Rick Owens for Showstudio

Head over to Showstudio and check out the rest of the editorial and a "video diptych" both directed by Nick Knight. Owens discusses his desire to corrupt things from within. I approve. Also help me figure out whether Owens looks more like Alice Cooper or Iggy Pop.

The Lengths We Go For Fashion

Lord Whimsy of The Affected Provincial's Almanack has supplied sleazerag Vice with a sampling of body mutilating fashions of the past and semi-present. If you thought you were too body conscious, then this will make you feel better (and then make you a bit sick).

Imagine if, when you were a kid, your parents used elaborate and painful methods to force your head or feet into bizarre and permanent shapes. Or imagine if the surest way to get a decent job was to stand perfectly still while your friend hacked the side of your face with a cutlass. Now imagine never washing your hair until it became a hardened crust or being completely covered in mites and lice for your entire life. Or imagine living in permanent fear that your neighbors might at any moment decide to hunt you for the fur on top of your head.

Of course this isn’t fantasy: It’s history. Over the centuries, human beings have practically turned themselves inside out—and on occasion happily turned others inside out—for the sake of status and style. Let’s take a wee stroll down memory lane.

Brave stomachs may read the rest of the article here.

The Ever-Stylish Coal Guy

I've spoken a bit before about how I don't quite get the workwear trend pushers though I appreciate their enthusiasm for style in general. A Continuous Lean, Get Kempt, Jack Davis, and their readers have a deep appreciation for American made clothes and have done well to promote neglected brands. The latest issue of Newsweek even spotlighted ACL author Michael Williams and I believe the attention is well-deserved.

However, the overall look promoted to me is not visually classic, its rugged but also rather shapeless. Its a kind of anti-fashion trend and in someways reminiscent of the grunge era. It incorporates suburban work elements, but instead of doing so out of necessity and connoting middle-class youth apathy and sexual curiosity, workwear cobbles earthy traditional maculinity with practicality. However, I've never been a fan of the lumberjack look since it first started emerging years ago on the streets of new york. I'm fine with plaids and checks, sure. But the combo of workboots, a beard, and a flannel shirt was jarring to see on fashionistas. It seems strange to romanticize the mundane daily grind of American industrial workers into a style guide. The Trad shares a similar thought

There's a whole lot going on over at Michael William's blog, "A Continuous Lean." Michael's a good kid. He's a smart kid. And if you read the comment page about his recent quote in Newsweek Magazine you'll discover he's a, "take no crap" kid. Check it out. I'll wait.

So you see... Michael has this thing for work clothes that I don't really understand. I busted my ass for 20 years so I wouldn't have to wear the clothes he loves so much.

Off-Road Strategies

Those gentlemen brave enough to assemble smart accessories, good ties, well crafted hats, and beautiful shoes know the right pairing can complete a look as a glass of wine can finish a meal. A sober navy silk tie might add a good balance to a potentially shrill outfit. A curiously detailed pair of oxfords can breath life into a look based on a dull charcoal flannel.

A recent post by Hard Liquor Soft Holes had me thinking off the radar as he experimented with some different outfits based on a drop crotch pant from CdG for H&M. More often than not, a piece can overwhelm a look or lock our heads into a particular trend portrait. A preppy sweater suggests a smart tie, nerdy glasses and so on, but there's nothing stopping us from showering it with safety pins for a DIY project or pairing it with something more military and edgy. How about ditching Harvard for Machu Pichu?



Trends don't need to dictate our personal looks. Adding personality to a look just takes a little creativity. Doing something unexpected even in the small details can add a touch of excitement to the daily routine. Besides, no one wants to be a cliche.

Cardigan by Richard Chai @ Odin

Western Style Hat by Alexander McQueen @ Brown Fashions

Western Rogues Gallery 8 Eyelet Boot @ Revolve Clothing

Opening Ceremony Hearts You

Print this out.



Use it to redeem 50 dollars off discounted items totaling 200 dollars or more.

Also, get your hands on the New Arrivals from Alexander Wang, Band of Outsiders, BOY, Opening Ceremony, Issey Miyake's Cauliflower, Kolor, John Lawrence Sullivan, Fjall Raven, Proenza Schouler (LA Only), and Red Wing by Nom de Guerre (LA Only).

Opening Ceremony NY
35 Howard St., NY, NY 10013 tel. 212.219.2688
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am-8pm Sunday 12-8pm

Opening Ceremony LA
451 N. La Cienega Blvd., LA, CA 90048 tel. 310.652.1120
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am-7pm Sunday 12-7pm

Thanks to Douglas @ COACD

My Country 'Tis Of Thee

My suspicions are growing stronger and stronger. The stars and stripes just don't look cool. Even on a weiner dog it's obnoxious. It should be cute. But its just annoying. I feel bad for the little weiner.



Thanks to A Continuous Lean for uncovering this beast on the twitter. I have to agree the offspring of Duckie Brown x Florsheim is one ugly ass baby. And some person with lots of money and no taste will give them a good home. The worst thing about these is that they were originally made to commemorate the end of WWII. This was their idea of celebration. A slight stain on the history of Americana, perhaps.



If someone can show me an example of the Yankee banner looking stylish on anything I'd be stoked to be proven wrong.

P.S. speaking of Twitter, don't be shy and follow my twits. I don't bite. At least not on the first date.

Grammar Nazis

Nothing is worse than a religious style sentinel, no matter what their particular passion. So why do they amuse me so much? All of us have different tastes and preferences, things that drive us mad. The problem is when that list is so long that there's no room for any colorful artform.

Following a recommedation from Language Log (a fantastic site for those interested in writing and language btw), I landed on this great article on arbitrary style rules.

And there it is: A new usage rule, fresh out of the oven and ready to feed to the unsuspecting masses. It reminded me of a recent e-mail from Kevin, whose high school English teacher had a similarly inventive usage theory. She rejected the sentence "The pitcher threw no strikes," he recalled: "She asked me to show her how to throw 'no strike.' She said the correct way to say it would be, 'The pitcher didn't throw any strikes.' "

This doctrine, of course, was just plain nutty. No in this construction means "not any," as it has since Old English. No grammarian or usagist has banned it. Yet Kevin was successfully browbeaten: "For years I avoided writing things such as "The store had no bananas," "I have no opinion," "I ate no onions," he wrote.

But a surprising number of the old, familiar usage rules are just as arbitrary as this one. When the idea of tidying up English caught on, usage guidance became a kind of sport, with grammarians trashing one another and pitching their own ever subtler refinements.

Motor Folk

HighSnobriety reports that Undercover, a japanese brand helmed by Jun Takahashi, has successfully gene-spliced biker with gypsy.

The motorcycle jacket has been the subject of a lot of attention over the past few seasons, with Junya Watanabe, Stefano Pilati, and Raf Simons all having their fun with one of the more iconic pieces of menswear. So far we've seen silk, neon, and trenchcoat interpretations. Personally I'm a big fan of this trend and think that its been a fun ride so far though nothing will ever replace the benefits of genuine leather during the coldest months of winter.

And if the gypsy blend of biker jacket doesn't turn you on than maybe Marianne Faithful will decked in Lanvin designed leather? The Way Out girls hunted down Girl on a Motorcycle on their highly entertaining biker-centric site.