VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

Be Conspicuous and Earn Points

I know some of my readers regularly revolve around the neighborhood searching for treasures. Sometimes I wish someone would fill my gas tank up or pack me a lunch. What if you could get points for stopping at businesses that fall in your path? Those points would translate into cash. Well, it might not be something you could quite your job for, but there is a new form of mobile marketing that WeReward covers. If you have a smart phone, like a iPhone or Android (Blackberry coming soon), you could make a few dollars while you are on the road doing what you normally do.

Tasks might be something like taking a photo of a business front or stopping in. It might not be worth going out of your way, but if you plan to eat at that restaurant anyway, or are driving on that side of town, why not rack up a couple points? It might just end up covering part of your phone bill for the month or go towards your gas. You just might meet new people, as they inquire what the heck you are doing snapping a photo with your phone and wearing such fashionable duds.  Who knows…that could be enough for them to hand you a stack of 1930s fedoras or grant you an interview for your website.

Have you tried it? If you have, let me know what you think.

(By the way, you can’t swipe photo from the internet or take it with your regular camera because it KNOWS somehow that your phone took it because computers and phones and networking platforms talk to each other and secretly rat you out. Like Hal9000.)

Patrick Stewart is Alive and Well

Reports on Twitter, or at least among people that are crazy enough to associate with me, were that Patrick Stewart has passed away. Thankfully, this is false. Sir Patrick is alive and well and celebrating his 70th birthday. In fact, according to the BBC, “The Star Trek and X-Men actor is taking part in graduation ceremonies at Huddersfield University where he is in his second term as Chancellor. ”

Before he was known as Professor Xavier or Jean-Luc Picard, he was a player in the Royal Shakespeare Company. I remembered the “Playing Shakespeare” video series from my days as a stage manager. (In fact, I have seen the series on an obscure channel after midnight back when I had the 90 zillion channels on Dish Network, but they never seemed to run the whole thing. So, kids, check listings three weeks in advance and set your DVR. I also remember a thought floating in my head at the time: “Did That Guy Ever Have Hair?” At the time, Star Trek: The Next Generation was on television, and Stewart provided a sharp contrast to his predecessor, the heavily toupee-ed Shatner. I was surprised at the time that Stewart had barely aged a day since the videos from the late 70s.  My theory is that John Barton stole it all and attached it to his era-appropriate wild ‘do. In this clip, you can listen or turn the sound off and read it in German, which could be somewhat entertaining. If you are not into Shakespeare, enjoy a bit of culture or at least contemplate the location of Patrick Stewart’s Dorian Gray portrait.

Live long and prosper, Sir Patrick. Fie on thee, Twitter Rumors!

Oh, by the way, I think the whole video series was released for sale. However, its twenty bazillion dollars in 2010 money and I already have the book. No, I am not trying to be funny. I really do own the book. I fill in the voices in my head. I’m going to try one more time on Time Warner Cable. They just might decide it’s Patrick Stewart week and dig up all his old stuff.

Clothing Songs: St. Cecilia and the Knickers Ban

There are a number of popular songs that mention fashion designers or specific articles of clothing. Today I was thinking that fashion that ends up in song may not be reflective of the actual attire of the time, as it seems that for something to make it into song, it has to be outrageous.  Someone usually needs to obsessively love a fashion or piece of clothing, or is pointing out something unusual.  After all, your everyday socks don’t inspire artistic expression.  For example, the polka dot tie that I mentioned in the song Pink Shoelaces.

Sometimes, it is amazing to ponder how sensibilities change in such a short amount of time.   In 1971, the group with the ever so pious name of St. Cecilia, was kicked off the air for their tune Leap up and Down (wave your Knickers in the Air) for singing a “rude song.”  Of course, with the “knickers” title, this created an uproar in England, as it wasn’t referring to the synonymously named faux jodhpurs that were so popular with middle school girls in the 80s.

