Fashion Forward #13 - Badge of Preppiness

Appliques, patches, crests, badges or decals are decorative surface applications of fabric that adds dimension and texture to the background fabric. The term derives from the French word appliquer (and the Latin applicare) that means to join or attach. While its early use was most likely to strengthen worn areas or serve as a patch over holes, appliqué developed into a creative art form used by many cultures over many centuries. (Scribner Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, Volume 1)

Nathaniel Vanderbilt Archibald, wearing the Vanderbilt Family Crest on his jacket

The resurgence of Prep culture and its increased visibility on the runways has brought back wearing crests and patches on one's belonging. It has been customary for old families to display their family crest on suit jackets (as is portrayed by Nate Archibald, a member of the Vanderbilt family on Gossip Girl) as well as Prep School and Ivy League Alums to don badges and patches from their alma maters on suit jackets, sweaters, shirts, duffel bags and nowadays even on their laptops.

Rugby is one of the handful of designer houses that has been reinterpreting preppy elements and bringing them to the general public.

True Prep author, Lisa Birnbach states that being preppy is no longer a distant, veiled and often misunderstood way of life, non-preps becoming ever more fascinated and acquainted with it than when her Official Preppy Handbook came out in 1980. As such, preppy paraphernalia is at an all time high in popularity, and sewing or gluing a preppy crest or badge on one's possessions is one easy way of adding that so desired preppy element.

Chest badges are amongst the most popular.

Placement-wise, there aren't really any rules, however, many of the appliques I've seen were placed very similar to monograms, either on the left chest-side or on the cuff of the shirt, rugby or sweater. With bags or other accessories we truly have freedom of expression, and even going over the top with the number of crests, the sizing of badges or the discordance of colours is acceptable.

A clash of two worlds, the jeans jacket and sewed-on the crest, make for an interesting combination.

Most new appliques are iron-on nowadays, however, many machine-washes or dry-cleaning the piece of clothing can make the glue wear off. The safest and more vintage-looking option is still the sewed on look but if your needle and thread skills are lacking here's a guide to help you stitch an appliqué on successfully

A different assortment of badges and crests, ranging from school-inspired to nautical

You can find some of the appliqués featured above at these different online stores:  

• New York Design Shop (definitely my favourite)
• Family Crest
• 1FerretTreasures
• Laughing Lizards

Fashion Forward #12 - Slippery Autumns

To the chagrin of many of my student peers, the North Carolinian summer has slowly lost ground to the the rainy season that is so characteristic of a Duke autumn. While most people on campus have quickly pulled out their rain boots and jackets and their light layers, there are still those who have yet to transition, if ever to their fall wardrobes. How some people can wear flip-flops in the rain and still avoid serious split-inducing slippage incidents is beyond me, not forgetting the sheer messiness of stepping into mud and puddles. I guess some feet just enjoy getting cold and dirty more than the warm "constricting "comfort of a dry shoe?!

Rainy Day on Campus, Take Ivy

Rain - Stone Tiles - Boots - I have had the misfortune of being reminded today just how unfortunate the combination can turn out to be as I, in all of my 6'4" "majesty" graciously rear-landed in front of the library. While others would be more worried about the sheer pain of impact, the possible staining of clothes or damage to one's laptop, the first thing that popped into my head was how I could augment said boots so that this would not happen again.

The basic idea is increasing traction/friction between your shoes and whatever surface you walk on, thus avoiding unfortunate aquaplaning. This can be done either by gluing a couple of no slip appliques /decals or some light sandpaper pieces to the soles of your feet, or applying a no-slip treatment to them.

Hair and Grooming #4 - Million Dollar Hair

How many times have you wanted to cry out FAKE! when watching a shampoo commercial, thinking no hair on earth could be that smooth and shiny?!

The truth is, hair like that does exist and getting yours to look more just like it is not rocket science. The reason our hair looses its natural shine and becomes dull and lackluster is mainly air pollution and over-usage of hair styling products. The outer layer of the hair follicles has the ability to bind to chemicals and oils, so anything from alkali metals from hard water to harsh chemicals present in the urban environment air can get bound to your hair. On top of that, prolonged sun exposure and alcohol-based hair products contribute to drying out your hair which combined with one not using a conditioner can really damage your hair.

Following these three steps guarantees your hair will become healthier, shinier, smoother and any other positive adjective you can think of.

1. Remove muck and build-up

Before going about to hydrate and moisturize your hair the most important step is setting down the foundation which is restoring your hair to its natural state, free of all extraneous pollutants.

To do so, mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar with 1 gallon of distilled water and store it in a bottle in a cabinet or the refrigerator and used every couple of weeks to remove gunk. To use it, wet hair with warm water, or shampoo and rinse as usual. Then pour 2 cups of the vinegary mixture over the scalp and let mixture saturate the hair. Finish everything up with a cold-water rinse. Your hair should now be clean and free of pollutants.

2. Moisturize

Harsh chemicals in the air and washing your hair too much can rob your hair of essential oils naturally secreted by your scalp.

