For the month of November I decided to step away from the music realm to shed some light on a different kind of event in Asheville. This is where "The Shakeout" comes in. The Shakeout is a refreshing environment where fashion, art and music come together to create a space to not only browse and purchase goods but also network and hang. I sat down with Allie Larkin of "X I V Vintage" and Kiara Simone of "Different World Apparel" to talk fashion, fabric, and food. Come out to New Mountain November 19th from 2-6pm to kick it with some of the dopest doin' it in AVL. Lets begin. As to avoid sullying the journalistic integrity that has come to be expected of Grit Talk, let's begin at the apex of the issues at hand. MX: Which side dish is the most important this Thanksgiving? A: Damn, that's a good question. I think I am too hungry right now to give that the thought it deserves without torturing myself. K: Yams! via GIPHY MX: While we're on the subject of food... Does Asheville's male population dress like biscuits and is The Shakeout the butter and jelly they need to get a seat at the "Grown Ups" table this Holiday season? (I'm asking for a friend) K: Burnt biscuits--but the ones you can still eat, so yes. A: The Shakeout is more of the gravy they wish they had. (And by wish ,I mean they can have it! Come out!) K: The Shakeout is the ONLY butter and jelly they need. MX: Let's keep running with this food theme. Fuck it. We all love to dress ourselves and OBVIOUSLY we REALLY love dressing our salads as well. Describe your dream wardrobe using salad terminology. A: Fresh. It's all about the greens situation you're working with. Therefore, you need a good selection of simple basics so you build off that. Vegetables are the accessories-- jewelry, purse, etc. Then fruit would be makeup--like you can go with it or without. Oh and shoes are the dressing, because they can really change the whole vibe of the outfit / salad. K: Spicy and Italian. MX: Follow up salad question since we all love them SO much. Finish this lyric and who wrote it? "He toss my salad like his name _________" A: "Romaine" / Nicki Minaj. via GIPHY MX: Perfect. Journalistic integrity maintained. Now let's lighten up the mood a bit. Do you feel that the Fashion Police should be required to wear body cameras when dressed to kill? If so then what excuse do actual, real life Law Enforcement have not to? Cause they dress like shit. A: Possibly mandatory selfies when dressed to kill? To the other part of this question--There needs to be so much more reform than just wearing body cams because apparently having videos of police brutality does not change the actions or charges against the police committing these crimes. We need to demilitarize our police force as well as train them better not to discriminate and to deescalate situations unarmed. We really just need better education in all regards in the country. K: I agree with Allie on the selfies for the Fashion Police. As for the second answer I will end up writing a whole ten page paper, MLA format and double-spaced so watch The 13th on Netflix....That's my answer.   MX: If someone is dressed to the nines...What do they need to be a ten? A: Confidence and a little lipstick never hurt. K: Believe they are a ten; wear what you want! MX: As we approach the end of 2016 what was your gear of the year? K: I bought this perfectly fitting flapper style dress, love it but still have yet to wear it. A: I got this stellar pair of black leather boots by Dolce Vita. I seriously feel like such a boss and in control of life when I strut in them. I always try to judge clothes by how I feel in them. MX: The Fabric of Time and Space is the Fabric of our Lives and The Fabric of our Lives, as we all know, is cotton. My question is this: What is the Fabric of our Deaths and how can cotton be better utilized to unite humanity with out cosmic destiny? A: I personally would love to be buried and forever swaddled in cashmere. K: Any synthetic fabric is the death of fabrics, reason why to keep it real (pun intended). Well I know we can grow it in America and not put young children to work for 15 hours to put together cheap fabrics so Americans can buy it for 5 bucks and throw it away 6 months later. Plus hemp is where it's at for sustainable substances for even clothing. MX: Soooooo...We're not gonna address our cosmic destiny? No 'Hail Satins'? Fair enough. A conversation for another time then. Let's wrap this up! Final question. MX: Choose one print to banish forever. Camo or Floral? (We already know what to do with Kanji print) K: Camo is a no-no. A: This reminds me of a time back in 2010--I saw this guy pumping gas wearing camo pants and I seriously had to reevaluate my whole life when I thought that he sort of looked good? But really I think I would just be happy if I never saw the digital camo ever again. MX: And so with their favorite pattern now banned, soldiers around the globe were no longer feelin' themselves enough to justify carrying out the will of their corrupt governments. A worldwide peace treaty was signed into effect and harmony on Earth was finally achieved. The End. via GIPHY And now...Talk your Grit! A / K: The Shakeout was created as a space for creative individuals to meet and network as well as share their art with the community. I think sometimes art communities can come off exclusive or intimidating and that's the opposite of what The Shakeout is all about. Cause you judge your own art enough. Who needs to feel like the people you are trying to create with are too? So come to The Shakeout if you'd like to collaborate! Also The Shakeout is hoping to positively impact the community by collecting money and clothing donations at these upcoming pop-ups for different organizations! Shout out to all the people in this world opening their minds and using art to create positive change in this world. Know your power and never limit yourself, you are abundant. Be kind and look out for each other. The Shakeout happens at New Mountain Asheville this Saturday, 11/19 starting at 2 pm. It's fun for all ages, and it's free. @differentworldapparel / @libyblog / @xiv.vintage / @828today And those joining us this time around. @og.vintage / @_millerhighlife_/ @sarahkduvall / @bludiamondart MX: See you all Tommorrow!