ARTICLES
FASHION RANT: Sweater Weather
Now that winter's on the way, sweaters are making their way out of closets. Sweaters are, of course, one of the greatest cold weather accessories ever designed by mankind. Snug fit or loose fit, knitted fleece or wool. Even acrylics these days can come out soft and looking sharp. The strong point of the sweater is it's ambiguity of style type. Sweaters can be worn casually with a pair of sneakers and jeans, or they can pair up with a nice jacket, pants and boots. They have the ability to pull together a look that otherwise wouldn't work. However, pick the wrong sweater and you might as well hang yourself with it. Here's a few sweater types that belong on the bargain rack at Fantastic Thrift.
A Give And Give Situation: Your Guide To Responsible Holiday Gifting
I’m going to do you all a favor. I’m not going to rant about how out of control Christmas shopping has become, even if you’re not in the West End at noon on a Saturday. I’m not going to preach about how out of touch everybody seems to be with the true essence of the holiday, even though I’m not especially religious myself. I’m not even going to whine about those ridiculous Lexus commercials where the twenty-something beautiful husband gives his twenty-something beautiful wife a red bow-wrapped convertible for Christmas, even though, really? Who gives a car for Christmas these days? Nope, I’m not going to do any of those things. Instead, I’m going to talk about stuff! Because, well, PRESENTS!!!
Christmas is going to be a bit different this year, at least around my house. Let’s just say Santa’s sleigh isn’t exactly going to be weighed down by any Prada bags or Gucci shoes or iPhones or iPads or iPods or iAnything on its way to my chimney. And you know what? I’m glad—and not just because of all the soot that I won’t have to clean off of my new toys. I’m glad because it means that the few gifts I get, or at least the ones I give, are actually going to have a purpose. Partly because I’m too lazy to physically go and do something to help other people, and partly because it makes me feel like I’m giving two gifts per person when I’m actually just giving one, this year, maybe for the first time ever, my shopping list is going to make up in moral value what it lacks in monetary value. Want to join me in winning some extra points for good-heartedness—without resorting to TOMS shoes and/or LIVESTRONG bracelets (which, let’s be honest, is sometimes difficult)? Check it out.
SALE! (Extensive And Ridiculous Exclusions Apply)
‘Tis the season for my two all-time favorite things: eating and shopping. Ironically, in the land of the large and home of the heavy, gorging on food actually takes a back seat to gorging on other stuff during one particular 24-hour period known as Black Friday. It’s a beautiful day in this great nation of ours, when suburbanites with too much disposable income, rednecks with barely any disposable income, and just plain crazy people come together to partake in one giant moron-athon of mass consumption. It’s a bona fide comedy of errors--except, in my opinion, it’s really not that funny.
I usually steer clear of pretty much anywhere that sells anything on Black Friday, but not because I’m against our culture of commercialism. In fact, I tend to support it since it usually supports us—and by the way, I don’t quite understand how we can be in a recession when people are tossing $2000 flat-screen TVs in their shopping carts at Costco all Sunday long (I’ve seen it, y’all), but maybe that’s my lack of macroeconomics education speaking. Rather, I steer clear of Black Friday sales for two very specific reasons. Number one: I’m afraid that I might actually end up in some sort of murderous jam due to a fit of uncontrollable road rage. I can handle lines of people in a store (sometimes), but just I can’t handle lines of luxury SUVs with 90lb, tennis-playing soccer moms inside half-attempting to see over the steering wheel in between text messages. And number two: It’s just not worth it.
Despite All My Rage
WARNING: If you’re looking for a fashion article with a brilliant point, then stop reading… now.
You know that thing where no matter how many times you bathe, you just don’t feel clean unless you’re in your own shower? Well, that’s how I feel with my laptop. No matter how many other computers are at my immediate disposal (like, literally, one floor above and one floor below me), I just can’t seem to get anything done on any of them.
You guys, my hard drive crashed almost a month ago. I’m just now getting it back from my Mac-expat genius friend who saved my arse yet again—thanks John—and my To-Do List is suddenly unconquerable. I mean, do you even know how long it takes to read three weeks worth of fashion newsletters? That’s, like, so many sparkly red carpet dress slideshows to catch up on. Thank God most of the shopping sites I subscribe to are flash sales, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything by deleting old “Free People 75% Off!!!!!” e-mails (side note: Does anybody know why Free People is the one that’s always on sale for 75% off? I’ll tell you. Because no one wants to pay $118 for a long sleeve shirt that looks like a homeless eight year old sewed it together out of her hand-me-downs. And yes, my closet is full of Free People that I got at 75% off, thank you.).
But seriously, can we talk about how exhausting it is to “follow” fashion these days?
DAILY FIX: What's Your Deal?
What's Your Deal? - RVA Music Fest from Johnny Hugel on Vimeo.