While it is true that regular moisturizers and other professional products like hydrating serums are effective, there are a couple of home-made hair masks that work just as good and give you the confidence that no unwanted chemicals come into contact with your hair. One of my favourite hair treatments is an Olive oil Avocado mask.

Bubbi from Bubzbeauty.com has already made a how-to video of the same recipe I use:

- 1 ripe avocado, mashed

- 2 egg yolks

- 2 teaspoons of olive

One other easy hair treatment is putting plain real mayonnaise into your hair, covering it with a shower cap and warming it up, either by placing hot towels around your head either by blow-drying the cap for a longer time to favour deep moisturizing  

While some of you out there might think these remedies don't apply to you because you have oily hair you're not quite right, because the over-secretion of oils by your scalp can be indicative of a couple of things, a pH imbalance at the skin level being one of them. These treatments help restore your hair to is natural state and as long as you avoid applying too much oil to the roots of your hair there shouldn't be any oily problems afterwards.

3. Bring out your natural colour tones

Depending on your natural hair colour there are a few things you can do to bring out your hair's natural highlights.

Boil one quart of water and add the following to the boiling water:

- For brunettes, a handful fresh rosemary sprigs (bruise by crumpling in your hand)

- For blondes, a handful of dried chamomile

- For "orange tone" redheads a chopped-up carrot

- For "berry tone" redheads a chopped up beet

-  Remove from heat, let steep for 10 minutes after which filter the mixture by puring it through a fine colander or a cheesecloth.

- Shampoo and rinse your hair as is your usual routine then put the warm colour-enhancing mixture into your hair and let it saturate it. 

-After 5-10 minutes rinse with cold water.  I usually reapply the chamomile tea over and over again until I am done with the quart of liquid

Having personally used all of the above treatments I highly recommend them so that you too can have smoother, shinier and healthier hair

Keep It Cool

Temperatures are finally rising almost all over the northern hemisphere, bringing with them longer days, vacations and happy summers. If I were to ask anybody what their two least favourite things about summer were, the answer would most likely be heat and sweat.

Heat is definitely not an element we can adjust, other than running inside to the AC climate and sweat is  dependent on many biological factors like genetics, diet, weight and hormones. While the latter can be addressed in many ways, that will be covered in a future post.

What SoFla guys would look like without AC

Going back to heat, while it's not very easy to change the actual temperature of your surroundings, preventing its detrimental effects and how you physically feel it are definitely more approachable  issue. Sunlight, besides  its possibly harmful UV component, also brings heat to whatever it touches.Wherever you may be during the summer, you'll most surely feel the heat. Your body responds to heat by sweating, however this leaves the skin dehydrated and smelly, neither of which are desirable in our society.

Therefore, continuing on the same line as my previous post, Of Scents and Manly Sensibility, that dealt with using essential oils to manufacture your own natural products, I would like to introduce you to Men's Body Mists and how to prepare them for yourself.

Women have been using Body Mist for a while now and it's very likely you've seen one or more women extract a spray bottle out of her purse and spray it on her arms, legs and cleavage. What Body Mist essentially does is rehydrate the skin and mask some of the sweat's smell through addition of essential oils. What's left behind leaves your skin feeling refreshed and cooled. I can see how most guys would not feel comfortable doing that in the summer, so I won't push it on to you too much. But remember, dehydrated skin ages much faster than moisturized skin!

The general market does have a few options to offer when it comes to Men's Body Mists (same-ole-same-ole as Women's, maybe with use of other essential oils).

Silver Falls' Men's Body Mist - 4oz. - $8.5                                   Mailelani Men's Body Mist - 5oz.- $5

If you don't want to order it, or you would like to dry making it yourself from pure ingredients, here are two recipes I found online, on Snow Drift Farm's website.

Clear Body Mist I

This easy recipe uses polysorbate 20 to emulsify the mix. The perfumer's alcohol will clarify it. Leaves skin feeling cooled and lightly scented.

6 oz. perfumer's alcohol + 1 oz. perfumer's alcohol (set aside)
1 oz. polysorbate 20
1/4 tbsp ylang ylang
1/4 tbsp tangerine
Mix together the alcohol and polysorbate 20. You should have a clear mix. Add the EO's. You should have a turbid mix. Allow to sit for 12 hours. If the mix doesn't clarify, add another 1 oz. alcohol and allow to sit for
several more hours to clear.

HINT: Add a little glycerin to your facial, body and room sprays. It helps keep the water in place on your skin, and in a room spray, it helps the scent linger a little longer.

Clear Body Mist II

Add a little more perfumer's alcohol and polysorbate to emulsify absolutes and resinous oils such as patchouli.

8 oz perfumer's alcohol
2 oz. polysorbate 20
1/4 tsp. vanilla FO
1/4 tbsp jasmin absolute
1/4 tbsp patchouli EO

Mix all ingredients together. This should result in a clear mix. If not, allow to sit for several hours. If it still doesn't clear, add 1/2 oz. more alcohol.

Remember that as any recipe, a little divergence from the path can be quite rewarding. Experiment with different combinations of essential oils to produce something more to your liking. The Healthguide.org recommends Cedar-wood, Rosemary and Lavender for use in Men's products, however I absolutely love citrusy oils and also almond and peppermint scents.

