Ughhh....Uggs

I hate Uggs. They're on every starlet, sorority girl, and in winter with miniskirts in LA and now Dallas. They're just awful.

Facebook and MySpace are full of I Hate Uggs groups, and You Tube has many videos of people burning them. In some cases, guys burning their ex- (or soon to be ex-) girlfriends' Uggs. And then this guy who has put together an amusing Ugg Song video:

But there is a problem living where the temperature stays well below freezing for months at a time. No matter what shoes and socks I try, my feet are in freezing agony after about 10 minutes outside. I bought some gorgeous (waterproof) thick-soled, shearling-lined riding boots a few weeks ago, and they are wonderful....except that the cold still seeps in the feet. I get cold much less quickly, but still it happens.

I've been investigating potential solutions. Wearing my ski boots will not work, for obvious reasons of not being able to walk in them. Hiking boots also are great, but hard to wear daily. So I started thinking....everyone is wearing Uggs, maybe there's a functional reason. Maybe they are actually super warm and comfortable.

But I still couldn't get past the image, or my inner voice that guides me by pondering "What would Miley Cyrus do?" and then doing the opposite.

And my feet continued to freeze.

So, I decided to ask some Ugg wearers and find out if they were really warm. Finding someone who seemed normal and wore Uggs was tough, but I did meet one who is professional, normal, and just an all-around cool person over the holidays. When I said, "I have to ask if your Uggs are really warm," she laughed and said she knew exactly why I was asking. She hated the idea of them, and wears them so much that she has to buy new pairs to replace the worn out ones. And that they were ok "as long as you don't wear them with sparkly leggings."

Quite a funny comment, as she didn't know I had been struggling with the sparkly leggings issue the prior week. I'd read about Plush's fleece-lined leggings and was thinking about getting some when in the US (though they're out of stock almost everywhere!). Then I was in the Schlecker (think CVS or Walgreen's) during the break of my German class, and saw fleece-lined leggings for only €5!!! The only problem was the rhinestones bedazzling both legs up to just above the knee. So awful, yet so soft and warm. And nothing costs only 5€ in Germany.  I decided to let function beat out fashion, and wore them (with as tall boots as possible to cover up most of the sparkles). With long underwear under them, they are super warm and comfy, I'm ashamed to admit.

So, after much internal debating and trying on, I bought some Uggs over Christmas. They're the zip-up ones, so a little thicker and more fitted than the originals. And they are SO comfy and warm! I still feel totally self-conscious and there is some residual self-loathing, but most importantly, my feet are warm and not in pain. (I do have some gorgeous brown suede boots that are warm, but their warmth is derived from the fact that the 4-inch platform heels keep my feet far from the ground....not great for walking for an hour...)

Herr J promises not to call me "Anna Montana" anymore, but for one night only, I went full Miley Cyrus for his amusement on New Year's Eve. It was cold, dark, and I took perverse pleasure in wearing my rhinestone-legged leggings with Uggs. It was surprisingly warm....between the leggings, Uggs, my Christmas Columbia fleece, and the earmuffs, the only cold part was my hands. We have to work on gloves now.... I guess the good thing about living somewhere with winter is that you have to buy a whole new wardrobe. My winter clothes from Texas were mostly thin boots, open-toed suede pumps, and sleeveless cashmere sweaters and dresses. That's pretty much summer attire here...

Enjoy!

If you're ready to brave a potential eye burning, check out Tori Spelling and her husband illustrating how not to wear Uggs...I really can't say which one of them is worse.

Man Purses Driving Luxury Brands' Growth?

So, Herr J apparently is on the forefront of a trend...at least for American men...his fashionable Asian and European counterparts have been onto the male accessories bandwagon for quite some time now.  But still, I'll call him a trendsetter among his peers.

It shouldn't be much of a surprise that the women's segment of the fashion market is fairly saturated. Spending will continue to grow as the Chinese and other economies grow and consume more overall, but that can't grow exponentially forever. The real opportunity for growth is in creating a new consumer group - men.

The headlines are starting to pop up.... Forget the It bag: Male satchels boosts Burberry's sales by 27% and Coach is actively targeting the growing mens sector...

...men, the future of the world economy is in your hands - start spending!

Yup, I like my man purse

I had a suspision that this might happen:  Frau A got me a man purse for Christmas.  She explained,  "You thought you wanted one, and I knew it would take you forever to take the plunge yourself."  She was right, of course.  The concept of a man purse seemed to be functionally a perfect item for me, but there were too many style options to select one.  It required an expert to avoid disaster.  (Note:  after seeing her operate in Sephora in New York City, I now fully appreciate how years of training allow women to survive and flourish in what is effectively the most perfect testosterone vacuum ever created by science and choose from endless arrays of products.)

I was pretty sure a black one would go with a business suit and casual clothes, and that I would prefer something with minimal flair/decorations/etc.  I "tried on" a few in stores, but was never really sure.  Frau A was there for the man purse expeditions, and thought one of them was right for me -- turned out to be a good choice.  Here it is:

For me, function is more important than fashion, and on this level it's great.  The bag is structured like a satchel (similar to Indiana Jones and Jack Bauer, of course), with just a flap to close rather than a zipper.  I like fast access to the stuff inside.  Maybe I need an extra gun clip and a whip too.