In the early 80s, when tastes changed, and people calmed down about the song, they were able to perform it and it was considered rather tame, and a little silly.  In fact, the song makes many lists of worst songs of the 70s, despite the hoopla.   A decade after the song saw light, we of course started seeing people’s behinds on network television, such as on NYPD.  Apparently waving one’s knickers around had become passe’ and “no knickers” was the “new knickers”.

Oddly enough, I have not been able to find the lyrics transcribed anywhere unless I got cracking myself.   Are there any other crazy clothing songs among your favorites…or least favorites?

Tales of an 8 year old CardShark

Red Hen Studios on Etsy has this fantastic poker chip and card holder. Stumbling across it brings back so many great memories. My cousins and I sat at the dining room table at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and played for pennies. They were all from Grandma’s penny jar and she let us keep our winnings. To be fair, no one went home empty handed, but most of the time, Grandma played her own hand well by convincing us to put them back for next time when someone got a little shark-ish—well as card shark-y as a few eight year olds, a 5 and a 4 year old could possibly get.

Somehow, one of my cousins, one of the 8 year olds, taught us to play 5 card stud and 5 card draw.  How did he even know how to play those games?  At least it was all innocent and a bit more math-skill-enhancing than Go Fish or Old Maid were. He even wore a visor just to make things that much more authentic.

Violet64 on Etsy has another caddy, shown at right, in a great old plastic with all sorts of ripples and swirls. It is a bit more handsome than what we used, of course.  The caddy of choice was solid black. Actually, it wasn’t “of choice” but “of available. Poker caddies are great not just for nostalgia, but it gives you so many choices – from actual card games to building card houses to chip tosses.  If the kids get bored, you can always encourage them to toss the chips in a hat and see who gets the closest.  I forgot – a more challenging game is to toss them back into the caddy.  I seem to remember a bit of pushing and shoving when the “close enough” rule was invoked.

What old school card and table games do you enjoy?

Dressing Chipmunks on the Cheap

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

Back in the day, my brother and I found “Christmas with the Chipmunks” highly entertaining due to their frequent insubordination to their human caretaker. Someone got a lot of mileage out of speeding up recording tracks. No, misbehaving rodents did not contribute to our demise as a society nor influence our behavior at school but were a welcome break from the overtly serious seasonal tunes. Actually, we appreciated reverentially hymns but thought some of the earlier Christmas novelty fare was a little goofy. Except for the barking dogs.  That was genius. We just didn’t want to hear anything else about two front teeth.

When the first modern Chipmunks movie was announced (the 2nd movie – the Squeakquel is actually out if you want to buy it now), I wondered how the 2D goodness would translate to modern day screens, and of course the answer was to make them look “real,” but not REALLY real.  You wouldn’t want kids mistaking actual chipmunks (who are cute but can bite if you squeeze and hug them) for the fake ones — knitting sweaters and shopping at Brooks Brothers for them and leaving the offerings at the bird feeder.  On the other hand, the non-real “real” chipmunks are really far removed from what I remember.  I wonder if the Chippers of the Olden Folk like me would translate better to my future children as successfully as the Hippo for Christmas did not from my parents’ day.

The key nowadays is to reach out with social media and interactive features, and the folks who have created the new Chipmunks have created a website where kids can experience  More Munk Mayhem by creating their own Chipmunks. Just like creating a Wii Mii, you choose hats, glasses, hair and feet. No trip to the mall or to Rodeo Drive is involved. How fashionable. My chipmunk would be the oddball who bought new pants, found a pair of shoes in their closet from 20 years ago that still fit and would have bought a shirt at a vintage clothing shop and hat at an estate sale.

Happy Birthday, Chuck Norris

All of us at VintageGent’s Menswear Daily wish Mr. Texas Ranger the happiest of birthdays. Mr. Chuck Norris is 70 years old today, March 10th. However, his biceps are 55 years old and his Foot of Fury is 70 years and 9 months old (Of course, he was kicking way before he left the womb).  We are sorry, Feet, that we missed your official birthday.  We will be wishing his guns a Happy 70th in 15 years.  Until then, we cower under our 1950s Robsjohn Gibbings coffee table for fear of him wondering why this was not done earlier in the day.

