Tag: fashion

Interviews, Style Zero 2 Style Hero

Six Questions with Robert Godley

Hopefully we’ve all had a chance to read the article I wrote about Psycho Bunny by now. I think it’s clear that I’m a fan of the brand, but as I pored over my research, there were a few things I still wanted to know more about. I reached out to Psycho Bunny directly for some insights, and co-founder Robert Godley gave us a peek into the level of dedication required to produce a brand that continues to create high-quality clothing and remain relevant and competitive in the cut-throat luxury retail industry.

Style Zero 2 Style Hero: Where do you draw inspiration for your patterns?

Robert Godley: I have an interest in pop art and its origins. Our logo being such a distinct graphic lends itself to this application and seems to resonate well with our audience.

www.islandtrends.com
www.islandtrends.com

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Brands, Style Zero 2 Style Hero

Psycho Bunny

Before I began my quest to become a Style Hero, I never paid much attention to clothing brands. My daily uniform outside of work consisted of baggy jeans and a printed t-shirt. Now that I’ve been exposed to the broader sartorial culture, I wanted to take a look at a brand that’s caught my eye. I was initially drawn to Psycho Bunny because of their awesome logo [originally sketched on a napkin by co-founder Robert Godley]. I’m sticking with the brand because of the quality construction of the garments.

Psycho Bunny was founded in 2005 by fashion industry veterans Robert Godley and Robert Goldman. Godley cut his teeth with the likes of Turnbull & Asser and Ralph Lauren; Goldman got his start in the family business – neckties – eventually moving to retailers Federated Department Stores (Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s) and Lord & Taylor. Both men got their start in fashion by making high-end neckwear, and although the original focus of the business was creating luxury neckties it has since grown to include polos, t-shirts, socks, underwear, scarves, cufflinks, pocket squares, and wallets. You can even find poker chips, playing cards, and dominoes.

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Daniel Allen1 Comment
Accessories, Style Zero 2 Style Hero, Watches

Which Watch to Wear

thewire.in
thewire.in

Although wearing a watch can be as simple as throwing on our reliable old Casio, there is a tangle of “rules” regarding watches that dictate when we wear them. Some of these rules are merely relics, and others we would be wise to remember.

One rule we can ignore governs which arm to wear our watch on. Traditionally, watches are worn on our non-dominant hand. Most people are right-handed, so most watches are designed to be worn on the left wrist. This is evident when we look at the “crown” (the knob used to wind the watch and set the time), which is almost always positioned to the right of the face. This is to make it easier to adjust the watch while wearing it. Although left-handed watches are available that position the crown left of the face, they are not the norm.

www.amazon.com
www.amazon.com

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Daniel Allen
Pants, Style Zero 2 Style Hero

Jeans: From Genoa to Glamor

Denim has been used for making clothes for over 350 years but it has only been in the last 50 years that they have enjoyed widespread popularity. Blue jeans, as we know them today, were invented in 1871. Soon after, Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss would patent their rivet-reinforced work pants. It would be nearly 100 years before jeans found their way from workers’ wardrobes to pop culture and ubiquity. Today you can find people wearing blue jeans in nearly every country.

www.denimsandjeans.com
www.denimsandjeans.com

Part of the secret to their popularity lies in the particular way that denim is made. The indigo dye – whether synthetic or organic – is only applied to the warp threads of the twill weave. Further, the dye is only applied to the surface of the cotton threads, leaving an inner core of white cotton. As the jeans age and flex and stretch, some of that indigo dye is lost causing the blue of the jeans to fade. This fade is unique to each pair of jeans and is influenced by how they are worn and what we do in them, making each pair as individual as the wearer.

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Daniel Allen
Accessories, Style Zero 2 Style Hero

Belts: Beginning to Bring an Outfit Together

Besides holding our pants up, belts can be an essential fashion accessory that puts the finishing touch on an outfit. While we don’t have to wear a belt with every outfit, there are times when it is expected, like whenever we have our shirts tucked in.

