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 AllenNovember 5, 2015May 10, 20211 Comment

Accessories, Style Zero 2 Style Hero, Watches

Which Watch to Wear

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.

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Daniel AllenNovember 2, 2015May 10, 2021

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.

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 AllenOctober 18, 2015May 10, 2021

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.

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 AllenJune 29, 2015May 10, 2021

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.

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Daniel AllenApril 26, 2015May 10, 2021

Style Zero 2 Style Hero, Uncategorized

I Know Where Oxford Is but I Don’t Know What an Oxford Is.

Or at least I didn’t until I started doing research for this project. But that got me thinking about how much I didn’t know. So after digging around in a few blogs I’ve come up with a list of shoe types and terms to learn about in my quest to be a style hero. Once I’m done with my research I’m going into the retail jungle of the mall to find these shoes and styles in the wild. This is Style Safari.

Boat Shoes
The traditional boat shoe has a slip resistant sole, is made of oil treated leather, and is worn without socks. They were invented by Paul Sperry in 1935 to help him get around on his boat. This is a shoe for warm weather and for getting wet.

http://www.gentlemansgazette.com/boat-shoes-guide-buy-style-history-care/

Brogue
This style of shoe is characterized by its multi-piece, leather construction and the perforations along the edges of the leather pieces. The brogue was originally an outdoor shoe and these perforations allowed water to drain from the shoe. Now the perforations are decorative and the shoes have become more formal.