VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

I Want to See Santa!

This time of year, lots of people are kids all over again when they spot Santa at the mall. It harkens back to a simpler time of thinking the sky was the limit and you can ask for or dream about anything you want, not worrying about practical matters.

For a limited time, you can “sit on Santa’s lap” from the comfort of your own home, and enter the Got a Wish Sweeepstakes. On the site, you can type in your name, upload a photo, and type in what you would like from Santa. A cute live action video of Santa and one of his elves plays and your photo that you uploaded and your request are worked in automatically to the video instantly. To actually enter the contest and not merely just have fun with the video, you will need to be a resident of the USA, and upload photo that is yourself. I am not showing you the photo uploaded because it is a photo of me on Christmas morning in my pajamas. I don’t want you to see the character on my PJs because it would date me too much!

The prize for the sweepstakes is getting a wish granted. In otherwords, “Santa” will give a random person each day $500 to make their wish come true for 29 whole days!  This special powwow with Santa is brought to us by Ceiva. They are the makers of some pretty awesome digital photo frames. Imagine your family, or your entire art collection on a slideshow. What makes them unique is that they have interchangeable frames (black and wood) so they can blend with your contemporary or traditional decor easily. They also hold a slideshow of 40-50 images, are optionally wifi enabled, and also have the potential to read your memory card.

The Line Begins…

Remember the South Park episode where “The Line Ride” is one of the attractions at the carnival that comes to town? There are some folks that may just only get to experience the Line Ride and not actually have the stamina to last, if my sense of who I saw tonight is a good assessment.

On my way home from Thanksgiving dinner, I could NOT believe the lineup!   We drove past a strip mall, and there were already people lined up outside of Best Buy and Michael’s.  I kind of expected Best Buy to have that situation….but Michael’s? Everyone in line looked a little bewildered and bored…like they had already been there for hours and were “over it” already.  My cousin was twittering on about how she needed to go there.  My uncle said, “Michael’s…isn’t that a crap store.  Whoops, I mean craft store?  What could possibly be so exciting there?   Apparently something called a Cricket Machine that is some sort of diecutter for scrapbooking is on some sort of mega sale.  Maybe everyone waiting outside is wanting one of those, and wasn’t afraid to start lining up as soon as soon as this evening.   Very strange.

However, if there was some antique store closing its doors and offering a megadiscount, would I go?  Probably.

There will be more news reports forthcoming from Black Friday later on.   I have decided that I will accompany my relatives, mostly just to spend time with them, but also to do some massive people watching.  Nothing quite brings out the “best” (not) in people than good old fashioned cutthrought competition.  Viva Le Economy!

Golf with the Good Looking?

My cousin worked for a caddy for a few years in college and cleaned up on tips because he was quiet and didn’t chit chat with other caddys during a swing, and occasionally gave a few golf tips to those who asked.   A guy used to like a caddy like that if they went to an upscale golf course and didn’t carry their own clubs.

The newest thing in marketing is for golf courses to have a Female Caddy Service. When my cousin worked, there were a few young ladies who worked as caddys. They had to be athletic, of course, to be able to carry heavy bags, or at least determined.  This service is a bit different as it employs “Par mates” are exceptionally attractive, provide engaging conversation, and act also as a concierge in that they keep your score, make reservations for you for after the round, fix divots and help you shop at the Pro Shop.  While the professionalism is something a busy person wants at a 5 Star property such as Royal Links and would be well appreciated, I am sure Walters Golf in Las Vegas aims to use the marketing to their advantage to inspire men to spend more money because they have an attractive woman complimenting them on their swing. It is just a hunch.

The fee to golf with a Par Mate who will fix divots, help with yardage and clean clubs, as well as act as concierge is $225.00 for a round of golf.

How do you feel about this ladies?  Do you think “finally, women are being recognized for golf knowledge and excellent customer service” are you thinking it is sexist, or are you wondering where the male Par Mates are?

Caught Red Handed. That’s SO Marc!

Remember a couple of years ago, maybe 2003 or 2004 when have the vintage items on ebay had “So Carrie!” or “So Marc!” in the title?  Of course Carrie referred to Carrie Bradshow, Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in Sex in the City.  Marc is designer Marc Jacobs who had a line of lightly vintage inspired items at the time.  Now, another thing is “So Marc:” offering bribes to make sure you get a prime location for your show.

