Classics vs. Trends
Ok, pardon my philisophical waxing for a moment.
I clearly lean towards the classics. APC jeans, standard button up shirts, aviators, and my favorite shoes in the history of the world are Stan Smiths (technically, it’s Common Projects in all white but I can’t drop $360 on a pair of all white sneakers.)
But I see kids roaming the malls looking like Kanye’s take on 80’s fashion and think, this shit is going to last about 8 seconds - then what. Grunge remix? Prep/punk? Future/hippie? The classics go through a rehash every 5 years, but the trends seem to be in a constant recycle. So if right now we’re stuck in between a recycle of classics and a recycle of trends, what’s coming?
Mad Men - I’ve been feeling for a while now, especially with the recession still hanging over us that once the smoke clears and people go back to work that they will want to go back in style. Psychologically, there will be a need to shake off the feeling and the LOOK of the recession by dumping the over-tattoo’d tees for suits. You will know this has happened when it permeates beyond Madison Avenue and the Chi-town agency crews. (Yes, it’s simply a rehash of older classics, but….well…I still think it will happen.)
Personalized - I have felt for years that the next major trend was going to be personalization. I’m seeing it in small flashes here and there with Nike ID, Indochino suits, Threadless tees, but I’m talking the individual as the designer. Personal branding, to me, was never about social media - it was always about individuals representing themselves in a unique way. What can the post-Y2K era deliver that the 50’s-90’s couldn’t? New fabrics, new lines…? No - we’re still wearing button ups, polos, jeans and khakis. Technology can make anyone a designer, the web can make anyone a brand, put it all together and you get the individual as fashion designer. Threadless is only the beginning. When kids in HS are making their own back-to-school clothes, you’ll know it’s hit.
Subtlety - I’m not as sure about this one, but I can only hope that designers like APC signal a shift away from douche-wear like Ed Hardy. For every generation, there is a Garfield tshirt trend. Ours, apparently, is giant bedazzled tattoo wear that is ridiculously overpriced and over decorated. There are so many fashion options right now that look like the clothing equivalent to doing your entire house in animal prints (rugs, chairs, couches, throw pillows, dining room accents, wall hangings ) hey 40-year-old asshole at the bar in Kansas City, I’m talking to you. I can only hope that the backlash is coming, and it’s coming in the way of subtle fashions being more in vogue that graphic barf, bedazzled fashions.
The perfect shirt
I’m convinced it doesn’t exist. My obsession has turned from finding the perfect shirt to proving that like the Yeti and Britney Spears’ sanity, the perfect shirt for men doesn’t exist. What is the perfect shirt, you ask?
Well, today’s man needs to be able to have a shirt that he can wear untucked with jeans, khakis and shorts. Not too long, not too short. It must be fitted, but not tight like the douchebags who buy tiny Abercrombie polos and walk around with their arms flared out from their sides. No, the perfect shirt must fit to the point of being invisible. If thrown in the laundry, it should come out wearable - not crisp, not wrinkled.
The perfect shirt should have a collar that when washed, doesn’t roll up like the ends of ribbon. It must be light enough to wear in summer by itself, and just heavy enough to work with an undershirt in winter (under a jacket of some kind of course. Which also means it can’t have 1970’s italian mobster length collar points.
And of course, no logos. I want it in white, light blue oxford, plaids of various shades, and classic stripes. It’s supposed to be a classic. It’s supposed to be a staple. Every guy should have 5-8 of them in their closet, and when not pressed it should make a suit casual enough to wear with some Adidas Stan Smiths. When pressed, it should look good with a skinny tie and nice loafers.
I’ve looked at the following:
Gap (loose fitting, suck ass shirts made very cheaply.)
Banana Republic (tight fitting, suck ass shirts made at the same cheap factory as Gap.)
Brooks Brothers comes close with their sport shirts, but unfortunately there is the matter of the tag on the front opening and the just too long length. Also, you can’t get the sport shirt in an oxford.
All dress shirts from all brands suck. Too long. Tags in front. Too much body material (seriously, anything bigger than a 15 1/2 neck and you need to weigh 300-400 lbs. to fill out the shirt.)
Maybe J. Crew will be the victor. I will soon visit their store for fall clothing.
Steven Alan shirts may be the only option, but at $168 they seem to be a tad exclusive to be a staple shirt. APC Jeans are staple jeans. 501s are staple jeans. Steven Alan seems to be creating staple shirts for people in the tax bracket that Democrats like to target for taxes.
