apparel

Pockets as Facilitator of Personal Freedom

Hazel Beeler’s extraordinary letter to the New Yorker about pockets is rich with ideas and revelations including extraordinary improvisations she makes to her clothing — including undershirts…

Shaheel Shermont Flair’s Brilliant Runway

The most astonishing runway show we’ve ever seen is Shaheel Shermont Flair’s deeply improvised TikTok series made at his somewhat bedraggled home on Fiji. With the serious, stylized prance of traditional fashion shows, he models his mind-blowing fashions that offer astute, really funny commentary on way more than the runway.

Clothes Quickly Tailored with Extra Buttons and Magnets

Lately clothing ads coming over my transom have been featuring men’s shirts with an extra side button. When you put the usual buttonhole around THAT button, it pulls the shirt into an asymmetrical form-fitting wrapped number. Of course I immediately thought of how I’d do it myself…

What Mending Can Mean

Long out of favor due to the glut of cheap clothing, products and materials, mending and repair is on the rise again. That’s got us looking into the deeper meaning of mending.

Mend Peace (Yoko Ono, Louise Bourgeois)

We were instantly riveted by @tumanualidades.de’s tiny videos of mending because they were so restful to watch, offering seemingly simple solutions to fixes we have in the past spent too much time worrying or procrastinating about. They called to mind a cosmic view of mending and sewing from some favorite artists.

Anni Albers’ on Material as Metaphor + Martin Margiela’s Tape Belt

We were stunned by the simple brilliance of clothing designer Martin Margiela’s packing tape belt. He recognized the most ordinary of materials as the perfect width, and texture to fulfill an instant need with astonishing personal style. It called to mind Anni Albers’ brilliant words.

How to Socialize in the Cold + Richard Johnson’s Ice Huts

With winter fiercely, the covid-mandated necessity to socialize outdoors is challenging for those of us who live in cold regions or are simply cold-sensitive. So I’ve hunted down advice about how to hang out outside, whether at a restaurant or on a park bench or in an ice hut if you happen to have one.

Over-Glasses Sunglasses for Instant RX Sunglasses and Virus Protection

I first became enamored of sunglasses worn OVER prescription glasses when I saw my friend Fran Black* wearing a pair; I suddenly noticed that there was a pair of glasses underneath her sunglasses. That’s just what I need, I thought, so I hunted a pair down. They made my life way easier. I didn’t have…