Marc Jabobs paid a one million dollar fine to avoid being charged with bribery for having a monopoly on the desirable 26th Street Armory for his fashion shows.  The money will go to the State of New York.   In related news, the manager of the Armory, James Jackson, will be sentenced up to fifteen years in jail for soliciting bribes.  Who deserves the larger punishment, the person who paid the bribe or the person who hinted at the opportunity and accepted the bribe?  I am sure Mr. Jackson is not a gazillionare so perhaps took the hit or could not pay that steep of a fine (it just seems a little convenient or fishy to me), but if he solicited others perhaps there are other counts.

Marc Jacobs International will be monitored for the next two years.  By the way, the last time you saw runway photos and said, “I want that” did it really matter where the show had been held?  Probably not.

The Weekly Cemetary Picnic

When my Great Grandmother was still alive, a feisty woman who still bowled at ninety years old, she used to visit my Great Grandfather’s gravesite every Sunday afternoon.  When she was at the end of her life, she would skip the days when it was sleeting, so she wouldn’t slip and break her artificial hip.  She used to say, “My original hip was free, but this one costed me money.  So I better take care of it.”

She would bring a lawn chair and a picnic lunch, and would water the grass and plant flowers near his resting place. It may seem funny to kick back with a lawn chair and wear the biggest, brightest, most rediculous sunglasses in a cemetery, but if you knew them, you wouldn’t think it odd.  My Great-Grandparents were the type of people that were always smiling and laughing and getting a kick out of life.  In modern lingo, that’s just how they rolled.  They had silly nicknames for eachother, and my Great-Grandfather always told Great-Grandma that he thought she was “up to something.”   It would have been a more fitting testament to my Great-Grandfather’s memory than sullen faces and bleak clothing would be.

Great Grandma is no longer with us.  She died at the age of 96 and was in good health up until about the last two months of her life.  Sometimes people don’t cry as much when someone is that age.  They figure they will inevitably die soon.  Not my Great-Grandmother.  We all balled like a young person had unexpectedly died.  My aunt knew that every night she had a bottle of aspirin under the pillow in her pink casket, and had a Southern Comfort every night before retiring as well.  So she slipped a bottle of aspirin and Crystal Comfort under her pillow in her casket.   Great-Grandma would have slapped her knee and would have been the first one to laugh.

Even though Great-Grandma can no longer tend to Great-Grandpa’s plot, now where she rests too, I wanted to continue the tradition somehow.  I live out of town, but found that I can use Gravesite Masters flower shop for sending flowers, gifts, roses, plants & more.  They even provide services like delivering and arranging real or artificial flowers, depending on the rules.    I rather be there, of course, but I like the idea of having live, healthy flowers there.  It is depressing to go to a cemetery to see dried out, dead plants.    Maybe when I am back in town, I will take my Grandparents with me and we will have cheese and crackers, a pitcher of iced tea, and wear our goofiest sunglasses.

The Fedora Chronicles

One of the interesting or fun places to go to on the net is the Electric Speakeasy at the Fedora Chronicles Website. You can chat with other folks about hunting down the best vintage fedoras and the very best of the modern milliners who are making them in the old fashioned quality and style. Not only that, but you have a chance to kick back and talk about classic films, living a retro life and more.

If you feel just a little out of whack with what’s modern and you think acting like ladies and gentleman is a lost art, the forum might be some place for you to hang out. Or, if you like to wear vintage clothing. Or if you like participating in reenactments. Or if you like classic films. Or you just want to have a conversation with sensible like minded people. There is always an interesting discussion going on.

If you want to give The Fedora Chronicles a try as a new hang out, Visit http://thefedorachronicles.com and once you are in, click on “FORUM” or read the library of material by regular correspondants.

I will see you there! 

VintageGent’s Menswear….Hourly?

As you can probably read, I am quite prolific in writing my blog.  Actually, it goes in fits and starts.  Often, I have something at the tip of my tongue, or more appropriately, at the tips of my fingers that I just need to tell you.  Unfortunately, sometimes when that happens, I only have five minutes before walking out the door, or am at the park, or riding in a car and I just am not hear to tell you all.  Okay, you might say I should emulate a lot of writers in years gone by in keeping a notebook for such circumstances so that I can jot things down on the run.   If you saw what my handwriting looked like, you would quickly but that thought to rest.

What if some miracle were to occur and I could write 3x as fast as I normally can, which is pretty fast already.  What I would really like is if there was a way to write while I am trying to get out the door without being completely chained to the computer.  I have to do important things like tie my shoes, after all.

