Archive for December, 2007
If you’re one of those men who wears their clothes until they fall apart, and then still rescues them from the charity shop or jumble sale bag because they might ‘come in useful’ then you have some new ammunition to use in your desire to preserve your favourite garments indefinitely. New figures show that vast amounts of money and waste could be saved if we shopped less often and for better quality clothing, which we all knew already, but they also reveal that those who buy clothes less often, and cherish the clothes they do own, are more likely to be satisfied with their lives.
- 800,000 tonnes of clothes and shoes were thrown away in the
UK in 2006.
- The average Brit spends £30,222 on clothes in a lifetime
- More than 5.4m British pensioners didn’t buy clothes in 2004
- Workers in
Bangladesh are paid 5 pence an hour to produce clothes for Primark, Tesco and Asda.
All good reasons to buy what you like and wear it for longer – but new psychological evidence also shows that people who shop carefully and enjoy preserving their clothing tend to have a better view of themselves and the world, and are less likely to judge on appearances.
old clothes by freeparking
December 31st, 2007
Advancements in wrinkle-resistant fabric finishes have begun to remove the need for ironing, especially in male clothing, and since the millennium wrinkle-resistant finishes have become a standard for most producers of casual clothing. The terms Wrinkle-resistant, wrinkle free, durable press and permanent press tend to be used interchangeably and they all apply to finishing agents that are added to fabrics to prevent or decrease the amount of wrinkles. These particular chemical agents act as catalysts that cross-link polymer chains in the cotton weaving, giving the material added elasticity and resilience so the wrinkles simply bounce out.
These wrinkle-resistant finishes became popular in the early 90’s when they were added to men’s all-cotton trousers – remember the craze for Stayprest? However, some problems arose, such as their tendency to be a magnet for grease and oil stains, and environmental concerns. Many of these problems have now been minimised.
With the increasing popularity of causal wear in the work place, we can expect to see more of these garments on offer every season. They are, of course a little more expensive than those that do not contain the finish, so perhaps it all depends on whether you feel your time is better spent ironing, or just grabbing and wearing …
iron by hitormiss
December 27th, 2007
It used to be just the ladies who felt inadequate at Christmas: all those perfume adverts with impossibly slim blonde females running around catching balloons or the hearts of men, all those slinky brunettes who received anonymous gifts from a man who parachuted into a wolf-infested mountain range just to drop off a box of chocolates … but now the tables are turning. And that was without the coathanger girls on the catwalk who made any woman with curves feel like a barrage balloon.
But now the tables are turning - the world’s top designers have taken to hiring Dynamite Hosts, a group of British male models who turn up at fashion events to hand out champagne and get the party moving. Their founder, Anthony Lowther, saw a gap in the market and rounded up a few of his male model friends: so far they’ve taken to the floor at parties given by Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Selfridges. Even Lenny Kravitz (yes, hard-rock hall of fame entrant, Lenny Kravitz ) hired them for a recent event. Sometimes they turn up as waiters, wearing tuxedos, other times they are topless and dancing to get people in the party mood.
And if that leaves you feeling a little less than adequate, our Christmas tips for hiding your jellyroll (what a six pack turns into when you don’t concentrate on your sit-ups) are:
-
Wear a loose shirt or polo-shirt and trousers that flare at the bottom, this draws the eye down
-
Vertical patterns, stripes or central long designs, on a shirt make you look slimmer, horizontal stripes, circles and checks make you look fatter
-
Wear a T-shirt under your shirt and unbutton the shirt to chest level, it adds height and slimness.
male model by udyath
December 24th, 2007
According to a recent survey, more than 60% of men buy clothes at least once a month - but only a handful would feel embarrassed going out in clothes they bought a few months ago. The survey asked visitors about the clothes they buy, where they get them from, and what drives them to purchase new clothing. The bulk of the respondents to the survey were men aged between 18 and 44, a little over half of whom regularly spend between £25 and £50 on clothes in a single purchase. When asked how much they spent on clothes in the last 12 months, a quarter estimated their total expenditure to be between £500 and £750. A further 18% spent up to £1,500, and a fashion conscious 2% spent more than £3,000. These figures are still markedly lower than their female counterparts, who generally spend between a half and a third more than their male partners on clothes.
