Belly up

A potbelly is the new hot accessory, according to my very favorite NYT style writer, Guy Trebay. The editor of Details speculates that Brooklyn hipsters are reacting to our uberfit president by "proudly rocking a gut." But I blame it on all that PBR.

Why NYT fashion writer Guy Trebay always lights up my day

Oh, Guy Trebay, thank God for you. I'm not sure anyone else shares my appreciation for your work, or at least not in the same way. But kudos.

This passage in your Fashion Diary today is unparalleled.

Can we agree that most Twitter posts are about little beyond the fact of their own occurrence? Is it too much of a stretch to suggest that something existential is afoot? [Guy: I do not think it is!--ed.] Is the sum of human knowledge much advanced by learning, instant by instant, that Marc Jacobs is having his hair dyed black, that Marc Jacobs is eating a McDonald's burger and drinking a Diet Coke, that the beautiful Patti Smith look-alike model Jamie Bochert just got engaged, that the handsome and heavily-inked hairdresser Lorenzo Martone is not Marc Jacobs's boyfriend?

McCain to Democrats:

"I see your pantsuits and raise you one corsage."


John McCain just announced Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his VP pick, to the surprise of many. (WP) He is sure gunning for Hillary Clinton supporters and I imagine this choice fits into that plan.

Palin is young (44), anti-corruption, firmly anti-abortion, has posed for Vogue, and differs with her new running mate on the subject of drilling in the Arctic Refuge.

She also really likes to wear giant flowers on her lapel, a la Carrie Bradshaw in 1999. I thought the pic above, from her gubernatorial inauguration, was an anomaly, until I ran across this one too.

If you happen to have any other documentation of Governor Palin's floral fashion statements, send them my way. It is certainly a distinctive calling card.

Guess what: I'm wearing pants right now!

I still don't understand the obsession with "Hillary's pantsuits."

ABC News: A Look Back at Hillary's Year of Pantsuits
Glamour Magazine Salutes Hillary Clinton's Rainbow Coalition of Pantsuits

You know, technically, Obama always wears "pantsuits." Not that he doesn't have the legs to carry off a tasteful above-the-knee hem.

And no one ever writes about those.

Hose in different area codes

I have always regarded pantyhose as a tool of the patriarchy (or, possibly, the devil). Show us your legs! But partially obscure them! In an uncomfortable way!

So I was glad to read (in the Wall Street Journal, of all places) that not wearing hose is now officially OK.

The weather grows warmer, and the debate heats up: Are bare legs proper? [My question is, are bare feet proper?--Ed.] In today's casual workplaces, many women have peeled off the panty hose, and it is now common to see bare legs even on conservative Wall Street and at business events. Yet the transition has highlighted a generational divide. For women who entered the work force before the 1990s, hose were considered as necessary as underwear. But many twentysomethings have never worn panty hose at all.

DC, to my mind, has been uncharacteristically ahead of the fashion curve in this regard--probably because we live in a reclaimed swamp and would really have to resort to loincloths for true comfort May through October.

What happened to American Apparel?

I used to shop a lot at American Apparel, as one might guess from my rainbow of identical hoodies. Comfortable, stylish, sweatshop-free casual wear at a reasonable price--that's what I live for. But passing by the downtown DC store recently, I noticed an awful lot of lame going on. Actually, Freudian slip; I meant lame'. Stretch lame'.

The only people I've ever seen successfully pull off stretch lame' are 15-year-old competitive gymnasts. Are you really asking us to wear this? I'll have to go with Jezebel on this one.

American Apparel Will Make You Look Like a Fat Hooker (Jezebel)

Prithee, unpop thy collar

I must object.

Twice or thrice within the past couple of weeks I have seen popped collars...on middle-aged women. The worst was recently when I saw a woman with several small children, all dressed in brightly colored polos, all with collars popped!!!

What gives? Has anyone else noticed this?

On obnoxious frat boys, you can just ignore it. Frequently, it is the least of their problems, from a fashion perspective.

But with these ladies--is it ironic? Doubtful. Is it non-ironic? Despicable. Is it non-ironically ironic? Color me mystified.

Why I love the Washington Post style section

The following story was highlighted on the front page of the style section, above the fold, in the Sunday edition of the Post today. As it clearly deserves.

Cupid's Broken Arrow
Performance Anxiety and Substance Abuse Figure Into the Increase in Reports of Impotence on Campus (link)

Parents of college-aged men everywhere are certain to be concerned about this trend.

Fashion notes from today's commute

A. Black lipliner confuses me.

B. Communication devices (celphone, Blackberry, pager) in a holster? It's a functional thing and you might need to do it for work, so I'm not going to give it a blanket denunciation. But let's just be clear. When this happens to you, you have officially gone and done it: you have become The Man. And I don't mean "da man!" I mean The Man. It may no longer be possible for you to have fun. What're you gonna do, bring that holstered celphone with you to the Black Cat for the Pretty Girls Make Graves show? Those kids with the LCD belt buckles would kick your ass.