Epidemic Chic: Not a Good Trend
Well, mother was right about washing your hands, and not “touching your eyes after you handled that.” Even though the cases of the flu in Mexico number 190 and in the United States it is even more minimal, the media has whipped themselves into an absolute frenzy over Swine Flu. I believe that everyone needs to be warned, but just like any other case, but I am surprised that it is already being capitalized on. The swine flu kit in various forms is already being sold in versions for people who have it and don’t want to spread it, to very large kits that make you look like Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak. It is not just a novelty, they actually flew off the shelves on the internet in just a few hours.
Do you remember the SARS outbreak, when people in China, but also over in the United States, could be seen wearing surgical masks out in public? Wearing them while traveling abroad was a popular use. I am not poking fun at it. It was just an interesting phenomena when you stop turning your head when you see someone wear them, and become sensitized. In Mexico, it is happening again.
Carrying hand sanitizer in your purse is not just for women. Well, maybe the purse part is, but carrying the hand sanitizer is not. They have very small bottles in the sample or trial size section of the drug store. If you really want to get a little more technical, some makers make them with hooks that you can attach to a belt loop or inside a pocket.
Be smart and don’t panic, but if you are someone at risk, you may want to pick yourself some of the kit items. If you have traveled to an area where there was an outbreak, have a weakened immune system, etcetera, take extra precautions for yourself and the good of those around you. They say for people with decent immune systems, one of the flu medications like Tamiflu may be effective if taken as directed, but don’t read a fashion blog to verify that. See your doctor. Also, if you feel a little under the weather and you are boarding a plane, don’t get on. Go to the doctor first to be cleared.
Hopefully, surgical masks will return to their intended use and we can kick this thing fast.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Not Your Art Teacher’s Batik!
Batik has come and gone in the past few decades as a trend. It appeared on quite buttoned up shirts and swim trunks during the midcentury tiki heyday. In the late 60s and the 70s, it showed up on more free flowing, bohemian garments. Batik is back, but this traditional method of fabric dying has never really gone away.
Today, there are designs that sort of take over the entire garment, and there are some that are much more subtle. They compell you to query incredulously, “Wow, is that batik?” I was perusing the virtual shelves of an online Batik store, and that is exactly what I thought. My grade school art teacher, with her batik caftans and shell necklaces, did not cross my mind at any time.
As the Batik blog mentions:
“Batik is a Malay word which refers to traditional wax-resist dye method used on cloth.”
As batik is a process rather than a set design, many motifs can be imagined up, and not just the large, all encompasing prints that usually come to mind. The shoes, at left, take on a slightly exotic feel. In contrast, the green shirt, shown below, comes off as an all over printed pattern. The shirt at right is a little out of the ordinary due to the “color way.”
Ready to become a batik braniac by learning more about fabric care, the dying process, and modern batik wares? Click to read the batik blog.
Trade Your Mattress Money for Less
Many times throughout the week, I hear weather reports that the sky is falling. I keep looking out the window and have to disagree. What they are really talking about is the state of the economy. There are folks that believe things are worse than in The Great Depression. I beg to differ, as I believe there were 29% unemployed and 30% underemployed back then. Another sign is that people are still options trading online. You may have thought that the era of the day trader was gone, but it is very much still here. The difference is that they are just getting more cognizant of loads and fees. Also, many of them are trading online to adjust their nest egg, rather than to throw caution to the wind.
Everything has gotten more competitive as far as fees go, from online video rentals, to services that charge no fee at all if you do business with the website in a certain volume. Online stock trading has gone the same way, with Trade Monster even offering $7.50 per trade (transaction), which is rock bottom compared to other services. There are additional fees for closing out an IRA, or other major events, but for the most part, there are no “catches.” You merely pay for only what you need.
To me, this is a whole new arena. Even in the mid 90s it wasn’t widespread for the average person to trade online. You toddled off to your broker’s office. Some say that the human touch is lacking for the amount that we can now do online, but on the other hand, the level of education available has increased. TM offers webinars and other tools to educate you. Of course, it doesn’t replace decades of experience, but the power is now in your hands.
The frugal person that I am, I always file information like this in a special little section of my brain. Saving a few dollars here and there just means that even though things may be tight, I can still carve out a few dollars to use for leisure. I still like to add to my collection or wardrobe, and with watching my pennies on things I consider more mundane, I can live within my means for less.
Tribeca Retail Club Designer Weekend: Are You In?
The Tribeca Retail Club us having a soiree on June 6th and 7th, dubbed the Tribeca Retail Club Designer Weekend. I did some poking around the internet, and the deadline for vendors is May 25th. It is a time for undiscovered designers to show off their wares, and make connections with the crowd in New York. As you can imagine, it is a great opportunity. The public is welcome to come to the posh loft and see what the up and coming has to offer. There will be a DJ, and all around great atmosphere to mingle in.