Anyone got any ideas? Anything I’m missing?
Obsession Roll-up
Either I’m too lazy to make a post for each, or my ADD is really kicking in, but today seems like a good day to summarize all my current obsessions. Here are my top 10 obsessions for the month of August
- Photography. I know it was the last post, but it’s #1 and holding.
- 2010 Camaro, and new cars in general. My AC went out, so every other car looks pretty nice on the drive home. Those worthy of obsession are limited to the Audi TT Quatro, Chevy Camaro, Infiniti G35 Coupe (the G37 is just too swoopy,) Nissan 370Z (the 350 was a speedbump in great Z car designs,) and the Toyota FJ which, when it’s available in a hybrid or electric version is owned.
- New tattoo. I need something unique and I can’t figure out what I want. James Jean, where are you when I need you.
- My Love/Hate with the iPhone. Great device, shitty ass battery life. Love the touch screen, desire the Palm Pre keyboard. Love the App store, hate Apple for nixing Google Voice apps. Seriously though, if they could double/triple the battery life I would never look back.
- Apple Tablet. I think about it every day.
- The Canon 5D. I have the 50D, and I wish it was full frame every god damn day. It’s a great camera, it takes great pictures, I have fantastic glass, and I want so badly to have a full frame to work with that it makes me a tad retarded.
- Vinyl records. Why the slip to 7th? Well, a broken AC catapulted cars to the top and just about everything else on the list gets touched everyday. The vinyl, unfortunately, seems to be enjoyed less frequently right now.
- Saturdays. See #7.
- Painting. I feel the itch to paint like a frat boy feels his crabs after Spring Break. Every day I check out artists that I love for inspiration, and wait. I have wood and canvas prepped and ready for me to have a free weekend. I need a good holiday. The last time I felt the need to paint this much I created Original Analog Machine and went ape shit. I’m thinking a robot version of Where the Wild Things Are starring a boy modeled after my son.
- Web design. It feels like forever since my last 8-10 hour session launching a new website and tweaking the design. I feel the itch and have a couple great ideas that need to go live ASAP.
Photography, (photographing women specifically)
I find photography to be increasingly beautiful. I noticed it as a kid, but not until recently did I feel it was worth personal pursuit. Now, thanks to the Canon 5d and 50D, I’m downright looney tunes over taking pictures. But as cool as that neon sign is, or that long bridge with the cool lights, I want a well lit close up of a beautiful woman. I want to see a hint of sexuality, vulnerability, and breasts. I don’t want to see x rated amateur pron (sic), I want to capture that glint in every woman’s eye that crushes men under the weight of their own desires.
I realized I can’t paint this moment, or look, as well as Audrey Kawasaki but I may be able to capture it on film. I’m reading Annie Leibovitz’ book. I’m studying Flickr for inspiration. I’m playing with my camera and lenses, trying to get it right. And it will come. I will not stop until it does. There are one or two people who have the look that I must capture, but I want to have a million photos that showcase each woman’s unique soul exposing and heart stealing glare.
You’ll see.
2010 Camaro
Chevy Camaro 2010, the mobile boner.
Latest obsession. CARS. But not just any car. I’m completely gaga over the first car Chevy has let someone design in years. The 2010 Camaro is hot. It awakens in me that feeling that cars had when you were in high school and college. The desire to drive around with or without a hot chick in the passenger seat. The ability to pull up to the front door somewhere and know that someone was watching you get out. To quote our modern day genius, Paris Hilton, “it’s hot.”
Why? Because like the Audi TT, the Nissan Z, and if you are a chick the VW bug - the 2010 Camaro is one of the most well considered cars of a generation. The Ford GT was amazing, but $150 grand. I can’t afford that, and if I could, I would buy a Porsche 911. So would most people, and unfortunately for Ford the mass produced Mustang is just too….well…mass produced. I see them everywhere. But for now at least, Chevy has built a car that stands out in a good way. It doesn’t look anything like the past Camaros, which I believe were only sold at Nascar events and came with a free sleeveless jean jacket. The late 60’s Camaros were like driving around in a giant erection. The 2010 Camaro is a lot like that. Only, newer and with better gas mileage. (*We all know that is the primary concern when shopping for a modern American Muscle car.)
So. At least once a day I think about the Camaro and lust a bit. I can’t have one, but damn do I want one.
