Men's Fashions to Women's Passion - Is Designer Wear History?

Today's woman has choices her mother didn't. But does mom have her daughter's figure? Mom can go to the gym, and starve herself slim, but sooner or later her hormones kick in. And unless she's a fan of Suzanne Somers' bioidentical hormone therapy, what's a mom to do?

Forever Young
She can start by browsing stylish fashion emporiums like H&M or its formidable competitor Forever 21/Forever XXI, a billion dollar fashion house with over 400 locations and footage five times most Gap stores. From Pasadena, California to Union Square, New York, Canada and everywhere in between, this shopping mecca is ahead of its European counterparts and sprouting like Chia products. Not just for teenagers, Forever 21 caters to family shoppers, which means men, boys and big bucks. 2006 saw the first opening exclusively for men. Typically, "Forever XXI" stores are larger than "Forever 21."

Geneva Womens Watches Clear

A Guy's Candid Review
"The size branded on the clothes is the actual size. The Medium is an actual Medium. They know the clothes, they smile, I can ask for advice. Plus I get to hang out with really good looking women."

Men's Fashions to Women's Passion - Is Designer Wear History?

A tip for you men who are into style but need some help: Check out the latest GQ online for men's designers. I happen to favor Donna Karen (DKNY Men's) fall 2007 collection. But you'll find all of them there. Then compare at H&M or Forever 21 stores. If you bring your wife or girlfriend, prepare to spend some time.

When Fashion Chic is Fashion Cheap
So when mother and daughter-let's call them the Tomases-set off on their monthly shopping-bonding safari, they might steer a course through the aisles of Forever 21, one of the most successful retail fashion houses in the business. Mostly in shopping malls, this Forever 21 is in Manhattan's Union Square location on 14th Street where Mrs. Tomases is looking for trendy that conceals, and sexy that reveals.

Her daughter's approval is important; what mom chooses should be cool but not too young. Mrs. Tomases makes a .80 purchase of a blue-patterned sheer chiffon tunic with ruffled placket. Her 26-year-old chooses a red and black floral tunic (.80), and chocolate brown wide leg linen pant (.80). Who wouldn't shop here? These are chic designer clothes at subway prices! Savvy consumers have learned that to ensure quality, not all roads must lead to Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue. When clothing that's cut couture can be sold at affordable prices, what more can shoppers ask?

Is There a Fox in The Basement?
The founders and owners of the Forever 21/XXI chain are Don and Jin Chang who immigrated to Los Angeles from South Korea in the mid-1980s. Aggressively marketing young and mature women as well as men and children, the Changs have achieved what every immigrant hopes for-the American Dream. Starting with one store in L.A., they began adding new stores every six months. Last year they acquired 40,000-square feet of a former Saks store in Pasadena, California, turning it into a palace of rich looking clothes and other desirable articles for the not so rich.

Preferring to remain a mystery, Mrs. Chang gives no interviews and maintains a profile so low her physical body is off the radar. Ask top designers like Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg and they will say it takes months to get their clothes from the runways to the stores. The Changs deliver interpretations of the same item down to the tiniest patterns and finest quality material, within six weeks!

So Sue Me
The Changs say they employ no designers, "just very savvy designer merchants." Yet when you examine their product adaptations it's clear these designer merchants are the reason for the success of Forever 21. But the company refuses to make them or their names public. In other words, the designer merchants, along with Mrs. Chang, remain invisible. When questioned, a spokeswoman replied, smiling: "... our clothes are on trend, almost indistinguishable from designer clothes. Our design process is proprietary."

According to the New York Times, Diane Von Furstenberg has filed a lawsuit against Forever 21 for replicating one of her dresses down to its print, fabric and color. "Current law does not protect clothing design from being copied (logos are an exception)," said the Times. "But Ms. Von Furstenberg and other American designers have been lobbying Congress since last year to expand the copyright statute that protects music and books. Such a change is considered a long shot," the Times said.

Dirty Little Secrets Everyone Knows
Are there dimly lit places somewhere offshore where, under the supervision of master designers, tiny little fingers work at warp speed, swing-shifts-around-the-clock to manufacture these garments? Does it bother shoppers that an Oscar de la Renta dress selling for 0 at Bergdorf Goodman can be bought for about at Forever 21; that Ralph Lauren, now the Official Outfitter of Wimbledon can see his knock-offs coming and going on Main Street? If there's any consumer guilt, it's not evident at the cash register. The bigger question is, where do most mega designers get their clothes made, and by whom? If they are in areas where child labor laws and forced labor laws are non-existent, how is it possible to enforce them?

Men's Fashions to Women's Passion - Is Designer Wear History?