If you are a designer wanting a submission package, contact:
Kamille Guidote
Marketing Manager
Kamille@chacalany.com
212 244 4464
I would make haste, as it is just around the corner, and space is limited to only twenty vendors. If it is just something you want to pop in at and check out, the address for the event is located at 394 Broadyway, 4th Floor, New York, in the heart of the fashionable Tribeca area, at the Chacala Secret Spot. Chacala works in cooperation with Laura Little Productions.
Check out the Laura Little blog HERE. There are some great programs going on in the area of career mentoring for creative people that you will want to check out if you are a designer or artist. It is very hard for some people to make it in the industry for several reasons. Some folks have talent to spare, but lack focus. Some have it “all” but just need to make the right connections and get the occasional encouragement they need.
If you go to the event as a designer, or just someone popping in, I would love to hear about your experience. If you have some great photos, or have any interesting commentary, I’ll publish a “round up” in the summer if there is enough response.
happenings | Comment (1)It Smells Like…The 70s!
I was having a conversation this week about cologne. Some of the descriptions of this Scent or that sometimes makes us laugh. Some colognes proudly tout that they smell “like saddle leather.” One in particular was the main source of conversation. That was Brut cologne. While we pondered the different high and low notes of various male and female scents (of course today, there are also unisex scents but that is another topic), we decided exactly what Brut smells like.
“Brut smells like the 70s.”
“The 70s…you mean the DECADE? Or do you mean the age.”
“Oh, the decade for sure. As far as the age…I don’t know. I know if you are in your 80s, the scent is probably brill cream.”
“Ok…”
“Tell me that when you smell Brut, you don’t automatically think of the colors brown and rust, and creepy moustaches. Close your eyes and see what happens…”
Well, Brut is still around and hasn’t changed. If it has, then it is something that the casual nose can’t pick up. It once was the darling of scent counters, and now it is at every pharmacy and dollar store in America. I wonder: Does a new generation wear Brut, or are all the people buying Brut people that were preteens and teenagers in the height of the 1970s? Or do you think there are truly people “discovering” the somewhat musky smell?
That is a question to be pondered….
I guess it is best that an era smells like something recognizable. I am still trying to find out what “teen spirit” smells like. Not “Teen Spirit” the deodorant, but the Nirvana version that is probably the LACK of wearing Teen Spirit. Sweat Flannel. Jolt soda. I should know what it smells like because I am more of that decade as far as chronological age goes. I can just imagine sitting in my rocker with a grandchild on my knee reminiscing that “In my day…we didn’t have no Brut cologne. We just smelled like Doc Martens and grape Hubba Bubba…and we liked it.”
In the meantime, rock on 70s dudes, rock on!
1970s, grooming products | Comments (3)Flash a Rolex for Less
A couple of my readers (in otherwords “you all” or “youse”) have asked me to keep me up to date on what I find out about purchasing legitimate Rolex watches. The last site I found was new and discounted, but I just found a site, called Best Of Time, that deals in preowned. For those of you that are aficionados of vintage fashion, purchasing preowned is nothing novel or aberrant to you.
Just out of my own curiosity, I intensely googled for the model at left. I found it listed in a classified ad online from a private seller for $3400. At BT’s, I saw it for $2,999.95, and then on sale at $1,999.95. That is definitely a boon to the frugal. Of course, the term frugal is relative because some people consider frugal just checking the position of the sun and not using a watch. I digress. One never knows…you could jus find a real “throw back” on the site. Buying previously enjoyed items to some of us can be like a treasure hunt.
discounts | Comment (0)Cashback on Superman Capes
Remember when AltaVista was all the rage, and no one ever heard of Google? Ah, the nineties…I remember those days. It seems like Google has a monopoly on the minds of seekers everywhere, and occasionally something else comes along to either satisfy the contrarians who want to “get off the grid,” and say “no” to popular search, introduce a better technology, or just simple add things to the existing search engines.
The latest one I have been introduced to is AAfter.com. I was told by a friend that I could find local business faster using AAfter.com search. That remains to be seen, but what I do know, is that the search engine shows me results from Wikipedia, the Yellow Pages, as well as a standard internet search all at once. Oh, I suppose with having that “all right there,” it would be faster. I find what works best is if you ask it a question, similar to how Ask Jeeves used to be.
Apparently, when you search, you can get cashback for yourself. I thought I read that you could apply it to your favorite participating charity, but I will need to dig a little further on that and report back. When you search for items you are looking for, you can search rebates and receive a certain amount of cash back through AAfter.com. After you accrue $10.00, you can cash out. The rebates percentages are in bold. Of course, you have to go to those websites and purchase something to be eligible.
