Thursday, December 1, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Materialism
(3sixteen hoody, Lands End Canvas shirt, Naked and Famous Weird Guys in Nep Denim, Sebago Beacons in brown suede)
It is a bit too cold to be stuck with just a hoody. Still contemplating whether or not to wear my wool jacket. I might change this outfit when I hit the door. This is a great look at what I currently wear on a day to day basis, as most of these items are fairly new. The shirt is decently well fitted off the rack, though it could use some darting. The new denim is crispy and interesting. Not sure how much I like the weight, I prefer something heavier. They come in at 12 oz but my Marc Jacobs are 14 oz which I much prefer the heft and feel. Over all, a quality pair of jeans. Chain stitching throughout the construction and a hidden selvage coin pocket as opposed to exposed. Very good attention to detail.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Hygiene, hippy style
So I have a decently odd hygienic routine. Let me preface it with the fact that my skin is decently sensitive and my hair is uncommon for my ethnicity.
People are kinda mind-washed into thinking shampooing every day is beneficial for you. In high school, I began to shampoo once every 2 days as opposed to every day. I noticed a decent improvement in my hair; it was stronger, curlier, generally well moisturized without as much dandruff and oil. However it wasn't all great. My dandruff was still a problem and my scalp still itched. I didn't think much of it until I began to read up on what shampoo contains and what it can do to your scalp.
Modern shampoos have sulfates in it. It's great for lather, however it dries up your scalp just as well. This is why after 1 day of not shampooing your hair gets really oily; the scalp is freaking out cause you took all its oils away. Shampoo companies realized this and made conditioner. Basically you're putting oil you stripped away back into your head and paying them twice. Genius business model I must say.
After I learned this I wasn't mad at the shampoo companies and ready to picket their doorfront. It's not their fault I was misinformed. I just looked for alternative shampoos. I currently use Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap bar. It's a super versatile soap that can be used to clean anything. It contains no sulfates and is olive oil based. As a bonus it's all American produced and is all natural. However the main selling point to me was the fact that there were no sulfates. The one I'm using has no fragrance and has lasted me over 8 months and I probably have another 4 months left in it. When I began to use the shampoo bar, I noticed immediate improvement in my dandruff. It still existed and still does today, however it is much more manageable and less noticeable. I was still shampooing every other day.
Then I shampoo'd less. I figured that my head didn't need the constant distressing of the soap since my scalp was so sensitive. Started out with every 3 days, then 4, and now I only shampoo 4 times a month. My hair does not smell. It is not weighed down by oil. It is soft, strong, and healthy. I still rinse every day with the hot water from the shower because there can still be dirt and such in the hair follicles, but I don't spend a particularly long time with it.
As a side note, I also do not use face wash every day. I do still get pimples; probably the average amount. However it is a bad idea to strip your face from all the oils its producing, just like its a bad idea to strip your scalp of those same oils. I still continue to lotion every day. I use Vaseline face and body lotion for men, however I am looking for an alternative soon since the lotion doesn't hydrate particularly well.
Fall Clothing
Now that we've transitioned into Fall (and soon Winter), the fabrics and colors that I've been wearing have changed. Here's an example of my Fall uniform so far. It's missing a jacket though.
I think it's important to have a good pair of casual boots. Mine aren't too high and are in a nice versatile color. It's a suede brown on top of a brown sole. The henley is there for warmth, and the jeans are my Marc Jacobs x Wranglers that I've been wearing since April 2010.
(shirt - gifted from Hong Kong, henley - Mossimo from Target, boots - Sebago Beacon, belt - Banana Republic, jeans - Marc Jacobs x Wrangler, wallet - Jack Spade, key holder - gifted from Italy)
Fall fabrics generally are heftier and more substantial than Spring/Summer. Here are a collection of pants that I've been wearing in the fall. Corduroy is a generally Fall only staple, as it looks pretty silly in the Spring/Summer months. Wearing corduroy is a lot like denim, break it in and let it wear. It does deserve more washing though as it picks up more lint and hair than denim.