Nike’s disappearing Basketball tights
At one point, Kobe Bryant made a big fashion statement by playing games wearing full length tights and got the basketball press and fans all interested. Then the NBA shut it down, banned the tights, and the soon to be product from Nike disappeared. Similar products were planned by other companies - Adidas and Under Armour, McDavid, possibly others - but have either been remarketed as running tights or just never saw the light of day. I’m fascinated by this. The idea that a product was good enough for the biggest brand in shoes and the best player in the NBA to get on board, but for some reason was hated so much by the NBA that the product was banned.
WTF? How are full length tights different from stupid arm sleeves? Tattoos are ok, but tights are off limits? Even though Adidas is now the official equipment provide of the NBA, players are still allowed to wear socks and shoes, and I assume underwear produced by other brands. Why not tights?
I recently tried compression socks from Nike. My calves felt great. I played longer, didn’t have leg cramps that night, and there was almost no soreness that night or the next day in my lower legs. My thighs - not so lucky. So why would the NBA want to deprive me of happy legs? Why would the NBA decide to take away the ability for Nike or Adidas to market such a product on the legs of the world’s most famous basketball players?
I have to know. I’m obsessed with this. I read about it online. Customer support at Nike has no idea, and claimed that I knew more about it than they did. Which is possible, but still.
Come on Nike. If I want to look like Peter Pan playing basketball, isn’t it my right? Especially if Kobe and LeBron are going to make it cool?!
APC Jeans
APC Jeans
Yes, THE jeans. APC jeans are magic. They require commitment. A new pair of APC New Standards comes to you hard, unwashed, stiff and TIGHT. You are supposed to order them 2 sizes down from your normal size. You are supposed to wear them for 6-12 months without washing them. You are supposed to enjoy the pain. For a month, it’s like having your dick in a vice. Then they slowly release their grip.
Then they deliver denim magic.
April will mark my 6th month with my first pair. Still unwashed. Still wicked awesome. I love them. What started as tight, stiff, comical pants are now comfortable jeans that look tailored to my body (not tight anymore, just well shaped.) Are most people likely to buy a pair of jeans that are ridiculously tight and uncomfortable and wear them for 6 months without washing? Absolutely not - which means more magic for freaks like me who are willing to commit. Thanks APC, for making sure I’ll always have at least 1 thing that is unlikely to ever catch on and become a fad.
If you have ever longed for the perfect pair of jeans, or spent countless hours trying on jeans and then going home irritated, depressed, enraged…then APC, and the ridiculous process that comes with them might just be for you.
MY Apc Jeans, new and old
By the way, my pants got press. That’s how awesome I am. If you wrap yourself around my butt for 6 months, you too will get an article. Like the bearded douche from the cheap suit commercials says, “I guarantee it.”
WORD TO YOUR MOTHER.
James Jean
Batter - James Jean
Descartes said that nothing anyone could write about was worth him reading - he wanted to experience things through his own eyes. Art is generally like that. I appreciate good art, but I love painting and drawing and the experience of creating art. Other people’s stuff is nice, but I would rather create visual work that suits my own asthetic. But I would adorn at least 25% of my body with artwork by James Jean. In fact, the only reason I don’t have a new tattoo is because I don’t have a clean version of his work to pull an image from - and I can’t decide what I want first. James Jean creates the kind of art work that is almost cruel - it’s so good it makes you think you’ll never be able to create anything as good.
I bought his Batgirl comics so I could frame the covers. He combines the spirit of manga, fine art, a kind of etherial spookiness, spirituality and modernity that I believe perfectly represents my own visual aesthetic. Old Japan and New, minimal and subtle and focused yet rich with detail. Songwriters used to say of Bob Dylan that he inspired them to write music, but also made them think they should give up. James Jean creates visuals that are like that for me.
Creepy but beautiful
If you haven’t enjoyed the James Jean experience, please visit his gallery websites for more of his work. I’m obsessed. The greatest thing ever would be for him to design a tattoo for me. The likelihood of that is slightly lower than my going back in time and beating Michael Jordan one-on-one in 1998, but a boy can dream. Please visit his website and see why James Jean is worthy of obsession.
http://processrecess.com
http://politewinter.com
Moleskines
mainstream, but still wicked awesome.