I decided to check out something that everyone who reads is more interested in: Fedoras. When I typed it in, I didn’t get a hat site right off the bat, but what I did get was a Superman store. What is a Superman store? You can buy anything you can think of having to do with Superman, but were afraid to even think about. What’s more, is if you buy something, you apparently get a 9% cashback rebate on it.
I decided that fedoras may be too specific a keyword, and so proceeded to enter in “vintage suits.” Well, I didn’t get any vintage clothing sites, but I did get this at the top of the list:
I will give them points for Joseph A. Banks showing up, as they have classic styles, but the first result is the very, very retro stylings of Santa Claus! I guess I should have been a little more specific. At any rate, there are a lot of other things you can search for and get rebates on, such as chocolate. For now, you will have to be content with using the search engine to find things that you want, rather than counting on a rebate. Of course, you could cash in the money and buy whatever vintage thing you want. It is a very interesting concept.
If you have tried it out, comment and let me know what you thought.
discounts | Comment (0)A Tip and a Tip
You Ladies and Gents are such great readers, if you were in the service business, this would be the tip I would leave you.
Now here is a tip that will actually save you some dough, bread, loot, moolah, Georges, or G, whichever term you prefer based on the era whence you came. Which word fits which era? Read on to find out!
Some of my readers are in the business of buying and selling vintage clothing and antiques, chiefly online. When you transact online so much, you seldom require paper checks. So many customers pay by autodraft, Paypal, Google payments, or just by trade these days that checks often collect dust. However, when you open a business account, you kind of need to have some. Having a dozen or so is a good idea, but the books you usually have to buy are expensive and often go unused before you have a change in heart as far as your retail location, or bank goes.
VistaPrint, whom I have sung the praises of before for labels and business cards, also offers checks. Surprisingly, they offer free checks, just like they do their business cards in small quantities. You can receive a quantity of 25 checks for just the cost of shipping. If you are not in a hurry and can go with standard shipping and processing, you can make out like a bandit for $3.99. Because you can create them online, you can proof your own name and address as it will appear on the check. The checks you can receive free come in a limited selection of six styles, but that is a fair trade off. If you like the quality and want to expand on the designs, they are available in a plethora of styles for a reasonable price.
Unlike other VistaPrint products, you cannot create checks with your own images form scratch. There is a good reason for this, as any check printer has to conform to guidelines to insure the check can be considered valid tender. A design that is too dark and obscures the routing numbers would be a no, as I imagine an obscene photo that would shock the socks off of your bank teller. If they did allow anything goes, there would have to be a very large staff making their judgement calls on your work, which would probably take forever.
If you are like me and only use a check once in a blue moon, this steal of a deal might be for you.
Money Slang Answers Key:
Dough is from the 1850s.
Loot was originally from the 1780s, but has resurfaced in the last 20 years.
Moolah originated in the 1940s.
G’s is modern, though in all fairness, it really indicates amounts counted in thousands.
I don’t know if “Georges” is in wide use, but since I don’t have many “Benjamins” lying around, I’ll go for it.
Trek On Down. Yes, Another One.
Yes, another Star Trek movie is waiting in the wings. In fact, it is being released exactly one month from now. Bones is dead and Scotty is dead, so what could they possibly do? Kirk and Spock: Retirement Home Adventurers? Instead, they are doing a “reboot” much like they did with various Superheroes, featuring an all new, and much younger cast. Either stand in line with your tent and flashlight now, or read reviews from people who have actually not seen the movie yet, and snag yourself some tickets here:
I think the sentiments from Dark_Chameleon sum it up:
“This is ridiculous..If we’re going to a restaurant and want a review we dont listen to someone whos never eaten there or even looked at the menu, this is supposed to be a place that we gain knowledge rather then read what someone writes without any information other then a trailer and their own deep rooted political/sexual/entertainment views.
Listen to someone who has been to the movie…and if theyre giving a review a while before the movie comes out treat their review with Skepticism as there are only a few out there who have been to a preview and others are actual employees from the studio that have seen it and have a reason for it to do well.
PEOPLE…if your unsure about going to see this or any other movie wait till after the first day and then come to Fandango, read the reviews and make an informed judgement, after all if we want to be the first to see a movie we’re not going to read any reviews before going and if we need a review then we need info not bias, Thankyou”
After you do read through the rest of the scholarly film reviews 
HERE, toddle on back here and tell me what you thought of all that, or better yet, what you think of the movie when it ACTUALLY comes out. Better yet, it would be a lot of fun to comment with our own reviews of this film, or other films that have yet to debut. How ’bout it? Are you game?
entertainment | Comment (0)
