Should Tie Dye?


Is it “Tie Dye” or “Tie Die”?  I guess it all depends if you like random color spilled all over a good shirt, pants or sheets.  Let’s have a serious discussion on the reemergence of Tie Dye (TD for short).  There are some that say TD is a form of art, an expression on flowing colors that express each person’s individuality ….. (snooze).  Sorry where was I, I seem to have drifted off to some psychedelic dream, this happens when someone goes on about individuality and self expression.
Back to the serious discussion, at http://www.harmonytie-dyes.com/_special/history.html  they say “Since the 1980's, tie-dye has seen a reemergence as style and as a highly skilled, difficult and labor intensive art form. Many different colors can now be put on one item to get intricate detailed designs in brilliant colors.”  WOW, way cool dude.  Highly skilled ????, I’ll let you in on a secret, when my daughters were 12, they created TD shirts in our kitchen sink.  12 year olds that are highly skilled, I’m sure they would say yes, everybody else, including their parents may have a different opinion.  Bottom line. I think TD shirts are designed for those who do not know how to match colors or not sure what colors match.  I probably should start wearing TD, my concept of color matching is brown with brown, blue with blue, shade, hue or brightness not a factor.
Sorry I digress once again.  TD is associated with two main groups in the USA, hippies and tree huggers, now these groups are not exclusive or each other.  If you will remember back to your 6th grade math class, about two circles intersecting bla bla bla.   Like you I didn’t listen either, that’s probably why I was flippin’ burgers at McDonalds at 25 years old.  Hippies and tree huggers, that’s where we left off in case you forgot.
What is it about the TD that compels these two groups to wear these designs?  IQ level, color coordination problems, identity problem, too much smoking the wacky weed?  Smarter minds than mine will have to figure this out (that would those people who did listen to their 6th grade math teacher).  I need to tell you a story; yes I’ll make it quick.  Yesterday, yes literally yesterday, a high school history teacher asked if anybody in the class was a tree hugger (this is a true story), and the entire class pointed to one student in the class and said she is …… do you know why, you guessed it, because she was wearing a TD.   I’ve made my case, if you want to be in the two circles, wear TD, if you want to be with the rest of the human race, wear plain colors.  BUT for you who do wear tie die, wear them loud and wear them proud.  (This blog is dedicated to Makayla)

Ugly Chirstmas Sweaters


Sweaters, a long standing piece of apparel that is designed to keep one warm in cold weather. A simple and practical design that takes on a very unpleasant characteristic during this time of year, yes, it’s the ugly Christmas sweaters. How did these hideous designs come about? Is there a secret society that designs these hideous sweaters? How does one design, make, distribute and then sell thousands of these sweaters?



 If you worked for such a sweater design company would you admit it, or would you tell people you worked at the DMV? Those of you who saw the movie Santa, with Tim Allen, will remember when he is talking to Dr. Neil Miller and asking where he gets those Christmas sweaters and then compares those sweaters to the ones worn by the head elf Bernard. Now in fairness, someone must like them by the simple fact they are sold and people are wearing them ….. Is this a subsection of society? Like those who wear cowboy hats, or pro team baseball hats?

 What is the social economical demographics of the population who wears obnoxious Christmas sweaters?
To be fair (as if life is fair), there is one group of society that can openly wear such sweaters and wear it well, little grey or blue hair grandmothers. They are allowed and even encouraged to wear the Christmas sweaters that have lights and music, everybody else, NO NO and NO.
 
 
 I’m sure some people will disagree with me on this, but they will be far and few in between. In fact taking a very formal poll, I asked my friends (yes I have several), friends and neighbors, with a +/-4% error, showed that men who are wearing said sweaters received those sweaters from either their mother or wife. Now I can understand that for the 40 year man still living in his mom’s basement playing dungeons and dragons, but those from your wife? Do you think she’s buying the sweater and making you wear it to get a laugh at your expense? Maybe she’s buying the sweater because you’ve been naughty all year and she’s making you pay.