Of course, as you can guess from the segue, that I wouldn’t dangle a carrot in front of you and then not talk about something that can do just that, and may be the breakthrough I need.  I will have to change the title of the blog, though to “VintageGent’s Menswear HOURLY,” in that case.   Here is what Brett Bumeter wrote about DragonBlogger Naturally Speaking. (You can get Save 25% with discount code on Dragon with this link):

Hello my name is Brett Bumeter and I would like to introduce you to Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 is a program that enables you to type with your voice by speaking out loud. All you have to do is speak in a normal voice at a normal rate of speed, and your computer will capture every word that you say almost. The program claims to have about 99% accuracy, and it’s been my experience using the program over the last two years through versions nine and version 10 that this claim is extremely accurate.

The program is extremely fast whether you’re using a noise canceling microphone headset plugged into your computer or whether you’re using a pocket MP3 recorder. I actually use both setups and have had great success having my voice and words turned into text by typing them into my computer, as well as using my voice to turn my words into an MP3 file on my MP3 recorder which I can then import into my computer via USB, and have Dragon NaturallySpeaking transcribe those words automatically into text while the computer does something else.

Right now I am writing this particular note to you to kind of show you just what Dragon NaturallySpeaking can do. I say show you because I’m writing this letter with Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to write with Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10, but it does take a little practice in order to start thinking quickly and thinking out loud with your voice. That the nice thing about it is that you don’t have to stare at your computer screen for long hours anymore.

Typically when we type with our hands, we tend to look at the computer that were typing on. To be more specific we tend to look at the computer screen, and this wears out our eyes and makes us physically tired. The muscles in our eyes absorb all that light from the screen, and the longer we stare at that light the more tired our body becomes. This can even lead to headaches or migraines or just fatigue in general.

So the cool thing about Dragon NaturallySpeaking is that you can look around the room, look around where ever you happen to be, and taken some sights and smells in that you normally wouldn’t have the luxury of doing with your eyes glued to your screen. This really does help to keep your brain moving, and it helps get you thinking outside the box and focused on those things that you need to be focused on.

If you are the type of person that uses a white board quite a bit, you can even stand up and start brainstorming on a whiteboard, while you are simultaneously dictating the thoughts that come to you onto your computer. Now that’s not necessarily the most effective way to capture information off of a whiteboard, but if you need the information copied into text form, it can be very useful and I’m simply trying to illustrate a point.

There are many ways that you can use this particular program to save you a great deal of time, to further illustrate that point, I have written this entire note so far in under three minutes flat! That’s a little over 175 words per minute, and this is actually the fastest ever time that I have recorded with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. When I used version 9, I had clocked the program running at about 167 words per minute, and so with Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 and a brand-new laptop, I have just set a new personal record.

That doesn’t include editing time which I will go back and do now, but it’s still amazing to be a laugh your words and thoughts captured so quickly by your computer.

Sincerely,
Brett Bumeter

http://softduit.com

PS Even with 3 minutes of editing thrown in (which included writing the salutation and a few more lines) this article still only took 6 minutes to write, and that averages out to about 92 words per minute!

Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Discount Coupon Code Details. Use this coupon code to get 25% off either Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Preferred or Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Basic. You can even get 10% of Macspeech Dicate with the same code and link combination.
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The code only works when you click on one of the links in this article or the clickable image in this article! The discount enables you to save $25 – $50 off the price.

Nuance is allowing us to offer our readers a 25% Discount Coupon CODE Exclusive for Dragon Naturally Speaking, but you must click the image below and use this code (DNSMSBG) Together. Code will not work from other sources.

You will receive:

• 25% off Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred
• 25% off Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Standard
• 10% off MacSpeech Dictate

If you try it, let me know what you think. It is like the old jorunalists talking into a recorder, only it types FOR YOU instead of having to transcribe it later, or find someone else to do it!

Real Contrasting Collar Dress Shirts Don’t Exist.

Contrast collars are back. I guess they never officially went away, as men who really liked them seemed to always be able to find them.  Take hockey commentator Don Cherry, for example, he has been sporting very high tight colors and very startched white collars for years.  He must have his own custom tailor.  However, big names are now producing them again as parts of their lines. It seems to me that “contrast collar” or “contrast color collar” was always a misnomer. You see, I have really never seen a contrasting color collar in anything but white. If they were truly contrasting, you would see other colors as well. Beige on Navy?

