c.a. watkins // radar

February 2010 Archives

Accessorize or Die.

February 7, 2010 5:41 PM

Categories:

accessories,
fashion

Tags:

eyeglasses,
GQ,
hats,
pocket squares,
sunglasses,
Tie Bar,
ties,
watches

- GQ Style has been featuring some of the best trends for Spring. These include brightly colored watches, patterned pocket squares, bright ties, and more. They were adding to the list just about daily, but I don't know when the list is complete. Started last week so may be already. Something I love about men's fashion is how simple it really can be. You get your basic set of staples - dress shirts, slacks, shoes, blazers (in varying shades and varying degrees of fancy), and then you can make any number of outfits given your accessories. And the accessories are often more affordable and easier to grow a collection than the larger pieces.

I suppose it can be the same with women's fashion. But from what I've seen, the clothing can cost as much as the accessory when women are more often than not limited to varities of jewelry.

Plus this slide show turned me on to The Tie Bar. 2.5" ties and bowties for $15/each. In actual attractive styles and colors. I'm going to buy some tonight I think!

- I've needed glasses since sixth grade and have worn them since sophomore year of high school. Which means we are actually at a 10 year anniversary right now. Me and my specs. I'm pretty proud to wear glasses. I know I've said before that I wouldn't feel comfortable without them perched on my face, much less be able to see. They are such an extension of my style (and given the trends, of others' styles too). My current pair, a nice horn-rimmed small rectangle frame, may be my favorite pair ever. I expect my Rx is balancing out too and if so, that means I can start using my health insurance to amass a collection of various frames and styles.

Having glasses does have a few drawbacks. For me, namely, that I can't just willy nilly wear sunglasses. Though you may remember my joy last summer when I bought my first pair of prescription sunglasses. It became cumbersome to carry them with me, though; and if I remembered to it was a hassle to switch back and forth. So my sunglasses live in the car mostly where really they are most valuable. That experience did teach me that I can pretty much put lenses in any frames I want which is helpful for all of the times I find $10 fake glasses and can get $75 lenses made.

Anywho. Ritchey once again delivers a great post about exactly this. One's relationship to their glasses and limited eyesight:

And anyway, as far as handicaps go, in this day and age I'd say this is the most manageable one. Still, to be so supremely handicapped should always give one pause. All the glasses-wearers of the world think sometimes to themselves of fires and cataclysms, of midnight rapes, and how helpless they would be.