Dirty Richmond & Hit Play Productions ask "What's Your Deal?" - A look at the RVA Music Fest. Featuring The Silent Age, Luggage, The Diamond Center, Black Girls, Best Coast, Girl Talk and all the bands of the music fest and people of RVA who make it look so easy to look so good.
This video is the first installment of an ongoing series that Brian McDaniel and Johnny Hugel have been working on for quite a while. They'll be bringing the coverage of Richmond's fashion that Brian's website, Dirty Richmond, has become so famous for to life via video. Look for more of these real soon, but for now, enjoy a look back at the music, fun, and fashion of the 2011 RVA Music Fest.
FASHION RANT: Uncreative Recreation
Creativity comes in a lot of forms. Granted, nothing is truly original. Ideas can't exist in a vacuum, and we all have to accept that everything new is built on a platform of existing thoughts and influences. However, slightly tweaking a product/logo/image/brand that already exists requires about the same creative potential as a brain aneurysm.
I'm Done With Jeffrey Campbell
Section 1.1: You Copycat!
I say enough is enough, Mr. Campbell! Not only do you come out with about 50 new pairs of shoes in about 50,000 (mostly horrendous) colors and prints every month, but you also completely rip off pre-existing, slightly less horrendous shoes designed by other people about 75% of the time (disclaimer: numbers may be a bit off). And yet, you have every trendy little aspiring fashion blogger wrapped around your trendy little (read: giant) high heel and I just can’t take it anymore!
I get it. You make cheaper—but not cheap—versions of extremely expensive shoes, so people don’t really get that offended because you still charge generally exorbitant prices for your knockoffs, effectively maintaining the façade of being a serious shoe designer. Let’s be honest. Fashion people hate Forever 21 because it’s not chic to look cheap, and when you’re wearing a dress that cost $13.80 (side note: Does anyone know why Forev’s prices are so random, and yet so predictable? Let’s discuss…), there’s really no way it’s going to look like it set you back $1380. They probably also hate Forever 21 because of all those child labor/slave labor/unsafe work conditions lawsuits on its record, but that’s really irrelevant at this point. My point is, you, Jeffrey Campbell, are no better than the pleather-miniskirt-sequined-haltertop-fake-wooden-strappy-sandal-wearing folks over at Forever 21. You’re just better at ripping off other designers.
Fashion That Says “F*$# Off!” … Literally
Are you tired of seeing light pink, cap-sleeved t-shirts that say random positive words like "hope," "peace," "love," or my personal favorite, "joy," in consistently disgusting typography and design? Do you ever/often feel the urge to tell people that you hate them, you don’t want to talk to them, you don’t want to look at them and/or you don’t want to be near them, even if they are complete strangers? Do you like to make a statement with what you wear? Like, literally, an actual, written statement? Then reader, this is your lucky day! Because just for you, I have scoured Google Image Search far and wide for the clothes, shoes, bags and accessories that say, “fuck off!” in the best, most explicit, most fashionable ways possible, simply so that you don’t have to. You’re welcome.
FASHION RANT: YEEHAW FOR DENIM
Some fabrics are versatile. Others can quickly leap from fashionable to unsightly depending on the garment. One of the least forgiving fabrics on the market is denim. If you're paying attention to recent trends, denim is making a resurgence in many more places than jeans. The denim jacket is a risky move, but if done right it can come off pretty slick. That goes the same for the denim jumper. However, the denim dress may pass for cute in one of a hundred occasions. Mostly it's a deeply rooted southern style and a barren wasteland for beauty. It's Shania Twain meets Susie Homemaker meets Kevorkian. If you do decide to give it a shot though, here are a few things to avoid:
Fashion Rant: Whatever This Thing Is
HEY. Guys. Remember in my last post when I said that sometimes I won’t make fun of anyone at all? This is not one of those days. Remember how I said that if I ever make fun of you, I’m only joking? Well, I lied. At least in this case. Because if I ever, EVER catch any of my male friends, or any male stranger, for that matter, in the horrifying joke of a jumpsuit pictured above, I will personally mock him publicly and wholeheartedly for the rest of my able existence.
Now, I know that was a bit harsh. So let’s give the designer, Chelsea Bravo, a chance to explain away this “creative” garment.
FASHION RANT: GENERAL COLLEGE DROPOUT
Support the troops doesn't mean try to dress like them. What's the first thing American soldiers do when they get home? Change their fucking clothes. You see, most rational human beings realize that camouflage has a solely utilitarian purpose, and it would look ridiculous to wear it around in public. And using AK-47s, brass knuckles, hand grenades and other miscellaneous weaponry doesn't make a garment cool (cough, cough, 10 Deep and Crooks & Castles).
Best Friends Day: It’s Like Summer Camp, Plus Alcohol and Minus Rules
…so basically, it’s not really like summer camp at all. Unless the summer camp you used to attend included copious amounts of cheap beer and naked ladies. Also file under the copious-amounts-of category: Ray-Bans and Ray-Ban knock-offs, short-shorts, camel-toes, really creepy moustaches, paint, cigarettes, tattoos and generally bad life decisions. Pretty much the only thing I didn’t see in copious amounts at my very first (!!!) Best Friends Day was assholes, which brings me to my next point.
