Infuriation: Plaid is the new plague

Ugh. Image via hayleymelliott.tumblr.com

OH MY GOD can this plaid obsession be gone yet? It really weirds me out that such a large group on the population is wearing plaid. Ladies in plaid is not so much as infuriating, because ladies have more clothes than dudes and therefore have more options. But come on guys. There’s a whole world out there of different style choices that don’t involve this one pattern. Like stripes, or solids! Here are some observations and tips for sufferers of Plaid Plague.

Repeat Offenders

The hot plaid. Image via fabricsusa.com

First of all, let’s map out the babez wearin’ out plaid’s welcome. You’ve got your country boyz, who wear it because it’s probably the only thing sold in small town gas stations, hunters for flannel-y warmth purposes, hipsters because they do anything, and the people who think they are hipsters just because they wear plaid. This covers a lot of dudes, young and old across the country. In fact, I’ve probably seen every male I know in plaid. It’s EVERYWHERE, haunting me and other people who would love to see a little more diversity in the average man’s style choices.

Everywhere I look there is a boy in plaid. The greens, the blues, the criss-crossy patterns that ensnare you: an inescapable force of boring taste and not being able to shop by yourself (because gender rules or puke). A lot of guys I know wears clothes from at least 5 years ago, almost all of the time. And it has. to. stop.

Dudes: Oh wonderful dudes. It’s okay to go shopping. A little diversity in thy wardrobe would be exciting, trust me. When you’re getting read to play Diablo 3 with friends or going to get a beer with the girl you see in class three days a week, you’ll be glad to have some options. Ladies tend to notice clothes and style and shit. One time, my friend was dating a nice and cute guy. But he always had food stains and weird smells on his clothes that distracted her all throughout the date. Fuck that macho shit about “being a dude, ughhhhhh, I don’t go shopping, I eat MEAT and hate yucky fruit!” Take care of yourself and your appearance like a regular human being.

Image via stylezza.com

Malls can be overwhelming. Nobody really likes malls, I think. They’re full of people who might buy the same things as you, but also enemies because of this. And seriously, those food courts are a germ paradise filled with the germs of human society, at least on Saturday afternoons before Christmas. If you must go to a mall, go during the week. Lots of people don’t go anywhere during the week, so this leaves shops open for trying things on in peace, no lines and less people. Always a good thing.

If you really don’t want to buy things from a mall because they are expensive and probably lower quality than most things in a thrift store, you’re in luck! Thrifting is fun and the clothes are cheap and used. You have to dig, so don’t be lame and impatient. You’ll be able to buy more plaid and throw the old ones out because there is a shit ton of plaid there find lots of interesting things from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s. It’s like a fashion time capsule! Just what every man is looking for.

Inspiration

Take a look at Marc Jacobs. He’s highly successful and wears skirts and dresses all the time. It’s highly attractive not because of the dress per se, but because it shows confidence, personality and self worth. Look how high his head is in this picture! EVERYONE feels great in a dress.

Image via gawker.com

Karl Lagerfeld is a cray-cray fashion genius. Sure he’s weird as fuck, but his style is fucking baller. Props.

David Beckham is always looking stylish. Granted his wife, Victoria Beckham (POSH SPICE!!!!!) is a fashion designer.

Jason Schwartzman has some pretty cute style.

Brandon Flowers from the Killers rocks sequins like nobody else.

The Beatles! YEAH! Look at their fashion evolution here.

“I don’t understand why more people don’t wear sequins.” -Brandon Flowers

Image via fashionindie.com

 

So you see: There are some cool dudes out there with some sweet style. They go shopping. YEAH. It’s true! Or they have a personal assistant and a stylist. But since you can’t afford those things, you’ll have to do it yourself.

Try: sequins, fur, ties, tight pants, loose pants, ponchos, headbands, earrings, fitted jackets, men’s dresses or maybe just a different shirt that diversifies your plaid obsession collection. Basically anything else besides your dingy plaid shirt.

Plaid can be great. It’s been in Catholic schoolgirl outfits forever, Irish men love the stuff and Britney Spears made it iconic. Sometimes it looks great. But not every day. Let’s trim the excessive-plaid-wearing down to a maximum of 4 days a week. You’ll be able to explore new fashions while holding on to your beloved safety blanket pattern. YOU CAN DO IT BABY, I BELIEVE IN U.

Mind blown: The Smiths lyrics to “How Soon Is Now”

Image via latinorebels.com

I was first introduced to this song by the theme song of “Charmed”, just like probably 95% of everyone our age. It’s haunting, and very witchy. Maybe I can only relate it to being supernatural because of the tv show. Maybe not.

