A Shoe A Day… Day 29
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Category: Fashion and Style
June 16, 2012
Roll Out… Or Up
I am–by no means at all–the first one to identify this moment in fashion (my fellow fashion-savvy friend over at Skin of Society shared a link to an article about it: http://skinofsociety.com/2012/06/13/usa-today-article/ ), but it’s everywhere I look now, so I figure it’s about time to weigh in on it.
What I am talking about is the rolling up the cuffs of pants. Note the following examples I saw as I was shopping:
This is not at all a revolutionary fashion statement. Guys have been doing it for decades. I did it in the 80s as a kid (mostly when I didn’t want to get my pants wet or dirty). I have no problem with it, though I’m not crazy about doing it myself. It doesn’t fit my personal style, but it looks okay–if done properly.
I must stress this last point. There a few rules to rolling, so listen up:
1. Do not wear stupid shoes while rolling. Since it brings attention to your feet, your stupid shoes will receive even more scrutiny.
2. Do not do it if you have cankles. If you do not know what cankles are, do not do it.
3. Do not wear socks while doing it. It looks idiotic.
4. Do roll the cuff back so the stitching is not showing.
5. Do roll the cuff back only if the pants are long enough to not leave you looking like one who is digging for clams.
I managed to document a fairly acceptable example and a completely unacceptable example. Please note:
Acceptable:
Unacceptable:
Any questions?
June 11, 2012
Fashion Travels: The Lab, Costa Mesa
Time for another installment of Fashion Travels.
I was in Costa Mesa yesterday–for business, not for pleasure, but I had to take some time out to snap a few pics. Costa Mesa is a shopping destination for people from all over the place. Most of them are coming for South Coast Plaza. I worked at the Nordstrom in South Coast many years ago, and I met a bunch of international travelers who were told they needed to come to South Coast. But it’s mostly for the wealthy.
Down the street on Bristol, one finds The Lab, an alternative to the sprawling commercial center. It is self-dubbed “The Anti-Mall,” and it has a bunch of stores that might be considered alternative. I’ve been coming here for years. As you can see in the fourth picture (a map of the place), it has clothing stores, restaurants, and even a salon. Gypsy Den is a great place to chill out and have a tea and do some work–for me, grading a huge stack of papers. Habana has some delicious Cuban food and a great atmosphere.
But be warned: unless you are ready to come face to face with some very hip people, I suggest you steer clear. Very hip people means that most of them are actually pretty nice (because it’s hip to be nice), but it also means some pretty terrible outfits–some that defy logic (For example: the woman wearing a fur coat–probably feux fur–in the eighty-degree weather).
Now, not all of the stores are small businesses or unknowns. One of my favorite secondhand stores, Buffalo Exchange, has a location here. So does Urban Outfitters. Not exactly small boutiques.
But if you’re looking to shop, hang out, get some food, and people watch, this is the place.
Happy travels!
