NAME: Spring Things part I

In a matter of days spring will be upon us,and as such it will be time to trade in the parkas and long john under ware for lighter,brighter shirts, jackets and flourishes. That being the case, and since at NAME: we love lists we put together this Spring Things list. Its not a buyers guide more just evidence of where our heads and hearts are at as we hit the vernal equinox.
COLOR- but not gaudy, splashes of bright for no reason, subtle, effective hints.
Does the trick every time, as in belts and pants,color straight up from the bottom.


FLOURISHES-spring time is the rt time for these type of things. There's just something about the new life and fresh starts all round that make you wanna wear flowers and or feathers. Accessories like beads and scarves do a really good approximation of flowers and feathers with their eternal hippie tinge ,but keep it uncostumey.



Lightspeed Champion- with his folk troubadour stance and the best version of the Brain Jones haircut any black man has ever had ever Dev Hynes makes lush sweet music about listening to CRUNK, envying the life of camels, and the existential questions of the value of it all.


Key tracks: Stay the Fuck Away From Me- big, honest, self loathing fuck off to a 'stupid bitch'
and Gypsy- Fleetwood Mac cover as equally, electrically liquid as the original.

NAME: PLAID COMEBACK

So plaid is really really popular rt now. Not exactly earth shakingly breaking news, just saying we've not seen as much symmetric pattern and color on men's shirts since the apex of the early 90s grunge years. Though this time it seems to be more about the plaid as opposed to flannel. There is a difference.


We're all for it really. It's not like we're the Sartorialist or anything,but in the everyday man's closet of gray/navy/black conservatism where the color spectrum is more a theoretical concept than it is a functional repository of possible options, plaid gives men the 'OK' to peacock it out a little bit, which is good, cause really why should the fairer sex have all the color fun? And since plaid or tartan has been around since the the time of the Iron Age from the Northern route of the Silk Road in Western China to the isles of Wales and Scotland it's kinda universal . It only makes sense that plaid never ever really goes away and at times, like rt now, spikes and explodes in popularity. This current plaid spike we like to attribute to the ever more abundant 'fond 1990s look back' that has also made colors more neon and prints more graphic(y) lately too. Plus it all works out well for the urban mountain man/farmer sophisticate looks that always do the fall/winter months so proudly.

NAME: JAMC

So what does one call almost do-wop rhythm and phrasing coupled with guitar feedback wall of sound distortion styles, lazy in the mix vocals full of elemental sentiments, dark love fantasies and a fondness for acid? And how can one not even truly realize the greatness of this combination for almost 12,15 yrs? Well the answer to the first question is you call it the Jesus and Mary Chain. With hair deliberately in their face insolence and pale, bored coolness these guys made leather beach ware, a fetish for the Ronettes , Phil Spector,the Beach Boys, acid, and ridiculously distorted guitar tangents all seem like where one needed to be when they first appeared in 1984. The reason they come to mind is because we kinda only now just discovered how really "WOW" they are. Yeah I know a little late on the uptake and all, but better late than never rt.

NAME: FASHION AESTHETCS

At NAME: we have very definite ideas about attire, fashion and style, and at times that may lock us into a bit of box that can be super hard to break , but it also provides us with a platform or foundation ,if you will, that supports us in even the shakiest of sartorial hours. One way for us to avoid the whole 'stuck in the box dilemma' is the developing or exploring of what we term Fashion Aesthetics. Simply, our fashion aesthetics are touchstones or reference points we use to help us decide. In a world with endless option and choice throwing some things out and focusing on core elements that just work out is really helpful, and plain necessary we find.



Rastafarians- So not only do theses guys' religious love of marijuana and philosophical disdain of razors, scissors and marring the corners of their heads and beards set them apart, so does their choice of wearing tidy pants paired with button down oxfords, good hats, wallabes and overall tropical island good vibes.


Western Villains+Heroes- ... Squinty eyed stares and itchy trigger fingers go really well with earth tones and dungarees . Really you'd be hard pressed to find a more utilitarian,while still stylish get up.


Black Panthers- What do you call a dark color pallet with hints of muted gray drabness, berets, sunglasses,leather and militant attitudes? ...i mean besides an example of soulfully correct dressing.


1965rockstar- The thing about these guys is that they're just rt. Rt in the middle. Between the monochromatic suits of the do-wop 50's and the over the top gaudiness of the later psychedelic era. It works because messy hair and neat dressing is confusing...in both the 'what, really he's like that?' and the 'I'm gonna wear a tie and still and do it with groupies' kinda ways


Safari Gear- Well traveling light is important as is wearing clothes both as useful as they are stylish and RAD, safari gear is tops in these at times hard to pull off simultaneously categories.


Mod Accessories- So the mods totally just win for their choices of accessories, from amazing pop-art pins to the 'archetype of the good, smart shoe' the dessert boot+ its just so classic...has there been a time since say about 1964 that these two items would not have just worked...no no there hasn't is the answer.


English Country Gentlemen- When this style 1st appeared in the mid/late 19th century it was scandalous for it's lack of formality. So pretty much this was one of the 1st attempts at casual dressing...with pocket watches,tweeds and top hats...well fashion always evolves one would suppose.


JEDI(episode IV,V styles)- 'Use the force' is really more than just a famous movie tag line for us....its a life command and a philosophy we try live by on the daily, so its especially helpful when our role models for this way of life rock out karate/judo-type practice shirts, phat utility belts, clothy earth tone proto-Thundarr the Barbarian boots and orange flight suits with intricate and complex life saving light buttons and metal bits.

NAME:Personal

So we usually just leave the personal brain rumblings off of NAME:, because honestly we feel like who really cares about any of that stuff anyway like: "Oh my cat was just SO CUTE today." or "Man, my has work been extremely satisfying lately." Sure blogs can and at times are used as a journal-entryways into the mind of the blogger but... With all that said we are feeling extremely disjointed and deceptively superficial today. Like all we need is to eat a little bit of acid, read some Freud, and Gladwell all while looking for new and perhaps inaccurate,but stimulating information on the Internet. Not sure how these feelings will play out for the rest of the day,but we really just felt like we wanted to share. Have a pleasant DAY.