Sartorial Sunday #1

This is the first of a series of posts I plan to do on Sunday about things I love when it comes to clothing, fashion and all things wearable. I'll also probably include something I'm not a fan of because I'm a salty bitch and I can never resist talking about fashion trends or clothing styles I dislike. All of these opinions are obviously my own, I don't pretend to be some total master of fashion or the ruler of all good taste, so don't get too panty-twisted if I love something you hate or hate something you love. I am all about people loving their personal style but I will totally admit that a lot of trends-of-the-moment leave me cold.

This week Sartorial Sunday will be all about my love for Top stitching! I don't know what it is about this garment-sewing phenomenon but it fills my heart and eyes with joy just to look at it. When done well, it's one of those little details that makes a garment or shoe so much more appealing and exciting to me. It's also a cool way to make something that might be a little plain a lot less so without going all crazy with tons of details and 15 overlapping silk screens. This weekend I scored an awesome vintage jacket with some really sweet top stitching:





As soon as I saw it on the rack at Held Over in the Haight, little hearts started flying out of my head like a lovestruck Charlie Brown character. There's always that moment of trepidation when one is trying on a used item of clothing. You ask yourself a lot of questions like "Will it fit me right?" or "Will it look good on me?" or "Did the person who used to own this have crabs?" I am a huge used clothing shopper - it's where about 75% of my wardrobe comes from. Aside from the economic value of such shopping, it's also something that makes me feel a little bit better about not constantly increasing the demand for new goods. The downside is if it doesn't fit right and can't be tailored to do so, you're SOL. Luckily this cute li'l jacket fit me like a dream, much to the envy of my tall friend, Michael, who also coveted its sassy, top stitched ways. I didn't feel too bad thought since he has those long dancers legs and can wear tan suede and not look like a complete tool.

And now for Sartorial Sunday's fashion dislike of the week: Hipster Scarves! This photo collage of this annoying trend comes from the good folks at DieHipster.com.



While this photo mainly illustrates a kind of Afghani style of scarf, it is not the only kind I see on the masses of the great unwashed hipsters I see as I make my way through the streets of San Francisco. It does, however, seem to be the most popular. When I first started seeing it I thought it was a kind of subversive way of showing our Middle Eastern neighbors that not all Americans are total racist, hateful fuckstains who think all brown people are terrorists. But then I realized it was just more hipster wackiness! Who can understand what goes on in their minds? I mean, besides wondering if they're skinny enough to fit into their girlfriends' tiny pants or if they're successfully bringing high-waisted mom jeans back. Still, as much as I dislike this trend - even though I don't dislike the scarves on their own and have often thought they're quite attractive and nicely made (thanks for ruining something else, hipsters!) - it is a handy visual red flag that reminds me this person probably has a dirty butt, so you should not have sex with them!

See you next Sunday!!