In honor, here are a few gems from ChuckNorrisFacts.com:

Most Boots are Made for Walking. Chuck Norris’ aren’t that Merciful.

Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch. HE decides what time it is.

Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.

Outer space exists because it’s afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris

The Manhattan Project was not intended to create nuclear weapons, it was meant to recreate the destructive power in a Chuck Norris Roundhouse Kick. They didn’t even come close.

What Does a Seahawk Taste Like?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Jones Soda. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have always liked Jones Soda for several reasons. The bottles give me that old fashioned feel and the flavors are innovative. There was old fashioned vanilla cream soda and a lot of funky fruit flavors. Sometimes, however, I worry about the folks at Jones, after the Tofurky and Gravy Thanksgiving offering.

Now, Jones has combined affinity products with original flavors to create the Seattle Seahawks soda. I am sure that no matter what it tastes like, fans will be stocking the shelves. Truth be told, I am sitting with my hands covering my eyes. Like a little kid, I am peeping out between my fingers as I am frightened but strangely intrigued by what the new beverages could taste like. I was very relieved to find that the flavors available were Cream Soda, Green Apple and Berry Lemonade. What a relief.  I was figuring it would be Locker Room Luau, Pigskin, Beer, and Ben Gay (or Icy Hot).

The Limited Edition-ness of the soda extends to the packaging and labeling. They come in special commemorative four packs featuring intriguing art work. Now, you can drink it all, or you can hide it away just in case it is going to be worth big bucks some day. You just never know. My brother may still have a bunch of Arizone Iced Tea and Absolute bottles that he is saving for posterity from a number of years ago. Why not add more breakables to the back of the closet? Mom was plenty happy one night when she heard a thundering crash after he moved out.

The four packs are available for a very limited time on the Jones websites.  If you are a fan of exotic non alcoholic libations or are a football fan, buy them now before they disappear. Then get another one for your great-great grandchildren.

When it Comes to Internet Search, I am so 1995

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LeapFish Inc. All opinions are 100% mine.

Everyone is so impatient. They just want things now, now now. I was so happy five years ago when I put up a website, and in a month or two, I could find it in the search engines. Now, I find that I have to keep myself from blowing a gasket if I can’t immediately search for what I just wrote. What is becoming of me? I need to rewind myself by a couple years.

Google now has a function that allows you to search in “real time.” You can get the latest information on just about everything. If I could go back in time, the “me” from five years ago would have probably had major culture shock

If you thought the little music box ballerina music was so “now,” Leapfish also offers us a glimpse into live search, incorporating social media. Make a note about what happens at approximately 1:48 into the video. There will be a discussion about that, later.

I am not sure if it is the production values alone, but to me, the Google product seems to poke along compared to the leapfish way of searching. Some bits of it scare me. For my borderline ADD brain, I think with access to so many videos, tweets, and websites at once, I will never get anything done. It will suck the marrow out of any remaining productivity I have.  Remember I mentioned to pay attention to what happens at the 1:48 mark?  I saw a video for California Toast.  What is California Toast? It appears to be a strawberry and Aunt Jemima based product, but are those shards of bananas or shards of bread in there?  There’s my point right there.

In the case of Google, it appears that the page is arranged in a safe and familiar way, that it won’t scare me too horribly.  I will be able to dink around while still grabbing my security blanket of a nice, linear search that acts as a lighthouse in the sea of my bobbing, drifting mind.  Besides, I am entertained by the phony Google pages and the Google Doodles,where the Google logo changes to commemorate a holiday, or whatever they need me to know about, such as to be very aware of meatball eating spaghetti monsters.

Leapfish does use Google for some searches, as you can view what Google, Bing, and Yahoo all have to say about your chosen topic.   It lets you customize your own search page, however, and allows you to press a button to get real time search.  For me, it might be a little TOO real, because I searched a second ago, and then came back and edited this post to say that I could already find what I just said in search.  I better be careful about what I say!

