Patches of the Past

For the second installment of Sweeker (my week long celebration of sweaters) I would like to touch on the subject of the elbow patch. Now a style characteristic of those natives of coffee shops and wearers of ironic glasses—aka hipsters—this style was not always worn out of hipness but out of necessity.

There was a time, believe it or not, when people actually had to do hard labor. And when these people did hard labor, such as working at lumberyards or on railroads, they wore the same thing every day. If you have had any experience what so every with any kind of hands-on work, you will know that it is kind of hard to avoid messing up your clothes. This could mean getting paint splatters everywhere, accidentally covering yourself with flour, burning holes in your jeans, having your sleeve ripped off by a saw, etc. It is why we don’t wear our mom’s cashmere sweaters to art class. Well, if you can imagine transporting back in time and working on the railroad from dawn until dusk in your thick trousers (probably made of denim or wool) and dirty, sweaty button up shirt every single day, you can probably imagine that your clothes are in need of some repair. Which is why patches were invented. It is, well was, much easier to just put a patch over a hole than to go buy a whole new shirt. I say was because now a days so few people know how to sew and due to the accessibility of “fast-fashion”, it is much easier, time efficient, and probably cheaper to just go buy a new pair of jeans or favorite t-shirt—plus it’s a good excuse to go shopping. Because of the way that the body moves, bending at the elbows and knees, fabric tends to be strained the most in the area of these joints. Where the fabric is strained, it is more likely to be worn out and easier to be torn when doing something like kneeling on the ground or carrying big logs to the truck for splitting. That is why patches are most often seen on the elbow or knees, or occasionally on the rear end…

Patches were a symbol of hard work. More than that though, patches meant poverty. It meant that you could not afford new clothes, and thus had to make do with what you had. It wasn’t a fashion statement, it wasn’t something you wanted, it was actually a bit shameful. But as is the case with many utilitarian things, patches, like glasses or overalls, have become a fashion statement rather than a necessity. The real meaning of patches has been forgotten. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. I mean when I was younger wearing glasses was SO embarrassing and ugly, but now that it is “fashionable”, pretty much everyone wears glasses, even if they don’t need them. Same with patches, it used to be embarrassing if you had to go to school with a patched up shirt because your parents couldn’t buy you a new one, but now it is the epitome of stylish. Thank you hipsters! Nevertheless, we must never forget the past, for as my good friend Winston Churchill said:

“ The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see”

So, next time you put on a sweater with lovely suede elbow patches—perhaps in the shapes of hearts—remember the men and women of the past who built our country to what it is today and the patches that were most likely on their clothes.

I would like to thank this old man for all of his work and for not worrying about having to patch his clothing,
but for persevering through it all

xoxo

Justice

HAPPY SWEEKER!

I have decided that we ought to have a celebration of the wonderfulness of sweaters. So, from this hour hence forth let it be known that this week, the week of November 10-16 (we will include yesterday even though it already passed), shall be the official Sweater Week–SWEEKER! I think that it is universally acknowledged that sweaters are amazing. They are comfortable, cute, keep you warm, and can be worn with pretty much everything. I really don't see a downside. Because they can be worn in so many different ways and there are so many different styles, there is a sweater for everyone. You may be of the chunky oversized variety, or a librarian cardigan type, or a long wrap around kind. No matter who you are or how you're feeling, there is most likely a sweater out there for you. Unlike true love, finding the perfect sweater is a guarantee, and it will be a much easier search and your sweater will never leave you for a better looking wearer.

