Oh Canada !

As much as I hate to admit it, summer is over. Or what I should say is that up here in the jolly old land of winter, summer is over. Mountains are seeing far more regular dustings of snow and those damn leaves just keep reminding me that the coldness approaches closer everyday. Don’t get me wrong, I love some things about winter. Skiing, snowball fights, writing my name in the snow (gentleman you know whats up), hockey, northern lights, and of course Christmas. However, when I think of a Canadian winter, nothing, and I mean nothing gets my maple syrup blood pumping like a good ol’ flannel shirt. Long sleeve, button up, and without a doubt the most horrible pattern of plaid one can find is a must. This seemingly lumberjack style get-up has somehow found it’s way into being a staple of the Canadian fall/winter season and I for one enjoy nothing more than a nice warm rockin’ plaid tuxedo to kick of the start of the winter. What is it about the shirt that makes it so darn Canadian anyway ? I mean there are so many other things that convey the Canuck lifestyle embraced by a few other fellow bloggers and I that you would think would come faaaaar before a silly shirt. Things like the toque, poutine, hockey, igloos, our nice strong REAL beer, riding polar bears to work, watching Sidney Crosby score a semi-important goal in the Olympics...was that in overtime...? can’t quite remember...anyone...? And of course being able to pronounce words the fun way like abooooot instead of about (damn it).

I guess what I’m trying to say is that when I look for a way to start the winter on a happy note, I need look no further than the flannel section in my closet. I think that this year anyone who has not done so already should go to their local plaid dealer and pick up a little bit of sunshine in the form of a soft flannel hug and maybe, just maybe you’ll put a smile on your face to start of the winter months this year. Spoken like a true Canadian, just get ‘er done EH !!

Oh and by the way just to prove my point a little better, this picture was not set-up or planned, it was literally the way that six friends happened to show up to the same house one chilly winters eve. boo-ya.

peace,

Puffy Shirt.

Pigtails and Mustaches

Pigtails + Mustaches are the next big thing. Let's go ladies... now's your time to shine!

Go Do Something You Hate

Have you ever sworn that you would never do something... then a few years go by and you realize maybe you shouldn't have been so absolute in your declarations?

Growing up I never liked Converse Chuck Taylors. I never bought them. I never wore them. I didn't like it when my babysitter rocked them, and especially when my friends sported them. My little brother started wearing them to punk rawk shows and eventually I eased my anti-Chuck stance from a 'hatred' to a 'strong-yet-tolerable dislike'.  Then over the years they began to grow on me. In the last few years I tracked down and purchased my own pair of all-black hi-top Chucks, and moved from a neutral/positive position... to a mostly positive position on the love/hate Chuck chart.  

That being said, I may have slowly acquired a taste for Chucks over the years (decades), but there is one thing I promised myself I would never do:  Wear shorts with hi-top Chucks.

....here I am in Kansas City Missouri wearing skinny shorts with hi-top Chucks....and loving it.

Go do something you hate....and love it too!

*photo courtesy of Thunder Pants

the City

--T H E  C I T Y--

Living in the Bay Area for a while now I've learned that everyone has a different way of referring to San Francisco. For example, locals say its only Kiwis, Canadians, and other out-of-town wannabes that refer to it as San Fran: "we don't go to your town and call it Chicag, Jasp, or Vancouv."

I personally think 'Frisco' is weaksauce--but most of the dudes who call it Frisco are dudes I wouldn't mess with [Samuel L. Jackson would for sure call it Frisco!!].

Many refer to it as SF and some go as far as, City by the Bay or City by the Golden Gate.  But I think the most groovy of all is: The City. Now, you're sitting there thinking, 'everyone calls their city "the city" as in, "hey, wanna go to the city?"'  But that's where you'd be wrong.  See, people in SF might say that, but it would be more like, "hey, wanna go to 't h e  C i t y' ?" It's crucial to note the mellowness demonstrated by the lowercase font and spacing--this is to communicate confidence, loyalty, attitude and swagger.

I got an excellent taste of this loyalty when visiting a bagel shop in t h e  C i t y. As the lady taking my order rang up the total, a staff person walked by and shocked me with this sculpture of the Golden Gate Bridge. I asked if I could take his picture, and he laughed and said yes. And now we can all take a moment to ponder and appreciate life, liberty, and the pursuit of making delicious toasted bagel sandwiches.

*he also let me shoot the side profile of the spiraling vine chinstrap. solid.

To sock, or not to sock ? That is the question.

