It's Fashion Friday!: No Need For Cold Feet

SmartWool Popcorn Cable Sock

           Today is Black Friday. It is a somber day. There’s a lot of mindless idiocy going on in the shopping malls and people are buying up anything they can that’s on sale, just because it’s on sale. Or they’re committing senseless violence so that they can be the one to take home the discounted electronic product they see in another’s hands. It’s ridiculous and disgusting. It makes absolutely no sense. I would like to help bring some grounding to the situation by talking about feet. More specifically, as it is Fashion Friday, clothing for feet – socks!

            I have mixed feelings about socks. It’s really been quite an evolution of thought. It started with “Fun and wacky socks are awesome!” Next came, “I’m really sick of socks that stick out over my sneakers. I want all short socks.” Very quickly after that thought was, “Why the hell don’t they make socks for girls with big feet?! Every pair of socks I have has a hole in the toe after I’ve worn it three times. Screw this, I’m buying men’s sneaker socks.” “I’m sick of socks! Is it summer yet? I don’t want to wear socks anymore. Flip-flops! YES! NO SOCKS! Wait, I don’t need to wear socks with UGGS? I can go year round without socks! JACKPOT!”

Puma Running Socks

The most recent sentiment has been, “Life is too short to spend searching for socks that match. I’m just going to grab two and hope that no one notices.” To simplify and assist that last sentiment, my sock stock has become mostly Puma sneaker style socks, black with different color writing. They’re all very similar, so I can grab two and have sort of the same thing. I highly recommend these Puma socks because they are a little bit longer than the average sock, so they don’t bust at the toe on my long feet. Some of them also have a little extra cushion under the ball of the foot. Or they’ll have a bit of compression around the arch. I really can’t speak highly enough of the Puma sock.

Patagonia Light Weight Merino Crew Sock

Patagonia makes some nice socks too. They’re pretty expensive though. I am only lucky enough to know about these because on one rainy day in NYC I happened to step in a puddle with my UGGS. Remember how I told you how great the soles on those are? How the water just seeps up from the bottom to make sure you have nice clean feet? Yeah, that was NOT a fun experience. Luckily, I was loaned an excellent pair of Patagonia wool socks. They were quite nice to borrow (it would probably be more accurate at this point to say that I have stolen them) – so warm, soft, and snug. And they were men’s socks so they were big enough for my feet. I don’t know why they make women’s socks so small. (All right, so my feet are a solid two sizes larger than the average woman, but still!) Not to mention, it’s fun to wear other people’s stuff because it reminds you of them. SmartWool socks are also great, but expensive. I don’t know how people can rationalize spending $20 on a pair of socks.

Maybe they don’t have to. Maybe everyone buys their $20 socks on sale on Black Friday. I will not be doing that. I do hope that along with their socks, the majority of people are buying some pants. I have to say that I was in Boston last weekend and noticed quite a lot of ladies NOT wearing pants. I even shouted, “Why isn’t anyone wearing any pants?!” and “Look, I can see her underwear!!!!” Do I need to republish my original blog post? Perhaps I shall, since Thanksgiving feasting has rendered me too lazy to write any more…….. 

"Look Ma, NO PANTS!!!"

It's Fashion Friday!: Thank Heavens For Sweatpants

           I used to dress up when I traveled. I’m a firm believer that people judge you by what you look like. Granted, this is not something I support – it’s just an unfortunate reality of the superficial human race. If you’ve ever attempted to travel with an instrument, or any other strangely shaped, large, valuable object, you know that flight attendants and gate personnel can be *ahem* difficult (and that is perhaps a generous adverb). My experience was that if I was flying first class or was dressed as professional as possible (looked like I had money, was a frequent flyer, or someone who might complain in a way that might end in them losing their job), I would be treated with more respect and would likely end up with my instrument safely in the cabin.

            International flights are just TOO long to be worrying about looking nice. Comfort is infinitely more important when it is likely you will be jammed between two people who refuse to allow you to use either of your arm rests for six+ hours. It is times like these when I would like to go on a personal quest to find the soul who decided to remove the elastic from the bottom hems of sweat pants to give a tailored look to the world’s most comfortable fabrics and laud them with kisses and puppies. Tailored sweatpants might just be one of the greatest inventions since the light bulb.

            My friend Janet had requested that I do a write up on cashmere hoodies after last week’s high-end t-shirt teardown. While cashmere hoodies may be the height of frivolity, they are the ultimate luxury when it comes to comfort. With tailored sweatpants, fleece jackets, and dresses crafted of like textiles, anyone can be close to that comfortable without the hefty price tag. Well, unless you decided to buy your comfy clothes at Lululemon.

            I am absolutely DA-ROOLING over this HELMUT by Helmut Lang jacket. It’s $195, so I won’t own it unless I win the lottery or find another job. Nordstrom also carries it in a putty color, which I think is great for fall. A more affordable option (less than half $) would be this similar asymmetrical zip Puma version, which is not as bulky as it looks on the model, and also has a collar that can be flipped up in the back. I’m not going to lie, my mom recently bought this jacket for me as a gift and I’m in love with it. The picture doesn’t do it justice. I’d take a picture of it on myself, but that requires too much effort at this time.        