So, for the first installment of Sweeker, I introduce the preppy sweater:

sweater from H&M, shirt stolen from my mother (she got it at sometime, somewhere in the 80's),
Clavin Klein jeans, kitten shoes from Modcloth, and "My Flat in London" necklace

The preppy sweater is paired with a button up shirt and either a nice pair of trousers, a plaid skirt, or wool shorts. It does not matter whether or not this sweater is a cardigan or a pull over, but either way it must be short enough to show the shirt at the bottom and not too bulky. If you want to really epitomize the preppy look, try for a nice argyle print and maybe pair it with a tie. But be prepared for some comments including the 80's and your mother's wardrobe if you choose this. When wearing this look you may find yourself raising your hand more in class and remembering random facts--for example, on this day (11 November) in the year 1918 Germany signed an armistice to end WWI.

Some other great examples of the preppy sweater:

Emma Pillsbury

Blair Waldorf

Hermione Granger

and just about anything from Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger ad campaign FW13

Happy Sweeker my readers, acquaintances, and imaginary friends, and remember to celebrate by wearing a sweater every day this week. Every single day.

xoxo
Justice

Listen to me for a Secondary

HAPPY HALLOWEEN my ghouly, witchy, batty friends! I hope that your day is full of candy eating, spooky sighting, and letting go of any inhibitions and just going crazy (in the area of costumes…not in anything else. Don’t get too wild my children). Sadly I am not able to partake in any celebrations, as I have to go to class at the wretched time of 7-9:30 pm. It’s just dreadful. However, as I like to think of myself as a rather optimistic person–despite a certain cynicism that I can't seem to shake off–I thought that I could use this opportunity to my advantage and teach you all a lesson. This is not one of those “teach you lesson” things like when the bully on the playground teaches the scared kindergarteners a lesson by taking their lunch money and tying their shoelaces together. No, I want to actually teach you something because I find it fascinating. You see, the class I have tonight is called “Color and Design for Fashion”. In this class we learn all about the theory of color and what color is and what different color combinations are and pretty much everything about color. It is a lot more complicated than you would think. However, it is incredibly relevant because whether or not you are aware of it, color is all around us and has a profound impact on our lives. You’ve probably had an experience where you saw a color and it made you feel something. Like peaceful when you see a light blue, or happy when you see a bright yellow. There are individual colors, but then when you combine these colors a whole new world arises. Different color combinations mean different things. For example, when you see green and red together, most of us think of Christmas. Why do we think of Christmas? It’s a little silly really. It’s just two colors. A combination of two pigments. Nothing complicated. It’s not like they are images of the birth of Christ. Nevertheless, we see these colors and all of a sudden “Jingle Bells” is ringing in our heads.

Another example, today, Halloween, you may notice a large amount of orange, green, and purple together. Such as these Halloween m&m's

Or this little girl's Halloween witch costume

These could be strongly saturated (very vibrant, like they came straight off of the color wheel), they could be muted (more earthy tones), or they could be desaturated (darker or lighter by the addition of white or black). This color combination is called the “secondary color triad”. This is simply because it is a triad (three) made up of the secondary colors on the color wheel. 

Secondary colors are made when mixing two primary colors. Orange= red + yellow, Purple= blue + red, Green= blue + yellow. WOW! It’s like math! This is so exciting!

I’m not quite sure when or why or how these colors became associated with Halloween and fall time, however I do have a theory. Two actually. One, because these colors seem quite witchish. Orange for their wrinkled, old skin. Green for the toads they use in their spells.  Purple for their magical cloaks and the vapors that come off of their potions. Just watch Hocus Pocus and it will all become clear.

There is another reason though, as to why we these colors come into style every October-November. When I see these colors I automatically think of fall. That's because in autumn these secondary colors occur in nature. They may not appear exactly as they do on the color wheel, but instead we see them in muted forms. 

Orange is the color of pumpkins, falling leaves, the ground after the grass has begun to die, and most importantly, the color of pumpkin pie.

Green is the color of the leaves as they are changing, it isn't the vibrant green of spring but a duller green, a green that is beginning to turn brown. It is the color of green apples, the kind that make amazing apple pies.

Purple is the color of thistles, one of the only flowers that stay blooming through fall. Not to mention the purple foods that we eat at this time such as aubergines (eggplant), purple potatoes and red cabbage, at least I eat a lot of those foods at this time. And of course red pears! Which can be made into pie!