I find it truly amazing how you can start with an idea or preconception of something and then somehow over time end up miles away from where you began. Case in point, the TubeFlop. I remember the very first time that I saw this bizarre item and thought to myself ‘waaaaaait a minute, what’s going on here?! Can this really be what it looks like or has this person really cut the heel and toes of her sock in some strange attempt to finally cross the ‘no socks with sandals’ barrier ? My problem in acquiring an answer was that the very person wearing them was a new friend and I couldn’t bring myself to ask the question burning in my brain, ‘what is up with your shoes!!?' I decided that maybe some good old fashioned Google investigation was in order and I could decide for myself just what was going on here.

It turns out that even though I may not have been the last person in the world to have heard of TubeFlops, I may have been close. This very unusual and yet quite ingenious idea for footwear was designed by Sanuk shoe founder Jeff Kelley in 2010 after a trip to Asia in which he witnessed many fashionable women wearing stirrup bottom leggings with flats and/or heels. From this the TubeFlop was born, perhaps well ahead of it’s time to the fashion cavemen such as myself. Regardless, I could not look away, I was truly captivated with the simplicity and style of this unique hybrid of sock and sandal. You see every girl I have ever met seems to live with the curse of cold feet and yet finally here was an attempt at a solution that should have been thought of years ago...well done Mr. Kelly, well done.


In closing, I have decided that thanks to TubeFlops I will never again look at fashion in any regard as ‘lame’ or ‘stupid’ at first just because I don’t understand it. I have learned the lesson that putting a little thought into it is the only way to go...from there one can decide what they like and what just belongs on the catwalk or department store mannequin. This is what makes fashion great, the ability to challenge us and open our minds to the minds of others. I must say however, the one beef I have with this fashion monument is simply this...how ‘bout some men’s sizes...!?

peace,

puffy shirt.

shoes of the week ...[and quite possibly all time]

You may not have heard [that's why I'm here], but this shoe rarely ever makes it to the store shelves---when Nike re-releases it from time to time [originally released in 1996] people camp out overnite to get their hands on them.... and the crazy thing is, its worth every moment of their wait. The Air Jordan XI [Space Jam colorway] is the Polyester Plaid & Haute Couture shoe of the week.

Ghetto Blaster Nintendo Bag of Doom

Pu-push it real good. Duh, dah duh dah duh duh...duh dah duh dah.....


Okay, what if the original Nintendo + salt n pepa + a murse shoulder carrier duffel + a sweet 80's ghetto blaster had a baby? This incredible bag would be the outcome. Actual speakers in the speaker section? A cassette tape slot that opens via zipper to reveal an MP3 player pouch with an iPod adapter cord inside? Pretend audio inputs on the one end of the bag? And a rad owner from the beautiful state of Washington [I think] who had spray-painted his shoes to match his shirt and bag (blue)? Oh ya, and his friends were rocking too but I could only convince one of them to hop in the photo--(sweet hat!!).

*hip hop bag by parcel 

yikes!

As if the girl who looked stylish with her hair shaved in two places wasn't enough, I practically tripped over this sign!  

Alright world, I get it.  Enough already!

is it really fair?

You know those days where you go to do your hair and no matter what you do it just doesn't look good? Imagine realizing you are having one of those days and this chick sits down next to you. As if you didn't feel like you looked goofy enough that day, she comes along and not only does she have stylish hair, but she has managed to shave off a large chunk of it on both sides, dye it blue, and perhaps straighten it (or maybe it's natural), walked out the door is just livin' out her day--with great hair. Casual t-shirt, worn in jeans and flip-flops, she projects herself as comfortable in her own skin as well as her outfit and well-chosen hair style. You have been OWNED. You shouldn't have even tried in the first place!  

Next time I feel I am having a bad hair day, I'll be reaching for the hair trimmer/razor instead of the brush.

uggggggggh....a sad time of year...but I tried!

I'm having a hard time here in Vancouver acknowledging that the summer has come and passed--and that the innocent can never last, maybe I'll wake up when September ends?  No not really, but I would prefer if during this season the ground was dry on occasion so I could wear flip-flops. Nonetheless we here in in the Pacific NorthWest have embraced the UGGGgggg boot phenomenon with full force. Any day now, I shall be expecting the masses of Lululemon pants and tan boots to come streaming out to play, as the fall season is upon us and winter is slowly approaching. I decided to try a pair on last week and to my surprise they were quite comfortable. Mind you, the boot was the same length as my leg (a meter high) and it was kind of hard to bend my knee, but I figure that's just because I didn't have my Lululemon pants on.  I hear they are good for Yoga and bending and such... so perhaps once I buy them I'll have more luck with the whole mobility thing. My one puzzling thought though, is that we here in Vancouver, BC experience more rain than Noah's Ark floods (I am SURE of that, because I asked Noah) so how can these fantastically mobile and comfortable boots keep my toes from the rain?  Maybe that magical spray shoe salesmen always try to sell me at the till as I am paying for my purchase will help. "So, that'll be $500.00, would you like this magical spray that will keep your boots from soaking with water if you ever remember to spray them for an extra $50.00?" Or maybe not. 

