Hollywood Clucks Make the Rest of Us Look Like a Million Bucks

As a sequel to my post entitled, “Low-Rise Clothes: Time for an Uprising”, there is this: OMG Website One-Ups Itself in this Parade of Bad Performers
Of course, I find a lot more wrong than the snarky captions do. And the long tee-shirt is not called a “shirtdress”.

Time to Start Your “Victory Garden”

Advice from the Dallas Morning News on Growing Your Own Vegetables this Year

You My Be Able to Start Your Vegetable Garden Now

It’s Not the Bagginess of Hip-Hop Trousers that Offends, Butt…

…I mean but the low-hanging thereof. My photo shows elegant baggy or wide-legged trousers. Baggy pants, as in Oxford Bags, have been chic for decades in classic clothing. But, most people, when referring to the problem of low-sagging pants (trousers) just use the term, “baggy pants”. That’s really unfair, since what is being excoriated is the plumber’s crack, a source of derision for all times. What people abhor is the hideous sagging lowdown pants/trousers style. It really amounts to indecent exposure–someone’s underwear and opening showing in front, and whatever you wish to call it bared in the back–that’s the issue. Here is an article which I was sent by Sweden’s The Local–News in English:
http://www.thelocal.se/8941/

Pistachio, Magic Nut from the Near East

In honor of National Pistachio Day, here is a piece I wrote about the magic nut two years ago:

Pistachios are the new health nut. Research from the University of Toronto shows that they may reduce the risk of diabetes by decreasing the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. “Pistachios are high in protein, fiber, and healthy monounsaturated fat,” explains study author Cyril Kendall, PhD, “all of which contribute to the slowing of carbohydrate absorption in the body.”

Pistachios are delicious roasted and salted, as well as in desserts and pastries. In the U.S., pistachio-studded halvah was once only available in Brooklyn’s Middle Eastern neighborhood–I used to buy it on the famous Atlantic Avenue–but it can now be found at markets around the U.S. Of course, the ever-popular baklava-type pastries from Turkey and Persia, where pistachios originate, usually contain them mixed with aromatic honey.

Research has shown that eating 2 to 3 ounces of pistachios a day can help significantly raise your level of good cholesterol (HDL). Pistachios are full of vitamin B6 and copper, too, which help to increase your energy.

Pistachios salted and unshelled are available at a good price from Sam’s Club. I cannot remember the brand-name–it could be Sunkist–in any case, they are Californian. They’re delightfully easy to eat as a snack, and most welcome on party buffets. For baking, try to find unsalted varieties of these magic nuts.

~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 2007

Alan Flusser Double-Breasted Suit

Superb example of formal/professional suit by America’s top tailor is offered in brief auction for a song. This is the height of elegant dressing, in size 42 regular. If the auction is over, you can click on a link on the right side of the page to see the seller’s current offerings.

“Of all suits, the double-breasted is the most elegant,” says designer Alan Flusser, who chuckles at the “fashion” for DB. For well-dressed men, says Flusser, the suit’s ability to confer strength, stature and the suggestion of good breeding has made it a classic for 100 years…”~~Forbes Magazine September 2008

Simplicity Retro Pattern: Elegant Slacks and Classic Jacket

Skirt and Slacks with Proper Waist: Very Flattering, Simplicity Retro Pattern 3688

Flattering Skirt Pattern from Butterick

The Perfect Skirt Pattern: Easy to Make

Update, July 2011: the above pattern is now out of stock. Here is a fast, easy, flattering skirt pattern from Butterick McCall’s: 

Flattering, Easy-to-Make Skirt Pattern

I have found another flattering skirt (and jacket) pattern, though it is for advanced sewers, being a bit more complicated to make:

Low-Rise Clothes: Time for an Uprising

Choosing Clothes that Flatter the Human Corpus

So, you are possessed of a perfectly shaped body and decide to go shopping. There is nothing available but low-rise pants and skirts that rest on the hip. The fashion industry and its manufacturers are saving big bucks on your back. You decide that to go against what seem to be the demands of current fashion is pointless, so you buy whatever looks prettiest on the hanger. Once it goes onto your well-toned corpus, something sinister happens: your legs now look a mere foot long, and your tight “abs” sit above the low-rise top of your skirt or slacks, looking for all the world like a beer-gut. What’s happening here? The fashion industry is sabotaging your looks while saving themselves money on yardage. It’s now impossible to find a pair of pants, tights, or a skirt that comes up to the natural waist; anything that does is derisively and incorrectly labeled “high-waisted”.

Photo: Trousers with a Proper Waist, Available to the Elegant Man at www.tweed-jacket.com

If you must have your clothes made for you in order to avoid this sick, disfiguring fashion regime, there are ways to do it without breaking the bank. A well-constructed pair of corduroy, moleskin or tweed trousers will get you through the depression in style, last for many years, and what’s most appealing about them is that they will make you look taller than everyone else (unfortunate fashion-victims that they are). Even a well-shaped jacket can be sabotaged by slacks, skirts, or trousers that hang below it. Last night’s Academy Awards brought out a cavalcade of men whose crotches landed below the bottom edge of their jackets–poor misguided fellows, yet rich enough to get it right. Overly long slacks creating a puddle of fabric on top of men’s shoes do not lengthen their legs visually–they just look wretchedly tailored.

A tasteful and reliable source for elegant, durable tweed jackets and trousers is Bookster U.K. They will guide you through the ordering process, and see to it that your clothes have an actual waist, so that your investment isn’t a waste. The clothes are made by Bookster in England. There are plenty of British and American companies that copy the traditional English styles, but have them made inexpensively in China. Yet, these clothes are crafted the old-fashioned way, close to where the fabrics are milled in the United Kingdom. It may take a couple of months to have a great pair of trousers or elegant jackets made, but you just might be wearing them for a lifetime. Bookster U.K. is a small operation with a huge reputation for customer service and fine clothing. They specialize in equestrian and tweed clothes, which are perfect for town and country.

Don’t let hip-hop fashion and cheap clothing manufacturers dictate your style. It is time for an uprising against the tyranny of low-rise clothing.

~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton; February 23rd, 2009