Gray is the New Black (T-Shirt)
The blog of Street Shirts, an online UK t-shirt printing boutique, touts gray as the “new black” this fall, at least in the world of t-shirts. For the ladies, they suggest a black blazer, leather leggings and heels. For day, ripped jeans and espadrilles are the answer–sort of a rock and roll look.
For men:
The best combo: pre-washed jeans, a classic gray tee or a customized hoodie and a pair of Converse sneakers.
Why, aside from sites and blogs and magazines that weddings, or are GQ, do folks assume that men are slobs? Not for nothing–vintage Converse are very collectible and classic and are perfect in some circumstances, and some hoodies these days run $40-300 and can be permanently pressed. That being so, why is it always assumed that for smart casual fashion, hoodies are the way to go if you are under 30? Or under 50? What happened to a classic cut all-American blue jean with a white or gray T, without trying to pretend its formal clothing, yet not also trying to pretend its gym wear? If you must, what about a leather jacket or a blazer? But not a formal one.
At any rate, speaking of t-shirts, StreetShirts has a robust service where an artiste is not limited to the “front center, middle of the chest” placements of designs a la the 1980s t-shirt shops. For your band, or to promote your clothing store, you can actually create those funky off center looks. Want a blank shirt with only your design in the lower right? Done. When you have that flexibility, a T can be an artistic expression and not merely a logo shout out.
Rum Lore: Pickford and the Pirates
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Diageo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Rum, both premium dark rum and nausea inducing light amber attempts, has been the stereotypical drink of pirates everywhere in literature and film since the beginning of..well..pirates. Not the gun wielding Somali pirates of today, but the more Keith Richards emulating Johnny Depp types. Historically, enough water could not be stored or purified, thus one disinfected one's innards with libations.
While the heritage may be swashbuckling to most, are you surprised that the proper Miss Mary Pickford, darling of the silver screen has a rum drink named after her?
1oz Rum
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 Maraschino Juice
1/4 cup Grenadline
Shake over cracked ice and then strain the ice out.
Serve in a 3 oz glass.
Does the wasting of the ice and the exclusion of the actual cherries from the Maraschino juice suggest Miss Pickford was slightly more high maintenance than imagined, whilst her personal assistant or rabid fan flavored their tap water with the cast off ice? Or was she merely trying to hide her past or her family tree of swashbuckling pirates with gentility?
But, I jest. Though the story would be a humdinger. If someone wrote it that way.
While Mr. Boston made a mean cocktail back in the day, Zacapa premium rum and its makers cast the spellbinding tale of a heritage without thespians or pirates. Somewhere high in the mountains of Guatamala, way above the point that you start to get light headed and need a magical unicorn to bring you back to the valley, rum is brewed from sugar cane harvested high from a volcanic plain. The yeast is extracted from pineapples. Then, it is aged in barrels once holding American Whisky, sherry and wine. The sugar cane grows in a volcanic plain.
I could just see the situation as a backdrop for either a sweeping epic historical film with a cast of thousands, with a romance at the center. Or, of you took another direction completely, Warwick Davis would star. Maybe when you join the Zacapa Society, you'll get the inside scoop. It sounds almost like a fraternity or sorority name.
While you fashion yourself a pirate, or merely an understudy for a production of the Pirates of Penzance, be careful and be like Mary. Just a short little bit at a time if you have to oar back to shore alone.
Educational Opportunity for the Enlisted and Recently Returned
This post brought to you by Martinsburg Institute. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you are currently serving in the military or have just returned home, thank you for serving. The Martinsburg Institute offers online courses that qualify for the GI Bill. But you don't have to wait until you settle back home. Classes can be conducted while you are overseas, are in training, or are stationed at a base stateside. Actually, "online" is a misnomer, as you can also take them on the computer without an internet connection. That's handy for traveling from between internet hubs, or when you don't want to attract attention by logging in.
When folks returned from the war in the 40s, the job market was flooded with the recently furloughed and discharged. There were many new jobs created by the construction industry, but for the most part, many jobs opened because the women and older workers who filled them in the absence of their male family members were displaced. Now, there isn't the same situation. Someone coming back into the workforce needs a competitive edge.
You can have your degree in Business Administration by the time you come home, which is a solid degree to springboard yourself from. The benefit is that you can sell yourself in different ways – to start your own business or to put your hat in the ring for management at just about any industry if your life experiences demonstrates a liking to the specialized industry in question…even in fashion or the arts. The other benefit is that military spouses are also eligible.
So if this describes you…here's your cue!