Anyways, that's all, thought you should know I did try them this season. I also have decided I will try harder to find a trend that suits this dry and warm city for the next few months. So far my two options may not be the best for me personally--BUT, don't worry/lose sleep over it or anything, I'll keep you posted on my quest for what not to wear, I mean, what TO wear during Vancouver's finest season.
 

In the meantime, I think I'll stick to slippers.


side-note: please forgive tights under heel with flip-flops, it was cold--I know, fashion DISASTER.

Air Max Chocolate

Three beautiful brown-haired smiling young people. Three shiny brown jerseys. A couple matching brown vintage duffel bags. Three fitted long-sleeve sweat-containing exercise undershirts. Three pairs of baseball/football trousers all shiny and white. Three sets of new white socks pulled up clean to the knees. Holding up the product samples like its the golden gold of all chocolate peanut butter candy bars. Right dude is wearing full-on tennis shoes from the 80's. Middle dudette is wearing cross-trainers all tied up tight and looking like she might just throw down the chocolate and start training on the spot. Toodles on the end is like, 'If I'm going to be doing this all day, at least I'm going to be comfy in my floaty Air Max and heck if I'm going to tie up my laces.'

I'm just saying, I'm with Toodles. Air Max untied and comfy any day or night of any week.

checkit: fashism app

If you have an iPhone and you like to take pictures of yourself and you cannot decide if your outfit is working and you want to ask a whole bunch of strangers to rate your attempt(s) at success and you don't think taking that risk sounds scary as---then head to Fashism.com and snag the app.  

As with any web portal open to the public... you never know what you're gonna get, so don't be naive going in.

Its refreshing seeing everyday people with everyday outfits trying to make their budget, body-type, and creativity work together. Plus, this website and app are the perfect storm for teenage hooligans to be a general nuisance. If we were in Jr. High again, and mom or older-sibling couldn't drive us somewhere fun---you better believe we'd kill many an hour making trouble on this site.

Checkit.

ruffaluffagus

Recently, a friend convinced me to peruse a Forever 21 megastore during a San Francisco city cruise. I agreed--on the condition that she share with me her running color commentary [look it up, its a sports term] on different clothing items and accessories she noticed along the 7 mile walk through the 8 different floors of this downtown 5-star shopping shebang.

Midway through the 6th floor (or was it the 4th?) a sharp jab to the back of my ribs alerted me to the reality of the incredibleness she had noticed---that I had so carelessly walked past. Looking back as sneakily as possible, I was able to catch a glimpse of what's been pseudo-affectionately dubbed: "ruffaluffagus". You're going to have to zoom in 2x or 3x... because from a distance these bad boys look just like any other pair of brown pants.  Butt up close its a different story.

As the store was packed with patrons, it was difficult to get a pic, but after a little scheming and some noteworthy acting, we pulled off a mediocre photo of the first public splash of ruffles for the end-of-summer-beginning-of-fall season.

On the ruffles scale, this woman has achieved a solid 9 or a 10.  Rumor on the street is that ruffles have also been sighted on the racks at H&M .... I'm looking forward to this fall, but a part of me is wondering what exactly we are in for?

What?

Are?

We?

In?

For?

[This message has been brought to you by the color brown. The letter "R". And the number "0".]

shoes of the week

So its possible I maybe, kinda, totally love motorcycle boots... even though I don't ride a 'sickle'' or ever plan on it. I fell in love with the Dayton Rebels a few years back, then seeing these semi-moto partly authentic chillin' wannabe black beauties at Urban Outfitters recently was enough to reawaken what has always been love at first site.

three genres. one unforgivable disaster

Can the term genre be used regarding shoes? Or perhaps I should use 'group', or 'race'? To simply say the word 'style' for shoes just doesn't give enough credit (if that makes sense), personally I think these are more important than that. Truth is, it doesn't really matter, I just wanted to use 'genres' in my title for the blog.

