Low cost and light fabric are the two most important issues to consider when searching for clothes during the summer because of the hot, humid weather and the subsequent (as well as frequent) trips to the laundromat or dry-cleaner. Men, generally, when presented with the dilemma of fashion versus function frequently, much to the chagrin of significant others and easily embarassed children, err on the side of funtion. This desire to wear clothes that feel good and make sense frequently drives men towards the comfortable, cost-effective and, in the case of the warm weather months, the light and breatheable fabric groups. Its very rare that the functional and the fashionable clothing choices are the same choice. One of the rare examples of clothing that satisfies both buckets are men’s sport coats.

Men’s sport coats allow men to dress up simple outfits and make them look better without sacrificing comfort as there are a wealth of sports coats made of linen, cotton or some blend between the two. These light fabrics allow cool air to pass through these casual coats and keep their wearers feeling as good as they look. A subtle compromise for a discerning shopper but tehre’s nothing more comforting that clothes you like on multiple levels and you don’t have to break the bank to get your hands on them.

To truly appreciate NYC clothing one has to go beyond the I Love NY t-shirts. One has to see how urban culture and living has impacted the design of graphic tees. One has to draw parallels between hot and crowded subway cars and the almost frenzied desire to wear light and breathable cargo shorts. NYC clothing is unique because its constantly in demand and in order to stay ahead of the pack designers have to see clothing trends developing weeks in advance and then plan their clothing lines accordingly.

NYC clothing is all about standing out in a crowd and still being able to travel across the city comfortably and easily. The speed and quality of NYC fashion is present in all the boroughs but a native New Yorker can pick apart someone’s outfit, demeanor and the speed in which they walk down our crowded city sidewalks and almost immediately determine whether or not someone is from NYC. Its important to remember that wearing the proper clothes is only part of what it means to be a New Yorker, its also very important to walk with confidence and to walk fast!

I needed a backup plan. I needed professional attire that also didn’t try to strangle me in the sweltering heat of a New York City taxi cab but I couldn’t sport a t-shirt and jeans and ever expect to get anywhere above middle-management. My solution was simple: cheap polo shirts! After almost passing out one afternoon I decided that I’d buy polo t-shirts by the truckload and use this arsenal of professional yet casual attire to wage war on restrictive clothing. Take it from me, cheap, breathable clothing is a far superior to ties and dress shirts. Comfort aside the environmental benefits of not having to get my shirts dry-cleaned make me feel good– almost as good as all the money I saved!

This idea of Hipsterdom and how it’s destrying not only the individuality driven graphic tee, but also all of western counter culture is best described in this article here: 

Below is a short quote from the indepth article:

The American Apparel V-neck shirt, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and Parliament cigarettes are symbols and icons of working or revolutionary classes that have been appropriated by hipsterdom and drained of meaning. Ten years ago, a man wearing a plain V-neck tee and drinking a Pabst would never be accused of being a trend-follower. But in 2008, such things have become shameless clichés of a class of individuals that seek to escape their own wealth and privilege by immersing themselves in the aesthetic of the working class.

“The U.S. economy has been in recession since December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research announced on Monday. The result comes despite the economy not having suffered the two consecutive quarters of negative growth usually needed to characterize an economy as recessionary. The only negative reads on GDP in the US were in Q4 2007, when the economy fell 0.2%, while in Q3 2008 preliminary estimates suggest a 0.5% contraction. ‘Because a recession is a broad contraction of the economy, not confined to one sector, the committee emphasizes economy-wide measures of economic activity. The committee believes that domestic production and employment are the primary conceptual measures of economic activity,’ explained the report.” CEP News 

With the economy in a downwards spiral many families find themselves this winter struggling to make ends meet in turns of heating and electricity bills, but these families also have to figure out ways to keep food on their children’s plate and clothes on their back.  We’re here to offer a solution to the clothing problem today.

1.  Designer Clothing at Walmart prices:

Check out all of those local fashion boutiques that you never wanted to visit.  Chances are they’ll have something at an affordable price.  These graphic hooded sweatshirts below are only $20 and came from such a clothing store:

2.  Function over Form.

Just because it looks a little dated, doesn’t mean that it should stop you from buying your child warm clothing.  Fashion should take the backseat if you can’t find something that is both warm and style-icious.  

