creativity

Shoelaces are an interesting piece of fashion. Most of the time we don’t even think about them. I imagine many of you don’t even think about them when buying shoes! They just come with the package.

Because of this, a little creativity with shoelaces can go a long way. Today I’m going to shoe you how to tie a shoe with two laces in an alternating pattern. Why do this? Maybe to be awesome:

That’s what I’m talking about!

Let’s get down to it. You won’t need much in the way of supplies; just a pair of laced shoes and an extra pair of shoelaces (hopefully of a different color).

Supplies

Step 1: The Initial Lacing

To achieve the alternating effect, use over-under lacing for the first set of laces. We’ll use the same pattern for the second set, but switch whether the crosses start on top of the shoe or below the gap of the shoe.

Step 2: Start the Second Lacing

Start the second lace the same as the first. In the example we’ll go through, the first cross of the purple lace goes under the shoe, so we’ll bring the pink lace over top.

Always make sure to pull the lace taut and check that the sides are of equal length before lacing up.

Step 3: Threading

As we continue the pattern up the shoe, we’ll be threading two laces through the same hole. It’s important to do this in the correct way, otherwise the laces will tangle, disrupting the alternation.

The second lace (pink here) should always be on the “outside” of the hole, so it will pass over the purple lace on an overcross, and under the purple lace on an undercross. The exception to this is at the very top, since the pink lace needs an additional pass to end up on the outside of the shoe (allowing us to tie a knot).

Under to Over

Over to top

Step 4: Finishing (a Bow on Top!)

All that remains is to then “tie your shoes,” applying a knot to each set of laces. I tried two options here. You can tie both bows, then tie the two together for a megaknot:

Alternatively, you can tie each bow separately continuing the alternating pattern:

And that’s it! You are now the proud wearer of some radical sneakers!

Notes:

- Using two sets of laces typically results in a tighter tie; be a little loose with your lacing until you can feel how tight the end result will be.

- This is easiest to do with laces of equal length, however, if you’re using two different sizes I recommend using the longer set as the second set, since it will have to travel slightly further, and have an extra pass at the top.

Show me your shoes!

Do you have an unusual way to tie your shoes? Show me/describe it in the comments! I’m always looking out for something new!

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Bonus: Shoelace Belt Mod

Shoelaces are extremely versatile; try running one through a belt to get a contrast color. This is great for casual, summer outfits. Using a double-pronged buckle like the one here allows you to “cross-stitch!”

Make sure to leave a hole for the buckle!

Today I want to highlight a really innovative piece of clothing that makes the transition from business to casual and back in a wonderful way.

Bicycling to work is becoming an increasingly popular option, but with biking comes dangerous motorists (and, naturally, a rickety bike is much less protection than a hulking 1980 Buick Regal).

Enter the Lindland’s Cordarounds Bike to Work pants.

From the outside, they look like standard, stylish, office-friendly khaki pants. But inside, they contain magic. By magic, I of course mean reflective fabrics in the pockets and the cuffs. Thus, while biking, you can pull out the pockets, roll up the cuffs and have an instant reflector suit for maximum riding safety. Check them out in action (in the dark no less)!

Bike to Work Pants from Cordarounds on Vimeo.

Simple, creative ideas like that are what really excites me about the current fashion world. An upstart group with relatively limited resources can now get awesome things like this out to market and impact a lot of people.

Check out Cordarounds for some other awesome products (their namesake refers to corduroys pants that run with horizontal cords, going around the leg, instead of the standard vertical cords). Not to mention, they have a wonderfully witty writing style.

From their description of the Bike to Work pants:

Display the very broadest expanse of reflectivity, ensuring that you will fry the corneas of drivers in both directions.

That’s art.

-Barry

If you don’t want to read today, you can see the pictures for this post (of the nine different collar styles) beginning here, on my Flickr. Alternatively, scroll down really fast and you’ll see them flash by.

The polo shirt is an extremely common/popular element of a man’s wardrobe (and many women’s wardrobes); such a ubiquitous garment can be hard to make exciting. Unusual colors and patterns can be interesting, but that’s about all. Several months ago, I did a little experiment, seeing how many different ways I could wear a single polo, just by adjusting the collar and buttons. Those pictures are here.

Now, this was a good start, but I took advantage of two separate shirts, buttons and the collar. In fact, I really only put the collar in three or four different positions.

Time to push things a little further. I’ve found nine different collar configurations, some of which you’re all probably familiar with, some of which are a bit more unusual.

