywhere in between, men's fashion is on the rise, so encourage the men in your lives to get them in style!

And guys - have fun with your looks! Don't think that it's just a girl thing to love clothes and caring about the way you look. Let's shake it up, Pittsburgh! Time to show GQ wrong!