Personal Augmentation - Volume 1: A Better Camping Experience

This post represents the start of a new series entitled "Personal Augmentation", inspired by Gearpatrol.com's 30 Days of Upgrades: Be a Better Man series. This series will be a constant work-in-progress whereby through means of online references, pictures, videos and books, I will try to highlight some of the things that every person aspiring to, as former President George W. Bush would say, personal embetterment ought to know.

This first post focuses on Camping. Ever since the advent of modern civilization and increased urban aggregation, man has felt an emptiness that stems from a lack of  physical connection with nature, which over the course of the many thousands of years of evolution has become ingrained into our very existence. In lieu of the necessity to hunt or change one's location according to migratory patterns, modern man, supermarkets and all, satisfies its need for said connection by doing an activity which we all have come to have a love-hate relationship with: Camping.

1. Planning Ahead
2. Picking a Campsite
3. Pitching a Tent
4. Starting a Fire
5. Meals on the Move
6. Camping Activities
7. Hygiene on the Go
8. Cleaning-up
9. Misc

A good resource on this topic is Bill Revill's 21 Ways to Improve your Camping Lifestyle:

Of Scents and Manly Sensibility

Deodorants, Colognes are Perfumes all great and every man should have at least one of each, however one man's journey into the world of scents should definitely not stop there.

I know how most of us guys dislike ironing tremendously, but nothing beats a crisp freshly washed and ironed shirt or set of bed linens. If you think only your mom or the dry cleaner hold the secrets to these you couldn't be more wrong.

Linen Water

Since ancient times, people have used plants like lavender, rosemary, tansy for imparting their homes and clothes with a fresh scent. They freshened their linens by placing fragrant sachets, herbs, and flowers in drawers and closets and fragrance was brought into the homes by hanging garlands of lavender and mint.

With just a simple recipe you can freshen up your clothes and linens, and if you are not very sensitive to essential oils, you can even be used to freshen and uplift your home.

If you ask yourself what do I do with this linen water, the answer is simple. After taking your clothes or linen out from the dryer just spray some onto them and iron as per usual. The heat will not only set the fragrance in but also make ironing a more pleasurable activity.

How to make Linen Water?

While the proportions are not set in stone, linen water is made out of three main ingredients: water, alcohol and one or more essential oils (definitely experiment combinations of two or more if you're more adventurous)

Here's a list of the common Essential Oils that can be used in Linen Water (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Berries Allspice Juniper Seeds Almond Anise Celery Cumin Nutmeg oil Bark Cassia Cinnamon Sassafras Wood Camphor Cedar Rosewood Sandalwood Agarwood Rhizome Galangal Ginger

Leaves Basil Bay leaf Cinnamon Common sage Eucalyptus Lemon grass Melaleuca Oregano Patchouli Peppermint Pine Rosemary Spearmint Tea tree Thyme Wintergreen Resin Frankincense Myrrh

Flowers Cannabis Chamomile Clary sage Clove Scented geranium Hops Hyssop Jasmine Lavender Manuka Marjoram Orange Rose Ylang-ylang Peel Bergamot Grapefruit Lemon Lime Orange Tangerine Root Valerian

As you can see, the choices are quite varied and opposed to most recipes that you can find online, which use Lavender, I like fragrances that are a little more spicy and strong. My favourite oils that I use in linen water are: allspice, almond, nutmeg oil, cedar(masks the smell of wool from adult moths), peppermint (especially for linens) and Rose (shirts)

BEST retailer for essential oils is Snow Drift Farms; they even offer free samples for all of their essential oils

Linen Water 1
2 1/2 cups mineral water
5 ml essential oils, of your own choice (approx 100 drops)
1/8 cup vodka

- add the essential oil to the alcohol then mix with the water
- use in a spray bottle for best results

Linen Water 2 (Floral - not my favourite but it makes a great gift)
2/3 cup mineral water
1/4 cup (50 ml) alcohol
1 1/2 ml (30 drops) lavender true essential oils
1 ml (20 drops) palmarosa essential oil
1/2 ml (10 drops ) rosewood essential oil

- same as Linen Water 1

Linen Water 3
1 teaspoon (100 drops) Bulgarian lavender essential oil
6 oz. cyclomethicone (a mixture of Cyclopentasiloxane & Cyclohexasiloxane; dries very quickly; does not stain)

Pour essential oils and cyclomethicone into a bottle, cap and shake. Spray on dry linens before ironing or use as a fabric freshener (no need to iron and makes for a much better alternative to Febreze).

Line Water 4
4 tbsp. of fresh rosemary
2 cups of water

- chop the rosemary and place it in a saucepan with the water.
- bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes
- allow to cool and strain. discard the rosemary leaves.
- add water up to 2 cups and decant into a large spray bottle.
- works the same way with fresh rose and jasmine flowers or other herbs

Tips:

- use distilled water as tap water contains chlorine which destroys the essential oils
- inexpensive vodka works the same as more expensive one; go for the highest proof
- linen water works best for cotton garments and linens. If you would like to use it on any synthetics, make sure to test it for stains on an inconspicuous part first.