One interesting fact: one in five of the men who were questioned said they preferred buying clothes online as they hated trying on items in shops!
These results are drawn from a survey by Stand-Out.net.
Male fashion show by clminc
December 20th, 2007
Universities from across Europe have been invited to take part in Lindström’s annual international design competition. This annual event, which is aimed at fabric design students and their tutors, has a high profile in the corporate and work-wear worlds.
The Lindström Award is a tutored invitational competition which means that each invited university has to appoint a tutor for the student team that will undertake the task and a maximum of two teams per university can participate. A partner in this process is Klopman International – a leading supplier of work-wear fabrics across
Europe, who will provide the fabrics to be used and make up the students’ prototype garments and the whole process culminates in the Lindström Award Gala and a fashion show.
The life cycle of work-wear is significantly longer than that of street fashion and has different requirements including safety and durability – but even so, the style colour and cut of work-wear needs to be revised on a regular basis so that it benefits from updated understandings of form, function and fabric. Wearing a stylish uniform has a positive effect on job satisfaction and work safety as well has helping establish a brand identity.
Pilots uniform by global jet
December 17th, 2007
Which was the better bargain? Spending £135 on a ticket to see Led Zep at the 02, or spending £800 on an old T-shirt?
The show was a sell-out success, but so were the old clothes. Christie’s New York held it’s first auction of rock T-shirts last month, and a 1973 Led Zeppelin roadie’s T-shirt sold for $1,625. The head of memorabilia and entertainment there said, ‘Led Zeppelin have had a big influence on fashion because the whole aura surrounding them is so cool, and people want a piece of that. There’s no question that this T-shirt had been worn … The blood, sweat and tears of the concert are embedded in the fabric.’
‘Crazy ways are evident in the way that you’re wearing your clothes.’ A famous line from Led Zeppelin’s 1968 track ‘Dazed and Confused’ could be a definition of the way the rockers shaped fashion, and rock. If you want the look now, whether you’re a born-again Led-head or a first time around groupie, you need skin-tight jeans and a shirt with billowing sleeves open almost to your naval – but if that’s a step too far, then opt for a skinny-rib T-shirt and stone-washed denim, and of course, you need to grow your hair ….
led zeppelin concert by p_a_h
December 13th, 2007
Have you booked your work Christmas party yet? If so, this might be something you’d rather not know – more than a third of kitchen workers do not wash their hands after using the lavatory - and more than half never wash their hands before touching food, according to a survey by the Food Standards Agency. The poll of 1,000 staff in restaurants, hotels, take-aways and pubs showed under two thirds had a certificate in basic food hygiene and a terrifying less than 3% of managers understood the importance of training staff in food hygiene issues.
Quite scary stuff, but the domestic market isn’t necessarily any better. Remember Fanny Cradock (if you do, you’re showing your age!) who never wore an apron? Well if it’s good enough for Delia and Nigella, it should be good enough for us. Jamie still turns up in his chef’s whites, and who could forget that however filthy Gordon Ramsay might be in the mouth department, he wears chef’s white AND an apron!
We tend to think of protective clothing as protecting us, (as in keeping us safe, like steel toe-capped boots etc) but it can also be to protect others – whether we work at Langan’s Brasserie or just make cold turkey sandwiches at home, wearing an apron means we keep hygiene to the forefront of our minds – we wash aprons more often than ordinary clothes, we notice if they become stained or greasy and we tend to wash our hands more if we’re wearing one: this means we don’t spread germs around and we seal any germs or dirt on our day clothes under our aprons so they can’t affect the food we cook. So go on, give Mum (or Dad if he’s the cook in your house) an apron for Christmas – you know it makes sense!
aprons by craftybunny