3.  Sales, Sales, Sales.

Take advantage of coupons, sales racks, and special deals like Black Friday which just ended last week.  There’s nothing wrong with getting clothing at a price that’s almost a steal.  

“Melbourne, November 10 (ANI): Naked pictures of singer Adrienne Bailon have leaked on the Internet, making her the latest Disney star involved in a nude scandal.

The 25-year-old Adrienne had apparently taken her nude pictures to send to beau Rob Kardashian, and had lost her laptop at JKF airport in October, reports the Daily Telegraph….” (http://www.thaindian.com)

Kardashian, eh? Not the first time that we’ve heard that last name involved with some sort of sex/nude/underage scandal and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Why Adrienne was sending him of all the people in the world pictures is beyond my comprehension. All the same, a simple Google search will turn up the pictures if you’ve got to find out whether the story is fake or not.

Leryn Franco is known to continue her competitions outside of the Olympics.  During the off season she isn’t always throwing Javelins around and training her body; in fact she spends a lot of that time off the field and on the catwalk.  Javelin thrower by day, famous super-star model by night.  Now while her grace and poise puts her in a perfect position for modeling, it seems that maybe she shouldn’t of strayed from her country’s sports t-shirt. 

Leryn Franco is upping her profile again with a trot down the catwalk.

In her most recent catwalk the outfit that she was wearing (which left little to nothing up for imagination) was put in one of the worst positions possible for any fashion model. And no, it wasn’t tumbling down face first into the photographers. It was letting the top of her dress slip down exposing the audience to a lot more than they expected to see (though I’m sure they were all glad for the nip slip). Just imagine if models were wearing something like babydoll t-shirts, this problem would never even happen. I say forget the see-through, super thin fashionable items of the year and go back to modeling clothes that people can actually wear and afford.

I think part of the answer is the wonderful power of contrast. Plaid means business — or at least retirement — but shorts definitely don’t. So plaid shorts add a sort of playful attitude to the maturity of plaid patterns. And this can be a great trick to play, at least compared to other fashion-powered contrasts.

Plaid lets you start off with a premise of maturity, and that’s a great asset. When you’re wearing plaid shorts, people know you picked an unusual pattern, and that you added it to a more youthful article of clothing. That mature pattern means that you know what you’re doing — that if they think you’re weird, the joke’s on them. Unlike other similar fashion choices, plaid shorts don’t add the risk that you’ll just look weird: if you’re wearing plaid, you must know what’s up.

Plaid has other advantages, as well. It’s a pattern that has been around for a long time, so if your new plaid shorts catch the tail end of one trend, you’ll be on the vanguard for the next. And since shorts are always in style for their utility and comfort, plaid shorts will still be good to have even if you’re not showing them off so much.

The best thing about plaid shorts, by far, is that their recent popularity has encouraged many more designers and retailers to pay attention to them. If you’re in the market for ,plaid shorts you’re likel to find plenty of stores with a great selection of shorts that are perfect for your needs.

When you pick out plaid shorts, it’s important to pay attention to a few factors. Comfort is almost a given — most are made with fairly nice material, and they’re roomier than most legwear. So the main issues are price and pattern. As for price, the best bet is actually to aim for smaller stores. Unlike the big companies, they tend to attract people by having a great selection at a great price, rather than having a well-funded marketing department. Pattern is another matter entirely. Plaid shorts come in all shades and (plaid-based) patterns, so the best thing to do is just see which ones you’d be comfortable wearing in various situations: imagine wearing your plaid shorts to a party with friends, on a hike, on errands, etc. If it looks sane, go for it — you’ll find that the number of situations in which you want to wear plaid shorts goes way up once you actually have them.

When you think about it, the mysterious popularity of plaid shorts is not so mysterious at all: they’re affordable and comfortable, and while they’re fashionable now, their aesthetic appeal will outlast the trend. The only question is: why don’t you own some plaid shorts already?

Last night, Sarah Palin decided to wink to America. It’s the Al Gore sigh in the year 2008. It’s the Howard Dean scream. It’s… on a t-shirt!