Standard Collars

These are the most common ways to wear a polo shirt collar, the ones you probably use without thinking about and the ones you see 99.9% of the time on other people.

The Flat Spread

Flat Spread Collar

The default for most people. Here we use a single button or no buttons, then fold the collar down, and press it flat against the front of the shirt.

The Simple Arch

Simple Arch Collar

Another common style (even more common on dress shirts, where the “arch” is actually a sharp angle), we have a casual button pattern with a rounded arch shape to the collar, so that the points hit against the front of the shirt.

The “Popped” Collar

Popped Collar

Made famous (apparently) by college fraternities worldwide, the popped collar is left unfolded, so that it points upward and outward, creating a large neckline shape. The connotations (good or bad) associated with fraternities and other “collarpoppers” are unavoidable, and must be considered when wearing this style.

The Flat Buttoned

Flat Buttoned Collar

This is a standard variation on the flat pressed collar, this time with a fully buttoned placket. The high buttoning makes this a less casual style, with a tighter visual around the neck (both because of the tightness from buttoning, and because the collar is confined to a smaller visual region).

Unusual Collars

Now for some unexpected configurations, styles which you probably haven’t seen before. A bit of creativity and craziness in these ideas.

The Turtleneck

Turtleneck Collar

The turtleneck is the result of popping the collar with a fully buttoned placket. Instead of projecting up and out, the collar goes straight up around the neck, hugging it like a turtleneck would.

The Reverse Point

Reverse Point Collar

Now we’re getting into truly unusual territory. In this style, we fold the collar backwards, in towards the neck. In this instance, we pull the points up and outward, creating a triangle shape around the neck.

The Reverse Fold

Reverse Fold Collar

Again, we fold the collar in reverse (in towards the neck), but press the folds together, so as to hide the points of the collar behind the placket folds.

The Reverse Button

Reverse Button Collar

One of my personal favorites, here, we reverse fold the collar into a full-buttoned placket. This creates a small, thick ring around the neck, almost like an embellished ringer T-shirt. It’s an interesting combination of casual (collar essentially removed) and formal elements (high buttoning).

The Deconstructed Collar

Deconstructed Collar

And now the most unusual incarnation, the deconstructed collar, in which we fold the entire collar and placket underneath the main shirt, taking it completely from view. The result is similar to a soft collar v-neck t-shirt. It tends to work better with shirts made of softer, more pliable fabric.

What next?

Which of these styles have you seen before? Which do you plan to adopt? Anything I didn’t think of? I’d love to hear your crazy collar stories in the comments. Also, if you have suggestions for other clothing elements to play around with, let me know!

-Barry

I’d like to thank Jennine at The Coveted for posting about the use of Legos in recent fashion design today.

Legos came onto the scene relatively recently, in the form of “statement” jewelry (as necklaces, brooches, or earrings). Jennine also blogged about these incarnations. I think they look pretty cool own their own:

The pieces have even ended up on the most respectable of high-street fashion blogs (the Sartorialist) and on the runway (Marc Jacobs via Fabsugar).

While I couldn’t confirm it, I get the impression that these pieces are actually glued together, which I think is a shame. Legos are the ultimate in combination design. Any piece of lego furniture you built as a child, and any piece of lego accessory that you build today can be recolored, reshaped, or rethought at any time.

This provides an awesome opportunity for microdesign; imagine being able to take a basic accessory (like a belt buckle or a brooch) and change it’s colors or patterning between wearings or even during a wearing. It provides a great chance to engage your own personal tastes into a piece of design, and be playful in changing them at will.

I’ll have to consider putting some of these together when I return home (and thus gain access to my sibling’s my legos).

Have any of you made something out of Legos, or another childhood toy?

-Barry

Often, it will lead you to new edges, to new ideas, to creativity. It’s funny, because the answers you get by questioning assumptions are things you already know, but are either afraid to do, or consider impossible. It’s because assumptions are often phrased negatively (like rules).

I don’t want to overwrite this; it’s really a simple concept. Instead I’ll leave you with a few examples.

Questions:

• You can’t draw on your clothes, can you?
• Can you win a golf tournament down 5 strokes on Sunday?
• Nobody can run a 150 miles straight, can they?
• You’d be crazy to start a company during a recession, right?

Answers:

• Of course you can, chalk has worked pretty well for me.
• I’m pretty sure Tiger didn’t think that way.
• Ultramarathoner David Goggins can do it, fast. And he doesn’t even like running.
• Microsoft, Burger King, and MTV “defied the odds.” Can you?

To feel something new, you have to do something new. What assumptions are blocking you from potential opportunities?

-Barry