Haircut 2.0 - The Ultimate Wearable Art

It takes a very brave soul to ask random strangers to cut one's hair... which is precisely what this young guy, Bilal Ghalib did. He's calling it Haircut 2.0. Crazy? You decide.

Kitch Lives On: The Nantucket Whale

Among other notable styles that surfaced in the eighties, the preppy thing was all in. It was the rage to sport those little alligator Izod golf tees, red or pale yellow clam diggers, and canvas tote bags with repeated Nantucket whale motifs on them.

I thought everyone knew about these, but last night, at a friend's house for dinner, the hostess had never heard of the Nantucket whale pattern (that I thought was so popular, because I had a college roommate who owned one of everything ever made, that had a whale on it).

Perhaps the East Coast fad wasn't as commonplace as I remember it being, but apparently there are still a few Bif's and Buffy's roaming the planet. They keep places like Vineyard Vines (who are actually cultivating a following of sorts, by showcasing some particularly interesting preppy people here), in business.

Fashion Twist: Orthopedic Grandma Shoes

Who, but Dr. Zen, would design a shoe that "helps in the prevention of skin breakdown and other foot problems"? This design of leather-like, pudgy material boasts a secure closure, which "ensures the shoe stays on", and a fake lace velcro flap. How practical is that?

Smashing Fashion

Victoria & Albert Museum, in London, England, is ripe with elegant and beautiful design. In particular, their recent Couture exhibit has some wonderful, timeless fashionista artwork. As the daughter of a former dress designer, I appreciate the sophisticated Vogue drawings and paintings, of long and lanky models.

As a child, I recall trying to draw and paint glamorous women like that, and my mother explaining to me how fashion artists always make the women in their pictures seem awkwardly thin, more so than is natural. So, I made the necks longer, eyebrows a bit more raised, and waists only a bit wider than the long necks. I suppose people like that do exist in real life. Most that I know, however, have "better fed" physiques than the models of yesteryear.

I appreciate what Dove is doing, with their Campaign for Real Beauty. It makes us "regular" folks feel better about ourselves--more hip to the groove. Oh, I know that they are making money off their campaign, and some would say that's wrong, but I'd rather they capitalize off of healthier self-image promotion, than off of stick-figured, anorexic prototypes. Maybe others will follow.

On a related note (that note being the name, Victoria), I wish a very happy birthday to my dear friend, Victoria Marie!

Perception is Everything

Have you been feeling "blah", lately? Winter got you down? Do you need an image boost? Well, no fear: A series of entertaining cartoon graphics have been circulating around the internet, lately, and are credited to trendy Euro ad agency, LG&F in Brussels, for their client, Oogmerk, an optician in the Netherlands.

These illustrations demonstrate with clever cartoons, what glasses can do for one's image. Some artist has prepared a "before" and "after" -styled series of caricatures, that depict what some might label unsavoury characters... the only difference is that in the "after" photo, the character wears glasses. And voila... style and sophistication abound!

So, Four-Eyes it is, for the fashionably astute. It's nice to know that there is room at the top (of fashion), for when our precious eye sight fails us... let's hope the trend lasts!