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Bows and Arrows brings fashion to Telegraph

The minimalistic Bows and Arrows on Telegraph Avenue serves as a cutting-edge oasis of street-wear culture in the Bay Area. (Photo by: Cailan Ferguson)

In the hub of vibrant colors, culture and extravagance that is Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, one storefront stands out: Bows and Arrows, a minimalistic, sleek shop carrying cutting-edge clothing wedged in between a vintage clothing shop and a shop carrying foreign imported goods. The store serves as a beacon of fashion and streetwear culture, attracting customers throughout the East Bay.

Bows and Arrows has been in Berkeley for about 14 years, flying relatively under the radar.

“The Bay Area doesn’t have the greatest fashion scene,” said manager Kyle Martin. “It tells you that it’s really under par because there’s no fashion week here.”

Though streetwear culture isn’t dominant in the Bay Area, it shows more prominence in other parts of California. However, these locations definitely have their differences.

As Martin said, “LA is more expensive. They worry about the cost of something more instead of the style. It’s really hard to be into fashion… when you’re thrown a bunch of high-end clothes all the time. All people worry about is the Balenciaga, like the Triple S or the Sock Runner. They don’t really care about fashion.”

Bows and Arrows tends to stock streetwear pieces from brands such as Pleasures, Comme des Garçons Play and BrandBlack, but, as an independent retailer, deciding where to invest can prove to be a challenge.

“We have to find interest in it (potential merchandise), and it has to fit the idea and appeal of the store, also our customer clientele and what they’re looking at on a day-to-day basis,” Martin said. “It’s not exactly the most hype stuff, because that comes and goes really, really quick. You kind of need to put classic things around unusual things at the same time to draw people in.”

Additionally, the brands themselves play a strong role in deciding where they place their products.

Manager Kyle Martin trying on a pair of sneakers at the shop. (Photo by Gabrielle Lurie, The San Francisco Chronicle, reprinted with permission)

“They want to sit next to things that will make their brand justified at the price. Off-White wants to be in Barney’s. They want to be around other things. Raf wants to be around Alexander McQueen and Alexander Wang. They don’t want to be around a Stray Rats. They don’t want to be around no Pleasures. It’s all about placement,” he said, “what you see around it, the company you keep.”

Along with major brands, the store also frequently receives messages from smaller, independent clothing companies, in hopes of stocking their supply.

“We want to go for things that we want. If we notice you, that’s better than you contacting us to notice you. Instead of reaching out to us, expand your reach to just people, in general, and, then, if we hear about you, we’ll hear about you,” Martin said. “Branding is a hard thing to do, for people, especially in this day and age. People don’t understand exactly what the kids want, or what people want to see.”

While much thought clearly goes into the merchandise Bows and Arrows offers, it can still be very difficult to expand and gain exposure as a smaller shop in the competitive world of streetwear.

“We’ve gotten posted on Hypebeast and different little magazines that don’t have the same publication as a Juxtapose, or a Mass Appeal, or something like that, but we’ve been posted on other things,” said Martin. “Our reach, because we’re in the East, like Berkeley, isn’t as strong as San Francisco.”

Despite this, Bows and Arrows has more than 22,000 followers on their Instagram.

“Social media is a hard one… because with a store, it can get corny really, really quick. Just even the words you choose, the descriptions you give, how you choose to present yourself,” said Martin.

“We can put some shoes out, and nobody can care at all. It’d be whatever, they walk past it,” he add. “But if we post it on our Instagram page, people are just like, ‘Oh, yeah.’ It’s like ‘Oh, OK, I see it. It’s there. I’m gonna go purchase that.’”

 

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Movie review: The new “Mamma Mia!” puts the music first

Almost exactly a decade after the iconic 2008 jukebox musical film, the story of Sophie, Donna and her three fathers portrayed in “Mamma Mia!” has returned to theaters with “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” The all-star cast featuring the likes of Amanda Seyfried, Julie Walters, Colin Firth and many more returns to the screen, alongside newcomers such as Lily James and Cher. The viewer is once again welcomed into the serenity (alongside chaos, at times) of Kalokairi, Greece — although the filmming was done in Croatia — and is given an in-depth look into the events that took place before the start of the first film.