Pump Up The Bass…On Your Phone

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Yamaha. All opinions are 100% mine.

Warning: I am completed dating myself by the following statement. No, I am not involved in the courtship of the image in the mirror, but the other Webster’s Dictionary definition of the term. When I was about twelve, my Walkman and I were inseparable. It did not tag along in my book bag, but was pulled out of a drawer every night when I was trying to study or read a book. I wasn’t too interested in letting other people in on what I was listening to. Somewhere in my teen years, all I wanted was a boom box for my birthday. For some reason, I had a brief streak of extrovertedness, but while the boom box blasted, the Walkman sat. It was scientifically impossible to use both at once, unless you wore the headphones to the Walkman and blasted the boom box load enough to hear both.

Luckily, modern technology has solved that historical dilemma with the Yamaha PDX-60 speaker dock. I first became acquainted with Yamaha when my cousin bought Yamaha keyboard and equipment.  It was definitely a step up from my 12″ long Casio with the preprogrammed rhumba drum beat.  Oh no.  I am dating myself again.   Ahem. Any way, you can be all fine and happy with your iPod, but then you can go home and plop it in there, and enjoy being surrounded by your tunes. That may be nothing really earthshattering, but you can also use the docking station with your iPhone.  Now, that’s new!

There are so many features and so much media on our cell phones these days that many people consolidate and substitute a high tech phone for an MP3 player and a more pedestrian cell phone.  Do you remember the day planners with the big velcro strips to hold your PDA?  Well, the PDA bigger than your foot has also been absorbed into the phone.   Sometimes the owners of the phones that do everything but your laundry did not consciously consolidate and eliminate all of these devices, but are experiencing MP3, camera and PDA elements for the first time with the features of their iPhone.   The speaker dock serves that market well also.

Do you think phones do a little too much these days? Well, what’s one more thing?  I am surprised there isn’t a docking station yet to project the contents of your phone on your television, though I am sure Yamaha is working on it.  The speakers do have a rich bass sound, so maybe your old boom box won’t beat up your phone at night anymore for being a lightweight.

Ten Shirts I Love About You

I may be a bit behind the viral curve, as this video was released several months ago, but I keep coming back to it.  In August, actress Julia Stiles presented her new ecofriendly line on “Green Mind.”  The cutting edge fashion features a newspaper suit, a pants/shirt combo and a shirt made out of ten.  This is one of the most brilliant spoofs (or is it? lol ) I have seen in quite awhile.  Part of it has to do with the way that Stiles, the host, and models “sell it.”  They are dead serious here.

Ecofriendly fashion is very popular these days.   Sometimes it works with recycling existing clothing, and sometimes the focus is on the materials.  For myself, I am all for using cotton that has been grown without chemicals and finding new ways to use and process fabric.  This may include industrial recycled elements in accessories and soles.  What I hesitate about is recycled fashion.  Instead of using clothing that can no longer exist in its current form because of damage, there are individuals who tear apart suits from the 40s, and for the ladies, ballgowns.   Some of these items can be scarce, depending on the quality and maker, and it would make any vintage collector cry to see.   What is your opinion?  It seems that eco fashion is so revered that no one can make fun of it…until now.

You can purchase Julia’s Styles at http://juliastilesstyles.com/The_Outfits.html.  It appears that they are sold out, but you are asked to donate to the Lunchbox Fund, a great organization that provides school lunches to impoverished children.  It may be their only meal of the day.  Consider skipping the Starbucks and donating your $3-7 to buy a great kid lunch.

Opening Night for Banana Shpeel

Banana Shpeel, the new show from Cirque du Soleil is opening on Thursday in Chicago.  There are a couple of tickets still available for opening night, according to ticket master, but not a large amount.  Cirque tickets have historically been in the $50-75 range.  However, if you are flexible on date, I did find $35.00 tickets, which would make it more affordable for a family to go.