So essentially, these colors are the colors of PIE! and we eat pie in the fall and therefore these colors are fall colors.

Have a Happy Halloween

In honor of the day, I am wearing an outfit of secondary colors (pumpkin not included)
Green Sweater from Anthropologie
Shorts from Calvin Klein
Purple tights from Target
Orangish brown suede booties from Clarks

xoxo

Justice

Let the Witching Hour Commence

As October comes to an end it is time we turn our minds towards more celebratory things. Such as dressing up in costume, getting scared out of our minds, scaring others out of their minds, and eating enough candy to send ourselves into diabetic comas. YAY for Halloween! But what is the true meaning of Halloween? Is it teaching children to take candy from strangers? Or is it that dressing as a naughty anything, be it pirate, nurse, or astronaut, is not slutty on the 31st of October, even though it is on every other day? Sadly no. Halloween is much deeper than the depths of your candy basket and is a much older tradition than the group costumes that you and your buddies put on every year. "Halloween" is actually a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening" or "All Hallows' Eve" (because in Scots, the germanic language of lowland Scotland, the word "eve" is "even" and is contracted to "e'en" "All Hallows Even" soon turned into "Halloween"). While it may surprise you due to the number of wicked things we see on the night–witches, vampires, Miley Cyrus impersonators, etc.– this holiday actually began as a Holy day. It initiates the "triduum of Hallowmas", big words, I know, which is the time of the year dedicated to remembering the dead. That's right. It actually started as a Christian holiday, a great big feast to remember those people whom we loved and are now gone. What on earth does this have to do with the tomfoolery that we get up to now? I'm not sure. I think somewhere along the line the message of this day got a little confused. This probably has something to do with a communication error. Somehow or other "pray for the dead" got confused with "dress up and go crazy"...Well, anyway, some of what we do today has roots in the past. Trick-or-treating, for one, began in Scotland and Ireland with "guising", when children disguised in costume would go from door to door for food or coins on All Hallows Eve. When this turned into the giant candy gathering contest that it is today, I don't know. 
Another tradition that has survived over the ages comes in the form of hunched over old ladies with warts on their noses. Any guesses? 

That's right!! WITCHES!
Halloween was believed to be the day that spirits traveled the earth, and as spirits=dead people and dead people=scary, scary=witches and so it is follows that Halloween=witches. Logic. Based on this logical thinking, barns and homes would be blessed by priests to protect people and livestock from the evil effect of witches. Judging by the amount of pointy black hats I see in store windows, I would say that witches are just as prevalent for Halloween 2013 as they were for Halloween 1692. 
Let's take a quick look at some important witches for whom we can gain knowledge and costume inspiration. (disclaimer: this is a list of witches from mythology and literature. I am not claiming that these women are or were real. I am also not claiming that these are the most important ones, they are just the ones that I know and want to talk about)

Morgan le Fay
A powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. She uses her power of seduction to entrap her prey and attempt to overthrow her step-brother Arthur–talk about a dysfunctional family relationship. 

Morgan Le Fey by Anthony Frederick Sandys (1864)

Circe

From Homer's Odyssey. While she may seem perfectly normal and lovable, avoid eating anything she offers you or you may find yourself turned into a lion or a pig, doomed to spend eternity wandering around her mansion. 

Circe changing the companions of Ulysses into animals, an English mural from 1580

Abigail Williams

and all others associated with the Salem Witch trials. While Abigail may not have been guilty of casting spells, she was most certainly guilty of being a right tart, a young 

seductress, and a manipulating bully, characteristics of another kind of witch altogether. For more information on this subject, read or watch The Crucible. 

Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams

The White Witch

One of my particular favorites, capable of making it always winter and never Christmas, this woman is most certainly evil. 