Because of the movie is a sequel, it may be somewhat complicated for a view who hasn’t seen the original. Spoiler alert (although it has been widely reported): Meryl Steep’s character, Donna, has died (although we don’t learn why). As producer Judy Craymer told USA Today, “She said: ‘If there’s a way I can be involved, I would love that. But I’m never going to be singing nine songs, running on the cliff tops again.’”

So the movie turns a death into a rebirth: It was her mother’s dream to renovate her hotel, and now Sophie, her daughter, assumes the role of the business entrepreneur.

The choreography of this film is mesmerizing. It’s clear to see the effort the choreographers and cinematographers put into making every single movement picture-perfect. The cinematography in songs such as “When I Kissed the Teacher” and “Waterloo” is astounding.

For instance, in “When I Kissed the Teacher,” the shot of Donna and the rest of the graduating class riding off into the unknown gives the viewer a taste of the adventure depicted throughout Donna’s story. The sudden spontaneous dance numbers add a sense of fun and humor to the movie, making it an essential part of what builds its atmosphere. From the way every motion is carried out to the way it is captured, the choreography is certainly the most memorable aspect of the film.

Though the film perfectly encapsulates its musical roots, it falls short in dialogue. The choreography serves as mesmerizing and hypnotic at times, which keeps the audience engaged and in awe, until characters interact outside of extravagant dance routines. The movie’s writing isn’t an issue, but sometimes the delivery falls flat, as if the actors were reading their lines through a teleprompter during filming.

It seems like the film’s casting directors valued musical ability more than pure acting when deciding roles for the movie, which isn’t necessarily a negative thing for a jukebox musical. Some lines even feel like they are being said in a live performance, which could be because the film’s predecessor is an adaptation from a musical. Either way, the film’s beautiful scenery and joyous music help build the ambiance much more than the characters brief exchanges.

In addition to dialogue, characters that seem to be important to the plot are barely shown. Sky, Sophie’s significant other, seems pivotal at the beginning, but then is barely mentioned or talked about. While the film perfectly depicts Donna’s back-story of how she came to the island, it seems to lack in its new scenarios. Sophie’s grandmother, Ruby Sheridan, portrayed by Cher, does not appear in the film until the final scenes. While her diva-esque humor certainly brightens the mood and excites the viewer, she has no influence on the plot, other than to briefly reunite with a long lost lover. These connections and side plots run rampant throughout the film and can be distractions to the overall storyline.

But its upbeat songs by legendary Swedish pop group ABBA, choreography and joyous atmosphere make it memorable and heartwarming. 

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Kite festival keeps them coming back

Berkeley’s two-day kite festival showcases huge kites flying over Cesar Chavez Park at the city’s marina. (Photo by Lynne Perri)

BERKELEY, Calif. — On your way to the festival, you observe the plethora of cars, buses, bikes and countless other modes of transportation snaking their way down toward the marina. People visiting with their families, friends and others pour in and out of the festival..

This is free Berkeley Kite Festival, now in its 31st year, which serves as a communal gathering point featuring food, families and dogs.

Alongside the long row of vendors at Cesar Chavez Park stand the booths for the Berkeley Police Department, where officers are directing traffic, passing out stickers and fielding questions.

Maggie Burciha, a San Francisco native, attended the festival for the first time last year and she was back again on opening day in 2018. She said came because of  “just how family-friendly it is.” She has two young boys “and we really enjoy kites,” she said. 

Although the kite festival showcases kites of all sizes and colors both for fun and for competition, there are also dozens of vendors — selling soaps, trinkets, T-shirts and other clothing (and kites) — and activities for younger children, including a playground full of inflatables, a petting zoo and pony rides.

 “We like the vendors,” Burciha said.

Like Burciha, Sandra Braddock arrived with her family in the afternoon. “This is great,” she said.  You get to see a lot of different people here, and different kites, too.”  

Her son was flying a kite and her daughter was sitting next to her with a blanket wrapped around her while Braddock talked about what a wonderful time they had last year.

“It’s windy,” she said, “but perfect for kites.”