Three shoe styles. One mega disaster. Made me realize why I love the others so much. For starters, I walked by a row of old school Reebok high-top kicks. I didn't know how to react, so I took a picture, in case you couldn't figure that out yourself. They reminded me of my mother when I was really young, rocking acid washed jeans and a mega perm. Bringing these classics back is a step up in the shoe realm. It was dope to be filled with nostalgia as thoughts of my rockin' mother came to me through glancing at multiple pairs of an irreplaceable genre of shoes. However, I do think only the right styled person could pull them off and make them look as good as they do on the shelf (or on my stylish mom).

The Gravis caught my attention, as I hadn't seen a classic skate shoe in a while. Generally speaking they are mega comfortable and perfect to throw on after a good snowboard sesh. I haven't rocked any of their shoes before, but this classic look made me think they'd perhaps do the trick [a trustworthy source informed me that Gravis have been improving their designs as a brand in the last 3 years and have become a presence in the skate/snow community]. I tried them on and almost bought them, but realized another pair of shoes is probably not what I needed for the moment.

Finally, and unfortunately, then there were these shiny shoes. I don't even want to say what colour they were because I NEVER want to insult a colour that badly by associating it with these monstrosities. I see NOTHING O.K. about them. What in the H - E - double hockey stick realm were they thinking?! There is no excuse for them. They should be illegal. The creators should be banned from our nation. And the store they were sold in (thanks Winners - or T.J. Maxx in the USA) should be sad.

A good pair of shoes can make any outfit forgivable. But a bad pair...sigh...you might as well not be wearing any clothes, cause it just isn't going to look good no matter what you do. Trust me. I know everything.

man purse = murse. man skirt = mirt?

I should apologize if my writing is scattered today, my brain hasn't figured out quite yet that it's no longer asleep, so my thoughts are a little scattered and my grammar smarts are a little on the slow side (as can be seen in that sentence).  One of those days where I'd like stay in bed all day, and really wanted to push snooze a few more times than I was able to.  However, it reminded me of a time that I was walking through the OGG Airport in Maui, starring at the ground as I was sad to leave, and in front of me waiting for the security check was a man that I assumed had literally rolled out of bed to get to the airport as he had managed to take his bed sheet with him!  How convenient!  I imagine he pressed snooze too many times and then decided he had to skip a step to get to the OGG on time and - so he decided that step would be putting on clothes.  I wish I could have done that today.  I could have had my own personal toga party - just strolled into the office with some leaves in my hair and a bed-sheet on.  I know that comfy is key, as Peacoat has mentioned before, and I am in no way criticizing this man's decision about what he wanted to wear, but I just have a hard time figuring out how he managed to pull it off (the fashion idea- not the bed sheet), or did he?

Bench Warming!

Could a Tuesday morning study/coffee session get any more suspicious? I get it, you are a calm college attendee, you got your blue and black vans. Rocking the Wu Tang yellow tshirt, black pants combo. No big deal. But I think if we try to see through your thick rimmed glasses, I don't think what we find is gonna be pretty.

Your curly brown hair and typical sitting stance only point to the fact that you are trying to look casual. But I can see that you have a fake nose and are most likely recording us right now. What is up with being in the background, sitting on a bench anyways? All I can say is that your fixed gear bike better be able to pedal into full speed!

If I knew any better I would say that you have placed a 'mole/diversion' in the frame to take away the fact that you are planning a wmd (weapons of mass destruction) attack on the bay area. Well I got news for you, you yellow shirt, black pant wearing terrorist. Jack Bauer is only like a 5 hour drive, or a 1.5 hour helicopter ride away.... That's right he's in LA, and unless you wanna make the next season based in SF, you better get your terror and cram it into your backpack, or else... fedora and slippers are gonna find you!

Oh yeah and there is a dude rocking some mind blowing neon clothes in the pic also!!!

THUNDERPANTS OUT

ps. this pic was not taken by me, and though it would be selfless to let it go unsaid this pic was taken by peacoat, though it is obvious that it is a pic for everyone.

just go-go away

about a month or so, i agreed to go to the opening of a new art exhibit here in the lovely city of san francisco. i was expecting to see abstract works of art that i could hardly understand, eccentric folk that these events usually draw, and an exceedingly enjoyable performance by an up-and-coming local band called 'Scissors for Lefty.' overall, my expectations were delightfully met. what i didn't expect to see was this monstrosity. i don't have any quick words to summarize this - dare i say - fashion statement, so i'll just break it down piece by piece.

care to join?