Internally, a separator creates two areas.  The area closest to the body has small, soft pockets for things like a cell phone/iPod, plus a zippered pocket where I keep my wallet (feels more secure).  It also has a long key leash that makes it easy to find keys right away.

The area that lies away from the body has no internal pockets, and is perfect for a paperback, compact camera, gloves, and even a tote-sized umbrella.  It would fit an iPad no problem, and could temporarily carry a laptop too (except the largest ones).

I like the look too.  Nice, thick black leather with just a small adornment on the front.  The leather is starting to break in already, and feels strong but soft.  It's great to get something that I'll use every day.  Thanks, Santa. 

Food, Shoes, and Clothes

A few of my favorite things...all blended together with amazing creativity and great photography.

Before Lady Gaga was wearing meat to award shows, several other artists and photographers used food to create outfits, bags, shoes, and even jewelry.

Fulvio Bonavia has published a gorgeous book called "A Matter of Taste," where he uses food and plants to create gorgeous accessories. He's an Italian photographer and designer who has also shot a ton of great campaigns for car and beer producers

  

 

 

via Trendland and Designers Block

Ted Sabarese, an American photographer, has shot a few series creatively using food or office materials to create outfits.

     

Check out Sabarese's galleries at Behance for more shots in the two series, and other collections.

His series "Hunger Pains" shows models clothed in the foods they were craving at the time (designed by a team of 15 designers) and "Office Art" shows the models clothed in otufits created from office supplies. The staple-remover trousers are really cool, though I imagine the model having to be extremely careful not to injure himself!

Check out Sabarese's galleries at Behance for more shots in the two series, and other collections.

via CMYBacon  

And the absolutely gorgeous work of Korean artist and photographer Yeonju Sung. I so wish I could see her exhibition in LA...and have dresses this beautiful. Though made out of fabric, so I could actually wear them.... here are two dresses of eggplant and tomato.

 

via Trendland and Feature shoot

Man Purse Math

Herr J is still manpurse-less.

To be honest, we haven't really focused our efforts on the issue. Too many other things to do...vacation, vacation photos, job search (me), german class (again, me), enjoying the wonderful Christmas season in Germany, Christmas shopping, etc.

Though, with winter, a man purse has even greater utility. It's really cold here - cold enough that even I am choosing function over form. yes, cold has brought me insanity and I wear gloves and hats and try to wear warm, flat boots. The point being that now guys also have to carry around gloves, hats, umbrellas, and extra weather-related necessities...greatly weighing down the pockets of the man with no manpurse.

I've been keeping an eye out for good bags for Herr J. The ones I've seen and liked brought up some interesting questions:

• Should a guy have a more expensive bag than his girlfriend?
• Is it OK for a guy to have more bags than his girlfriend? (In most cases, I'm going to vote no on that one!)
• Is there some Maximum Man Purse Ratio? i.e, what's the maximum acceptable ratio of how many bags a guy has to how many his girlfriend has? Is it 1/2, 1/3, 1/4???
• In terms of contents of your bag, is it ok for the guy to have more in there than the girl? (I'd say it depends what's in there....electronic gadgets good, hair care products not so good)
• What's the minimum ratio of electronics to other goods that need to be in there to keep the bag manly?

 This is so much more complicated than we thought

A Gentleman's Guide to Ties

From our Schnitzelbahn guest-blogger, BB:

Necks are for more than just necking and serving as a swivel base for the head.

They are one of the foundations for a properly fitted shirt and essential for the proper tying of the cravat. Thus, some reflections on the art:  Newscasters, celebrities and some politicians are poor examples, although the Europeans are the winners, uh losers in that arena!

1. Shirts have neck sizes. The purpose is not to find the biggest size but a comfortable no gap FIT.

2. There are 3 main knots: Four in Hand, Windsor and Half Windsor. Simple diagramed instructions are available at any tie shop.  Use them Gentlemen.  The square knot is for the Boy Scouts.

3. A knot is not a loosely folded loop. It is a KNOT.

4. The open collar, sagging knot is for the after hours bar where it can look cool. Not in the office please.

5. A knot the size of a medium potato is not a universally recognized knot.  And... is not pleasing.

6. There is a reason for the huge variety of patterns and colors. There are many colors in Germany other than orange and purple. 

6a. Purple and orange stripes are not the answer.  

7. Length. Ties are long for a reason the will comfortably fit a variety of heights. The broad end should be approximately at mid belt buckle length. The narrow end is not to be peeping beneath the fat end!

8. Tomato sauce is not allowed on a tie worn in public.

9. Tie your tie in front of a mirror.

10. Or burn them for God's sake!! 

Unfortunately the selection in German stores usually is dominated by diagonal stripes, solids, and more diagonal stripes.

Man Purses - Part 2

Herr J is beginning to understand female logic.  

Herr J:   I can’t figure out what man purse goes with suits at work and also with jeans/shorts on the weekend

Me:       Well, of course not. That’s why no one has just one purse!

Herr J:   Wow, I understand now!.....umm, I’m afraid.

It was a very proud moment. I didn’t want to scare him, so I kept to myself that the minimum really is 3 bags…both brown and black to match his shoes and belt at work, plus a casual bag.