Sometimes when something becomes to much of a fad, I abandon it due it’s mainstreamness. Black frame glasses are almost there. Thank god beards never grew beyond hipsters and took off among normal joes. Surprisingly though, Moleskines are still a must have item. I have at least 10 in every room. They look cool, they come in a variety of perfect sizes, and depsite their having become fairly trite among designers and hipsters alike, I can’t stop loving them. I think I’ll make some cool leather covers for them.
My favorite: a DC city guide that I bought before moving to DC, which I eventually didn’t do. The economy may have wrecked my plans to join a creative agency in the nations capital, but my $10 DC city guide is still something I’m totally obsessed with.
I wish I could send a Moleskine to James Jean and have him fill it. That would be the greatest thing ever.
The economy (and every expert’s failure to understand it)
I can’t help but listen to NPR, various TV pundits, and every random idiot on the street who has an opinion about our failing economy and think that they are all full of shit. Ok, so tv pundits being full of shit is fairly obvious, but no one seems to have a clear understanding of what’s going on enough that they can predict what’s going to happen next.
I will now attempt to leverage my psychic abilities to predict the future of our economy, and along the way provide some insight about how we got here. *(Hint, I will not be speaking of bad mortgages and stupid banking practices because I think everyone now understands that stupidity.)
First, look at who is struggling:
Circuit City - Cut out qualified, tenured employees and hired less qualified apathetic drones to not give a shit about customers for less pay. Right. And they closed. This has nothing to do with bad mortgages.
Brokerages - So let me get this straight. Less regulatory oversight allowed brokers to turn Wall Street into a massive ponzi scheme with their investors money and 401Ks. This. Failed. In. The. 1980s. Idiots.
Compusa - Let’s not forget one of the first victims. Compusa was a total predictor of Americans running out of patience for poorly run big box retailers. News flash big box retailers, US consumers have lost patience in being manipulated, lied to, and treated like crap. Compusa and Circuit City were 2 of the worst practitioners in this area and deserved a terrible death.
Real Estate - LOL. Seriously. What more needs to be said? You can’t keep building forever and pushing up prices indefinitely. This is what happens when you let anyone be a real estate agent or mortgage broker and they end up treating the entire US housing market like a massive land grab. Bad deals, inflated prices, and record foreclosures.
Detroit - Ok, one more time Detroit. MOVE FASTER. People get sick of boring cars and bad gas mileage. Everyone BUT YOU has figured out that your cars look fucking gay and wear out too fast. And seriously, if you’re going to bank your entire business strategy on making bigger, fatter vehicles while gas prices continue to climb and instability in oil rich regions gets shakier by the day. You deserve a big fat failure.
Employees - You idiots. The world cannot sustain less than 5% unemployment because from my experience 6-8% of the US is unemployable. That means you, everyone that worked at Circuit City and Compusa. And hey morons in manufacturing - you know how your unions keep pushing up your wages and benefits? Yeah, that is called reducing profits are making American manufacturing less competitive. That means eventually, your greed will eliminate your job altogether. It reminds me of that stupid childrens fable about the dog with the steak seeing his reflection and dropping his steak and having nothing….ah, forget it. You’d better start going back to school or learning the culture in 3rd world countries because that’s who’s going to have your job in the next 5 years.
Look around folks. This isn’t a massive economic collapse the likes of which haven’t been seen since the great depression. People are still lining up for iPhones and Nintendos. This is about consumers right sizing the market. You want to make a profit - make better shit for people to buy. We don’t need 900 different brands of soap. We don’t need 5 different retailers selling the same shit +/- $.05. I’m not going to drive a mile to save a nickel and your employees are retarded. In this regard, republicans have it right - the market is a powerful force and if companies don’t keep up they should be allowed to fail on their own. That being said, no one ever considered the long term effects of having a decade of 3-4% unemployment.
Americans are staging the worlds first complete reset of both the economic and political system. They may not realize it, but look at the record fund raising by Barack Obama. Americans still buy innovation. Americans will still buy what they need. Companies thought that the pockets where bottomless pits of cash, and they are not. This is just consumers right-sizing the products and services they buy on a massive scale because now that the housing market has stabilized and the ridiculous equity payouts are gone, everything is just getting back to normal and normal people don’t need 4 65″ plasma tvs and 1 more American made truck that gets 10 mpg.
Apple, that goes for you too. There is not an infinite need for music players and laptops and if you make shitty products your consumers will leave you too. But I love my new iPhone, so thanks and keep up the good work.
I’m out bitches. What was the last thing you bought?
Best Buy sells everything at a competitive price and Amazon had a record Q4 in 2008.