The actual real live color wheel suggests that white is not a contrasting color.  Orange’s natural contrast is green, yellow’s natural contrast is purple.  There is nothing on there to suggest the true contrast of light blue or navy or black is white.  So, I propose a renaming of the shirts.  I propose they should be called “white collared shirts.”  Maybe “shirts with no-color collars would be more apropriate because white collared shirts have white collared shirts and I am not talking about them right now.  Someone might get into a debate with me and say, “What are black colored shirts, then?  Why are just white collars considered ‘no color.’”

Well, truth be told, when you are using colors with additive qualities, such as paint or dye, rather than things with subtractive qualities like using gels in lighting, white is the lack of color.  When you add all the colors together you get a muddy black/brown, so black is closer to “all colors” as the base starts out as white.  In lighting, if you have no light, things are black, but if you add a light of every color, add every color gel to a light, you get white when they are all added up.  So you see where my argument lies for them being “No Color Collars.”   If you were protesting these shirts, you would hold aloft a sign that would say “No No Color Collars,” and it may make people think you don’t understand double negatives that two “No’s” equal YES, so the shirt is saying you are pro COLOR collars.

Whatever side of the color wheel you are loyal to, there are enough choices out there for either wearing shirts that have collars the same color as the rest of the shirt, or “No Color Collars.”   However, REAL contrasting collars I am still waiting to be widespread in dress shirts.  How about you?  Maybe just I want them made to prove they exist, versus me actually buying some for people as presents.  So maybe it would not catch on after all?

Play “As You Wish”

When I was…ahem…younger, I remember watching the Princess Bride over and over again.  My family had just gotten cable for the first time, and it was on one of the movie channels in heavy rotation for a few months.  I was first introduced to it in school, where our English teacher brought it in as a treat on the half day of school we had before a holiday.  Of course, it featured the celebrated acting of Andre the Giant as Fezzik.  It was the type of irreverant movie that makes adults laugh and children to have the affectation to their voice which they believed to be their best Spanish Accent and declare to everyone: “I am Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare to Die.”

It has taken quite a few years, but as you wish, someone has imagined up the Princess Bride Game. I have tried the demos for the 5-pack of Princess Bride games for PC/MAC.  I have to admit, I had a lot of fun.  Are you up to the challenge? Brave the fire swamp and stand up to Vizzini in the Battle of the Wits, and much more.  I have to admit that the questions made me think.  So many games that are based on other media (books, movies) require you to have seen or read the inspiration source, otherwise you will be lost when playing the game.  I think it makes it that much more fun when you already love the movie, but friends who have not, or have not seen it in years can hold their own quite well. In the fire swamp, I was reminded of the game Pitfall! except that this was much more easy to navigate and a bit more challenging.  I used to walk into walls and trap myself all the time in that old game.  The other good thing about it, is that it is all ages friendly without being over simplistic.  The nephews and niece have tried it, have had as much fun as I did with the demos, and they are clamouring for me to purchase the games for them.

The whole experience makes me want to see the movie again.  I am going to check my local listings or go ahead and rent it.  Not only is the movie a little off the cuff, but it reminds me of being what they now call tweens, and sitting on the couch on a Saturday with my brother and sister.

Viva Las Vegas: A Call for Photos!

Viva Las Vegas will take place from April 9-12, 2009, and is moving to the Orleans hotel.   It is the annual Rockabilly music bash that attracts retrophiles and music fans alike.  What the event is known for is a time to put on your best duds.  Ladies will come in wiggle dresses and wear pinup worthy bathing suits by the pool, while guys will get out the pomade.  Many people pack many clothing changes for the weekend.   One of the traditional parts of the event besides the music is a car show and a burlesque contest.

This may seem like its a long way off, but the hotels and events that require prereservation book up fast.  You need to think about it now.

Have VLV photos from events past?  Let me know and, if apropriate, I’ll post them along with your byline and commentary.  If you have something, leave me a comment with a way to get in touch with you.

Layaway: An Old Fashioned Idea

I did a search recently to find out how many stores still offered Layaway.  Layaway is something that harks back to the bygone years where people didn’t use credit as much for their purchases.  It is a great way to get something that you can’t afford in one paycheck while saving money.  You normally would end up paying from six to thirty percent extra if paying by credit, and it would eat away at any potentially savings you were lured into the store in for!  I remember doing this at a hobby shop when I was a teenager.   In fact, there were several stores that offered it, but nowadays, I couldn’t really think of on.