Flattering Scrubs…Minus the Smiling Rainbows
While dressing for work may allow latitude for originality at “creative” companies, jobs requiring uniforms are not as stifling as they may seem. There is something comforting, in some ways, about a routine. As long as one can keep up with the laundry, going to work in a uniform lends some anonymity for some, and tailored style for others. While the most famous uniforms, such as military dress blues, cut a dashing figure, surgical scrubs and other scrub clothing are often the same shapeless sacks as they always were.
Maybe I am being a bit harsh, but while gentleman sometimes have an advantage, as many were made for the male form originally, the designs are sometimes equally unflattering to both genders. Scrubs for men are often limited to plain blue, as the patterns are frequently populated by kittens and pastel unicorns–that is, unless you LIKE smiling kitties and pastel unicorns. They are really not as compulsory for nursing scrubs as you would imagine. For women, the baggy profile make most ladies look formless.
Next time you look to buy scrubs online, take a gander at Blue Sky Scrubs. The contrast-stitching on the pockets gives the plain designs some visual interest. The scrubs come in both male and female sizing scales. There is also a fitted top for ladies (Take a peep here: http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/) It is not inappropriate or revealing in any way. It merely eliminates some of the superfluous materials under the arms that create a boxy silhouette. In the medical profession, extra fabric is not necessarily modest. It is a safety hazard when flapping sleeves get caught.
Save Like a Penny Pinching Hermit
This post brought to you by Net10. All opinions are 100% mine.
Last weekend, a few friends and I sounded like a bunch of old codgers, waxing nostalgic about the old local Bell telephone companies that used to be around before the advent of the big company with the Death Star logo. The nieces and nephews looked at us in bewilderment over it all. Sure, at the time the lot of us weren't of an age where we would even have paid for a landline. That was all our parent's doing. So why were we such disgruntled consumers? Today, the variety of cell phone companies make me a but winsome over the old days of the wild west, where you really, really had a choice over your phone service. Sure, there are "big guys" that might try to scalp you, but for the most part, you can talk with your feet and your money and get a better rate for the penny pinching hermit in you. Though penny pinching hermits probably only call once a week.
The prices for unlimited plans are shocking, if you really are conservative with your use. Net10 seems to be one of the loan stand outs that actually still offers an entry level plan for $15.00 per month. I wonder how many Real NET10 customers do just that. So if you are the type that is still digging your heels in about technology, but is convinced you need a phone to call for help when you go hiking in the Andes, then this is for you. Not everyone needs to surf the web from their phone. But there are plans for that too. For $15 for the phone and $15 for the monthly plan, you can save a lot of pennies. (By the way, there is a Cute NET10 commercial out if you've seen it, where an 80s brick phone and a later model have a baby. Search around for it.)
I admire Willie's admission that he only uses the off and on button…but I do echo Melinda's "ball and chain" sentiment.
Finally – A Slim Fit for the Rest of Us (Win It!)
This post brought to you by Express. All opinions are 100% mine.
Finally. Someone has come to their senses. Not in time for this fellow, at left, unfortunately.
In the furniture industry, it is common practice, or at least it used to be, to choose the most garish and ghastly large scale print sofa for the front window. Only one, if any, person would actually order the soda as shown, but sure as heck, the floodgates would open for 1,000 orders of the previously neglected frame style in beige…or maybe a tone on tone damask stripe for the formal set.
The jeggings (are they really men's jeans or denim paint on tights??) were the loud sofa of the men's fashion industry–looking remarkably good on about five men in the world, and three of them are anime characters from Cowboy Bebop. The rest…well..tongues wagged over how they made physically fit men of inseams smaller than 52 and waists larger than 26 inches look preposterously large, and others look cartoonishly thin.
At last, the look has been modified. While you don't see many jeggings at mass market retailers, the trend did inspire makers to reduce the fabric quotient, toss out the rapper pants. The Rocco cut is just one example. Express jeans–yes, at the Express store–has the Rocco cut in their line up. While the cut is slim, the cut is more generous in the calf, preventing the "giant duck feet" look a tight jegging can create, especially if worn with white sneakers. While not everyone prefers a slim fit, this one flatters several body styles.
Enter the Express giveaway for your chance to grab a pair. Fifty pairs of jeans in the style of your choosing will be given away by Express. Travel to their Facebook page for more details, or if you can't wait, go try on a pair and give me your expert opinion (you are the expert on your fashion sensibility and your getaway sticks, after all).
What is YOUR favorite style of jeans from the latest fashion offerings at Express? Imaginary Bonus points for sharing a story about your worst jeans fashion faux pas. Just leave your John Hancock below.
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