(from left to right, starting from the top, H&M cotton 5 pocket pants 2011, Uniqlo made in China selvedge regular fit 2010, Trovata slim fit corduroy 2009, Marc Jacobs x Wrangler)
People are kinda mind-washed into thinking shampooing every day is beneficial for you. In high school, I began to shampoo once every 2 days as opposed to every day. I noticed a decent improvement in my hair; it was stronger, curlier, generally well moisturized without as much dandruff and oil. However it wasn't all great. My dandruff was still a problem and my scalp still itched. I didn't think much of it until I began to read up on what shampoo contains and what it can do to your scalp.
Modern shampoos have sulfates in it. It's great for lather, however it dries up your scalp just as well. This is why after 1 day of not shampooing your hair gets really oily; the scalp is freaking out cause you took all its oils away. Shampoo companies realized this and made conditioner. Basically you're putting oil you stripped away back into your head and paying them twice. Genius business model I must say.
After I learned this I wasn't mad at the shampoo companies and ready to picket their doorfront. It's not their fault I was misinformed. I just looked for alternative shampoos. I currently use Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap bar. It's a super versatile soap that can be used to clean anything. It contains no sulfates and is olive oil based. As a bonus it's all American produced and is all natural. However the main selling point to me was the fact that there were no sulfates. The one I'm using has no fragrance and has lasted me over 8 months and I probably have another 4 months left in it. When I began to use the shampoo bar, I noticed immediate improvement in my dandruff. It still existed and still does today, however it is much more manageable and less noticeable. I was still shampooing every other day.
Then I shampoo'd less. I figured that my head didn't need the constant distressing of the soap since my scalp was so sensitive. Started out with every 3 days, then 4, and now I only shampoo 4 times a month. My hair does not smell. It is not weighed down by oil. It is soft, strong, and healthy. I still rinse every day with the hot water from the shower because there can still be dirt and such in the hair follicles, but I don't spend a particularly long time with it.
As a side note, I also do not use face wash every day. I do still get pimples; probably the average amount. However it is a bad idea to strip your face from all the oils its producing, just like its a bad idea to strip your scalp of those same oils. I still continue to lotion every day. I use Vaseline face and body lotion for men, however I am looking for an alternative soon since the lotion doesn't hydrate particularly well.
Fall Clothing
Now that we've transitioned into Fall (and soon Winter), the fabrics and colors that I've been wearing have changed. Here's an example of my Fall uniform so far. It's missing a jacket though.
I think it's important to have a good pair of casual boots. Mine aren't too high and are in a nice versatile color. It's a suede brown on top of a brown sole. The henley is there for warmth, and the jeans are my Marc Jacobs x Wranglers that I've been wearing since April 2010.
(shirt - gifted from Hong Kong, henley - Mossimo from Target, boots - Sebago Beacon, belt - Banana Republic, jeans - Marc Jacobs x Wrangler, wallet - Jack Spade, key holder - gifted from Italy)
Fall fabrics generally are heftier and more substantial than Spring/Summer. Here are a collection of pants that I've been wearing in the fall. Corduroy is a generally Fall only staple, as it looks pretty silly in the Spring/Summer months. Wearing corduroy is a lot like denim, break it in and let it wear. It does deserve more washing though as it picks up more lint and hair than denim.(from left to right, starting from the top, H&M cotton 5 pocket pants 2011, Uniqlo made in China selvedge regular fit 2010, Trovata slim fit corduroy 2009, Marc Jacobs x Wrangler)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Denim Heads; Geeky or Cool?
Ever since college kids have grown up past the street/hypebeast phase, people begun to pay attention to finer details in their clothing. But to stay modern and young, kids normally jumping on the next Js or Dunks have begun to focus on old school style of denim either woven on shuttle looms, and/or worn dry and raw for an extended amount of time.
There's a lot to be said about the people who get into this stuff. Websites like superfuture, hypebeast, and styleforum are all full of knowledge and information about denim (some advice better than others). And anyone looking to buy their first pair of raw denim probably has too much information to even make a good decision.
But this isn't about newbies getting into selvedge; it's more of a thought about what people think about this obsession. And an obsession it is. "Starter" denim starts easily at 150 bucks retail, whereas higher end denim can cost upwards of 400 dollars depending on the brand, the construction, the limited availability, and sometimes just for no good reason.