Well the season is upon us, so hurry downtown and pick up your favorite obnoxious hideous Christmas sweater and year it loud and proud.

High Heels .... Looking GOOD Ladies


Heels, they can sure make a difference if how a lady looks, you men know what I’m saying. But this is what perplexes me; putting your foot in a device (high heel shoe) at an uncomfortable angle, and levitates yourself up to 6 inches off the ground on a little 1/8” point. It would be one thing if you just stood there, but no in the women’s world they also walk. Real women do not just walk on a perfectly flat surface, but real women have become so adapt they walk on uneven surfaces (cobble stone), walk in soft surfaces (grass), climb stairs, run, and even dance. Men trust me; we’re not that good, compared to this feet (pun intended) of athletic skills.



 Now I have never personally worn heels, but am impressed what women can accomplish in heels and all for the sake of looking GOOD. How did this all come about? Did several women sit around and say if we put this shoe at an unnatural angle and step into it, our feet will kill us, we’ll have the risk of twisting our ankles or worse, we’ll need to buy longer pants and dresses, but we’ll look GOOD, really GOOD. As the cosmoses know, nobody knows how women think, not even women, it’s the last great mystery. Back to the dilemma of heels, I just went to a web site, you guessed it http://www.heels.com and they have everyday shoes with heels, work shoes with heels, party shoes with heels, and fancy shoes with heels. I’m already on overload and I haven’t even researched color, materials, or heel heights. On one of my searches I found this Oxymoron (words that when put together contradict each other) “How to feel more comfortable when wearing high heels”, at least from a guy’s perspective.


According to http://hubpages.com/hub/6-inch-heels: There are high heels and then there is the 6 inch heel which is a whole different kettle of fish. With the 6 inch heel, the ball of the foot is at an angle and the heel raised so much so that the foot resembles that of a ballerina on tip toes. If you needed help with how to walk in heels before, this is a whole new chapter! These 6 inch heels aren't for the faint hearted.



Back to the subject at hand, lady’s wear high heels because as a fashion statement, a way to make the legs elongated and more defined or as a seduction technique, maybe all three at once! It’s just that simple. They do it for us men, so men stop complaining when your lady complains that her heels are killing her feet. Be supportive and let your lady know she looks GOOD in those heels. You ladies who wear heels, wear them loud and proud.

Piercings


Ok, let’s talk about piercings.  I may be old fashion, but I do not understand certain piercings and do not truly understand excessive piercings.  First, let take the tongue piercing, let make a list of pros & cons.  Cons: you talk funny and you look funny.  Pro:  ????  Now I know there are a whole bunch of the brightest and best, the sharpest tool in the shed type people that will say they look cool, it’s hip, it’s hot, etc.  really!!!   For you perception is your reality.
Second let’s talk about the nipple piercing …. Ouch.  Sexy, not unless you’re a masochist.  Just so I am clear on your position, no matter your shape, looks, or personal hygiene, if you have a nipple piercing, you’re sexy?  If that’s true, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.  I’m not even going to talk about piercing that some of our Darwin award people on their genitals.  Not sure how that discussion happens at the store …. In fact I do not want to know. 

Last but not least, ear piercing for guys.  Ok, if you’re a big guy, when I say big, I’m talking 2% body fat or a metro sexual then maybe.  But if you’re 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 110 pounds, trust me, a pierced ear doesn’t say you big and bad.  And for you older men ….NO NO NO and NO.
  You’re past that stage, move on, grow up, look good, not sleazy.  I’ve spoken my pierce, (play on words), and I am sure 50% of the people will be upset, 25% won’t care and who knows about the other 25%.  Hey look that adds to 100%, just helping out those who didn’t do well in math at school.
For the rest of you who have piercing and look hot, thanks and good for you.  There are certain people and piercing that look cool, makes the person look sexy, and you out there who do both, THANKS.  Keep it up, wear it loud and proud.

