Adding Muscle to Skinny Jeans

The most pulled-together and fashion forward males are wearing tighter and tighter pants these days. Such celebrities as Pete Wentz, all of the Jonas Brothers, Zac Efron and Johnny Depp have all been seen sporting skinny jeans for men, bringing the popularity they once had from the 90s back into trend. Guys with more of an edgy or artistic style could pull them off: musicians, photographers and producers, among others. Those certain skinny body types are the ones who can pull off this sharp look, and have been more recently preferred by women for men as attractive compared to baggy and sloppier jeans. The most appealing ones are of dark hues in either black, dark blue, or grey. Those daring ones that I have also seen are unconventional bright colors like red, yellow, green and purple. These jeans actually give the male form a silhouette and are a look of savvy confidence. I have to admit when they first came back, I thought it was quite weird that men were wearing jeans with the same fit that I had in my drawers. But now I find them more polished and chic, in the male sense of it all. Males, take your pick from men's, women's or unisex versions. Yes, some guys these days shop in the women's section to get what they want from their favorite stores. Employees at Hollister, H&M and Abercrombie & Fitch say they've seen more male customers examining the shelves and racks of women's clothes. Because those stores don't sell men's skintight jeans, fearless guys cross over to the feminine side to find the styles for about $50 to more than $100. One designer that the celebrities like for his skinny jeans is Moschino. And the best thing about this designer's jeans is that they are actually affordable to the non-celebrity men who dare to wear skinny jeans.

Underwear Scare

Women everywhere beware! Victoria’s Secret bras have recently been found to be contaminated with formaldehyde, leaving wearers very itchy! Roberta Ritter, a 37 year old woman from Ohio, was the first to be scarred by their infected lingerie and has filed a lawsuit against them. Specifically the Angels Secret Embrace and Very Sexy Extreme Me Push-Up styles seemed to be the guilty culprits for which lab tests were done on them to find what was causing such a fuss. VS blatantly denies that this could be true, however they, like any other company, wouldn’t want to admit that their quality control was not up to par in catching this before their bras hit the stores. Surprisingly, Ritter isn’t the only woman that has come forward with this problem. Dozens of others have found their bras leaving them with more than just the needed support they thought they were buying. Although this outbreak may not have been caused by the Victoria’s Secret Company placing formaldehyde in the bras, somehow along the way of production the contaminant made its way in. No word yet on if there will be a recall of the products in question, so they will still be in the stores for more people to buy. I don’t know about you, but that news doesn’t really make me want to go there and buy myself a bra with detrimental side effects! As for those women who have already been blistered, they are in the process of filing paper for a class-action suit, hoping that VS will reimburse them for their medical bills and suffering. Coming from the world’s most recognized lingerie brand, this is completely shocking to me as well as the thousands of women who immediately go to “Vicky’s Secret” the minute they need or want to fill that underwear void. But I’m sure I won’t be alone in my hesitation for shopping there anytime soon, as sad as that may sound. Not trying to give my favorite underwear store a bad rap, but I’m just as shocked as the rest of you and don’t know when the next time will be that I’ll be brave enough to buy their bras again.

Our Furry Friends Can Be Recycled Now?!

Just when you thought you had seen it all this comes along…Have you ever even thought it would be possible to create eco-friendly fur coats? I didn’t either. But the impossible has just become possible. Japanese designer Chie Imai has come out with her Royal Chie 2008-2009 collection which she and her daughter recently debuted on Oct. 28. to a group of New Yorkers such as Spike Lee and Tonya Lee Lewis, Ivanka Trump and her brother Donald Trump with his wife Vanessa and daughter Kai Madison and model Irina Pantaeva. How does she do it you ask? She combines the highest grade of chinchilla fur from Finland with a recycled fabric made from used polyester by Japanese chemical company Teijin Limited. The recycled fabric comes from used polyester linings of their coats to create a recycled fabric for the sporting company's line. This has been used before in this way but never has it been used for a luxury product like this before. She began designing in 1982 and has used her expertise to create something that was both innovative and something that could be worn by her customers wanting to participate in the "green" movement. She also wanted to highlight the beauty of the fabric, which is both waterproof and breathable. The experimentation she embellished on not only was about the making of the fur coats, but the bold jewel tones of the coats were stepping away from the typical designs. I personally love the unique designs she made and I am all for embracing the environmentally friendly approach she is taking for the fashion industry. However, whenever there is fur involved in making garments I am a little bit disgusted. No matter how much of a positive change this is in instead of killing off new animals to make fur coats, animals’ skins are nevertheless being used. If attaining the fur is done in a humane way, coming from animals that are already dead, that is acceptable in my eyes. But I’m sure, as we all know there are more fur coats being mass produced than there are naturally deceased animals being made and never will I buy a real fur coat for that reason.

First Lady Fashion

As the entire nation watched on this past Tuesday night, Barak Obama became the first African American male to be elected to serve our country. This history making moment was one that our generation will never forget and we as a country now hope to benefit from having this fresh and promising candidate take seat in the White House. All this is so grand and all, but the point I’m trying to get to here is that sure, I was listening to every word he had to say in his victory speech that was broadcasted on national television, but I couldn’t help but notice the clothing that he and his family were wearing. Not only were they as usually sophisticated and sharp looking, but he, his wife Michelle, and his two daughters were all matching. The red and black dress Michelle Obama was wearing (designed by Narciso Rodriguez in his Spring 2009 collection) was picked up in both Barack’s black suit and red tie and the daughters dresses, one in black and the other in red. I loved that! I don’t know if they have a stylist, although I’m sure they will from now on if they don’t already, but I just thought that was so perfect to be coordinated like that and the good-looking family sure pulled it off. It’s been seen throughout the campaign that Michelle has supported the fashion industry with designers like Maria Pinto, Thakoon, Isabel Toledo, and others when wearing their creations to other public speeches and occasions, but I’m sure this one will make its mark because it will be just so memorable. Not only is this the first Presidential family to represent the multicultural diversity of this country, but the Obama family has a sense of style. Of course they got my vote!