Every man has many obsessions. For example, I love computers, soda, and bbq. These are things people are generally able to accept as some sort of normal affinity. But designer denim? Do people think that this is too geeky? Do people want to know more about this? Is it acceptable for a person to really love jeans as much as these kids do and collect over 10 pairs of jeans that cost 200 dollars a pop?
Now I do love jeans. I do understand the attraction to the dry, old school denim. It fades beautifully, it stretches to your body and fits perfectly. It's just the best! But I never got to the point where I told myself, I need to buy these Ironheart jeans for 400 bucks. Perhaps I still fall under the same category as a denim head; with more knowledge and closet space than the rest of them.
There's a lot to be said about the people who get into this stuff. Websites like superfuture, hypebeast, and styleforum are all full of knowledge and information about denim (some advice better than others). And anyone looking to buy their first pair of raw denim probably has too much information to even make a good decision.
But this isn't about newbies getting into selvedge; it's more of a thought about what people think about this obsession. And an obsession it is. "Starter" denim starts easily at 150 bucks retail, whereas higher end denim can cost upwards of 400 dollars depending on the brand, the construction, the limited availability, and sometimes just for no good reason.
Every man has many obsessions. For example, I love computers, soda, and bbq. These are things people are generally able to accept as some sort of normal affinity. But designer denim? Do people think that this is too geeky? Do people want to know more about this? Is it acceptable for a person to really love jeans as much as these kids do and collect over 10 pairs of jeans that cost 200 dollars a pop?
Now I do love jeans. I do understand the attraction to the dry, old school denim. It fades beautifully, it stretches to your body and fits perfectly. It's just the best! But I never got to the point where I told myself, I need to buy these Ironheart jeans for 400 bucks. Perhaps I still fall under the same category as a denim head; with more knowledge and closet space than the rest of them.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Welcome!
So I've bit the bullet. I made a blogspot. Welcome to my blog! This will be a blog about fashion, tech, life, women, science and people in the eyes of a dumb nerd.
To get us started, why not start with something nice and geeky?
Intel, with the help of Apple, came out with a new I/O standard called Thunderbolt. It's blazing fast at 10 gb/s and incredibly versatile. It uses the minidisplay size/shaped port but offers data transfer as well as being a visual display. You also have the ability to daisy chain 6 devices on Thunderbolt. Sounds great!
Currently, many laptop/desktop manufacturers are waiting on Intel to allow chipset manufacturers to use USB 3.0. Undoubtedly USB will have to exist in future computers for legacy devices, however, Thunderbolt has a really good chance of taking control of the market right now considering it's faster and more versatile than USB. They are both Intel products so Intel will benefit either way, but Apple stands to gain a huge amount of publicity and market share if people really like this I/O platform.
Keep in mind that Thunderbolt is not Apple exclusive; its Intel's baby. Apple is just the first to use it (which, in almost any market, means a lot).
I'm both excited and worried about this new standard. Its potential is great; tons of devices operating at high speeds, however it could fall away into a niche market like Firewire fairly easily if they don't find a way to keep costs down. Knowing Intel though, they'll whore it out like all of their products and every computer will have a port.
What do you guys think?
To get us started, why not start with something nice and geeky?
Intel, with the help of Apple, came out with a new I/O standard called Thunderbolt. It's blazing fast at 10 gb/s and incredibly versatile. It uses the minidisplay size/shaped port but offers data transfer as well as being a visual display. You also have the ability to daisy chain 6 devices on Thunderbolt. Sounds great!
Currently, many laptop/desktop manufacturers are waiting on Intel to allow chipset manufacturers to use USB 3.0. Undoubtedly USB will have to exist in future computers for legacy devices, however, Thunderbolt has a really good chance of taking control of the market right now considering it's faster and more versatile than USB. They are both Intel products so Intel will benefit either way, but Apple stands to gain a huge amount of publicity and market share if people really like this I/O platform.
Keep in mind that Thunderbolt is not Apple exclusive; its Intel's baby. Apple is just the first to use it (which, in almost any market, means a lot).
I'm both excited and worried about this new standard. Its potential is great; tons of devices operating at high speeds, however it could fall away into a niche market like Firewire fairly easily if they don't find a way to keep costs down. Knowing Intel though, they'll whore it out like all of their products and every computer will have a port.
What do you guys think?
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