Tag Archives: style

Got tattoos? Moore’s wants you! (Or do they?)

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Spotted this at Eglinton station yesterday.  Though the camera phone shot is a little blurry (click for larger image), what we have here on the left is an ad for Moore’s menswear featuring some hipster-looking dude with visible arm and neck tattoos.  Buddy also appears on their website–although once you click on, say, Suits or Outerwear, we’re met with pictures of either the typical fashion-model or distinguished older gentleman types.  I guess the tattooed dude just doesn’t look as good in a sportscoat…

That said, his inclusion in their ad campaign is a bit of a bold step for what is considered more of a conservative men’s store–even if the posters in question were specifically advertising their Yonge & Eg–y’know, Young and Eligibile–location.  If they’re casting their net a bit wider, it might be because their parent company, The Men’s Wearhouse, Inc, took a net income loss in the first quarter of the year and its stock recently took a dive on the NYSE after missing analyst estimates for the second quarter.  And hey, hipsters supposedly have money–even if it’s on (non-paybackable) loan from their parents.

That said, I don’t think the vest-and-sunglasses crowd can afford to buy tailored suits or shop at Ermenegildo Zegna.  Perhaps they’ll provide a revenue boost for the cash-depleted chain–but I won’t be surprised if Tip Top Tailors doesn’t follow, erm, suit.

(And yes, while I do have tattoos, they’re not on my neck.  Nor do I shop at Moores–not that I have anything wrong with them, unless hand-tattoo man also works in their sales department…)

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Ewe of Eh students sniff sweaty shirts–all in the name of science!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

A pair of researchers at the University of Alberta has released the results of a ground-breaking new study that’s determined cotton t-shirts don’t smell as bad as polyester ones when you get sweaty.  The study, conducted by “textile science” professor Rachel McQueen along with James Harynuk of the chemistry department provided “specially sewn” t-shirts to 18 students and staff to wear after working out, according to the Edmonton Journal.  Hey, so I signed up for this study, and all I got was a free t-shirt?  But as it turns out, those folks actually got the better end of the deal.

The study also included a panel of 17 students, given the very-scientific title of “sniffers.”  As the handle implies, this group “gave each scrap of fabric a smell test, then recorded which T-shirts were more intensely stinky than others,” the Journal states.  Common side-effects are said to include nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite.

Then again, I suppose they knew what they were getting into when they signed up for Professor McQueen’s “textile science” class.  C’mon, is that really an actual field of study—and if so, do they happen to share a building with the fruit scientists?  (Hey, at least those guys get to eat Oatmeal Crisp…)

Adidas is Breaking the Chains with its new design…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Slaves to the latest sneaker fashions will have to find a new way of showing who’s their master now that Adidas has cancelled its $350-dollar “shackle shoes,” as per the Associated Press.  The JS Roundhouse Mid, which was to launch in August, came complete with orange ankle-chains that had critics accusing the company of promoting slavery.  Clearly, no self-respecting slave owner would have his chattel wearing anything less than the latest $350 Jeremy Scott design—but how else would you explain this outrageous idea?

By comparing it to a child’s toy, apparently.  ”My work has always been inspired by cartoons, toys & my childhood,” Scott said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.  The inspiration in this case was a toy called My Pet Monster, a blue, furry creature with its arms—not its legs—in orange chains.  Hey, doesn’t Adidas make t-shirts, too?

Then again, despite the unfortunate placement of these not-so-stylish retro accessories, I think I can take Scott at his word here.  After all, it is quite a leap from making footwear depicting Mickey Mouse and panda bears to kicks designed to keep the black man down.

These days, the price of a pound of feathers is higher than a pound of bricks!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the price of down is going up—big time.  According to the WSJ, prices have more than doubled in the past three years with a pound of goose feathers going from 12 bucks to 28 and duck feathers rising from 9 dollars to 19 since 2009.  Though there is no exchange that trades this invaluable commodity, a whole lotta down comes from China, where folks are leaving the feather farms behind for a wild life in Beijing Rock City.

This means that several producers of pillows, comforters and those ever-fashionable winter coats have seen their production costs increase significantly of late.  Though many have been taking a hit in their profit margins, it’s believed that this is unlikely to continue.  The North Face, for example, “is expecting to raise the price of its down products for the first time in five years.”  No word from any retailers north of the border, but when a Canada Goose duck down parka already goes for 800 bucks, chances are they’ll soon be outta the price range of still-striking students. ;)

Meanwhile, some companies have come up with alternatives to down.  Sears brand Land’s End will start selling merino wool coats while Columbia Sportswear has come up with its own synthetic insulation that should start to see wider use.  Hey, I can live with a synthetic-lined jacket, but they better not stop selling feather pillows any time soon.  As anyone who’s tried sleeping on a piece of foam knows, there’s nothing like the real thing, baby!