Sleeve Garters - The History and Future of a Classic Men's Fashion Accessory

Gamblers and cardsharps, gunslingers and knights-errant, traveling jazz musicians and punk rockers, even office clerks have had a hand in shaping the long and colorful story of sleeve garters -- one of the classiest underrated accessories in the history of men's fashion. Although often regarded today as novel anachronisms from a bygone era, arm garters have meant much to the men who have worn them throughout the ages -- from practical necessity to the highest symbol of honor and loyalty, the sleeve garter may not be as prevalent today as in centuries past, but it's looking better than ever.

Garters in the Middle Ages and Camelot

Geneva Womens Watches Clear

The sleeve garter has been making sporadic appearances in fashion since the Middle Ages, during a time when leg garters were a common accessory for both men and women -- in the era before elastic, both sexes used leg garters to hold up their stockings. These garters were often fanciful, highly decorative, and worn to be displayed, a trend that dominated men's clothing clear through the 18th century.

Sleeve Garters - The History and Future of a Classic Men's Fashion Accessory

Great Britain's ultra-exclusive Most Noble Order of the Garter, in fact, was a product of this period, having been established by King Edward the III sometime in the mid-14th century as a fellowship of chivalrous knights bound by the symbol of the garter. The organization, still in existence today, is limited to royalty and foreign sovereigns and is regarded as one of the most elite societies in the world.

The reason Edward III chose to use the garter as a symbol of his fraternity is shrouded in legend and has been the subject of a great deal of controversy and debate. Some trace Edward's inspiration to the Crusades, where knights were said to have tied garters around their legs as talismans that would assure them of victory. Others say the source can be traced to the leather straps that knights of the period wore around their arms to bind pieces of their armor. The inspiration of the garter has also been attached to none other than legendary Camelot, where many members of King Arthur's Round Table, most notably Sir Gawain, wore garters as a sign of solidarity, loyalty, purity, and brotherhood.

By the end of Elizabethan England, arm and sleeve garters had largely faded from fashion but were destined to make a big comeback during the 19th century. With the Industrial Revolution came the introduction of mass produced textiles, making clothing like basic pants and shirts more affordable to the average person. But mass produced clothing, which couldn't be pre-fitted to the wearer, tended to come in only standard sizes while most men's shirts were produced with sleeves in only one length, extra long. Arm garters were a convenient and, for those who couldn't afford their own tailor, necessary way to adjust the length of one's sleeves by keeping excess material bunched above the elbow near the shoulder.

Sleeve Garters in the 19th Century and the Wild West

Though production techniques improved over time, leading to the variety of shirt sizes available today and eliminating the need for arm garters, there were numerous other practical considerations that helped keep the sleeve garter popular among certain circles. Among news printers, office clerks, and other professionals who worked near ink (in an era where most documents were still produced by hand), arm garters were a way to keep one's sleeves clean and smudge-free.

No less practical were the considerations for card players around the Old West and elsewhere, who commonly wore arm garters because it made hiding cards up one's sleeves difficult. A card player wearing sleeve garters was essentially announcing that he was both honest and good enough that he didn't need to cheat. Arm garters are often worn by card dealers at casinos even today for these reasons, though presently they are regarded more as a decorative part of a traditional uniform than as a safeguard against cheating.

There is also the notion, popularized by depictions in television and film, that gunslingers of the Old West wore sleeve garters to help keep their hands free in the event of a shootout. However, the notorious inaccuracy of pistols and handguns from the period, added to the fact that the American frontier was typically far less violent than its depiction in pop culture, makes this rationale unlikely. However, there is no question that the sleeve garter is now, as it was then, regarded as a dashing accessory for any well-dressed gunslinger from that era.

There is also a belief that keeping one's hands free made arm garters popular among guitarists and early jazz musicians. While there is likely some validity to this opinion, sleeve garters were also popular among singers and other non-instrument playing performers of the time, lending strong evidence to the idea that arm garters were as fashionable as they were practical.

Retro Fashion and the Return of the Sleeve Garter

The end of the Old West, combined with technological advancements and huge changes in fashion during the 20th century, has turned arm garters into a relic of the past, one that's now little more than part of a costume limited to a few highly nostalgic professions. There is, however, evidence that arm garters may be making something of second comeback.

The aesthetic known as steampunk, which combines and blends the energy of punk music, the advances of modern technology, and the look and style of Victorian fashion, has recently begun to influence fictional literature, art, music, film, and especially clothing. Fans of this new and often whimsical style are known to incorporate dated accessories like sleeve garters into their dress -- the internet fairly abounds with how-to guides and instructions that show fans how to sew sleeve garters of their own.

Whether fads like steampunk will restore the sleeve garter to a premier place in men's fashion remains to be seen, but the movement is proof that the particular look of this truly old school accessory is still popular for some, and is far from finished. Whether for chivalrous brotherhood, practical need, or retro fashion, it seems the sleeve garter will still be seen on men's arms for at least a little while longer.

Sleeve Garters - The History and Future of a Classic Men's Fashion Accessory