Illustration from C. S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Wicked Witch of West

Terrifyingly green, beware of this woman, especially if you are a young girl from Kansas and wearing red slippers. But don't worry, if you have a bucket of water near by, you'll be fine.

Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz

Hermione Granger

Wickedly intelligent, scarily talented, and green in the world of magic, being born to a muggle family, this little smarty pants gives a good name to witches everywhere. Not to mention she is just too cute.

Emma Watson in the first Harry Potter

I could go on for days. But I don't have time for that. I just want you all to see how incredibly prevalent witches are. They are jumping out of books, prancing across screens, whirling on stages, glaring from paintings. They are everywhere. So while getting ready for you wild party this Thursday, or whenever you are choosing to celebrate Halloween this year, please don't forget these important members of Halloween history. While it may seem cliché, a good ol' witch costume never goes out of style. 

Now to the spooking and candy eating!

xoxo

Justice

Pumpkin and Peplums

September is almost over, the days are getting shorter, the air is getting crisper, and Starbucks is now serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Break out the sweaters and scarves ladies and gents because fall is here. While it may not exactly feel that way here in San Francisco, the truth of the fact is that Halloween is just over a month away and it is no longer acceptable to wear white pants, short shorts, or flip-flops. While fashion may no longer be dictated by the social season (which really is a shame. I would look so great in a ball gown), it certainly is shaped by the season season—by which month the calendar says it is. This is really quite good as we would get very bored, not to mention uncomfortably cold or hot, if we had to wear the same thing all year long. However, it can get quite irksome having to switch up your wardrobe every three months, or 6 months, or every month if you live in Colorado. If you don’t have the means and/or interest in switching up the contents of your closet and prefer to wear jeans and t-shirts, or leggings and t-shirts as most of us do now a days considering how hard jeans are to get over the rear end, then you can just throw on a scarf and sweater and be fine for the next few months. Easy as pumpkin pie. But some of us would like change things up a little more. Add a little spice to our ensemble to go along with all the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves drifting in the air. This autumn, our spice collection contains a lovely combination of tartans and tweed and peplums and pleats. Our color scheme feels a bit like a group of scottish highlanders having a thanksgiving dinner in a log cabin. Don't believe me? See for your self:

F/W '13 color palette from Pantone, taken from the Fashionsnoops website 

Let's mix together our fall ingredients and see what we can create. By that I mean, let's see what we should all be wearing for the short time period called autumn. 

Trench Coats are always a must for fall, but maybe this year we can stray away from the rather dull camel colored ones and try for something more exciting?

Burberry Prorsum F/W 13 

Of course sweaters are always a good fall back at this time in life.

Cable knit sweater from Jack Wills 

If it isn't too chilly, a cute pleated, jumper dress would add a nice splash to the usually shapeless fall styles

Lattes to Talk About jumper from Modcloth

 I've heard that "duster" sweaters are all the rage over on the East coast, so why not try one out?

Season for Snuggling Cardigan from Modcloth

 A simple plaid dress never goes amiss. never.

Coldstream Dress from Shabby Apple

 A wool pencil skirt and sweater is a nice way to look classy and put together on those chilly days where all you want to do is drink apple cider and read a book.

Cora Skirt from Shabby Apple

 Cropped pants in plaid or houndstooth are a nice way to transition between seasons

cropped pants from Tommy Hilfiger

 And on days when it is not quite so chilly, but shorts are still inappropriate as it is not July, a nice pair of wool shorts with tights is a good alternative.

Rome shorts from Tommy Hilfiger

 And, of course, we must never forget the classics, such as a tweed blazer. however this year we can make it a little more stylish and feminine by adding a slight peplum.

Tweed jacket from Ralph Lauren

There you have it. You now know everything there is to know about fall fashion for 2013.

Hahahahaha as if. There is so much more, but I have to go to class so I need to stop.

Have fun wearing your plaids and drinking your chai teas my little pumpkins.

xoxo

Justice