Jeans with Holes


We all know having holes in your jeans are very trendy. Girls think they are sooo cute. Some jeans with holes do indeed look cute in a trendy way. They break up the look of the jean and can give you a one of a kind look. Now how those brand new jeans got the holes and wear marks to start with is a big mystery to most of us, especially us men. The jeans I have got their holes the old fashion way, by me wearing them a lot. Back to the new jeans with holes. The problem with all new cute trends is that designers start to go overboard. For example:
But at what point is the new cute holey jean fashion become just a pair of ripped up jeans. And I do not mean ripped as in body building, I mean the old fashion meaning of ripped to pieces, ripped off, shredded, etc. Would you really wear these black jeans to the store? Looks like your dog got hungry, really hungry. I might even give this poor girl $50 dollars to buy a new (one that is not all shredded) jeans.

So what is this look all about? Little stars in the rips? and the purpose? I'm sure if I had a room full of women right now they could explain it to me, not that I would understand, but I am sure all the other women would understand each other. After all that I have said about the holey jeans, I concur, some are cute and some are not. But as always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So if you like your holey ripped jeans, then wear then loud and wear them proud.

Stylin with Glasses


Glasses, the type you need to help see, are a funny accessory. Funny in terms of why some people wear them. Originally glasses were simply worn to see, nothing more, nothing less.



In fact there was a resistance on the part of society to wearing glasses. Member of society felt it made them look funny and showed everyone that they needed help to see properly.


Boy times have changed. No longer are we content to just wearing glasses to see, they must also make a statement. They must set us apart from the masses.

The glasses we wear tells the world if we are academically inclined, young, old, hip, cool, have attitude, or that we are just fun people. When I say fun, it could be fun loving or just that we are different, you know what I mean, just weird. Our glasses identify us, it gives us a sense of being, being different than the other three billion people. It screams to the entire world, we are different than you, at least in our own minds.

 During the 1980’s things were big, I mean really big, really big glasses were in. Not sure why the glasses had to cover the whole face, but that's what they seem to do. Now some of you out there still have parents and grandparents that still wear the extra jumbo size glasses.

Then aviator, police reflective glasses were oh so cool. You know the glasses that were like a mirror.  You could check yourself out while looking into the glasses.  They thought you were really interested in them, but you were really checking out your hair.  Looking back at old pictures, I can tell you it was a fad; we weren’t really that cool, but for several years we all thought we were.


Then all of a sudden everybody was wearing dark sunglasses. I mean so dark you couldn’t see their eyes, and I think most couldn’t see out They were wearing dark sunglasses inside building, at social events, award ceremonies, even weddings. It was the cool thing to do, or at least they thought it was, refer back to previous comment on aviator glasses. Then styles really took a change.

We had euro glasses, skinny glasses, colored glasses, colored lenses, and glasses that blinked. Glasses became a fashion statement, an accessory to ones clothing. There are people who wear glasses with clear lenses just so they can wear cool glasses and set themselves apart from everybody else.

 So when you need some help in seeing far or near, or nearly not that far, get some funky, sexy, stylin glasses. Ones that says “look at me, I’m different than you.” What you really want to say is “look I me, I look better than you.” No matter what everybody else is wearing, wear your glasses loud and proud.

Hair Styles You Got to Love


Hair styles and haircuts says a lot about a person. People get their hairstyles for a number of reasons. Some get a certain style because they want to look like their favorite movie star. Some get a certain style to accentuate their facial features, yet still others get a certain style to set them apart from society.

They want to stand out, go against the establishment. These unique or outlandish styles make for great conversation in society.


The question has to be asked, when you looked in the mirror, did you really say to yourself, boy I really looked “hot”, I look good: REALLY? Maybe they do, maybe all they want is passive attention, maybe they’re blind to what others see their hair as. Either way, we all have styles we like and don’t like.