           The Gap has this lovely French terry dress right now. It’s singing a tune of $49.95, and looks ultra comfortable. It’s not exciting to look at, but that’s not really the point. It could easily be dressed up with belts, shoes, jewelry, scarves, etc. if you really feel the need to stand out in your sweatshirt. The Gap is advertising “Sweatshirt Chic” right now, but sadly do not have any tailored sweatpants. Granted, it is a lot easier to find sweatpants when the weather is cold. Do not misunderstand, nothing that you buy at Victoria’s Secret that has writing on the butt qualifies as tailored sweatpants. Generally for something to qualify as a tailored sweatpant in my book it must have a generous visible hem at the bottom, pockets, and be cut like a normal pair of pants (preferably wide leg). 

           I can’t find anything for sale fitting my stringent requirements, but something close is the EverydayPant from Lucy - $79. If you happen to not be familiar with Lucy, I LOVE LUCY (HA)! They are the American equivalent of Lululemon, but they have sales – ACTUAL sales (i.e. more than $5 off on an $80 product). Another outstanding tip I wish to offer, come winter season clearance sales, are the Neiman Marcus clearance racks in the loungewear sections. Neiman Marcus has an in house brand of “relaxed” wear – what they would consider jogging suits. It’s a joke, really, their designers have clearly never watched anyone jog. Last year I found black cargo sweatpants and a lovely ivory ruched sweatshirt cardigan.

Yes she is wearing a visor. Tennis anyone?

           So, by the time you read this, I will be in Zurich, drinking delicious coffee. I will have worn wide-leg Lululemon yoga pants (most likely), a comfy cowl neck sweatshirt, and Puma ballet flats for my flight. (I realize it is still summer, but transatlantic flights can be awfully chilly, and I am poor so there might not be blankets). I most definitely will not have worn THIS GETUP that I found in the Net-a-porter weekly mag this morning. I am quite certain that if anyone were to show up at the airport looking like this they would quickly find themselves on the do not fly list. Don’t you agree?

It's Fashion Friday!: Stylin' Kicks 'N Kickboards

Ryan Lochte's Shoe Collection (Supposedly) - I don't see
any Prada high tops in there.. you should get some Mr. Lochte,
they are quite heavenly!

I have very few athletic bones in my body. I excel at skating around in circles on hockey skates and clocking people in the shins with a field hockey stick. I wanted to play ice hockey and field hockey, but I also wanted to be a horn player. Since the latter requires a full set of teeth those things seemed mutually exclusive. The fine arts and sports in general tend to be mutually exclusive given the amount of time they both require. I also really enjoyed swimming, despite being really awful at it. Maybe it was my complete lack of skill that allowed me to develop such an appreciation for the sport.

            In 2004 the FINA World Swimming Championships came to Indianapolis so my dear friend Julia and I decided to drive up and watch.  We were lucky enough to get to see quite a few Olympians compete, including Ryan Lochte - what a sweetheart. We ran into him afterwards and he was kind enough to indulge us silly girls with autographs (which sadly we have both lost in relocations). I even got a few emails.

The ones on the left I wore with a broken foot. It wasn't
so horrible. 

            Since I am a long time fan, you can imagine my delight in seeing that Lochte has not only been amassing a collection of medals, but a collection of SHOES!!!!!!! (Of course, I’m talking about shoes again. I love shoes. Much more than I love gymnastics leotards or table tennis shorts. And to be honest I can’t even name any of the athletes that participate in those sports). What a beautiful sight that closet is. Fashion sneakers are so much more fun than workout sneakers. They don’t have to be as functional. Additionally, they make it out of the closet much more often than the four inch Ferragamo red and white striped peep toe sling backs. I tend to accumulate Pumas like some people get lint in their dryer. It doesn’t help that they sell Scuderia Ferrari Future Cats. What more could you want in a sneaker?

Sneakers from Ryan Lochte's footwear collection for Speedo

            So, our backstroking braveheart has also gotten his feet wet in the design pool. I’m not brown-nosing here; I like these high tops. 1. They are shiny. 2. They remind me of John Deere and some really awesome John Deere reminiscent Diesel sandals I used to have (WHAT???! Just because I love Ferarris does not mean I can’t appreciate a good tractor). 3. I could envision them on KG, Paul Pierce, or Rondo. Would you be okay with that, Ryan Lochte? Do you like the Celtics? I really hope you’re not a Heat fan. That might make it difficult for me to continue supporting you. While I am definitely not the creepy stalker, picture collecting, nutball style fan, I am from Boston. Boston sports fans are a lot like golden retrievers. You can accidentally kick us in the head and we’ll still come lick your face in the morning. I believe that’s called loyalty.