It’s strange, really. Everyone was acting almost like they were… wait for it… best friends! Who would have thought? Not me, I’ll admit. When I first arrived at BFD, I was nervous. Why would anyone ever be nervous about a day full of drinking, swimming and live music, you ask? Because of my lack of, well, best friends (not to mention my tattoo-less body... Thank God I have a nose ring, the surest sign of individuality). But after a few friendly head-nods and handshakes and a few more beers (read: a lot more beers consumed in a very short time), I was feeling right at home.
FASHION RANT: THE MAN SANDAL
Let's be honest, men's sandals aren't cool. They are appropriate for certain occasions, where large bodies of water are involved, but otherwise they fail as fashionable footwear. The look vigorously teeters between "I love pedicures" and "Pass the bowl, brah," depending on what they're paired with. The most important reason why people should hate men's sandals? Jimmy Buffett thinks they're cool. If Jimmy Buffett said life was cool I would kill myself.
FASHION RANT: I LOVE ED HARDY
I never thought I would say it. Never in my life. Up until about a year ago I would have to look away in disgust every time I saw a skull, a heart and a rose awkwardly grouped in a screen printed abortion of design. If you gave a four year old LSD and crayons, he could come up with something that has more artistic integrity than the dye sublimated vomit stain on an Ed Hardy shirt.
FASHION RANT: THE PIGEON TOES POSE
When a girl in this town gets her picture taken, there are a lot of things going through her head. "Do my arms look fat?," "Do I look bi-curious enough?," and "O-M-G is this going up on Dirty Richmond?" are just a few. A question she should probably consider is "Do my feet look stupid?" One person that forgot to ask herself that question is this girl.
The pigeon toes pose has to be one of the worst positions to put your body in if you are attempting to look cute. If you are attempting to look physically deformed however, you hit the mark. Being pigeon toed is a real thing. It comes from some of the leg bones in the shin or thigh twisting to the inside of a person's body, forcing their feet and toes to point inward. I'm sure pigeon toed people find it flattering when you mimic their tragic misfortune to draw attention to your new Toms.
There are plenty of other available positions for your feet. There's the "knee slightly bent" pose, the "lean on some shit" pose, the "one-foot-awkwardly-behind-the-other," and who can forget the classic "stand like a normal person." Drop the wanna-be Anthropologie model attitude, and be cute for cute's sake.
FASHION RANT: WHO KILLED THE WAYFARER?
This is what happens with every major trend in city boy style. About 5 years too late, word gets around to the fraternities and they proceed to run it into the ground. Maybe they have a secret meeting on what trend to kill next, right after the paradoxical discussion on how the borderline-gay activity that occurs in the house juxtaposes with the rampant homophobia of the brotherhood.
THE FASHION RANT: YOU'RE NOT WALKER TEXAS RANGER'S GIRLFRIEND
...And just a wild guess, you've never lived in Texas. Yes we all get the irony of a city girl wearing cowboy boots. The most ironic part of this accessory is how widely they receive praise at your vegan book club. It's leather. From a cow. Or it's alligator or snake or some other animal you wouldn't dare raise to your lips.
Behind The Scenes Video: Grape Cloth/RVA Magazine Back To School Issue
A behind the scenes look into the Grape Cloth Photo shoot for RVA Magazine Issue #6. The shoot was set in Maymont Park in the Japanese garden. Iain Duffus (owner of Grape Cloth) provides the voice and a brief history of his company.
TOMS Latest Venture, "Easy On The Eyes"
TOMS Shoes, formed in 2006 by Texas entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie, is a shoe company with a humanitarian mission. For every pair of their shoes purchased, they donate a pair of shoes to a child in need of footwear. Today, though, they moved beyond footwear and into a new way to help those in need through their One For One initiative. NEED Supply was one of 32 locations in the United States that received a mystery capsule that would be opened simultaneously with the other 31 capsules scattered throughout the country. The opening took place at 1:30 PM ET today, and you can watch the video of the live reveal at TOMS headquarters below:
Smelling of freshly lathered suntan lotion, NEED Supply was an ideal spot to bring out a surprising amount of TOMS fans as well as regular customers. Everyone was on hand for the launch of TOMS new Eyewear line. With several styles of sunglasses for both men and women, TOMS new product line will benefit those with vision impairments in Nepal, Tibet, and Cambodia. TOMS is working with the Seva Foundation to provide prescription glasses, eye surgery, and other benefits for those in need. Check out the new TOMS Eyewear line for yourself at NEED Supply starting today, and help out the less fortunate.
Grape Cloth x West Coast Kix Unite To Help Japan
Catastrophe strikes when we seem to be the most comfortable. Trends come and go, interests shift and we fixate on aspirations and dreams while willfully becoming blind to inevitable tragedy.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