Take for example, men’s combovers. The only people who think they look great are the ones doing the combovers. They stand in front of the mirror, spending a lot of time combing the three


stands of hair into a position giving them the look of a complete head of hair, or so they think. Then they look in the mirror and say, “boy do I look great”. Let’s hope it’s not a windy day.




Just like clothing styles, hair styles come in many looks, colors, and effects, iIt an individual thing. We wear the look because we think it looks great on us and our friends tell us it look great and the opposite gender says it looks great. So we are convinced, out hair looks great, so we wear it for all the world to see.


So tomorrow when you do your hair in front of the mirror, remember it only matters what you think. So wear it loud and wear it proud.

Jeans Have Come Along Way


Jeans have come a long ways. Jeans originally were a working man’s pants, tough, sturdy and practical. Those who wore jeans worked hard for a living. It was unfashionable to wear jeans any place but at work. If you went into town, or go to a movie or shopping or out visiting friends, it was socially unacceptable to be in your jeans. But jeans have come a long ways. They are no longer just for working. They are a fashion statement. They come in different colors, and styles. Jeans have become sexy.
In fact they are unisex; either gender can wear them in many social settings. You can wear them with just a t-shirt, a tie, coat or in some of the Calvin Klein ads nothing at all. Indeed we have come a long way.

Not all jeans are sexy.  In fact as designers try to create new trends, they do at times miss the mark.  I'm sure somebody, maybe only the creator, thought this look had a lot of potential.  I'm not so sure this went very far.  This super super baggy probably went the way of the AMC Pacer.  Some things should be left dead. 

We all have our own likes and dislikes,  but be assured, jeans are here to stay and I'm OK with that.

Extreme Sport


People doing extreme actions have been around since mankind. This need to push oneself to do something riskier, more daring that the previous person is inherent. Take this gentleman, who decided to walk off a perfectly good cliff. For his sake, I hope his chute opens. Maybe it is to impress the opposite gender, the way animals lock horns or fight to the near death. We instead show our machismo by doing more and more extreme actions. 

Now not all extreme actions work out well. I'm pretty sure this guy does not have parachute, and if he did the chance of it helping is about 0%. He'll feel this in morning. Back to why we continue to do more and more extreme actions. Part of it is because we can. Our cars go faster, our boards are more flexible, and our gear is better. And we just saw the other person crash and now we know what not to do.


Now if you are the guy right after this pending disaster, then you will know to check the forks on your bike before you do a front tire stand .... I’m sure he'll check his next time.

You can count on one thing. We will continue to go faster and do some really cool stuff, and the faster we go the better the crashes.

T-shirt Fashion


T-shirts have been around for a long time, they are simple, versatile and yet despite their simplicity the t-shirt to evolve.  What was once a undergarment for the working class has become a fashion statement.  Today t-shirts are an everyday item.  Some t-shirts depict a brand, are used for messages while other t-shirts are used in fashion



T-shirts have indeed come along was.  T-shirts are a big big items for sport teams.  Big bold lettering, showing the team mascot can allow a fan to promote his team and let others who he supports.
So next time you wear your t-shirt, remember that a t-shirt is no longer a working man undergarment, it's now a fashion statement.

French Fashion



Ah, the French, known for their fine wine and cheeses and their glamorous styles.  Sleek sexy styles that stand the test of time.  Now not everybody wants to dress and look like the ladies to the left.  That why there are so many different looks and styles.  Everybody has their own look or at least the look they want people to see them in.  Urban wear and Streetwear has come to the scene.


 That's the beauty of today's styles.  You can mix it up, and if you like it, wear it.  It will be yours, so wear it well and wear it proud.  Don't just follow the crowd, mix it, match it and have some fun.  Life is too short to not have your own style.




Even though I say wear what you want, there are exceptions, for example, don't wear this ....