The only national chain that still offers it seems to be Kmart. If you have at least 10% to put down, the Kmart Layaway for the Holidays program might be something you want to look into. It is easy, because you don’t have to have a certain income, credit score, or age to qualify. Many items are eligible and you can spend for Christmas with a little more of a frugal mindset. Here’s how it works: 1) Select the item.  2) Go to the Layway Counter 3) Make a payment at least once every two weeks 4) Pick up your item when you are able to make your final payment.   Sounds easy, right? It is really that simple.  I predict that Kmart is going to see an uptick in sales because people are able to do this.

So, save your spontaneous, rainy day cash for that vintage coat you have to have and pay over a couple of weeks for the new window treatments, blender, or toy the kids have been hankering for.  Happy hunting.

Hippie Holidays at Barney’s New York

Window shopping is definitely a tradition in New York, especially with the extravagant holiday window displays where one establishment tries to outdo the other.  Barney’s New York has announced the theme for their Christmas window, which will be unveiled tonight. To commemorate the 50th anniversary/birthday of the Peace Sign, the theme will be “Hippie Holiday”. There will be a custom Beetle on display designed by Jean-Paul Philippe.  The Beetle will be raffled off, and proceeds go towards the VW Carbon Neutral Project.  Tickets are $100.  Other than that, I can only imagine what is in store.   The mailer is available on the Barney’s website for your viewing pleasure.  If anyone happens to be walking the streets of New York and manages to snap a photos, send them in!

Made in the USA: Funky Maternity Clothes

Periodically, I get questions posed to me about how readers like to buy vintage and antique clothing, but for everyday basics, they prefer to purchase items that are made in the United States. Sometimes it is hard to find everything you need that fits that criteria. The ones that have it the toughest may be people that cannot fudge so much on the size. For example, there is specialty clothing out there, such as orthotics for shoes and maternity clothing.  Sure, you can purchase very large sweatshirts for your wife or sister who is pregnant, but she can’t exactly wear them to a special occasion, or wear them to work if she is working through some of her pregnancy.

There is actually a company named Due Maternity who has a wide range of items, all made in the USA.  There are many psychedelic and funky patterns that are groovy enough for the slightly retro gal.   There is also something called the bella band which allows women to wear some of their existing pants that they just need to loosen the button on. It covers the waist area and smooths out and covers any undone buttons or zippers and supports the stomach as well.   It is not something I would have ever thought was a consideration, and I have never heard of it, but it sounds like a real economical idea to get the most out of their clothes.

Haute Hexagons: Russian Fashion Week

I stumbled across this video of the big fashion show that takes place during Russian Fashion week.  I never thought much about Russia as a hub of fashion emergence, but I have been proved wrong.  One collection focuses its inspiration on the hexagon: hexagon sweaters, hexagon checked suits and more.  The designer was obviously obsessed with the power of the shape.  Will the honeycomb evoking pattern come across the ocean and be a hit on the streets of New York or maybe even Niles, Michigan or Apopka, Florida?  Maybe the hexagon sweater with the argyle look?  Who can really say.

Also of interest is the look that is described as “comfortable dressy” layered look.  It is very unstructured and loose.  I think that may come off well on models, but if you do not have a certain flair and way of dressing yourself, or if you don’t have good posture, you could end up looking like a hobo sapien (click for an explanation of that HERE)

Enjoy the look into Russia’s fashion extravaganza that occurred early this year.

For Men That Hate Shopping

Just in time for the holiday shopping madness, Sears is competing with the introduction of Sears2Go. Sales updates and the latest deals will be available on your cell phone.  There are two ways you can participate.  The first is to use your web browser, if enabled, and visit Sears2Go.com directly.  The second way is to test SHOP to 73277, and you will get a text message back with the latest specials.

This may seem like a little bit of overload to some people.  I, on the other hand, envision this as something that will become very popular with bored men everwhere.  Some men love to shop.  They are clothes hounds, people watchers, or just like the time hanging around with their favorite gal or to catch up with their family.  However, many do NOT like to shop and like to get right to the point to buy what they need.   While they are waiting for someone outside a store, they could sit on the bench and find out if what they are looking for is at Sears and then go there next.  They can then cut out all the extra time darting in and out of stores in their fruitless search.  What’s more is that they may be able to order it right from the bench if they play their cards right. Sounds like a plan.