First and foremost our belts are accessories. Our belts can be flashy or understated, but they shouldn’t be the center piece of our outfits. The belt should serve to accentuate another part of our outfit, personality, or physique. Since the belt divides the two halves of our bodies, a flashy or contrasting belt can serve to psychologically shorten our appearance to others while a neutral belt that blends in will make us appear slightly taller.

belts 1

The most basic rule of wearing a belt is to match it with our shoes. That is, the material, texture, and color should all be in accord. If we’re wearing shiny, black leather shoes, our belt should be shiny, black leather as well. There’s a bit more leeway with brown leather shoes since there are so many shades and tints of brown but in general we want to get as close as possible to the same color and texture. If we’re not wearing leather shoes the rules tend to be a bit more relaxed but we still need to exercise some degree of coordination.

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Daniel Allen
Pants, Style Zero 2 Style Hero

Task 4 – Style Safari: Pants

I had a ton of fun researching and learning about shoes for my last Style Safari and this time we’re moving up to the next level. This month we’ll be looking into the different styles of men’s pants. And just like the posts on shoes, I’ll be writing about pants from different angles. Leave me a comment if there’s anything you want me to write … Continue reading Task 4 – Style Safari: Pants

Daniel Allen
Style Zero 2 Style Hero, Uncategorized

Style Safari: Shoes

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about shoes this month. I’ve also spent a lot of time writing about shoes this month. One of the most important things I learned is that nice shoes are more expensive than the sneakers we buy at a box store. But, when buying shoes, the price does not reflect the value of the shoe. The true value of the shoe is in how long it will last relative to the price. The H&M brogues I bought for around $100 were a good buy because if I take care of them, they will continue to make me look good for the next 10 years or more. I’ve never said that about a pair of cheap sneakers.

The next bit is a tad nuanced. First of all, wear what we like. Wear what makes us happy. But never forget that the world (our friends, our family, that pretty girl on the bus) sees us differently than we view ourselves. It’s not easy walking that thin line between the subjective and the objective, the personal and the public, but it’s possible. And this cuts to the very core of style and fashion: at the same time it is a statement of individuality, and a statement of collective identity.

I hope to explore these ideas more throughout the year. Until then, here’s what I shot on this safari.

Belk $165
Oxford Wingtips. Belk. $165

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Daniel Allen
Style Zero 2 Style Hero, Uncategorized

Tying it Together

I only tend to pay attention to my shoe laces when they break or they are uneven. I’ve never even questioned how I lace my shoes, let alone why I do it that way. But it turns out there’s more than one way to lace a shoe. More importantly, there’s more than one why to lace a shoe as well.

The best resource for lacing shoes online is Ian’s Shoelace Site. Using his tutorials and explanations I’m going to give the shoes I wear most often a lacing makeover.

DisplayShoeLacing0
Display Lacing

Even though my brown brogues have an open throat, the eyelet flaps come completely together over the tongue. I went with a lacing that looks minimal and also hides the laces at the top. The only drawback to this lacing is that it can be difficult to tighten.

brownBrogue Continue reading “Tying it Together”

Daniel Allen
Style Zero 2 Style Hero, Uncategorized

Colors and Combining Them

When I began looking in my closet to think about which clothes would come together well to make a good outfit, I thought about the criterion I had set up for the selection: “what I think looks good.” And one of the things I think of when I get dressed is “does this match?”

Actually, that’s what I’d like to be thinking. Right now I think “does this clash?” because I can recognize what looks awful, but what I need to know is how to put colors together. I found lots of opinions and a dose of science, but central to all of it is the color wheel.

color-wheel Continue reading “Colors and Combining Them”

Daniel Allen
Style Zero 2 Style Hero, Uncategorized

Task 3 – Make an Outfit: Closet

Make an Outfit is a regular feature that is exactly what it sounds like. This week I’ll be digging through my (as yet uncurated) closet to put together at least one outfit. I’m not going to follow any hard rules for this task. Instead I’m going to focus on what I think looks good. I’ve also got some newer clothes I’ve bought since starting this … Continue reading Task 3 – Make an Outfit: Closet

Daniel Allen