It is a complete departure from Cirque du Soleil’s typical fare in that the show is 100% devoted to slapstick comedy. Previous shows have included interludes and interruptions of comic relief, but the over all, the theme has been perceived as moodier or more dramatic.  The new show is a tribute to vaudeville and broad humor.  The show follows Emmett, a hopeful actor being encouraged for ill or for gain by the irritable producer, Shmelky.  Emmett falls in love with the beautiful Katie, and encounters all sorts of strange characters, such as the mysterious Banana Man.

Slapstick seems to be a universal mode of comedy, where people around the world can all understand. They seldom need to understand the social context. Returning to the basics could be the sign of times, when people are looking for something proven, familiar and comfortable, versus looking for entertainment that pushes the envelope or reminds folks of gloom and doom.

In the past, I flew to Chicago and took in as many shows as I could while I was there.  I purchased tickets ahead of time for the newest show, or the one I was most interested in seeing.  Then, I purchased tickets to local troupes while I was there.  If the spectacle of past shows is any indication, this should be your anchor show.

A Whole New Cirque

I saw a clip about the new Cirque de Soleil show, Banana Shpeel, and was a little surprised. It is a tribute to vaudeville and features broad physical comedy and music. I’m kidding you, right? Cirque de Soleil is supposed to be about moody music with French lyrics, heavily and stylistically made up acrobats and dancers, and high ticket prices, right? The makeup is still there, and I can’t do anything about the ticket prices, but the rest of it…au contraire.  Jo-Ann Munro (Cocreative Director – Communication) takes us behind the scenes of the new production.  The show opens in Chicago next month and in February in New York.

A dramatic genre switch is always a risk.  It can alienate the fan base, it can be a simple add on for the fan that has seen everything, or it can breathe new life into an old formula.   It is too early to tell what Banana Shpeel will do for the troupe.   Despite the bells and whistles of lighting and computerized elements to drive the show, a vaudeville theme is a low tech antidote to shows that not only incorporate a multimedia approach, but are actually about technology.

While I am sure that the average theater goer will find nostalgia in the idea, I wonder if it will capture younger audiences.  On the one hand, there is a timelessness to some forms of Vaudeville comedy.  The style of the Marx Brothers is more akin to the humor versus the situational comedies of today.  It has proven time after time that you can dust off old tapes or reels of the Marx Brothers, Keystone Cops, or the Three Stooges and they will still generate some laughs.  It is not the same with the more topical humor of today. On the other hand, will the clowns and the tap dancing deter newcomers, thinking that it might be a little too old fashioned? Let’s wait and see.

Have you purchased tickets for the Chicago show?  If so, how did you hear about it, and what are your thoughts?  Did you purchase tickets based on your prior attendences at Cirque de Soleil shows or is this your first time?

Party Like a Rockstar…Or a Wannabe

There are many reality shows that are basically an exercise in rubber necking. You can’t look away from the train wreck. One of the most cloying tactics is when producers try to set up situations to get the participants drunk or in the hot tub. The participants go along with it thinking perhaps that they will be talked about and famous. I remember even on Hell’s Kitchen, there was an awkward hot tub moment last season. I am sure the folks competing go back to the hotel and unwind in the pool, but it appeared to be a set up to see what would happen between two characters with some chemistry, or at least a gal who was trying to befriend the guy’s team. Nothing happened.

There are no strained set ups in truTV’s Rehab, which airs on Tuesday nights. Rather than being a reality show with a staged concept, the party is real and the footage is real. It’s not reality tv, its actuality tv. We are just flies on the wall. The party takes place at the Hard Rock Hotel, and you will meet high rolling guests, and a staff who tries their best to keep things down to a dull roar. Okay, they don’t keep things down to a dull roar but prevent things from going to heck in a hand basket. Most of the folks there would be at the Hard Rock Hotel anyway, rather than having been auditioned.

The whole show makes me want to reach into the screen and slap someone. I want to shower them with etiquette books, and then send everyone back to their rooms. Then I said to myself, “Why the heck am I watching this?” They say at truTV that the effect is “actual,” that I am supposed to have a reaction, and I do! That is called truth in advertising right there.  Darn it, they got me again!