i want to start with the color pallet chosen here: blue, orange, and white. now, these colors may or may not be the very colors of my college - i'm just not so sure this woman was a waves fan. i'm not even sure if willy the wave can pull off this color combination. each color by itself is swell, but all three together? well, i think it would suffice to say a headache ensued after this technicolor overdose.

now i understand you're only experiencing the bottom half of this woman's outfit, but if my memory is correct, that long, royal blue skirt was actually a dress. granted, this woman was well over the hill - if you're pickin' up what i'm throwin' down here - and she reserved every right to be dressed so modestly. plus, it does her age well to do so. as for the material and color she decided upon... well, i hope that goes without saying.

the best part of her artparty outfit, that should also go without saying, is the boots. but i'm enjoying them way too much to pass up the opportunity to actually say something. now, i don't remember a time when these were popular. that may be due to the fact that i wasn't alive when they could have been. but even at the peak of their popularity, this woman would have been well into her 20s. i mean, i understand people trying to relive their high school days, but i would hope that no one would want to experience their time as a go-go dancer again... and as for the glorious glimpse of bright orange between the boots and the dress? yeah. that's not skin. those are tights.

'nuff said.

maybe she's trying to make a statement and bring something back.

i'm just not sure what that something is exactly.

fashionably placed.

Apparently, Susie Q should never have threatened to throw away her husband Chuck's prized fish that he caught in 1942, because there was no place to keep it in the house.  What a shock it must have been when she came home from her morning at Bing-o to discover the fish that had almost made it to the garbage, was now the only thing anyone could focus on when they looked at their house.  But for real though, WHAT is going on here and WHY is it still nailed to the front of the house? Unfortunately my "drive-by-stop-in-the-middle-of-the-road-and-take-a-photo-with-the-trusty-Iphone" shot does not exhibit the BRIGHT tourqoise and vibrant royal blues that the fin of this has-been fish entails.  This random Vancouver decoration made me laugh so hard I had to drive around the block to get a second glance.  If you notice, the fish is almost as large as the living room window.  Chuck must have felt so proud to have finally listened to his wife.  "I told you I'd find a spot for it!"        

tail of a yuppie hipster

wow... that's a low v-neck. dang that's a lot of chest hair for a young fella. hang on a minute, are those jean cutoffs as short as they look? crazy, you guys kinda look like you bought all your clothes at the same place. how's the barefoot thing working out for you cause my shoes smell pretty bad when i do that. are you enjoying your latte? dum de dum de dum..... i should probably get a picture of these guys (brothers maybe?) looking so hip and cool. i wonder if i can take it without them knowing. maybe i should just ask them. no, i think i can get a good angle. yup, that turned out pretty good. oh look--they're getting off at the same station as us. cool, maybe i'll chat with them at the top of the stairwell. actually, maybe i can get a shot while we're walking... butt it might be blurry... still worth a shot. yup, its blurry. dang! hang on a second, is that a...

...hipster with a tail or a tail with a hipster? 

celebrity jams - billie joe armstrong

Willy Wonka lent Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong a pair of super striped pants for the last show of their North American tour Saturday night in Mountain View, California.   

clearance.

I hope the clearance means they run out of these tank tops soon.

barf bag.

There are some things in life that I will never understand. Like, why in high school we have classes on everything in the world, but "relationships". I think that a Relationships 101 course would be helpful for everyone. Also, I have a hard time grasping why people like cilantro, but that's just my own personal taste, and it's one thing I choose to avoid eating at all costs. However, this rainbow display is one thing I don't think that ANYONE should have to understand. Perhaps its a great idea to air out wet clothes from the beach as you are walking, I get it. Practical is important. Perhaps the sand will be easily shaken out the sides as you are walking OR if you have a wave hit your boat while you are on the ocean, not to worry, your camera is now broken, BUT your bag/purse/murse/plastic sack, is not full of water. And I know it is kind of nice to match shoes with bags--like a black pair of heels with a cute hand bag, but, a Croc Bag? Are the (generally speaking) colorful crocs not enough that we need to have matching bags also? Must we draw even more attention to the most eye painful shoes ever created? 

      The best part is that I took this picture in an airport store. I can only imagine all the lucky souls waiting for their loved one in the arrivals section that received a bag. "Thanks for coming to pick me up from the airport! I found this for you as I was waiting to get on the plane, I hope you like it!" "Wow, thanks a million, I sure can't wait to use this bag here in Alaska where we go to the beach all the time! You are so thoughtful!"

shoes of the week

Pretty much for sure the artsy indie casual shoe of the week!  They just look like they want to be worn. No idea what brand they are ... or where they are sold. But I'm sold!