(Still listening to New Order pandora. Blue Monday is such a goooooooooooood fucking song. Who remembers hearing this one by Orgy in the late 90s first? The absolute worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Holy shit. So bad. I swear this was on TRL.)

I always though the lyrics were I am the sun and the air instead of the actual lyrics I am the son and the heir. There are no phonetic differences that I can hear at all. There’s no way to tell! I feel jipped! He so clearly says two words that both have double meanings. It’s mind blowing.

You guys?

Celebrité: Britney’s Pepsi Commercial

Can we take a moment to relive the EPIC amazingness of this Britney Spears Pepsi commercial from back in the day. This may be my favorite commercial of all time. No joke. The song sounds just like her pop music, there’s dancing and costume changes, and beverages are being shared! What’s not to love?

Hell yeah gurl. Image via up-video.com

Celebrité: Female celebrities with beards

 

Katy Perry looks like a really fun man. The kind that will buy all kinds of red bull shot/drinks and dance on the floor with you to pop music for hours.

Female celebs with beards is oddly funny : theCHIVE.

Forever Young: Donna Summer

Image via members.tripod.com

Funky disco queen!!!!!!!

RIP Donna

Donna Summer “Love to Love You Baby”

Fashion: Henry Holland for Le Specs

Henry Holland for Le Specs over at Nylon Mexico (practice your foreign language of choice by reading fashion mags, because it’s dun AND beneficial! Plus I like to imagine lots of really hip girls struttin’ around Mexico City).

AH-MA-ZING.

Image via nylonmag.com.mx
Image via nylonmag.com.mx
Image via nylonmag.com.mx

Read more en español at SHADE LOVERS.

When discs-at-home Netflix is a waste of money

I wish this was a gif where the Netflix envelope dances to funk music with a suit and tie flashing on and off of him. Someone, do it! Image via pchell.com

I love me some Netflix. Fo’real. Granted, it used to be a lot better, like when they had an account with Starz and their CEO, or whoever runs the show over there, didn’t fuck everything up yet. (Qwikster… YIKES, dude. Seriously? A ‘w’?)

But I am SO BAD with keeping up with my queue. By the time the movie I wanted gets here, which is like a week later when I finally decide to return the movie I haven’t watched but want to get rid of, I’m uninterested. It’s a sick game.

You really have to be in the right mood to watch a certain movie. If I wanted to chill and watch something funny but instead had a Nazi war crime film, it might be really difficult to get back to the person I was when I ordered that movie. This modern world moves at such a fast pace, that I can barely pass my ample part-time gal free time watching something I recently wanted to see.

Is the internet too entertaining? Definitely. Should I feel bad that I waste $10 a month on maybe watching A movie? Probably. But there are always those surprising fits of energy when you sync up with your queue. It’s fucking beautiful. You’re excited to see the red envelope in the mail. You rip it open. GAHHH it’s your first Clarissa Explains It All disc! Success! Or you’re in a depressive, destructive mood and just want to watch something so horrible like The Diary of Anne Frank (Yeah, there are a lot of movies about Nazi Germany).

All I know is, it’s kind of nice to have this non-problem problem. It’s like those sit coms from the 50s, where there were no actual problems that weren’t super harmless, like a dog eating homework or Ritchie forgetting to cut the grass before the Sock Hop. If this post was more like a modern day actual problem, it would probably go like Meth: The benefits they’re not telling you. Not gonna lie, I’d totally read that blog. Meth + blogging is probably going to be the next big thing. (Or has it already happened?) Although I don’t know what people on meth are like. Blogging may be out of reach.

Listen: “Blue Monday” by New Order

This is a perfect perfect PERFECT SONG.

Image via longhairedboy.blogspot.com

Listen: New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle”

Image via rcrdlbl.com

This is one of those songs that you know you’ve heard, but can’t place where from. Probably from everything. Movies, stoned kids’ basement, a particularly hip store. Take a listen to a great song, and my latest wish-I-had-an-ipod-hookup-in-my-car-god-dammit track.

PS: Try a New Order Pandora station. HOLY SHIT.

“Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order

It 80s-ly reminded me of the song “Pop! Goes My Heart” from the Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant movie Music and Lyrics. Now I see they are nothing alike, but in my head they were way more similar. I totally like that movie. There’s nothing super SUPER great about it, but it feels fresher than your run of the mill romantic comedy. Plus there is pop music everywhere, and the soundtrack has some originals that are baller too.